ZoMo

Hello from Christchurch Thought id drop you all a line let you know that the conference went well. Thus far - nothing has been quite what i had envisaged, however i am having a great time (and getting some work done on the thesis - amazing). We hired a car and drove from Christchurch - Dunedin, the scenery was quite flat (not the mountainous areas you picture when you think NZ). We saw a suprising number of cows - seems the industry is trying to make a shift from the sheep (possibly related to bad press). The coastline is beautiful and its amazing to look to the left with rolling green hills and sheep, then to the right with long narrow beaches, mild waves and every shade of blue and green there is. There have been ... read more

Hi Guys Initially Ko PhaNgan wasn't going so well for me, thought that the gods had deserted me. Its difficult (impossible) to get accomm leading up to the full moon, i found a room and took it immediatly. Thought myself lucky it wasn't the beach. After further discussion with my 4 new roomates, an awful nights sleep and a nasty enounter with the bathing facilities.... it became evident that the beach was probably better option. Thankfully all 4 decided to find new digs in the morning. I was going to share with a guy i met at the pub the night before but i was hoping i could find something else.... so i wasn't at his mercy should he turn out'unique' as i was agonising over this decision.... i hit the JACKPOT! I met 2 Norweigan ... read more

Hi guys Hope all is well for you. Thought id touch base, let you know i am alive and well. Finally have made some plans.... Thought it would be good to go home with some skills so i am going to learn Thai cooking tomorrow, the following day im going to the golden triangle, seeing hot springs and having a look at the hill tribe villages, day after that im learning THAI MASSAGE, next day riding some elephants and then down south to the island. Woo hoo! The north has improved since finding a bar which isn't visited by dirty old western men with thai girls or lady boys. Seen more of it here in Chiang Mai than in BKK. Odd. Anyhow this place is quite nice, have made a friend and changed hostel to a ... read more

Hi Guys Have made it to Bangkok and can now recieve text messages (yippeee). Bangkok is not the horrid city that everyone makes it out to be, thus far i have had a good time. Got a nice new and CLEAN place to stay (no frills i.e. no hot water or tv but it has a pool on the roof). I made some friends last night 2 english brothers, one of their girlfriends and about 5 Thai girls (they live in other towns and are on holiday in BKK too). I am going to meet the Thai girls tonight if i can handel it. Tomorrow will have to be the day i organise the next leg of my trip..... Chiang Mai here i come. Am off to do some reading of the lonely planet and try ... read more

Hi Guys Seems i neglected to let you all know about the weather and the people last entry. The weather is fantastic, a little humid but not too hot (at least in the south)..... now i am in Hanoi its a little drizzly and humid but still tshirt weather. The only time you really crack a sweat is carrying your pack for a few hours. The locals are seriously friendly people, they have helped me out heaps - down south they are always smiling, but in Hanoi (home town of Ho Chi Minh) they are a little more solemn faced but very nice none the less. There are of course the usual cyclo and motor drivers, occasional beggers but its very manageable - you only need to say no 2 times usually and they don't often ... read more

Hey guys I have had an insane week. After my last entry i went and hit the town in Saigon. Met some Aussie lads in a rock'n pub and found myself booking a ticket with them to a little coastal town called Mui Ne. The bus left at 6am, i left the pub at 2am (they were still hard at it - it was one of their birthdays).... bottom line is i made it to the bus and they didn't. So i was alone again, but loving it. Arrived in Mui Ne, met some guys from Seattle on the bus and some Aussie lads at the resort, we had a bonfire on the beach that night which was pretty cool. Caught the bus the next day to Nah Trang where I met some Canadian gals (who ... read more

Had the most quintesential Aussie send off in Syndey - 4 essential ingredients: people, beach, booze and nudity (no not mine). I was prepared for Vietnam to be quite terrifying first couple of days (particularly as i have arrived on the days preceding the BIGGEST event of the Vietnamese calendar 'tet' aka NYE celebrations).... but (while somewhat daunting) the pace and filth of HCMC failed to raise my stress levels.... This has lead me to realised that sitting on a beach for the next 3 weeks may actually be what the doctor requires. Have booked into actual hotel for the evening, to lighten the load as i haven't properly slept since the 6 hrs in Sydney and any further pressure may turn me from content to freaked-out. Have intentions to either get the train tickets sorted ... read more

Made it as far as Sydney thanks to Em the chauffeur, staying at hotel lowe/halse. Just had a lovely dinner of Thai, a taste of what is to come. See you all in Cyberspace. Love Z... read more