Getting Ready

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Hi everyone

This is the much promised Swarbrick travelling blog. I'm just using this entry to test out the site, and as a dubious excuse to avoid the packing etc. that I really should be doing...

Flights

Before we start our travels, I thought it might be useful to set out the flights that James and I have booked (all for under a grand!):

Wed 02 Dec Manchester to London
Wed 02 Dec London to Bangkok

Tue 09 Feb Bangkok to Sydney
Wed 10 Feb Sydney to Queenstown

Fri 12 Mar Auckland to Melbourne

Thu 15 Apr Cairns to Darwin
Thu 15 Apr Darwin to Singapore

Fri 14 May Singapore to London

Based on these flights, I've designated the trip into four "zones", outlined in the map opposite (get used to it - I intend on including quite a few maps over the next 6 months!)

Initial plans

We've booked ourselves into the Viengtai Hotel in Bangkok for the first two days of the trip (on the recommendation of Nicky, the helpful girl at Trailfinders), being the only accommodation we've got sorted for the next 6 months. After immersing ourselves in Bangkok for a couple of days, we're planning on heading North, first to Chiang Mai, and then the Laos border. Hopefully I'll be able to update you all before we make the crossing into Laos.

Advice

Before I sign out, I also thought I might use this opportunity to share with everyone the various bits of advice I've received over the last few weeks.

"Don't be stupid, you don't need to take that" - Selina (about pretty much everything on my packing list)
"Don't carry anything for anyone" - Lian (thanks for that sage advice Lian...)
"Enjoy the ping pong" - Dom (I'm going to pretend I don't get that reference)
"Look, learn and drink" - Paul
"Keep out of mischief" - Sam
"Make sure the rash goes before you return" - Simon (maybe says more about his own trip to Australia...)
"Remember that they're not all actually women" - a worrying number of people
"Tell people you're only 25, if they find out you're 28 they'll think you're sad and old..." - Holly (the most depressing bit of advice of the lot)

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Photos

Packing Boxes
In the imortal words of Peter Kaye, booked it...

Empty Bookshelf
...packed it...

Boxes/bookcase
...f*cked off...