simonandamy

First things first, introductions. Everyone - meet Marvin. He's bright orange, rather long and a little overweight, and claims to be from space. But he's super comfy, easy to drive, and overall much roomier than expected. He is our current home and transportation, and our new best friend. After a hasty exit from a rainy London on 24 September, the eastward leg of our trip took us across the English Channel to France, before setting off across Belgium, the Netherlands (albeit briefly), Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic before reaching our easternmost stop in Poland on 10 October. In summary, it went a little like this... Belgium - 'On Flanders Fields where poppies grow, beneath the tomb stones row on row'. Driving through the flat plains of Flanders, dotted with cemeteries and memorials, you cannot help ... read more

A taste of France and Germany, and an update from London Welcome to the inaugural edition of the European Excursions blog. It’s been a while since the last entry of the Asian Adventure, and it certainly feels like a lifetime since we arrived in England. We’ve settled into a more regular pace of life, and thoroughly enjoyed just hanging out with friends again. We haven't done too many touristy things here in England yet - after four months travel sightseeing was the last thing we felt like doing! Just living and enjoying getting to know London has been great. London's just a village really, sort of like a bigger, older version of home, without verandas. We have to keep reminding ourselves we live in a different country! After a relaxing couple of months staying with the ... read more

Our entry into Rajasthan - the Land of Kings - marked the beginning of extraordinarily hot India (well over 40°) - fortunately it made up for this with some fantastic sights The cities of Rajasthan, with the hill-top forts and palaces at their heart, are synonymous with colour - the white city of Udaipur, the blue city of Jodhpur, the golden city of Jaisalmer, and the pink city of Jaipur - in direct contrast to the stark desert landscape of the state. The incredible setting combines with the chaotic, heaving, colourful streets to make Rajasthan a totally different experience to other parts of India. Our first port of call was the city of Udaipur and its (in)famous Lake Palace of James Bond's Octopussy fame - only problem was the lake had totally dried up pre-monsoon! Taking ... read more

Drawn like moths to a flame, package tourists and sun-worshiping hippies have been pouring onto Goa's golden sand for decades We chose it as a place to have a holiday from our holiday - where the beer was cheap, the food was excellent, and everything was removed from the horn beeping, noisy, crowded, and ‘for the third time no I don’t want a rickshaw’ India. However, before ensconcing ourselves on a tropical palm lined beach (albeit one that had nothing on Waihi Beach) we spent a couple of days in the state capital Panaji, exploring the Portuguese flavoured old city. Unlike the rest of India, Goa remained under the control of Portugal after independence, and it wasn't until the Indian army twigged and marched in in 1961 that Goa was integrated back into India. The results ... read more

Kerala's state tourism agency calls it "God's own country - as close to heaven as it gets"... ...after switchbacking our way up the high eastern escarpment of the Western Ghats from the plains of Tamil Nadu and exiting the bus to discover temperatures more like a NZ summers day than monsoon India - we're inclined to agree! We didn't even have to use the fan at night! From day one in Kerala we were struck by the greenness of the state, where at least 80% of the land is covered in rubber trees and coconut and banana palms. So what better way to start our sojourn through the shady state than staying in a bamboo hut right next door to the Periyar Tiger Reserve?! After doing some background research of the law of the Indian jungle ... read more