After travelling - according to the TravBuddy map - approximately 31,000-plus miles, including eleven international flights, whilst f…

Buying some gifts for home followed by a wander through Central Park in the snow!("Even your money is cold!")

Today was a total write off!I was planning on taking the free tour of Harlem arranged by the hostel but woke up sometime after midday and…

Wall Street, watching the sun set behind The Statue of Liberty and being dazzled by the neon wonder that is Times Square at night!

Getting lost in The Metropolitan Art Museum and watching Manhattan light up from the bitterly cold viewing deck at the top of the Roc…

I had a seat on a morning flight to New York City to catch, so I had booked a minibus from the hostel to LAX at silly o'clock i…

Located on the Upper West Side between Broadway and Central Park, the location is great for exploring Manhattan by foot (or by Subway for the lazier …

A British theme pub, restaurant and shop located on Santa Monica Boulevard, with a menu that includes Steak and Kidney Pie, Fish 'n’ Chips, Bangers…

I awoke as the plane was descending into LAX and my first impression was that Los Angeles looked like an ugly city from the air, with t…

After checking out, I was left with the straight forward task of catching a bus to the airport. (A word about the bus service on Raro…

Sunbathing, fresh fruit and homemade ice cream - nice!

(*With apologies to Zemekis, Spielberg et al!)Today would be my second attempt at leaving New Zealand for the Cook Islands and I wa…

A quick definition of hell: being sat next to a 'big lad' who's reading an Encyclopaedia of Small Firearms for the two hour bus ride …

I spent the morning and early afternoon at the Rotorua Museum, which began it's life as a spa for Edwardian holiday makers visiti…

The bus ride was short but entertaining thanks to the driver: "If you want a free photo all you have to do is drive past the white van at 150kph!"O…

Today I walked and walked and walked some more!I set off early on the Aratiatia Walk along the ridiculously clear Waikato River to the Huka Falls, wh…

Again I was up early to shower, eat breakfast and to walk to the train station to catch my bus to Taupo. The stroll along the quay was pleasant in th…

The rain stuck around and got worse overnight. The sky was covered in dark clouds and the wind was gusting when I woke up. What could make the day ev…

The ferry crossing to the North Island was incredibly smooth, more like crossing a lake than the open sea.I got up early to shower, pack and eat brea…

NZ$26 per night for a bunk in shared dorm, plus a $20 key bond. Around the corner from Courtney Place with its multitude of bars, cafes and restau…

I spent a relatively lazy day:Approximately three to four hours walking to and from 'The Snout' headland to look out over the stunning Queen Char…

I paid NZ$18 per night for a bed in a dorm (plus an extra $3 for linen, if required). Located a short distance from the ferry terminal and harbour…

I caught an early morning bus to Picton and after I’d checked into the hostel I went straight to the i-Site to book myself onto a 'Swimming with …

After snatching only a few hours of sleep - the big guy in the room had the loudest snore imaginable - I had a shower and ate some breakfast befo…

Whale-watching: fully booked.Swimming with dolphins: fully booked.Kayaking with seals: fully booked.***Despite liberally applying some SPF30 to…

NZ$25 per night (for non-YHA members) for a bed in a 4 sharing dorm room. Located on the sea front and about 2km from Kaikoura town centre this is…

The first task of the day was to walk into the town centre to do some shopping at the supermarket - muesli, milk, pasta and the usual 'backpacker' …

I had intended to spend my last full day in Christchurch by visiting nearby Littleton to take a ride in the Gondola and to walk around the mountains,…

Costing just NZ$27 per night for a 6 sharing dorm room and centrally located on Cathedral Square, base Backpackers in a perfect example of what a gre…

First, the answer to a mystery. When I checked in my luggage at Sydney Airport it was a few kilos lighter than I remembered it being. When I op…

I had my alarm set for 5.30am but was awake much earlier thanks to my roommates. I had a quick shower, ate the last of my muesli in the kit…

A collection of random photos from around Sydney!

I took the scenic 30 minute ferry from Circular Quay to Manly - complete with amazing views of Sydney harbour - for a day of lying on the…

After a quick ferry ride across Sydney's stunning harbour, I spent the day wandering around the nearby Taronga Zoo. And very nice it was too!Kangaroo…

Located in the middle of seedy (there are junkies, pimps, drunkards and sex-shops everywhere) Darlinghurst Road in Kings Cross, D*Lux Budget Hotel fi…

A selection of random photos from the afternoon I spent wandering around the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. (Before the rain started!)

