So now for my small world story. This evening we met up with a lad who i used to go to college with bout 8 years ago. Knew he was here and so on. So he was telling us that a couple of months ago he was really skint and that his mum had said that her mate who lives in Oz would put him up if he was ever in trouble. So he had to make this really awkward call to this woman he didn't know to ask for a free room for the night. He was on about this woman called Liz who is English but her husband is an Ozzy. Turns out its Kev's mum. It just clicked when he mentioned his mums friend who had been here couple of years who was called Liz and I presumed she was from GY.
Weird.

HOT

Hello up there in the cold wet northern hemisphere, hows the torrential rain? So in the land of Oz it's becoming hotter by the day. It's been around 40 degrees today- a little too hot for our liking, it's meant to be slightly better tomorrow.

SO Sydney is very much like a nice city at home, similar to London but a lot smaller, and less grubby. It actually has old buildings including Victorian shopping malls ( namely the Victoria Building and the Strand) which are really posh and spangily. It is also pretty clean and everything is easily accessible if your willing to walk in the heat. The only thing that is a bit discouraging is the copious amounts of tramps and odd bods. You'll be walking the street when some old man is talking to himself and another's asking for cash. There seems to be more here than home (Even though I hear GY is building a new homeless shelter near fremo) there are also more here than in the Dam which last time I went was full of tramps and odd weirdo's.

So the best bit is the odd wildlife, which you know is there but don't expect to find in the city, like cockatoo's, parakeets and some odd ugly bird who's name I don't know- lets call him Jeremy for want of a name.

So along with Jeremy and the others trawling the City streets at all times are the Bats. Bloody huge bats- flying foxes to be exact. They are HUGE. In the daytime you can see them hanging by their hundreds in trees in the Botanical gardens and then at night they come out and swoop around the city. Approx 7:45 at the mo. They're an amazing sight.

Ben has seen a pod of hump back whales as well- I was too lazy to go and meet him and so being the lazy moo I missed out. The only thing that we haven't liked so far in the way of creatures is the fly's. One of the first really hot days seemed to wake the buggers up and they were every where. Thankfully this seems to have calmed down now.

So in our last 3 or so weeks in Sydney we have pretty much covered the main sites- not that there is that many, but it's quite a nice city to have a wander in. So we've been to Harbour bridge and the Opera House and frequented the beaches of Bondi and Coogee a few times. We have also been to the grungy areas Newtown and Kings Cross. So we're covering it. No point of rushing when we're staying over Christmas.

We're living in the Newtown area which is the 'odd' place to be with grungy goth's and lesbians on every corner, but it seems to be ok and at least it has some life in it. We're both working in a call centre which is tedious but the money is ok and we can choose the hours that we work. They didn't tell us off the other day for missing a shift after drinking too much and over sleeping. He HE HE.

Can think of anything else to tell you all apart from its BLOODY HOT and we quite like it here so see you all never!

Toodle Pip

P.S Here are some of our pics including the odd Jeremy Bird and a wonderful sign for the outside of a church.

JOB

Yippie I have a mind numingly dull job in a call centre whip de woo for me!!!!

Corporate whore

So have moved to a new hostel today- lots cheaper and only just up the road. Actually when I say that I mean a bloody huge hill which is a right arsehole and kills your calf muscles. The hostel is up for sale and therefore has hardly anyone staying in it apart froma big fat sweaty man in a string vest who is allegedly the caretaker. MMM, glad i'm not there alone. It's a bit fusty too as there doesn't seem to have been anyone in the room for a while- i'm expecting the residents to be spiders. But it has a swimming pool and an excellent sun deck with great views of the sea. Today has also been sunny which is a nice change after the days of drizzle.
Have had an interview for a telesales job today so will find out tomorrow if I've got it. $18+ an hour which at the current shit exchange rate is nearly 400squids a week if i do 40 hour - WHY DO I TEACH BRATS????????????????????????
Hemmmm, going to sit a the beach tomorrow doing diddely squat and possibly drink beer. See ya have fun

