Well today I picked up a vaccination at the health centre for my Hep A booster jab. I will get my first jab tomorrow in Greenock Health Centre , I dont need everything as I got some last year for going to the Dominican Republic with Donna , but , I need to go to Gartnavel Hospital up in Glesca three times man for rabies and Japanese encephalitis ; I`ve no idea what that is but the vaccine is 50 notes and rabies is 3 x 25 notes. I am better getting it though as it could be fatal if I am attacked in Vietnam by any rabid animals and end up like this.
Oritey ,
I was amazed at how many people visited the site in it`s first 24 hours and read my diary / left encouraging messages. thanks , I guess a lot was down to my advertising. I am just concerned that some momentum is lost by the time I actually start my travels in November. I hope I can keep your attention.
A lot of folk probably came for a wee look and so I don`t expect so many hits in a 24hour period again until I am on my way and heading for International Blog Stardom.
I think that it`s probably best then that , I don`t update the diary absolutely every day , well , not until I go anyway ; but , I definately will update the diary on a regular basis and especially when I have any important information regarding the trip to report.
My camera is knackered. Its a 3.2Mega pixel Olympus one. I`d like a new upgraded one for the trip , perhaps 8MP , I like Olympus though and I am considring the one in the fotie below. It`s good value at £200 but still a little more than I wanted to pay. Donna has kindly offered to buy the camera for me as a birthday present / going away present but as much as I like this one it`s a bit much to let Donna pay so much. I`ll keep looking just now. If you have any ideas let me know. I think it`s important to get the new one soon to familiarize myself with it`s workings before I go.
See you here tomorrow or Sunday.
Yadda Yadda ,
I hope everyone had a good weekend.
The flight tickets arrived yesterday , absolutely incredible , it`s wee things like that that make me realise this is really gonna happen. 8 long haul flights for just over a grand , amazing eh ? For the ones deep into the trip I just contact the airlines and get them to change dates and stuff , keeps it flexable you see , I don`t want a rigid timetable.
Donna has got me that camera for my birthday , got it online with a free pair of binoculars worth £25. The camera was £200 , it`s £300 in high street shops like Currys and stuff so I reckon we done naw bad. Here it is , here`s the shop, https://www.fotosense.co.uk/Olympus_mju_810_Digital_Camera.asp?productID=1856&tabID=
The motor got it`s bonnet bashed in last weekend and its going into the bodyshop tomorrow for a new wan and then I`m going to punt it. I`ll try and get shot of it on ebay , thats where I flogged ma last motor. It`s a peugeot 206 , silver , 03 plate , 30K miles by the way. My insurance runs oot at the start of Septmber so instead of re-newing it I`ll just get the car away , will be wan less thing to deal way closer to ``take-off`` date.
The Morton had a comfortable 2-0 win over Raith Rovers at Cappielow yesterday , the new boys look impressive , I`m sure the `Ton will romp the league whilst I`m away , I`m gutted I`ll miss it all but theyll still be there when I get back.
Oh aye , along with the flight tickets is my VIP Backpackers kit , apparently this is going to save me a fortune on hostels and stuff in Australia , New Zealand and Fiji , it was only £16 so if it saves me 50p a night for a month it will have paid fur its-sell.
Kia Orana !
Well , as you know I am staying in the Cook islands over Christmas and New Year. The majority of people travelling to the Cooks usually just stay on the main island where the jumbo lands (Rarotonga) , I`ve done a bit of research and also have been recommended to take a short flight to another island , Aitutaki. I have booked the flight tonight as spaces seemed to be filling up , it was about £100 return. I fly on 27th December from Raro to Aitutaki. Aitutaki is meant to be amazing. I am staying in a treehouse there over New Year ; I`m sure the Cook Islands are going to be one of the highlights of the year , sorry , I mean , highlights of my life.
Here is a website showing where the treehouse is
and here is a good website of the island its on
I can`t wait.
Got the motor back today. The new bonnet looks good. I`ve been feeling a bit fragile today ( yeh yeh self inflicted ) or I would have given it a good clean and started advertising it for sale. I must do so soon. So many things to do to get organised to go away , it`s daunting at times ; the whole renting my flat out thing seems a bit scarey but I`ll get there I suppose.
The camera and binoculars arrived at Donna`s house today. I`ll get them tomorrow or Friday and I hope to have new photographs to put on the blog by the weekend.
see ye efter. thanks for all the messages on the messageboard.
Good Afternoon readers ,
I hope you had a good weekend. Friday after work I went out with workmates for a few beers. As usual I went to see Morton on Saturday with Donna , well , I won`t be changing my routine as the excitement builds up to the trip. We were away at Stranraer and after a fairly nondescript (I aint even sure thats a word) first half we upped the anti and went on to score three good goals in the 2nd half. It was particularly pleasing as we don`t have good memories of Stranraer in recent seasons. The goals can be seen on www.gmfc.net.
Sunday I was working , sorry I will re-phrase that , Sunday I went into work and then afterwards we washed and cleaned the car comprehensively and then last night I advertised it on ebay. I was able to do so as the new camera had arrived ; I am reserving judgement on whether I made a good choice of camera just now as there is something I don`t like about it.
Some people have said ``hey dowza man , whit ye sellin the motor the noo fur if ye urnae gan away until november ?`` Well , you see , it`s like this , I want to deal with everything I have to do as and when it`s possible to do so. I don`t want to be running around like a B.A.F. in my final few days in Greenock. I`ve also deliberately advertised the motor at a price whereby I only semi-expect a buyer. I can then re-advertise , if necessary , at a more realistic asking price as time goes on. I`m not desperate and don`t need to sell it for a ridiculously low figure.
Good News on the Innoculations front. The nurse at Gourock Health Centre reckons that , unless I am going to be pig farming in a remote location in Vietnam or up trees annoying monkeys then I should be fairly safe to not bother with Rabies and Japanese Encephalitus injections. Obviously if bitten by a wild animal I will be sensiblke enough to visit a medical clinic straight away. However , I now need to go to Greenock Health Centre for Hep B jags three times , but thats no big issue.
All this stuff on the news about terrorist threats was quite frightening , especially as I am flying out of Heathrow to New York , hopefully things will have calmed down a bit in the next few weeks. I bought a BMI ticket by the way from Glesca airport to Heathrow , which was £34 including tax for the morning I fly to New York.
I think tonight I must really get out for a jog because I have done very little exercise in the past few weeks due to planning/studying the trip and my wee brain could do with a rest.
Thanks for reading. I`ll keep you updated. Here`s some photo`s of my motor.
Yadda Yadda ,
Well , much of my 12 months away will be spent in the hot sun. I`m going to need a decent hat to prevent sunstroke. Although in days gone by I have worn a hat on my bonce with pride , I currently have no suitable headwear.
Here is a challenge and an opportunity for you. Do you own a hat you no longer wear ? Would you like to see it appear at regular intervals on this here International Blogstar`s Website ? If you have suitable candidates please get in touch and I will model them here for your approval.
Please note : I do not wear baseball caps under any circumstances.
Yadda Yadda - Zoink !
Okay , so for the past few months I`ve not been doing as much exercise as I should , eating junk and consuming huge amounts of alcohol. This will need to change whilst I am travelling.
I used to get out cycling a lot , jogging , hillwalking etc but its all fell on the wayside as I organise the trip , drink to excess and I`ve also been working a lot , aw naw I said that again , I have also going into work a lot at weekends for some money for old rope haha. The boys in work have promised that we`ll conquer a couple of mountains as a farewell to Scotland. I`ll keep you informed.
Currently I`m around 13 and a half stone , I don`t know what that is metric , I`ll find out and accurately weigh myself. For a bloke being 5` 6" I`m a little overweight , not sumo proportions but a wee bit chubby nonetheless. I think it`s important I start to address this matter immediately. I have several false dawns but I must make a real go of it. I want to be travelling with a healthy body , mind and bank balance. I`d like to remember the trip for the rest of my life , I don`t want it to be one big drunken blur.
Drinking fair eats into the budget , ever gone out with £30 , bought 4 pints at £2 per pint and having only £2 change out of your originally £30 ? Exactly ! I simply cannot afford the luxury of consuming copious amounts of alcohol anymore (and a sneaky wee smoke) if I am going to be able to last the full 12 months without having to cut short the tour due to bankruptcy.
I`ll keep you informed of my progress in the weight / diet and alcohol situation.
I`m going to get business cards produced for when I am away , any ideas how to get them ? I`d like about 2000 or so with the words ``Dowza - International Blogstar`` and a mention of the site and email address , moaby number etc , nothing too complicated.
I`ve only had one offer of a hat so far. It`s a Loch Ness monster hat , I`m not too sure it will be suitable.
Anyway , thanks for continuing to read and contribute.
See ye efter man am outta here.
Well ,
What do you think of my new business cards ? I ordered 500 of them online last night. I won`t get them for three weeks though as that was the cheapest option which is a crucial factor. If I like them I will order another 1000 or so.
When on the road I will give my card to fellow travellers that I have become acquainted to to enable them to keep up with my progress.
Short and sweet today. Any questions just ask on the messageboard or drop me an email.
Will have an interesting entry for you tomorrow.
Why Dowza , Why ?
You know readers , that`s a question people often ask me , from both the 95% or so telling me to go for it and inparticular the remainder who express reservations proclaiming
``Wouldn`t you be better investing in your mortgage instead of blowing it in a year`` ? or ``youll be skint when you get back``
So folks let me explain exactly why Dowza needs to do this.
Do you remember being a wee boy and having a big sense of adventure ; was it ever your wish to be able to travel the world when you were little ?
When I left school I was fortunate enough to get an apprenticeship which included college education , however , for one reason or another upon successfully completing my HNC in Mechanical Engineering and the company I trained with acknowledging that I had successfully complted the apprenticeship by the company providing mewith certification , I no longer found myself employed there , partly my responsibility , partly theirs.
After two or three stop-gap jobs I found myself with a job I enjoyed 10 years ago , I`m still in it now. Despite attempts at career development I continually found myself back at square one , but , my peers I worked beside did too. I eventually got worn down and stuck in a rutt whereby I was reasonabley content at having a mundane job with no prospects but one which pays the wages nonetheless.
As the years went by it would have been foolhardy to leave as I was beginning to accrue service years which would come in useful in the event of being made redundant. The redundancy scenario has now come to pass.
Society here seems to be about a big merry-go-round...get a job , pay the bills , have a wee holiday , back to work , pay the bills , back to work, have a few beers in the pub , pay the bills , it`s just a means to end , give me a break from that malarky.
To be Frank I hadn`t really given travelling the world all that much consideration until now. It wasn`t as if I had it on a must do list , but everytime I heard stories from uni-students who had done it as a gap year I became green with envy. I didn`t think I would ever get the opportunity though.
I didn`t enjoy my apprenticeship or my college course I`m afraid but , I reckon education is important for all. I mentioned on a forum I contribute to that I reckon I will learn more travelling independantly in the coming year than I have in the past 27 years that I have went to school / college / apprenticeship/work. That can only be a good thing for when I return to the country.
My CV will look fine. Have you ever organised anything , ever used your own initiative , ever worked as part of a team !! , aye done those things every single day planning and when on 365 days around the globe !! Good enough Mr Employer ?
I`m going to be away re-charging Dowza`s batteries , not just for a holiday but for a whole year , seeing sights and meeting thousands of people and seeign how other cultures live. This is my education , this is what will prepare me for the future.
Here`s a thing , when I am a doting 95 year old in anursing home , will I say ``I wish I knocked three or four years off my mortgage when I was 33 `` or will I look back and say ``hey Dowza son , you done something with your life and saw the world``
And hear endeth my chat.
Have a nice weekend.
Hello , I hope you had / are having enjoyable weekend.
The photo here is of my neice Rachel , she is 18 months old , or maybe 20 months old now , who knows ? Infact , it`s my birthday today and I had to ask Donna what age I was , 33 or 34 , it was a bonus to be told I`m only 33. At my managers leaving night on Friday I asked someone what age I looked and was told 40 , `oh well , my own fault for asking I suppose !. I will need to try and get a good photo of my favourite and only nephew, David, to show you too , he`s 8.
Talking of my manager`s night out , it was really good. I wish him well in his new job , thats we went up to Glasgow to do so , I find farewells a bit depressing though and feel a bit flat afterwards ; what chance have I got when I go away from everything for a year ?
Morton drew 0-0 with Ayr yesterday here in Greenock. It was a terrible match , made worse of course due to the hangover from the previous night.
Donna is kindly going to re-tile my bathroom and decorate my livingroom and hall before I contact the letting agency. We went and got some paint and stuff today ; and a nice bar meal since it was my birthday.
A freind in work lent me Superman Returns on DVD , going to watch that just now.
See ye efter.
A bloke has given me a firm offer of £3700 for the car. I thought long and hard about it but declined the offer.
I have the car advertised online and in Evening Times and I just need to hope I get at least the same offer again. I think I will but you never know. I`d really like £4000+ but I`m realistic as I know that my car would sell in a garage for £5000. I still have plenty time.
The business cards arrived today.
I`ve not done much more planning of the trip , I`ve just been photocopying my important documents ( passport , flight tickets , driving licence etc ) to take with me.
I might not have any substantial updates for a wee while. I`ve definately started this blog a bit early , it`s only because I am so excited.
When I have soemthing to update you of I will right away.
This diary is a good record for myself too , it will keep me right , and help me keep track of things as I go along.
Today is Donna`s 24th Birthday !!
Those of you who know me well will understand that Donna is someone who is very special to me. It`s going to be a huge wrench to leave her here when I go on the trip. I`ll really miss her , and I know she`ll miss me too.
Donna does everything for me. She has just finished decorating my livingroom and bathroom in preparation for me renting out the flat.
I introduced you all to my neice Rachel 18 months and my nephew David 8 , Donna and I love them a lot and spend time with them regularly. I`m going to rely on Donna`s reports on their development , for I will miss them too.
Sometimes I wonder how I will cope without her. It`s going be lonely at times without having Donna with me , I`ll even miss the frequent ( and infamous ) arguments and bust ups we have.
Aswell as being very special to me Donna has been my best friend for the past five years , she even goes to all the Morton matches with me. I will be looking forward to her emails letting me know about the matches she was at whilst I am away.
This blog is about me and my trip. It is not about Donna. Donna wouldn`t appreciate me mentioning her business on the internet , it`s a bit impersonal , but I need an audience I`m sure you have realised by now.
So , I just thought it important to let everyone know that Donna is really special person , the kind you meet once in a lifetime. We`ll miss each other more than you can imagine but she understands why I am doing this.
You can be sure that Donna will be the last person I see before I leave and no matter what we will meet up the moment I get back to catch up on what has been happening.
Today I am going to phone the letting agency to see about renting out my flat. I`ll let you know how I get on.
Yadda Yadda !
Well readers , as you know the first stop across the pond for me is the Big Apple. Sound advice from previous bloggers is to book somewhere to stay for your first night(s) in a new place , and especially your very first nights at the start of the trip.
Finding budget accommodation in downtown Manhattan from Saturday 25th until Tuesday 28th Nov has not been plain sailing and as I have to depart for my Trek America tour at 0700hrs on the Tuesday I wasn`t keen on a 16 bed dorm ( I don`t want to waken everrone with my alarm clock )
It`s also been a mission to find somewhere close by to where the Trek leaves. The trek leaves HotelBeacon which is £150 per night for a single room. At long last I`ve managed to find a good YMCA only a few blocks away , here is some details of it. It`s right bang in the centre of Manhattan just off central park. I had to pay £40 for a single room but the sound sleep I will get will eleviate the jetlag and help me get myself together.
http://www.ymcanyc.org/sub.php?p=about&sp=west/guestrooms
Below is a phot of the Village People who sang the YMCA song. I wonder if I will meet them.
So , what with paying for NY accommodation and the Cook Islands I am running up a credit bill already. I`ll need to address that swiftly.
Changing the subject. The letting agency are sending someone up next Thursday to assess my flat and let me knwo what needs done and how much I can expect etc etc.
All is quiet on the selling the car front. Like I say I will advertise next week in more places and reduce my asking price. Thats how it works and is par for the course.
This weekend we face an arduous 4.5 hour coach trip to Peterhead and the same back again all in the cause of supporting our town and the Mighty Morton.
Sorry there has been a lack of photo`s so far. I will try and get some practice with the new camera tomorrow in the far North East of Scotland.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Good Afternoon ,
Just a quick update to let you know that I`ve now sold the car.
The bloke from down south txted yesterday to say his offer still stood at £3700. I tried in vain to coax another £150 out of him but he was adamant that £3700 was his final offer. I could spend again and again on advertising and the car could have a become a monkey on my back so I decidied just to accept.
Unfortunately Mr Pattel ( the buyer ) stays in Milton Keynes or something like that and has to make a huge coach trip up to get it. He is away to book a coach ticket just now. We have concluded that the car is definately sold and if anyone now phones me about the car I will say ``sorry , the car is sold``
I hope you are having a good wekend. Mine was good but I ruined it by drinking too much alcohol.
See you later.
Well ,
I arranged to meet Mr Pattel at Buchanan Bus Station at 7.15am this morning.
I hate driving about in city centres , especially Glasgow , if going up there for any reason I usually park at an underground station and take the subway to save the driving stress.
Anyway , his bus arrrived in unison with me walking into to the bus station , the bloke turns up with his girlfriend / partner or whatever , they must`ve been in their mid twenties. We exchanged pleasantries and I took him to the run down housing scheme where I left the motor.
The next 10 to 15 minutes were sheer comedy. The nutter went over the car with a fine tooth comb ``searching`` for any problems. His imagination was running riot.
Let me explain. Do you remember a few weeks ago my bonnet got smashed in and I got a new one at the bodyshop ? well , I had the bodyshop at that time repair a small section which had a wee dent in it near my rear wheel arch.
Mr Pattel who had agreed a figure with me , notices that the rear section I just described had been re-sprayed , he suggested that my car was in two halves ahahahahhaha
Then he said my two doors didnt line up 100% ( the top of them werent flush by about 2mm )
I said to him ``look mate , do you want the car or not ? If you don`t want it , don`t buy it , no problem``
So , then , he said ``lets see how it drives`` , so he drives it round the block and says `` so what about the price``
I tell him `` 3700 like we agree and not a penny less`` and he said ``what even with the problems``
hahaha you couldn`t make this up !!
But , wait till you here this , this is magic ; his bird who was in the front with her rucksack despite me offering her to put it in the back ( must have thought I was gonna nick it haha ) well she pointed out the following `` The seats are different `` hahahah
Actually the upholstery IS a different design on the passneger and driver seats , I had never noticed it before but it transpires this is par for the course with this model , and various others. I tried to explain that to the guy and told him to look at the seats in any 2003 peugeot 206 in any peugeot garage, but I got to the stage where I was like `` oh look , never mind , goodbye ``
So , they both get out the car and we have a debate , him telling me ``you tell me those two seats are the same `` and me being like ``look numbnut , what would I want to take out a seat and put another one in for eh , what sort of loony would want to do that ?`` and he was like ``I was hoping you could explain that to me``
So I was like `` Look , thanks for wasting my time now just F**K OFF ``
I wouldn`t normally say that to someone especially as he had his Mrs there , but , they ( him inparticular ) were a pair of chancers and had to be told I don`t button up the back.
So he `s walking away and says ``it was nice to meet you`` ahahha , who`s he kidding.
This muppet came up here trying to further knock-down a price we had already agreed upon for a car I had showed him umpteen photo`s of and gave an accurate description of.
I have now advertised the car again.
Fun and games.
To be honest I could do with the car for a couple of appointments this week anyway and as I said before I have plenty of time. I was genuinely angry at teh time but now I am just laughing it off.
I`m not a vindictive person but I hope the coaches back to the South of England are fully booked.
EDIT : I have since discovered that MR Pattel buys and sells cars going by his ebay history. He is the Delboy of Milton Keynes !! haha , must have been watching Wheeler Dealers on the Discovery channel ahahha , tosser.
Further edit : Just noticed that the nutter is currently trying to flog a clapped out Merc which ahs been round the clock for £12K+ haha , right next to this he is sellign mobile phone covers for 99p , dear oh dear.
Morning All ,
What a carryon that was with the car the other day eh ? I remember being 17 and going to buy my first motor , standard practice then was simply to walk round the car and give all four tyres a boot and then hand over a wad of cash. Certianly that wasn`t Mr Pattel`s outlook.
Well , the guy from the letting agency was at my flat last night. Actually he never turned up and I had to call him on his mobile. He had no record of my appointment. This seems to be the usual as I try to organise this trip , everything requires effort.
He was very complimentary about my flat , theres a few things I need to do ( and pay for ) before I can rent it out ; eg get a gas safety cert , smae for leccy , and also register with the inland revenue and the cooncil to say I`m a Landlord. He`s going to come back and take some photo`s.
He started putting ideas into my head about buying flats and letting them instead of going my world trip....arrgh , please , I need to stop getting doubts.
I haven`t got a lot to report today. Have a good weekend folks.
Ian
Hello ,
Sorry I`ve not updated this diary for a few days. I only like giving positive news but right now everything seems to be an effort.
The latest issue concerns my mortgage. A couple of months ago my current lender , Birmingham Midshires told me that to let my flat out I`d need to change my mortgage from a self-cert to a buy to let. They also told me I wouldnt be able to do that until 3 months before December 10th as I would have £1600 tie-in penalties to pay. If I was to change my mortgage to buy to let but stay with Birmingham Midshires it would be no problem.
Now , after what BM told me a couple of months ago I booked my flights , trek america trip and other acommodations. So today I telephoned BM ( as it approaches 3 months before 10th December ) and told them I am definately letting my flat and how do I go about changing to a buy to let mortgage. They thought I was going to work abroad. When I told them I was going on a rtw trip they said I couldnt have a buy to let mortgaeg as to have that I`d need a regular income to equal at least £10K per annum.
I told them that I explained to them a couple of months ago I was going a rtw trip and they had no issue at that time and I therefore made arrangements. I also told them that plenty people rent out their flat and go a trip and have no income during the trip. I was getting nowhere.
BM are referring my case to a mortgage underwriter though and will get back to me within 48 hours.
I don`t know what to do. Maybe I can hang on till December 10th before tasking my custom away from BM and to another lender but I already will be abroad by then.
It`s all a bit of mess. They are going to call me back within 48hours , hopefully we can find a solution , afterall , surely they want my custom even though my mortgage is small fry ?
If anyone has any advice they can give me on thei please drop me an email at the usual address dow5a@hotmail.com
Good Morning ,
Well , I know I said I`d be patient and calm as I had time to play with but it`s a weight off my mind to be able to tell you that I have now sold the car.
I got a call on Friday from a man in Dundee , I don`t even know how he got my number. I told him that Morton were playing in Cowdenbeath this weekend and we therefore arranged for me to meet him there yesterday. I kept our seats on the supporters buis booked and came home on it.
I never got what I ws wanting for the car. I ended up accepting £3500. I could have advertised again and again and so I decided just to take this offer. The bloke I sold the car to was a really genuine person, he was buying the car as a surprise for his wife as a peace offering as they had a nasty fallout. He was amazed at the amount of Morton fans arriving in the town.
With the money for the car I`ve to give my Mum £2000 as she had lent me that for the flights and Trek America trip. Mum is in Canada at the moment on holiday so I will square up with her upon her return. the remainder will be go towards clearing credit card debt and overdrafts , although it still falls a wee bit short in that respect.
Today Donna and I are going to go a wee run to Largs ( on the bus coz have nae bloody car ) and maybe pick up a backpack I saw there when we were down last week.
Hopefully this week I can get this mess with my mortgage sorted out. If I can it will be the 2nd installment of much needed relief and I will then be able to devote all my energy to further preparations. My mind is completely focussed on the trip , it`s exciting , terrifying , worrying , a big bag of emotions.
Morton won 2-1 in Cowdenbeath , Cowden were 2nd top of the league and we are top so it has opened up a nice wee gap. Morton are playing some lovely football and I am sure they will win the league and I wont be there to see it , oh well c`est la vie. They will still be there if , sorry when hahah I come back.
Speak to you tomorrow.
Yadda Yadda ,
Well , do you like my new hat ?
Personally I`m delighted with it. IT`s exactly the type of thing I was looking for. I managed to get it for only a fiver in a shop in Largs. I must admit I felt a bit like a lampshade when I tried it on though. It`s a really good fit and it`s a good light colour to help relect the sun ; the shape will also dissipate the heat and there are four vents to allow my napper to breathe. A mate called it a ``bush`` hat and I suppose that`s a fair description.
Here are another few snippets of updates :
I`ve also now bought a Berghaus 65 litre rucksack. I await it`s delivery.
Now that the car is away I`ve been walking to work and back , it`s an 8 mile 2 and a half hour round trip and I am feeling the benefits already. I think it`s vitally important that I have a relative degree of fitness before I set off. I should hopefully notice a saving of money too since I don`t use as much petrol as the Peugeot 206 did.
My mortgage problem is evaporating. I don`t want to say much more about it though.
Morton beat St Johnstone 3-2 last in a thriller at Cappielow.
Good Afternoon ,
I must apologise for not having updated my diary in the past week. To be honest I ahve not had a lot to report. I`ve been feeling really anxious the past few days as I am still having problems with my mortgage , renting out the flat and all which goes along with that. I will be much relieved when everything in that respect is sorted. Hopefully much needed progress will be made in the coming days.
I`ve had an idea for when I am in New Zealand. My Mum said she would like to visit ther , perhaps she could come there on holiday whilst I am there , and Donna too as a holiday , that would be great. It would be good to see them. I`ll run the idea past them.
A few days ago I downloaded the 1979 film ``Escape from Alcatraz`` , I`ve seen it before but I am going to watch it tonight with Donna. It will put me in the mood for when I go to San Francisco.
My backpack arrived. I`ll get a photo with me with it and post it here tonight , hopefully.
Again , sorry for the lack of updates , I`ve just been feeling anxious. I know the trip is a while away but the days and weeks seem to be flying in.
Yadda Yadda
How are you doing ? It`s been six days since I updated this. I only really want to keep you abreast of any developments and progress.
Before I go on may I draw your attention to the three photo`s on this diary entry. remember folks , I know you aint thick ( well most of you ) but you need to click on the photo`s to view them in a more realistic size. David , my nephew was getting ready for his karate class as you can see and doesn`t my favourite neice look cute ? Pair of nutters.
Well , the geezer from the letting agency was here on Sunday and took photo`s of my flat to put it on his website. the flat is officially available for let from mid October , only a couple of weeks a3way , I will be moving out and in with my Mum in two or three weeks time. It will be really odd moving back in with my Mum after 8 years even although it`s only for a little while. It`s also going to be a polava moving all my possesions over , will tell you more about that later.
I`m looking forward to moving out as it means I will no longer pay council tax , utility bills etc and will hopefully soon no longer need to pay my mortgage if I get a tennant soon.
I`m still enjouying walking to and from work , its getting me noticeably fitter and I get a good sleep at night. The exercise will set me in good stead for when I begin the ``mission``. I also enjoy watching the traffic crawl along , especially when my fans toot their horn and wave or give me a shout like Michael did this morning. I feel a bit like Rocky Balboa when he was training for a re-match with Apollo in Rocky II
I meant to get a photo of my my rucksack , but never , will do so soon. Big shout to Donna for getting my flat spick and span before the letting agency man came on Sunday.
Sometimes people ask if I will be working when away , well , why change the habit of a lifetime !!! No , seriously , as I am always going to be travelling it will be impossible to pick anything up other than casual one or two day stuff , which I may do in Oz and NZ , fruitpicking , sheep shearing etc.
Time will tell , as will the budget. I feel like the dog on that childrens programme I used to watch ``The Littlest Hobbo`` , do you remember that ??
I was considering taking a laptop but I don`t know. I`m bound to be robbed at some point. Maybe I`ll just stick to internet cafe`s , I`ll give it a bit more thought.
We were up at Forfar on Saturday to watch Morton win convincingly again albeit against a depleted Forfar outfit. The bridies were good , as was the wee swally.
I`m really pleased at the amount of hits I am getting on the site. Thanks for continuing to read. Remember to feel free to use the messageboard or send me an email anytime you have advice for me or need any from me.
Anyway , enough rambling for now , I`ll speak to you in another couple of days or so.
Yadda Yadda ,
So , are you looking forward to the weekend ?
Morton entertain Brechin City at Cappielow tomorrow , will be good to get back to league business.
I think my mortgage situation is now 99% sorted , I can now channel more thinking into researching the trip.
A few years ago when I first got mortgage on my flat I made a will. At that time I hadn`t met Donna and I therefore will be making an appointment to have the will changed to enable Donna to get my flat if I die when away , which is possible. Fingers crossed everything will be fine.
I am ``working`` tomorrow and then on Sunday I will try and transfer some stuff over to my Mums house , got to get the ball rolling so to speak. There is no room to procrastinate , no when orgainsing something like this.
A couple of the boys who go on the bus to the Morton away matches with me have suggested we go out for a few drinks to see me off before I go. I`d like to do that. I leave work on Friday 17th November and so I will have a few with them that night , if they are available.
I have nothing else to report today. Have a nice weekend
Hello ,
I have now booked up my Cook Islands Accommodation for Christmas and New Year
I arrive in Rarotonga at 08:55 on 23rd December.
I have booked to stay here http://www.varas.co.ck/index.html at Muri beach for 4 nights , 23rd , 24th , 25th ( xmas day ) , and 26th December
I then fly with Air Rarotonga to Aitutaki on 27th December and will stay at Matriki beach huts http://www.matriki.com in their treehouse for 8 nights , 27th, 28th , 29th , 30th , 31st December , 1st , 2nd , 3rd January
I then fly back to Rarotonga and will be staying at http://www.rarotongabackpackers.com beachside complex on 4th and 5th January.
Should be amazing.
Next stop , Fiji :o)
Its now only 53 days until I leave the UK. At the moment I keep getting over-excited. One minute I feel really fine and happy and the next I feel shattered.
Well ,
At this time in only FIFTY days from now I will be aimlessly floating around terminal 2 at Heathrow airport waiting on a flight to New York. Thats right , only THIRTY working days left. Tick tock tick tock. The clock is getting faster and faster as we approach ``Launch Day``
Since I last had your attention I`ve booked up another few things. You know my Trek America tour ends in Los Angeles, well I had planned taking a bus up to San Francisco and back a few days later for my flight to the Cooks , but , I found I could get cheapo flights , so I did. Its only like 40 quid or so including tax from LA to Frisco and the same back. I`m going up with Frontier airlines and back down with the AA ; that`s American Airlines , not Alcoholics Anonymous.
I`ve also booked into the Green Tortoise hostel in Frisco for 4 nights , doesn`t this look like a great place to stay , free breakfast , free dinner , free everything. Amazing eh http://www.greentortoise.com/san-francisco-hostel/index.php
Still satying with Frisco I have now booked to do a night tour to Alcatraz Island , although I do await confirmation I have the tickets. Thankfully they probably won`t keep me in the jail , as its no longer used , it`s just a tourist attraction now. Here`s a link to the tour http://www.alcatraztickets.com/tours/tourDetail.cfm?tour_id=7207
Tonight should be fun , I`m over-excited about it , Billy , my mentor for the first few years in IBM is having a leaving get-to-gether.
There`s no Morton match this weekend as Scotland play France in a massive Euro qualifier at Hampden ; we tried to get tickets but alas , it seems not to be , all hope is not yet lost though.
Well , I hope you have a good weekend and I`ll speak to you on Monday.
Toodaloo
Hello ,
I`m not feeling well today , was up during the night and was sick and had diaoreah , so , I figured the best thing to do was phone in sick to work and re-cuperate at home.
Obviously when I am away and I feel ill I am just going to need to get on with things , even if that means travelling on days I am rough. The best thing I can do is eat and drink sensibly and hope nothing worse than what I have now or bad colds come along.
Another thing which worries me about all these hostels I will be staying in is the nightmare`s I have. I mean , it doesn`t happen often but maybe twice or thrice a month I`ll start shouting things like ``help , help`` , or ``no , no`` when I am sleeping , this may be distressing for other travellers ; again though , not much I can do about it I suppose.
Did you have a good weekend ?
On Friday, Billy, had a good turnout for his leaving doo up in Glasgow. Will miss Billy in work , he has taught me everything I know !!! , There`s a photograph of Billy and I at his night out on this diary entry.
Saturday I was a bit hungover from Friday night but wasn`t too concerned as all I was going to do was watch the Scotland v France match on the TV. Donna and I had tried to get tickets for ages for this match and then all of a sudden on Saturday afternooon an aquaintence of donna managed to get a pair of briefs off of a Frenchman ; ooer Mrs.
So , that was us ,on our merry way up to Hampden Park Glasgow impostering as French people for the day. We were scared to speak at first incase we weren`t allowed in , I didn`t wear a kilt incase it would give the game away. the steward even showed us to our seats with directions in French hahah after I just pointed at the tickets.
Anyway , as the whole planet now knows , it came to pass that Scotland went onto defeat France 1-0. It wasnt as if we had to stand like quiet wee mice though as at least 20% of the people in the French section were were em , Scottish fans. We all went absolutely mental when Scotland scored.
I got my photo taken with France`s mascot , as you can see , I like that one ; we saw him going up the stairs at half time and so we ran to find where he went so I could get my photo with him. We were asking random French people if they had seen a big cock. Well folks , don`t be saying that Cappielow.
for security reasons they had to keep the away fans in the stadium until all the home fans ahd left , that meant we had to stay , didn`t bother us though as we were celebrating anyway ; the French people were really nice throughout and very sporting , they clapped all the Scottish fans as they were leaving and they didnt boo their own team for not winning. I took a nice photograph of an empty Hampden after ``most`` Scottish fans had left. It`s also on this diary entry.
I`m going to go back to bed for a wee while now as I still feel a bit weak , hopefully its just a wee day virus type of thingey.
See you later Alligator.
Good Morning Everybody ,
What a glorious sunny morning it is today. You should have seen the sun in Greenock at dawn , it was a lovely bright orange colour ; I`m kicking myself now as I didnt take a photograph of it despite having my camera in my pocket , as usual.
I hope you had a good weekend. It`s been a few days again since I updated this. I`ve not had a lot of major developments to report and I`ve also been loaded with a bad cold.
On a forum I contribute to somone posted a link to this inspirational story
If you have a spare 5 minutes please read it , I`m sure you will enjoy it , the video at the end very emotional.
Talking of video`s ; I mentioned to GetJealous.com that it would be good if we could upload video`s onto these websites in addition to the photographs we can already upload ; they gave me good news that it should be possible within a few weeks and they are working on making it possible. I`m sure that facility will make my travel-blog a lot more interesting. Watch this space.
Only 40 days to go now until I fly out of this little island. The days and weeks are zooming by. I feel as organised as I should be. I`ve been studying the countries on my intended route a lot , I`m forever exchanging travel guide books in the library and there is also a wealth of information online too at websites such as gapyear.com , travelpod.com and lonelyplanet.com
A couple of people who are doing the Trek Amercia trip have been in touch , that was nic , to swap emails with people I will meet when I finally get going.
When I leave Australie and fly into Bali I intend visiting the Gilli islands on Lombok , inparticular Gilli Tarwagan. This tiny little island looks amazing and it seems an adventure just getting there.
Take a look , what do you think ?
I`ll come back with a further update later in the week.
see you after
Well it`s the weekend again. It was really foggy here in Greenock this morning , and no , I didn`t have a lot to drink last night ! I couldn`t even see the hills from my bedroom window.
I`ve been thinking a lot of my Dad recently ; and , I thought it would be fitting to put a photograph of ``my Dad`s cranes`` as today`s diary photograph. I wonder what he would have made of my round the world trip ? I think in balance he would probably be actively encouraging me , just as the rest of my family are doing just now. I`ve took a few wrong turnings as I was growing up but I am sure that travelling is the correct path for me to take at this stage in my personal development.
I seem to have had some madness in me which I did not seem to inherit from my Dad ; nor my Mum for that matter haha , he was always such a personal , focussed , intelligent , quiet man , but well-liked by all. I`m me though and I`m becoming more and more content with myself. My Dad , is a good role model for me but I know I will always have my own characteristics.
I`ve absolutely no doubt that my Dad`s spirit will be with me and watching my adventures as they unravel.
My Dad done a fair bit of travel himself before I was around , when he was in , I think , the merchant navy , or something. He was the electrical engineer on some boat anyway. He never really mentioned that much but I remember seeing a photo of him on a beach when he was in that and he said it was taken on Christmas Island. My route takes me not too far from there and I have been considering a pilgrimidge to there in memory of him ; who knows , maybe once I get to Bali I might take a wee flight over , I`ll see.
Today I go for my final haircut before I set off which is now only 5 weeks today. It`s wee things like that people forget about...I mean , do people have haircuts in Thailand ? Australia ? I suppose they must eh ?
I`ll tell you what I can do without though , the toothache. Visiting the local dentist for the extraction of a molar in Vietnam doesn`t exactly fill me with excitement.
Today I`m off to watch Morton play Stranraer at Cappielow. This is the penultimate match I will see at Cappielow before the off ; I hope we win , as usual ! And tomorrow I go to work my final.
Overtime shift at work.
I`ve been chatting to Hayley on the messenger on teh PC , Hayley and her boyfriend James are doing the Trek America trip I`m doing. Jay has also been talking to us. They seem perfectly sound these people and I look forward to meeting them and the rest of the trekkers when I get to New York.
I`ll update you further in a couple of days. Watch this space.
Ian
Howdy ,
Well folks , only Thirty days now before I leave Scotland. Incredible , the time is flying in.
Tomorrow I will have some really exciting breaking news to tell you. I can`t disclose what it is yet but I will be able to let you know tomorrow - stay tuned.
And in further developments not related to the above ; the webmaster of Inverclyde Now , our local news website contacted me as he has seen this blogsite. He wants to interview me for a story for his website. I`m going to be even more famous than I already am just now :o) , I won`t be able to walk the streets without people pointing and saying ``There he is , that`s Dowza , the International Blogstar !``
I will , of course , provide more details and a link to Inverclyde now once the headline is on their website. The reporter is picking me up tomorrow and taking me to Cappielow ( Where Morton play ) for the interview to take place there.
As I say folks , stay tuned , because tomorrow`s news is sensational.
Dears ,
Let me apologise for failing to update the site yesterday with the sensational news I had promised you. No doubt you came to see what it was and so I am sorry for leaving you in suspenders.
Well , the news is that my younger sister had a baby girl on Wednesday evening ; Rhiannon , that`s a Welsh name but the baby isn`t Welsh. That`s another Christmas present which I will need to be bought before my trip and I therefore reluctantly have now enforced an embargo on family members having any more children.
The delay in updating the blog was due to the fact I didn`t yet have photographs to show you. I will be going to see Rhiannon tonight and photo`s will be available for you to see on this diary entry from 9.30pm this evening onwards.
Tomorrow Morton are away to Alloa , so I am looking forward to that. Alloa are near the bottom of the league but haven`t lost in their past 4 matches. Hopefully we can pick up another 3 points
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend and I will report back to you on Monday. Only 4 weeks tomorrow until I leave Scotland.
PS , remember and come back tonight for photo`s
Good Afternoon ,
I have having difficulty creating a link to this but as you will see if you copy and paste this there is a great article at Inverclyde Now about my trip
http://www.inverclydenow.com/news-detail2.asp?ID=2931
The article was per the interview I had with the editior Jeremy Burrows at Cappielow Park last Thursday. I really enjoyed the interview and the article gives a good description of my tour.
I hope you enjoyed the photographs of my new neice Rhiannon on the previous diary entry. Rhiannon and her Mum ( my sister Cheryl ) are now at home. I will go over and see them again tonight. The photo`s were taken by Craig`s Mum , they are really good eh ? Oh, Craig is Cheryl`#s husband ; ie my brother-in-law.
My Mum was talking about possibly coming to Nwe Zealand whilst I am there , that would be good. I would like that. We will investigate flights and stuff in more depth very soon and will update you as soon as we have more info.
There are a couple of photographs on this diary enry of the interview I had with Inverclyde Now
Hello ,
I was just looking through some old photo`s and found this nifty wee sequence from when Donna and I were in the Dominican Republic this time last year on holiday.
We were out on a jeep safari and came across a couple of local boys who had captured a tarrantula in a jar. The tour guide thought it would be a good idea to put it on me. I was terrified; I mean this thing could have killed me at any moment I suppose and then I would never have become an International Blogstar that I am today.
I am a big girl when it comes to scarey animals and insects , I`m scared to even go in a room if there is a wasp in it. I`ve no idea how I will get on these tropical places , oh well , guess the best way to deal with fears is to face up to them eh.
The last photo was taken last night in cheryl and Craig;`s house and shows a proud uncle Dowza holding baby Rhiannon for the 1st time.
I have something exciting to tell you tomorrow.
Goodnight.
Good Afternoon Everyone ,
Well , what do you think of the new GetJealous design. I`m thrilled to bits. Now I am able to show you videos ; amazing eh ?
You can see the videos either by clicking on them at the bottom of each diary entry or by clicking on ``my videos`` tab at top of page. I have added a video of me doing a somersault as a test. If any readers have difficulty viewing the video please let me know.
The videos will be great to show you when I am doing a bungee jump , or riding an elephant , there are so many opportunities , this is a major breakthrough ladies and gentlemen !!! Still photography can only show so much and has no sound. I do believe though that there is a place for photographs and obviously it will take longer to upload videos , I will make sure I get the balance right.
Digressing now , tomorrow is my last visit to Cappielow to see my beloved Morton before I am up up up and away , I guess it will be emotional for me , but , fear not , becase I still have an away game to go to next week at Stirling Albion.
In my last diary entry I promised you some exciting news , well , it wasn`t about the vidoes it was about something else which has been dlayed , I`ll need to keep you in suspenders until about Tuesday.
Listen folks , I hope you have a good weekend. Remember , keep using the messageboard and email me if you want one2one correspondance.
Chow for now.
Dowza
Yadda Yadda ,
Well , yesterday was the last match I will see at Cappielow for a year.I had very mixed feelings about that, I am looking forward to my trip but
Saturday`s = Morton and I will be a bit lost without that in my life. Someone , I don`t know who,arranged for PA announcements to be made at half-time lol wishing me well on mytravels and then a song was dedicated to me , ``All around the World by Oasis`` although I didnt realise that until I was in the pub after the game when it was pointed out to me. haha Only 20 days to go now until I`m off , yup , less than 3 weeks , only 2 more working weeks too and then I will my work I have been in for 10 years,most of my workmates leave too and its`s quite sad , will miss those people and my job.I will come back and edit / update this diary entry later today , I am going to retire again for another wee while ,I really just wanted to get up so I could put the video of Morton`s 3rd goal on here for Morton fans to see , it will be good for me too to be able to remind myself of where I stand at Cappielow and what its like to celebrate a Morton goal. It will also be good to show my fellow travellers.
See you later
PS. Remember, Remember the 5th of November.
Was thinking back to old times gone by and I decided to show you some old photo`s. What do you think ?
No big written spiel from me today. The pictures speak more than words.
If you click on the first photo of the footballer then you can use the arrow to view the next one and so on.
Good Evening Everyone ,
Well , today I got presented with my 10 year anniversary certificate , £100 of high street vouchers and £100 of shares in the company. I am delighted to receive this even though I leave in a few days time. I have some really good friends where I work and some of them are leaving in the coming days too. I will really miss them , the ones I will miss the most know who they are. I feel quite emotional about it all and the reality is now beginning to set in.
Also in work today Stewart and I received a bottle of Hungarian wine as a going away present from Zoltan and Zsuzanna who we had daily dealings with. We thought this was a really nice thing for them to do for us and it makes us feel happy that we are appreciated so much that people got us a wee going away present. Stewart was very kind in deciding that I could take the wine home , either that or he considers that I am a bigger alkie than him.
You can see photo`s below of me with my 10 year certificate ( and badge ! ) and also Stewart and I with the bottle of Hungarian wine. I am currently drinking the wine as I write, it`s very pleasant ; it tastes like honey. I know Zoltan reads my blog in Hungary so Zolatn....please send me another 100 bottles !!
