Well, here I am at JFK looking out over the tarmac with an hour to go before I fly home. I'm handwriting, so by the time I type it up I'll be back in Birmingham which is a very surreal idea right now. Internet access in New York for those without wi-fi laptops proved trickier than I would have expected so it's back to trusty pen and paper. Just as an aside, not to be biased or anything, but the airports here are lame compared to the UK and the security is nowhere near as tight as I would have expected. [View Full Entry]

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And so the Aussie odyssey is over. I loved Australia as I knew I would, and I'm sure I'll be flexing my dual nationality and heading back soon enough. Thankfully, and contrary to expectations, San Francisco is not in the grip of a freezing autumn but has welcomed me to the US of A with clear, blue, sunny skies. Good call on throwing out my last bit of sunscreen before leaving Sydney then. My body clock's all over the place and I can't comprehend the fact that I lived Friday 5th October twice. Having existed in the future in relation to [View Full Entry]

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G'day! (sorry, had to be done). Yes I'm officially in the land down under and have been for about ten days. I can't believe I'm more than halfway through my trip now. Scary how time passes. My 2 weeks in Indonesia turned out to be another dose of light and shade. When I arrived I felt ready for a rest and consequently didn't do half as many things as I'd planned. On some days I had a definite feeling of marking time before going to Australia. At Lovina on the north coast of Bali I spent a couple of days lounging [View Full Entry]

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Long time no blog, but I'm back on the case again. There's a big old chapter missing but to cut a long story short I'm now in Bali. I've also just realised it's Monday morning and am savouring that knowledge. The TravelBlog site wasn't operational for days and when it reappeared all my entries had been lost in a server crash type thing. Got in a bit of a strop and refused to have anything to do with the internet for a few days after that! Mature, I know. However, we have now made our peace and thanks to a godlike [View Full Entry]

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OK, I wrote this when hideously sleep deprived whichexplains some of the weirdness. To appease the photofiends I've since uploaded selected highlights of thetrip so far (I think!). Yep it's all gone a bit existential at this end. I was wondering how long I would have to spend alone before I was overwhelmed with introspection and the answer: three and a half weeks. My focus on the incredible bigness of things was brought into perspective at my ger camp in Mongolia when I noticed that the guy leading my horse trek was checking his texts and that the cutlery in the [View Full Entry]

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Ah yes, I'm in Outer Mongolia in a much more cheery mood than previously. I guess this is going to be characteristically long so for those who can't tolerate the featureless text I'll say at the beginning: thanks to everyone who's been getting in touch. Even if I can't reply to all straight away it's very much appreciated. Went off to Olkhon Island by bus (funny how an 8 hour bus journey seems like a bargain after 2 days on a train). Stopped halfway at a strange little cafe in the middle of nowhere and there was a brief 'Hostel' / [View Full Entry]

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UntitledCHRIST THIS PLACE IS HUGE!!! There, that's the bloody obvious out of the way and now I'm lost for words. Actually not lost for words, just too many bouncing about to collect them properly. I'm not totally convinced I'm having a great time but it's certainly an experience. The cities are pretty much like cities everywhere with terrible traffic, high prices and a vague undercurrent of hostility towards foreigners. Both Moscow and Yekaterinburg were covered in dust from the ubiquitous luxury apartment developments. There's a lot of money here (for [View Full Entry]

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UntitledVirtually hallucinating as it's now 36 hours since I last slept (unless you count repeatedly passing out and hitting my head on the window of the coach to Heathrow), but I've definitely arrived in Russia. Oversize baggage at Heathrow lost my boarding card and passport control at Moscow airport was as fast moving as a glacier but despite my total lack of Russian I made it through the train and tube systems unscathed. Realised I didn't have a map to my hostel (clever) but a helpful lady in a kiosk bullied her son into showing me the way. Faith in [View Full Entry]

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OK folks, I need to know if this is working (i.e. if I've done it right and haven't succumbed to my usual techno-peasantry). Apologies to those who have no interest. If you don't want to receive any more of these while I'm away please let me know. Jude xx [View Full Entry]

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Beginning the countdown now and what better time to do it than when you've spent the morning getting vaccinated and debating the merits of getting a private prescription for the "always fatal" rabies. Still cheaper than the last vet bill for the lads but then I should have expected that after their life insurance cost more than mine! At least I know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. Return journey from Acocks Green to Hall Green swift and uneventful. Made a point of savouring the smallness and ease of it all compared to the epic journeys ahead. [View Full Entry]

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