So there we have it. Unbeknownst to some of you (though certainly beknownst to others), we have returned from our 8 month tour of duty and are now domiciled back in the UK. Just in time for both Easter and the Queen’s birthday- events which are always marked joyously in our household. Before extrapolating on what the trip did for us, and what we gained (and perhaps lost) from it, it is important to fulfil the requirements of a travel blog and relate the events of the last few weeks in South Africa (the astute reader will have ascertained that, whilst [View Full Entry]

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ADVANCE WARNING- THERE ARE NO PHOTOS ON THIS UPDATE AS THE DISC WOULDN'T WORK IN THE COMPUTER I AM USING. SORRY. NOW READ ON (IF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED)... We are no longer in Australia. The observant amongst you (or those who know our itinerary) will see that this update is brought to you from the southern part of the African continent. Yes, we are now in South Africa, over half way in to our journey from Cape Town to Joburgand about three weeks away from flying back to London. But let's not dwell on such maudlin thoughts. We made it [View Full Entry]

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Hello there. It's been a while. I bet you all thought we had disappeared or something in the vast expanses of the Autralian outback. No such luck, tempting as it may be. Too many flies, for one thing. No, we've just been busy. The new year has brought many exciting developments. When last I wrote, I seem to recall we were in Ubud in Bali. My, how things have changed. 2006 has so far brought with it an ear infection for Mia and a chest and sinus infection for me. On a brighter note, for those who don't know, Claire is [View Full Entry]

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First things first- let me wish you all a happy new year, and hope 2006 brings you all much joy etc. We had a particularly raucous night last night. After eating, we watched the first half of Aston Villa v Arsenal. That was excitement enough (0-0 at half time, 0-0 at full time), but then, after putting the kids to bed at 9.30pm, Claire and I realised we were so tired we had to go to bed too. Fast asleep by 11.30pm. A fantastic way to see the new year in. However, we were awake at 8am Bali time, which is [View Full Entry]

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Hard to believe, but we have reached the half way point of our epic, life-changing, round the world (sort of) adventure. And where are we, four months in? Melbourne. There may be something significant in that, but I'm damned if I know what. Melbourne is, though, a city we all like a great deal. It has an air and feel that Sydney didn't have. It also doesn't have riots on the beach. We are off to Bali on Wednesday for three weeks, which will take us nicely out of Australia over the extortionately expensive Christmas and New Year period and deposit [View Full Entry]

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Manly apparently got its name when Capt Cook saw the local Aborigines and thought they had a manly physique. Hard to say how much truth there is, as I haven't seen hide nor hair of an Aborigine since arriving in Sydney. Manly is very nice, though, and there are worse places one could have to spend another night. Since getting to Oz we have ummed and aahed about what to do- at one point we were going to drive from Sydney to Perth, then we thought about the train across the Nullarbor, then maybe a flight. In the end, we junked [View Full Entry]

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The camper van is no more. Actually, let me rephrase that- we no longer have the camper van, it is safely back in an Econocamper carpark where we left it last Monday on a rainy day in Auckland. It was an emotional moment, soon lifted by taking possession of our hire car, in which it's possible to go above 50mph without the engine having a seizure. (As an interesting aside, Mia and Jake now refer to all camper vans as Econocampers. The power of a brand name on children, eh? Hope McDonalds are reading this...) The time in the van was [View Full Entry]

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Apparently, there are more sheep than people in New Zealand. Having spent the last two weeks driving round the southern part of the South Island, I reckon it's true. I counted loads of sheep and only 6 people. I bring this episode to you from somewhere in the vicinity of the Fox Glacier (so called because it resembles a mint, allegedly). Haven't seen it yet, as there has been a load of cloud, but I will check it out tomorrow and let you know how it is. Our camper van is slow but methodical and we are enjoying life in it [View Full Entry]

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Hello again. I know, it’s been a while. My initial concept of updating this thing weekly (if not daily) appears to have been a tad optimistic. Anyway- apology over, on with the blog… As you can see from the location, we are currently in a cold and wet Auckland (the change in temperature, it has to be said, is not one of the highlights of the trip so far…). As you can imagine, much ground has been covered since last I wrote, so best to crack on. After leaving Koh Samui, we headed south, in the direction of Malaysia. Heading south [View Full Entry]

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Is that really the time? No update since the 27th August? To those who care (yes, both of you), I am sorry. What you must realise is that when one is stuck on a beach in the Gulf of Thailand, one just doesn't have the time to update these blog things. Anyway, here we are. Maenam beach, northern Ko Samui. We are staying at a lovely place, right on the beach (I can hear the waves gently lapping the shore, in time with the tap tap tap of the keyboard). It's very calm, with a view of Ko Phangan in the [View Full Entry]

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