Here are some of the fireworks videos. will get the rest on later
Good Morning Everyone , I hope you have had a good weekend. The pandemonium is setting in now and so I must givce you a summary of the past few days.
Wednesday : chatted with colleagues , decided to have a fireworks display the next day . Thursday since Lynsey was leaving. My mate Andy M went out and got me fireworks , amazingly they were on BOGOF since it was after 5th November !!
Thursday : Left work early and went and done fireworks up the cut. This was for the benefit of everyone who was leaving work. Hard to explain. Videos are online. Apologies there was no accompanying explanation until now.
Saturday : Went to my last Morton game for a year. This was at Stirling Albion. Morton lost 2-1. On the way home on the bus I gave a wee speech on the microphone to all the people I had travelled with over the yeasr inviting them to my night out on Friday.
Sunday : Went for buffet in Mum`s house. Mum goes to Florida on holiday tomorrow and so I now won`t see her for a year. Donna ,Brenda , Chris , Cheryl , Craig , David , Rachel and Rhiannon were also there to say farewell to me. We all really enjoyed it.
Thats a very brief summary folks. Anything you need clarified just leave me a meassage , email , or phone me on 07764270795.
Will update you further tomorrow / Wednesday morning.
Take Care.
Yadda Yadda !
Well , last night my friend Phil Fox invited Donna and I out for dinner in the Spinnaker Hotel in Gourock. Phil is the 62nd most famous person in Scotland. He knows 73% of the population by name and everyone knows him too. He travels away up from Clacton-on-Sea in East Anglia to watch Morton and is going to swim in the Clyde on New Years day for charity. He does a roaring trade for Highland Park whisky.
We were delighted to spend some time with Phil although I will need to be more adventurous than choosing fish and chips fromt eh menu when I get to Asia ; not that there was anything wrong with the fish and chips in the Spinny , it was excellent and an old favourite of mine.
A friend of mine through Morton, Muz, had also arranged to visit to give me advice on New Zealand as he had been there himself with his girlfriend Jane. He had some great photo`s to show me of his experiances in New Zealand and it was making me feel really excited about going there. Gave me excellent advice on where to visit and suggestions of what to do. I particularly liked his tip to go to the Butterfly Lodge in Queenstown as this looked good when I looked it up on the net today. Muz and Jane had excellent photo`s of skydiving / bungee jumping and other frightening stuff ; I remain unconvinced that I will partake in such lunatic activities , time will tell.
In the photo here you can see from right to left , Donna , Phil , Jane , Murray ( Muz ) and I
A few of us who travel on the Albert Morton Supporters Bus had arranged to go out for a drink in the Jimmy Watt since Morton weren`t playing the next day ; the idea being it would give us a chance to have a drink before I left.
I really enjoyed this but found it a bit a of struggle to get the drink going as I was still in recovery mode from the night before ( Thursday ).
Thanks to those who came out for a beer , really appreciated. Hope you enjoy the photo`s
Hello ,
The works night out was quite good. All the leavers met up in Above and Beyond and had a nice meal ; yup , I had fish and chips. I really am going to need to get more exotic in my choices soon.
From A&B we moved to The Yard , where we met lots of people who were coming for the a wee drink with us. It was nice to see some old faces. I was really lookinmg forward to the works night out and I feel that it was in the Yard I enjoyed it most ; as , inevitably people split up. Some of us went to Gourock to Cleats ; Cleats has never been one of my favourite places , too busy for my liking ; not somewhere I would choose to go but have been numerous times to ``go with the flow``.
A few of us came up here to my flat for some drinks after Cleats had finished.
All in all it was a good night , I know we are meant to look back happiliy on old times but sometimes I feel really sad to be leaving good friends behind. I definately think we should have a reunion at some point down the road.
Good Morning ,
Before I start , please read over the previous couple of diary entries as I have , this morning , added the story`s to accompany the photo`s of the recent night outs.
Now today`s diary :
A couple of problems. On Sunday morning I noticed my camera was broken. The lens wasnt able to go back in. Yesterday I phoned the shop who said that , at 3 months old it was too late to be replaced but the manufacturers warranty would cover it. I called Olympus but they said it will take 2 to 3 weeks to fix ; anyway I wrote them a covering letter saying I would be over the moon if I could get it back by Friday befre I leave. Sent it special delivery so they will receive it this morning. Will just need to wait and see if it comes back in time. If worst comes to worst I will buy a new one in NY. No major disaster.
Another nitemare : Yesterday after having been in the town a couple of times my back and neck started to stiffen up , so much so that I couldnt get up from sitting positions without Donna helping me up. I`ve been taking strong painkillers and rubbing dee heat into the affected area; I hope the problem eleviates soon ; last thing I want is to go on a flight in this condition ; it`s also stting me back in my preparations.
I don`t know what caused the problem with my neck and back but on Saturday after the works night out I was spiderman and somesaulting over the couch a few times and didnt have the most finesse in my landings. Perhaps it has something to do with that but in that case you would have thought the pain would have occured during Sunday and not taken until Monday morning to have reached agony.
Well ,
This week , which was to be my preparation week , has been nothing short of disaster.
You know all about my camera , right ? Well it really needs to arrive back fixed and free of charge tomorrow or my goose is cooked.
Monday was a write-off as I was sore all over , Tuesday done a bit of Christmas shopping up in Glesca and got my mobile unlocked to enable me to use it whilst away ; yesterday Donna decided to get get tonsilitus !!
Today has been a shambles for one reason or another also.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day , so much to get done , so little time.
At least I managed to get to the post office to get myself some greenbacks , always a good feeling that getting the holiday money in.
Donna is up for coming to Thailand on holiday around the middle of 07. That will be nice.
Not much more to report in the final 48 hours of being in Greenock. I just feel so unorganised.
I now formally invite you to say ``hey, good luck , bon voyage etc `` on my messageboard.
Next update may be from New York , or Greenock if any more disasters arise.
Only a few hours to go.
My glands are swelling and back of throat getting sore. I have all the symptoms of the onset of tonsilitus. Thankfully Donna was prescribed penicillin and is showing great strides in her recovery ; she has kindly offered me the remaining 2 days worth of penicillin she has. I will wait till morning and if I definately have it then hopefully the small dosage of penicillin can make a little impact , anything will be better than none. I hate tonsilitus ; but I`d rather get it now tahn this time next week.
A wise man said to me. ``Tomorrow marks the start of the new you`` , very profound and correct.
After complaining about the wind and rain yesterday it turned out to be a glorious sunny day in Greenock and , in contrast to yesterday , today showed that no matter where I go Greenock will always be the most beautiful town in the world.......and home.
Thanks for all the messages on my messageboard and for the emails too ; it`s really appreciated.
See you in a jiffy.
A wise Extra Terrestrial once said `` I`LL BE RIGHT BACK``
Well , the time is 19:43 here on saturday night , I think thats 0045 Sunday morning Greenock time. Head is a bit pickled , it`s been a long day. I am just really signing on here to inform you I am alive and safely on US soil.
It was very emotional saying goodbye to Donna at the airport , I thinK I was greetin more than her. I really have no idea how I will survive without her but I`ll need to , and so will Donna without me , and she will.
The flight to London was insignificant but when I got to Heathrow I waited 90 mins in a checkin queue for the NY flight , this messed me up as I planned on having brekkie in Heathrow and didnt get my first food until the airline meal about 5pm Greenock time. Was ravenous.
Arrived in NYC and had the usual polava at immigration , but , at least they let me in I suppose. The fella was like `` what do you do for a living sir ? `` and I told him I had recently become unemployed. You ought to have seen the sarky clown when I said that ; he was like `` you are unemployed , so you decide to take a holiday , very clever ``. Now , this dude was close to being called a jackass , but I guess that would have resulted in my deportation before getting in the door ; so I bit my tongue.
So that`s me through customs and sold a bus ticket , I suppose it was good value at $15 into Manhattan , although from there I forked out $10 to a yellow cab geezer to take me here , the West Side YMCA. It`s true what they say by the way , these cab drivers can talk , and talk a lot of jibberish at that , I suppose he was only being nice so fair play to him but he really was away with the budgies ; in a nice way.
It seems a bit pandemonium here , this place is a bit far out I think from where it`s all happening but I`ll see what tomorrow brings.
So , got here and the reception bloke asked how I was gonna pay , which was a bit of a bummer as I thought I had paid already ; so $234 for 3 nights , thats about 40 quid a night , I write quid as this yankee keyboard has no pound sign , which is fair play I suppose. I hope I don`t need to pay UK40 per night at any other point during my time away.
Tomorrow I will try and find a camera as the broken one didnt arrive back , which was a real shame , poor Donna bought me most of it.
Oh aye , I don`t have tonsilitus , I woke up fine this morning.
I reckon now I will just go find something to eat and maybe have one or two beers max and then retire , want to be fresh as a daisy in the morning.
I see Morton won :o)
PS : I am really missing Scotland , I haven`t had a sausage supper with gravy and a bottle of Tizer for over 24 hours , frightening.
I`ll leave it at that , I am a bag of emotions again , up down up down. No happy medium , just need to settle and a nights kip will help.
PPS : The people who said it would be cold here are mad ; okay it`s not the bahamas but in comparison with Greenock it`s warmer.
See ye efter. It`s a big bad world out there and I`m away to see whats going on.
Well ,
The time is 0618 , Monday morning. I got up early yesterday and today as I am still on Greenock time , when really the time there is 1118am. It`s good because it means I will beat the tourist rush down to Battery Park , Eliis Island , Chinatown blah blah blah.
Yesterday , I went out for a 10 minute walk for breakfast and came back at 3pm with a good drink in me ; although , to be fair it was my first drink since Greenock and a friendly Irish barman was chatting about my world trip and bought me a beer. The next pub I went to charged $6 for a beer which I felt was ridiculous. I just smile and pay though.
I thought it was time to go for a wee lie down when I found myself in a queue of parents and kids waiting to have my photo taken with a guy dressed up as Spongebob Squarepants ; the photo was for Rachel`s benefit ( my neice ) honest.
I will come back and update this diary entry here after the events of today have unfolded.
The thing which seems to happen a lot is that you go for a stroll.....and are still strolling a few hours later , there`s always something happening but there is plenty room for everyone and I have seen no aggression of any sort whatsoever.
I can`t upload photo`s at the moment ; oh , I forgot to tell you I got a new camera. I am quite pleased with it. The videos it takes let me zoom in and out which was what I wasn`t too pleased about with my last one.
Donna , are you reading ? did the old camera come back yet ? I will email you later. this internet is quite expensive.
Central Park is just full of people walking dogs , didn`t really see the attraction.
I was getting up especially early to check to see if my redundancy money had been paid in but I realised it`s not due until tomorrow. Please can any ex-colleagues email/message me to confirm all payments go smootly.
I cant get access to phone-calls at the moment. Please dont text my uk mobile number as it will probs cost us both an arm and a leg. I will buy a US simcard eventually , its just for these things ( and camera`s ) the price varies incredibly from one shop to the next and I want to ensure I get best deal.
As I say , come back to this page later.
UPDATE : Left here at the crack of dawn this mornign and took tube downtown , wandered around Chinatown , Battery Park , Wall Street etc etc , walked to the start of Brooklyn Bridge then U-turned. Walked all the way from battery park the whole way up Broadway to Central Park just for a challenge. Absolutely shattered and the sweat is drippin off me. Going for a cold shower and a wee lie doon. Will have a couple ofhours out tonight and then 1st thing tomorrow the Trek starts ; nextstop Washington DC.
EDIT TO ADD :Meant to say whilst I was `downtown` this morning I hopped on the Statten Island ferry which forsome reason is free , this took me past the statue of Liberty.Statten Island reminded me of Dunoon.
Hello ,
EDIT : I`ve ADDED WASHINGTON DC PHOTO`s , I DONT KNOW WHY THEY ARE INTERMINGLED WITH NEW YORK PHOTO`s BUT HEY , WHO CARES , YOU GET THE PICTURE. I SPENT 3 HOURS TODAY IN THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM , REALLY MEANINGFUL IN THERE.
Well , yesterday on Broadway I met my trek mates and leader , everyone seems brand new , half the folk are from UK ( all english ) , two or three Australian girls and a couple of Koreans.
We drove first to Phillidelphia ( affectionately known as Philly ). Apparently this was / is a very important city as it , along with New York were the two biggesty cities in America at one point and it was here the USA gained it`s independance or something lol , pardon my ignorance. I had a couple of beers with the locals here. Nice place.
Anyway , we were only in Philly for 3 hours before making our way to Washington DC. Our hotel is 150 yards from the White Hous ; unreal. It would cost a member of the public $300 a night to stay here. The hotel is really nice and has free internet. Bonus.
After having a quick shower , Nick , the tour leader de-briefed us ( ooer Mrs ) and then took us on an illumination tour of the monuments. We saw the parliament building and lots of memorials to USA`s first presidents , the one I liked most of all was the Abraham Lincoln memorial , this is where Martin Luther King made his `` I have a dream `` speech. By the way did you know that King never planned that speech , he had already done the speech he was going to do when some wummin in the background said ``tell them about your dream Martin `` so there ya go , we stoood on the precise square where he done the speech and looked out to where all the people would have been up on the trees and all that , incredible we were there.
I also enjoyed the Vietnam Wall , this was very sobering , it is a wall round a garden which has the names of a lot of the US soldiers who fell during the war. Relatives come and place letters and memorabilia for the public to read. A lot of them were really sad to look at , photographs with words like `` 20 years forever young , died 40 years ago this weekend ``. I think I will go back there today ( time is 9.34am ) , but first I must get breakfast and go get a ticket for the Holocaust museum , which is also meant to be really harrowing.
I have put up a few photo`s from NY , I hope you enjoy.
Nick the trek leader ( hereafter simpley referred to as Nick ) is going to try and get tickets for us all to go to a big american Football game with 100,000 people ; he said people appear 7 hours before the game starts , have a big party and get pissed. sounds like a good plan , and not too dis-similar from a pre-match bevvy in the Norseman before a Morton match.
Oh , also , we are definately looking at going to Memphis , that will be good , apparently there is a big story about the King there ; so I look forward to seeing this new footage of Andy Ritchie.
I will upload some Washington photo`s ASAP , hopefully later today , but it`s non-stop.
See ye efter
Okay , so yesterday I never got a chance to update the blog ; it`s a push for time today too.
I`ll be brief.
Yesterday morning we went to Arlington cymetery which is for U.S. service personnel. We saw the grave and memorial of John F Kennedy , and of Joe Louis the boxer. We stopped at Richmond en-route to a motel near Raleigh in North Carolina where we spent the night ; we went to a great barbeque place for dinner and an ice hockey game , The Carolina Hurricanes v the Montreal Canadiens , the Hurricane won 4-2 and are apparently the best team in the world or something , was a good experiance , plenty of Razz-a-matazz.
This morning we took off in the van and then stopped at Fuddruckers for lunch , great traditional hamburger chain , they even ask how you`d like your burgers cooked , ie rare , medium , well-done etc , then they shout your name to come and get your meal when it`s ready.
We arrived in Atlanta and are staying at a great hotel , I say it`s at least 4 star standard in the UK. We went to the coca-cola museum.
Will update this more later tonight if at all possible and will add photo`s verrry soon , some good ones. It`s all go here , no rest for the wicked.
Greetings from San Antonio. I must apologise for not being in a position to update my dairy for 3 or 4 days ; I hope you haven`t been worried about my well-being lol , fat chance.
Okay , so Saturday we headed to New Orleans and stayed in a classic old townhouse in the French Quarter. Bourbon Street and all that has to be seen to believed ; it`s mental , guys buy beads and then ask girls to show their boobs in exchange for a set of beads , mad. All sorts of weird drinks there too , like ``Hand-grenades`` and the aptly named ``Hurricane``. Basically , to cut a long story short , Saturday night was a major session and the Nick ( Trek Leader ) was impressed I was the ``last man standing`` , I told him not to be surprised ; ``I`m from Greenock``
So , Sunday we went to see the New Orleans Saints play the San Francisco 49ers in the big stadium that everyone sought shelter during Katrina ; American Football aint my game , I dont know the rules but it was a good experiance anyway , 85,000 capacity crowd , mostly passioniate Saints fans and so just for the day I became one too ( sorry Morton fans , I understand the connotations of this ). Oh , it was a bit of a frantic struggle , hangover in all , to get tickets.
Sunday night we just chilled and watched some jazz ; believe it or not it was fantastic , I have videos and photos of everything by the way , I am just in a mad shopping mall just now and its not possible to upload.
So Anyhoo ( as Nick says ) we had a VAD - Van Appreciation Day yesterday and covered 586 miles from New Orleans to San Antonio where we are staying in log cabins. We stopped off at the Kennedy Space Centre in Houston , it was okay , nothing great in my opinion.
Will try and get you photos and better details soon. Thanks for all the messages on my message board , I really do appreciate it. I cant phone. I need my mobile on roaming , I try to get a simcard but these Americans dont know what that is hahaha. Theres a lot of huge people here , all food portions are massive. Some pretty girls though , even the fat ones. Just an observation , of course.
Must dash. toodaloo.
Hello ,
sorry its been two or three days again. It`s all GO GO GO. No rest for the wicked. After San Antonio we stopped to camp in the Big Bend National Park. the temp was about 0 degrees centigrade and too cold for some of my trek mates so we moved on and stayed in a hotel last night in the middle of nowhere.
Today we we went to the Carlsbad caves , absoultely incredible , if you are ever in New Mexico you MUST visit , unbelievable. Got some good photos of it but usual problem means I cant upload just now , time consuming !!! Will have more time when I get to San Francisco and on my own again. It really is non-stop. everyday is different.
Cheryl mentioned a coup in Fiji : Please can you all keep me abreast of the situation there.
I only have a few minutes here and have so much to tell you , I cant remember the name of the place we are staying tonight , somewhere near the Mexican border anyway.
It feels great getting asked for ID for beer at 33 years old. To be honest I was drinking tooo much up until a few days ago but I am settling down and enjoying the cultural stuff ` I dont want to miss anything and I want to be alert to absorb all the experiances.
It went down to minus 6 last night so we cancelled the camping and went to a hotel.
Oh the trek , there is Me , English guys Phil , Jeremy , Ben ; english girl Janette , 3 Australian girls , 2 Korean guys and 1 Korean girl.
Must dash for now. I will get photos uploaded asap , I have some crackers.
Saturday we went to Tombstone , quaint little western town. I went out to a German bar at night as we stayed in a hotel near where a German army base is.
Sunday went to a cowboy camp where we done a 3 hour horse-ride. I have some amazing photos to be uploaded when I get to San Francisco including ones of me and MY horse.
Today we went to monument valley which was also amazing but felt tired.
So far we have been in 16 states , will list them when there is no queue here. sorry to be so brief. oh yeh tomorrow we do the helicopter ride at the grand canyon but first we get up at 5am to go back to monument valley to see the sunrise.
The sunrise at monument valley was spectacular. We drove to the Grand Canyon and done a helicopter tour , I had never been on a helicopter before so it was another experiance under the belt.
The next morning a few of us done a 6 mile hike down the canyon and 6 miles back up. Saw some falcons at the end of the walk and have great video footage. Was quite a tiring trek with a hangover.
We drove to Las Vegas yesterday via The Hoover Dam. Nick surprised us with a 1.5 hour tour in a massive limo , was a good laugh we went through plenty champagne. Vegas is all glitzy and Razzamatazz , reminds me of Blackpool ; the casinos are no good for someone with an addictive personality like me and I am pleased I have abstained from gambling completely.
I have bought some new clothes. I bought 2 Tommy Hilliger stripey tops for about 12 pounds each with was a huge saving on back home.
The states we have been in are New York , New Jersey , Pennsilvania , Delaware , Maryland , Washington DC ( not a state ) Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , Texas , New Mexico , Arizona , Utah , Nevada , that leaves only California to go.
I have enjoyed travelling with my trek mates , some good characters but to be honest I am looking forward now to getting on my own in san Francisco and travelling independantly.
I am so sorry I have not been able to update photos and videos yet. I will endeavour to do so very soon , latest in San Francisco.
I don`t know what to make of my 2 nights in Las Vegas. It was an experiance but not my scene ; too many people , too big a place and too much razzamatazz , all seemed a bit tacky to me.
The Trek America tour ended in LA after seeing the Hollywood sign and Chinese theatre etc. I went to stay in a hostel in Hermosa Beach , surf city its called , its clean enough but seen better days. I went out with Hayley and James for a couple of drinks and pizza last night and then today I cycled 12 miles to Venice beach and 12 miles back. I really enjoyed the cycle , this is Baywatch country , everywhere you look there are people playing beach volleyball and surgically enhanced bikini clad girls roller-blading.
I amentering the 2nd chapter in my travels and I am looking forward to it. Trek America was good but it was a bit of a rush and lots of things were crammed in ; I am now dealing with things for myself and not being spoon-fed.
Tomorrow morning I need to catch my flight to San Francisco. I will try really hard to uplift some photo`s up there. To be honest with you I`ve been feeling a bit lonely at times recently but I am sure that will pass.
Its 6.30pm. Last night I had an early night sober after the short flight from LA. I wanted to be fresh for today to enable me to explore with a clear head.
As my time in the USA draws to a close I am pleased to have San Frqancisco as a finally. I have really enjoyed my time in America and travelling from NY to LA via the southern states really has given me a new perspective on the sheer size of this country. Every place I have been to was completely different from the next , to emphasise this you just need to look at New York and San Francisco which have a totally different atmosphere , going from state to state is like going from country to country , although , it still has an American feel to it. The American people are really patriotic as you know and everywhere the stars and stripes flag can be seen.
I havent encountered any trouble the whole way across the states and I have felt safer in every town here than I do in Greenock. There is no neds and no heroin addicts unlike back home. I guess there are many dodgy areas here , the key is not going to them , unfortunately in Greenock it`s not possible to avoid the neds and junkies all the time no matter where you are.
Anyway ; San Francisco , what a place. Really good atmosphere , the first thing I thought of was the 80s police motorbike series CHIPS. The hostel is only a couple of blocks from Chinatown ; every place I have been so far has a Chinatown but this one in San Francisco seems to be bigger and more China-like. Tonight I was hungry and on the way back to the hostel I went to a restraunt for a Chinese take-away ; they proceeded to force-sell me a couple of boxes of food ; I took them outside and the food was cold ; I didnt understand , couldnt eat it though so I dumped it in the nearest bin , I guess I will need to find a burger or pizza ( again ). It`s trial and error eh , I cant afford to waste money like that though. It was 4 bucks.
Meanwhile ; this morning I took a couple of local buses over to the Golden Gate bridge. It was a glorious day about 14 degrees centigrade with no wind and clear blue-skies , perfect conditions for walking across the bridge. The walk across the bridge takes about half an hour and I can now tick the ``walk the Golden Gate bridge`` box off on my ``to do`` list. I got the customary photographs and walked a lovely stroll over to fishermans wharf.
Fishermans wharf was good fun , lots of shops and stuff to keep occupied. What I did do was go to an internet cafe and I have managed to transfer 50 odd photos from my camera to hotmail. I am back at the hostel cafe now and I figured I would be able to download the photos from hotmail then upload them to this site but alas the hostel owners seem obsessed with preventing anything to do with photographs whatsoever ; it`s at times like this I wish I brought a laptop ; everyone has one and if I pay say 3 pounds per day on internet use then that amounts to over 1000 pounds. I think I made the wrong decision not to bring a laptop as everywhere seems to have free WIFI access.
The streets here are so steep and its good exercise , who needs one of those cable car things , I`m from Greenock , I`m tough lol. Anyway , I think I will have another sober wee night , or perhaps I will get a wee carryout and sit in the ballroom , I mean , I simply cant afford financially to go out every night.
I need to do a laundry and then maybe I will go a wander to a shop I seen up the road. Maybe I can upload my photos there , its really frustrating not being able to show you pics and videos. I have 300 odd quality photos but even if I could show you a selection I would be happy.
they are on my previous diary entry , not in date order. will add captions when I wake up. It was a polava. I have 357 photos. I tried to upload 50 of them and managed to uploade 20 odd , hmmm would drive you nuts
Good Morning ,
Last night I went on the Alcatraz night tour. It was really good and as you know one of the main reasons I wanted to come here. It was a terrible night with wind and driving rain but that only enhanced the experiance.
After that I just had a few beers in the hostel.
In an hour and a half I will be picked up by the shuttle bus to take me to the airport , I need to catch a flight back down to LA and then tonight at 10.50 I leave for teh cook islands with Air New Zealand.
I will miss the USA , I have had a lot of experiances here but I feel ready now to go to the sun. I am really excited about the Cook Islands and I look forward to acclimatising and just taking it easy. I am not sure how long the flight is , I think its about 10 hours.
Hello ,
Well after about 20 hours of travelling from San Francisco I have now arrived in Rarotonga via LA and then Tahiti after an overnight flight.
Was hoping to hire a scooter here and get a novelty Cook Islands driving licence but alas the police station wont be able to do driving tests until wednesday now because they said its Christmas or something.
It was chucking it down with warm rain when the flight arrived. There doesnt seem a lot to do here and its expensive but hey I knew that to begin with and I am really just wanting to relax ; hopefully the sun will show up though. I have a bad cold anyway and so swimming and stuff is probs best left for a day or two , as is alcohol.
I am sharing a room with 2 German blokes and a Swedish couple. the room is nice it`s right on the beach which is about 5 metres from the water.
If I don`t get a chance before then I wish you a very merry Christmas.
Good Afternoon ,
More photos are on this diary entry , some are duplicates from before but many new. thanks alan for your help with that , favour I owe you.
Xmas eve , 1pm in the afternopon here but soon it will be xmas in Scotland. Merry Christmas everyone.
My cold hasnt improved. Neither has the rain , it`s funny.
This morning the german bloke and the swedish couple and I got up and went to church , it was my idea but the Swedes were going to go anyway. The service was really good , the singing was amazing , they were really passionate, we didnt understand much as it was in Cook Islands lingo but they kept welcoming us and took us for something to eat after the service. Everyone is really religious here.
After the service we went to get a big carryout for Christmas ( as you do ) ; imagine our horror to find drink isnt on sale on Sundays , the shops are shut tomorrow coz its christmas and next alcohol sales will be on Wednesday. Christmas with nae beer ? Naw , surely to goodness. Fortunately we managed to persuade a local shop owner to discreetly slip us a few crates.
Anyway , Merry Christmas one and all.
Right so , the internet is down here and they have called engineers to fix it ; meanwile we have hacked into the system and are using it for free haha don`t tell the Cook Islands internet polis.
So anyway , we have had a big barBQ on the beach and everyone is pure sloshed. I have my kilt and stuff on , got some good photos , as soon as I can I will upload them.
I hope you all had a great Christmas , its only 8.20pm christmas night here , still a while to go.
Finally I got some good sun today. I swam all the way out the reef to some island ; magic , just got to watch out for mad wee fish which attack you coz they are territorial ; honestly the cook islands people are pure sound , the travellers here are magic l good fun all round , although , to be fair , I`m more of a New Year fan and I look forward to going to Aitutaki the day after tomorrow. Aitutaki is a couple of hundred km north of here. the cook islands takes up more of an area than western europe but has only something like 15,000 inhabitants throughout all the islands.
I am still going to fiji , afterall , I dont think the military are seeking out drunken scotsmen , however , we`ll see , if they are then I will deal with them.
Mon the `Ton
Well ,
yesterday everyone at the beachhouse had a big barbq , there were 32 of us ; it was bonkers. yesterday was also the 1st day of sunshine and I am paying for it now ; I have severe sunburn and sunstroke ; I have no idea how I will carry my backpack tomorrow. Today I have just stayed in like a hermit drinking water and snoozing ; bit of a nitemare really.
tomorrow I go to Aitutaki. My camera card is knackered , it keeps saying card error anytime I turn it on. I hope I aint lost any photos from yesterday as I have some crackers on the faulty card ; I`ve put a new card in now but I need to get to a shop somewhere , maybe I wont get a chance till New Zealand after Fiji
Kia Orana ,
Well , the sunstroke is going away. the sunburn is still murder on my back though.
Today I fly up to Aitutaki on a small plane. I am looking forward to that. Have met so many great friends here at Vara`s Beach House on Rarotonga. I will meet up with a German guy Juup again in New Zealand ; I intend meeting up with the Swedes Calla and Sandra on Aitutaki later.
Make no mistake , this is tropical paradise , thats why it was so funny when it poured of rain the first couple of days , then I got sunburned when it showed up.
My camera card is still knackered , I have had experts look at it and they say the register is kanckered on it but the photos are there and some recovery software may fix when I get back home , hmmm , any of you got any ideas ? I will try and see if some specialist place in Auckland can help me.
Did everyone have a good Christmas then or what ?
Maybe I will hire a scooter or even bicycle on Aitutaki. The internet there is meant to be really expensive so maybe you wont here too much from me for a while , we`ll see , just dont worry about me if you dont hear hahah ( as if you would )
Anyway , I am having a good time usually except when I miss home ; I mean it`s been over a month now since I have had a sausage supper with gravy and a glass bottle of Irn-bru , nitemare man. see yeez efter.
Hello ,
Yesterday I was invited by the swedish couple to join them kayaking. I couldnt keep up with them and they got out of site. My kayak had 3 sets of snorkelling gear in it and my bag of possessions including trainers , hat , sunglasses , sunscreen etc etc. The kayak was getting filled with water and it eventually capsized and everything was floating everywhere. I couldnt stand up the water was too deep. I tried to cling on to the kayak and was shouting on help at top of my voice but no-one heard me. eventually I had to abandon the kayak and all the things and hope |I could swim to the nearest island. I kept swimming and swimming but didnt seem to be getting any closer. I was really worried I wouldnt see anyone back home again. Eventually after a couple of hours I was able to stand up ; it was such a relief but it took me another couple of hours to hobble around to where life and the kayak hire place was.
The kayak guys took me out on a motorboat to try and find their things and mine but we couldnt find. Now I need to pay for a new kayak , an oar , 3 sets of snorkelling gear , key for the scooter I hired , key for my tree-hut , and all the things of mine I lost too. It`s a nightmare , I dont know how much it will all cost.
The scooter place didnt have a spare key so they gave me another scooter but because I was all shook up I crashed it when I was trying to turn a corner , so no doubt I will need to pay for scooter damage too. Bit of a nitemare.
Was meant to go to an island night last night but just stayed in. Because of all this I am considering just chucking it all in and coming home but I dont want to do anything rash.
Would try and call home for advice but its sometrhing ridiculous like a tenner for 30 seconds and obviously i have blown enough money in the past 24 hours.
something is stuck in my foot too and i can hardly walk. I wish i had my trainers and flip-flops again , i only just bought them both ; i had great nike trainers i bought cheap in Las Vegas and the flipo flops I just got in Rarotonga.
Please advise me either here or by email.
Well today I was just sitting in the hut sulking and Mattheus the owner came and suggested I go looking for the kayak as it would help me feel positive about doing something for myself ; well I looked for 3 hours along the coastal beaches didnt find it but I did feel better for having looked. I came back and Mattheus told me he had already found it this morning but wanted me to look for my own sake anyway. hmmm.
So Mattheus also found one trainer and one flip flop , tomorrow I will go back and look for the other one of each. he also found my after-sun cream and my contact lense holder. He said the kayak had a crak in it which let water into the hull and thats why it sank. So the kayak owner comes and says he will inspect the kayak and if indeed faulty he will disregard the money I was to give him for the snorkelling gear. I half wanted to say he should pay for the things I lost too as compensation for givingme a dodgy kakay and putting my life at risk but I just left it. I will see what he says tomorrow after his inspection.
So it looks like I wont be too much out of pocket. I rewarded Mattheus for trawling the island and recovering some of the things , oh he found the oar too !!.
Seems all I will need to pay for is the hut key and the scooter key and the damage I later done when I crashed the scooter. I wouldnt have got a scooter but you really need one here to get around , theres no other means of transport.
Things look better than yesterday ; my feet are still all burnt and the soles of them are riddles with cuts and debris after my scarpering along the coastline yesterday to make it back to safety. At least I am alive and things dont look so gloomy now. thanks for all the messages , I really appreciate it. I will try just have a wee peak on here itll I get to NZ as it costs an absolute fortune is slow as a week in the jail.
Happy New Year from Aitutaki in the Cook Islands ; here we brought in the New Year 11 hours after Scotland , indeed this was one of the last places to bring in 2007 ; in a few days when I go to fiji I will smash through the international dateline and instead of being 11 hours behind the UK I will be 11 hours ahead , or something like that , all very confusing.
My feet are still hurting a lot but hopefully that will go soon. The kayak guy never came back to see me as promised yesterday , maybe he knows that I might have asked him for money for the things I lost. I won`t though , it`s not worth the hassle , he`s made it clear he aint going to give me anything.
Last night ( Hogmanay ) I went out with the Swedes , they aint a couple by the way , just good friends , he has a girlfriend at home , hmmm , Swedes eh. It was an okay night though , well until some cook islander tried to pull me up for dancing too much with his burd lol.
Anyway , Happy New Year everyone.
Kia Orana ,
Yesterday , along with Calla and Sandra ( The Swedes ) Mattheus took us out on his boat ; we saw some huge turtles and then we done some really good snorkelling before going to Honeymoon island where we had lunch which we cooked flying fish ; was really nice , we also had coconut and all sorts of tropical fruits ; again I took some good photos and hopefully I will be able to upload once I get to Auckland.
I am still trying to get my flights changed so I have less time in Fiji than planned. My itinery says 17 days but stuff that ; sun too hot for Greenock man !!!
Today I have mainly just lazed around and tried to get whatecver is in my left foot out of it. I have no medical kit and so I have been prodding and poking at it with my kilt pin. I think I got something out but not all. I have put a dressing on it and lots of anti-septic cream so hopefully it will draw out itself.
I have mixed feelings of Aitutakio , at least I wont forget the place , mainly due to the kayaking escapade ; that was a real polava , I am a firm believer in the saying though that ``there isn`t such a thing as a bad experiance``. Ultimately , it will have done me no harm.
I`ll try and update this again when I get back to Rarotonga tomorrow.
Kia Orana ,
I am now back at Vara`s in Rarotonga. Today I went to the hospital to see a doctor about my foot. The doc is convinced that in a few days the coral will come out by itself , in the meantime he gave me pennicillin to fight off any infection.
I bought a new pair of sandals and reef shoes ; so thats me more or less sorted for the things I lost in the accident. I have spent far too much money recently but c`est la vie.
Kia Orana ,
Well , that was the cook islands , kayak disaster in all !!. This is Friday night 7.20 pm , at midnight I fly to Fiji , I arrive 3 hours later in Fiji and it will be Sunday morning , work that one out ; no Saturday for me.
I arrive in Fiji at 2am Sunday morning , I havent booked anywhere to stay , I might just crash in the airport for a few hours to avoid a nights accommodation. I dont know what I will do now in Fiji , originally I was going for 16 nights and had a plan but now I am only going for 6 nights. I am really looking forward to New Zealand after that where maybe I will get new contact lenses and also get my memory card fixed from my camera ; and also hire/buy a car.
The cook islands were an experiance , 99% of people are so friendly here. I rode round Rarotonga on the scooter today. The other night in Aitutaki a man stopped and gave me a lift when I was walking home ; I offered him a beer but he was a christian man who didnt drink so I offered him a few dollars , he wanted nothing , all he wanted to do was be kind and give me a lift even though I was going the opposite direction from him , its things like that which restore your faith in human nature.
In Aitutaki they got their first TV 15 years ago and 3 years ago the internet , so I reckon now they have discovered the outside world it will only be a few years before they are as corrupt as the rest of us.
Anyway , I`m off to Fiji. If I cant get photos uploaded there then I deffo will when I get to Auckland next week.
See you later. I feel a bit fed up again. It`s weid leaving places and people I have met , it`s liek the end of a holiday , although , just the beginning of a new one ; a bit bonkers really.
I see they hung Saddam Hussein.
Bula ,
Well , I arrived at Nadi at 2.30am ; as you know I was goannie crash at the airport to avoid paying for a nights accommodation , however , some Fiji wummin told me I could check in really early for a night and not leave till the following morning , she then took me to some small hotel , it`s orite , but the bed smells as if an old granny has been sleeping in it for years and the mattress is past its use by date.
Anyway , I am now going out to the Yasawas tomorrow morning for the next 3 nights and 4 days ; all in it cost around 150 quid , that includes all food , bus transfer to the port , return cruise on the boat and accommodation in a single bura ; not bad but still need to watch the pennies.
It`s pure roastin here , makes sittin in the wellpark with a bottle of Eldorado on a July afternoon seem like the North Pole.
Anyway , I see Morton beat Killie 3-1 in the cup , good stuff , glad to hear , especially pleased for big Sanny ( Chris Templeman ) who notched a brace.
Cook Islands seem like a distant past already ; will go out on the town tonight ( Nadi ) and try and see if there is anything happening with this coup thingey but it seems any problems are down in Suva.
It`s now become a usual thing for me to land in airports to be greeted by some local 3 peice band playing local music , so far it`s happened in Tahiti , Rarotonga and Aitutaki and now Nadi.
My first impression of Fiji is that all the people seem very friendly and helpful and that all the woman have afro , permy hairdo`s ; I`ll try and get some pictures but I dont want to just say , ``hey misses can I take a picture of yer mullett`` coz it`s a bit rude y`know.
The internet cafe next door has a USB connection so hopefully I can upload some pics from there later today after my laundry and a swim , although , as you will remember , it`s only really recent photo`s I can get you as I need to see about gettinbg my memory card sorted from the older photo`s next week in Auckland.
The next 3 days are gonna be the hottest weather I`ve ever experianced ; will need beer. Oh by the way , I am limping heavily again as my foot is playing up up again ; its a bit like having a sharp needle in it ; will need beer.
Anyway , see you in 3 days time.
Bula ,
I am back on the mainland after 3 memorable days out on teh Yasawa islands , inparticular the Sunset resort , I say resort but really it 4 or 5 huts on a beach.
Anyway I am so glad I opted not to miss Fiji , but I am also glad not to have spent more than 3 nights out on that island , put it this way , last night after the firedance , yes firedance , I went to ma scratcher at 9pm feeling rough ; at 3am I was up vomiting out my bure window , bit of a polava really and I have been sick as a parrot all day ; I eventually get back here to Nadi and there is a power cut , smashin ; just went I need my first food of the day after being unable to consume anything due to the illness.
Anyway , I learned all about ``Fiji time`` , Fijitime is like a siesta which can occur at anypoint of the day and consist of anything from lying around on a hammock for a few hours or indulgence in a cava ceremony. Was really bizarre , you ask a Fijian the time and they always say ``Fiji-time`` ; can be a bit frustrating when you really want to know ; but one does laugh.
Anyway , when I arrived on the island I was greeted by the guitar playing Sam and a couple of ladies who run the resort. I was made to feel right at home , there were only 4 other travellers in the resort that day.
The first night we got introduced to cava , cava is not sparkling white wine , its the traditional Fijian non-alcoholic drink which is a product of the roots of some mad plant. So everyone sits round on a mat in a circle and the chief sits with the big cava pot and gives each of the participants a bowl of cava. The chief will ask high tide or low tide ( full bowl or half bowl ) and when you decide you have to clap your hand once , say ``Bula`` , drink it , then say ``Mutha`` Mutha means empty. Apparently if you drink too much , or enough depending on your perspective then you will hallucinate. Perfectly legal though and everyone and their granny uses it.
So we had that wee introduction to cava , there was me , two gorgeous irish sisters and some german couple. I had more than than the others , when in Rome .....
So , the next day I do some sonorkelling and have some Fiji-time. Fiji-time is a sisesta which you can have at anypoint of the day and can last for however long you wish ; can be anything from dozing in a hammock for a few hours to having a dancing session with guitars and stuff.
Anyway , the next night its only locals drinking cava and they invite me to join when I am passing , the cava this time was for them and not watered down tourist nonsense ; after a few bowls we noticed 2 red lights flasign on the horizon and they kept criss crossing and going above each other ( these red lights ) it was light a rave dance or somethign , sometimes they would disappear then come back. Some locals ditched the cava and went down on the beach flashing torches hysterically completely baffled. A local I was sitting next to explained that the lights on the horizon were demons , and that when one goes above the other then its on its broomstick ; wow !! Thing is he was deadly serious. Turns out these demons appear everynight.
Last night before I went to bed rough I saw a firedance , got good videos of it. We also donce some dancing. I was meant to be going night spear-fishing but it was chucking it down so we abandoned it ; that was another thing , the firedance was held indoors due to rain , in a straw hut with no fire-extinguishers ; safety first !!.
We went on a village visit which was okay but the school was shut for the holidays and we were meant to meet the village chief but he was........sleeping. The villages are very rustic and this particular one had four tribes in it , with the chief being in charge of all four tribes , sometimes people get married to people in their own tribe. Everyone here too is really religious and 100% of the punters go to church on Sundays.
What else , right I am shattered right now ; oh aye , I had a Swedish massage for about a tenner ; Moses , yes Moses , took the thing out my foot and now I am fine in that respect.
Em , there is just so much to say , today when I was leaving I was hugging all the locals , they were telling me sincerely that they will miss me and I have to take care of myself ; I was nearly crying with emotion ; here I was travelling the world , these people have never been out of Fiji and yet they have so much compassion for me as an individual ; I felt so humble ; there was even a little girl who was 2 and a half , she reminded me of my neice rachel ; honestly folks I got to get all the photos from teh past 3 days online asap. please check back for updates.
Next stop NEW ZEALAND , if I can find out my flight time !!
At last !!!! , you will find the photos on this diary entry.
If you click the my videos tab you will see a few videos I have just uploaded
I have arrived in New Zealand. I still feel rough. I have no appetite. I am drinking plenty water and no alcohol ; I reckon it`s just a bug but I hope it goes soon.
Auckland was chucking it down with rain when I arrived. I got on a bus to Auckland Central Backpackers ; I dumped stuff in teh dorm and came to their internet cafe and done the photo`s for you ; now I think I will go for a catnap and see if I feel better in an a hour or so.
Perhaps the excitement is catching me up and thats why I feel ill , maybe tomorrow I will see about getting my old memory card fixed with photo`s you havent seen and then maybe see about getting a vehicle.
Message for Brenda : No news from the Inland Revenue about my tax rebate from my P85 form ? Tell them to get the finger out , better getting onto them incase they have mis-placed it , I heard they are a shower.
Kia Ora ,
I`m sorry to be a drama queen but I still dont feel well. I havent felt hungry for days and so I go and force some food down me. I have a plan though , eat small healthy meals often. I`ll start immediately after this diary. I will try and find some soup.
Anyway , I booked a hire car for Tuesday. I will have it for 7 weeks and it cost 490 UK Pounds , $29NZ per day. I would have paid in excess of 350 quid for a bus ticket for that duration and so I have a lot more flexability now. I know its a bit of money to pay out but I knew this would be the case and I know seeing all parts of NZ will be one of the highlights of my tour. as you know I contemplated buying a car but if I done that I could have spent around 500quid for a banger and then struggled to sell in Christchurch or worse it may have needed repairs/scrapped , whatever. At least now I have 24hour roadside assistance , 3rd party insurance , unlimited mileage etc ; also I dont need to pay for the ferry between north and south islands which is expensive too , instead I just hand in the car in the north island and pick up another in the south when I come off the ferry at Picton.
I was going to go to Davenport today on the ferry but as I felt sick I just lay down for a couple of hours insted.
I am away to try and eat something. I keep drinking water but my pee is still yellow which would suggest I am de-hydrated , so something aint right.
I will update this diary page later tonight and not start a new one until tomorrow.
Hulloe ,
Its 8pm Saturday night. At 3pm I went to find food as I had nothing all day. I ordered fish n chips in a bar and a glass of lemonade. I ate about 3 forkfulls then had to leave it as I couldnt force it. I bought a pint of milk as I thought that would put a lining on my stomach.
I came back to my dorm after the milk and explained to the 3 room-mates who were there that I wasnt feeling well ; they were having a wee bevvie. I lay on my bed and pulled the bucket over and threw up like kracatoa ; everything inside me again.
So , I get told there is a 24hour pharmacy in a supermarket. Feeling really nausiated I struggled there where the pharmacist listened to my symptoms and instantly told me that without a shadow of a doubt I have food poisoning.
