Blogs from East Sussex, England, United Kingdom, Europe

While pottering along the coast at the weekend I noticed that the Masthead VHF aerial had fallen over having a distinctly detrimental effect on the radio.......There was nothing else to do but send Samantha up the mast to fix it !!! (who said chivalry was dead?). Unfortunately it was beyond repair and needed replacing, unfortunately this also meant that I had to go up with Sam working up a warm glow on the winch. Whilst I am not afraid of heights I was very afraid of Sam on the winch, whilst I went up very slowly I wasn't sure at the rate of knots that I would plummet to the deck. As you can see, my fears were unfounded as I am still able to type.... and the radio works ! Looking forward to leaving for ... read more

Hello all, Well it's been a week since I returned from Italy and it feels like I never went. This week I thought I'd finish off by sharing with you all some of my favorite moments: Top ten moments: Facing the fear Climbing a mountain Riding on a Vespa Meeting new people from other countries Learning a new language Learning how to cook Italian food (enough stuff) All the places I visited - Ivrea, Turin, Rome, Pompeii, Milan, Slovenia, Croatia, San Felice Circeo, Venice, Feltre, Treviso, San Martino, Florence and Pisa Trying food I wouldn't have normally eaten - rabbit, frogs legs, polenta, octopus, mussels, sword fish and vodka pasta Discovering I can do anything I put my mind to I don't have any regrets about taking a year out of life and I would have ... read more

God I can't believe it. This has come around stupidly quickly; I thought it was dragging at first, clearly not! My chickenpox really knocked me, and there was a stage when I didn't want to go. The thought to being so ill in a foreign country was so daunting, and I think it was the first time I was really scared about going. I've started to get back to myself and let the excitement build up; now i've got the "counting down the days" worry! Literally, so far, all I have is a backpack, a flight ticket and travel insurance. No doubt I will be getting lost in Suvarnabhumi Airport! I really need to get my act together in these next 3 weeks. Plan, plan, plan. This is my mission. To do list below. 1. Plan ... read more

Well, it has been quite an interesting last 6 weeks for me, especially when one looks at the last two blogs entry. Before I get carried away, there are three things I feel need clarity. First, I am not a tourist; I am an international student, so the idea of using a travel blog was not a good one. Second, I was wrong if I was going to come to one of the most reputable institution such as Institution of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and only put 30 per cent of my time to get a Master degree, the opposite has happen so far, and it seems likely that this will the trend going forward. And lastly, the idea of sitting in a front of computer and write more than 1000 which is ... read more

Hi all, Last blog because I said I would write one more and so that I didn't end on 13 blogs but 14 instead! I have now been back just over a week, it's lovely to be back in the UK. I have done a lot of travelling i the last week, 7 flights! My last day in Gambia was a nice day but a bit disappointing as the weather wasn't so great. I had been hoping for sunshine so I could spend my last day on the beach but it was pretty grey. I went to Bakau one last time to pick up my bag from the tailor this time it was finished thankfully. I then spent most of the day packing before meeting everyone to go out for dinner. We went to a restaurant ... read more

In the UK right, and then what? Well in planning my stay here in Brighton I thought to myself 50 per cent travelling UK and Europe in cheap airlines and train, 30 per cent meeting people from everywhere and ofcoz 20 per cent studying. I know it supposed to be the other way round but I have it that way because ' I CAN'. So what has happened after a week in Brighton? Well first thing first, the scope of work looks terrible at first I thought they knew I have only dedicated 20 per cent of my time on studies so they were intentionally trying to interrupt that. But they are not actually, that is how they do their business. So there will be lot, lots and lots of studies to get through before one ... read more

Things started okay with one of the best breakfasts of the trip. Then I ran (not exactly) to the cornerstore for something for lunch as there would be no places enroute. The walk started uphill and up but gentle meaning I wasn’t gasping for breath just a slow, long, long climb. Then for the next hour we had intermittent sun and gray, decent temp and a breeze off the sea. As the wind picked up so did my repercussions from last night’s undercooked duck. I was hunting for bushy, tree places and there weren’t many. After a few quick stops while Ross acted as lookout my system returned to normal. Too bad the immodium was in the suitcase and not my backpack. As we climbed and walked across the escarpment the wind picked up. It literally ... read more