We'll finish where we started...

You can liken a trip in India to being thrust into a washing machine on spin cycle with a mass of brightly coloured clothes, using washing powder whose smell reminds you of something between sandalwood, tikka masala, and urine, with the drone of the machine drum being replaced by Bollywood music, people shouting, and horns honking. Unlike a washing machine, though, you certainly don't come out the other end any cleaner - but you are most likely to come out dazed confused, and happy...

In truth, after our past three months spent on an island in Thailand, we felt that we were sufficiently prepared for the mayhem of Indian cities, and the dizzying speed at which life is lived, and the barrage of stimuli to each of the senses... In reality, nothing can prepare you for what a wonderfully diverse country this is - for the extreme poverty encountered everyday, the boundless smiles that greet you everywhere you go, the faded glory of ancient civilisation and recent empires, not to mention the sheer number of people all occupying one space.

This time round, though, we have a little more experience, a lot less money, and far more daring. With only a couple more months left in traveling we will make the most of our times here, and savour every moment before returning to the familiarity of home and comfort of western culture... This part of the journey will encompass the capital of the British Raj, the birthplace of Buddhism, the holiest of Hindu cities, the mighty Himalayas and the biggest festivals that India can offer. Oh, and a curry or two.

Knocked into shape, Thai style.

Mr. Kru Pong is a diminutive Northern Thai man, with a Beatles haircut (circa. 1962) , a neatly trimmed beard, mischievous eyes, and the owner of an extensive arsenal of powerful kicks, punches, knees, and elbows that only a former champion of Muay Thai can claim to have.
His Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) gym is located in Kavila Boxing Stadium, in the east of Thailand's second largest city, Chaing Mai. Not including the stadium seats, or the centrally placed boxing ring, it hosts a rough concrete floor, two stinking male lavatories, one female lavatory (which smells just as good), a 'shower' room (a hut with a tap fixed half way up the wall), and at 8am almost every day for the past couple of weeks, two very sweaty, very knackered, English people.
With a limited English vocabulary, Mr. Kru Pong directs the English couple in the art of getting fit and learning Muay Thai. It only takes a look out of the corner of his eye, a raise of his eyebrow and grunting the words "10 mineetes" to get his students to double the amount of time they have already spent on the skipping ropes whilst 'warming up' for his gruelling training session, which involves perfecting your kicks by kicking over bamboo poles lodged in plant pots and set in concrete, repeatedly kicking the hell out of a punch/kick bag ("80, 80" he says pointing to his left leg, then his right leg), some shadow boxing, shadow sparring, and pad work (punching, kicking, elbowing and kneeing Mr. Kru Pong whilst he wears pads and protection, laughing and giggling every time he receives a good solid shot, and sometimes feigning being knocked backwards/falling over/being knocked out after being hit by a particularly strong kick).
Each of these sessions lasts about 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours, and every session is tough and tiring, but made totally enjoyable by the good nature, and surly humour of Mr. Kru Pong.
I have always thought that if the body is fit, the mind is too - and having not exercised for almost the entire time we have been away, and suddenly going through training at Kavila Boxing Stadium I still think the same. After only 2 weeks of hard work, our minds feel so much more 'switched on', and we are enjoying traveling more than ever. Photos are below...




After 15 minutes running laps around the boxing ring, skipping is done, just to make sure that you are fully warmed up...











That bamboo pole doesn't stand a chance...














Kru Pong's favourite saying whilst Lou was training was a stern look at me, accompanied by the words - 'Your lay-dee kick haaaard!!!'














Kick number.... 180? Perhaps not, but it definitely felt like it at the time!!!













It is at this point that I decide never to disagree with Lou again...

And at the end.... Cream Crackered...

Hong Kong Viewey...

Sorry for the terrible title to this entry, but you can't really blame me...



The ultra modern view of one of the main streets leading to the city centre. The trams were the cheapest form of getting from A to B, but the price of taxis were so cheap that most city dwellers earning a decent wage used them to get everywhere - a far cry from England's cabs!!!


















The 'Big Buddha'. After a gruelling climb up the steps, you are rewarded with a view of the statue that is not quite as good as the one from where this photo was taken from. Thankfully, you are also rewarded with a better view of the surrounding island...




















A Dragon's Eye view of the world...

Traditional culture meets modern city life.