Well , as Jim Bowen from Bullseye would say....`Super.... , Smashin.... , Great !!`
The pharmacist gave me 3 different types of medicine and told me not to eat at all as I am not ready for food yet ; when I do feel ready I should eat only bread ; and avoid dairy products at all costs....looks like drinking the milk was not the best idea then ; she said dairy products only will encourage the bacteria to grow.
So now I have taken my medicine and been diagnosed I am relieved that I know what is wrong with me and hopefully I can now start feeling better and finally get a good run on my travels with no more spanners getting thrown in the works.
I was just talking to a real nice girl in the dorm there and she is talking of going out for a while , I`d have really liked to have joined but I will just surf for a while and get an early night as I dont think being in a bar is sensible right now in my state ; hopefully I can get a good sleep.
I was concerned earlier about the car I hired , I mean what if I wasnt fit to drive ; with a bit of luck all that will be history.
Have a nice Saturday folks. Mon the Ton.
Hulloe ,
I havent done much today other than sleep and take more medicine , plenty water and a little bread ; still aint feeling great.
I got my memory card fixed which broke in the cook islands ; here are half-a-dozen photo`s you haven`t seen before. I now have a around 700 photo`s in total but will continue to try and upload only good samples onto this website and will show the rest in December. Apologies that some of the photo`s I have showed have been out of date order , hopefully , now that I am in New Zealand and Australia for the next 5 months then I will be able to upload photos and videos as and when I take them , well as long as I have funds to use the internet.
What else has been happening in Greenock ? Is it still really windy ?
I guess it was a blessing to be sick in Auckland , at least when I get the car and start touring I will be fit and well to enjoy everything. I am really looking forward to seeing the country. I won`t try and rush into food or alcohol too quickly ; to be honest I can`t afford any alcohol here in NZ , I have spent enough of my budget already.
Kia Ora ,
That`s right in New Zealand they say Kia Ora , as opposed to Kia Orana on the Cook Islands and Bula in Fiji , and how-ye-doing-bigman in Greenock.
Anyway , this geezer in my room advised me to go on a free tour of Auckland with Kiwi Experiance , and as I was feeling better I did just that. Fortunately I booked it just in time. Even when we got on the bus it was overbooked by 20 people and they couldnt go ; as today is my last day in Auckland I really had to go today.
So , anyway , the bus first took us to Auckland harbour bridge where we done the only bridge climb in Auckland !! We had the chance to bungee jump off it , a couple of girls did but as I was still not feeling 100% and as I know I will have lots more chances.......okay okay , I bottled it.
We then went to Davenport for lunch , the guide/driver kept promising us fantastic fish n chips there for lunch so it was a bit disapointing that the chippy is shut on Mondays !! ;; had a great ice-cream cone though , I had a scoop of boysenberry , whatever that is , it tasted like a cross between raspberry and blackberry or something ; it`s a hard life trying to work these things out eh.
Then we went to Cheltenham beach and the area above the bay that is full of underground tunnels and forts and where there is a big cannon to shoot at invaders.
As you know the first days in Auckland were a wrirte-off due to food poisoning. I have been looking forward to getting the car tomorrow ( and still am ) to get out of the city but , I am so glad I was able to get to see what it has to offer by way of the free tour with Kiwi Experiance. It`s free as it`s a promotional drive to sell kiwi-experiance packages but in reality not many people do and your not obliged to buy anything. Kiwi Experiance is a backpacker bus company , not any use to me as I have the car.
Tonight I am meeting Jupp ; Jupp is a sound German fella I met at Vara`s on Rarotonga ( Cook Islands ). He has travelled fairly extensively on his trip and had been in South America where he had a room in Bolivia which bats were in , unfortunately.
I will put some photo`s of today online on this diary entry shortly. Have a nice a day.
EDIT TO ADD : Before I go to meet Jupp I have went up the Skytower for free , yes another freebie , courtesy of the hostel as I stayed 3 nights , the skytower opened in 1997 and is the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere , and , is 4m higher than the Eiffel tower , so there !! and I`ve been up that too by the way ; I never jumped off , it was 80 quid but I am getting tempted for that kind of malarky. Next diary update will probably be in 48 hours as somehow it`s got out of sync. Getting the car tomorrow blah blah blah. Goodbye auckland. See yeez laters alligators.
Kia Ora ,
Well , yesterday morning I got the car ( Toyotta Corolla ) and left Auckland. As soon as I left I noticed a chip on the windscreen which the hire company never pointed out ; hmmm , I hope they dont try and sting me for a new windscreen.
I drove 3 hours or so up to Wharangai where I stayed in a backpackers for about 7quid. Was okay. Today I spent an hour driving up to Paihia at the Bay of Islands. Maybe I`ll go and get a wee boat cruise or somethign now.
The couple of beers I had with Jupp the night before last turned into a bit of a session. We were even in an ice-bar where absolutely everythign is made of ice.
Will get more photo`s on as soon as I can find an internet place which is not extortionate and which has a USB connection for my camera. A problem I have found is that everytime I upload a photo from my camera it disappears off my memory card , hmmmm , but at least you get to see them.
Kia Ora ,
First of all I hope Rachel ( my neice ) has a fantastic 2nd birthday. I`d try and phone but it makes me sad as I don`t want to confuse her about why I can`t come over. I also miss David her big brother , hello David. I hope Rachel likes the presents which Donna put a lot of thought into choosing. That was very nice of Donna.
Its 5.15pm Thursday , I`ve just come off an all day boat trip around the Bay of Islands , it was okay but not as good as I expected. Perhaps the weather being overcast played a part in that.
The tour was billed in the glossy brochure that we`d see and swim with dolphins but the skipper never mentioned dolphins once , which I thought would have been a bit disapointing for kids on the boat. He did though give us a very educational commentary pointing out absolutely everything , even told us who owned which house and stated the obvious sometimes by saying things like ``theres a seagull , theres a guy paragliding etc``. The trip was about 25 quid though which was value as we got a submarine trip at lunchtime to see fish ; oh and I got a discount.....for being Scottish , that was nice. Oh and it went away out to see some hole in a rock , which I thought was a bit of an anti-climax to be honest.
Last night about 5pm I went over to Waitangi , a 2minute drive along the road. This is where the treaty was signed in 1840 where the British handed over New Zealand to the Maori`s ( or something ) basically giving New Zealand independance ; they wanted good money to get in though and as I had already forked out for the boat trip I opted not to splash anymore much needed funds ; Instead I went a free 10km walk....
The walk was really good , it was 10km long , some bits I jogged , it was a really nice night and plenty of the walk was in shaded woodland ; it came to a nice waterfall as a climax. I hope you like the photo`s. Mum , you would love it here , feel free to still jump on a flight , much more to see on the south island.
The hostel I stayed in last night was okay but there were some ignorant sods in there and one guys trainers were pure minging.
After I write this diary I am driving further north and will spend the night here www.northwind.co.nz , looks nice eh , I have a dorm bed for about 7 and a half quid.
The walk last night was really good for the mind , body and soul , especially as I had done little exercise since the hike at the Grand Canyon , although , in my defence that was partly due to having the coral in my foot.
After the walk I went for a game of pool and a couple of bulmers ciders ; I met a guy and his faither who invited me to stay at their house when I am on my way back down from Cape Reinga tomorrow ; I`m undecided but I think I`d rather just do my own thing ; still it was nice to get the offer. I shouldnt have went to bed as just as I did I heard the disco/pub blaring out ``500 miles`` by the Proclaimers , it`s true there`s a lot of Scottish influences here.
Anyway , I better go and get driving. Keep in touch.
with love and empathy.
Dowza
Sandsurfing I mean !! ,
I am in McDonald`s. It`s not possible to upload photo`s here , including the sandsurfing ones so I will need to wait until tomorrow.
The place I stayed last night was nice but the further north you get the more remote things are ; I underestimated the time it would take to get there and didnt reach there until about 8.30pm. I was hoping I could have had a pint but the nearest place was about 40km away and so I had to resign myself to another dry night. I did venture outside the lodge where the other travellers were but everyone was being eaten alive by all sorts of flying insects so I came back in.
I was sharing my room with a couple of really nice girls from London , they were very welcoming and chatty. I was to bump into them twice today , once at the cape and once on 90 mile beach , they probably thought I was stalking them haha.
Right so , anyway , this morning I got up and drove about an hour and a half to Cape Reinga ; for those who don`t know Cape Reinga is the most northely place in New Zealand. Cape Reinga is the meeting point of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. The view is breathtaking , when I arrived about 10.30am I was amazed. I have saw some spectacular views , even from the summit of some of our mountains in Scotland , but this , this was something really special and something I won`t forget. I look forward to getting photo`s online for you , the photo`s are great , but , nothing , nothing can do this justice. I was there myself , at one with the world and then Nicky , a very pleasant room-mate from last night , said hi Ian , it`s nice to share such spectacular moments and I am glad I had such brief chats with those two girls.
I don`t like to make sweeping statements , but , I do think that Cape Reinga is the most beautiful place I have ever been.
Cape Reinga is also a very spiritual place for the Maori people ; the believe that when you die your spirit travels up 90mile beach to Cape Reinga then travel out to Hawaiiki , the spiritual home of the Maori. Maori people refer to the Cape as Te Rerenga Wairua , the leaping place of the spirits. Educational this blogsite eh ? I am almost tempted to go back up tomorrow and just sit , watch , and dream but alas , I must push on.
Anyhow , after Cape Reinga I travelled about half an hour south and went.....sandboarding / sandsurfing , or whatever its called. I rented my sandboard from a woman who showed me the nursery slopes and what position to take on the board , how to steer etc , then , then she pointed out the PSYCHO slope. Ignoring the nursery slopes I head straight up psycho slope ; the sand was really burning my feet and it was 3 steps up 2 back etc. Was it worth the effort ? hmmm , its like sledging , it was fun but it didn`t excite me much and stuff climbing back up for another shot.
After the sandboarding I drove down to an access point on the famous 90 mile beach. I admired the beach and had a pleasant swim then drove down to the town where I am staying tonight , Kaitaia , on the West Coast of Northland. I have underestimated the distances so far in New Zealand , the roads are a fantastic drive but winding with ups and down , you have to be really careful when rallying it.
So , this town has a lot of Maori folks in it , in fact everywhere I have been in Northland has a large Maori population. I am staying in a hostel which seems friendly enough , this town seems more of a local place than a tourist ; I even got offered my first job , and at $10 per hour ( about 4 quid ) it seemed reasonable if I was staying here any longer than I am , sadly I am not , and anyway , stuff working for a living. Man am I in for a shock after this trip haha.
I am away to the supermarket to buy a couple of cheap bottles of scrumpy. See you tomorrow.
Kia Ora ,
You remember yesterday I mentioned I got offered some work ? Well , I`ve decided that it will be good for the soul to do some. Tomorrow ( Sunday ) I am starting work , I am not sure what it involves exactly but I think it is raking weeds in a field and gathering soem crop which has harvested.
The locals say the work will only be there a few more days and a lot of travellers are jumping on the bandwagon as its good money. Its $10 ( about 4 quid ) an hour cash in hand , and , as tomorrow is Sunday I think he said it would be $20 per hour. As it`s costing me $20 per night for accommodation then it will pay for a few nights stay.
If I like the work I will do it on Monday too. Another advantage is that , since I left Auckland I have been driving everyday , it will be good just to settle in a town for three or four days ; not too long though as I need to make sure I get to Wellington on time for the ferry to the South Island.
I hope all is well.
PS , I hope you like the photo`s and my surfing pose.
Kia Ora ,
I decided last night that I would just push on instead of a days labour , it just didnt seem worthwile , plus I really found I wanted out of that hostel in Kataia. There will be other opportunities to work.
The hostel had mostly homeless locals in it , don`t get me wrong I sat out socialising with them but they were wired to the moon and it seemed like if you said the wrong thing one of them could turn on you.
Also , a girl in room 8 ( I was in room 10 ) was getting eaten alive and itching all over because of bed-bugs she got at the hostel , I didnt fancy that and it helped me decide to make a sharp exit.
One of the guys , Kenny Rodgers , yes , Kenny Rodgers , was an alcoholic , dope smoking hippie type geezer , infact they all were , it was really good entertainment listening and chatting with them. Wait until you see the photo I have of Kenny if I can get my memory card working again , yup , its broke again , another one. I reckon my camera cant handle large memory cards.
Anyway , staying with Kenny , this bloke is adamant he can see into the future , and he also told me what his name was in his previous life in the 1300s ; honestly , you got to see this photo I have of him its brilliant.
Today I drove here ( Orewa Beach ) , I was driving most of the day between 9 and 5 , I am nearly back at Auckland. I don`t want to stop there tomorrow , been there , done that etc. I am not in big city mood at all ; don`t think I ever have been.
Those hippies at the hostel nicked my Scotland flag , but I have another. Also this morning the woman who looks after the place said there was a serious incident at the hostel last night and the police had been , but she wouldnt elaborate before I left. This house-keeping lady , must have been in her 70`s , and she was smoking dope too , as was the manager. I am glad I am away from there actually , but , this hostel at Orewa beach seems busy , I dont feel like the busy dorm I have tonight , I just want a single room to arrange all my stuff as its all in the boot of the motor.
I don`t know how far I will get tomorrow , I am heading for Waitomo Caves , if I get that far great , if not then I will look at the other options between here and there. Basically I will see how I feel in the morning , thats the beauty of travelling independantly , can just chop and change and plans I have at the drop of a hat.
I found all the places I have been until new Zealand more sociable , here when you walk into a hostel dorm you get an ``alright mate `` or somethign liek that but conversations and knowing people more than a day or so are hard to come by , especially as people come and go all the time , but thats okay too.
Oh aye , last night a maori girl was fire-dancing in the garden. Ther are more Maori people than I anticipated.
My mobile isnt working , which is a bit annoying as I use it as a watch , alarm , torch etc.
I`ll try and write again tomorrow and let you know where I am. Take care.
Hello ,
I didn`t go to Waitomo caves. I left this morning from Orewa beach and made my way through Auckland , it was surprisingly easy , and drove to Hamilton. I bought a new smaller memory card for my camera there so hopefully I will have no further problems.
I drove from Hamilton to Rotorua and got here at 3pm. I am definately going to stay here at least 3 nights. The hostel I am staying in is spotlessly clean , its part of the BASE chain of hostels , no crazy hippies , just your usual backpacking types. The room has only 3 beds including a single bed. I got that and I have a bit of space here. I re-organised my possesions and locked everything safely away.
The town seems nice , there is a lot to do here. I would appreciate if any of the guys living in New Zealand , or Muz , or anyone who who has been here could give me advice on what to do. I really need to watch my budget , thats one of the reasons I skipped Waitomo caves. I am spending far too much money and will be home a lot sooner than I hoped if I dont manage to budget more ; its okay saying I will spend less in South East Asia but at this rate I won`t get there.
I am still trying to get the photo fixed of that mad hippy guy Kenny. The photo is definatley on my card its just corrupt ; you`ll just need to imagine what he looks like for now.
I need to spend some time in the sun tomorrow to absorb some rays and I need to get myself some milk and breakfast cereal to give me a good start for a few mornings.
Please let me know if you have any questions or advice for me.
Kia Ora ,
Yesterday I didn`t really do much. I walked a nice trek alongside lake Roturua in the morning and just lazed around in the afternoon. Last night I went for 2 pints of red cider in an Irish bar where I met a great couple , Gail and Wayne I think his name was.
Anyway , whilst inactive yesterday , I sought out things to do for today. This morning I went to visit ``Buried Village``. Basically , 120 years ago , Mount Tarawera erupted both violently and unexpectedly during the early of hours of june 10th 1886. This was to be New Zealand`s greatest natural disaster. More than 150 lives were lost , villages wiped out , livelihoods destroyed etc. In addition the eruption destroyed the eighth wonder of the world - the magnificent Pink and White Terraces.
We had our guided tour of the village by the great grandson of the maori chief of one of the villages most affected by the eruption , he was really informative and I found it a very interesting and educational morning. Perhaps if you are inclined you may wish to read more about the subject on the internet , just type in ``Te Wairoa`` or ``Mount Tarawera`` or pink and white terraces`` to a search engine.
It really was like being in the village and it really gave an idea of what it must have been like to have been a villager during those days , either maori or one of the few European settlers who had arrived and catered for tourists visiting the pink and white terraces. all in this mornign cost me about 12 quid including breakfast and transport.
This afternoon I went to a polynesian spa and I will shortly put one or two photo`s from this onto here , unfortunatley I never got any pictures this morning at the buried village , I guess the best time to get the photo`s would have been 120 years ago during the 4 hour nightmare of an eruption ; maybe next time eh.
Anyway , I digress , this afternoon was very refreshing and invigorating , there is a family pool about the size of a small swimming pool , water temp is a steady 38 degrees , and thats centigrade not farenheight , this pool is hot alkaline water which is apparently good for the skin.
There are three other pools I had use of for the basic entry fee of about 6 pounds and they were the priest pools , these are three shallow pools set in a volcanic landscape overlooking the lake. The pools are filled with mildly acidic water and are controlled at temperatures between 39C and 42C. The water relieves aches and pains and are called the riest pools after a priest , Father Mahoney , who found they relived his athritus. I came out of these pools pure steaming , and no , on this occasion I wasn`t steaming drunk.
Everywhere you go in Roturua you hear the words ``Thermal`` or ``geothermal activity`` , lots of hot springs and things are bubbling up everywhere. You get big whiffs of sulphur but you get used to it.
I have managed to stay within my budget for the past couple of days ( unless I go on the bevvy tonight ) , its only when I have to pay out an unexpected bill , eg , memory card for camera , when I get thrown out of sync. That`s another thing , if I get bored I`ve went to the pub for a couple of pints , that eats money , I need to find another way to eleviate boredom , lots of people read books , I don`t read much other than newspapers and tourist info.
I am staying here another night after tonight , that will be my fourth night , and then I am either heading to Waitomo Caves or Taupo , I am undecided as yet , I have 2 nights sleep to think about it.
Some more random things I have learned. New Zealand has a population of about 3.5 million and covers a land area similar to that of the UK , nearly half of the total population of New Zealand live in Auckland. Nearly 50% of the population of this town I am in , Roturua , are Maori. If you know of any of this information to be factually incorrect then please let me know. Oh , another fact , about 90% of cars are automatics.
Anyway , keep in touch , feel free to email me or to ask me questions , make comments on my messageboard. See ye efter , am outta here.
Kia Ora ,
Last night when I wrote my diary entry at this time ( 5pm ish ) I mentioned I managed to stay within my daily budget as long as I didnt end up in some boozer(s) ; well , sadly I let myself down and couldnt resist the taste of that Irish Red Cider the Irish bar has.
The problem with me , and countless others of my countryfolk , is that I simply cannot or do not have the willpower , to just have one or two pints ; if I have a couple I generally end up having a full course , and so last night transpired.
After the Irish bar I went to a Kiwi pub which was full of Maori`s , I got a drink and went for a widdle. When I came back my bottle of cider had ``vanished`` , hmmm , a bit annoying but I went and bought another and the barman told me to keep my eye on it. Imagine my frustration when , after going up to sing ``It must be love - by Madness`` at karaoke I came back to discover a 2nd bottle of cider vanished. It`s a bit sad that you can`t even leave a drink lying for a couple of minutes without fear of it being kidnapped. I called it a day and retired to my scratcher.
I enjoyed the polynesian spa so much yesterday that , I went back there today for some more quality relaxation , it was more or less empty to begin with and then THEY arrived , yup , thats right , the standard 2 busloads of ageing Koreans. I had a good time though and was there for 3 and half hours.
Yesterday I mentioned the Mt Tarawera volcanic disaster of 1886 , naturally myself and countless other tourists would be interested in hiking up the volcano. Unfortunately the tribe who own it leased it to some big tourist company who now have a monopoply over it and charge and arm and a leg for the priveldge to climb it ; well , stuff that for a game of soldiers , I`ll stick to the spa.
At the spa I was talking to a nice Dutch girl who menationed she was on the backpacker busses instead of a car. Thats a good way of getting to meet people. the car I have is great and I am glad I got it but its definately more sociable to go on the busses ; also , the fact this hostel has no bar or general social area isnt a big plus for lonely individuals ; it does have a TV room but , generally , just a couple of muppets are in there watching some crap film and you are scared to say boo to a goose , you know, like the way it is in a library.
I am in an internet cafe just now , its about 70p for 1/2hour which is standard price. It`s just me in here but the past couple of night there have been lots of Koreans/Japanese guys in their early 20`s playing computer games , you know the type of game where they all play and are linked up to each others computers ; the game involved running around shooting the bad guys with machine guns. It was annoying listening to the Koreans sayign ``holy cow`` , ``holy cow`` , ``oh my God`` , ``Oh my God`` everytime a bad guy came round the corner.
The most sociable place I have been so far was definatley Vara`s backpackers on Rarotonga , the Cook Islands , thats where we had Christmas dinner , everyone chatted to everyone else and we were all mates and welcomed new people. in New Zealand hardly anyone says anything to you , people walk right past you in the corridors of the hostels.
The most hospitable nation so far has definately been the USA , generally the people there were really friendly and helpful , I know the country is vast but I really liked the whole place and I like the sense of national pride they have ; just as I am proud to be Scottish.
San Francisco , is by far , my favourite city visited so far and probably the only place I`d have been so far that I would possibly have any desire of having a re-visit to one day in the future.
Believe it or not , I am now one sixth of the way into my journey , thats mind boggling as it feels that I have only just left Greenock.
Anyway , I will speak to you tomorrow and hopefully have some photographs. Thanks for the questions and comments on my messageboard and for the emails ; and thanks also to the people who read but maintain anonymity , thats magic but feel free to say hello anytime.
Stayed within the budget today if I don`t bevvy ; yeh yeh , usual story.
See yeez aw efter.
PS : After I wrote the above diary entry I done an internet search for ``kidnapped beer`` , I got this result. Check out the girls diary the result gave me ; and I think I have problems , gee whizz , help me boab Click Here For Scottish girls holiday diary http://20six.co.uk/come_clean/4
kia ora ,
I am now in Taupo. It was about an hours drive this morning in the pouring rain from Rotorua. Before I go on , if you do nothing else please have a look at my GEYSER VIDEO.
So , I left Roturua and headed to a Thermal Wonderland place on the way to Taupo. It was 25bucks to get in and I got a small discount ( again ) for being from not Scotland this time , but Greenock. The walk took me to some spectular thermal areas , unfortunatley it was chucking it down with rain and I didnt really have time to chill and enjoy everything fully.
After the thermal park I visited the Huka Falls ( for free ) on the Waikato River which incidentally is New Zealands longest river.
I won`t say much else today to let you enjoy the photographs and videos. I may stay here 2 or 3 nights , its seems like a nice town and perhaps I can find a cheapo activity to do tomorrow or the day after before heading to Napier.
Oh , I have also updated my map of Australasia to show you my route so far in New Zealand. Ignore the map of Australia , I will be covering much more ground there than illustrated.
kia ora ,
Last night in the hostel was torture. Anytime the guy in the bunk above me made the slightest move the bed squeeked , and , the hostel was next door to the noisest disco/pub in town which went on until I think 4am. It felt as if I was at a rave , which , would have been if I was but I was trying to sleep.
Today , I wandered around aimlessly and found a new hostel , it`s really nice but now full up and so quite crowded.
Tomorrow I have booked to go on a big hike. It`s meant to be the best one day hike in New Zealand. The weather is meant to be severe rain , but hey , at least it`s hot rain eh. the transport costs about 15quid. I have got to get the transport as the start and nd points are at different locations. I will be doing it with a group so it will be good to be sociable. A couple of girls in the hostel done the hike today and they have been making moaning and groaning noises in the room.
I had to buy a small day rucksack fr the hike which set me back 15 quid and so today I am over my budget again. new Zealand is proving to be a very expensive place and is really wrecking my funds. I have found New Zealand to be more expensive than all the other countries I have been so far.
So , tomorrow I will have some great photo`s.
Note for Donna : if you are reading ths please email me as I no longer have your email address in my inbox.
I hope everyone is well. I will phone home one day soon.
Kia Ora ,
The walk was quite strenuous but very rewarding and I really needed the exercise. Sadly it was really misty today and we never saw some of the sights and scenery which were hoped for. Not to worry , it was a good day out , I am now exhausted and wll be having a quiet night in.
Last night I went to bed and all of a sudden I found myself wandering around outside half-asleep in my boxer shorts. It was quite frightening because I was in some woods and had no idea where I was but then I found the hostel soon after before any real panic set in. I have never , to my knowledge been sleep-walking before and I hope it was a one-off occurence as I found it to be really distressing and confusing.
I am staying here in Taupo for another couple of nights. Will show you photo`s of the walk tomorrow.
Take care
Kia Ora ,
Yesterday`s hike was strenuous , well the most strenuous since the hike at the Grand Canyon and so I went to my kip about 9.30pm. Although I was really tired I found it hard to sleep at first because of adrenalin.
Today I never done a great deal but really enjoyed myself. I bought new trainers to replace the ones which got lost in the kayak disaste , I was going to buy a cheapo pair but I found a good deal for a pair of adidas running shoes in a shop which claims ``all stock must go , closing this week`` , anyway they were $99 , about 35 quid and I really like them , so I reckon I done okay , but again it took me over my budget. I have been moaning that NZ is expensive , it`s not really , it`s just that as I have had to fork out for a few things out of the ordinary then I have been becoming more aware of my budget.
This afternoon I done another nice walk , the idea was to loosen up after yesterdays 8 hour hike , this afternoons walk was only 8km and from Huka Falls to Spa Park along the cycle path and then back along the walkway , I mention the specifics incase people who have been here know what I am on about.
There is a good Irish pub down the road which offers ``3 free pints`` if you buy a meal for $20 , so I guess that doesnt really count for me drinking then I suppose , afterall I really just want the meal but hey , if they want to give me pints for free I am hardly gonna leave them am I ?
I took my camera into this cafe to upload photo`s of my new trainers ( man am I scraping the bottom of the barrel ) , but there is a weird set-up on this PC and I dont know what I am doing.
Speak to you tomorrow. I am going to the pictures tomorrow night ; and no , it`s not on a date lol.
Kia Ora ,
Well , I spent 5 nights here and the time has come to move on. Do you remember the childrens TV programme ``The Littlest Hobbo`` ? , well I feel like the dog in that show constantly moving on , and I can`t get the theme tune out my head.
Today , yup , you`ve guessed it , I am going to go a really nice walk. Lets just take it for granted that , on a regular basis here , I go for walks / jogs , in fantastic scenery.
I really like New Zealand. As I said , tonight I am going to the pictures. I am going to see that ``Boric`` film everyone was on about a couple of months ago. I thought I better just go and see it , it`s sounds like I will find it amusing , and I could do with a good laugh to be honest.
Well , I am away to get some brunch.
Take Care. Hope you like the photo`s.
Don`t panic Mum ,
I am staying at Napier prison backpackers. The prison stopped being used in 1993 and now they use the cells as hostel accommodation. The cell I have is a single room and tiny , all there is in there is a bed , it`s really authentic , just like the real thing.
When I left Taupo today I stopped and picked up a hitch-hiker , Suzannah , from Denmark , she too was heading to Napier. She is a really nice girl and she suggested this hostel to me , thats where she is also staying. We are going to go a wee run in the car to Hastings tonight.
Kia Ora ,
IMPORTANT : I have a new phone number. it`s 0202466725 from NZ or +642102466725 if you are calling from Scoatlund , call / txt me etc , i`m lonely lol.
Well , as I explained yesterday , I stayed in Napier prison last night. My single cell was just like the real thing , even the slopping out. I am really glad I bumped into Suzzannah ( the Danish hitch-hiker ) and she suggested the jail to me for it was an unusual experiance.
I am staying here again tonight and then heading for Wellington tomorrow. I am going to go to the pool and spa this afternoon after a walk around town , I think. That`s the beauty of travellign , you just chop and change your mind a million times as you go along and no-one cares.
Last night I took Suzzannah a run to Hastings , she is interested in some work. I think I would be too ( on the south island ) but the problem is I have the rented car , and , it would be pretty silly paying a daily rental fee for a car and then not using it. I think , that , as I am in Australia for 3 months then I will try and find some work there at least for a couple of weeks or so or the odd day here and there.
I am looking forward to getting to Wellington and meeting the Morton fans there and their mates and getting a game of 5 aside and a few beers afterwards. I have a bit of a cold ; tough.
Kia Ora ,
It`s a fine sunny morning here ( when is it not ) , and I am in ``The Rotten Apple`` backpackers using their internet. I have left Napier and I am drivin to Wellington.
Last night Suzannah sugested I go and do the Art Deco walking tour with her. I had never heard of it but it was actually really nice. You see , in 1931 much of Napier was destroyed by an earthquake , 162 people lost their lives. The city centre was all re-built within a couple of years and the style of the buildings at that time was ``Art Deco`` , I have some photo`s of nice buildings , hmm , photo`s of buildings eh. I will show you them later.
So , thats two places I have been on the North Island which have been badly affected by natural disaster , The buried village near Roturua which was devasted by the volcanoe and now Napier which was messed up by the earthquake.
Suzannah has bought a car off a local couple and no longer requires a lift off me to Wellington or beyond. I was sad to leave her behind as I really enjoyed her company even though it was so brief , such a nice person , perhaps we will be able to meet up on the South Island , who knows. I am going to need to get used to leaving people and places too , I felt sad to be leaving Napier , it seems I just get to know someone/some place and then ``boom`` , it`s start again time ; I guess it`s just the nature of the beast huh ?
On a bright note : Today is a special anniversary for me , something I am really proud of of and something which should be celebrated. It`s personal to me and only a few people close to me will know what I am on about.
I don`t yet know for sure whats happening in Wellington , the Morton guys there have offered to put me up and suggested things to do over the weekend. I cant get my head together though , I will just drive there and then deal with it.
I bumped the car on the way out my parking space outside the prison hostel..oops , theres a big scrape on the side. I hope they don`t notice.
Anyway , see you later , take care and enjoy the weekend and hopefullya Morton victory in the cup at Motherwell , I wish I was able to go to that.
New Zealand Morton Supporters Club gather and play match to wish Ton best of luck today in big match at Motherwell
Kia Ora ,
Well , this is my 4th day in the capital of New Zealand. I have another couple of days and then I am south island bound.
I arrived here the on Friday and met Brian and Jaqueline , a really nice couple from Greenock/Gourock who came here with their work ; they have a really nice house and are expecting a ababy in a few weeks time. Brian took me out to the local pub on Friday for a couple of pints and then on Saturday morning we played 5 asides with the New Zealand branch of the Morton Supporters club. Having not played a game of football for ages I find I am still recovering today , very exhausting , but good fun.
On Saturday afternoon after the football , Bonzo , Paul , Brian and I went for a few beers ; well , Bonzo couldnt manage until later because he had to take hismum to the airport. It was only Bonzo and I at the end up ; I enjoyed having a bevvy with this fella , a good guy from Peterhead.
Yesterday , Brian and Jacqueline took me a walk along the front of Wellington , which was nice of them. Brian decided to buy a sun-lounger which we couldnt fit in my hired car and so I had to lie on it in the carpark in the town until he was able to come with his own car and even then we had to do a balancing act with it hanging out of the boot ; all in good fun.
Last night , Paul ( another Morton fan living here with his wife and baby ) picked me up and took me to their house to stay for a couple of nights. Paul has got me some security work for tomorrow ; I am not exactly sure what it involves , but I think I will be applying to be a bouncer in Wordup when I get home haha. Its really good money for a few hours work so it`s not to be sneezed at. I will tell you more about it on Wednesday when I get to the south island. Hopefully the car rental company dont notice the bump or charge me for it.
Apologies for not updating my diary for a couple of days , I was welcome to in Brian`s house but I wasn`t really in updating diary mode. It`s like , staying with people has givenm me a break from the travelling scene and I am really grateful to have accepted the kind offers of places to stay.
After this diary entry I am going to go up that cable-car thingey everyone does here in Wellington , then visit some museum , then go for a swim , then back to Paul`s.
See you later.
Note : update and photo`s added at the end of this diary.
Well , where was I ?
The day before last I told you I was going up the cable-car thingey , I did that , but I never went to Te Papa , the National museum which I hoped to go to. I ended up just dozing in a park next to the beach.
So anyway , yesterday , Paul took me to work. My first couple of hours work in the morning involved swimming 32 lengths of a pool followed by relaxing in a spa pool. In the afternoon there was a skateboarding competion on and I was to be a steward
, I`ve never done anything like that before , my official title was ``Community Gaurdian`` , to be honest I never really had to do much other than stand around. I was very grateful that Paul got me the work though and it was $100 in my pocket ; ching ching.
This morning I got up and headed for the ferry. Fortunately the car rental company never noticed the dent in the door or the cracked windae ; the new car they gave me here is really nice and it`s gleaming.
The ferry crossing was calm and the scenery was fantastic , but , although I don`t like making comparisons , nothing , for me anyway , will be as wonderful as coming into dock at Castlebay , Barra , Outer Hebrides.
I forgot to tell you I lost another ``right`` contact lense on Saturday , and I think I am on my last spare now and not getting a new set until (if) I return to Scoatlund.
This PC in the tourist info place at Picton doesn`t let me upload photo`s so hopefully my hostel will.
There is a really nice walk here which is a 5 day walk and 72km long , it`s called the Queen Charlotte Track , I may or may not do it , I would like to but 5 takes is a fair chunk of my time here and another drawback is that the hired car would be sitting doing nothing whilst I am away for a few days. I am going to speak to the tourist info people after this diary. Check out the walk at this website http://www.qctrack.co.nz/
em , what else , many many thanks to Brian , Paul and families for putting me up for the past 5 nights , not only was it a nice break from travelling but everyone was really good company too.
Right , I am away , I will tray and get some photo`s on tonight and just incase you don`t hear from me you can assume I have gone on the walk.
PS , meant to say earlier , Wellington has many reminders of Greenock , even the 3 cranes at the container port , look like my Dad`s cranes in Greenock. I will put photo`s up very soon.
UPDATE : I spent about an hour with a nice man in the Tourist place and now I AM doing the Queen Charlotte Track , I mentioned earlier I had reservations about the time it would take , well , now I am walking the first day and cycling for the next 2 days , so this being Wednesday I will be back here with the car on Saturday afternoon ; make sense to you ?
The cycle/walk/accommodation cost about 100 pounds , which is good value and will keep me under my budget , thats 3 nights accommodation , boat tranfer to the start of tomorrows walk , pickup on Saturday afternoon , and the bike hire.
The track is 71km long so it will be a rewarding next 3 days. I am looking forward to it a lot.
Take care.
Kia Ora ,
It`s always confusing when I miss updating my diary for a day as so much is always happening and it`s hard to recall everything.
Anyway , after my last diary entry in Picton the day before yesterday , I found a Scottish pub called , ``The Flying Haggis`` , the people who run it are from Bellshill and the woman made me fantastic mince n totties. It felt really homely , as she was cooking she shouted out ``yer dinna wull be reddie in a minute son`` , magic , it`s good to be home !!
So , yesterday , got up at a ridiculous time and had a one hour boat trip to Ships Cove for the start of the track. We saw a group of dolphins which came right up to the boat. the skipper mentioned that the weather forecast was for the hottest day of the summer so far ; the forecast wasn`t wrong. As the track is called the Queen Charlotte track I asked the skipper who she was ; apparently she was the wife of King Henry IV.
The walking was reasonably hard going , lots of steep ups and downs ; the scenery was ridiculously amazing , it was difficult to ration my photo opportunities and puzzling as to what would make the best ones. I will put them online tomorrow. Anyway , I walked between 10am and about 4.30 before arriving at the most fantastic place to stay ; I made a mistake of having a bottle of cider for a rewarding refreshment , sadly the one bottle led to countless others and I was the last one in the bar ; I know a solution to that predicament though , avoid the first bottle , and thats what I have done today.
Moving on , I collected the bike this morning from the jetty. You wouldnt belive how steep the hill was out of Pungy Cove , I spent a fair bit of the day pushing the bike up steep hills and cursing at it ; however , it was all worth it and the scenery again was unreal ; it`s fair to say that this track makes the west highland way look like a walk to the shops for a paper. The temparature today was ridiculous, I am using that word a lot but it`s the most appropriate adjective for each time I have used it.
As I say today was really tough , I do a fair bit of cycling back home but not in glorious sunny days with temperatures around 32 degrees centigrade. I was sweating buckets. I literally wrang out my Scotland top when I eventually hobbled into to Portage Resort hotel on my bike. For the last 5km I kept getting cramp in my thighs and it was near impossible to ride. Everytime I got off the bike I struggled to get my legover to get back on ; this was simply because I was stiff from yesterday and not because I am getting older. I also get stung on the back of the leg by a wasp.
When I got here today I was intending to swim / sunbathe but , to be frank , I had to go to my room and just lie in the dark for a while. I did ultimately go for a swim. They have a pool but I needed the sea ; the water was nice and cold and refreshing and helped remove all the stale sweat from me ( yuch )
Now I will go for a shower and see about eating something. I genuinely fear for tomorrow ; I don`t knwo how I can shift the bike up and down those hills again ; perhaps after a good nights sleep but its hard to sleep when your adrenalin is still pumping even though the body is exhausted. I think the past couple of days have been the most exercise I have done in such a short space of time in my life.
Suzannah , the Danish backpacker I picked up last week , wll , she txted and said she was in Picton too and did I want to meet for a coffeee ; that would have been nice if I wasnt on this amazing track ; people come from all over the world to do this famous track by the way ; so I truly am priveledged.
Things keep entering my head as I write that I need to tell you.
Cheryl , thanks for the video of Rhiannon. I tried to view it but this comp don`t let me ; maybe I can tomorrow avro when I get back to Picton.
Mum : You would absolutely love it here and if I were you I would make one of your next holidays here ; it`s a pity you couldnt decide whether to come or not whilst I am here but you have had some good holidays anyway eh.
As I say I will put photo`s on tomorrow. Ciao.
Dear Diary ,
Well , last night I just had a meal in the great setting of the Portage Hotel Resort. This was a great hotel , the backpacker rooms were really nice and I had one all to myself ; happens a lot that , saves a fortune on paying for a single room.
I drank plenty water last night to re-hydrate then went to bed really early , about 9ish. I was still really stiff this morning but I was fine once I got a good cooked breakfast then got off cycling , sorry I mean pushing the bike up a 5 mile long mountain.
Anyway , today`s cycling to the end of the track was easier than yesterday as the weather wasn`t so hot , plus I was mentally prepared for it this time , plus I never had any alcohol last night , plus , etc etc.
I got to the end of the track about 1.30pm and I phoned to see when I could get picked up , but they couldnt pick me up till 4pm , so I ended up cycling another 22km to Picton.
I have just been for mince n totties ( again ) from the Flying Haggis and now I think I will drive to Havelock , or even Nelson. I am tired and would stay here in Picton but I am itching to move on. Picton is like a stopover point for people going to and from teh ferry or for nuggets like me who done the QCT.
I think that , yesterday , in my euphoria , I was a bit unfair in the way I described the West Highland Way. The WHW is a splendid walk and I look forward to doing it again. I don`t think the camaraderie between walkers could be beaten , plus the veiws of the mountains on the 2nd half are spectacular. So , sorry West Highland Way.
I was previously considering doing more walks/cycling in this area but now I feel like a rest for a few days as my body has given up.
I also think that I will need to extend my stay in New Zealand as I am not getting as far as I expected as quickly as expected , simply because there is so much to do.
After you have looked at my photo`s at the bottom of this diary entry then perhaps you would like to have a look at the amazing places I stayed in the past couple of nights , firstly http://www.pungacove.co.nz/ and then http://www.portage.co.nz/Splash , click the wee ``enter`` button on the 2nd site , I nearly missed it.
I hope you enjoy the photo`s. Any Questions ?
Dear Diary ,
Last night I couldnt find anywhere to stay at Havelock and the next place after that was Nelson ; I didn`t arrive at Nelson until 8pm and so I was a bit panicky incase I didnt get anwhwere to stay ; I know I could sleep in the back of the car but stuff that. Anyway , I found a backpackers above a pub , my instinct told me it was a dump but I didn`t really have an option and I took a dorm room there. The manager told me they had a live band starting at 10pm and going on until 2 ; at first I thought he was telling me as I might like to come along , but , soon I realised I wouldn`t be able to sleep as Iron Maiden or something were putting on a surprise performance.
Anyway , there was only one bloke in the dorm , some German fella who is a teacher , he said he didnt like the look of the place either and when he came into the dorm he looked under the bed to see if there were any animals ! , there was a sink int eh room and we couldnt turn the tap off and the door kept banging with the wind ; but not too worry , because until 2am we`d be headbanging listening to some mad rock band.
This morning I got up at 7ish and decided to go to check out how to do the Abel Tasman walk but when I got there I changed my mind , I didn`t fancy it , I just felt like driving and didnt fancy hanging around the abel tasman area as it was teeming with tourists and to be honest I think the last few days hike and bikes have sickened me a bit.
I felt lonely last night , it was Saturday night and everyoen was out and yet I sat in the dorm room. I just didnt feel like going out myself and going into a pub or something , strange that , I have been okay that way so far , I think it was because Nelson was a big town. It took me until I was driving to Westport to snap out of it , I was singing to myself a fair bit of the way.
Anyway , so when I changed my mind today about Abel Tasman I drove all the way to Westport , you`ll see where I am if you look at ``my map`` , ignore the dotted line to Australia !!
I found a nice hostel here and told them I`d like a single room if possible ; they have gave me a twin room for 30bucks and said they will try not to put anyone else in there , I suppose thats fair enough , as it would have cost me 50 to be gauranteed single.
I think I will chill here for a couple of days at least. When I arrived on the South Island at Picton I envisaged getting here by now , but , now I am back on track , maybe I won`t need to extend my stay in New Zealand by much , or at all ; I don`t want to shorten the time in the other places I am looking forward to going ; under no circumstances will I rush this beautiful south island though.
Anyway , a busload full of kiwi-experiance people have arrived ; for kiwi experiance look up club 18-30 in the dictionary. The hostel owner has told me that if I want a quiet time tonight then she will give me my own TV lounge to myself ; I will check out the talent first lol ; only joking !! or maybe not !!
Anyway , I am away for a snooze just now and then maybe I will go a wander for a couple of beers , I`ll see , it`s been a long drive today , about 6 hours I have driven.
Mum , thanks for the phone call this morning. Appreciated that.
Hello ,
I ended up leaving Westport this morning and drove down to where I am now , Hokitika. I like this town and the place I am staying so I will definately stay here tomorrow and basically have a day off from travelling.
I stopped at some interesting places on the way and will show you photographs tomorrow.
Tonight I went to see some glow-worms , it was a bizarre experiance.
I feel tired and can`t really focus for writing a diary tonight so I will elaborate more tomorrow.
By the way , do we have raspberry Fanta in Scotland ? I hadn`t seen it before but it`s here in New Zealand.
Kia Ora ,
You people are going to think I am mad. I keep telling you I am settling in a place for a couple of days and then I move on when I wake up. This morning I have driven to the township of Franz Josef Glacier. I wanted to recharge the batteries in Hokitika and when I woke up they were charged already , hmm , do you know what I mean ?
You will see my location by clicking on my map. ignore the dotted line to Australia.
This is glacier country , Franz Josef and it`s neighbouring town of Fox Glacier both share there names with the glaciers which draw the crowds in. There is a lot of clowd over the mountains otherwise I would be able to get good photographs.
I have been well warned that , from here down to Queenstown and beyond everything involves $$$ ; my intent is to do two major activities in a few days from now , a bungee jump and a skydive ; apparently good deals can be had for booking the pair. Other than those two things I will select only budget options.
