and here... we... go!

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So, here we go! About 75 hours left till our trip starts (not that we're counting)!

Don't know if there's a need for introductions but I'm Ben (AKA - Benny, Germ, Stan, or for now Ben Voyage!). This is my first time blogging a trip after being inspired by my Californian friends Jeff & Krista and good mate Maris who blogged their own epic journeys through Asia, Aus, NZ and South America. I've just finished my honours year at Wollongong Uni studying cultural geography and have a convenient 3 months off before starting a PhD when our trip winds up. The other half of 'us' is my beautiful girlfriend Danielle (henceforth known as Dan or Neldy) who has 3 shifts left nursing before we head off on what will be here first trip outside of Australia and New Zealand. We've been living with my parents in Bondi since the start of the year saving our pennies (thanks mum and dad!!!) and planning this whole thing through for 6 months now.

I thought I better give any of you people interested a brief run down of where we're planning to be and when. So we fly out on the 29th Apr to London, where Dan's family are from and where my older brother is currently living and teaching. From there we're flying to Lisbon Portugal and heading overland through Europe with our major ports of call being - Seville, Madrid, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Paris, Krakow, Berlin, Moscow and St. Petersburg. From Russia We're flying to China - arriving in Beijing where we'll travel overland to Xi'an, and gradually head south through Vietnam meeting up with my parents in Ho Chi Minh towards the end of the trip and will spend our last week and a half in Cambodia with Dan's mum before flying back to Sydney at the end of July. 90 days in total, sure to be full of some pretty amazing sights and experiences and pretty stark contrasts of culture too!

So I'll keep you up to date as often as possible and hope you enjoy reading.

I'm absolutely buzzing for this...and here...we go!

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Comments

[Jeff]

Amped up
Very psyched for ya. Lot's of Europe being done I see. Great stuff though. Not sure if it's on your agenda but if you can make it to Tibet it would DEFINITELY be in your best interest. If not, another time. Enjoy

[Dom]

Yew!!
Good luck guys! safe travels, looking forward to hearing all about it! Love dom x

[Estella Brown]

First blogging comment
Hey Ben, weird to talk to you online without having met you yet!! Never written on a blog so I will write presuming others can see. I am one of the aforementioned member of Dan's family!! We are picking the guys up from the airport at early O'Clock Friday morning and hopefully keeping them entertained throughout their time in London starting off with drinks the evening they get here. Just don't let the jet lag kick in, there's a cool cocktail bar I want to take you to. Until then my friends xxx