OZ

So we have been in the upside down world of Oz for neary 2 weeks now.
First we stayed in the city near Kings Cross which is a bit of an eye opener. You get people dressed up for a night out, backpackers, tramps, hookers etc all mingled in with one an other. We stayed in a basic hostel which was just ok- however they did a barbie with beer for only 3 dollars.
Then we headed to the beach just south of Bondi and are still here now. We're in another hostel but t's good and clean but a little (a lot) pricy. Ben's allegedly got a job and I have 2 intervews next week. Had one the other day to sell a kids toy- snake thing that we had when we were young- havent got the job thank god and the boss man was a cock and insinuated that as a teacher i wouldnt be up to the long hours- 8 hour shifts. What the hell does he think we do all day???!!!! COCK.
Anyway, we've been to see the opera house and the harbour bridge. Walked around pretty much all of Sydney centre and also been to see the sculptures by the sea which were excellent.
I started to worry about the prices of hostels, especially over christmas- your lookign at over 300 squids a week from now on. PANIC PANIC. However we have just signed up for at least a month in a shared complex, a bit like student accomodation but better than the Bedford hell hole.\, its much cheaper and has everything included in the price (about $300 not pounds), internet, own comp, tv, bedding, private bathroom, DVD, Fridge, pots, pans etc so hopefully it'll be ok. Think the area isn't as bad as the kings cross but could still be interesting.
Moving to another hostel in the meantime, still in coogee- best to have a beach when you have no job! hopefully it'll be as good as this one, this one is full. :-(

Weather is a bit up and down one day it was 36 degrees and then the next day it rains.
Sea is cold but your able to still swim after the initial shock. They have swimming pools set into the edge of the sea so you can swim without the current, (or sharks).
Sydney has lots of reconisable place names too:
Covent garden
Hyde Park
Kings Cross
Oxford Street- you name a street in london and it'll have it. Very unoriginal.
And randomly you get cockatoos and small parrots flying through the streets which is pretty cool.
Toodle Pip.

Sculptures by the sea

bras and birks

So apart from the silly bit I wrote the other day about Ben and the man chatting him up, I have been avoiding writing too much after deliberating over Blind Faith by Ben Elton. So whilst rather not giving too much of my soul away and whilst still having the privalige of being able to keep secrets I though I wouldn't share ought with you so there!
However the mood has changed from last weeks living in the van from HELL, which by the way they refunded us for 4 days for all the hassle, I have entered the land of OZ and its warm so alls good. Isn't it amazing how when its raining all you can do is sit in a van (OF DOOM) or spend loads going in museums and such like, but when it's warm its soo much better. WOOOOO

Anyway...
Let me see what have I lost... / got....
somehow I have lost 2 bras
a cardigan
my camera's buggered
some socks
Broken 2 pairs of birks- admittedly one pair was old and knackered and the other was a rip off version from thailand for 4 pounds and they did last a month.
I've gained...... not much actually. mmm
ITS HOT YIPPIE.

The 3 funnies

1. Whilst eating chocolate cake a little boy (8 ish) stood behind ben and stared and stared- ben proceeded to say very loud yum yum yum.
2. Nutter taxi driver on the way to auckland airport. Went through reds, went the wrong way, lots, and kept reversing the wrong way daown roads whilst singing to herself and rambling on.

3. and the best..
whilst in a bar and having a pint a man (relatively pissed) came up behind ben and put his hands on our shoulders and said "alright ladies can I sit here?", I thought he was taking the piss but he really thought that Ben was a girl from behind- and I keep telling him to get his hair cut.
In Sydney- flew first class?????? dunno why!

Evil Eggy Smells

Can you all go and do me a favour please.
1. Get an egg- the older the better
2. hard boil it
3. crack it open and mush it up
4. leave it for a week
5. stick it under your nose and let the smell waft in (heather if you read this remember the noxious smell of sampy the sandwich)

So once you have completed this task you will know what we have dealt with over the last few days- nope not ben and his bum!