In Franz Jozef and Fox Glacier you can book guided tours , helicopter tours and flights but although I am sure they would be fun they seem to cater more for the holidaymaker than the backpacker and I think I will be avoiding most of it. It`s just gone noon and I will now take a wander into the tourist office , find some accommodation for tonight and later this afternoon I will come back and start writing directly after this sentence. Bye for now.
update : it`s now 4pm. All the backpacker places in Franz Josef were fully booked when I tried at lunchtime so I have moved on to a nice place at Fox Glacier. I actually prefer this little town to it`s bigger neighbour as it is not such a frenzy. I went a couple of short walks from Franz Josef though and may go back there the day after tomorrow to do some more as I have paid to stay here tonight and tomorrow. I am definately going to extend my tme in New Zealand by 10 days or so. This will enable me to go to the Dunedin Pipe Band championship ; sounds a bit like the cowal games to me !
Sadly I can`t upload photo`s from here. Speak to you later
Kia Ora ,
Today I thought I would go a long walk along the coast to a seal colony , yup most people come here to see glaciers but I felt like a walk along the coast to see some seals. The walk was really good , really nice weather again today. I walked about 2 hours to where the seals where , got some photo`s , got real close up to them but not too close incase they went for me ; I mean I don`t know if they are aggressive / protective , plus I didnt want to frighten them either ; they just go for a swim when you get near though.
Anyway , I got back to the car and had no car key ; so I ran away back over the beach to where the seals where and where I sat down for a rest but no joy :o( , a nice old English couple gave me a lift back to the village.
The car rental company told me to call the AA as there is meant to be a spare key under the driver seat. I am now waiting on the AA coming. If there is no spare key under driver seat I`ll need a locksmith ; situation at the moment is that I need to pay the AA 85 bucks for the callout ; thats not really that bad ; about 35quid ; could have been worse I envisaged getting on a bus to Picton and back.
Anyway , I will get some photos of the AA coming to my rescue and show you the photos of the seals also , it`s going to need to be tomorrow though as I need a couple of beers after the AA has been and in anyycase I cant upload photo`s on this machine.
Dear Diary ,
Last night in Fox Glacier was really good. There was the best guitarist / singer I have came across on my travels so far ; he was playing things like ``With or Without you`` by U2 and even played a cracking version of ``500 miles by the proclaimers`` especially for me. I was jumping up and down with my kilt on and waving my scotland flag about.
Anyway , I left Fox Glacier this morning and I have driven all the way to Lake Wanaka ; virtually all hostel beds were taken when I got here and I only just managed to get the very last bed in the very last place. I will need to watch that when going to the big tourist areas , I mean next stop is Queenstown ; I will book before I go. Anyway , I have booked into the nice hostel here for tonight and tomorrow and may extend that further.
With regards to Queenstown. I am getting really nervous about the idea of bungee jumps and skydives but hey , I really must do it and overcome these fears , show some courage ; afterall , as I read in a magazine , you don`t go to Venice and not go up the Eiffel tower do you ?? Muz has put a message on my messageboard suggesting I do the Nevis bungee jump ; thats the biggest one ; I wake at night horrified at the prospect. I just can`t face it.
So , anyway , I have only had brunch today and its 6pm and I am starting to feel dazed and confused due to lack of food. As soon as these videos of seals have uploaded for you then I am away to get some scran and bottle of juice.
Oh , how could I forget ; I have now confirmed that I will be staying in New Zealand an extra 10 days , that means I will be here nearly another month and won`t leave until March 15th. Just means I will need to ``trim`` some other place later. Talking of trims , I really do need a haircut , I havent had one since I left Greenock on 25th November and I am starting to look like a caveman as you can see in the photo`s.
I am not sure if these videos are going to upload or not. I will give them another 10 minutes ; time is money !!
Oh the AA guy came speedily and he got the door open no problem ; the spare key is a bit iffy , it will not open the boot and to get it work in the door and ignition I have to wrestle with it ; but at least it works eh.
At the end of my touring in NZ I will have time now to chill in Invercargill and Dunedin , these two towns are the ones that I would probably come to if I was ever to immigrate ; but , I don`t reckon that`s for me. I think doing my year travelling will be it for me and I will settle back down in Greenock ( or elsewhere in Scotland ) upon my return to normality.
Any questions ?
Kia Ora ,
Today I went for a haircut ; it was well overdue , don`t you think ? I wandered around aimlessly in Wanaka looking for a barbers but couldn`t find one ; I became curious as to how men here get haircuts and so I asked a lady in a shop ; she directed me to Ali Baba`s.
I told the wummin who does the haircuts that I needed ``before`` and ``after`` shots for my blolgsite ; you should have seen the confusion/smile on her face ; I think she thought I was away with the fairies. Anyway , do you like it ?
This morning I got up and went a walk round the lake but it was really hot and to be frank I kind of overcooked when I went back to the seal beach to look for the carkeys a couple of days ago and so I have sought refuge in this splendid wee internet shop ; 10 bucks for 3 and a quarter hours ; you can`t beat that , thats about one pound an hour ; much cheaper than lager.
Anyway , what did you think of the seal videos ? pretty crap huh ? I know , remind me not to do a wildlife documentary series when I get home. I am sure that , if I survive the bungee jump and the skydive then those videos will be more impressive.
Any Questions ?
Dear Friends , Family and casual anonymous onlookers ,
Last night I was making my way home for an early night when I heard someone shout ``Dowza`` ; my brain couldn`t register this as I couldnt think who could possibly have shouted on me ;anyone I have met travelling I have told them my name is Ian.
Well , it turned out to be Ewan Ritchie , a bloke I worked beside in IBM. Ewan is currently travelling with his brother. Last week I had been tipped off he was in New Zealand so when I saw it was him I was not as surprised as he , as he didnt know I was travelling.
I ended up going for a few beers with Ewan and his bro. They had some absolutely incredible stories to tell about thailand and Cambodia , but , unfortunately they are not suitable for repeating in this family newspaper. It certainly was a most bizarre coincidence to meet up and I enjoyed the company of the two guys. They are nearly at the end of a years travelling and are about to start their 2nd year ; 2 full years travelling with an itinery that makes mine look like a Sunday drive to Largs. These guys were really oozing confidence and clearly enjoying the best times of their lives.
Anyway , moving on , this morning I got up and went along to Puzzling World ; bizzare place to keep the mind amused. There`s a really attractive and fascinating American girl in the bunk below me , I asked her if she wanted to come along but she declined the offer , lol. They had a huge maze but it wasn`t compatible with my hangover so I left via the nearest emergency exit. Other than that I have just been chillin today ; I am about to book accommodation for Queenstown where I go tomorrow when the fun and games can start with the bungy jump and skydiving. I can`t stop thinking about those and I am kinda looking forward to getting on with it ; let me rephrase that ; i am looking forward to knowing they are over and done with.
Oh , as I will be visiting the Speights brewery when in Dunedin I have decided that , in the interests of culture and research that it`s only appropriate for me to be sampling with the products. Today I had a couple of fine ``Old Dark`` ales in the Speights pub here. There is a sign in there showing its only 276km to the brewery ; I guess I had better hurry up and get sampling in that case.
Any questions ?
Kia Ora from Queenstown ,
Before I start , I must point out that if you click on the ``my map`` tab , above , now you will notice a difference. I have removed the dotted lines showing my proposed route. The advantages of that are that it highlights better where I am am and have been ; plus , future plans are always subject to change. Hope that makes sense
After wandering around for the past few days not being able to concentrate due to what`s coming up , I decided to book the bungy jump and the skydive as soon as I arrived in Queenstown.
So , tomorrow , I am going to do the Nevis Highwire Bungy jump. Basically I will be diving off a jump pod from 440feet ( 134m ) above the Nevis river. I will freefall for about 8 seconds before the bungy rope will hopefully do it`s magic. Jings , Crivvens , help ma boab.
The day after tomorrow ( assuming I survive the bungy jump ) , I will step out of an aeroplane at 15,000ft into thin air and plummet for 60seconds towards the ground at 200km/h. Terminal velocity. Yikes.
I will get back to you shortly , in the meantime , here are some words from Frank Herbert which I found slightly comforting , I think.
I must not fear , fear is the mind killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone passed I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
The first video is taken from a random on my own camera.
The 2nd video is the offical video , this is the best one.
As you can se , I was absolutely petrified. One of the most frightening things I have ever done. It`s 9.20pm and I am pure buzzing , I have had lots of beer. I will write a better diary entry tomorrow after the skydive. I spent a long time late this afternoon getting help to upload the official video , so I hope you enjoy them. This was the mentalist bungy jump , not just any old bungy. I done it for myself , but I done it for you , my blogreaders too. Please be patient and let the 2nd video load. you have no idea how terrified I was ; I am still shaking.
I thankyou and goodnight.
Kia Ora ,
Well today I got up and it looked a lovely day for skydiving. I wish I didnt have quite so many ``happy hour`` beers to celebrate my bungy success but alas , I did and had a wee hanagover.
I went along to the NZONE shop and we were given a briefing and shown a video , you know the usual. Eventually the van came to take 9 of us potential skydivers to ``the drop zone`` , the driver of the van was making cold jokes like ``is this your first skydive ?`` and when everyone said yes he said ``you might do another one because 2 out of 3 people survive`` ; oh dear.
Anyway , so me and this Danish lad , Jasper , had to sit around and wait as the planes could only take 3 jumpers at a time. I was assigned to a Tandem Instructor , Sasha , eventually we squeezed into the wee plane and on the way up he harnessed me onto him. When we got to 13,000ft we all had to wear oxygen masks and then at 16,000ft the time came for us to jump out ; it seemed to take a lot of time for that moment to arrive.
The first three or four seconds were a bit confusing but after that the ``drone`` goes up ; a drone is a very small parachute which enables us to keep a steady speed of 200km per hour. For 65 seconds we were freefalling , this was an incredible sensation , although to be honest I don`t know if I was enjoying it or not. Once the camaraman waved goodbye Sasha released the parachute , the idea being that the cameramen gets on the ground first to video the landing.
The parachuting bit was relaxing but I have to admit I asked sasha to stop spinning me around as much as I was getting dizzy ! , We had a good landing and that was that.
I hope you like the video. For any computer geeks out there I had to rip the file to AVI to allow me to upload to the blog. The file was 5mins 48secs long and getjealous only allows files up to 5mins so I trimmed it a bit too. When I get home I will be able to show you all the full DVD on a big screen TV. The first 30seconds or so on the video is promotional stuff.
So , thats two days full of action packed stuff here in Queenstown ``The Adventure Capital of the World`` ; and after both activities I have spent a long time in the internet cafe ripping haha and uploading ; so , to be honest I am looking forward to tomorrow , my last day in Queenstown and just chilling out again , maybe go for a walk or just chill in the hostel sunbathing and going in the spa with sexy young ladies.
I have shown you videos of the past couple of days now , oh please be patient with todays , its 5mins long as mentioned earlier. I will show you photos of the past couple of days in the next 72 hours , the photos are professional and look the business.
Well , thats it. I can relax now , no more fear , I feel a great sense of achievement (twice)
PS : Yes , the Nevis Highwire 134metre bungy was the more frightening of the two activities.
PPS : Thanks for reading my blog and for all the messages , it really does help me and keeps homesick / loneliness at bay , I meet so many great people on my travels its unreal ; like the bloke Colm from Dublin who helped me with my ripping lol.
Kia Ora ,
I have been spending today just coming back to earth ( literally ) after all the excitement of the past couple of days.
The 3 official AJ Hackett , Nevis Highwire Bungy photo`s are now available and so I have put them on this diary entry. Obviously the videos are more dramatic but it`s good to have the stills nonetheless.
My Dad always taught me that if I am going to do a job it should be done properly , and thats why I had to do the biggest bungy and the skydive from the highest height ; I don`t see the point in doing anything in half-measures.
Talking about half measures , do you know what the spirit measures are in the pubs here ? 15ml !!! , most places tend to automatically serve you doubles to compensate that though ; I`ve only had a whisky a couple of times in the pubs here , but to get a reasonable measure I have to ask for a ``double double``
Also in a lot of pubs is the bookies ; imagine the carryon there would be if that would be the case in Scotland ? Thank goodness I don`t gamble anymore.
Yesterday I found a sweet shop which sells Irn Bru and Tizer. I asked for a cold can of Irn bru and the lady got me it. She then told me it came all the way from England. I told her it`s not English it`s Scottish , and she said ``ah well when I say England I mean Britain`` , dear oh dear. Next she`ll be selling English Haggis.
Anyway , I enjoyed the can of bru , it`s reasonably priced there at $3.50 which is about 30 bob in Scottish money , worth it if you have really big cravings. This morning I had a can of Tizer ; Tizer , as I made you aware before , is something I have really missed since I started my travels so it was heaven to have a can.
As I say I am just chilling today and tomorrow morning I leave Queenstown and head for Te Anau where I will be based for visiting the Millford Sound , where I will see the most breathtaking scenery so far.
It feels so good that the bungy and skydive are over with and I can relax again. I will be able to get you the photographs from the skydive tomorrow I hope , in the meantime I hope you enjoy the bungy photo`s.
Thankyou once again for all the messages recently.
Kia Ora ,
I have arrived in Te Anau , lovely small town ( with expensive internet ) and I have booked into a cracking lodge with a single room. I might stay here 3 or 4 nights as it`s very relaxed with none of the commercialism or hustle and bussle that was in Queenstown. There`s also plenty of one day walks and stuff I can do here. I will take the time out just to chillout and relax. The place I am staying is part of a large holiday camp by the lake , it`s called ``Steamers`` , very appropriate , it`s a bit like Butlins I suppose.
As mentioned yesterday I wanted to show you the skydiving photo`s ; here they are , somehow the sequence is a bit out ; hmmm , not to worry. I am sure you will agree that the video and photo`s are different things and it`s worthwhile having them both.
The drive today was perhaps the most scenic yet , spectacular. I stopped at Kingston to wait on the Kingston flyer steam train coming in and I now show you photos and videos of that here too.
It seems to be a regular event when I arrive in a place to go into the tourist info place and pick up a handfull of leaflets showing what to do in the area. I think tonight I will just relax and read through those to try and figure out what to do in the coming days but a trip to Millford sound is a must ; it`s just a case of what walks and stuff I will do in the other days.
I hope everyone is well. Take Care.
Kia Ora ,
Today I felt like a long lie and didnt get up until 10.30. I went a nice 4 hour walk on a track in an ancient forest which I had to take a water taxi to get to the start of. I have a few nice photographs of the walk which I will upload when I get to a computer which allows that.
Before I went on the water taxi there was a German lady also waiting on it and so I went the walk with her , really interesting person , Siggy , I think her name was , she is in her 50`s and has travelled extensively in the past. Both of us had plans to go to Millford sound tomorrow and so I am going to give her a lift there as we have booked on the same cruise.
I am really looking forward to the Millford sound cruise , the weather forecast is for really nice sunny weather tomorrow , so here`s hoping. I need to be driving by 7am to get there for 10.30 cruise and and then on the way back there is plenty of interesting places to stop off at. I don`t know if I will stay here after tomorrow night , perhaps I might get on the road again and stop off at some points on the southern tourist route on my way to Invercargill ; I am just really playing it by ear.
Kia Ora ,
Apologies that there was no diary update yesterday.
I am about to leave Te Anau and head south on the Southern tourist route. I will go no further than Invercargill and hopefully I will find a nice place to stay before I get that far.
I must apologise to my family for phoning last night after I had been drinking. I have decided to take some advice and have no alcohol whatsoever for a month , starting with immediate effect.
Here are the photo`s ( and videos ) of the past couple of days especially of Millford sound. The weather was absolutely perfect for this trip which was a bonus. A Millford sound cruise is something which many people come here specifically for ; don`t get e wrong , it was really good , but , to be honest I didn`t think it was as good as it`s made out to be. A highlight was seeing penguins !! :o)
I hope you like them and I also hope you had a good weekend.
Evening update : I have just booked to go on a farm tour tomorrow ; will be soimething different eh ; Some of the things I will be doing are sheep shearing , milking cows , feeding lambs and riding a donkey ; I will ensure to get photo`s of these things.
Kia ora ,
I am in a little village called Tuatapere , pronounced Too-ah-ta-perry , it`s a bit like being in the highlands of Scotland. I have a room to myself with double bed for 20bucks , thats like about 7 and a half quid ; really good value. I just sat watching TV last night here.
This morning I got up and went to the farm at 7.45. There was about a dozen people from a tour bus there but they were only there for an hour to see some sheep shearing and the dogs working and breakfast; they paid 20bucks for that mini-tour. I was there between 7.45am and 4.15pm and only paid 45bucks ; it was a different experiance from the bungy jump anyway.
I got a shot of sheep shearing when the bus group were there and then again this afternoon when a Swiss couple arrived for a mini-tour. The sheep shearing was good fun and I look forward to being able to show you the photos; I can`t just now as this PC was made in about 1962.
Really good sheep shearers can shear a whole sheep in less than a minute ; they even have sheep shearing competitions. One of the top 10 sheep shearers in the world is a Scottish fella , I can`t remember his name , the farmer asked me if I knew/was aware of him , he said this Scottish sheep shearer was really well respected in his profession.
They also showed us a naked sheep shearer calendar from 2004 !!
After the bus group left this morning Ray the farmer took me to gather a few hundred sheep with his dogs and tractor ; I also drove the tractor for a fair bit , he was a really nice man and his work , as all sheep farmers are was very methodical. Sadly he didnt make much money this year.
There are 40million sheep in New Zealand and less than 4 million people but Ray reckons there will be less than 35million sheep this time next year , I can`t remember his reasons for this.
He also took me to see a herd of elk ( deer thingeys ) and also to see the cows being milked ; it was all very educational and I asked a barrowload of questions. He also has a pet pig.
Do you know how many sheep he has ? 4300 !!!!! thats a lot eh.
Tomorrow I reckon I will end up in Invercargill. I look forward to that , the name Invercargill was specifically chosen to refer to it`s Scottish heritage ; maybe I will end up in Bluff , a coastal town south of Invercargill, I am not sure , maybe I will just go a daytrip there.
In the meantime I really must go take a shower because I really stink of sheep. Take Care.
Good Morning ,
I have spent the last hour and a hlaf driving and have arrived in Invercargill. I think I will like it here , it`s a big town and not so touristy.
I have come into this cafe to upload my photo`s. I will add to this diary entry later this afternoon / tonight. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the photo`s and videos.
Evening Update : I have now settled into my dorm in Tuatara backpackers , Invercargill ; very nice hostel and only one other person is in the room so far and as it`s 6.50pm with a bit of luck it will stay that way. I will probably stay in Invercargill for 4 or 5 days , so please don`t be expecting drama everyday , I plan just to relax , go to the pictures and things. I nearly stayed at Bluff , I went to a place which advertised accommodation for $15 but it was a bit of a dump and they wanted money for bedlinen so it was a con ; this place is on the VIP backpackers list which I am a member of and with that you are gauranteed everything to be spotlessly clean and modern.
I hope you like the photos and videos. Any Questions ?
Kia Ora ,
Last night my laundry was taking far longer than I hoped so I just hung about the hostel and watched TV and had a few cans of lager. I really like it here , it`s a nice relaxed big town , maybe about the size of Greenock.
In hostels it`s etiquette for people to write their name and date on food so that no-one nicks it and so the cleaner doesn`t bin it. Well , last night I opened the fridge and someone had wrote ``Holmes , room 9`` on a carton of milk in big letters. I really couldn`t help myself adding the word ``Sherlock`` to it. I`d love to have seen their face when they went to get it.
Anyway , this morning I got up fairly lateish and went to explore more of the town. I found the simming pool but the weather was beginnign to look promising for the first time in afew days so I headed to the beach. The beach is about 10km away but what an amazing beach it is ; it`s massive , you just drive the car right onto it ; the sand is really hard and compact.
The temperature was only about 18 or 19 degrees and there was a good breeze too , it was perfect for jogging ; a few times I felt the need to really get into a sprint , I ran faster than I have done for years , I think it was possible as I have lost a little weight since I started travelling.
The water was great too , it was only me and some surfers , the waves were really good fun for swimming in. I feel refreshed now. I felt it was important to take advantage of the good weather as the past few days have been a bit overcast and windy , I`ve had to walk around with a fleece on to keep warm !! poor me eh lol.
Anyway , tonight I was considering going to the pictures , I wante to see Rocky Balboa but it doesn`t seem to be here anymore so perhaps I will just get something to eat and a sociable pint.
I went to the opticians to see if they could make me up new lenses from my prescription ; they can but the cost would be similar to what I pay in Scotland ; I`d really like a new right one as this old one is really irritting me. It`s about 70 quid for oen. I will make sure I have no other spares which feel good before I go ahead and order one. I might even get it cheaper in Australia.
So , this is my 2nd night of at least five in Invercargill ; all the main streets here are named afer Scottish rivers , the hostel is on Dee Street and just along the road is Clyde Street.
I hope everyone is well. Mum , I nearly grew a beard haha , but changed my mind. I`m away to enjoy the early evening sun.
Kia Ora , from my world tour of internet cafe`s !!
Today was probably my most inactive day since I arrived in ``The land of the long white cloud`` also known as New Zealand.
I spent a couple of hours this afternoon just dozing and sprawled on a couch whilst cuddling 4 cushions in the hostel TV room , you know , as you do at home. I have found it important to take time out from this travelling malarky so I am not bouncing from place to place.
A random told me a couple of weeks ago that sometimes your body arrives in a place before your mind does and it`s crucial to let both get back into sync with each other ; wise words indeed.
I am now also getting one eye on going to Australia ; won`t be long now , just a week or so in the Catlins and Dunedin then it`s up to Christchurch and onto a jumbo ; then I will be Waltzing Matilda , having a few tinnies and whooping it up with Harold Bishop at a Barbie.
It`s been overcast again today with temps about 14degrees so my decision to go to the beach yesterday has been justified. I have felt really tired today with no energy , I am not sure if those sprints on the beach have zapped me of energy , perhaps I will reap the benefit in the coming days ; definately by tomorrow I need to do some exercise , even if it`s only walking for a couple of hours or so ; otherwise I could easily turn into a slob ; again.
Last night I went to the supermarket , I hoped to pick up a couple of beers. Imagine my surprise to learn all supermarkets in Southland ( the southern region of the south island ) have no alcohol licence. In the other regions you can buy beer and wine from supermakets but not spirits so I expected the same rules to be effective here ; but alas , all alcohol must be purchased from a liquor store.
The liquor stores are another experiance , aside from the main shop they have a huge walk-in fridge where all the booze is stored , that`s quite useful for ensuring your beer is chilled , however , it also means you tend not to hang around chittering too long to browse.
Well , tomorrow there is a small brewery in Invercargill which I may or may not take time to go on the tour ; I might save my self for full indulgence in the Speight`s brewery in Dunedin. Speight`s are the biggest brewery down this neck of the woods and even have their own ``ale-house`` pubs in several towns , which is okay .....if you like Speight`s range of beers ; I like thier ``old dark , pale ale and pilsner`` there`s a couple I have still to try.
Well , I hope everyone is well and you are looking forward to the joys of spring in the northern hemisphere. I am away for some grub.
Kia Ora ,
Another long lie today then I went to the brewery ; the nice brewer girl there gave me a tour for free and lots of samples ; so I thought it only appropriate that I buy some stock off her. I got 2 litres of cider and 4 bottles of beer. I drank the cider watching TV so I went back and bought another 4 litres. It`s quite good stuff.
The Invercargill brewery is the southernmost brewery in the world by the way. I told the girl I was going to go and see Speight`s brewery in Dunedin and she went ballistic ; cursing at me for swearing lol , I think I was not supposed to mention their bigger competition.
Anyway , she gave me lots of flyers to give to the hostel incase any more scotsmen would like to visit.
I think I will go and get a video out or something. I am at a bit of a loose end just now. Thought I better update my diary though just to let you know.
Mum , don`t worry , the cider I got will lst me until I leave New Zealand.
Kia Ora ,
I am in a library in Dunedin. apologies for not updating my diary for a couple of days , been really busy. Will update fully tonight. Lots of photo`s ; hopefully the hostel I go to will enable me to upload them.
Kia Ora ,
I mentioned in my previous diary that I would I would provide a full update last night. Unfortunately the caravan I stayed in had no internet access. Apologies for this.
I am now in Dunedin. I spent the night on the Otago Peninsula ``penguin watching`` , more about that later ; its 1130am , I parked my car at 9.30am in a carpark at a hostel I saw advertised ; signs were there saying it was parking was for the hostel only and unauthorised vehicles would be towed away. The reception was closed but I got through to them on the phone just now and they said they are no longer open !! I hope the car hasn`t been towed away ; I`ll go looking for somewhere else to stay after this diary if the car is still there.
Anyway , where do I begin. I never wrote a diary on my last day in Invercargill ( 3 days ago ) , this is because not a lot happened and I didn`t feel the need to provide an update to you as I only want to give you meaningful information.
Invercargill was a good place to re-charge the batteries , that was 5 nights I stayed there , perhaps 3 or 4 nights would have sufficed as there wasn`t much to do there at all and by the end up I was really looking forward to getting travelling again.
The day before yesterday I left Invercargill and headed further along the Southern tourist route. I stopped at various places ; the first place was Waipapa Point ; in 1881 a ship sank here and 131 lives were lost. It was a very tragic story as people watched helplessly on the shore and listened to the cries of help from the stricken vessel. When the ship first hit rocks a brave chap offered to swim ashore to raise the alarm ; he made it , unfortunately the help arrived too late though. I walked solemnly across farmland to the nearby cemetery where most of those who perished were buried ; I did not know these people from Adam but it was humbling to be in the graveyard on my own to pay my respects. The lighthouse at Waipapa point was built as a result of the tragedy.
I moved on to Slope Point , the southernmost point of the south island. Good views from here and care had to be taken not to tumble off high cliffs.
After that I stopped at the walk to McLean falls ; the pathway ends at a viewpoint but morons like me scarmble further up rocks for a closer look. The waterfall was fairly impressive , if you are into that sort of thing.
Then , I went to another waterfall , the Purakaunui Falls , this was a completely different walk and waterfall from the McLean falls as you can see in the photographs.
There was another tiny waterfall which someone had comically named Niagara falls , no doubt some eejits go to see it thinking it`s the real one.
Time was getting on and thoughts were turning on finding somewhere to stay ; I went to Nugget Point where there is another nice lighthouse ( as far as nice lighthouses go ) and opportunities galrore to get the binoculars out to look at sealions and seals.
I decided to I wanted to stay at nearby Balclutha , Blaclutha is Gaelic for ``town on the Clyde`` , so I suppose it could be Greenock ; in Balclutha I found Paisley Street , Renfrew Street , Ayr Street , but alas no Greenock Street , or indeed for that matter any accommodation. I moved on and stayed in the next town , Milton ; it was a bizarre experiance as the hostel was ran by an eccentric , but very nice Swiss man , with lots of chickens. I had the whole place to myself.
So , yesterday , I went to the Otago Peninsula , I found soemwhere to stay , a small caravan , for a good price so I opted for that. I walked 40 minutes along a beach and spent a couple of hours in a hut peeking out of a small window with binoculars to see if I could see any yellow-eyed penguins ; this really felt odd as it wasn`t the kind of thing I do everyday. I did see A penguin though , it was abit disapointing that there was only one , I guess the others came after I left. There are only 3000 yellow-eyed penguins left and they are a protected species. I had to use the penguin hide as this type of penguin is very shy and won`t come ashore if they see anyone.
I was reliabley informed I would see more common small blue penguins coming ashore at dusk , about 8.30pm at another beach. I , therefore left my yellow eyed penguin hide and headed over to the blue penguin beach about 7.45pm ; already a crowd of about 50 people were peering out from behind a barrier watching for the penguins ; we didnt have to completely hide from these ones.
We waited and waited and one or two small penguins came ashore about 8.30 ; then , volunteers arrived and explained what happens ; they told us that about 60 penguins would soon come ashore and make their way to their nests right past us to feed their chicks ; there were soemthing like 300 nests all around and soon we could hear the baby penguins crying out for dinner.
Time was getting on , it was now 9pm and no great number of penguins came ashore , it was really dark now and cold and all I had on since I got there was a T shirt but I had waited all that time so I figured I wasnt going to go until the penguins all walked past. Eventually pairs and groups of penguins came ashore and they all waited at the top of the beach for each other , then they walked past us and up to their nests ; it was hard to see much detal though , they were only about 30cm tall but some did wibble right past in front of the crowd , which by now was only about a dozen in number as the rest had given up waiting. The volunteers told us to look under our cars as we were leaving to make sure there was no penguins there and to be careful not to stand on any or run any over. As I headed back to the car the cries everywhere from wailing baby penguins was undescribeable.
Another unusual experiance for me.
So that was the past couple of days , I hope you enjoyed reading and appreciate the photographs. Do you have any questions ?
I better go and shift that car and find somewhere to stay then get some food as the penguins didn`t give me any.
Kia Ora .
This morning I went to the Cadbury Chocolate factory tour. I have been lookeing forward to it almost as much as Charlie Bucket was when he was going to the Willie Wonka factory. Unfortunately for health and safety reasons photography whilst inside the factory is not allowed and everyone had to put their camera`s in a locker before we went in.
Cadbury has a much bigger product range in NZ than it does in the UK , I won`t go into specific items but if you want to know more then email me. I enjoy the occasional sweet but by no means am I a chocoholic. The tour lasted about an hour , we were on the shop floor watching various products being made and saw a few short films ; along the way we were given several free samples. The tour reached fever pitch when we saw a tonne of chocolate plummet from a waterfall , unfortunately Augustus Gloop wasnt there to entertain us by being sucked up through a large pipe. The smell of chocolate inside the factory was intense.
Moving on to this afternoon : I had a leaflet for the Taieri Gorge Railway which was billed as ``one of the worlds great train trips`` , I wandered down to the train station , which incidentally is the most photographed building in New Zealand , and asked the receptionist how much it costs to go on the train ; I think she mis-understood me because she proceeded to sell me the last ticket there was for the trip which was about to depart.
The train ride was nearly 5 hours long and went through some spectacular scenery , but to be honest I am getting used to the scenery now and found the trip a bit too long. One thing I liked about it was the commentator , he went into detail about everything ; on the return journey I stood for the most part outside inbetween the carriages , this would enable me to take some photographs.
Some Dunedin Facts : In Dunedin there are about 120,000 people , 25,000 attend University of Otago here meaning there is lots of students around ; the university is the largest employer in the South Island. Dunedin was originally going to be named ``New Edinburgh`` but it was thought this would cause confusion and so the name was changed to Dunedin which is the gaelic word for Edinburgh.
If you look at ``My Map`` you will see I have covered a lot of ground in this country.
I still have lots of things to do in Dunedin before I leave. I am looking forward to the weekend when it`s the National Pipe Band Championships when over 46 pipe bands will compete and also march through the town. The annual championship is in a different town every year ; when I heard it was going to be here it was one of the main reasons for me extending my stay in New Zealand , I thought it would be a fitting finally to my time here. It seems virtually every township in this country has a pipe band hall ; I`ve passed a few.
Anyway , I think I will get an early night tonight so I am fresh for tomorrow`s activities which I shall report to you about tomorrow night.
Anyone have any questions , please leave them on my messageboard or drop me an email.
Kia Ora ,
I never got a chance to update my site yesterday. Suzannah , remember her , my Danish friend I met up in Napier ? Well she txted me yesterday morning and said she was in Dunedin , so we met up after I went to the Speight`s brewery tour in the mornign.
The brewery tour was quite good for a fiver and passed some time , as always the sampling at the end was a highlight. Speight`s is now the most consumed beer on both the North and South Island largely due to an explosion in it`s popularity since the launch of its ``Southern Man`` advertising campaign in 1992.
Anyway , after the brewery I met up with Suzannah , it was nice to see a friendly and familiar face again as sometimes I have been feeling a bit lonely. We walked about an hour over to Baldwin Street which is the steepest street in the world with a gradient of 1:1. We walked ( climbed ) up the street and had the obligatory photographs and blagged a lift back to town from a couple of Dutch girls.
After that we went to an Indian restraunt which was unusual for me , it was nice for a change. Last night we went to a couple of pubs then a bottle of wine in a Jazz Club in a secret local hideaway.
Today was the start of the pipe-band championships and Suzannah came to see some of it for a while and is now on her merry way to Christchurch. I always feel sad when friends I like and met on my travels are leaving but I guess that`s just the nature of the trip.
Tonight I think I am going to go to a big rugby match , The Highlanders ( the local team ) v The Reds ; it sounds like it should be a good night and there is some anticipation in the town. Rugby is not my cup of tea but as I said before , you don`t go to Venice and not go up the Eiffel tower.
Some of the photographs are the wrong way round. I will footer with them tomorrow.
I hope everyone is well. Take Care.
Ian
Kia Ora ,
I only have a few minutes here. Last night the rugby was fantastic , the Highlanders won. I was in a terracing section where everyone had beer and the atmosphere was magic. Before the game there was a highlander on the roof of the stand like Braveheart and they were playing lots of Scottish tunes. The highlander ran onto the park going crazy with a sword ; then lots of bagpipers came out ; I have all this on video and will upload it asap. Lots of folk at the game had kilts on.
This morning I watched for about 3 hours the street parade. It was glorious sunshine. Every 3 or 4 minutes a pipe band would pass on the main street , Princess Street , thousands of people were watching. The last time this was here was 1992. Today is a day Dunedin will not forget.
After the parad I went to the park where the competion was , all 46 bands , including 6 from Australia took park ; the videos are amazing. I will try and upload some tomorrow but it`s going to take a while.
I love Dunedin so much I might just stay here until I need to go to Australia. I am so lucky to be able to have been here this weekend to see the big rugby game and then this ; unbelieveable. Dunedin has more pipe band members per head then any other city in the world.
Kia Ora ,
Well , only another 4 night`s sleep in New Zealand and then I`ll be flying to Sydney for a whole new set of adventures ``Down Under``.
As promised yesterday , here are the video`s from the rugby on Friday and the pipe bands on Saturday. It has taken me a lot of messing around to get them uploaded so I really hope you enjoy.
If you only can watch two or three then please watch the one of ``William Wallace`` , or whoever he is meant to be , at the rugby. The New Zealand police display ( the last video ) is a good one too.
Some of the videos are out of sync. The 2nd video was actually the last thing to happen.
Dunedin has more pipe-band mambers per head of population than any other city in the world. Total of 46 bands from all over New Zealand and 6 from australia played in the National Championships , the New Zealand Police seemed to win a lot of trophies.
Kia Ora ,
Well , I am leaving Dunedin tomorrow morning , I have a day or two to head up to Christchurch for my flight to Sydney. It seems like I have been in New Zealand for ages , let me give you a summary of events.
I arrived into Auckland from Fiji on 11th January ( with food poisoning !! ) , I will have been here 9 weeks when I leave on Thursday , but it seems like longer , probably as I have done so much.
I wanted to wrap up New Zealand on here just now incase things get hectic between now and my flight on Thursday but I do have a couple of last hurrah`s up my sleeve before I bid farwell to ``The land of the long white cloud``.
Here is some activities I done in New Zealand. Driving , hillwalking , bungy jumping , skydiving , sand-surfing , went to polynesian spa , buried village , bay of islands , glaciers , mountain biking , stayed in an old prison , had to get the AA due to lost car keys , seal and penguin watching , swimming , millford sound trip , farming including sheep shearing , worked as a security gaurd , chocolate factory , breweries , rugby , bag piping competition , worlds steepest street ; the list is endless.
As you will notice on ``My Map`` I have driven round most of both the north and the south island. New Zealand has a bigger land area than the UK so that puts things into perspective of the distance I have covered.
Some people on a world trip like mine spend less time in New Zealand than what I have done but I have found that there is so much to do here that I required all of the time I had here , the last nine weeks have been fantastic and I will be sad to leave but I am also looking forward to the next part of the adventure in Australia.
So far on my trip I have been to USA , Cook Islands , Fiji and New Zealand , with the time spent in New Zealand being longer than the others put together , so obviously I am going to have more of a feel for this country than any other.
I am quite tired just now and my thoughts are becoming more and more focussed on Australia. Today I booked a couple of night`s accommodtion in the Kings Cross area of central Sydney. It`s going to be a bit of a bang arriving into such a huge city. I`ll tell you about my rough idea for Australia later as this is New Zealand`s show.
Anyway , as per my usual format let me tell you about the past 24 hour hours. Last night I went to all those student pubs that Bonzo directed me to on my messagboard , they were good for a pint but I should have gone on Saturday night when things were jumping , I wasnt really in the frame of mind though and I am generally not a late night , busy place type of guy.
Today I went to a coupel of museums , the Otago museum and the Settlers museum , both were fairly interesting but I won`t bore you with the details as I have been babbling for a bit already. I have spent a week in Dunedin and , other than a couple of days inbetween , I was nearly that length of time in Inercargill too , so I think it`s fair to say I have managed to stop bouncing from place to place as much to chill out before I leave.
I don`t like making comparisons but I have found myself to really enjoy Dunedin. What a fantastic place it would be to come as a student with 25,000 in attendance at the Otago University in a town with a population of only 120,000 ; the student residence area is massive , as is the area the univerity buildings cover.
New Zealand is such an incredibly diverse place in terms of scenery ; you`ve read all about it in diary.
I don`t think I will be out late tonight ; here are a couple of photo`s , do you remember a couple of days ago I showed you the photo of the sign in the hostel saying to report all sightings of ghosts ? Well I have saw a couple ; not really very frightened though.
!!!!!! KIA ORA !!!!!!!!
Well , Kia Ora everyone , chances are I won`t ever be saying that again.
I drove all the way to Christchurch today via mt Cook village. I got to Mt Cook at lunchtime , it was snowing and overcast and I couldn`t see much but still , it was a very scenic drive.Mt Cook is the highest peak in Australasia , if I made that up please correct me.
Summer , just like my visit , is over.
I went to another yellow-penguin colony last night.
I had a few beers last night which was probably a bit unwise considering the journey I had today ; I will remain completely sober now though until after I have became compus-mentus in Sydney.
Arriving into christchurch tonight at 5pm was a nightmare with the rush hour traffic ; they have the craziest one way system I have ever experianced ; I almost crashed head-on into a tram !!
I found the car rental place but my head is swimming at tthe moment and I hope I can find it again in the morning ; I have also parked in an unauthorised area so hopefully I don`t get a ticket.
Christchurch seems like an interesting city ; sadly I wont get the chance to get a good feel of it , but hey , Sydney beckons.
Please look at ``My Map`` and you will now see my journey around New Zealand is complete. Today`s drive was probably the longest driving day I had.
I am a big bag of emotions right now , sad to be leaving New Zealand , but fullfilled too ; I have felt at home here ; most people are really friendly and helpful and have a good sense of humour and laid back approach to life ; who knows , maybe one day I `ll come back.
I really miss everyone back home.
Next time I write I will be in Kings X , Sydney.
G`Day ,
As you may have gathered , I have now arrived into Sydney. It is really hot and humid ; sweating buckets.
This is just a brief diary , I will give a full update with photographs tomorrow.
I arrived at the hostel about 6.30pm last night , although with the time difference from New Zealand and the flight I got a bit confused. It`s currently 4.20pm in Sydney , its 6.20pm in New Zealand and 5.20am in Greenock ; so that means I am now 11 hours ahead right ? My head is pickled.
The hostel is a complete dump. You couldnt swing a cat in the room. It does have a roof garden though where you get a good view of the skyline including the harbour bridge. I am going to their rooftop BBQ tonight , sounds quite social and good value for 5 bucks. My current room-mates are good decent young people and I have enjoyed a bit of banter with them.
This morning I was still a bit dazed but strolled down to the Opera House and harbour bridge. There was about 5000 old people going into the opera house ; it didnt really impress me actually but as I say I wasnt feeling well.
Sydney is massive ; gigantic , as you know I am not much of a big city person and so I will be looking to get out of here and begin my travels fairly shortly ; that will obviously require transport ; watch this space.
I feel now the way I did when I arrived into Auckland ; only worse this time ; maybe after a couple of days and having settled down I will begin to appreciate Sydney more ; it`s just too hot ; I should have taken that turn for the south pole when I was on the south coast of New Zealand. Walking through the botanical gardens to get to the city today all I saw everywhere were joggers , a bit like Central Park New York ; how these people can run around in this heat beggers belief ; maybe I just need time to acclimatize and adapt.
I am away to buy shampoo and maybe a hat.
G`Day ,
It`s still too hot !! and I have a really bad cold so I have not really done much since arriving in Sydney.
I went to the backpacker car market this morning and looked at some cars but I need to wait until some funds have cleared in the bank before I can buy.
Driving alone and sleeping in the car ( station wagon ) and sometimes tent , isn`t the most sociable way to travel , but I think it`s best for me and it`s quite econical if you manage to sell the car at the end for a similar price to what you bought it for. I thought I would have been more social than I have been but I have found I just be by myself mostly as I feel I achieve more that way ; but I get lonely too.
Oh , last night in the hostel a guy in the dorm got really really really drunk ; he really didnt know what was going on and he was throwing up from the top bunk and vomit was going on the guy below and on the floor. He also rolled out the top bunk a couple of times which must`ve done some damage ; and he kept making loud noises like a cross between a cow and a pig , this went on for hours ; one of the girls in the room went and got moved to another room. This morning I moved hostel ; the new one seems slightly better but it`s the chance you take.
I hope this cold goes away soon and that I can get out of Sydney quickly as I don`t really like it here ; it`s too big a city and very claustrophobic ; it`s like being trapped. T
I was going to go for a couple of pints in one of the Irish bars for St Patrick`s day but I think I better just contiue to eat and drink sensibly until I feel better.
Last night I was in a shop in Kings X and the owner was laughing at my Morton top ; he then showed me that he sells ``millions`` sweets ( the sponsor and owner of Morton ) and he also had a full range of Buchanans sweets which are also made in Greenock at the same factory , so there ye go.
It`s the Sydney Harbour bridge`s 75th birthday party tomorrow !!! , the mind boggles.
Sorry I havent put any photo`s up , it`s just due to being not feeling well in the heat and big city ; someone get me back to New Zealand.
I hope everyone is well.
G`day ,
The past 24 hours didnt start too good ; the guy on the bunk above me in the hostel appeared in the early hours with a female ; I mean , this was a wobbly bunkbed and I was very concerned incase 2 people and a bunk-bed frame would collapse on me ; thankfully the girl, after a kiss goodnight told him she was going to sleep. I mean , like , I am no prude , but come on , this was ridiculous and out of line. I`m all for guys enjoying themselves but this was just downright disrespectful to everyone else in the dorm.
This hostel too was a nightmare , the loud music from drunks went on 24hours ; I am not sure if St Patrick`s day had anything to do with it or not ; I am all for people enjoying themselves and I was all for joining in St Patrick`s day party mood but when these morons in the hostel started chanting for the IRA at 5am I`d lost my appetite.
This morning , due to having Mr & Mrs above me , I got up at 7.30 and headed into town on the train ;the train system is excellent here. I was originally intending going to Manly beach after Darling Harbour but once I got to the harbour I was astounded to see so much happening ; today was the 75th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge. 250,000 people walked across it to celebate that. For miles and miles there was activity ; I still was suffering from my cold and so I snoozed at The Rocks for a few hours ; the Rocks is an old area of Sydney , lots of things were happening there too.
Tonight , the Harbour Bridge lit up , the Aborigines let smoke off to pay respect to previous generations on both sides of the bridge. Tens of thousands of people lined the banks from the Rocks to Circular Key tothe Opera House , the bridge was glowing in fantastic colours , and probably still is ; it was another amazing coincidence I was here on this day.
Oh ,before I went to Darling Harbour this morning I went and booked into a reputable Youth Hostel Association hostel in the city for tomorrow night next to the central train station ,I cant get away fromKings X quick enough ; all this sleeze just isnt my scene at all.
I still havent decided wat to do about transport out of here ; I want to make sure I get it right. Sydney is growing on me though ; I think my bad first impressions stemmed from terrible acommodation , heat , humidity and culture shock and my bad cold ; but I am getting over all that. I think I am going to like Australia.
I am really tired and sore due to this minor ailment I have. I was going to try and upload photos and videos but I hope you be patient with me and wait untill tomorrow as I really need to sleep. I will get the photos on tomorrow when I am settled in good accommodation again.
G`day ,
It`s only 1130am and I am writing my diary for today already. I have shifted from Kings X to the city ; this hostel is excellent.