A typical street scene in Hong Kong. So many people, so little space!!!

Hello from Honkers!

Take several beautiful, mountainous islands, add an array of ultra-modern skyscrapers, hundreds of shabby government high rises, several million people, and more designer shops per square meter than perhaps anywhere in the world, and you have Hong Kong and its outlying districts.
Hong Kong is a furiously busy metropolis, where old China, with its bazaars, temples, lazy parks, and restaurants meets the ultra modern business world of both the East and West. There are so many people living and working in such a small area, that it is about the only place where there is as much going on above your head as there is in front and around you. The buildings are tall, the streets are crowded and the atmosphere is electric - life seems to be lived at 100mph, and the inhabitants are extremely hard working.
One of the Chinese favourite past times is smoking. I have no doubt that 99% of the 1+ billion people chain smoke their way through the day, and every restaurant, bar, shop and square inch of the country seems to be shrouded in a thin fog, sponsored by Marlboro. Mind you, it is only adding to the smog generated by the factories over on the China mainland, which are now in the full throws of an industrial revolution which is contributing to the fastest growing economy in the world. It is also, I am afraid to say, contributing to the fastest growing smog cloud in the world, which seems to eclipse any blue from an otherwise beautiful sky in Hong Kong for most of the year. I only saw blue in the sky on two days out of the 30 that we were there, and that was due to the factories closing for a Chinese festival at around the same time as a Typhoon hitting in the Philippines and pushing the usually South heading breeze Northwards.
Nevertheless, the lack of colour in the sky was tempered fully by the colour on the streets and in the markets - red and gold lanterns; ancient Chinese temples; hundreds of markets selling all manner of fruits, vegetables, flowers and fabrics; and thousands of neon signs and flashing lights combine to stimulate all senses and ensure that you are knackered at the end of the day.
We were lucky enough to be welcomed into life in Hong Kong by Lou's cousin, Rachel, and her wonderful group of friends - all of them making our stay in Hong Kong unforgettable. Lou had no less than 3 birthday cakes given to her for her celebration, one of which was even baked for her by Rachel's collegue and friend from work!!! So, our planned post-Aussie diet didn't really work out as well as we'd hoped, but my goodness the cakes were good...
It is at this point that I should thank Rachel for letting us stay in her apartment for the month, and everyone for buying us drinks, cooking us meals, and generally making us feel so welcome in Hong Kong.
I would recommend anybody to visit Hong Kong if they want a first-taste of Asia. It is clean, progressive, and very accessible - no more than 300 Stirling from Heathrow, and (I hear on the grapevine) even less from October.
So, my little ramble aside, we are back to Thailand after Honkers, with plans to visit the North and all points missed out previously...

Some Random Photos...

In keeping with our tales of woe regarding the camera, our digital camera broke just after Xmas, and we didn't manage to get it fixed until we left Melbourne - here are a few taken on our newly rebuilt digi!!!

















(Above) A newly built landmark in Melbourne, close to where we worked - it (and many more) was built for the Commonwealth Games. The Games got massive and unashamedly biased coverage from the Channel 9 network, which showed Australian competitors winning what seemed to be all of the gold medals for all the events. It was difficult to even tell that there were other countries in the competition - it actually made me feel grateful that Britain still has one of the best and most unbiased TV channels in the world.







In the stocks. I think it was something I said against the TV networks.
















Sarah Atherton, a wombat, and Lou. (Lou is the one holding the wombat, not the other way round...)

The look of love. I think it was something I said about wombats.











Al, trying to keep the Aussie birds at arms length.

Down Blunder

When planning a trip like this, one can expect a few little things to not go as planned - yes, I am sure when Sod was devising his Laws he catered for every eventuality. Almost an entire year went by without any problems - in fact, it wasn't until our 10th month that the first major problem occurred with our travelling plans. You might not know it, but of all the countries we have been to, from India all through communist countries like Vietnam and the Laos, not a single problem with visas occurred until we got to our old close ally and strong Commonwealth partner, 'Australia'.

The recent tourism advert for Australia bares a slogan which (we were constantly reminded was banned for being 'too rude' in Blighty) asks the question:
'Where the Bloody Hell Are You?'
To which our only answer can be...
'Trying to get a Work Visa using a crap internet application form!'