We've been to Rotorua and the surrounding districts and have been into a thermal wonderland- hell what ever you want to call it. The area is all based in a volcanic crater and is seething with thermal springs, geysers, blowholes and warm springs. It's excellent. I think it's the best place we have been so far. The landscape is amazing lots of tropical plants and trees, snow topped mountains and then the rest of the countryside is steaming and mad. The only down side is that it STINKS of rotten eggs- really stinks.

Also went to glow worm caves which i think look like fairy lights- not convinced that they weren't!!

Ernie Becketts Fish and Chips.

So now we are promised tornadoes!!!!
Bus man's Holiday: This is what I seem to be having, mmm, cooking, cleaning, washing, driving and what does Ben do? nothing. Oh, actually read maps badly.
So the other day he attempted to make the bed. This was because he had ruined it by searching for something. Anyway I passed him the bottom sheet, no probs there, then the second sheet- you know the one you sleep under- this is where the problems started. He tucks it in at the bottom, as he did with the first and then said "I don't get it, where does the other end go?" (just to put this in perspective, when he lived at home he always had a sheet and a duvet) lets guess who has made his bed for the last god knows amount of years.
Anyway. We are now on the north island after a good crossing from the south. The weather was shite in Wellington but is ok now after hours driving to Napier. Napier the worlds capital of art deco.
On the way to Napier we got a stone in our window which cracked it, so we rang the fools who we hired the van off ((maybe we are the fools) actually BEN DID THIS) and they told us, after Ben arguing, to go to Palmerstone North for a newe windscreen- go to this garrgae and they'll sort you! Nope, they won't as they've never heard of us or the company and they ring them, and argue, and we have to go somewhere else!!! Day 5 of a garage.....
In Wellington we went to their National museum, Te Papa, and it was all about their heritage and where people came from. There is a small video screen that shows a few places in the UK where people have emigrated from and one of them is Laceby! So there is a short video of LAceby, grimsby- the dock tower, victoria mills and then ERNIE BECKETTS FISH AND CHIPS!!!!!! Well there you are- i'm upside down and bombarded by images of Grimsby.

P.S saw a Kiwi today.

XXXX

SO in the last two weeks we have had an up and down time. The weather has been all over the place. When we first got here it was raining and really unbearably cold, then we had some nicer days where it was ok and a little bit sunny. These were good and we went to the Glaciers and Milford sound- fjord really. Then it snowed, when we were in Milford sound it threatened to and did; resulting in the closing of the road. Thank god we did it by a bus trip. Then it was sunny all the way to Queenstown where it had obviously snowed the previous night. From there on we were lucky and have had mainly sunny days. When it rains it puts a real downer on the place and it's like being at home in a camper van.
So we moved on to the smelly springs at Hamner and it rained but because we went to the pools it didn't matter as they were really hot. THEN it snowed. The snow didn't start till bout 2 in the morning and followed all day rain so we didn't think it would last- ha ha ha
Driving in snow in a van your non to happy with is a right old laugh. Peops in England should pay the airfare here and then do driving lessons- it'd make us all a lot better. So up and down the mountains we went till we found the sun.
We're in Nelson at the moment and it's sunny sunny and sunny yeh. Thinking of going to the north island soon. Hopefully it is sunny there too. I HATE RAIN.
P.S Ben has a cold- boooo.
Here is a pic of a Kea they are parrot type birdies and really friendly and like eating shoes and clothes.

WARNINGS

wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo wooo
Last weeks warning: Tsunami.... 1st: keep away from beaches
1hr later: keep away from beaches for the next hr.
2hrs later: erm... down graded but the waves going to be 45cm high (TSUNASMI) mmmm??? - shouldn't take the piss as it hit other places.