I hope you enjoy the videos ( remember and turn the volume up ) and photographs on this diary entry and I am sorry it took so long to get them to you.
I took a couple of videos last night of Sydney Harbour bridge from the Opera House ; as mentioned yesterday , tens of thousands of Sydneysiders and tourists were there to em , wish the bridge a happy 75th birthday ; it was a huge occasion , I am so lucky I was there.
You only got a hat if you were one of the lucky 225,000 who doen the bridge walk but thankfully I managed to charm one from a random.
Watch the videos of the didgerydoo men ; look at the guy on the left with the stick , he doesnt do anything other than tap it off the ground to rythmn , but he is good at it !!!
Watch the basketball man videos ; before this a couple of women were having an entertaining bitch-fight ; real life drama , basketball man was gettign annoyed they were getting in on his act , the patter of this guy was unreal , I should try and get his whole act for you..
Kings Cross is actually a good laugh to visit , I might go back there if looking for something to do before I leave Sydney , it was just the accommodation there which was horrible.
I will still need to go to Manly beach and Bondi beach , but I am kind of glad I havent done so yet as I will now be able to do it and enjoy it without having a cold and sneezing all over the place.
I am still waiting on funds clearing to enable me to get a car. Lots of peeople in their teens and twenties head up the east coast from here ; its all party party party , drink drink drink , holiday holiday holiday stuff. I like to think I will gain more life experiance doing what I am about to embark on ; and anyway , all going well I should still have time to travel down from Cairns to Brisbane by bus , thus enjoying some of the party atmosphere.
Australia is so huge you could spend a lifetime here travelling and still not see many of the attractions ; so it`s important I make the correct choices as I am likely only to be here once.
Today I am just going to chill-out and relax. My cold is going away but I have laundry and stuff to do. When arriving in a big city everyone seems to be rushing around , and its hard not to join in even if your not in a hurry !! Does that make sense ?
Yesterday I was a bit fed up with the Morton score at the weekend ; it`s been very frustrating being a Morton fan for the past few years ; and that`s a huge understatement.
Hello there blogfans !
As you have been aware I have been in a quandry about how to deal with the transport issue for the next leg of the adventure ; should I buy a car / campervan ? , rent ? bus ?
Well I have found a solution which fits me perfectly and I got a really good deal. It pays to use agents sometimes in shady backstreets instead of offical backpacker outlets like YHA. I have rented a car from a reputable company ``Thrifty`` via an agent. If I went direct to Thrifty it would have cost me a lot more ( I tried it ) but because this wee agent fella gets a wholesale price he can split the difference with me. Comprehendi ? The rate YHA could get me through Europcar was nearly twice the price I have paid , and I have fully comp insurance and unlimited km too.
I have rented a car ( with insurance ) to take me from the day after tomorrow ( thursday march 22nd ) until I arrive in Melbourne 6 days later. I will then hand the car in when I get to Melbourne , spend 5 dyas using public transport to see the sights in Melbourne , then I have hired the car again for a 2nd part to take me to Adelaide along the Great Ocean Road ; another 6 days , so thats a total car hire of 12 days and the next 17 days is taken care of. Make sense ?
Before I rented the car today I went one more time to the backpacker car market to see if there were any incredible bargains ; alas there was not ; I felt so sorry for the punters there who were still there from the last time I was there a few days ago ; these people were very frustrated and desperate to ged rid of their cars ; another reason why I didnt want to go down that route ; I didnt want to face that stress.
Also , after spending a few days in Adelaide I have booked to go to Perth via the train on April 12th. This is a 38 hour ( yes THIRTY EIGHT hours ) train ride ; sound like fun huh ? I figured it would save me a great deal of driving time , plus I will already have driven the important bit to me ( Sydney - Adelaide ). The key thing when travelling in a big country like this is to avoid flying where possible ; it`s a beautiful country and I want to see as much of it as possible. Now I can let the train take the strain for a bit. Its 38 hours but would have taken a lot lot longer to drive. I`ll just re-cupperate in Perth !!
Meanwhile ; this afternoon I went to Manly on the ferry , it was alright , a pleasant wee change to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. At first I thought I was on the beach; I didnt realise I had to walk through Manly town centre to get to it ; that would have been embarassing if I went there and never saw the beach eh ? I had forgotten my scotland flag though ( beachtowel ) and so I couldnt sunbathe or go for a swim ; my cold aint away right anyway and I was feeling tired after the excitement of getting the next month or so booked up.
Coming back from Manly on the ferry reminded me of why its important for me to get away from here and broaden my horizons ; a lot of the people here are tourists ; don`t get me wrong , I`ve nothing against the Irish but sometimes you think your in O`Connell Street and not in Australia.
Thats another thing which gets my head pickled sometimes when tired and dazed ; like Sydney harbour bridge , you relate bridge to city and then think... where am I ? San Francisco again ?!* and it`s just like a bad acid trip ( whatever thats like ) and your brain struggles to register where and what the present location is. All very mind boggling , which is another reason to take my time and to avoid regular large doses of alcohol.
I saw Basketball Man again , you know that superhero I showed you the other day ? Well he was oing to do his show but went in a huff coz not enough people were watching so he pulled out ; but , he did do some tricks and I have them on video , I hope you enjoy and the photo`s from today. Its worth watching this latest video purely for his backflip at the end. His show involves him being a superhero and rescueing planet earth from evil ; I really hope I can see it tomorrow.
Anyway , I have waffled enough here today and probably not made a lot sense so I hope you are all well and I will update you further tomorrow.
If there is anything you have to suggest I do before leaving Sydney ( other than Bondi beach where I am going tomorrow ) then now is the last opportunity.
Until tomorrow ; take care.
note to self : weblinks to places of interest and suggested itineries for next few days
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g255055-c3069/Australia:Sydney.To.Melbourne.Coastal.Drive..html
http://www.melbourne.visitorsbureau.com.au/itineraries/melb-adelaide.html
G`day .
This morning I got up and had to switch rooms in the hostel ; then I took a train and a bus to Bondi beach. I was quite impressed with the bach , and , unlike the beach at Manly I was able to really enjoy it because I dont feel so rough with a cold now.
I had a good dinner at Bondi , roast chicken , cauliflower and cheese and creamed potatoes ; much healthier than some other junk I have been eating ; although , to be fair I think I am doing not bad , especially with fruit ; they are right into their fruit here , there is fruit stalls everywhere and they are all eager to make you juice drinks.
After I got back from the beach a couple of hours ago I went and used the swimming pool and sauna on the roof of the hostel ; it`s only a small pool but hey , one can`t grumble.
Tonight after I write this I think I might hop on a train and see what sort of nutters are up at Kings X tonight , a kind of farewell to Sydney.
I am carrying so much stuff with me I really need to sacrifice some things and send them home / leave in a hostel. I am going to send my kilt home and some other things right away , theres meant to be post office a couple of minutes from her so I will see them 1st thing in the morning before I pick up the rental car.
Oh this morning I got a call from a bloke who used to live in Greenock but has lived in Adelaide for the past 20 years. He has been aware of my blog and contacted me with an offer to meet up and stay at his place ; very kind indeed and I have gladly accepted the offer ; I actually know his brother Davy who was on holiday with me a few years ago.
I hope everyone is okay. Any questions / problems ? just give me a shout.
G`day ,
it`s 8pm in Wollongong. I got here about 1pm.
First thing this morning I got up and sorted out things I could send home ; I went to the post office and waited on it opening and I sent my kilt , one of two Morton tops - I am burning the other if we don`t win the league ! , my shoes , lots of other things , total weight 9kgs ; 65 bucks was the price , they will arrive with Brenda ( my sister ) in about 3 months by seafreight. Needless to say I still have oo much stuff !!
So anyway , I go and pick up the car that I am driving to Melbourne ; it`s really nice , bright red and quite new , and the bonus is it`s not a dodgem , I mean , an automatic like they ride in New Zealand.
I made a pigs ear of geting out of Sydney and heading south , this despite having idiot proof directions written down for me ; somehow I contrived to be on the Harbour Bridge ; I had to pay a toll on it to come back hahaha , but eventually I got out of the spiralling metropolis which is Sydney.
Before I go on , it just came into m head about last night ; after I wrote my diary I went up to Kings Cross for a while ; on the way back I noticed lots of poeple had football tops on ; turns out Syndey FC were playing a Japanese A league team ; I wish I knew beforehand or else I would have went ; instead I had to be content with a pizza and a can of vimto , yes vimto is something else I have been able to get hold of in specialized sweet shops.
Meanwhile ; it was such a joy to be out in the open again and the drive was enjoyable ; do you like the photos at the viewpoint ; seeing was believing from there ( Sublime point it`s called )
Wollongong is a nice small city , it has two fantastic beaches ; I went to the smaller one and done a lot of swimming and sunbathing ; after that I discovered a huge outdoeor swimming pool , 50m lengths , and incredibly it was quiet and FREE to get in so I had a peice of it.
Oh on the beach I was talking the lifegaurd geezer ; he told me it tends to be mostly Asian tourists he rescues.
On the way home from the beach I stopped at a beachside cafe for some food ; after I placed my order the sales assistant gave me a plastic lobster and said ``here is your buzzer sir`` ; incedible ; it was a paiger , I was to walk around and when my meal was ready they paiged me and the lobster started vibrating , buzzing and flashing different colours ; an ingenious idea ; perhaps Louigis chippy at the West Station in Greenock could use this technology ; well , after they have learned some basic customer service skills , of course.
The hostel is a full of UNI students as this is a university town ; I like this town it has a personality, charm and a heavy industrial history from which it has moved forward from.
Tomorrow , well , I don`t know , somewhere pleasant a couple of hours further down the coast ; there`s meant to be friendly kangaroos on my road soon , watch this space.
Do you have any questions ?
G`day ,
I am in Bateman`s Bay , I had a great day today , I met about25 kangaroos and have really good photos and videos of them but unfortuntely there is no computers in this town other than this thing and it doesnt allow uploading so you`ll need to wait until tomorrow.
Last night afte I wrote my diary I went to the pub for a couple of drinks with a nice Swiss girl who is a student at the uni.
This morning I set off on the drive and eventually stoppedat pebbly beach about 2pm ; I went looking for kangaroos as I had a tip off there was some friendly ones here ; theres no point in me going on about it , just wait and see the photo`s and videos tomorrow.
Bateman`s Bay seems nice and quiet and more like the neighbours and home and away which I expect of Australia. Had some good sunbathing infront of the kangaroos at pebbly beach and a good swim.
Normal service will resume when I can find a computer.
G`Day ,
It was my intention to show you the videos and photo`s of the kangaroos I saw yesterday all at once , but , alas , the towns here are small and have no reasonable internet places. I nearly lost all of the photo`s and videos in the library here in Narooma. I moved all my files to the hard-drive on the library computer from my memory card ...ooops , I didnt realise till later and had to go back to the library and explain I needed back on to try and reverse the process ; I was very relieved that I managed to do so and now , by hook or by crook , I have manged to upload the photo`s ; I am eager to show you the videos too but I`ll need to wait until I can get a good connection with a USB port.
Last night I went to the Soldiers club in Bateman`s Bay , look at their website http://www.baysoldiers.com.au/ for a couple of pints ( schooners they are here , smaller than pints ). The club was huge and had a live band on. It also had a fabulous bistro restraunt , I had a generous serving of roast pork , potatoes and vegetables for about three and a half quid. About 9.30pm everyone in attendance had to stand and be silent for ``The Glory`` which was very poignant , basically a bugle plays something which I thought to be Last Post and there was a voiceover reminding us to remember the servicemen and woman lost in battle.
After I left the soldiers club I had stramash with some local neds. Basically one of them heard me talking when I was chatting to a couple of Aussie blokes and this ned girl appeared and butted in by asking me to speak English lol ; I told her I was speaking English and then she wanted to fight me. I told this girl that I am not in the habit of fighting with teenage girls and at that she said she was going to get her gang and I was going to get bashed up lol ; well the two fella`s I was talking to were concerned and they said when the gang comes I should just be silent and pretend I was a friend of them (the guys I was talking to ) , so about 20 neds come running round the corner and ask the two guys if they were from Scotland ; one of the two guys said ``he went that way`` lol and so all these neds started running along the road ; then the first ned girl appeared back and identified me ; they all were demanding I speak so they could be sure I was the ``culprit`` lol ; I was tempted to go nuts but you never know if these youngsters have knives or anything and anyway , I`ll be stuffed if I am fighting 2 of them let alone 20. I just walked away much to their confusion.
Its been raining heavy all day today , I`m not complaining , it`s meant I can just chill.
I have updated ``my map`` to show you where I am now ; working my way dow the NSW coast towards Melbourne.
The prospect of driving into the city centre of Melbourne , the 2nd largest city of Australia with a population of 3.7 million and then negotiating my way to the Thrifty car hire shop is daunting. I am going to phone and ask if I can drop it at the Melbourne airport instead of the city ; then I can take a shuttle to the city , maybe they ( Thrifty ) will do that free.
This is a nice little Bay town ( Narooma but , due to the horrendous rain all day I cant see much of it; theres meant to be huge stingrays down at the boardwalk , if the rain goes off I am going to go and carry out a revenge attack for what they done to the crocodile hunter. I`m not really ; but I did like the Crocodile hunter and it was a tragedy what happened.
In the dump of a hostel last night I couldnt write the word girl on their computer. You may have read I went for a couple of drinks with a Swiss. I wanted to write Swiss girl but because of their stringent adult filter I couldnt write that word ``girl`` , bizarre.
Bateman`s Bay is on a river. It`s called Clyde River , cool eh ; they say Clyde River but we say River Clyde.
I have found the standard of living , certainly in this part of Australia , to be very high ; it would be amazing to live here.
Well , I am going to go and get something to eat if any shops are open , everything seems to be shut because it`s raining ; to be fair , its coming down in buckets.
I hope you enjoy the kangaroo photo`s. I will get the videos to you asap. the videos are far superior than the photo`s.
G`day ,
I thought I would write a quick diary to let you know I am alive and well ; it`s just been non-stop. Today was one of the best days I have ever had. I am very tired ; I am in a village called Foster , its 200km from Melbourne. I will be able to give you a full round up of the past 3 or 4 days tomorrow or the day after at the latest ; including those long overdue kangaroo videos.
PS , thanks very much for the messages on my messagboard. I will respond to them tomorrow
I have many photos and videos of today ( and stories ). sorry I havent been able to keep you informed the past few days ; and thanks for worrying about me coz I hadn`t updated my blog. Aye right !!
PS , I cant phone anyone , got a problem with my mobile
UPDATE : I wrote the diary below at 4pm. It`s now 5.30pm and I had good news that the photo`s were retreived ; I have uploaded them. I hope you enjoy them , just go straight to the photos instead of reading about me moaning hahaha , I`m fullfilling a dream and yet I still have time to moan !!
PS : The videos of the kangaroos are still troublesome ; I probably won`t be able to get those ever ; oh well , I am gutted but at least I got the photo`s back. Maybe somehow some expert can fix the corrupt videos , even if it`s in the future.
G`day ,
I don`t know what it is with me and big cities but I really don`t enjoy the 1st couple of days in them. This has been the worst so far.
Had a great day yesterday as I mentioned last night. I went to Wilsons Promontory National Park ( known as The Prom ) with a nice German girl from the small hostel I was staying in at Foster. the prom is basically a huge protected area , it has 130km of coastline. There are really good short walks and the beaches are the best I have ever seen. We went to a beach called Squeeky beach which was 100 times better than the beaches in Sydney and not a soul was on them ; the weather , water and waves were fantastic and the sand was pure white. It reminded me of beautiful beaches we have on the outer hebrides but with these ones you can actually enjoy the weather too ! We also went to whisky beach to see the sunset and before that had climbed a mountain and got an amazing view.
After Narooma I stayed in a town called Merimbula ; this was okay but not too eventful , had Sunday roast , and then I had a big driving day ( about 7 hours ) to Foster ; so that`s me brought you up-2-date haha.
Meanwhile , I had told you I had concerns about driving into the centre of Melbourne to drop the car off ; well I had a brianwave and discovered Thrifty have a depot just before Melbourne so I phoned them and arranged to drop it there ; big mistake. I got up at 6am as the man in the hostel was driving to the town I was to drop the car off and I was going to follow him ; he never went all the way and I got lost. I eventually found a Thrifty office , although I have no idea where I was , then I had bus and train problems to get into Melbourne , then I couldnt find a hostel when I got here ; I was getting a bit frustrated and fed up.
When I got a bus after dropping the car off I told the woman driver I was trying to get to the city centre , she looked at me as if I had horns on my head and told me to get her bus to some place and then get the train ; she asked me if it was a 2 hour ticket I wanted and I said ``I think so`` ; some fellow passenger told me where to get the train and that my bus ticket would be valid for it ; so I got a train and when I got to the city I knew I wouldnt be able to fit my luggage through the turnstile so I gave the woman at the oversize gate my ticket ; she scawled at me ``wrong zone - you need a zone 2`` like as if I was trying to cheat the rail firm. I asked her if she wanted more money and she said with attitude ``no , you must go to the window and get a zone 2`` , well , I`m afraid she was the straw which broke the camels back and I flipped at her ; it was good to get it all out ; I shouted ``Welcome to Melbourne`` at her after calling her an obscenity. Perhaps you might think she was just doing her job but it was her whole approach and the culmination of events leading to that caused me to blow a gasket.
To top things off my camera stopped reading the memory card again and corrupted it. I have put the card into a shop in hope they can recover the photo`s ; if they can that will cost me another 50 bucks ; if they can`t then I have lost all the kangaroo photos and the fantastic photos from yesterday. You know I really think I need to bite the bullet and buy another camera to stop anymore pain ; I reckon I can get what I need for about 75 quid and I wouldnt need any memory cards as I could use the ones I already have ; what do you think ?
Anyway , I am going to go just now. I am on the edge as I await news about the damaged memory card ; please keep your fingers crossed the photos are retrieved as they really are fantastic and I badly want them.
G`Day ,
I told you when I arrived in Sydney that when arriving in a big city such as that you find yourself rushing around like the rest of the people in the city centre - even though your not in a hurry. That happened yesterday too in Melbourne and obviously I was a bit stressed out. I`m fine now.
It`s raining tonight , as it was last night. Thankfully the weather has been magnificent when required ; such as the day before yesterday at Wilson`s prom ( the photo`s on my previous diary entry ). I`ve decided just to stay in and relax tonight , do some planning and maybe watch some TV ; no point going out in the rain , especially as I no longer have any waterproof clothing lol.
This morning some tube woke me up with his snorning ; when he stopped I actually said out loud ``hooray`` ; I guess I`m perhaps cruising for a bruising lol. I figured I would just get myself a little familiar with Melbourne today and not much else ; just to ease myself in and de-stress.
I`ve booked to go on a Neighbours tour on Saturday morning ; I am looking forward to that. We go to Ramsay Street , Erinsborough High School , various other sets and also get to meet some of the stars ; basically , I only want to meet Harold Bishop. Who can forget the tragedy when he fell off a Cliff and all Madge found washed up on the rocks was his glasses ; heartbreaking indeed ; as you will recall his body was never found and incredibly he turned up safe and well a couple of years later ; he had survived the fall into the sea and got washed up but was suffering from memory loss and so ``the neighbours`` had to remind him who he was lol. Basically , I want big Harold to pose in my tartan Morton top for a photograph ; perhaps that`s being a bit too optimistic.
Also , I established there is a big game of Aussie Rules Football on tomorrow at the MCG ( Melbounre cricket ground ) , the MCG , or the ``G`` as it is known here is commonly accepted as being the home of Aussie Rules. Tomorrow night is the opening game of the season and Melbourne ar playing their seaside neighbours St Kilda. St Kilda apparently have a lot of players out injured and so Melbourne are expected to record a victory ; who should I support ? Does it matter ? A crowd of over 50,000 is anticipated. It`s meant to be something special so I look forward to it.
I am so lucky the Aussi Rules game is on tomorrow , and I was fortunate too in Dunedin when I got to that big Highlanders rugby match and also in New Orleans when I was at the American football game of New Orleans Saints v the San Francisco 49ers ; I guess I am picking up a good habit of being in the right place at the right time , ref also Sydney Harbour bridge 75th birthday and the National Pipe Band championships in Dunedin.
Before lunch I took a tram to St Kilda , St Kilda is basically a seaside suburb of Melbourne , it`s really nice , reminded me of Portobello near Edinburgh although it is a bit bigger than that. Before I got to Melbourne I had considered staying in ST Kilda for a couple of days but now I have resigned myself to staying here in a YHA in central Melbourne , it`s a good hostel here , although not very homely. It does what it says on the tin , just like all YHA`s in cities , clean , quiet and a decent standard ; the membership I bought has paid for itself already as being a member you get a couple of bucks or so off each night.
I have re-arranged my luggage again and tossed out a lot of stuff I can survive without ; I can more or less get everything into the back pack now with just odds and sodds in my holdall.
I will be in Melbourne until Tuesday morning ( 3rd April ) when I begin the road trip to Adelaide. I have decided to stop for the 1st night at Sovereign Hill , Ballarat. This is a township where everything is set in teh 1860s or something when peopel came from far and wide hoping to strike it rich in a goldrush. Apparently there are 300 odd actors stuck in that timewarp. Thanks to the catman for the suggestion on my messageboard.
After Soverign Hill I will begin the great trip along the Great Ocean road towards Adelaide. I hand the car in at Adelaide on the morning of 8th April. I leave Adelaide on the 36 hour train trip to Perth at 6.30pm on 12th April ; ie I will be in Adelaide for 4 , possibly 5 nights.
I am already looking into plans on what to do when I get to Perth , Western Australia. I know I would like to spend longer than a few days somewhere , I havent done that so far on my travels , it would be good to get a little bit of casual work too , as I am running out of money.
Oh , when I got the tram to St Kilda today I was confused with the automated ticketing sysyem onboard the tram ; I didnt think it was a good system and certainly not good for unfamiliar tourists. I got help from a local to get a ticket but even then I was worried incase , like yesterday , I had the wrong ticket and some jobsworth would pull me up about it. Anyway , on the way back right , a couple of girls came on , after a few minutes a couple of scruffy guys approached them , the blokes were undercover ticket inspectors and as one of the girls had no ticket he wanted to issue her a heavy fine. The girl pleaded she was a tourist and her bag had been stolen , her story sounded credible , but imagin I had no ticket just out of not knowing how and they tried to fine me ? I`d no doubt have had another one of my blow-ups.
Theres a a free tram which takes you around the city centre , so I will play on that tomorrow before the big game at the MCG.
I hope everyone is well. Take care. Lots of Love. Ian.
G`Day ,
I never really done much today. I went to the big Aussie Rules football match tonight but to be honest it never really done much for me. I left cold and bored after the first quarter. I didnt understand what was going on and it wasn`t really what I expected. The much championed MCG stadium too was just a big soulless all-seated sports ground. I at least managed to give my ticket away for free.
I am not knocking the game , and I am glad I went along to see what it was but with spectartor sports I feel that I have only desire to support Morton ; there has to be a feeling for me for the team I am watching and Morton are the only team in my heart.
I am really looking forward to getting back on the road again. Melbourne is not really my cup of tea ; it`s just like any other big city. I keep trying to be patient but it`s not growing on me at all.
There`s a vibrant club scene in Melbourne , but , going out clubbing has never really been me ; and I`ll be stuffed if I am walking into some nightclub on my own and standing with a botlle of beer feeling sorry for myself.
I definately prefer the smaller towns , the countryside , the beaches and the walks , instead of city life. Melbourne has been a bit of a nightmare frankly.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more enjoyable.
** !!!!! APRIL FOOL !!!!! **
** !!!!! APRIL FOOL !!!!! **
** !!!!! APRIL FOOL !!!!! **
** !!!!! APRIL FOOL !!!!! **
G`day ,
The neighbours tour was really good. I hope you like the photo`s. We met Doctor Karl , Brenda I got his autograph on a neighbours postcard for you.
I let myself down last night by getting really really drunk , beyond sociable levels. Thankfully the roadtrip to Adelaide via the Great Ocean road is coming up. I tend not to have very little , if any , any alcohol if I am going to be driving the next day.
Today I went to St Kilda with a really nice American girl I met in the hostel ; her itinery is different from mine but I asked her if she would like to join me on the roadtrip and she is giving it consideration , it would be really good to have some company on the drive.
It`s 7.25pm. I think I will be going to bed really early tonight and just read and plan my trip.
I have long had a fascination with the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides in Scotlkand and I was curious to find out if St Kilda in Melbourne was named after that ; actually it was but indirectly. Here`s what the encylopedia says.
``The suburb takes its name from a ship called The Lady of St Kilda, which visited Melbourne in July 1841, five years after the founding of Melbourne. The ship was owned by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, a member of a prominent British political family, and the main shopping street of St Kilda is named Acland Street after him. The ship was named for the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland``
I hope everyone is well.
G`day ,
This is my last day in Melbourne. I went to the botanical gardens today , that was nice and relaxing. A very tranquil lake there , very peaceful.
Did you see on the news there was a tsunami today in the South Pacific and people got killed in the Solomon islands ? Sydney`s major beaches were closed , including Bondi as a precaution. I am not sure if St Kilda beach and such like were closed around here as I was , as I say , in the botanical gardens.
The American girl who was considering coming on the roadtrip doesn`t think she will be able to come but there`s a guy from Wales called Nick coming instead.
I am looking forward to picking the car up and getting out of the city. Hopefully I will get some good directions from teh car rental shop.
I am not going to the Neighbours night tonight. I have been tipped off that Harold Bishop won`t be there , so there`s not really much point in going to yap to three sexy young Aussie actresses that I will never have heard of.
Tomorrow should be a good day at Soverign Hill , Ballarat and then it`s off to the Great Ocean Road the day after. I`ve been tipped off where to see more kangaroos so hopefully I can replace the videos I lost from the previous time ; I`ve been told this particular mob of kangaroos enjoy a bt of boxing , that would make for a good video , me getting decked by a right jab.
I hope all is well.
Mum ; I will try and call you shortly.
G`Day ,
Picked the hire car up yesterday in Melbourne city. It wasn`t really too difficult to get on the road to Ballarat.
A guy from Wales , Nick is travelling along with me on the Great Ocean Road. I had advertised the availability of a lift in the hostel in Melbourne and Nick took up the offer. Good company.
Yesterday we arrived at Soverign Hill Lodge at Bllarat and after checking into our hostel aka. the ``southern barracks`` we went into the Soverign Hill township ; this was quite impressive ; the whole town is set in 1854 when the world saw one of it`s biggest ever Goldrushes with people coming to Ballarat from all the world in search of fortune. I was panning for gold but alas I never found a big nugget ; infact some people say I am a nugget myself.
Anyway , last night there was a big show on in Soverign Hill ; it was called ``Blood on the Southern Cross`` , its a 5 million dollar production and very professional ; busses whisk the audience around a couple of sets in the drama in Soverign Hill in the dark ; it really feels as if you are ``there``. for more on this see the enclosed section below , I hijacked the info from a review site
Today was the first day on the Great Ocaen road and we have now stopped off in the town of Lorne , quite a picturesque wee town with an unusual backpackers ; theres a big bush fire in the hills behind so hopefully the hostel doesnt go up too.
I had hoped to see more kangaroos on the Anglessey golf course to enable me to get videos for the ones which I sadly no longer have because of this wretched camera , but , alas , only one kangaroo was to be seen and there were signs around the course advising that it was totally not acceptable for members of the public to go on to the course for kangaroo viewing ; I think they were more concerned about us being hit by golf balls than punched by a kangaroo.
I have some photo`s to put on todays diary , I thought I had taken my USB cable with me but I mustve left it at the hostel ; I will ask the internet man if he will still be open this evening ; if he is I will add the photo`s.
How is everyone ?
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The Eureka Stockade of 1854 was a defining moment in the development of democracy in Australia. Blood on the Southern Cross tells the dramatic story of the Eureka Uprising by Ballarat`s miners against unjust and corrupt colonial rulers.
After gold was discovered, the government devised a system of gold licenses, charging miners a monthly fee even if they came up empty-handed. The miners had to buy a license every month, and corrupt gold-field police (many of whom were former convicts) instituted a vicious campaign to extract the money.
When license checks intensified in 1854, even though most of the surface gold was gone, resentment flared. Prospectors began demanding political reforms, such as the right to vote, parliamentary elections, and secret ballots.
The situation exploded when the Eureka Hotel`s owner murdered a miner but was set free by the government. The hotel was burned down in revenge, and more than 20,000 prospectors joined together, burned their licenses in a huge bonfire, and built a stockade over which they raised a flag - the flag of the Southern Cross
Troops arrived at the "Eureka Stockade" the following month, but by then only 150 miners remained behind its walls. The stockade was attacked at dawn, and in the 15-minute skirmish, 24 miners were killed and 30 wounded. The civil uprising forced the government to act: The licenses were replaced with "miners rights" and cheaper fees, and the vote was introduced to Victoria.
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G`day ,
Last night I was going to return to the internet cafe and upload photo`s , but , it had shut at 4pm so I couldn`t.
This internet machine is like something from the 1950`s and so I have no chance of showing you pics until tomorrow. The town we are going to tomorrow is larger and so no doubt I`ll have more luck there.
Today we set off at about 9am and stopped at nice little village called Apollo Bay for breakfast.
Before I continue let me tell you that we didnt get burnt alive in the bushfire I told you about , it transpired that it was a /``controlled`/ fire to clear some land.
The drive today was really scenic we stopped at a famous lighthouse at the entrance to Bass Straight which was built to hopefully prevent many more shipwrecks. Thousnad so fpeople lost their lives when entering the bass straight as lots of reefs and rocks are hidden ; many of those who perished were immigrants coming from Scotland during the goldrush.
This computer ``kiosk`` is pure pants by the way , hence the spelling mistakes.
We saw koala`s in trees and stopped to photograph them.
We got to the most famous part of the Great Ocean Road , the 12 apostles about 3pm , they are quite impressive , I was more impressed with the sea and the waves than the actual rock formations.
I have a good video of a wild cockatoo biting my ear ( I`d wont be surprised if that word gets blanked out due to the swear word censor )
I am really eager to show you all the photos and videos asap incase my camera gets up to its old tricks andcorrupts them again ; I still get frustrated when I think of those wonderful videos I had of kangaroos !!
I was thinking that maybe I will cut my time short in Australia and head to South East Asia quicker to save money , especially if I cant get work in Western Australia. I dont want to be scrimping and scraping in South East Asia. I will still spend at least 8 Weeks in Australia though.
Oh , last night was pretty cold. I had to sleep in the hostel with my fleecey jacket on. Too cold in this country hahah , I want to go somewhere hotter ; on the plus side , with cooler weather perhaps I can get myself more outdoor exercise. I really need to start eating more healthier too , last night I only had a huge bag of crisps for my dinner ; thats just not right.
Anyway , I think I am for an early night tonight as I have got a touch of the ``who am I , where am I , what am I`` syndrome.
How is everyone ?
G`Day ,
Well , last night we checked into the hostel and were first to arrive in a room with 3 x bunkberds and one single bed. Naturally , I opted for the single bed and Nick had one of the bottomw bunks. After some vegetating , having a shower , writing my blog etc , I was getting ready to go for a wander when I noticed a wee mouse running from the door and going under my bed. EEK !
I told Nick who was there too and we went and saw reception. I told the man at the reception we were a couple of big girls and could he help us. He asked if he`d like him to come and kill it for us ; yes please I harped up , no doubt at this moment the RSPCA will be gunning for me. Anyway , reception man assures us this is highly unusual and not to worry , he brought a brush ( the kind you would brush the stairs with ) couldnt find the mouse and so left us the brush to bash it with if we saw it again.
I immediatelty decided upon re-locating from the single bed onto one of the top bunks. Nick too moved from bottom bunk to top bunk. 4 Irish girls joined us in the room after the commotion but reception told us not to alarm them and not to mention mice, so we didnt.
The reception man had gone and the reception woman came to see me in the kitchen and said ``I hear you have a guest in your room haha , we`ve been trying to catch the mice we have here but we dont have enough mouse-traps and we can hardly tell everyone when they are checking in that they might see some and we cant leave live mousetraps in the room when guests are here`` this was in total condradiction to the reaction I got from the man receptionist earlier who was ``acting`` to be surprised about the presence of young Mickey.
Anyway , this morning I told the girls about it haha , after they were ready to leave of course , they were shocked too and concerned incase any mice had got into their backpacks. The recptionist came and put mousetraps in our room at 9.30am and told us not to go under the bed.
So , basically , I dont mind jellyfish , crocodiles , sharks and snakes but I am petrified of a wee moose.
I took so many more good photo`s and videos today. With it being Good Friday today and with a lack of internet cafe`s it`s not possible for me to upload photo`s today. It`s getting a bit frustrating and worrying , I don`t want to lose anymore in my faulty camera.
I spent a few hours going up and down coastal paths to view points of all the rock formations on the Great Ocean Road today. It was amazing , the photo`s don`t really do it justice but they are worth a look anyway. If I am still unable to do it tomorrow then definatley I will find internet cafe`s in Adelaide when I get back to civilisation.
I am going to a light and laser show tonight called ``shipwrecked`` which depicts the story of one of the many ships which came aground here which I described yesterday. This town is called Warrnambool.
I have now updated ``my map`` to show where I am now and all the places I have stopped at since leaving Melbourne.
I hope all is well. McDonald`s have internet access apparently and so I will investigate if it`s possibel to upload the photo`s from there , but I doubt it.
G`day ,
I have been able to upload photo`s which I have taken in the 5 days since leaving Melbourne. I need to upload the videos when I get to Adelaide. I will also ammend and fine tune the photo`s on this page with better explanations. I should be in Adelaide tomorrow. Had a long drive today and some nice bush walking.
Sorry its short and sweet , I.ve just spent over an hour getting the photos on. I hope you enjoy them. feel free to ask any questions.
G`Day from Adelaide ,
Apologies that I hadn`t updated my blog for 3 days which no doubt led to you all becoming concerned for my wellfare again. what do you mean ``no`` ! ?
Anyway , the drive from Robe to Adelaide took a while , outside the car it was very hot and it felt the most remote part of this huge country I have been in so far. I really enjoyed staying in Robe ; my only stopover in the state of South Australia other than my current destination , Adelaide.
Arriving in Adelaide I got lost trying to find where Ronnie lives. Ronnie , incase I haven`t mentioned is a Morton fan who immigrated to Australia , with his wife Carol . Ronnie became aware of my travels and kindly offered me the chance to stay at his place for when I was stopping by in Adelaide. Anyway I eventually found where I was trying to get to and met Ronnie , his wife Carol , daughter Claire and son Ross , who , plays a high level of football ( soccer ) and their friends Karl and Lesley who were over for a barbeque which I also had, and, I had delayed it due to getting lost. Ronnie was very generous in his constant supply of his favourite beer to me ; I think , i am still suffering the consequences of that now.
It`s a lovely house they have here , with swimming pool and all mod-cons. I am enjoying the wee break from fellow travellers , hostels , and all that goes along with that ; it`s not that I dont enjoy that , its good that I`ve been able to ``jump off`` for a few days.
So , that was Sunday. Yesterday morning , Monday , Ronnie took me to hand in the rental car I had. It may be a long time before I drive again ; like when I have settled back down and hopefully have a job where I can afford to do so again. To be honest , whilst I enjoyed the driving here and in New Zealand , I wont be too bothered if I dont drive again for some time to come. Anyway , getting to the point , Ronnie took me to see many nice beaches and coastal areas , notably the suburb of Glenelg.
Last night I was very tired , due to the heat and , probably having consumed too much beer on Sunday after a long roadtrip. I had an early night.
Today , Ronnie took me to a nice walk right next to the city. I found myself feeding swans with grass. We also went to the botanical gardens. Thats three cities in Australia I have been to botanical gardens now , Sydney , Melbourne and Adelaide , each occasion has been very pleasant and relaxing and a different from the previous time. visiting the botanical gardens in Glasgow isnt something which would have appealed to me before but no doubt upon my return I will do so.
I also went swimming at a nice beach we also saw yesterday , but it`s name escapes me at the moment due to tiredness. I hope Ronnie doesn`t mind I wasn`t taking notes and my memory is like a seive.
Karl , the bloke who was at the barbeque on Sunday , managed to do some wizardry and has retrieved my kangaroo videos. I am absolutely delighted with this because as you know I was gutted as I thought they were consigned to the bin. I have uploaded them here ; I hope you enjoy them. I am eternally thankful to Karl for his help , even if he were not able to retireve them ; but he did retireve them and so , fantastic.
Ronnie knows a guy who owns a winery and the guy said I could go and see the place and he`ll take me through the process. Thats occurring tomorrow , will no doubt be interesting and another new experiance.
Thursday at 6.30pm I will be on the train to Perth and wont be able to updae my blog till I get there 38 hours later. I am looking forward to going to Western Australia ; that will be my fourth Australian state I have been in in less than a month ; the time is flying in though. It was 32 degrees here today , thats hot. I don`t think I could bare it if it were any hotter.
G`day ,
It`s only 8:15am here in Adelaide. At around 4.30pm I will leave Ronnie`s house and head for the train which I will spend around 40 hours on bound for Perth , the capital of Western Australia.
I have really enjoyed my time in Adelaide. Yesterday was another busy day. Ronnie took me to a place called ``Boomer Beach`` , the waves there crash with a boom as they hit the beach , hence the name. I went in swimming to enjoy being engulfed by such waves ; I never had my case for my contact lenses and so I placed them inside my trainers and got a fright when a freeak wave almost washed them away but I managed to grab them just in time. Ronnie took some good photos of the waves.
Oh , before we left to go to Boomer beach yesterday after breakfast I planted a plant which I bought in memory of my Dad who was in Adelaide with the merchant navy. Adelaide was the only port of call we know my Dad was at in Australia so I thought it would be appropriate to have this small memorial for him here. Ronnie will water it for me after I have left. I can just imagine my Dad looking down and thinking of me ``this boy is a loony``. I will show you photos of this too when I get to Perth on Saturday.
I have bought a new camera as I didnt want to take any more risks of losing photos and videos. It`s a bit annoying as my current camera was only 4 months old , I bought it in New York at the start of my trip to replace one Donna had just got me before I left ; so basically I am on my third one in the space of 5 months , I like this one though and I am sure I will have no further problems. Many thanks to Ronnie`s daughter Claire for the help with the new camera.
Meanwhile , after we went to Boomer beach yesterday we went to a really nice seaside town , Victor Harbor. There is a causeway from there which leads to a small island called Granite Island. A horse drawn tram takes people across the causeway but we chose to walk across. I have good photos to show you from Granite Island and of the horse drawn trams.
After Victor Harbor we went to a winery as Ronnie knows the guy who owns it ; the owner of the winery , Phil , showed us around and explained the processes to us. It was a really enjoyable and informative. I asked lots of questions.
I went and watched Ronnie`s son`s team`s football training last night. I am so grateful to Ronnie and his wife Carol ,daughter Claire ,son Ross and Toby and Missie the Jack Russells for welcoming me into their home for the past few days.
Also when I get to Perth I will upload videos to compliment the photos I have already shown you from the Great Ocean Road Trip.
This is Thursday morning. It will be at least Sunday before I am able to update this blog again. Please bear with me
Hopefully by the time I next write Morton will have won the league. I am gutted at not being ablt to be there to celebrate and party with the rest of the fans but c`est la vie.
G`Day ,
I had a brainwave when I got on the train last night. I decided I would get off the train tonight , as I did an hour ago , in Kalgoorlie / Boulder , you can see where that is if you look on my map at my current destination. The reason behind my logic was that I had intended to go from Perth along the south coast to Esperance , if I had done that I would have needed to double back to Perth which would have wasted time and money. Now I can simply go down to Esperance and work my way along the coat to Perth over a few days ; plus I dont need to try and sleep another night on a seat on the train.
I have lots of photos and videos to show you and I will tomorrow but I hope you understand that , tonight , having spent the past 26 hours on a train , I`m pretty much beat.
G`day ,
I got to make this quick. There were no busses from Kalgoorlie to Esperance until Monday. I tried to hitch-hike this morning. I am about half-way there which isnt too bad , I am staying in a small town called Norseman ; there are so many flies here its murder. I needed 4 different lifts from people this morning as none of them were going the whole way. With a bit of luck in the morning I will get a lift to Esperance. Hitch-hiking is fun and besides I cant afford a car anymore and it saves money on the bus.
Good luck to Morton , hopefully they will win the league today.
I will elaborate furter when I get to Esperance. I have so much to tell and show you. I meant to update my map ysterday but forgot. I will do so now. You will notice I am halfway between Kalgoorlie an the coast where Esperance is.
basically right now I am being eaten alive by mossies in a pub which cant sell you a beer until you buy a meal , hmmm , rules are rules. I look forward to getting to the coast and away from the flies and mossies. the repellent is no use. you should have seen me today trying to hitch-hike and trying to take cover from all flying insects which seemed to view me as a feast.
Anyway , I will finish this stubby and then head to a pub which sounds familiar ....``THE NORSEMAN``
In Kalgoorlie there is a huge open pit gold mine. I mean huge , it looked like the grand canyon. Also in kalgoorlie the tourist info place has flyers inviting people to take ``brothel tour`` for 20bucks , I mean , what can they possibly show you in there ? the mind boggles ; apparently Kalgoorlie has the oldest brothel in Australia which came about as a result of the gold-mining boom. Kalgoorlie produces around 80% of all the gold currently being mined in Australia , or something like that. I thought I left all that stuff behind when I was at Ballarat.
G`day ,
Congratulations to all connected with Greenock Morton FC on being league champions.
Just a quickie to let you know I got up early and after about an hour of being eaten by flies again I managed to hitch a lift to Esperance froma nice Australian couple , Brian and I think Jenny her name was ; so thats me here !!
I cant upload photos and videos here but apparently I can do so tomorrow at some intenet shop in town ( its shut on sundays ) ; if I can I will as its been a few days and they are building up.
I am pure starving man and going to get something to eat. will write a full diary tomorrow. Esperance looks nice.
G`day ,
I am in Esperance. Tomorrow I catch 2 busses to Albany. The bus takes about 5 hours.
I have spent the past couple of hours uploading photos from the past week and the videos from about 10 days ago on the Great Ocean Road. I hope you enjoy them. Watch especially the video of the wild cockatoo biting my ear outside the hostel in Lorne.
I shall be travelling round to Perth during the next few days taking in a few cheapo activities on teh way. From Perth I reckon I am going up to Broome which is about a 38hour bus trip , I am trying to get a good deal , might join in with a roadtrip if I see any backpackers advertising in Perth. I want to stop at a few places before Broome.
From Broome I need to establish how I am going to get to Alice Springs to be able to see all the weird and wonderful things the red centre has to offer. Perhaps ``The Alice`` will be more accessible from Darwin but thats another big trip from Broome.
From the Alice I need to fly to Cairns and then work my way down to Brisbane where I`d like to do a short trip south to the Gold Coast before catching flight from Brisbane to to Bali in about 6 weeks from now.
How am I going to achieve all that with no time and no money ? I reckon I will get the skates on and get up to Perth to try and figure solutions as I reckon it will be easier to establish to the course of action from Perth as there may / may not be some openings there.
Apologies the photos and videos are a bit out of sync , I have been busy busy busy. Today I am going a 10k walk to what is meant ot be one of the nicest beaches in Australia. There was a big storm last night.
Anyway , let me know whats going on.
not for Brenda , can you email me please.
G`Day ,
The coach trip today was longer than I thought , 6 and 1/2 hours. I am here in Albany though. Since leaving Adelaide I have been bouncing from place to place again. I am not leaving Albany until Saturday morning so that will gie me a chance to re-charge the batteries once more. I will be taking the coach direct to Perth.
I have updated my map to show you where I am now.
Tonight I felt like a night off of travel planning as I have been getting heavy into it again. I was going to go to the pictures to see ``Mr Bean`s holiday`` , I thought it was only a 5 minute walk away but it transpires to be an hour so I will walk over tomorrow avro instead.