Watching the NYE fireworks display at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Thats another thing I can scratch of my '101 Things To Do Before I Die' list.(I …

Favourite place: SaPa (Vietnam) followed by Louang Prabang (Laos).Least favourite place: Kuta (Bali).Favourite food: the Pho from the street …

Having spent Boxing Day sorting out a few chores before I left Bali - posting some things home, buying toothpaste, etc., - I left Ubud on the 8.3…

23 DecemberWalking down the street at night to find somewhere to eat dinner I heard the slap! slap! slap! of running flip-flops behind me, I turn…

Entrance fee: 15,000 Rupiah.Bunch of bananas: 20,000 Rupiah.Cheeky monkeys: Priceless!

I left Kuta for Ubud - having spent far too long there - on a stuffy and cramped minibus. At the drop-off point a nice chap approached me with …

(*With apoogies to Mirwais!)Within ten minutes of arriving at Bali airport I was in a queue with a screaming baby in front of me. I could alr…

I donned my metaphorical walking head, grabbed a street map and spent the day wandering around Raffles City and the Marina area of Singapore.For lunc…

I left the hostel early and caught the MRT train to Orchard Road - Singapore's 'Fifth Avenue' - with the intention of spending the day browsing the…

The Hive Backpackers' Hostel is located in 'Little India', about ten minutes walk from the Farrer Park MRT Station, and surrounded by a glut of cheap…

I had booked a seat on the 9.30am bus from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore for only RM30, so I got up early, packed, showered and went out to get breakfa…

Located about five minutes walk from the Puda Raya Bus Station and surrounded by fast-food outlets plus street vendors on the pavement directly outsi…

When I woke up I showered, packed, checked out of the Puda Raya Hotel and set out to find somewhere to stay. Around the corner I found the Red Dr…

Unlike the journey itself, I’ll attempt keep this entry relatively brief: three buses, an attempted con, one pick-up truck and almost thirty hours …

We packed our bags and checked out of the room. Gaby moved into a single room for the night and I left my pack in her room whilst we went out to eat …

With Maria occupied with Leah, her Australian friend from Perth, Gaby & I spent the next two days shopping, eating and getting massages.Siam …

Gaby & I watched 'The Devil Wears Prada' - an enjoyable film with a great performance by Meryl Streep as the 'Boss From Hell' - on the rooms TV…

The hotel had booked a taxi to the airport for 10am, so we ate breakfast - a cup of very poor coffee, a baguette and some oranges - and picke…

We arrived at Hanoi Train Station at around 5.30am in the morning and after saying our goodbyes to everyone, Gaby & I took a taxi to the Prince H…

The train arrived at around 5.30am in the bitterly cold morning. After a short wait we climbed into a minibus which took us up into SaPa.…

In the morning Gaby & I packed our 'small packs' for SaPa - I had bought a US$10 North Face 'original' especially for it! - and dropped off our p…

Located a few minutes walk from the Haon Kiem Lake and run by an Aussie named Max, the REAL Kangaroo Cafe serves massive plates of delicious food (om…

We spent the next two days wandering around the tailors of Hanoi - nobody had anything made. It turns out that having to much choice really is a ba…

Excellent menu of vegetarian food ranging from vegetable 'sushi' to the comfort eating of a hot-pot and full breakfast menu - I can heartedly recomme…

What we signed up for:One night sleeping on a junk.Visits to various caves & Monkey Island.Sea kayaking.Fishing and then barbecuing the catch on …

Located in a quiet street about five minutes walk from Hang Bac Street and near a variety of excellent restaurants and bars. Free breakfast & free…

I left the girls in bed and went out to find a new hotel for us. Hanoi in the daytime was a completely different city to the one I saw the previous…

Following the typhoon that had hit central Vietnam resulting massive flooding coupled with the complete lack of information available, Andi, Gaby and…

We spent even more days sunning ourselves on the beach, interspersed with eating cheap and delicious squid & whole fish and drinking cheap beer…

Leaving Maria on the beach, Andi, Michelle, Gaby & I rented a jeep and driver for the day to go explore the 'tourist attractions' of Mui Ne. Th…