Warning 2: SNOW- worst storms of year supposindly tonight----- i'm going to get snowed in!!!! YEH at a smelly thermal spring, if i stay much longer i'll smell of farts forever!!!!!!!!!!!!


Warning 3- TSUNAMI- didn't really listen this time- is everyone ok?

CAR BRA's

So your driving along and your front end is sagging- what do you need? A CAR BRA- available in a variety of sizes! You feel like time is getting you down- CAR BRA will solve all. 

WHAT  THE HELL IS A CAR BRA (I HAVE SEEN ONE AND STILL DONT KNOW) AND WHY WOULD YOU WANT ONE? 

So in NZ as previously stated. Let's catch you all up on life in the southern hemisphere. 

Saw Sarah and nick which was good and went for a drive around Christchurch. Quite a nice day- bought Ben a coat as the silly bugger came without one. 

THEN... The camper van strikes. 

When we picked the van of DOOM up it was running, 'Don't worry' they said 'it'll be ok, it's just been stood for a while!' 

So apart from being filthy and yuck- but you dont notice at first - off we went. Stopped for a night at a campsite, use the lights to read for half an hour- its a camper van you presume you can. quess what- it didn't start. 

Blah blah blah AA man comes out jump starts it. This happens for 4 days in a row whilst getting pretty pissed off eventually they agree to let us take it to a garge. 

'Oh your battery's too small!!!' says the bloke. Whoop de Whoop just what we needed and also the switch which runs the lights from the main battery and stops it running down is buggered and is draining the battery even when it is off!

So got a new battery but not a switch and so reading from mobily light- thank god it's got a proper light on it. 

Moving on -

the weather was crap crap crap for the first couple of days. (Sam like it was in somerset way on) but now it is lovely. Went to the  beach and a glacier in one day. Got slightly burnt (silly me) and one day there was lots of snow. 

Will add pics another time and update you on the better side of NZ next time.

Toodle Pip

Hol.  

No Sleep

Yo, i'm in New Zealand at last. In the last 14 hours I have been in 35 degree heat in bangkok, 20 degree heat in Sydney(lucky for us we missed the dust by a day) and now in lovely ol NZ where it is 4 bloody degrees!!!!!!! And that was at 4 this afternoon. And to top the lot we may get the OZ dust here- no ones sure.
So have spent long long time on a plane, but it did have legroom, with no sleep.
so as were only 11 hours ahead here i feel a little ashamed but i'm off to bed. 9pm- i'm soooo old.
P.S have found a cool hotel- will post pics soon and then am getting the van on saturday, woop no more public transport for a while. YEH

PPS they are forcasting snow and some of the roads are shut already. And I bought new birks in bangkok- what a lot of use they're going to be!!!!

Dreams, night night. IM COLD

Final thoughts

So leaving Thailand in about 6 hours. decided that I would come back cus its quite an amazing place and really cheap. Have spent the last couple of days doing nothing- its excellent. Chilled by the pool, had a wander in the night market and drank lots of beer with Shel and Marco. Ben's happy as he has been given a PSP by Shel and has found that he can buy games here for 50B or a pound each. So the first game he buys is role gay- BOOO.
I'm happy as I've just bought some cool cheap birkenstocks (genuine fakes) for 4 quid, rock on!
Quite looking forward to NZ, will have to remember that I can't just drink beer when I want as I have to drive as Ben STILL has no driving licence. It's going to be cold there, maybe I'll have to buy a hotwater bottle?

Just had our last thai meal, yum yummy yum. Pad Thai with chicken..... mmmmmm......
Got to go and sit in a boring airport now can't wait. See you later. XXXXX

Back in Bangkok.