There`s only one activity I really want to do in this area and that a ``tree top walk in the land of the giants`` near Walpole. I reckon I will be going there Thursday , it`s gonna cost me for bus , taxi and park entrance , all in I reckon about 35 quid , and so thats not too bad. Just one day out of 4 that I need to fork out a bit of cash.
As I didnt go to the pictures I emailed a few travel companies asking for quotes and recommendations on how to get from Perth to the red centre quickly and cheaply and also to quote on how to get to the red centre from Broome ; and even from Darwin. One final thing I asked of them was for a quote from the red centre to Cairns.
I have still got nearly 6 weeks left in Australia ; I am really enjoying it here but I am also looking forward to the 2nd half of my trip in South East Asia where I will get away from Western cultures. I mean so far the bulk of my trip has been in the USA , New Zealand and Australia where every corner you turn theres a McDonald`s or Pizza Hut and everyone speaks english and most folk look as if they could come from Greenock.
I quite like Albany , its got a population of about 30,000 and is big enough to have all the amenities you`d expect in a large town whilstt still feeling homely and not having the claustrophobia of a large city.
Anyway , I`m rambling , I will update you tomorrow.
PS , the internet is cheap as chips in this hostel , so no doubt I will spend a bit of time on here in the coming days.
Take care.
G`day ,
Well today I had my ``day off`` and I went an hour and half walk to the cinema and watched Mr Bean`s holiday. The film was okay , quite funny in parts but I think mostly for kids. I particularly enjoyed the bit where he was hitch-hiking , it reminded me of me a couple of days ago. I will no doubt make other visits to cinema`s elsewhere.
I mentioned to you that I wanted to go along the coast to Walpole and do the treetop walk , I was figuring out bus times to walpole and the tourist place told me I would need a taxi costing 42bucks return to the start of the walk once I got there. I figured it would be better to hire a car for a day and so I have done just that. I already have the car , it`s an absolute cracker ; I will show you a photo of it tomorrow night when I get back.
As you know , I am flying out of Brisbane this time next month ; my original intent was to go up to Broome and possibly Darwin before headint to Alice Springs and all the tourist attractions of the red centre before going to Cairns and bussing down to Brisbane ;......well , I`m afraid that due to money and time constraints I am just going to fly from Perth to the Alice , as you wil lnotice this will mean missing out on a road trip up to Broome and all thats inbetween , such as swimming with wild doplphins at Monkey Mia ; I figure that would have been good as it wouldnt have been like something you get in a tourist park in Florida / Mexico etc but the real thing , still however, it`s a sacrifice I have to make and anyway I reckon the whole dolphin thing would be more for girls and weans ; I`d still have liked to have seen it though but hey , I can`t be greedy.
I can get a flight to the Alice for 300bucks and so I will digest it to be sure and then book in a couple of days time. I will then need to book a tour from Alice to Ulura , the Olgas and Kings Canyon ; after which I will need to suss out how I will get to Cairns , fly or roadtrip ; roadtrip would be great but due to afforementioned constraints I might be forced to fly. I think you can tell I am looking forward to and now have one eye on to the 2nd half of the trip in South East Asia.
The car rental guy said I should go along the road to the ``Tangle Head`` , its a pub which brews it`s own grog he said , and it is really dangerous stuff , a couple of pints and your like jelly. The night is young and the hostel gave me a voucher for discounted beer there , I`ll pop over for a couple of pints.
Come back tomorrow and I will show ya some photo`s.
Good Morning ,
Its only 9.20am. I am writing up the diary I tried to write last night. I gave up as I couldnt upload the photos and videos , here they are now , apologies if all you read on here was ``blah blah blah`` , thats my ``under consruction`` message haha.
Yesterday was a good day , I drove round to little beach , it was an amzing sight to behold. I wish I had more time and I would have made a day of it there. After that I went to the tree top walk. It wook me about an hour and a half to drive there and the walk only took 10minutes , so I felt a bit letdown to be honest , it was good though.
Last night I just stayed in and had an early night as my eyes were really sore with my contact lenses. I was talking to a kiwi bloke who said he will take me to see some blow-holes today and the whaling station , but he seems to still be in his kip so I dont know.
I am definately leaving for Perth tomorrow. Tonight I will probably book my flight to the Alice and no doubt my trip from there to Uluru , The Olgas and Kings Canyon. This will be one of the highlights of my whole life ; I mean , when thinking of Australia you think Uluru right ? Uluru is the aboriginal name for Ayres rock and what it is known as these days , I knew that but just incase you didn`t. In any further referances I make to it , it will be Uluru ; okay ? Kings Canyon and the Olgas are also meant to be amazing things to see in the red centre.
Note for Mum : On the phone last night I mentioned I thought I had lots of credit on a new mobile phone voucher thingey that vodaphone do , but , alas , I did have lots of credit but not to dial international numbers , hence I got cut-off !!!!! it sounded to good to be true.
What do you all think of the new photo`s ? I am particularly pleased with the video of Little Beach. I am still trying to get familiar with this camera , it`s proving more awkwark than my old one to upload things to this website , but I guess I will figure something out.
I hope you are enjoying the nice spring weather in Greenock , Scotland , and beyond. Thanks for continuing to monitor my progress.
G`day ,
The bloke I met from New Zealand , Al , and I went to see some amazing coastline and powerful waves yesterday. I hope you enjoy the videos I have put on here ; I am really pleased with them , and the photo`s. If you only watch two , watch the one which says ``this is my favourite video`` and also the one of the surfers on boogieboards.
We also went to the whaling station , it was really fascinating. In 1978 they finally stopped whaling here , they only did so as there wasnt much money to be made anymore from teh oils from the whales as synthetic oils began to be made and they were cheaper. There were still lots of whales ; and there are even more now. I could tell you a lot about it but I am pretty shattered right now , see next paragraph.
I went out for a few beers last night , it was Friday night , afterall and I had a good day so I didnt want to stay in. After I came back I got chatting to some hostel folks and one of the girls , a Norweigan , mentioned she was going to be on the same bus as me today so I met up with her this morning and we hung around Fremantle for a while ; its only 7.10pm here but after the 6 hour bus journey today with a huge hangover I feel pretty shattered and think I will hit the sack about 9pm. The hostel room is the biggest dump I`ve ever seen in my life but the other hostels are full ; might try and shift tomorrow though as this is pure boggin man.
I hope everyone is well. Do you have any questions ???? lol , come on , ask me a question !!
G`day ,
It`s Monday lunchtime. Yesterday morning I moved from one dump of a hostel in Fremantle to another , the other being a YHA hostel and I have coem to expect more from the YHA but such is life.
After checking into the hostel I went on the Fremantle prison tour. At the start the tour guide asked if anyone had been on tours in any other prison ; I was the only person there able to declare I had been to Alcatraz....and Napier !!! , I never mentioned the Dalrymple Street Disco , also known as Greenock Polis Station.
The prison tour was good for what it was but as I had already done Alcatraz then it wasnt really a new experiance. At the end I had fish n chips in the cafe and I was eavesdropping into a conversation 3 middle-aged men who were on the tour were having. They were ex convicts and came on the tour as to remind themselves of their tiem inside , they had some interesting stories.
The prison also does nightime tunnel tours and great escape tours , both were a bit pricey , would have been nice to do but I would have rather they had everything in one ticket instead of three , it gave the impression that they were another outfit interested in squeezing money out of tourists ; so I opted just for the basic tour. After the prison I went to Fremantle market ; thankfully it was indoors as the thunder came and then the rain came down in buckets.
In the market there was a sweet shop , it was another one of those places selling ``Millions`` sweets ; I pointed out the millions logo on my morton top to the shopkeeper and he was like ``where did you get that , can I buy it from you ?`` ; needless to say , My treasured Morton ( CHAMPIONS !! ) top is not for sale.
After the market I went into a pub , just to have one to escape the rain of course. I am quite disapointed with myself because I had many many drinks and ended up quite drunk and with an empty wallet. I wouldnt mind so much if the booze wasnt so expensive , but here they have the most expensive alcohol I have ever drank , and I have no money for it.
After I went to bed last night the bloke on the top bunk opposite me was snoring like a hippo , it was unbelievable , he probably have won the Western Australia snorning championships ; I even started looking for my camera to enable me to record some of it to let you hear it , it went on all night ; I couldnt locate my camera though.
Today I have jumped on the train to Perth and I am staying in the Perth city YHA , it looks spic and span and more what I expect. I cant check in until noon though but its near that time now ; I think I will get a quick cat-nap when I get in and then maybe organise myself.
I am in Perth until Sunday when I get my flight to Alice Springs , commonly referred to as ``The Alice`` where I am doing a 3 day tour to Uluru , the Olgas and Kings Canyon. This is a big adventure which excites me and I have no doubt will be highlights of my life. I think , in Perth , I will just be chillin, no major activities and certainly no expensive booze sessions ; although on Thursday the bar in the hostel has a free BBQ and 2 dollar beers , I`ll have a peice of that. The hostel also has a pool and I think its outdoors , so perhaps a couple of days I will just chill around there and read and stuff.
Perth seems a really nice city , you`ve often heard me grumble about big cities and how I prefer the journey inbetween ; wel here in Perth no-one is rushing around like eejits , everything seems very calm ; I think I will enjoy it here once I get my chin up.
Do you have any questions or advice on anything I MUST do whilst in Perth ?
I hope everyone is well. Ian
G`day ,
Today is ANZAC day. The whole of Australia and New Zealand stop for a public holiday to pay their respects to their fallen service personnel. Here there was a big rememberance service up at Kings Park where the state war memorial is.
I went up there yesterday , Kings Park , and the botanic gardens , for a walk. Good view of the city skyline from up there. It started raining heavy though and so I got the ``free`` city bus back.
Last night I just went a walk to Northbridge , the part of the city where the bars and restraunts are. It seemed really nice but the kind of places I would generally only go to if it was a bit quieter or if I was in company. I don`t like having a beer when I have the top bunk in a hostel anyway as its a hassle getting down to go to go for a pee. I just saved the money instead.
I mentioned the hostel was really nice before. Sadly you here the trains tooting and a pedestrian crossing beeping constantly. I havent had much sleep ; they have shifted me rooms now but I think this room is worse , plus , the guys in the room have put the aircon on full blast at 26 degrees , its like a sauna. I dont even know what one is my bed and its 4pm , I think the cleaners are still to come. Still , its a really nice building !
Tomorrow I reckon I will go a daytrip on teh ferry to Rottnest island , it takes 2 or 3 leisurely hours to cycle round it so that will get me more exercise than all the walking I have been doing and clear some cobwebs. Thats really the only activity I will be doing in Perth , I am really looking forward to going to Alice springs on Sunday and the Uluru trip.
I am also studying Indonesia for when I land in Bali a month from now. I am really looking forward to that , the 2nd half of my trip ; so much so that I have been contemplating ditching flying to Cairns and seeing the Queensland coast but just getting a flight from the Alice to Bali insted ; my money will go a lot further and I feel I have reached my ``comfort zone`` in Australasia ; need something more challenging than just lots of young students partying their way up and down the coast in Queensland ; but on the other hand I dont want to miss anything and I may only be in Australia just the once ; decisions decisions.
I think I will go for a pint after this , not much else to do on a bank holiday. There`s lots of sailors and stuff proudly walking about with their medals for ANZAC day and some young casually dressed people have medals too , I presume they have been given them by late grandparents.
I know I am meant to be having the time of my life but I could do with a wee boost , it would be good to get some company again as I have been feeling a bit lonely ; it`s just one big rollercoaster.
Oh , I bought myself a nice hat with a rim and also a mosquito net to go over it ; I am sure this will come in handy in the outback and no doubt in Asia too ; it`s been pointd out to me that Mosquito nets are no good for fending off the crocs though !!
I hope everyone is well.
G`Day ,
Well today , my 2nd last full day in W.A. , I went to Rottnest Island , that`s Rotto , to us locals. The ferry ride took 1 and three quarter hours first thing this morning , it was a pleasant journey down the Swan river to Fremantle ( Freo ) where we made our way out to Rotto. I must admit I dozed a fair chunk of the way on ther boat as it`s been hard to get a good kip in the hostel with the trains chugging by and pamping their horns.
When I arrived in Rotto I went and hired a bike , that`s the first time I have been cycling since way back on the Queen Charlotte Track when I arrived into Picton on on the South Island of New Zealand. The bike ride today was not strenuous but my body and mind really needed the benefit I get from getting my circulation flowing ; cycling does that in a way all the walking I have doing cannot.
During the cycling I was keeping an eye out for Quokka`s , for the 1st hour or so I was thinking it was a gimmick ; and then I saw a ``mob`` of them , if mob is the correct name for a group of quokka`s who knows , it is for kangaroo`s anyway , or skippies as us locals call them.
The scenery was fairly pleasing on the eye. Rottnest is a really peaceful , tranquil sort of place with no major development. The quokkas have lived here for centuries as they have no predators on the island , such as foxes.
I have enjoyed my time in W.A. even although I never done as much which I had intially intended ; perhaps I misjudged the sheer size of this state ; W.A covers a much bigger land area than the whole of Europe and also covers approx one third of the total area of Australia.
I am now eagerly looking forward to going to Alice Springs on Sunday. I am just going to use tomorrow as a day to get prepared. I am quite excited about the coming few days actually ; it`s Friday night , but I am not drinking this weekend. I want to be focussed for the forthcoming trip ; I want to have a clear head and remember it.
I have gradually been eating more healthy too ; believe it or not I no longer have a bacon and egg McMuffin from McDonalds for breakfast , instead I have a bowl of Special K and a glass of milk. As I not really keen on vegetables I have started drinking vegetable juice too ; and I am cooking my own meals now in the hostels - well okay I made a couple of boiled eggs.
I`m jibbering a bit here , what do you think of Quokka`s ? Do you think they are cute and cuddly ? Or do you think they just look like ugly big rats ?
You know , seeing all these people in their teens and twenties working over here ; I wish I had the foresight to do that a few years ago. I wish I also had the desire to travel and to get a decent education ; well I guess it`s good I am finally realising this. I want to study something when I get home and I want to do more travelling. I`ve also realised that I can`t go for a couple of social drinks , I always end up blitzed , so what I do if I dont want to end up blitzed is just not have those couple of drinks to begin with , it`s not rocket science.
I will try and write to you again tomorrow night.
G`day ,
Just to let you know I have arrived in one peice at Alice Springs , or ``The Alice`` as we locals call it.
Everything has been a bit of a rush since arrival ; they have booked me onto the trip to leave tomorrow , I had wanted another day here first but so be it.
At 5am I will be up and heading to Uluru , Kings Canyon , The Olgas and much more , all over 3 days and 2 nights. Obviously I wont be able to have internet access during that time. As soon as I get back I will let you know incase you are worried !!
I have a lot of organising to do in the next couple of hours and seek a meal.
The hostel told us just to get up and go at 5am and we will be wearing the same clothes for the 3 days ; that will be right , I am taking 3 days worth of things.
See you later. Exciting stuff eh ?
PS , Map updated
G`Day ,
It`s 5pm on Thursday. I have spent the day re-cupperating at the pool of the hostel ( Annie`s place ) at The Alice after the 3 day trip we had. I say we as the group I was with was fantastic ; definately one of the highlights , if not the best 3 days of my year away so far.
The trip was by Mulga Tours , Mulgas are infamous here for having the cheapest trip , they manage this as they dont advertise anywhere , using instead ``word of mouth`` from backpackers who have done the trip already. Many comapnies do the exact same trip and you can pay 3 times the price. As its the cheapest trip , at 250 bucks , you find it tends to be backpackers , mostly those who stay in Annie`s place who go on it.
Everysingle person on the trip was really nice , but unique. We even had two tour leaders ``Krusty & Panky`` when most trips only have one. It was Krusty`s first trip as a tour leader as he was learnign the ropes from Panky. It was Panky`s last tour after having done over 200 of them. Krusty , by the way is named after Krusty the clown from The Simpsons and one of his previous jobs was indeed a clown.
Anyway , Monday morning at 6am we set off from Annie`s place. At 7am we stopped to go for a camel ride , not the best thing with a hangover by the way. Here they actually let the camels ``run`` with you onboard which is quite unusual. Panky and Krusty told us that there was more animals for us to see ; they pointed out a Shamel and told us it was a cross between a camel and a sheep ; some gullible people believed this but when I saw it it was obvioulsy a llama. They also showed us a peacock and told us it was the largest bird in the parrot family and it talks to people ; you should have seen some loonies trying to get a peacock to speak.
Anyway , we moved on and had lunch then we done a fantastic 4 hour hike at Kings Canyon , some spectacular scenery and a refreshing swim in the garden of Eden waterhole. We then drove to our bush camp for the night where we had dinner. I was responsible for keeping the fire going after we had collected the firewood ; I enjoyed this task and explained that I used to be a pyromaniac when I was a young boy. We all got pretty drunk but I was the last man standing , , I think that made me the winner; or an idiot. We slept in swags under the stars. A swag is liek a glorified sleeping bag into which you put an actual sleeping bag.
Tuesday morning Panky woke us at 5am. we were meant to be heading to do a hike at The Olgas but it had started pouring with rain and Panky decided it would be too dangerous. Instead we went to Uluru ( Ayers Rock ). Panky was really excited as he had been there over 200 times but had seen waterfalls on it only twic. He said we were really lucky to see it like this as only 1% of people do. It was pretty special to be honest with ya. By the way , the knowledge Panky had throughout the trip was incredible ; the whole three days was an education and very inforamative. some people chose to do the whole base walk on their own but some of us had had enough for the day and went to the pub. It was not possible to climb Uluru due to the rain ; we didnt mind this as we all felt very satisfied with what we saw. The indigenous people do not want anyone to climb it anyway.
We set up camp again and had dinner. I went to get some cider from the pub as a carryout ; they couldnt sell me any cider as the aboriginals get too drunk on it ; but they could sell me wine at double the strength of cider , very puzzling. I sat up drinking with Panky after everyoen else retired about 11ish. We saw a dingo capture a rabbit ; it was an incredible real-life documentary right in front of us whilst everyone was sleeping. The poor rabbit put out a bit of a howl when it was caught.
Yesterday we got up at 5aqm again and headed to The Olgas where we done an amazing hike ( The Valley of the winds ) in amongst fantastic scenery. Panky explained the geology of the Olgas but I didnt really understand too much. I was just happy to be in that special place. The Olgas were just as spectacular of Uluru if not more so.
We drove back to Alice Springs and on the way back we all went a bit mad on the bus , everyone was so happy and satisfied. We all met up for dinner in the hostel and some of us went into town drinking and dancing. Panky and Krusty stayed with us until 3am this morning ; the trip finished at 5pm last night so it was really good of them to still hang around with us I felt.
Alice Springs at first you feel a bit intimidated by the Aboriginals hanging around but that soon passes ; I should have mentioned that at the start of my story here and not the end. After the trip I have a much better understanding of the Aboriginal peoples way of life. It`s hard to explain this in short words.
This internet cafe is about to close. I am trying to upload a couple of videos. Tomorrow I will come on tomorrow and tell you the things I missed from today. The photos and videos I have put here will illustrate a better story than what I can put into words. Krusty is a really top bloke and I am sure he will become a great tour guide , just like Panky but in his own way. I felt so sad to leave all the people from the tour behind ; but hey , as I have said before , that`s the nature of the beast and as the song goes ``Here I go again on my own`` !!
G`day ,
Well today is my last day in ``The Alice``. had a few beers last night ; it`s really unavoidable here !!
Today I got up and went a walk to Anzac Hill where there is a nice view over the town. When walking back I bumped into Korrina , the only other person still left here that was on the Uluru trip. Korrina is a Norweigan girl who had been sitting next to me on the bus ; I was heading for the reptlie centre and the baby kangaroo rescue centre so she came along with me which was nice.
The reptile centre was okay , you get to hold various snakes and lizards. They have a big salt-water crocodile but we couldnt see much of him from the viewing area which was a bit dissapointing.
The highlight of today was definatley going to the baby kangaroo rescue centre. If you are coming to Australia and you hit a kangaroo with your car or when you see a dead kangaroo at the side of the road PLEASE check to see if there is a baby in it`s dead mothers pouch. 99% of the time the baby survives the impact of car accidents ; take the joey out of it`s mothers pouch and put it in a bag and have someone in the passenger seat hold it until you can get here.
The bloke who runs the centre becomes the baby kangaroos ``mother`` until they are about 13 months old and then he can release them into the wild. Most of the day they are kept ina bag , just like being in ther mothers pouch ; when they get to nine months they usually don`t stay in the bag anymore but just bounce around. Korrina and I each got to hold baby kangaroos for about 20 minutes ; it was really interesting. A very rewarding and worthy cause which the bloke runs I thought.
After some lazing by the pool I went and vsited the Flying doctors service. It was very informative but I have beeen feeling a bit jaded and I didnt really stay too long in the museum after the film they showed me.
Anyway , so I am on my way to Queensland tomorrow , I will be flying to Cairns and spending 3 weeks working my way down to Brisbane. Queensland has a a huge amount of young people travelling up and down it`s coast and there is a big drinking culture and stuff. I obviously don`t want to spend a lot of time there as it will cripple my finances. I`d prefer if I could go straight to Bali right now but alas it will be nice to see the Queensland coast.
I am really tired just now as you will have noticed from my poor grammar on this diary update. I think I will get an early night after organising my things again.
Do you have any questions ?
G`day ,
The flight from The Alice to here was only 1hr 45mins. The hostel I am staying at , Calypso , is one of the best I have been in yet.
Everything in Cairns , and indeed Queensland as a whole , revolvs around diving....and boozing.
I hesitated due to the expense but after careful consideration I have decided to go for my diving course. The course is a 5 day open water course which includes classroom lessons and 9 dives.
I have exactly 3 weeks to get out of Australia. There are a couple of other highlights of Queensland which I must see ; a 3 day Whitsundays trip and a 3 day Fraser Island Trip. Its a 10 hour bus trip to the place to start the Whitsundays and about another 10 hours to the Fraser Iasland place with only 6 hours or so from there to Brissie.
Time and money are both going to be tight in the next 3 weeks. There are going to be several days when it is not going to be possible to update my blog.
Everyone has heard of the Great Barrier Reef. It`s a chance in a lifetime for me to gain my diving qualifications and see it underwater. The bonus being that I will be certified to go on further splendid but less expensive dives in Indonesia , Malaysia & Thailand.
I hope everyone is well. I am going to be busy huh.
I need to get hold of Singapore Airlines as there is some issue with my flight from Brisbane to Bali.
G`day ,
I got picked up at 9am and taken to Cairns diving schoo. It was only me and one other guy who were to have our first lesson today. The morning was spent watching educational videos and doing exercises from text books.
During the lunchbreak we had a madical ( more expense ) , and this afternoon was mostly spent in teh pool , first snorkelling and then actually scuba diving ; it was all about getting familiar with teh equipment and learning skills.
At the moment I feel I hav a lot to learn and I feel I am lacking confidence. If I hadn`t started the course and paid for it then maybe I wouldn`t bother. I just don`t know if I am going to be cut-out for it. The instructor told me not to worry and that I have four full days of training ahead of me and things will become 2nd nature to me. Hmm , I`ll see.
Tonight I am going to do my ``homework`` , have something to eat and no alcohol. I think I won`t bother having any alcohol throughout the course. I feel worried that in an underwater situation where a problem arose I might panic.
Anyway , I guess I will just need to see how the next few days pan out.
G`Day ,
Well , today I got up at 6am and went for my 2nd scuba lesson. It was pouring of rain in the pool , but I guess we were wet anyway.
I really enjoyed the lessons today and feel a lot more comfortable. I was able to do the taining exercises which we done yesterday a lot more comfortably.
Tonight I am going on a reef teach course in the town ; its only about 8 quid so I guess I could have easily spent that on a couple of beers ; and it will be educational and beneficial for my diving.
Tomorrow I head out on the MV Kangaroo for three days and two nights , after which , hopefully I will be a qualified scuba-diver and will have had a great time. I am a bit nervous but thats normal huh ? especially considering the kayak disaster beach on the Cook Islands.
Apologies for lack of photo`s in past couple of days. There`s going to be plenty of scope for videos and pics during the next 18 days or so as I make my way to my exit point of Australasia , Brisbane.
The diving guys sweet-talked me into buying a good snorkelling mask and stuff ; saying it was essential. As I have plenty of time in South East Asia still to come I suppose they will pay for themselves ; its just more expense and things to carry though.
As I said previously , or maybe not , I am going to be really busy , because , after the diving trip I will be here for ( I think ) a day , then I have an overnight trip to Airlie beach then start the Whitsundays trip the next day. After the Whitsundays I immediatley head down to Hervey Bay for the Fraser Island trip and then to Brisbane when I have a day to get ready to fly to Bali.........then , the fun begins I suppose !!!!
Anyway , Happy Birthday to my younger sister Cheryl.
Do you have any comments ? If so just leave them on my messageboard.
G`day from Cairns ,
Last night I got back from an amazing three days on the Great Barrier Reef.
Okay , so here it is from the start.
On Thursday morning Markus ( the German boy who was doing his training with me ) met up at the dive shop wher we were given a briefing from Mischa ( our instructor ).
We set off on a boat , the sunkist at 8.15 with other wannabe divers and some snorkellers who were going for a day trip. The boat trip was about 2 hours long and really choppy ; more choppy than the crew anticipated. One of the girls on the boat got really sick and was having panic attacks , they had to give her oxygen to help her breathe , it was quite distressing.
Anyway , we arrived at the Kangaroo Explorer about 11ish and were shown to our cabins and assigned to the divemaster who would follow on the trainingd previously received in the swimming pool. After lunch we had our first session. Markus and I , together with Fabian ( our new dive instructor ) took a stride into the water and made our way to the front of the boat where we made our way down a rope and underwater ; at first it seemd a bit daunting but after a few seconds was incredible. Fabian took us around the reef and pointed out lots of weird and wonderful creatures to us. The next dive wa at 4pm where we done more training exercises.
after our first dive Fabian told us he was really impressed and had absolutly no doubt we would make good divers ; he told us we were both above average. He said that was because we were good students plus he said that Mischa is a well respected and professional trainer ; we agreed.
On Friday morning we had our certifiaction dive. A cameraman came with us and videod it. The DVD is in the post to my sister , its really good. Fabian gave us our open water diver licences underwatr ; it felt really good , I felt a great sense of achievement ; like when I was 17 and passed my driving test.
On Friday night we went on a night dive ; it was just me and one dive buddy ; we couldnt dfo the night dive previously as we were not certified. Being under the water in the dark is a weird experiance , it`s like floating around in outer space. Some guys saw a big shark but unfortunately I havent seen one yet ; hopefully I will see one in a couple of days time.
Yesterday our dives were purely for fun on our own with no longer the need for an instructor with us ; a few days ago I would have found this daunting but I have a lot more confidence and experiance now.
Everything about the trip was brilliant ; everyone on the boat were really nice , the crew , the chef , the food , everything. Markus and I were so lucky to have had Mischa and then Fabian as our instructors ; we were also lucky to be just a pair of us as it meant the instructors could give us more attention. We were also lucky to have each other , Markus is a great guy and was good company ; he told me I must visit him in Berlin , I returned the offer.
My towel blew overboard haha , so I have come into town to get another. I hav so much to tell you. We were swimming with giant turtles and scratching their backs for them , we saw nemo and millions of other colourful fish , big and small.
One thing I need to pratice is my orientation under-water but I guess that will come with experiance. I reckon anytime I ever go on holiday in future I will look to see if there is diving opportunities.
Its been about 14 hours since I got back to land and I still feel as if I am swaying.
Tonight I get a bus at midnight and arrive at Airlie beach at 8am , the following day I am on a sailing cruise around the Whitsunday islands , this is meant to be spectacular. I will try and updatemy blog before I go but if I dont get a chance for a wee or so then don`t wory about about me as I will just be away L.T.D. , haha LTDis an acronmyn the crew taught us ; can you guess what it stands for ???
G`day from Airlie Beach ,
Well , last night I got the bus at midnight and arrived 11 hours later here at Airlie beach.
Tomorrow I am going on a 3 day , 2night sailing trip. It will be possible for me to dive whilst on the trip.
I am looking forward to it very much as I continue to LTD.
I am quite tired with the big bus trip and so will retire early this evening , as I have an early start at 7.30am.
We have just just gone for our briefing , there is 11 of us and 3 crew. I especially look forward to seeing the world famous ``Whitehaven Beach``
Only another couple of weeks or so and then I will be onto the 2nd half of my trip and will be in Bali , I need it to come around quick as obviously my finally in Australia is crippling my funds.
If you copy and paste this link into your address bar it will give you a taster of what I can expect ; looks like a nice sailing boat huh ?
I`ll be in touch when I get back ; No Worries and Cool Banana`s !
http://www.sailingwhitsundays.net/opp/tours/thecard/index.html
G`day from Airlie beach ,
The sailing trip was alright , nothing special I thought. The group didnt really intermingle or gel too great ; although I did meet 4 fantastic people from Belgium and France.
I am in a bit of a rush here. I got up at 8am this morning for an 11 hour bus , only to find I read my ticket wrong and my bus isnt until tonight.
I will get to Hervey Bay tomorrow morning and will write a full diary on here then. I never took a huge deal of photos.
I lost my Scotland flag ; I think it went overboard ; I was a bit fed up by that but hey , I can live without it huh ?
There a nice Scottish brother and sister in my room last night and so I went drinking with them and the French and Beligians.
I look forward to the Frazer Island trip and as you knwo I am looking forward to moving on from Australia next week.
Take Care.
Ian
G`day from Hervey Bay ,
My blog updates have fell by the wayside a bit in the past couple of weeks due to my whirlwind rush down the East Coast. The bus journey took 13 hours last night instead of the advertised 11 , but hey , no problemo. I got here at 10am and they let me check in early to get a wee kip.
As mentioned in my previous diary I was a little dispaointed in the Whitsundays sailing trip , sure it was nice to see Whitehaven beach which is one of the top 5 beaches in the world by the way , but other than that , and meeting the two couples from Belgium and France I felt it was a let down. I suppose it all depends how the group gels. The trip from The Alice to Uluru /Kings Canyon and the Olgas was perfect and I guess maybe I was expecting a little much. I also felt deflated that I couldnt dive from the boat as I was on as I was told I could when booking. Plenty more diving opportunities in South East Asia though.
Today I went and met the people who I am going on the 4x4 trip to Fraser Island , it seems really good ; theres 8 of us , 3 boys , 5 girls and no luvvey duvvey couples this time who want to be alone ; this group has potential.
I will be on Fraser Island for the next 3 days and 2 nights camping and will get back to you after that.
I will upate my diary just now and after that I have to go shopping for food and booze with my group.
I have also updated my map to show you where I am.
I bought a phone-card to phone home , its really simple to use , a complete moron can use it ; I can`t get it to work.
Anyway , must dash , will keep trying to phone home after the group shopping as I havent spoken to anyone for pure ages.
Oh , Airlie Beach was like a club 18-30 place ; here in Hervey Bay it seems a bit more chilled out , thankfully for me.
G`day ,
This is just a brief update. I will provide full update tomorrow including all recent photos.
I have literally just returned from an amazing 3 days on Fraser Island. I will tell you an incredible story tomorrow about how Dingo`s savagely attacked our tents during the night !!
This was LTD in the fullest.
We had a really good , small group of 8. There was so much to see and do and we managed to follow the recommended itinery. I am really really tired and so , as I said , I will tell you the whole story tomorrow. Oh , I aint going to Brissie tomorrow , I am staying here another night , got my bus changed.
Fraser Island was the Grand Finally for me in Australia , going to Australia Zoo ( yes Steve Irwin place ) will be the curtain closer and then I`m off to Bali I think but my flights are a bit messed up , I will need to try and get them fixed tomorrow.
Laters.............
G`day ,
note : the first few photos are from my Whitsunday sailing trip a few days ago
It is no exaggeration to say that the past three days on Fraser Island were the highlight of my time in Australia and possibly even the best of my whole trip.
I feel really empty this morning as most of the group I was travelling with have now moved on to their next location. I know I have said it before but I feel really emotional when people I have become friends with have left. This time is really intense , we had a small group of 8 people and were a really great team and we all had a fantastic time.
Okay , here`s the story ,
We had our briefing the day before the trip , watching video about dingo and driving safety etc. We then went out as a group and bought all our groceries for the next days.
The first day I offered to take first shot of the driving as I was the most experianced driver. Reversing onto the boat was easier than anticipated. Once on the island and in 4x4 mode it soon became apparent that it was going to be very bumpy for the whole trip. We had 4 drivers in ou group and all loved the experiance of driving the 4x4 on the worlds largest sand island ; incidentally , I think it might not be any longer as we seemed to take most of the sand home with us.
Anyway , the fun began on the first night camping. There was a great camaraderie between all the groups and we had set up camp and were mingling with a couple of other groups. Everyone eventually went to bed and that`s when the excitement started. We were all trying to drift off to sleep when our tents started to be attacked by dingoes ``allegedly``. My first thought was that it was guys having a laugh but it sounded quite authentic ; the two girls camping in the tent next to ours started screaming for help. Three American guys ran over to help and the girls were explaining that dingoes suddenly started attacking their tent with no reason. The American guys were asking sensible questions like ``do you have food in your tents which may be attracting them ? It really was pandemonium ; the girls asked the guys if they would sleep in the tent with them to make them feel more safe ; but anyway , it transpired that the girls went and slept in the van to seek refuge from any further ``dingo`` attacks.
I still remained unconvinced that it was dingoes but I tell you this , I sure made certain the tent was zipped up incase any dingoes got in. The next morning though I spoke to the Americans from teh other group and they confired it was them who were the dingoes. The prank wasn`t funny for the girls at the time and we still never let onto them until well into the next day. My regret is that I didnt turn on my camera and record the sound of the attacks for you to see how authentic they sounded , man , they even were knawing through guy-ropes and stuff , mad mad mad.
Anyway , moving on , we went and done some swimming at the ``champagne`` pools , this was a fantastic spot , it was the only place where we were able to swim in sea water as there is a natural rocky harbour which prevents the tiger sharks getting in. Waves crash over the rocks and make a bubbly pool , hence the name champagne pools , pity it didnt taste like champagne though ; my camera sadly wasnt working at that stage.
We camped the 2nd night beside different groups from the first night. We had by now saw real dingoes and we were not really afraid of them anymore as we realised they run off when you go near them ; they actually seemed nice and friendly.
Yesterday we went to Lake Mackenzie , this is a world famous fresh water lake surrounded by beach , it really was gorgeous and swimming in those claer waters was really LTD. Returnign to Greenock in a few months time and finding work and the daily routine just does not bear thinking about at the moment.
All goodthings have to come to an end and we returned the vehicles and said our goodbyes. I just feel so sad this morning that its over ; those people I knew for 3 days really were all good friends and I wish somehow I could have spent more time with them all. If any of them are reading this then I hope they will keep in touch. I feel low and emotional , I don`t want new friends , I want the ones I have just left , but hey , thats the nature of the beast huh ? I am sure new adventures and more great people are around the corner for me to meet but I just would love stable friendships for a bit instead of feeling alone like I do this morning.
In the photo`s , look at the group photo at the start compared to the end ; at the end it looks like we all had a fab time , and we did. I hardly slept the whole time of the trip just because I was so excited the whole time.
Tomorrow I move onto Brisbane. After I have finished this diary I really must try and get my flights sorted for Bali. I am thinking of trying to change my flights to fly from Bali to Singapore instead of working my way across Java to Jakarta.
G`day ,
I am quite weary with having had another 6 hour bus journey to Brisbane today. I really enjoyed staying at Koala`s in Hervey Bay and of course the Fraser Island trip from there.
My plan was just to chillout here and prepare for moving on to Bali on Sunday ; but alas , I have gone and booked a long daytrip tomorrow to go to Nimbin and Byron Bay which are two places I would have been disappointed to have left out if this transpires to be my only trip in my life to Australia. Nimbin and Byron Bay are further down the coast from here.
Nimbin is the ``hippy`` centre of the universe and it`s meant to be an interesting experiance to go along there. Don`t worry , Mum , I won`t be buying any em ``souvenirs``.
The Nimbin trip leaves from Byron Bay at 10am , I have to catch a bus from Brisbane at 7am and then another at 8.45pm from Byron back to Brisbane ; it`s gonna be a long day. I read a guys blog who has been on the tour I am going on. His diary entry about the trip is here , it`s really good. http://www.travelblog.org/Australasia/Australia/New-South-Wales/Nimbin/blog-71916.html
On Saturday I am going to the Australia Zoo ``The home of crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin``
That should also be fascinating.
On Sunday I will spend the day preparing for leaving Australia , my flight is at 11.30pmis and I fly to Bali with a stopover at Singapore. I am yet undecidied if I am going to fly from Bali in about 3 weeks time to Singapore or if I am going to travel overland across Java and fly to Sinapore from Jakarta.
I got a message from my sister telling me a speeding ticket arrived for me ....oops , I wonder where that occurred , I hope the fine is not too expensive. Brenda , I will call you tonight regarding that to see how I go about paying it.
If anyone knows Brissie then just to let you know I am in the Tin Billy hostel ; it seems okay , a bit lively and cant swing a cat in the rooms but thats par for the course eh ?
It`s going to take something special to surpass the Fraser Island trip but I am ready now to continue my voyage of discovery , jings does that make me sound like Captain Cook ?
G`day ,
So this is my last full day in Australia and the last time I will say ``G`day``.
Before I give you a summary of my 10 weeks or so here let me tell you about the experiances I have had in the past couple of days.
Starting with yesterday. I got up at 6am for the 7am bus to Byron Bay , I got to see places like the concrete jungle that is Surfers Paradise on the way. I hopped off the bus at 10am and up pulled Jim in his ``Jim`s Alternative Nimbin tours bus``. Nothing could have prepared me for this very unusual and interesting day.
I wanted to see Nimbin you see , what I didnt realise that the trip there and back on Jim`s bus would be such an experiance too. Everyone on the bus was about 20ish. Jim was playing allsorts of wonderful music and explaining stuff about Nimbin to us ; he even mentioned how the police once detained him and told him he must stop running alternative tours to Nimbin , or at least he must tell his customers that they can`t buy weed in Nimbin and bring it back to his bus. This led to radio interviews and lots of publicity for him which he was happy for.
We get to Nimbin and sure enough outside the Hemp museum lots of characters are trying to sell everyone weed. Old ladies everywhere are trying to flog cookies and cakes.
I went into the ``Hemp Bar`` for an em , coffee and just to see the place. Look email me and I will give you my unedited Nimbin story , I am cutting too many corners on this family website.
Anyway , after 3 hours in Nimbin everyone boarded the bus. Most people seemed very em relaxed , I think it mustve been the music Jim was playing , or something.
We stopped to meet Jim`s mate Paul ; Paul is a hippy who has lots of orchirds with weird and wonderful tropical fruits ; he was telling us all these philosophies he has in life , some of which made incredible sense but sometimes he would loss you after a while. I heard it be said that he may have had ``one mushroom too many`` a couple of decades ago. This was really weird , the walk he took us in his garden , we were eating flowers and all sorts of funny shaped fruit.
Anyway , back on the bus and Jim took us on more rollercoaster rides with appropriate music , it was surreal , you had to be there. We also stopped at an amazing peice of scenery. Imagine my frustration that by this stage I had developed camera problems whilst back in Paul`s garden ; the shutter wouldnt open on the front of my camera.
So , basically the day ended with me walking around Byron Bay for a couple of hours at night waiting on the 3 hour bus trip back to Brissie. Let me take you back to Nimbin itself , it was really bizarre there , I mean , I`ve been to Amsterdam a few times but nothing could prepare me for the seeing the residents of Nimbin. It`s a trouble free area though , I wonder why. People travel from far and wide to go to Nimbin , some go there on a regular basis to stock up on cheap supplies. I think a 3 hour visit was suffice for me.
Moving on to today : I got up and got the CC Crocs bus to Australia Zoo. We watched a film about Steve Irwin on the bus and it was only an hour before we were driving down the aptly renamed Steve Irwin Highway and towards the zoo.
In the zoo is reallly special , you can tell that everyone misses Steve a lot but you can also feel his prescence all around. Everything seemed to revolve around him and no doubt in the near future his daughter Bindi will run the zoo. This zoo is a very pleasant one to visit , its going to be about 3 times the size soon and will no doubt be the best wildlife park in the world. Zoo`s are not really my cup of tea , I prefer the rendevous I have with animals in the wild but I wanted to go there to have the whole ``Crocodile Hunter`` mood. It was very sombre to read all the tribute messages people had written for Steve on hundreds of crocodile hunter shirts all lined in in a shrine about 100m long.
My thoughts are now on moving on tomorrow night ; its gonna be a slog hanging around airports , expecially my stopover in Singapore ; I look forward to getting settled in Bali where I will next report to you.
Australia - I have really enjoyed my time here , some of the times I have had here have been highlights of my whole trip , such as climbing Mount Ebron and swimming at Squeeky Beach ; meeting wild kangaroos , the Uluru trip , The Fraser Island Trip , meeting so many incredible people , the hospitality from Ronnie and his family , the drives from Sydeny to Melbourne and the Great Ocean road ; the Sydney harbour bridge`s 75th birthday ; learning to Dive in Cairns , theres just so much I have saw and done ; a lot of people come and just go up the East Coast , I am so fullfilled that I have saw so much more ; obviously I couldnt achieve everything in only 3 months on this continent but hey I gave it a right good shot.
Australia was a different experiance from New Zealand ; which do I prefer ? I don`t know , I have enjoyed everywhere I have been on the first half of my trip , USA , Cook Islands , Fiji , New Zealand and Australia. Now it`s time to move on to the 2nd half , I reckon it`s gonna fly in. Hold on tight !!!
Hello,
I say hello because I don`t know a single word of the local lingo.
The travel from Brisbane to here was a slog ; I think it was 6 hours flight to Singapore , a 5 hour hang around in Singapore Airport and then a 2 hour 30min flight to Bali.
Singapore Airport is how an airport should be ; it has gyms , foot massage machines , reclining leather massage chairs , gyms , TV , cinema , everything , allfree and everything immaculate. Needless to say I just wanted a wee bit of shut-eye but I did wander around in a daze for a few hours.
Arriving into Bali was bonkers ; when walking into the arrivals hall hundreds of happy Balinese people are waiting to welcome you to Bali ( and sell you a room in their hotel ). The options seemed limited and taking a ride in a taxi and a hotel room from the first random hotlelier seemed logical.
I paid half-a-million ruppiah , I repeat , 500,000 rupiah for two nights stay , thats about 12 quid a night. Its a bit expensive for a room but I guess I do have a big room to myself with kingsize bed , tv , aircon and huge ensuite bathroom with bath and ``hot`` shower. I have managed to get them down to 400,000 for the next couple of nights , thats less than a tenner a night , about the same I was paying for an 8 bed dorm in Australia. The internet shops seem cheap ax chips too.
I went a wander from the hotel after an initial nap. Madness , I think I went the wrong way as I didnt see a single tourist anywhere. Every few steps someone tries to rent me a motorbike , a taxi , or a massage ; and frankly I aint looking for a taxi or a motorbike at the moment.
I just stayed in last night and got a fantastic sleep on the huge bed ; it truly is fit for a king ; very firm and I slept like a tree for about 12 hours. This morning I got up and had my free breakfast , yes breakfast is included in the room price.
After a swim in the amazing pool all by myself without feeling the slightest bit lonely I came a walk down to the beach. Again the people trying to sell things are everywhere ; I desperately am trying to find contact lense solution as they took mine off me going through Singapore customs ; presumably incase I was going to make a liquid explosive with it ; I cant find a chemist who has any ; I need solution for hard contact lenses but all I can find is for soft lenses , I might just need to get that as it will be better than nothing huh ?
The hotel man is taking on a trip tomorrow for about 6 quid. He is going to drive me around all day for that ; so I suppose that aint bad. Despite most folk looking poor and the streets being crowded and untidy some people do have nice cars and stuff.
I took my stuff to the laundry at the hotel. A local working in the hotel wanted to swap my Morton top for a painting ; I told him I was sorry but I couldnt as it was special to me.
Oh , before I left Brisbane a nice man brought me another Scotland flag the exact same s the one I lost and he also threw in a lion rampant one too. He wanted 25 bucks for one but I gave him 40 since he delivered it to me and that.