Oh well, it did mean that we weren't able to work for 'proper' money to fund the rest of our planned travels through South America then home, but as we have said before - 'What's for you won't go by you'...
Saying that, after almost three months here, and having met up with our great friends, Alex and Esther, and spent some time with Lou's Mum and Dad, Ros and Trevor AND Lou's Auntie Pauline and cousins Coral and Steven (and their families!) we can definately count ourselves lucky.
Australia itself boasts one of the worlds most unique variety of wildlife and a hugley diverse landmass. As it stood largely in isolation for many of its years, the creatures which inhabited it evolved into animals that were totally unique to the island, but perfectly suited to its harsh environment - Wombats, Kangaroos, Koalas, strange birds, all manner of wierd things - and plenty of them. Even their much loved national emblem, the Kangaroo, is considered a pest - they breed like rabbits and as they are much larger cause alot more damage.
But, we aren't here to chew the cud over the flora and fauna of Australasia, lets talk about what we liked and not so liked about the land of cork string hats and cold lager...

Sydney - a city of tall skyscrapers, an infamous harbour, beautiful coves, and what has to be the most overrated beach in the world - Bondi. Sydney is very business-oriented a city where money is definately the 'in thing' to appear to have, combined with what I thought most Australians prided themselves with not having 'attitude'. Despite not really feeling too welcome in Sydney (aside from the lovely times we had with Alex, Esther and their friends who lived in the North of the city), you couldn't beat the location. Sydney Harbour is awesome, with the iconic Opera house and Darling Harbour Bridge evoking long forgotten childhood fantasies of a land the other side of the world. Somehow you always think that those famous things that you always see on TV, but never think you will really SEE them, are alot bigger than they actually turn out in real life. That said, it doesn't take away that feeling when you actually do get to look at them. Magical.
Our hostel in Woolloomooloo was very disappointing - not only because I expected much more from accomodation located in a part of the city with such a funny name, but because it was a great example of the exceptionally greedy way in which alot of the hostels we came across enjoyed exploiting the travellers in Oz. Not only run by totally incompetant reception staff (constantly forgetting to pass on any messages, generally unfriendly), but sharing 6 hob cooking tops between 200 guests always makes life at dinner time an interesting one. That plus a number of many other discrepancies made our stay at Harbour City Backpackers a none too pleasurable one. Good thing Ros and Trevor came to the rescue with a sofa bed in the luxurious apartment they were staying in!

Melbourne - Now this was much more of a town you can settle in. Whilst they don't have the harbour, iconic buildings, and sandy bays, they also don't have the attitude and brashness of the Sydneyites. Melbourne is an altogether more cosmopolitan place - with great places to eat and much less pretentious bar and clubs to enjoy yourself in. Our initial disappointment in having not gained work visas was overcome by having found some cash-in-hand work that enabled us to make some great friends, make ends meet with our own flat, food money, drinking money, and some 'saves' for our onward journey to Perth and beyond. Obviously I am not going to record the name of the venue we worked, but it did involve the general public, some celebrities (yes, we did actually meet Toadfish's mum from Neighbours!), great food, and our new speciality - serving alcohol, cocktails, and coffee.
Our new found roles as bartenders at an extremely popular restaurant/cafe involved long hours, sore feet, and a hell of alot of enjoyment. Strange as it might seem, we had forgotten about how rewarding it is to work hard to keep your head above water and food in your mouth. We still couldn't afford to eat in fancy restaurants, drink in any clubs, buy new clothes or the latest gadgets, but we were now working to make sure that we weren't dipping into our much depleted savings and saving hard towards our tickets out of Melbourne and eventually Australia. We did allow ourselves a 'cheap and cheerful' meal on our day off, but all in all we worked hard and saved harder.
When we partied, we drank the stuff we served (after closing time, of course!). When we ate, we ate the food that the restaurant provided during our break. All in all, we managed to do really well in Melbourne, and we met some really great people, too.