Yep have escaped the dreaded Samui- but the kayaking was good around a marine park. Got back to bangkok at 4 thins morning and am now in a daze with little sleep in a tinterweb cafe. To bright and need sleep. What the hell are you ment to do at 4 in the morning? NO ANSWERS PLEASE!
Was going to charge my mp3 player and add photos but the muppets are using windows 7 and it keeps crashing and wont register anything. So I'll give you a nicked photo of the marine park- toodle pip peeps

Ok lets SLATE SAMUI

So we have been travelling around thailand for about 3 weeks now and have spent lots of timne travelling, be it bus, train and planes. We decided to go to Ko Samui for a couple of days before leaving. Samui being the second biggest island, renound for its diving and clear water. Just consider that we have been to Koh Samet at the beginnging of this trip and apart from the lack of snorkling it was a near paradise beach.
So after 17 hours on a bus and a boat (it only cost 7 pounds each to get there) we get to Samui and find decent accomadation for only bout 13 pounds a night including a really good swimming pool, things sesm to be going well.

Righ,(take a deep breath)if I wanted to go to a cheap holiday resort I could have gone to spain. It is no different to anywhere else in the world, and it is really pricy.
There are fish in the sea around samui but you have to go to a national marine park to actually see some good ones (im going tomorrow and I actually think that it will be really good!!!).
Food is extortionate and there is little chance of actually gettign thai food- try burgers and pizza.

So apart from tommorrow when we go diving in the national park and kayaking which WILL be good, LET ME BACK TO BANGKOK where it is fun, not to touristy and there is good food!!

P.S - If any of you out there fancy thailand I suggest Bangkok, Sukhothai and Koh Samet.

BYE

photoies

On to Chiang Mai

So we've visited the ruins of Sukhothai which were pretty impressive- huge historical sight, miles of it and with thousands of huge dragon flys. Then we moved on to Chiang Mai- the 'capital of the north' which is ment to be like Bangkok but isn't.
Found a couple of really good markets, local and touristy, lots of slabs of meat on the streets and fish in baskets. The only problem we have found here so far is that the people- tuk tuk drivers- are a lot pushier and annoying.
Train drive was good, we actually found some hills. Most of Thailand from Bangkok is flat and covered in paddy fields- take away the huts and bananna trees and it looks a lot like home. However from phitsanulok up there have been hills, yes HILLS and jungley looking places and the train had to inch slowly through them. We were on the express train (7 and a half hours of inching) - god knows how slow the normal one goes.
There is NO evil monkeys up here, no throwing of poo...
We have found lots of tiny lizzards like you get in your back garden but then today we saw a gecko a good size one.
Going to go on an elephant ride soon- theres tigers too but the reviews online said they're not treated well so not off there.
Bye

Oh - not looked for marmite yet Phil, have found all the massive food chains that you can imagine- it's not backwards Sam.

Beware of monkeys throwing poo!!!

So we have just spent a few days chilling on the island of Koh Samet- very nice, clean, warm water and the whitest sand I've ever seen. It was wonderful weather- only one thunderstorm and a good old down pour. Got there on the saturday night and got conned on the price of a room- it was shit there, there's no other way of putting it. It rained and we got rained on; yes inside. Anyway moved on to a nicer place and stayed a couple of nights. The sea food there was excellent.

After that little stop off we headed back to smelly ol Bankok for a night and stayed in the travellers paradise!??? of the Khao San Rd.

Now to the monkeys. Were currently in a place north of Bangkok called Lopburi, an ancient capitalw with lots of Khemr ruins- there is quite a lot to look round when its not too hot. The monkeys live around one temple and the start wandering in the evening. One jumped Ben cus he had a cake and didn't run away- no cake for ben!

Then whilst walking down the street one of the buggers threw poo at me, missed though.

Today we're heading up to Phitsanulok another ancient capital and a historical park near by. Trying to slowly make our way north to Chiang Mai, trying being the word- tried to get a train at 8 this morning and their all booked having to wait till 12... Booo.

