I really am not sure where to begin with the last week out here in Bali, Indonesia. I arrived expecting to find an island ruined by tourism. And i’m sure if i’d gone to Kuta or Seminyak that might be what I found, but I have had a spiritual experience (I know, I know!) out here in Bali... Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) would be proud!! After queuing amongst endless Aussie’s for a visa at Denpasar airport and fighting my way past endless taxI and moped drivers all yelling at me I headed out to the main road and flagged down a bemo (public minivan) to take me to Ubud – a town in the centre of BalI and known for its beautiful paddy fields and artistic locals. After two bemo rides and a moped (with ... read more

If ever you find yourself in Sumatra you really must go to Pulau Weh. It is well worth the flights, boats and buses that are required to get there!! It is stunning; great scenery, people and food... and scuba diving... which is why I find myself here. The drive from the airport includes stunning vistas - locals working in the rice fields, coconut trees galore and simple towns rebuilt after the tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh in December 2004 (something like 20,000 people died here that day). After meeting 3 other people (from France, Germany and France) and all sharing a taxi from the airport to a hotel I finally feel like I’m back in the travel groove!! And I’m loving it!! The lovely Sandra (one of the aforementioned Frenchies!) is a gem. We get on ... read more

It’s been a long time since I last wrote and told you all how I was doing... but there has been a good reason (ish!) for my slack blogging skills – i’ve not been travelling! Let me explain. I arrived on Koh Lanta at the end of November and since then have not budged. In fact I have been on Koh Lanta now for 80 days... and I love it here. When I last wrote I had just arrived with Jason (more about Jason later) and we did a few touristy things before he left and I started my dive master training. Well I am now a PADI certified dive master and have been working as a freelance dive master on Koh Lanta for the past few weeks. I have loved every minute spent under water. ... read more

I left you whilst still in Krabi where i managed to tone my leg muscles fairly impressively by walking the 1237 steps at the Tiger Temple; I had decided i should do a little site seeing after the previous day of doing nothing, so after much deliberating over the cost of tours versus hiring motorbikes versus buses i decided that by far the safest ,and actually cheapest way, would be to take a local bus. On the bus i met two lovely German girls who i then spent the day with! So, whilst climbing up the aforementioned 1237 steps i think i must have lost my own body weight in sweat ... and by the time i reached the top (which did seem to take quite a long time?!) i looked like i might explode! ...and ... read more

Well this is it. It’s finally over. I went to bed last night in Hong Kong and tonight I will be sleeping on a plane heading for Heathrow; and the end of my journey. I’m not too proud to admit that I had a little cry last night! Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and family… i‘m even looking forward to seeing everyone at work… I just don’t want this to end. To say it has been incredible, an adventure, 4 months of nothing but fun and excitement does not really do it justice! I can’t really describe it! I’ve had a blast for four months and now I have to get back to reality. I have been grateful every day to be in a situation where I am able to ... read more