Perth and Western Australia - Perth is stunning. It is also vastly spaced out. I don't mean in the sense that it has had too many woodbines, or that psycedelia has taken its toll, but in the literal sense. It really takes hours to go anywhere in Perth. Saying that, the travel is worth it. W.A. is vast - we only managed to scratch the surface of it, but our busy itinerary (excellently organised by Aunty Pauline and the Atherton family) made sure that we saw some of the best sights the South West had to offer. We ate well (no more skinny asian bodies for us!), played hard, and spent a few nights out in the beautiful Aussie 'bush'.
W.A. is a world apart from the East Coast, and the landscape ranges from desert (in the north) to arrid dry bush to lush green countryside in the south. In fact the countryside in the south reminded me so much of the farmland we have at home in England. So much so, infact, that although the beauty was evident, it only served to make me miss home so much more.
What made the countryside even more wonderful were the lovely little villages which were dotted around the vast expanse of it. Clean, green, with beautiful wooden chalet style houses nicely spaced out, on which lovely verandas with hardy but comfortable chairs and tables stood. You can imagine this was the perfect place to grow up. Small but close communities, surrounded by a vast expanse of gorgeous countryside, these little townships were formed when logging was a major industry, housing the workers and their families, but are now made up to serve the tourist industry - the prices of each property being pushed up by the influx of city people wanting to get out, and the newer generations wanting to sell up and move to the city. A perfect example of 'the grass is always greener' if you ask me.

So, with money enough to buy a ticket out of the country, we decided to go and visit Louise's cousin, Rachel, in Hong Kong. Spurred by the promise of a party (Rachel's 30th), we hastened back to Asia after 4 months away - with no set plan, but plenty of possibilities, and of course, huge smiles on our faces.

New Zealand Caving

We discovered a new great hobby. Unfortunately, Bournemouth isn't really best known for its caves!!!

All geared up - we made our way via squeezes, abseiling, climbing and wading through some underwatrer streams into some spectacular caverns...

Adopting the age-old 'explorer' pose, we settled very nicely into our underworld adventure!!!

9 Things that make New Zealand Great (Apart from the obvious!)

Everybody goes on about the 'gorgeous mountains/lakes/rocks/countryside/', so here is an alternative list for things that make New Zealand a great place to visit....

1. Fish & Chips - Yes, the traditional British tucker is also a mainstay of the junk food diet in every town/city/village over in New Zealand, although the preparation and taste is very different to that in the UK. Instead of pre-preparing the fish and leaving it under the food warmers to stay hot (if not a little soggy), they freshly prepare your chosen bit of filleted fish with batter, then deep fry it in clean oil to give an altogether tastier meal... I am sure this is how we used to do it - so why not now?!!!!!
2. 'Real' sweeties (as my parents would call them) - home made liquorice, cinder toffee, aniseed balls... Hmmmmm....
3. New Zealand Wine - The wine trail in Marlborough (Blenheim) took us through the wine making process of a few choice vineyards, and the taste variations of the different grapes. We learnt a lot and got sozzled at the same time - see, we are actually doing positive character building stuff, too...!
4. Tip-Top Ice Cream - This is absolutely, most definitely, without a doubt the nicest New Zealand Ice Cream I have ever tasted. If there is some thing that New Zealand has an abundance of, it is dairies (OK, and sheep, mountains, dolphins, whales, volcanoes, glaciers, beaches, sand flies, rugby players etc. but they don't fit into this particular list), and the Tip Top dairy produces some fine Ice Cream. From Boysenberry to Kiwi Fruit, Gold Rush to Cookies and Cream, all tastes were catered for, and massive scoops dished out for a meager $1.50 per cone.
5. Very Helpful Tourist Information Centres - Located in most towns, these places will help you find the chapest tours, best food, and even the best place to illegally park up and camp over night. Only in New Zealand!!!
6. Pies - This country is Pie mad. But they do know how to make them. I have just realised that there is a lot of food and drink featuring in this list...
7. Great Bands - there are a plethora of great Kiwi bands, and we have 'discovered' some great new music whilst over here... Where's my MP3 player..?
8. Bizarre Radio Stations - Local radio stations playing really great music, but sounding like the shows are totally unplanned and broadcast from a cupboard in someone's house (and probably are!!!). Some of the 'back to back' music shows are blatantly someone with their (often very good) vinyl collection and one record player - alot of the time, there were long gaps between records while the DJ has obviously left the cupboard to make a cup of tea/coffee or have a 'smoko'.
9. Freedom Camping - Rocking up somewhere of your choice - often a beach or a mountain lake - and camping overnight... Truly 'wherever I lay my hat' stuff.

After a month in Kiwiland, we flew over to Oz. I wonder what is in store for us there...?

:o)