em88

Hi from Bali! I had a busy 5 weeks in Oz, plus not a great deal of cheap internet, hence the lack of contact. I really enjoyed my time there, but I think the east coast definitely lives up to the backpackers' stereotype of being all about beaches and goon (ridiculously cheap wine - 4 litres for $11). Starting off in Melbourne, I had 4 days to do everything and I really jammed it in: the Melbourne Museum, Australian Museum of the Moving Image (really good - I played Sonic for the first time in a good few years!), the final Harry Potter film (where were you when I needed you Hannah?!), visit to St Kilda, the Neighbours locations tour and meet a star (anyone remember Stingray?? Now starring in a panto near you...), seeing Love ... read more

Today is my last day in beautiful New Zealand, and I'm sad to say goodbye but looking forward to getting to Oz! I was on the Stray tour for 3 weeks (a hop-on, hop-off bus pass) and it was such a laugh. Tim and I stayed in Christchurch for one night then decided to make our way up to Kaikoura, 2 hours north of Christchurch and start the bus tour from there. Apparently there was a 4.0 aftershock during the night in C'Church but I didn't feel it! The first night in Kaikoura was great, we went to a hostel and overheard people saying that $1000 was put behind the bar if the rugby game they were showing was a draw at half time... well lo and behold, it was 6-6 come the break, so we ... read more

Hi! Sorry it's been a while... So my second week in Fiji was great, apart from having a dodgy stomach for the majority :-( I went up to Mantaray Island in the Yasawa group and met 3 of the girls that had been on Fiji experience. We spent 2 days sunbathing, snorkelling (absolutely stunning reef and there were hundreds of brightly coloured fish swimming around you) and doing nothing! It was fab :-) After that I went back to the mainland, then to Robinson Crusoe Island for a night, which wasn't anywhere near as beautiful, but was good for relaxing. Met some nice people (practised my Spanish with a crazy Chilean guy who was thrilled to hear some reggaeton again!) and then I left paradise the next day to fly to New Zealand! My 2 weeks ... read more

Bula vinaka! Fiji is so incredibly beautiful, I really like it here. I did a tour of the main island which introduced us to 'the real Fiji'. We visited a few villages and were made to feel so welcome. Everywhere you go, they make you a part of their family, and you take part in a kava ceremony, which is a traditional Fijian drink. And it's horrible! It's made from some kind of root and tastes like muddy water, which makes your tongue go a bit numb! But it's rude to say no so you have to keep drinking it every time it's offered! Went to a church service and had lunch with a family in the village, apart from the 10+ cups of kava it was really nice! We also did bilibili rafting (sitting on ... read more

Hey! I've got one day left in LA, and I've really enjoyed stop no.1! Spent two nights in Hollywood, did all the tourist things there like walk down the Walk of Fame, visited Madame Tussauds and the Grauman's Theatre (where they have all the Hollywood film premieres) and went on a siteseeing tour which included the Hollywood Bowl and the house and the end of Pretty Woman with the balcony scene. Really enjoyed it. I also visited an outdoor shopping place called the Grove and the Farmer's Market, where an TV showbiz news show was being recorded (there are film crews everywhere). The presenter was the Latino guy from Saved by the Bell! Can't remember the character's name but it's Mario Lopez in real life. And he was interviewing two new stars from the new Pirates ... read more

So this is it! I'm leaving in a few hours... excited but nervous! I fly at 3:30pm from Heathrow and get into LAX at 7pm their time, which I think is 2am England time. Better finish getting ready! xxx... read more