It`s bizarre here how all the streets are like a shanty town and then all of a sudden a westernised shopping zone appears , complete with Boots , Marks and Spencer and Dorothy Perkins !!
I must take some photos but I have been having a photo break. Before I left Brisbane I had a drink in the hostel where the band played 500 miles by the proclaimers for me as my farewell ; I was jumping up and down with my Scotland flag like an eejit. I enjoyed chatting to the receptionist in that hostel , Debs from Dunfermline ; it`s nice to hear a homely accent ; and Fifers have a particularly nice twang in their voices. I am talking in riddles huh ?
Anyway , Bali , I planstaying in Kutu for 4 nights , the hotel man is trying to rope me into him taking me a volcanoe trip and dropping me in Ubud at his friends hotel , thats another thing , everyone has an uncle / brother / sister who can get you something if they cant do so directly themselves. I might just let the man take me the volcanoe trip though , he might be ripping me off a wee bit but if he wasnt someone else would.
You have to be careful walking around , especially at night , theres uncovered man-holes and sewers to avoid ; I imagine many people have come to a messy end of a night on the booze.
So , I am gonna go just now , I dont knwo where to ; probably walk back to the hotel and sweat buckets on the way ; I should try and get some food. I need to stop being skeptical of people ; I just dont like being took advantage of ; lots of folk look at touristsas ``cash-cows`` but I am anything but.
Hello ,
Yesterday the hotel driver man , I cant remember his name lol , well he took me to a diving site at Nusa Dua , I was a wee bit annoyed at that as I didnt ask hime too and then I felt obliged to pay for a dive at about 40 quid. It was a good dive though with more fish and variety than I have seen before and it was good to get a dive again as this was the first time since I took the course in Cairns. I felt a bit rusty already and was a bit nervous but it was okay , afterall I still had a fully qualified divemaster with me who knew I was fairly inexperianced. I am still not sure about diving though , I mean , I dont know if it is something I will do as a hobby for the long-term or not.
After the diving we went to a fmaous Hindu temple at Uluwatu. Hundreds of monkeys run around the temple and you buuy peanuts to feed them. You have to be careful though as they jump up and steal any loose thigns you have , like sunglasses or camera. One cheeky one came and grabbed my nuts from behind and then proudly ate them all with a smug grin. In the temple I had to wear a sarong thingey. It was quite a bizarre experaince , also fantastic views.
Tomorrow the hotel man is taking me to the far north of the island where I am going to climb a volcanoe and see lots of other things before he drops me at Ubud where I will spend 3 or 4 nights before moving on to try and get over o the Gilli Islands off the coast of Lombok. I fully expect now that I will go across Java after my return to Bali from Lombok ; that was the original plan and so far I have managed to stick to it remarkably well.
I have a cold at the moment , it really only developed after the diving as I wouldnt have taken the dive if I had it. I am going to try and upload some photos now from yesterday , I dont know if I will have any joy or not ; so , until I write again I hope you are well.
Take Care , God Bless.
Good Morning ,
I hope you have a nice weekend.
I am now in Ubud , very cultural and completely different to Kutu. I went to bed at 7.30pm last night as I was completely wiped out with that cold I have. I feel a whole lot better this morning after having 12 hours kip. The room is nice and surrounded by rice fields but the problem is there is that the walls dont go the whole way to the top so there is no soundproofing at all and I can hear everyones conversations as if they are right in my room. I aint complaining though , you win some you lose some.
I am , at the moment , trying to upload some photos from yesterday , but these internet cafes in Ubud are as slow as a week in the jail and so I might need to abandon the idea and upload a whole wad of videos and photos once I get back to a town which has welcomed in the new millenium.
So yesterday morning , hotel man , I think his name is Wyan or something like that , well he took me in the hotel jeep at 9am and we stopped at the ``Wold famous Bali Zoo`` , everything is world famous right ? Imagine my susprise to find I paid Wyan into the zoo , wasnt cheap either ; it was his first time at the zoo too , I think , his english is not too hot , unlike his driving , a complete madman who whizzes through police checkpoints tooting his horn whilst chuckling with laughter.
Anyway , the zoo was pretty good actually , completely different from any other zoo I had been to. I believe singapore has a good zoo too but I vow not to go to anymore zoos in the next 6 months as I am pure zood right out. I have photos of some weird animals to show you but as I say I dont knwo if they will show on this page today or not. I was the only white person I seen at the zoo , people even were curiously asking Wyan where I was from. I think they should have put me in a cage with a sign saying ``Scotsman`` , staple diet ``sausage suppers and Irn Bru ``
After the zoo and with more erratic driving we arrived at the volcanoe , it`s world famous by the way haha , no honest wait , it is. There is a lovely asian buffet restraunt in a fantastic viewing spot for the volcanoe and so wyan took me there and he waited in the car whilst I got fed. The view I had whilst eating was absolutely fantastic , I took a video of it , which hopefully I can show you soon.
It transpired that to climb the volcanoe takes 4 hours and so I was to be content with having seen the view instead of going up ; this suited me as I really was KO`d with the bad cold I have , always moaning me , huh.
After leaving the restraunt I couldnt help feel sorry for the small girls , aged about 3 or 4 who were trying to sell me postcards. I should have bought a couple I guess but as soon as you buy something hundred of them appear ; it`s like when having a fish-supper at Largs ; don`t feed the seagulls.
On the way from the colcanoe to Ubud , Wyan was drivng like a madman again , the amount of dogs who had lucky escapes was unbelievable , sadly a mans bicycyle at the side of the road didnt escape as it was knocked over the jeep , fortunately it`s rider was not onboard.
I just went for a short walk around central Ubud yesterday afternoon before I retired for a really early night. This seems like a nice place just to relax. I think I will do that as since I arrived in Bali I have been roped into spending money on this that and the other and so far I have not yet been spending considerable less than I was in Australia but hopefully that will settle down once I get a little wiser.
Theres just so much to see here. It feels safe enough but the night before last in Kutu I met a Swiss guy with a broken nose. He said a man with no neck that looked like a gorilla done it to him ; so I suppose I must keep my wits about me.
It`s definately not happening with the photo`s so I am afraid I will need to do it as soon as it becomes possible.
See ye later
Good morning ,
I have been able to add the photo`s from the Bali zoo and volcanoe from the day before yesterday. What do you think of the videos ? It took me ages to upload them with a dial-up connection. Yesterday I never done much , was too hot to walk around so I just took it easy by the pool.
Last night I went and had a romantic candlelit dinner , all by myself , it came to about a fiver for the main course and two very large beers ; cheapy cheap.
Tonight I am going to go and see a Balinese cultural dance show. That should be really good. Hopefully I will be able to capture some highlights on camera ; I may or may not go and relax at a spa today , I will see.
Tomorrow is my last day here in Ubud and then I am off to Lombok and the Gilli islands , apparently getting to the Gilli islands is quite an adventure.
Good Morning ,
I have been writing these diary entries after breakfast in Ubud as that is when it is most conveniant.
Yesterday I went a walk through the ``World famous`` monkey forest ; it cost about 24p to get in. There are 300 monkeys in the forest ; it`s a nice walk and everywhere you go there are monkeys. I think my neice Rachel would have loved this. The monkeys sometimes jump on you but I didnt really experiance any aggression from them. I guess the key is not to give them bad vibes that you are frightened.
I never went to the spa place but I might today , apparently you can get a really good Balinese massage fit for a king quite cheaply and so I might just do that as it`s meant to be really good.
Last night I went and saw a really enjoyable show. There are lots of temples in the area and to help maintain them the villagers put on a dance show. the show I went to was a fire and trance show in a village within walkin distance from here. 80% of the villagers perform in the show , the remaining 20% working on the door / selling tickets / directing people to seats etc.
The show was incredible. I am not sure if I enjoyed it or not but it certainly was an experiance. There was a fascinating storyline line explained on the ticket flyer but I had no idea what was occurring ; the singing and dancing and costumes were magical though.
There are several shows on each night throughout Ubud and that ( plus paintings and wood carvings ) is the main attraction in this area. It waould be madness , in my opinion , to come to Bali and not go and see at least one good show in Ubud.
I may or may not go and see another show tonight , it`s early morning and I don`t really have a plan of attack for today , just a rough idea.
Tomorrow that Wyian guy from teh hotel in Kuta is going to drive me to Padang Bai where I get the ferry to Lombok. The ferry takes about 4 hours and they are notoriously choppy and downright dangerous. I`m not sure if i will stay on Lombok for a night or head straight for another ferry to the Gilli islands , time will tell.
Oh , the night before last I was being stopped by touts selling those tickets for the dance shows ; I told one young guy ``maybe tomorrow`` and so last night he came running after me saying ``hey , remember me from yesterday`` , In recognition of his memory and effort I bought a ticket from him for last nights firedance.
I spoke to my Mum on the phone the night before last and mentioned I was still in Ubud. I think she was wondering where on earth Ubud is , and that`s fair enough and understandable. Mum I hope you have an enjoyable time in Alcudia on Majorca , you have probably arrived there and will be enjoying yourself too much to pop into internet cafes to read my blog haha.
In this internet cafe I think everyone who comes in gets fed up and leaves because it is too slow ; I think it`s my fault for slowing up the system by uploading photo`s and movies to this blog ; I feel a bit guilty but hey , one has to be a bit sellfish sometimes huh ? It`s a dog eat dog world !!
What do you think of the firedance photos and videos ? I am afraid they dont really do it justice ; it`s hard to get a good photo at night if you are not right next to the object you want to capture. The sound on the videos though will give an idea of the music.
I am a bit wary about going across Java , it`s a trip into the unknown for me and i suppose that is part of the adventure ; if 18 year old girls can travel through China on their own then surely a big boy like me can travel through south east Asia. As someone pointed out recently I have to remember I am not a tourist , I am a traveller.
I have noticed that more people read my blog during the week than at the weekend. I suspect this is because they must be abusing company computers on their lunch-breaks ; you`d never have caught me doing that.
Well ,
Here I am on Lombok , Sengiggi to be precise. Noosa picked me up from th hotel in Ubud , his name is Noosa and not Wyian , I dont know why I thought he was Wyian haha , who knows.
Anyway , we got to Padang Bai and I bought the ferry ticket. It was a 5 hour ferry trip and I was the only tourist on it . I never left my bags the whole time for fear of them being ransacked. I heard many horror stories about the ferries ; ie they sink now and then , but the crossing was really smooth.
When I arrived on Lombok the agent I booked the ticket with was there to collect me to drive me to Sengiggi ; it was 3 shifty looking characters in a jeep , they could have been bandits for all I knew , but what do you do huh ? You have no choice but to put your faith in them.
The idea today was that I was going to go all the way to Gili Trawangan , but alas it was too late for the wee boat over and so I am staying in Sengiggi. I had to pay about 15 quid for a room after a bit of bargaining but it is a really nice superior room fir for a king and at least it includes breakfast. I will show you photos of it when I can.
I don`t know if I will be able to last the whole year ; I am fast becoming skint. It would be ideal if , as soon as I get to Thailand , or even Mayasia that if and when I can find a nice place cheaply then I will take a ``holiday`` from travelling and just vegetate for 3 weeks or more in the same place ; that would also re-charge my batteries.
Anyway , I better go and get soemthign to eat ; its 5.35pm and all I had was toast and fruti salad this morning.
I need to be up and have breakfast early as I am being picked up by the agent at 8.15am.
I trust all is well.
Ian
Good Afternoon ,
Just to let you know ( incase you are worried about me haha ) that I have arrived safely on the tiny backpacker party island of Gili Trawangan off the north west coast of Lombok.
It was an adventure getting here ( as expected ). Last night as mentioned I had to pay for a nice hotel room at Sengiggi ; well I got fed up being pestered to buy all sorts of junk last night so I retired early to my room where I even had a TV which had an english speaking channel ( BBC World ) BBC World is okay but it`s not a patch on Dowza`s World.
This morning I had a nice breakast then the agent picked me up and briefed me about the aggression I would receive at Bangsall ; the port for Trawanagan. I expected this anyway as I read all about in guide books and on the internet ; to be honest I never had much of a problem with the so called ``Bangsall Mafia`` , they did manage to sell me some ``magic`` mosquito repellant as basically they told me that I would get dengue fever and probably die if I didnt buy it. I successfully refused to let anyone carry my bags.
It was only a wee boat which I got to Trawangan , again I was the only tourist on it ; a man I was next to offered me accommodation and I thought ``here we go again`` , but he turned out to be a genuine banana and he gave me a nice wee room ( okay it stinks of stale pee but I can deal with that ) for about 3 and a half quid per night.
After settling down in the room I thought I better look for the internet to let you know I arrived here in one peice. The man who owns the appartments has already offered me marajuana and magic mushrooms telling me ``its okay there`s no police on the island , just our top man`` ; and in true News of the World style our reporter made his excuses and left.
I will come back here tonight and update this diary entry from where I left off. apparently this is the smallest island in the world with an Irish bar ; I will investigate matters.
Hello ,
It`s 5pm now. Today was really hot and bright and sticky. Personally I found it too much to handle and after snorkelling for a short time I went and lay in my room with the fan on ; even then I was sweating buckets.
The snorkelling was okay , some nice fish and turtles but I kept getting stung by something I later found out was jellyfish ; and , whilst told the stings are relatively harmles , they are really stingy when they happen and leave a nasty rash. I was ``stung`` about 20 times in the space of 5 minutes and decided to call it a day ; unfortunate as it meant if I wanted to sunbathe and go to the water to cool off every now and then I couldnt due to the annoying jellyfish.
Tonight I don`t really know what I am going to do after finding some dinner. I`d have an early night but I probably wouldnt sleep good due to lazing around today.
Tomorrow morning the guy who owns the appartments is gonna get me up at 5.30am and show me dolphins jumping and also the sunrise. I don`t know whats in it for him if I am supposed to pay him or not , but it will be nice to see the dolphins anyway.
I don`t know if I love or hate this island. It`s certainly been an eye-opener. I must get you some photos. Virtually every cafe/bar whatever sells magic mushrooms or ``Tickets to the moon`` they call them. Needless to say I haven`t tried any.
I think tomorrow , I will hire a bike and cycle round the island , that will pass a couple of hours. I also don`t see me staying here longer than my proposed 4 days. I think I`m eager to whisk my way across Java and fly to Malaysia and into Thailand , not that I am wishing away my trip , I just want as long as possible in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam as possible.
Anyway , I`m rambling again huh ?
Hello ,
It`s nearly 6pm and dusk is upon us. It only takes about half an hour to get dark.
Tonight is my 4th night on Gili Trawangan. I only intended staying 4 nights but I am extending it to 6 nights. It`s really nice here and the locals are really hospitable ; they do try and figure out how to get your money though and assume tourists are rich. To be fair , I was speaking to a guy last night who does an 8 hour shift for 7 days of the week and gets approx 6 quid a month , so its understandable that they hope tourists can part with some cash.
Yesterday I got a knock on the door from my host . Rom , who told me I should go see the sunrise and the dolphins. I saw a nice sunrise but no dolphins. After sharing a bottle of Indonesian wine with him and a Japanese backpacker I learned the dolphins were imaginary and his ``joke`` he palys on tourists. I kept the joke going by teelling the Japanese guy that I saw a school of 20 dolphins ; he got up early this morning to see them. Oh , when we wer drinking the wine we managed to convince the Japanese guy that it was ``magic mushroom`` wine and he started freaking out ; was really funny if a bit naughty.
Anyway , I cycled round the island yeasterday. I read in guide books it takes 4 hours to walk round the island and so I expected to cycle it in about 2 hours. I got round in under an hour and was a bit disapointed by that , especially as I had hired the bike for the whole day and not by the hour. It was an enjoyable cycle I suppose.
There`s no motorised transport on the island , the transport is by horse and cart , it`s good that there is no exhaust pollution here.
I thought I may like to do a dive or a snorkelling trip here but to be honest I am relishing the relaxation of not doing much at all and so I may end up ditching water-sport plans and save the money instead for further down the line.
I came into this cafe with my camera to upload photo`s for you but sadly it`s going really slow and so I will endeavour to upload them in teh morning. Let me know if there is anything inparticular you`d like to see photo`s of.
My room is okay , it has a toilet attached and I have to empty several jugs of water into the cistern to fill it up ; wee things like that make it feel as if I am travelling.
I have really enjoyed Bali and Lombok so far , both islands are completely different ; Bali is a Budhist island and Lombok is Muslim. I have a flight on 24th June from Jakarta to Singapore , so , I better get my finger out and start the journey across Java , that I find a bit daunting but I am sure I`ll manage.
When I mentioned before that Gili Trawangan was a backpacker party island I thought that was the case when I read about it. I think it`s more ``backpacker friendly`` as opposed to Backpacker island , as there are all sorts of tourists here. it`s also very relaxed at night and most things have shut by 10pm , every odd night one bar or another will have a party on until 3am , the party`s are supposed to be good , but so far I have not managed to stay out late ; I must be getting old.
I complained to you before about the heat here , well I suppose I will just need to get used to it throughout south-east Asia. Today I walked round the island instead of cycling , that was more enjoyable , it took a couple of hours. I still find it difficult to sunbathe on the beach due to the brightness and my new found phobia of jellyfish. It tends to cool down about 4pm though which is good.
Yesterday when it cooled down I was invited to play football on the beach with the locals. There was about 18 players in each team and no-one had any distinctive colours on and so I kept passing to the wrong team. Some of them were really good players and I felt like a trumpet to be honest. I was the only tourist playing !
It`s my nephew David`s birthday tomorrow 10th June. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID , I hope you get nice presents and I am sad I am not there to see you. I am more than half-way through my big trip and when I get back I will get you something nice for Christmas.
Hello ,
I am in an internet cafe on Gili Trawangan , I just called to say i love you by Stevie Wonder is playing on the stereo.
I apologise for not updating my blog for the past 3 ? 4 ? days ?
This island is the craziest place i have ever been. You know the Eagles song Hotel California ? It`s like that ! I mean....you can check out anytime you like.......but you can never leave !!!
this will now be my 7th night here !! that will be the longest i have stayed in any one place since I left greenock on 25th November.
I went diving the day after i last wrote to you. the dive was really good , good visibiity , for the 1st time i kept my contact lenses in too....no problem , added to the experiance. it would have been a shame to come here and not dived. this place revolves around diving...and parties...and mushrooms.
I was at a big party last night , was like techno music and everyone dancing madly. the parties are on every 2 or 3 nights ; 4 or 5 bars take turns of being the hosts for the party.
Tonight there is a beach bonfire party in my ``local`` bar.
I must go back to bali tomorrow , it`s a whole day of travelling again , including the 5 hour ferry from Lombok , i dred the thought , perhaps thats one of the reasons people stay longer here. everyone you meet has stayed longer than anticipated , some for years !! and yes thats with a months indonesia entry visa , the mind boggles.
Good Afternoon ,
I am back in Kuta , Bali. I am next to Kuta Square at the moment , you know , where the bombs went off , you would never tell apart from the scanners security use on everyones bag and body when they go into a pub.
Yesterday`s travelling was a polava , I spent the 6 hours on the big ferry on the sun-deck , sleeping and catching some rays. There was a a good number of tourists on board this time.
I am back in the hotel that I was in when I first arrived in Kuta. I have spent the day trying to figure out the best way to get to Java for the next adventure and I think I have found the solution. It`s going to cost about 20 quid all in for a taxi for hour , a bus for 2 hours to the ferry , the ferry , and then bus again. Once on the 1st bus I dont need to get off it again until I get to my destination Probolingo. all in its about 10 hours of travel , so its not expensive is the point I am trying to make.
I will arrive at Probolingo at 0330 in the morning. My point in going here is to see the sunrise on Mt Bromo , I am not sure if I will be fit and able to head to Bromo as soon as I arrive or if I will have to stay an additional night in Probolingo ; I don`t mind what happens either way.
When looking at my trip there have been many highlights so far , but seeing sunrise upon Mt Bromo is meant to be an adventure of a lifetime and I have no doubt it will be in the top 10 of all the things I do ( in my life ).
I have realised that on this year long journey , it`s important to always focus on the present and the immediate future , otherwise the head will just get boggled ; now , having said that , can I just reflect on Gili Trawangan again ? That is one really bizarre place ; I am really glad I went for it was certainly an experiance , the diving was good too.
It was a shock to get back to the mainland and motorised vehicles. It`s going to take me a while in Asia to get used to dealing with people offering ``transport , motorbikes , massages , come into my shop etc`` , today I even said to one poor bloke ``look mate , see if I want a taxi , I will come and ask for one`` it`s really annoying , the taxis all draw alongside you slowly and keep tooting their horn , when you say ``no`` they say ``yes?``
I only have a months tourist visa for Indonesia and also if I want to keep moving , reach and have time in Vietnam and Cambodia before having to return to Greenock then I need to get shifting. I only have 8 days to get to Jakarta ( the other side of Java ) for my flight to Singapore. It`s a tight itinery at the moment but I mentioned beofre that I don`t mind that as lingering longer than needed on Java , one of the most densely populated islands in the world , is not something which aspires me ; predominantly my ambition for going there is to climb Bromo.
I`ve explained lots of times before that I prefer quiter towns , smaller towns than this one ; this is a tourist resort , there are lots of surfers from Australia here ; when I get to Thailand and Laos I am going to be looking for sanctuary in some quiet areas and I think I will try and avoid package holiday islands such as Phuket and Koh Samui ; I`m not a tourist. With that in mind it`s going to be an interesting whistle-stop tour through Malaysia , especially Kaula Lumper , cities don`t come much bigger than that huh ?
Good Morning ,
I am in Yogyakarta. It seems really nice here but I am ill. I decided before I left Bali that I had food poisoning again and so I paid about 12 quid for some tablets from the pharmacy ; I thought things were meant to be cheap here ?
Anyway , the bus from Bali to Proboloingo left an hour late and also broke down for an hour and I eventually arrived 12 hours later at Probolingo about 5am ; the tourist info people there whisked me away in a van to a hotel near mount bromo. I got a very basic room for about 3 quid a night and I stayed in bed all day due to feeling ill.
I am talking in riddles here. I think it`s important when going to another country that you learn basic language skills ; as I was going to so many countries this was impossible. To highlight the problem with an example ; I walked into the ladies toilets when the bus stopped for a break ; I mean how am I meant to know the words for ``ladies and gent`s`` ? I still don`t know.
Anyway , at 3am yesterday I got a wake up call from a man with a jeep who took me and two german guys ( who looked like characters from the Lord of the rings ) to the viewpoint for mount Bromo before sunrise. The views were amazing. I have lots of good photos and video to show you but I am strugglign to get them uploaded here , will try in another shop later today.
After seeign sunrise we we went and climbed the volcanoe next to mount bromo and walked round the rim of it ; this was amazing.
I think with all the sulphur around that has added my sore throat and I just feel dizzy and sick just now and also have diahoreah ; I guess I should just keep drinkign fluids. I am struggling with food here , I just dont know what to try ; most of the things I get dont taste good ; I have no appetite and I am homesick ; sorry to sound so depressing today ; the photo`s are good huh ?
Congratulations to my friend Alan and his wife on having a baby girl ; really delighted for them.
Note to my sister Brenda : Did my diving DVD arrive from Cairns yet ?? If not I will get onto them.
I am thinking of trying to get a cheap flight from Yogya to Jakarta as frankly after having done two overnight bus trips in the past 3 days I am pretty travelled out.
I have so much more to tell you but I reckon I should go back and lie down for another while before tryign to eat something for lunch.
update : I managed to upload ``some`` photos , it took an hour and a half of me just sitting here being patient. With a bit of luck hopefully I will get a good connection in Singapore and will be able to upload my videos there.
Good Afternoon ,
Apologies if you came here earlier and all you read was ``Good Afternoon`` and nothing else !
Anyway , today I never done much exciting. After all the travelling I have been doing and with what is coming up I decided to take some ``breathing space``.
I have moved to a new hotel , the cheapest yet on my travels. I now have a double room with ensuite bathroom , including a real western type bog which you can sit on to take a number two ; bliss ! all this for 2 quid a night ; it makes a nonsense of me paying 12 quid for some food poisoning tablets.
Anyway , so I went back to this restraunt , it`s called Superman , right next to my hotel , I had been there yesterday for brekkie and it was okay so I went back for lunch today. I ordered chicked cordon bleu from the European menu and as I was waiting for my scran I noticed a family of rats , one by one , making their way down the hosepipe and along the restraunt wall before taking refuge behing the TV ; needless to say this put me off a bit , but I didnt say incase it was normal ; however , my choice of eatery will be elsewhere tomorrow.
So , after having lunch I wander around and I clocked the two Germans I mentioned in my last report ; they were having pizza and so I go in to say ``how ye doing`` ; it transpires that one of them lost his wallet , he reckoned he left it in the mini-bus we took from Probolingo to here. It turns out that he was the guy with the bank card and thus supplying cash to his mate and so both were now ``up shit creek without a paddle``.
New paragraph but same subject : I offered help in anyway I can and we came to the conclusion that I could supply them cash and we could transfer it online to my bank account ; it took a bit of jiggery-pokery on the internet but we got there and the guys were ever so grateful. I feel so pleased that I was able to help.
The photo`s on this page are the ones I got fed up waiting on uplkoading yesterday. I reckon in a couple of days time I will have some real good photos and videos ; I have a really interesting day the day after tomorrow ; I`ll keep you in suspense until then.
as I said already , I am just kinda chilling here ; theres lots of travel ahead. I am flying on Saturday from Jakarta to Singapore and for that to occur I am taking an overnight train from here Yogya ( Yogyakarta ) to Jakarta , that should be an experiance in itself.
Anyway , I`m rambling here , I hope all is well and I will get back to you tomnorrow or the day after , if I don`t then please send out a search party !!
Yours Truly ,
Ian ; aka John , aka Dowza !
Good Morning ,
It`s Friday. I hope everyone has a great weekend !
Yogyakarta is a nice place , I like it here , it`s more chilled out than Kuta on Bali and I am getting used to dealing with people pestering me. The people begging would break your heart though , old women come up and put begging bowls right into you ; these people are really desperate , it`s not a gimmick.
Anytime the traffic lights turn red then buskers appear with guitars at drivers windows , if you even glance at them they will expect payment.
After I write this diary entry I am going to go a walk through the main thouroughfare and put the video on my camera ; this will give you an idea of what it`s like.
Yesterday morning I got up at 4.30am for a 5am pick up to take me to Borobodur. It was very interesting.
I copied this next paragraph from wikipedia which describes it.
Borobudur is a ninth century Buddhist Mahayana monument. it comprises of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome is located at the center of the top platform, surrounded by seventy-two Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.
Last night I went to see the Ramayana Ballet. The tickets were about 2 quid for cheap seats , 4 quid , 6 quid etc. I decided to treat myself to a VIP seat for 9 quid since I have been ill and haven`t been drinking or anything and also because I wanted a good close view as my eyesight is not the best due to a condition I have called keratoconus. This was amazing , I had the best seat in a crowd of about 400 , about 4 ft from the stage on a padded leather seat. there were a few other ``VIP``s there , most of the crowd were locals and smartly dressed , even in the cheap seats , and here was me with scruffy jeans and trainers receiving VIP treatment.
The ballet itself was good for what it was in a tremendous setting. It was the same story as the firedance I saw a couple of weeks ago in Ubud on Bali. I have good video footage to show you of this and Borobudur , hopefully when I get to Singapore.
Before I went to the ballet I had special fried rice from a local restraunt , this was really good and cost about 50p.
Tonight I am travelling by train to Jakarta ; it`s a 9 hour overnight trip , I booked ``Executive Class`` , it`s not as good as it sounds , basically it means you get allocated a seat ; which when gaurding my possessions I think is crucial to enable a sleep instead of being crammed in like sardines.
Once I get to Jakarta tomorrow morning I have to get to the airport for my flight to Singapore. I only have 5 months travelling left and I have to make sacrifices ; I have decided that I am going to whizz through Malaysia with a stopover in Kaula Lumper and hopefully I will be in Thailand between 4 days and a week from now. I want as much time in Laos , Vietnam and Cambodai at the end of my trip and so I would rather take a shortcut now. It`s sad I won`t see much of Malaysia but I have to be ruthless and prioritise what I want to do.
I have mixed opinions on my month in Indonesia , my first month in South East Asia ; it`s certainly been an experiance ; I`ve been on Bali , Lombok and Java. I have saw the major attractions I think. I could have done with more time between here and Jakarta but hey , I don`t have any so tough !
The travellers I see here , who are few and far between by the way , are more mature than the 18-30 party mob heading up the East coast of Australia. I haven`t really had much social chat with anyone for a while though but that doesn`t bother me ; I am just chilling and trying to get over this bad cold which came back with avengence.
The weather for the past couple of weeks hasnt exactly been great for getting a suntan but I have had plenty sun previously on my travels and I am not bothered ; with it being monsoon and rainy season in some of the places I am going in the remainder of my trip then perhaps it`s somethign which is going to be the norm.
It strikes me that now I am in a very different part of the world culturally ; this is emphaised when I am wakened in the morning by the sound of prayers coming from the temples. Prayers and ceremonies are frequent and seem random.
As you may know I am not a good reader of books but I bought a book from the book exchange and have been really enjoying it , I guess it will pass the time tonight , it`s Richard Branson`s autobiography ``Losing my Virginity`` , from 1998 , it`s a real eye-opener , many things I didn`t know about him , I`m not a huge fan of him but it`s interesting.
Anyway , I better go and grab some breakfast and maybe a cup of ginseng coffee !
This is Dowza ,
Reporting for Dowza`s world in Marlioboro , Yogyakarta.
Update after I had written the entry below : The photos keep jamming. I will get them on first thing in the mornign ( and correct all the typing errors haha ).
Good Evening ,
Right , I am going to try and put things in the sequence of events that they happened since I wrote to you yesterday morning , so much has happened in the past day and a half ; my head is pretty much all over the place at the moment though. I decided not absorb anything else in Singapore until I peiced together everything for you as it will only become more of a muddle the longer I wait.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the ``bird market`` in Yogya ; I took Bicak tranpsort to it and back , I gave the guy a tip for the 10 minute ride there and back , in total I gave him about a 90p. Going on the bicak was a big adventure ; and the RSPCA would have had a field day in the bird market , the things I saw there defied belief.
Last night I checked out of the homestay and went to wait on teh 8pm train. At first I felt as if I could have been at any other train station but soon it became apparent I was the only westerner there ina huge crowd and apparently teh only one who could speak any English ; about 20 past 8 I wondered if everyone was waiting on same train as me and I attempted to confirm I was waiting at the right platform ; this was a nightmare , no-one undedrstood me. At 9pm I went and asked at the info desk if I was at the right place and showed them my ticket , they confirmed I was and told me to wait outside for further announcements as the train as late ; but the announcements were all in Indonesian !!
Anyway , so at 9.30 a train comes and I go up to my allocated carriage , I was about to go on when it was pointed out that this wasnt my train and my train would come later ; this gave me panic , I was frightened I would end up on the wrong train and I so I eagerly sought someone who could speak english and was on teh same train as me ; everyone was lookign at me and it must have been obvious I was frightened and confused ; but no-one could help as no-one spoke english , not even the people who worked there.
Anyway , eventually at 10.30pm or so the 8pm train arrived and I got on board. I was sitting next to a really nice lady who was about 40ish ; she spoke a few english words but not much. The ticket inspectors came and I got in a flap as I couldnt find my ticket , but she helped me find it and chill me out ; so eventually everyone settles down to sleep and I must admit it felt nice sleeping next to this nice lady ; so anyway , come the morning i had tried to make conversation and mentioned I was needing to get to the airport ; she never really made sense but I got the impression she was tellign me to follow her off the train and she would help me to the airport.
When we got off the train she pointed out a man to me and the man turned out to be her husband who was a taxi driver ; in teh car in Indonesian I think she was telling him that she thought I fancied her and they were both laughing haha. I gave him about 15 quid for taking me to the airport and I made him take a photo of me outside his taxi hugging his wife goodbye ; it was quite bizarre.
So , I get to the airport and I went to withdraw some final Ruppiah to tide me over until Singapore and to buy some Singapore dollars ; when I went to buy the dollars after using the ATM I freaked out when I realised I no longer had my bankcard. I must have left it in teh ATM ; but I was so dazed and confused with the travellign that I wasnt even sure which ATM ; and I had a managers of a couple of banks opening up various machines to see if my card was in it. The bank manager of the bank where I reckon my card is didnt have the keys for it and so I had to fly without it. Fortuately I still have my visa card but I get charged for using this ; I am trying to figure out the best solution ; I want family advice on this. I know i was dumb but hey , it`s done , these things happen.
Anyway , I arrive in Singapore and after some more polava I get a taxi and the driver to be fair found me a good hotel at a rate which is good because al the hotels are full ; the price is about 22 quid a night ; thats way over my budget but as I had been paying about 3 quid a night for the past days it is acceptable for a couple of days. I was only going to stay in Singapore for a night or two anyway but it seems interesting here ; completely different and so I may stay longer than anticipated. I don`t fancy teh idea of moving back to Australia type youth hostels though , especially in this heat ; i have apapted to having my own space again , but hey , I guess I cant do what I can no longer afford.
I am trying to upload photos and videos of the past days but its a bit wonky.
I think tonight I will just go a wee walk and then back to the hotel to chill and read my book before getting a good nights sleep ready to tackle the sweltering heat tomorrow ; I have only been outside for a 5 minute walk and something to eat and so far I have been offered all sorts of things including viagra for ``boom boom`` ; the mind boggles.
I have a lot more on my mind but it`s a bit pickled as my mentioned at the start ; it`s been a long day.
Oh , by the way , I have a severely major plan for my travels which I may or may not announce to you. I need to think it over and then discuss with family to see if it`s possible ; watch this space.
Anyway folks , take care , I`m off.
Good Afternoon ,
I left the hotel late this morning and went a long walk to the city. It was much relief when I reached the shopping mall for I was dazed with heat exhaustion and sweat. When you walk into a shopping mall the 1st thinhg you notice with the aircon is that ``it`s freezing`` , but after a few seconds it seems normal ; it`s just outside which is really hot.
I eventually found an internet cafe and I have uploaded some photo`s , but the computers here don`t allow me to upload the videos , I will try again in teh next internet I find.
I won`t write too much today. I hope you are enjoying the weekend.
Ian
Good Afternoon ,
Before I start , may I draw your attention to the videos and photos on this page. I finally found a good internet cafe to upload them ( it was next door to my hotel ! ) , I particularly like the one of the bicak in Jogya , and the ballet ones are good too.
After spending an hour and a half yesterday walking into the city and the same back I went for a nap at 5.30pm. I woke at 10pm briefly and fell back asleep until 8am this morning. I think the heat took it`s toll on me.
This morning I finished my book and then took a taxi to the train station. I made a mistake of picking the wrong taxi company , the driver even told me that ; the taxi cost me about 12 quid. Needless to say I walked back from the train station today after wandering around in no particular direction for a few hours. When I went to the train station I was there to enquire about trains to Malaysia tomorrow ; I have booked a ticket to Kaula Lumper , the first major place I will come to ; it`s an 8 and half hour train ride and I feel that is enough for one day.
Singapore is a modern , developed small country and the city centre could be London / New York / Sydney. There are a lot of comforts here and I don`t think it is a true reflection on life in South East Asia , just like Sydney did not show a true reflection of Australia. In the city many namby pamby businessmen both local and western ponce about with their suits on ; it`s not really what I need to see at this stage of my journey. I feel I got more experiance on Java , inparticular Yogyakarta than what I have had here as very few westerners were there and I could immerse myself with the locals and their culture.
It`s also expensive here , far cheaper than Scotland , but in terms of general Asian costs ; my funds are running out and so I reckon it`s time to shift , hopefully once I reach northern Thailand in a few weeks then the temperature will have cooled a bit too.
I will spend a night or so in Kuala Lumpur ( KL ) , the largest and capital city of Malaysia before getting back on the line and heading northward either to Georgetown or into Thailand itself. The first town in Thailand is Hat Yai and I have been warned that terrorists like to shoot tourists there and I shouldnt venture far from my accommodation ; on that basis I am thinking of heading further north than Hat Yai even if the advice is unfounded and exagerrated , frankly I don`t want to wander around worried that I may be taken out by an AK47.
I was trying to bring myself to releasing details of the brainwave I had for a change to my travel plans , but , I reckon I will keep you in suspenders until tomorrow or whenever my next diary is if I dont get a chance tomorrow night in KL. I want to make sure the idea is feasible before blabbing about it but I will tell you what the idea was regardless ; I am 90% sure I can pull it off but believe me , it is a bit bonkers and I don`t know if I will have the blessing of my family to go ahead.
Tonight I am just going to chill in my cosy hotel room , I have paid 22 quid a night for it 3 nights in succession and so I may as well get the most of it by relaxing there and watching TV. I will also re-arrange and pack my stuff for my early rise for the train tomorrow.
Thanks for all the messages recently , I really appreciate them. Thanks inparticular for the messages for things to do in Singapore , I considered going to the zoo night safari but it seems a bit of a trek and as I have recently been to the zoo in Bali and the home of the Crocodile Hunter , I decided I would only be being greedy had I gone ; I will just spend the time re-cupperating instead and preparing to move on tomorrow.
Finally , if I don`t get a chance I would like to take this opportunity to wish my sister Brenda a happy birthday , tomorrow , 26th June.
God Speed
Dowza
Good Evening ,
I am now in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia. The train was a little late and I am pretty much shattered now.
Well , anyway , here is my new plan.
I was due to fly home on 22nd November from Bangkok. I had a brainwave a couple of days ago on the train from Yogyakarta to Jakarta. I no longer intend flying home from Bangkok. Instead I plan to come home to Europe overland on the Trans-Siberian railway !!!!
This will involve taking the train from Hanoi in Vietnam to Beijing in China , I will stopover at a few places in China , Mongolia and Russia before ending up in Moscow and taking train to Poland and flying home from there or Germany with Ryanair / Easyjet to Glasgow.
You can see the route I am talking about here ; Hanoi - Beijing - Ulan Bator - Omsk - Moscow - Warsaw. http://www.seat61.com/images/Trans-Siberian-map.jpg
By doing this I will be able to truly say I went round the world. I think the tran-siberian railway will be a huge adventure. It will be interesting to be in freezing conditions too instead of the sweltering heat I am in now.
I reckon if I start the trip by Mid November I will still be home by Christmas. I`d really think it being greedy to extend past that and being home by Christmas is what I want.
I need to look further into the visa situations though , particularly for Russia and China , they are potential stumbling blocks but I reckon they can be overcome.
What do you think of this plan ? do you have any advice ?
Meanwhile , when I was looking for somewhere to stay today I bumped into a bloke from Watford who was doing likewise ; I am sharing a twin room with him for about 4 quid each and we are going to go and see the sights of KL tomorrow , should be an enjoyable day as there is plenty to see and do here. I will endeavour to get photo`s and videos online tomorrow. I will definately be staying here tomorrow night and most probably the night after before catching a sleeper train north to Butterworth and ferry to Georgetown where I will spend a couple of days before heading into Thailand.
As I say , I was desperate to get my new idea off my chest. I am going to go for an early night now as it`s been a long day.
Good Morning ,
I realised in all the rushing about that I hadn`t shown you the videos from when I was at Mt Bromo a couple of weeks ago (I Showed you the photos but the videos were taking too long to upload at that time). I have added them on now , they get progressively better ; the first and last videos on this page star ME haha. I am sure you will agree Bromo is a spectacular area.
The day before yesterday I done all the touristy stuff ; it was good to have the company of Chris , the bloke from Watford I met the night before. We went up the Menara KL tower ( 421m ) which is the fifth largest tower in the world ; the views from the top were fantastic. It was opened in 1995
After that we went to the Petronas towers , we got free passes to go up to the skybridge but the passes werent until 6.0pm and it was only 11am so we went for lunch and a walk around. The Petronas twin towers are the tallest twin towers in the world and the 2nd and 3rd singular tallest buildings in the world. I guess I have to go to Taipei to go up the tallest building. When we got up to the skybridge at 6pm it was really good , but we had already seen a better view in the morning from Menara Kuala Lumpur tower. The Petronas towers , however , are beautiful buildings and an amzaing peice of architecture ; they opened in 1996.
So far in my travels I have plodded along to the next place and it has always been straightforward to make decisions ; but now I am in a dilema ; there are so many islands I could visit between here and Bangkok and I don`t know which ones to go to. I reckon I will take the bus to Krabi tomorrow , stay there a night and take it from there ; although that for sure means I am going to Phuket of Koh Phi Phi , which I suppose isn`t a bad thing , it`s just that those islands have a repution of being over-developed by tourism ( and more pricey than other places ). No matter what beaches I see in Thailand , nothing will surpass the beauty I saw in Australia , particularly at Wilsons promontory ( squeeky beach ) ; that remains one of the highlights of my journey.
Georgetown is okay ; I took a tuk-tuk ( its like one of those bicak things I had in Yogyakarta - a bicycle taxi ) when I got off the ferry to my hotel. My hotel was about a fiver a night , its okay , its a really big room , but that just gives he mosquitoes more living space too ; I was being annoyed by one last night and so I slept with my Aussie Bush hat and mosquito net on !!
To be honest with you sometimes I have been feeling a bit fed up lately.
Sorry this diary has been a bit -disjointed. My head is a bit all over the place at the moment as I try to figure out if the trans siberian railway is a realistic possibility and also try and decide upon plans for Thailand.
start the ladyboy jokes !
When I last wrote my diary here on 29th June , it was still 28th of june in Scotland and as getjealous.com is in parallel with Greenock Mean Time then the diary entry shows as 28th june and not 29th. I hope that makes sense.
I said I was feeling a bit fed up. I guess that was due to some long travelling days I have had recently. The day before yesterday , shortly after i wrote my diary on here, I was just chilling out in Georgetown when I stumbled across a fantastic state of the art shopping centre. I indulged in a bit of retail therapy by buying myself a new top. It was quite expensive at about 15 quid but still that`s not a lot in comparison to designer gear in Scotland , plus I liked it and it`s quite unusual. I will show you it later.
Also , when I was in the shopping centre there was a competion taking place where teenage hopefuls would audition for a show ; I guess it was a bit like what we would call ``pop idol`` or `` the x factor`` ; I watched a couple of acts ; I have uploaded a video of a girl who I thought was a really good singer. It`s a pity I stopped recording just as she was reaching the crescendo ( is that a word ? ) of her performance and was giving a very appreciative applause by the shoppers who had stopped to watch.
I have also uploaded a video showing you the room I was staying in at Georgetown ; I was really really tired when I made that just before I went to bed. I don`t really know why I made the video but here it is anyway , even if I am a bit embarrassed by my appearance in it.
I was told that the bus to where I am now ( Krabi in Southern thailand ) would be a direct bus from Georgetown taking 7 or 8 hours ; well 10 hours and 3 mini-busses later I arrived exhausted and saturated with sweat in Krabi. the last mini-bus was driven by what seemd like a possessed rally driver and everyone on-board gasped as we somehow avoided a collison by millimetres at high speed.
Anyway , last night , as I say , I was shattered , probably the most knackered I have been since I started travelling ; I just had a light dinner and a walk and a couple of beers and retired early. The room I have is okay ; it was under 2 quid a night , it doesnt haev all mod-cons like attached bathroom or aircon but it does have a fan and the bed is really hard ; I got a real good sleep so I am staying there again tonight and probably tomorrow too.
I am glad to at last be in Thailand. I say ``at last`` but time is really flying. I can`t believe it`s july already. When customs stamped my passport he made a mistake with the exit date and had to take up a new page with a fresh stamp ; I am actually counting the pages left in my passport, I only had one stamp in it before my trip ( Dominican Republic with Donna the year before last ) but now I am slightly concerned that I may fill all of the pages before I get home )
I don`t envisage that I have many more long travelling days in the immediate future. I am taking a day or two just to chill just now in Krabi before I start doing some relaxing island hopping without spending colossal amounts of time getting to them.. Already I have a really fantastic day to look forward to tomorrow or the day after ; I will have excellent photo and video opportunities ; watch this space.