We spent the next two days sunning ourselves on the beach, eating fruit and fish and generally chilling out by the sea. I tell you, sometimes all thi…

Following two days of rain we had decided the previous night that we would make the fifteen-plus hours bus journey to Hoi An. But then the s…

(*with apologies to Travis!)I had woke up with expectations of a long sunny day in a rented jeep exploring the sand-dunes. Instead we got a day of …

After sleeping late we had a mad rush to pack and pay for our room whilst holding up the bus. I had to have a quick breakfast at our first stop of a …

Yet another early start to a day!After Gaby had moved into the room with Maria and I, we had a quick breakfast and were on a minibus …

After finally getting a 'lie-in' and a breakfast of a freshly baked baguette with home-made marmalade I left the girls and went exploring t…

Yet another early morning - with a delicious 'free' breakfast of a banana muffin and fruit salad at Sozo - and we were aboard the 8am bus for a b…

An early rise and breakfast and Annie, Maria and I boarded our 8am bus to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Seven hours and a straight forward border …

We - Annie, Maria, Neil & Jess and myself - had arranged to meet at the guesthouse restaurant for breakfast and then to visit some of…

I'd like to say that I was awoken by the alarm clock on my mobile phone, but I'd by lying. There was a noisy party going on somewhere near my r…

It got off to a bad start and I should have read the omens. The minibus to Kanchanaburi had broken air vents and it's windows were stuck …

Once again the crossing was calm. The same cannot be said, however, about the bus-ride back to Bangkok. The driver was definitely from the …

Not a lot happened today other than the sun finally came out after I got fed-up of waiting for it to arrive and so had been to travel agent to book m…

I spent the afternoon of my second day on Koh Samet sunning myself on the beach - I've got to get rid of this T-shirt suntan! That was …

Located on the beachfront. 1,000 baht per night for a large, clean single room with air-con, safe, refrigerator, and an en-suite with a hot shower…

Despite my 'early night' I still managed to sleep late, which meant that I showered, packed and checked out of my room - "No, I haven't for…

I decided against going tubing in Vang Vieng - instead of slowly floating down the river taking in the scenary, which is want I w…

A fun fact to begin with: a hangover plus a bumpy six hour bus journey that slowly winds it's way up and down mountains are not good bed-…

The guide:Xou.The group:Hazel & Maria, again!Gaby, a Canadian yoga teacher.***Day 1I woke up still drunk from the previous nigh…

The original plan was that we'd all - Hazel & Maria, Dom & Tom from Leeds and Gaby & Carolyn from Canada - meet up ou…

Breakfast was eggs & toast - just the toast for me, since the fried eggs didn't look too appetising. I was joined at the table by two lads …

A very reasonable US$8 per night gets you a massive immaculate mahogany finished room at this grand looking French colonial style villa. My room had …

I woke up early and walked to the local 7/11 to get some supplies for the journey to Chiang Khong - water, nuts and tissues. With the shopping&nb…

I woke up with a hangover, picked up my clean clothes from the laundry - CLEAN CLOTHES!!! - had a shower and ate my breakfast at N…

The Three Day Trek The guides: Gwok - that's the phonetic-style spelling, and I'm pretty sure it's not the proper spelling of his nam…

I left Bangkok a day late aboard a rather squalid bus that squeeked, rattled and hissed (the suspension I think) for the entire journey. Spread…

Today I leave Bangkok on an overnight bus to Chang Mai in Northern Thailand.My potential plans for Chang Mai are:a 3-day trek to …

The bus that was supposed to take me Chang Mai has broken down so I have to spend another day in Bangkok.

After spending the day suffering with jet lag - it really drains me in the afternoon - I went to Gullivers to watch the England vs. Aus…

The following quote in one of the museums on the grounds of the Grand Palace caught my eye:"Hat Decorations.In the old days, Thais wore long hair, pi…

A large hotel located in the middle of Khao San Road. 550-750 baht per night for a single room. 750-1100 baht per night for a double room & includ…

Flicking through my 'Rough Guide' - I'm not cutting loose just yet! - at Watergate, I decided on D&D Inn as my first choice for accomodatio…

After being driven to Heathrow Airport by my brother, a two hour delay and two flights later, I finally arrived in Bangkok, via Si…

I've bought my ticket, quit my job, sold my car, had my vaccinations and raided my savings. I've packed everything I'm taking with me into one ba…