Sam Broad

It's gotten so cold in the last week. It's just about winter now in Australia, and the fact that I'm heading South really isn't helping. Mornings are pretty bad when the inside of the tent is dripping with condensation and the ground outside is frozen. It usually takes me a couple of hours to thaw my fingers and toes as I get going... And then, half way through the day, when it finally warms up, I have to unpack the tent again to let it dry out in the sun... but it's all part of the fun :) I'm still making good progress, averaging about 70kms each day, and hope to be in Melbourne within about a week. The coast is still really beautiful, and I'm still enjoying every bit of the way as much as ... read more

Hello ! And happy Earth day :-) It's been over three months since I landed in Australia, and you may be wondering how far I've gotten in that time... Well, prepare to be disappointed ! In those three months, I spent a total of 3 days on my bike, and covered the (not so) impressive distance of 250 kilometers ! And you'll also have noticed that I've been more or less off the radar during this time (a few photos posted on Facebook, but no blog updates...). So, what have I been up to ? Well... I've been WWOOFing. For most of that time at least. WWOOF is a world wide organisation linking itinerant workers (ie. me) to organic farms and small properties who need a few extra pairs of hands. The setup is as follows ... read more

Here's the last post in the South-East Asia series, and a conclusion to the first 6 month phase of this trip. Borneo was a little holiday away from my holiday, a Christmas treat to myself. At a somewhat quicker pace than the tranquil months wandering through Thailand, I spent 2 weeks rushing around the Malaysian third of this equatorial island, hopping from National Park to National Park, camping in close quarters with the exotic fauna and taking in the views from the depths of the Niah caves to the peak of Mt Kinabalu. Despite the horrendous omnipresence of the destruction caused by slash and burn farming, deforestation and oil palm plantations, so much breathtaking stuff remains to see. The orangutans, driven from their - rapidly declining - habitats, seem unphased by the hoards of tourists snapping ... read more

After Thailand came Malaysia ! First stop : the Cameron Highlands - tea estates and strawberry farms, and some serious hiking ! Then straight down to Singapore to meet up with my friend Kevin who works there, and five days of shopping madness ! On the way back up to Kuala Lumpur airport : a stop in the peaceful colonial town of Melaka... ... read more

Welcome to the Land of Smiles ! The South-East Asian country we spent the most time in (7 weeks in total) and my favorite by far has to be Thailand. And my favorite city : Chiang Mai ! Such a nice green place, with plenty of nice, relaxed people, and lots of green things to do ! ... read more