Bangkok

Hot, smell, mad, busy, chaotic, dirty, wet, humid, awful- hot, impressive, great, interesting, huge.
So I'm not sure hwether I love it or hate it at the minute. It is like any huge city on the surface. There are the usual designer shopping centres, the inbetween ones with NEXT and the body shop and then there is the MBK centre which is huge with about 7 floors but which is set out like market stalls. Bangkok is mostly high rise but is sprinkled with Wats which are extreamly decorative temples whcih are amazing. The road we initially stayed on was a typical main road but with a sky train running through which hid the sunlight and held in the pollution it makes the whole area seem dirty and dodgy. We stayed just of the Sukhumvit road area which is near the sex tourist bit. It's like amsterdam but more open an ellicit.
The food in Bankok is excellent, we have been eating from street vendors which are extreamly cheap and tasty- lots of noodles and rice. They seem to have a local obsession with condensed milk though.
We have walked quite a distance in BK but it gets really hot and sticky. Have taken a tuk tuk a few times which is like risking your life for no reason and taxi's which are really cheap.
What has made me laugh is the lack of variety in shops- like I said earlier there is next and body shop and I can put up with these but then I saw a HUGE - bigger than the one a home- HUGE TESCO's .,..........Bye

Bangkok

Made it to Bangkok after hours in a plane, a delay at Dubai (and free breakfast) then more hours in a plane. Bangkok is mad and hot and hot. Went for a wander yesterday and (sorry its horrid) sweated buckets, met Shel and had copious amounts of beer. Braved street food which was yummy and then for tea had a mexican?! At the mo in a huge shopping centre, bout a million floors high and really loud- this is the first internet cafe that we've found. Off to go and eat random stuff on sticks outside now. Toodle pip.

Leaving at last

Thank you to you all who came to see us this weekend - cheers

So we're off- that is if Ben;s mum lets him leave the house and doesn't take him hostage.

See you all in a ickle while or so, unless you come plane hopping too.

Have fun

toodle pip- will post soon

x

Cream Cakes and Parrots

A Mexican evening at a parrot sanctuary- any thoughts?
Actually it was a good do. Well done the National Parrot Sanctuary Friskney. Rodeo Bull, shooting range and a bouncy castle all topped off with copious amounts of beer.
Now to the embarrassing bits: I climbed on the bull and proceeded to fall straight off the other side- it hadn't even started! :-( I fell off the bouncy castle- can you see a pattern to the evening, I'd only had one beer at this point. However, Katie had the best (or worst) part of the evening when she decided to SPLAT unknown people in the face with cream cake. Yep the age old clown trick, well done Katie, I'll remember that as a good leaving party do.
Thanks for the kangaroo cake- not saying anything else Sam and Ros, and thank you Sam for the book of address' which has your name on the front cover! MMM

Sold the car

Thank god, the old banger has gone- 2 months ebay-ing it= NOTHING !!!!

All hail the Market Rasen Mail- 1 Week and the banger is gone- I was ripped off though.

So more money to spend on the travels, fancy hotel in Bangkok ( I mean not a dirty hostel with "approporiately placed peep holes"), the ability to travel to other destinations with giggling inducing names, beer and prawns the size of lobsters.

Saving Sam

So went to an BBQ last night all fun and frolicks but ended up agreeing to save Sam and go on a road trip. Shes argued with with John over cottage cheese and is on the run!
Off to Ros' and on from there- giggles all the way. :-)

Testing Testing, One, Two, Three

Ok, trying to get this started, sorting appointments, setting up bank accounts. Who's stupid idea was it to leave the country.
A list of things I've had to do so far:
1. Jabs:
Hep A
Hep B
Tetuns
Diptheria
Polio- no longer on the sugar cube :-(
Thypoid
Yellow Fever - £50 agghh
2. Quit work- I'm now unemployed
3. Try to sell a car- please, please does anyone want it?
4. Try to pack up house, I feel im going round in circles.
5. Set up a bank account- foreign charges are astronomical.
6. Sort Ben out- my biggest challenge yet.
7. Pack- Lots of things one small bag. Think I'll leave this one at mo.