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Mui Ne started off as a little fishing village on the coast, it lies about 4 hours north from Ho Chi Minh, but the area is fast becoming a popular tourist area and there is now a lot of small resorts built along the coast line, most of them are beach hut style places or similar and it doesn't feel like the area is being too spoilt by it all as they are not set right on top of the village itself but further down the road. The bus dropped us off at one end of the road and with all our bags we couldn't be bothered to go looking at all the different hotels and beach huts so we just stayed at Thai Hoa resort where they had dropped us. It was a pretty little ... read more

Originally I planned to arrive in Airlie Beach and book myself on to a boat trip leaving the next day so I'd have time to visit a few more places up the coast afterwards, but I got a little side tracked by sun and beer and the chance to relax after the camping trip and bus journeys. I largely blame Andy, Rich (both from Bristol) and Kirk (from Canada) for my inertia, my excessive beer drinking and my continual pie eating that have been the main activities I've indulged in since arriving in Airlie. But I also have to credit them for making me laugh the whole time as well, so its been well worth missing out on couple of other beaches I could have visited. Its far too easy to lay about and drink and ... read more

Off to the east I was actually feeling a bit nervous about getting back on the road again after feeling quite settled in Sydney, but I also couldn't wait to get moving again and head up the East Coast. My last weekend in Sydney the sun decided to shine non stop and there seemed to be blossom out everywhere and I started to feel a real affection for the place, but I had the joy of a 14 hour bus journey to look forward to, so packed up my things, leaving a big bag of stuff in Sydney and yet still managing to fill my rucksack so full that I can hardly close it, and set off. ...and relax. Thanks to the kindly donation of an inflatable pillow from Michelle and some sleeping pills from Natalie ... read more

Arriving in Australia I arrived in Sydney to warm sunshine and bright bright blue skies which disappeared after 20 mins as the sun set, but I was picked up from the airport by my mate Louisa and her boyfriend Dom and whisked off to a gorgeous little restauraunt for a 3 course dinner and lots of white wine, a welcome to Oz treat for me which was indeed very welcome after the past few weeks of nothing more flash than beans on toast or a cheese sandwhich. Lou and Dom and a few others are living out in Bronte not far from Bondi, its a quiet little surburb with a beautiful little bay and I spent most of my first weekend just hanging out at the flat on Yanko Ave or at the beach with them, ... read more

Catching up 13 hours of flying, 4 movies and 3 plastic meals later I arrived in Auckland. It was all very confusing as I set off at 9.45pm on Wednesday 3rd August and arrived at 5.30am on Friday 5th August, where did my Thursday go?? I didn't sleep a wink on the plane as I was right in front of the big movie screen the whole way, I did manage to get a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon at my hostel and then somehow managed to go out drinking and playing pool until about 4am with some folk from my dorm. I have to say I played some absolutley fantastic pool (completely out of character) and had the word 'awesome' repeatedly shouted down my ear by some locals. Jet lag obviously suits me. What ... read more