Travel , and tourism , is simple in Thailand , I think I am really going to enjoy myself here. Indonesia / Malaysia , gave me a ``baptism of fire`` as far as travel and communication were concerned , so I feel I am now well versed to ``deal`` with Thailand.
Anyway , I hope everyone is well , and I will write to you again tomorrow ; or the day after.
Good Evening ,
Today I had a really good day. I went on an excursion with a tour company. I was the only person on it other than the driver and the tour guide , which was good in a way because I meant I got personal attention , although the downside was that I never had other travellers to chat to ; I`ve not really spoken to anyone since that Chris guy in KL.
Anyway , first of all today we stopped at the monkey cave temple ( Wat Suwankuha ) , this is a budhist temple and there are some fantastic monuments in there ; and monkeys , as you can see from my photos.
After stopping at another couple of points of interest we took a longtail boat to head out to James Bond Island , en-route the boat somehow fitted through a cave , I have this on video on this page. James Bond island is so-called as it was a famous scene from the James Bond film ``The man with the Golden Gun``. It was a really unusual and spectacular place to visit.
After that , we took the longtail boat to Koh Panyee , which is a floating muslim village of about 200 families ; they came here a couple of hundred years ago from Indonesia ; I had a really enjoyable prawn fried rice there for lunch. I made a mistake though of asking for a beer , only to be informed that the village is strictly muslim and alcohol is not permitted ; oops ; they did tell me nicely though.
I am quite tired again , so I will let my photos and videos do the rest of the talking and I will chat to you more indepth tomorrow.
PS , I am staying here tomorrow before heading to Koh Lanta island the day after.
Good Morning ,
I travelled to Lanta yesterday by mini-van , I was looking forward to coming here for some relaxation by the beach but it`s not really what I was expecting.
It`s low season here , I knew that before I came , but it`s like a ghost town , everything is shut up , all the dive schools and most accommodation. Theres about 50 beach huts I am staying at and mines is the only one occupied.
I know I have got to expect this but there is so many creepy crawlies and weird looking flying insects in my hut it`s unreal. I have also been craving some aircon for the past few days and it was heaven just to get in that mini-van yesteday.
I think I will stay tonight and then go back to Krabi tomorrow and shift over to Koh Samui , I was going to avoid Phuket due to the high level of tourism there but I think I may just go and see , afterall , I am probably only going to be here once.
Some happier vibes !! I hired a scooter and have ben zipping up and down the coast for some enjoyment and to cool off. It was only about 4 quid a day plus 1.50 a day petrol. It reminds me of being on the Cook Islands.
Hello ,
I have neglected to update my blog for three or four days. After I last wrote I left Koh Lanta and returned to Krabi for two nights. The 2nd night of which I had a couple of pints with a bloke from Dumfries.
After some dithering about where to go I opted to come to Koh Samui yesterday. I was sitting next to a bloke from Airdrie on the bus , Dave , who is a Celtic fan. Dave ended up coming to where I had booked a hotel and he got a room cheaper than mine. I am paying quite a bit for the hotel room and I am trying to get a move tomorrow to a cheaper room but I really like this place ; finally I feel I have arrived in the Land of Smiles , Thailand.
Dave and I went out for a beer or two last night and it was such a laugh. The town we are staying in is not the main town on the island but theres enough happening to make it interesting. It`s bizarre that there is very few ``males`` here ; everywhere we go we are pestered by gorgeous Thai girls who are full of laughter and good fun ; it`s a hard life huh.
For those who know Koh Samui we are in a town at the Big Budha beach ; I would like to stay here several days but it all depends on whether I can get cheaper accommodation.
I`ve got a few photo`s but I will wait until i have a lot. I reckon here I will just be chillin and not have a lot to report to you so my diary may be only written every couple of days.
Hello ,
Just a quickie to let you know I am still on Koh Samui. I am certain that I will stay here at least another week and possibly as long as a month.
The prospect of a break from bouncing from place to place really appeals to me ; I`ve felt like that since I hit the ``sensory overload wall`` after arriving in South East Asia.
This town is really nice , no hassles here. I am just going to stay in tonight and watch TV and read , not very exciting I know , but I haven`t had much time to myself just to do nothing.
I`ve just finished reading David Beckham`s autobiography ``My side`` ; I like footballers and ex-footballers / managers books ; In the past year or so I have read Alex Ferguson`s , Gordon Strachan`s , Roy Keane`s , Michael Owen`s , Gazza`s and now Beckhams ; Beckham seems liek a really genuine bloke and the book was very enjoyable ; I`ll need to find something else now but I haven`t saw a book exchange here.
Dave , the guy from Glasgow I met , is still here , I am going to move next door to him at his hotel tomorrow as the rooms are a wee bit cheaper there , not much but every ``baht`` counts huh ?
I can now say ``cheers`` in Thai. I can say cheers in about 10 different languages , but unfortunatley its the only word I know in many of them.
The weather here isnt perfect , it`s low season and sometimes you can be sitting out in the sun and within seconds theres a sudden change and strong winds get up and rain pelts down ; it`s nice though , sitting in the room listening to the rain ; I`ve had plenty sunny weather during my journey so I am not complaining , infact it`s really good to get a bit of variety actually.
I think Dave is going to move on in a couple of days ; he has been really good company , when going out for a beer or two it`s always nice to have a mate as sometimes you can feel a bit fed up on your own , although , here everyone is so friendly and everyone wants to talk to you.
Anyway , I better go and collect my laundry.
Hope all is well.
Good Afternoon ,
Last night as usual here I went out for something to eat and a couple of beers , then came home early to watch some TV.
This morning I got up and shifted over to the Mermaid hotel where Dave is , I am his next door neighbour now. We hired motorbikes and went to ride round the island , which should take about 3 hours.
When we go to the main town on the island we got directed into a compound by the police who were doing a spot check and stopping all motorcyclists with no helmets on. We queued up and filled in a form with a policeman who then told us we shoudl go and queue again to pay in an office in the same compound ; we queued for a while and then just bolted without paying ; all they have on me is ``Dow`` , ``Scotland`` , and ``Yahmaha`` so I reckon the chances of them catching up with me are slim ; its hardly the crime of the century huh ? We are staying at the Mermaid hotel and Dave wrote his name was ``Mr Mermaid`` , so asl long as the police don`t put two and two together we`ll be in the clear.
On the way home we stopped at the Big Buddha , it really is massive ; definatley the biggest buddha I have ever seen anyway !!
What do you think of the photos ?
Hello ,
I hope you are having a good weekend. I am continuing to hang out on Koh Samui , the area is really nice and I reckon much better than the main town on the island. The weather has improved dramatically over the past few days and I have been getting a suntan just lazing at the pool which I usually have all to myself.
David , the bloke from Glasgow I had been hanging around with has now gone to the next island ; I am going to miss him , he is a top banana and was great company , hopefully I can meet up with him for a beer back in Scoatlund.
Tonight I am going to a birthday party with Tak. Tak is a really nice girl and she has become a good wee pal of mine ;
I reckon I will stay here for maybe a month , I`m ``travelled out`` , but I reckon soon I will be raring to go again ; I am not making any commitment to my travel itinery , I will just do whatever , whenever.
Good Afternoon ,
Yes , I am still here on Koh samui , I reckon that`s 9 , or maybe 10 days I have been here , that`s longer than I have spent anywhere since I left Greenock.
I am still not doing a lot , just sunbathing , swimming and whizzing around on a scooter , a pink girly scooter I may add , but it`s gets me from A to B.
Everything is open here and hotels / restraunts / bars etc are all moaning that not enough Europeans are here on holiday ; that suits me though.
I have absolutely no idea how long I am going to stay here ; most people just get a months visa for Thailand then have to renew by crossing a border and coming back ; thankfully , before I left Greenock I got a years tourist visa ; I can stay here 3 months before leaving and coming back in. I dont intend staying three months but at least I can stay longer than a month which is very likely.
I like this island , and inparticular the town I am in , it`s perfect , so I see no point in rushing off to the next place just for the sake of it. If I am honest I am not looking forward to Bangkok ; I`ve explained before that I am not a big fan of huge bustling cities , and Bangkok is meant to be as crazy as they come , but I suppose I will just need to wait and see how I find it myself.
Hello ,
I am still here on Koh Samui. Apologies if you have been tuning in expecting daily adventures as per previously.
I was always intent on having a break from travelling if I found the right spot and time and this is it. I will be here another month or so.
Last night I went and bought the Rocky Balboa DVD film for 100baht , Tak and I watched it at the hotel , I managed to get the film with thai subtitles. I am developing vocabulary in Thai myself as I learn from the locals ; it`s a bit confusing at times though.
David came back for a couple of days but now he is gone again. Do you like the video of him ? Absolute nutter ! , David I hope to meet up for a beer when I get home and I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.
Thats the thing with this travelling malarky , I dont like saying goodbye to friends I meet ; Tak has been a good pal of mine for over a fortnight now too and I will be sad to leave this place ; but , I still have lots of friends and adventures awaiting and I look forward to the final third of my journey.
Thanks for the messages.
PS , Brenda , bankcard not arrived yet. Will let you know when it does.
Hello ,
Still at the same place on Koh Samui. It`s not all been sitting by the pool and doing nothing ; I have been having interesting days. Went to Lamaii a couple of days ago with Tak and Fa , good swimming at the beach there , I think that was the first time I had been swiiming in the sea since back in Australia ! long time ago.
It`s quite quiet still around here ; the business owners are grumbling that theres usually a bit more tourists here even though its low season. Some people reckon that people are still reluctant to come becasue of last years military coup ; theres also been recent political unrest and protests , I dont know if that made the news in Scotland but something like 300 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters last weekend ; although in no way does such shennanigans have any impact upon tourist areas.
Here`s a wee thing for you , there was a one baht coin on the floor and Tak told me to pick it up ; it`s worth about 1.5pence and so I told her it wasnt worth bending down to retrieve ; she picked it up and put it on the table face up and said in slightly angry voice ``My King`` , the implication being that I was being disrespectful to royalty leaving the coin on the floor. Everywhere you go here , restraunts , bars , whatever , there is usually a photo of the King and sometimes the extended royal family.
Today its a ``Buddha Day`` , I am not sure what that entails but everything is shut , including bars , even the infamous full moon party on the neighbouring island of Ko Pha Ngan has been postponed until tomorrow despite the fact that the full moon is tonight.
Do you rmember when I done that trip in the USA there was an English girl called Janette there ? Well Janette has come to Koh Samui to do an English teaching course for a month ; Tak and I met up with Janette yesterday to show her around , we took her to see the Big Buddha and then last night we went to something which I can only describe was a cross between going to the fair/pop concert/market , was quite bizarre , Janette and I seemed to be the only ``falang`s`` there.
In a few days time I am going to go to Ko Pha Ngan with Tak for 3 nights , just for a change of scenery before coming back here for a week or so and then getting on my merry way north.
The bungalows I am in at the moment are right next to the airport , I keep trying to get a good video of a plane coming into land from next to the swimming pool. When in the room sometimes it sounds like the plane is actually going to come right throught the wall , its a huge roar.
Anyway , I am rambling , I thought I better just let you how things are going.
Take Care.
Ian
Hello ,
Last night I went to see Muay Thai ( Thai Boxing ) last night at the Koh Samui stadium in Cheweng.
It wasn`t all that more expensive for ringside seats than the ordinary ones so we ( Tak , Janette and I ) opted for that.
The first bout was between two boys who looked about 7 years old ; I`m not sure if I`d like a relation of mine that young to be fighting in a boxing ring but I suppose it`s better doing that in a controlled environment , if the boy wants to himself and isnt forced into doing so. Anyway , I was glad I never saw anyone getting a kicking until the adult fights , no doubt at the first hint of injury or trauma in a kids fight then the match gets stopped , I hope that`s the case.
There was 8 fights in total and some boxers did get a bit of a doing ; I was particularly pleased when one of the winners gave me a ``no bother pal`` nod , after leaving the ring victorious.
There was a girl fight between a Thai and a South African. The South African girl was about twice the height of the Thai and it really was a mis-match as her legs were able to boot her opponents face so much more easily. I managed to get a photograph of me with the South African girl at the end of the contest.
The crowd gets really excited and I enjoyed it probably more so than going to normal boxing in Scotland , but , it really was one of those things I went to see just because I am here. All in all it was a good night.
Hello ,
For the past 3 days or so I have had bad toothache. I am a bit afraid of the dentist at the best of times and it is something I hoped to avoid on my journey.
Anyway , I got a recommendation of a dentist and I went there this morning. Really nice man , the dentist , and professional set-up. After his examination of my mouth he had bad news for me ; one of my back molars ``was`` ( notice the past tense ) really decayed and a huge infection had spread from that tooth to others around it.
The solution is complex. Today he extracted the primary cause of the problem , ie the decayed molar and now I have a BIG GAPING HOLE at the back of my mouth. Call me a big girl but I felt queezy afterwards. On Saturday he is going to attempt gum treatment to try and save other teeth but he doesnt hold a lot of hope for my only other bottom molar on my left hand side ; if that one comes out I will need to eat only my right hand side.
He said he can make permanent implant(s) for me to replace the removed one(s) and I told him i would consider after he shows me the prices (on Saturday). This morning I paid in full for todays extraction and the forthcoming gum treatment. It was 5000baht and obviously if I get implants that figure will rocket. Hmmm , I sense an insurance job.
The dentist ordered me ``no smoking`` , ``no drinking alcohol for at least the next week`` , yikes. He told me it was probably alcohol which encouraged the infection to spread. I wish I had knew this last night when I was swirling Johnnie Walker Black Label over my toothache in the belief it would help matters. Basically , I think I am a moron.
I was real pleased to have Tak accompany me to the dentist ; she has been a good nurse and will continue to be for the next few days and she is also under the dentists orders not to allow me alcohol and to administer my medication at the right times incase I forget , this she finds amusing. It was nice to have her support in the waiting room whilst I waited on the anaesthic numbing me before the dreaded pulling of the tooth.
Looking at Tak , I know she is only 18 but she has the most beautiful set of teeth I have ever seen ; each tooth is in pristine condition and is sparkling white , with all gums looking really healthy. I reckon this must be because of her diet , she never drinks fizzy drinks , only water , all the time. I wish I had a blanced diet too but I`m afraid I just can`t get into eating Thai food. I guess I am stuck on junk food for life. Maybe one small change at a time over a long period and I can establish a healthy life ; who knows huh ?
Anyway , just thought I would let you know about the dentist and stuff.
I hope you are all well.
Good Afternoon ,
Once again apologies for not keeping you up-2-date in the past few days. I am still thoroughly enjoying myself at Bangrak , Koh Samui.
About 9 months ago in New Zealand i noticed a lumpy thing on my back ; as it was still there a couple of months later I pointed it out to a doctor in Cairns , Queensland , Australia who told me it was harmless and would go away by itself ; Ronnie , if you are reading you may remember I discussed this with you in Adelaide ?
Well , it was still there until now and had ``grown`` a bit so i went to the doctors this morning at The International Hospital here on Koh Samui. The doctor told me it was a cyst and before you know it he had me on an operating tabel and surgically removed it for me.
I seem to be spending a lot of time and money at the dentist and doctors here , but that`s not their or anyone`s fault. I have been very impressed with the treatment and professionalism here. I mean , suppose I went to a doctor in Scotland with the cyst I had this morning ; the doctor would probably have wrote a referring letter to the hospital and the hospital would probably have contacted me a few months later with an appointment ; same with when I went to the dentist here , the dentist seen me within 5 minutes of me arriving , no appointment or anything , and the standard and level of professionalism seemed much better than in Scotland.
Now I need to go to the hospital everyday for a week , and also the dentist !! , and after a week i can have the stiches on my back taken out ; its just a bit annoying that I wont be able to swim or take a shower properly during that time , but I am really glad the cyst has been removed , I mean , thankfully thats what it was , I tend to let my imagination run wild sometimes and thought that it might be something that could kill me.
I`ve been feeling a bit for Tak as she has been a good nurse to me by supporting me at the dentist , and now its the hospital too. We were ( and still are ) going to go to a couple of neighbouring islands for 2 or 3 days on each , but we will wait now until after all my treatment ; once we have done that I will get on my merry way north to Bangkok , sort out my visas for and then move into Laos, Vietnam etc.
I still haven`t booked the trip home on the trans siberian railway , I`m in two minds as to whether to do it or not.
I have been eating some noodles and stuff with Tak , but nothing too spicey ; it`s always good to get good scottish type food too , theres a bloke from glasgow with a restraunt i like and his thai girlfriend cooks really great mince and potatoes. On Sundays the roast beef and yorkshire puddings are just what the doctor ordered.
I still to get the illusive video of a plane coming into land , will try and get one today but I have been saying that everyday. To be honest a lot of the time I have been really lazy lust snoozing in the afternoons , I reckon a lot is to do with the heat. I had a lot of alcohol the night before last but other than that I have had none in the past week ; I will continue to abstain now that I have more medication for my back from the hospital.
I hope everyone is well. I am so proud that my nephew David took in his first Morton match on Saturday , I`m delighted his first match ended in triumphant victory for the team that no doubt he now loves.
Hello ,
Since writing to you yesterday I have been in pain all down my back and right side ; obviously it`s due to the surgical removal of the cyst. I`ve got vey strog painkillers and anti-biotics but still I found it difficult to sleep last night ; I`ve even had to have Tak shower me to ensure I don`t get the dressing saturated with water.
I went to the dentist this morning and my other molar is still slack , they are going to look at it again tomorrow and make a decision then ; I`d rather they could leave this one is as I am just looking forward to getting all the hospital/dental treatments over and done with and I dont know if I will get all or any of the money back from insurance , I am about to write to them after this diary.
After the dentist this morning I went to the hospital for my first daily routine visit to have my wound cleaned and dressing changed. I pointed out to the doctor that I had been in a lot of pain since the op and he commented ``well you did see the mess that we removed from you yesterday , it`s healing nicely`` , so I suppose that`s fair enough. I thought I had paid m total bill yesterday but I was alarmed to receive another bill for about 17 quid today , I thought that was excessive for merely having my wound cleaned and Tak and I studied the bill in the lobby ; the financer could see us debating it between ourselves and called me back over and refunded me about 14 quid , I don`t know if they made a genuine mistake or if they just thought ``here`s a daft rich farang`` , anyway , I am meant to go back everyday but I think I will just go every two days , stuff paying 3 quid everyday just to have a new dressing.
One of the plus sides of my treatments has been that i have been eating healthily and not drinking any alcohol ; anything I can do to speed up the healing processes I will as I want to have a week of enjoyment on Samui before heading onto pastures new.
I can`t really think of anything else at the moment ; I hope everyone is well.
Take Care
Ian
Good Afternoon ,
I find it hard to believe that I have now been here on Koh Samui for over a month. It seems like only a couple of days ago since I had my last Sunday Roast , but found myself again having my roast beef , yorkshire pudding , roast potaoes , mashed potatoes and cauliflower cheese again today ; when the waitress presented my dinner to me she said ``no carrots , no peas , because you no eat `` , I love that personal service where the staff recognise and remember the individual customers requirements.
In only a couple of days time I will have the stitches removed from my back. I look forward to that , the doctor is really pleased with how the wound is healing , despite my moans that I am still having difficulty sleeping due to the pain when lying down. I can`t wait to get swimming and stuff again , I`ve just been lazing around much of the time.
A couple of days ago Tak and I went round the island on the motorbike , we went to a fantastic mountaineous area which was so steep that at times I had to get off the bike so it would have enough power for Tak to drive it up the hills. We stopped and had a drink at a wonderfully pictureresque restraunt with fabulous views which we had all to ourselves.
In a few days time I am going to move on from here. Tak and I have really enjoyed each others company and we discussed at length the possibility of her coming north for a couple of weeks , but , in the end we both reckon it`s best for me to go my own way now as it will only make it more difficult for the two of us if I go later rather than sooner. Tak has a few problems which would break your heart , it`s not just make-believe either. Sadly her english isn`t too good and we have difficulty sometimes in making ourselves understood , but usually we get there. Anyway , if I go travelling to north Thailand and into Laos I will no doubt have a possibility to come back to Samui for a couple of days if I head back in the Bangkok direction.
I have managed to take a video of a plane coming into land from the swimming pool at the bungalowbut its taking ages to upload today , maybe it will be possible tomorrow , or maybe it will appear here now.
Anyway , I am going to need to dah just now , will get back and tidy this diary up tomorrow. Hope you like the photo of me at the hospital.
Good afternoon ,
Yesterday I was scheduled to get the stitches oput of my back but the doctor told me it was a bit infected and I should keep them in for another three days. Today when I went another doctor ( the one I usually have ) said they could come out. All I need do now is have the wound covered and the dressing changed for a couple of days then , all going well , I will be able to swim again and everything else.
I`ve not really much to tell you so I will keep this diary short and sweet and let you enjoy the videos. The first video is of a plane coming to land which I took from the pool at my bungalow , the 2nd is of a viewpoint restraunt where tak and I went on the motorbike a few days ago , and , the final video is just me being silly.
I hope everyone is well.
Hello ,
It`s my birthday today !!
Yesterday I went to the cinema with Tak to see a film she recommended called Rush Hour 3 , it was a Jackie Chan film and quite funny. It was the first time I had been to the pictures here and I knew to expect to be standing before the film for the National anthem ; I found that quite emotional when it happened , the national anthem gets played with a very moving video of the king on the screen.
This is Monday ( I`m good eh ) , on Friday night we went to Chaweng with Janette and a her friend , we were dancing to hip hop music until 5am ; it was quite enjoyable , it was a change to go to a bustling town instead of relaxing here ; it was also the first time I got to see ladyboys. This Friday I will make sure I get my photograph with some of them to show you ; some of them are very beautiful but unlike what people say , I found it very easy to spot them. I just want to let you know that I have no desire to do anything other than have a photograph with them.
Today I went to Lamai again where the nice beach is , it was good to be able to swim in the sea again at last as my wound on my back is now healing up , just a little infection still which Tak has instructions from the doctor upon how to clean and dress twice a day.
On the way to Lamai today the police were doing their monthly round-up of motorcyclists with no helmets on the main road. Its hilarious to see all the motorcyclists stop before the roadblock and turn round and head in the opposite direction indicatiing to oncoming helmetless bikers that they too should do the same. We went a 20km detour along dirt tracks to escape ; thankfully when we were coming home the police had made enough money for the day. It`s hideous that they give you a fine then let you drive away again with no helmet ; really they ought to stop anyone without a helmet everyday , then people would start wearing helmets , its not rocket science , they should also stop children under a certain age driving , perhaps 12 years old or something , and there should be a maximum of 3 people on a 50cc scooter , thats what I think anyway.
I am going to go for a couple of shandies tonight for my birthday , yeh yeh , any excuse you say huh.
I must apologise ( again ) to people tuning in expecting to see me having moved on from Koh Samui with tales from new places. I knews when I started travelling that I would like to stop somewhere for a few weeks , this place has been it but I guess I need to get going soon , will be before the end of the month. I will be sad to leave here as I feel as if I am one of the locals now.I will just enjoy the next few days , will need to see about gettign a dive before I go. I am terrified to look at my bank statement.
Anyway , I`m off for now , see you later with photos and videos next time.
Hello ,
My birthday yesterday was memorable.
Last night about 10pm after going to the pub we left contented to go home. We stopped at the bar at the bungalow for one final drink ; I was angry with Tak that she wouldnt even wait on me finishing my drink and told me she would wait on me at the house. Now the good bit.
So I am sitting in the bar fed up with her and after 2 minutes she phones me and tells me to come home NOW. I say no , 5 minuites but she insists I come now , I thought somethign was wrong. Anyway , I get to the bungalow and the door is locked and the place is in darkness so I knock on the door ; Tak opens the door and is standing with a tiny birthday cake with one candle on it and says ``happy birthday darling`` , I nearly cried with happiness.
We went back out to the bar at the bungalow and everyone sung happy birthday to me , then we went back to Grumpy Bills where we had spent the evening and of course took the cake with us , in Grumpy Bills they knew about the forthcoming surprise Tak had for me and they also sang happy birthday and gave us free shots ( see videos , need sound ). Eventually left Grumpy Bills at 2am after initially leaving to go home at 10pm.
One sad note is that whilst in the pub there was big accident along the road. Hopefully no-one was seriously injured.
Moving on , today went 10 pin bowling , was a good laugh. Tak won.
I have changed my plans again. I feel really fulfilled with all the places I have seen and I reckon that coming home on the trans siberian railway is probablay being a bit greedy of me. I think it best to save that ambition for another time in the future. I still want to go to Laos and have a month in Vietnam however , and so I will make sure I have a real good time in Vietnam as a swansong and try to entertain you as I go. I think I will come home on the flight from Bangkok on 22nd November as originally planned. Getting visa for Russia and Mongolia would have been a major hassle anyway and would have very expensive.
Good Morning ,
Yesterday I went diving to a ``world famous`` dive site called Sail Rock. Diving was the main reason I came to Samui and so I thought it time to do so before I left. It took about an hour on the speed boat to get to the site and once we got there there was millions of very small jellyfish in the water. Some people wanted to call the whole thing off ( me included big feartie that I am ) but others thought we should go for it , even though it wa inevitable some people would get sore stings.
The diving itself was fairly good , lots of swim throughs in abig under water rock , a bit like the Ailsa Craig or something lol , they say its meant to resemble an ice-berg with only the top of it poking out of the water. I never saw as much marine life as I did in previous diving locations but it was worthwile even though much of the time was spend avoiding jellyfish ; in the end up only a couple of people out of our 10 got stung , but , there was many more casualties on another dive boat which arrived.
Last night I went to Chaweng again with Tak ; there was abig market type thing there , I say market but it was much more like a cross between what we would call a fairground / T in the park.
I managed to get myself a photo with three ladyboys but please note that these ones are not the same as the gorgeous ones you see in nightclubs; these ones take part in a ladyboy show. What do you think , I think the one on the right hand side of the 2nd photo just looks like a fat bloke with make-up on , and I suppose that`s what it is.
At the fairground we were shooting Tommy Guns , throwing darts to burst balloons and at another stall I somehow contrived to hit the stallholder on the head with a catapult shot , much to his displeasure , and to my amusement.
Cheweng late at night is a crazy place , lots of beautiful girls in the nightclubs and not really all that many farangs. I think that was probably the last tiem I will be there though as it`s rapidly getting near the time to move on.
Hopefully Morton can get another win today against Hamilton Accies , C`MON `EE TON
Good Afternoon ,
Well this is my penultimate diary entry from Koh Samui. I am really going to miss this place and all the people I have got acquainted with , I feel as if part of me belongs here.
Janette left yesterday , the day before we met up with her and her pal Dave and we took the motorbikes a run to some nice places. We stopped at a mummified monk who when he was alive was able to tell the future , he even predicted the precise date he would die. They mummified him and now people come to pray to him and he is able to predict their futures too , even though he is dead. I didn`t really understand and sorry if what I have wrote makes it sound a bit demeaning.
We also went to a nice area at the sea where there is bizarre rock formations ; and another place we went was that lovely viewpoint restraunt which Tak and I discovered previously. When saying goodbye to Janete yesterday , she and especially Tak got quite emotional , I don`t think I will find it easy saying farewell to Tak either.
Last night I wanted to watch Man Utd v Spurs and after that was finished we stayed and had a few drinks , it actually turned into a bit of a crazy night.
I will give a full and comprehensive round up of Koh Samui before I leave on the 30th ; NEW ADVENTURES NOW AWAIT - TIME TO GET THIS SHOW BACK ON THE ROAD.
Hello ,
All good things have to come to an end and the realisationof that has been creeping up over the past few days. Last night when out with Tak as usual we couldn`t get happy. Tak reallyhas opened up to me and told me lots of things which would break your heart but it would be impersonal and an intrsusion to fully discuss on here. I am sure you understand.
Many tears have been shed by us both in the past few days and todayit took a long time for us to get the heads up.
I really enjoy when Tak sends me to get her food with a note written in Thai which I hand over to the restraunt and she does the opposite for me some mornings on the rare occasions I have a hangover and need a roll and bacon and or sausage.
Tak pity`s me ( unbelievable really ) that I have stayed here so long with her despite us both having a great 6 or 7 weeks. She has told me she wants me to do everything I said I was going to do , Laos , Vietnam etc.
Anyway , she thought it would be a good idea for usboth to go and pray at the temple today and so I thought why not. First thing this morning we went and bought a bag of offerrings ad flowers for the monks and then we went to he temple. It was different from any religious ceremony I had partaken in before but when praying I thought for tak`s family , and both of us too. The monk threw some sort of holy water type stuff on us to bless us and I am wearing a wrist rope bangle thing he gave us. Tak is too.
Today we went to all of ou favourite places for one last time. I bought my favourite Thai music from Tesco and we went swimming at Lamai.
Tomorrow is my last day here. It`s going to be really difficult to leave here and Tak but I will keep in touch with her and a wee bird tells me that we haven`t seen the last of her on this trip , but keep that under your hat.
This blog , I know , should be showing you places I have been. I make no apology for making so many referances to Tak , it`s my diary too afterall and a keepsake for me , but I will try and get more stories than Tak Tak Tak soon. I reckon th next fortnight could be fascinating , theres everypossiblity I will going to places where there are very few farangs about.
I hope all is well. See you later.
Hello ,
I never got round to writing that final diary entry in Koh Samui.
The night before last , my last night on Samui was a bit of a blur. Had a good night though and said my farewells to everyone.
I will keep this diary brief today and add photos and videos possibly tomorrow.
Tak and I , yes , you heard that right , got a boat from Samui yesterday morning to take us up the coast to Chumporn via Kao Tao and other islands , the boat took 5 hours and we were then shepherded onto a bus which was to take 12 hours eventually arriving to Bangkok at 5am. As we settled into the bus journey it stopped after 20minutes at a restraunt for us to have some relaxation ! No way , we`d only just started. Tak and I went to the market and had thai food instead of eating at the farang restraunt the bus took us to.
It was a long night on the bus but eventually it stopped at 4.30 in Bangkok where we were greeted by dozens of tuk tuk and taxi drivers. We relented and took a tuk tuk to Koh San Road where I refused to let the tuk tuk driver take us to a hotel he knew had rooms insisting we`d find one ourselves. The tuk tuk driver followed us and watched us return from each full hotel before we got back into his tuk tuk and went to his original suggestion. The hotel we are at is really nice actually and its good to have luxuries like aircon and room-service.
It`s taking time to recover from the momentus journey although things are becoming to become clearer now. I am staying in Bangkok for 3 nights , ( last night didnt count ) , before going to visit Tak`s family who are at her sisters in a district only an hour or so from here ; after I have done that I will say farewell to Tak and get on my merry way north to Chiang Mai. I will take care of visas for Vietnam , Laos and possibly Cambodia before I depart.
Walking up Koh San road at 5am this morning was bizarre , eerily quiet with hundreds of homeless people sleeping rough ; it was a confusing first taste of the city but it looks so different today when more lively.
Tomorrow we will visit the Grand Palace.
I reckon once I get north to Chiang Mai and on my own I will be able to make my last pennies last until I fly home from Bangkok on 22nd November. I need to do some planning of what I intend to do with the next couple of months.
I am pleased to see that Morton signed Iain Russell late last night before the transfer deadline. I hope he scores lots of goals.
Good Morning ,
It`s 11.40am , I have just had breakfast in bed then come to the internet to discover that Morton lost to Queen of the South yesterday.
Spending nearly 7 weeks on Samui was fantastic. I feel that I belonged there but I suppose it was just one big holiday and now I have the blues from it.
Was going to go to the Grand Palace today but have discovered it`s closed on Sunday`s , hopefully tomorrow is not a bank holiday or that will mean Tak never got the chance to go and see it.
Last night we went a walk down Koh San road , I have never seen so many people in such a small space before or so many neon lights ; to be honest after walking up and down once or twice we retreated to the peacefullness of the hotel room where I read a gripping book and Tak watched TV.
I was out most nights on Samui but it was generally just Tak and I in a sports bar ( Grumpy Bills ) playing pool with no other customers in the place , it was great ; its going to take time to get used to masses of people , I reckon I will enjoy northern Thailand a lot more than Bangkok. The hotel is really nice though and quiet in the room.
The book I read was The Damage Done by Warren Fellows , it was about an Australian bloke who spent 12 years in a Bangkok prison. I have never been so moved by a book in my life , I would recommend reading it.
On Samui I bumped into an English bloke in the hotel bar and he was always drunk during the day and smoking dope , just an idiot really but harmless. I never saw him after he went to the full moon party and I discovered later that he got jailed and sent to the monkey house for possession of Ecstasy ; he will likely serve a minimum of 5 years in jail ; I feel so sorry for the guy , I didnt like him but he just was naive and stupid and I wouldn`t wish spending time banged up here upon anyone. reading that book last night would break your heart , here is a link to a description of it.
http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=296
I don`t know what the plan is for today now , I guess something will pop up. anyway , I better get back and have a shower.
Ps , another thing I noticed here is that a lot of things are cheaper than they were on Samui , I guess because Samui is a holiday island.
Good Afternoon ,
I`ve spent a bit of time adding photo`s and videos. I have more to add later and will tell the story behind them as soon as I can.
I arranged for visas for Laos , Vietnam and Cambodia and will get them in 7 working days.
Moving on tomorrow but will return to Bangkok to collect visas next week before heading north to Chaing Mai. I heard something about there was disasterous flooding up there , anyone shed any light ?
Hello ,
The day before yesterday I went in a mini-van to Pattaya ; journey takes about 3 hours from Bangkok. Pattaya is a crazy crazy place. It`s a bit like Blackpool only everything revolves around girls ; and boys too I suppose. It seemed like a place to go for single middle-aged men as evertywhere you look they`d be walking arm and arm with a beautiful girl , sometimes two. There are many streets in Pattaya that you walk and every single bar has dozens of girls outside all shouting on men to come in ; I`ve seen the red-light area in places like Amsterdam but this is unbelievable.
Pattaya , I don`t think was a place I would personally like to stay more than one night , everything seemed a bit sordid , I was feeling quite happy I had Tak with me. On the main Street ``Walking Street`` I has happy to watch some bouts of Muay Thai ( Thai Boxing ) ; this wasn`t like the professional stuff I paid a lot of money to watch in Samui ; this was more like rough and ready guys from the Street. I saw some people get real batterings ; it wasn`t for the faint-hearted. the winners would usually hang around in the ring hoping for payment by way of tips from the audience , whilst the loser would be helped out of the ring for treatment. Apparently Thailand has never been invaded , if all the Thais can fight like this then I`m not surprised.
Yesterday we left Pattaya and got a bus to Chon Buri - it was an adventure to get the bus to begin with , I thought I was going to fall off a motorbike taxi with my rucksack. Chon Buri is where Tak`s sister stays , we got a hotel and then went to see her at her house. She lives in a really basic room in an area where there was lots of poverty , but I suppose that`s commonplace. With Tak`s sister and a couple of her friends we went out to a pub/restraunt typer place where there was a live Thai band and everyone was dancing madly. I was the only Farang in the place and I haven`t seen another in Chon Buri , I`m definately not ``holidaying on Samui`` now.
Back in Bangkok there are many travellers / tourists ; it never ceases to amaze me that , no matter which travellers city I am in I never stop hearing and meeting Irish people. Apparently Ireland has , per head , the highest number of ex pats who hold an Irish passport ; correct me if I am wrong but someone told me there are 45 million Irish passport holders but less than 5 million live in Ireland ; I think that`s incredible. On the other hand , I see far less Scots travelling.
Everywhere I have been in South East Asia I see people playing two games, draughts ( chequers ) and connect 4. I have been playing connect 4 a lot ; every bar has it.
When on Samui and when we went to get blessed from teh monk , tak , said it would help me with the nightmares I have been having in my sleep ; I don`t know if there is anything in it or not but I haven`t had a bad dream since.
Hello ,
Not done a lot. Went and had a party at Tak`s sister`s house with her Mum , Dad , Grandmother , nephew and baby neice. Was quite an experiance.
Will get more ``stories`` when I return to Bangkok and especially when I get on my own again by heading up to Chiang Mai on 12th September.
Hello ,
Well that`s me back in Bangkok. Today I got my passport back with my visas for Laos , Vietnam and Cambodia. I will heading alone to Chiang Mai on 13th Sept. Tak was supposed to leave today but will leave tomorrow. I am ready to move on now , I will miss Tak but it`s time.
The few days I spent at Chon buri were very interesting , a real eye-opener. The family treated me as one of their own but only Tak could speak any English so she was the translator a lot , but often I just sat back and absorbed what was going on around me. The thigns they ate were good for them but not for me , I watch intensely as they got stuck into a big basket of fried crickets. I have to say it was great yesterday for me to get back to Bangkok and have a whopper from Burger King.
I was just thinking the other day how some things never change no matter where I go ; the pigeons for example look exactly the same as the ones in Greenock and also the ants ; there seems to be billions of ants by the way. Cats and Dogs are everywhere too , most of them are stray , I feel really sorry for some of the dogs especially ; it`s heartbreaking watching 3 legged dogs searching for food scraps.
That brings me to beggars ; at first when in Indonesia I treid to blank it out but it`s so heartbreaking I feel I must try and give small money to the occasional people ; children and old ladies I have a lot of pity for and it gets to you in the end.
I see scotland won on Saturday , fantastic , hopefully we can get another good result against the French in Paris tomorrow ; I wish I was able to go , so many people I know are going , guess I can`t have everything huh.
Anyway , I am back staying in the same hotel as before in Bangkok , it`s a really nice hotel.
It`s been really hot and humid the past few days and it drains the energy. Last night it bucketed with rain for hours on end.
Only another few weeks and I will be home but before then I have another 3 countries to visit , not including seeing more of beautiful Thailand , if I have time and money I will go on a hilltribe trek when I get up to Chiang Mai.
I have so much to tell you but my head is a bit all over the place at the moment. Will get back to you before I head north , hopefully things will be a little clearer then.
I hope everyone is well and I miss everyone , especially family very much , will be fantastic to get home and see everyone.
Take Care.
Ian
Hello ,
What a fantastic result for Scotland last night in Paris and what a goal ; I feel so proud to be walking arounbd with my Scotland football top on today.
Well , that`s Tak away last night. Last night was the first night in 9 weeks I wasn`t with her. I`ll miss her very much. I intend to surprise her by proposing to her after I come back from Laos. I really hope she will agree to marry and come and live in Scotland with me..
In a couple of hours I will be heading with my train ticket for the night train north to Chiang Mai. I have a bunk on the lower level ; I look forward to just lieing down and reading the new book I bought.
There is so much to do in Bangkok but in reality I never seen a lot of the touristy stuff ; perhaps when I re-visit in a few weeks I will cover a few more bases before my flight home.
I am now immensely looking forward to a couple of weeks in North Thailand and then head into Laos down the Mekong on a slow boat for a couple of days ; after Laos I will have 3 weeks or so in Vietnam before heading to Cambodia and back to Thailand. I can`t believe it will time to go home soon , I am now nearly 4/5 of the way through my trip and have spent double the money I hoped to have done for the whole year.
I lost a bit of progress since arriving n Koh Samui. I didnt intend being there so long and I missed seeing some other islands but I really enjoyed myself so it doesn`t matter.
The things I would do right now for something simple like a tin of Heinz Lentil Soup.
Hello ,
the night train was really comfortable and i slept like a tree.
Chiang Mai , thailand`s 2nd city , is a much more relaxed place than it`s southern partner , Bangkok. I like walking around here. Last night i went to the ATM ) as usual , to withdraw money. 10 minutes later whilst standing reading a restraunt menu half a mile away a Thai girl appeared and said ``mister you leave card``. I had left my card in teh ATM and here she was returning it to me ; when I tried to give a tip she was embarassed and refused. Little things like that show that the world is a good place afterall.
Tomorrow I am going on a trip. i go see an elephant show and then I ride one of them for an hour ; this is followed by a trip down the river in the jungle on a bamboo raft , then i meet hilltribes such as the Long neck tribe and the Long Ear tribe ( the mind boggles but i should get good photo`s ). I also get taken for a ride on an ox ; infact there is many things which will occur tomorrow. i look forward to showing you some interesting photo`s at last.
It`s amazing how travelling re-opens parts of the memory which you had forgotten about. The markets remind me of being a small boy and goign to markets whilst on holiday with my parents in the scottish borders , the only thing i remember them buying me there when I was about 4 or 5 was a kagoul. For some reason I also now recall going on drives to pick brambles with my Gran to enable her to make jam with them.
Was it my imagination or does anyone recall that there was a market every Saturday morning in Greenock , I think at the bottom end of WestBurn Street , if anyone can remember that from 30 years ago please let me know.
Anyway , I`m skint but looking forward to tomorrow`s trip.
Hope everyone is well.
Ian
Hello ,
Today was a really good day out ; it`s good to get good days out like this after the ``long holiday`` on Koh Samui.
The day started today with a visit to an elephant park where we got real close up to the elephants which was a bit scarey to begin with as some were a bit exciteable. We watched an elephant show and then got to ride them across the river and through tracks in the forest. It was really good fun but I can imagine that now and again people must fall off as we were grippign on for dear life going down steep hills.
After the elephant riding we went ox riding , that was fun too. Since the start of the day I had been talking to a bloke from Yorkshire , Tristen I think he said his name was and I am going to meet him for something to eat tonight ; I`ve just stayed in teh last couple of nights to save money so why not. I`ve spent a fortune in the past 4 months or so though and I am financially ruined.
After teh elephants and Ox`s we had lunch , it was really good considering I aint been eating much Thai food.
Then we went to see the long neck tribe. This was bizarre too and I felt sorry for the tribepeople who were there simply to pose for us ; Tristen needed a pee and he went off to do one and discovered the long neck tribe have satellite TV !! All seemed a bit of a gimmick really and not the real thing. Some of the long neck ladies were beautiful though and I wouldnt mind marrying into the tribe myself.
Anyway , many photos and videos today , I hope you enjoy them. I`m starving and going for something to eat.
Hope everyone is well.
I
Hello ,
Yesterday I never done much other than go for short walks around , surf the internet , sleep and read my book. Last night though I went for my first Thai Massage ; it was about 2quid for an hour so I asked for two hours. I had had massage before in Scotland and in Bali , but Thai massage is completely different. The masseur twists , turns and stretches you in every direction ; sometimes it`s even mildly painful. I think I really benefitted from it though ; I was stiff as a board when I went in and now I feel a bit more energetic and flexible ; I also got a great non-alcohol induced sleep last night.
I left Chiang Mai this morning on a mini-bus to Pai. On the bus there was an Amercian bloke , I`d say in his late 40s waffling all sorts of useful information to a younger countryman of his ; turns out the older bloke has lived in Pai for 4 years so it was good for everyone to listen in on what he was saying , even if we all were pretending not to be listening.
The road to Pai was long and winding , up and down hills. I had a rough idea of what to expect when I got here after the four hour journey. Pai is in the north west corner of Thailand near the Burmese border. This little town is very peaceful and quiet , theres no other notable towns nearby ; there`s tourism yes , but it tends to be mor ehardened travellers than the package holiday type ; and thankfully there is no tacky girly bars either.
I am thinking of going on a trekking tour tomorrow , staying overnight at a hilltribe village ; I reckon I may as well whilst I am here. My current visa for Thailand expires on 27th September so I need to be over at Chaiang Rai and out of the country by then. I will then have been in Thailand for 3 months.
I was thinking about pigeons again and was wondering if the pigeons have a universal language ; I mean , suppose I took a pigeon from Scotland over here , would it be able to communicate with Thai pigeons ?
Anyway , I am havering so I am going to go and get something to eat.
See you later. Might be in 2 or 3 days if I go on an overnight trek tomorrow or the day after.
Hello ,
The trek I was meant to go on yesterday got cancelled due to lack of bodies ( I was the only one going ) , but , I dint mind and just spent another night here , its not the worst place in the world to laze around doing nothing ; but the ants are bit annoying.
A Belgian couple signed up for the trek and we are going tomorrow ; I think it should be really good , I don`t mind a small group but you know the old saying ``two`s company and three`s a crowd` , I think we`ll all enjoy it though.
As I have now been in Thailand 3 months I have picked up a small vocabularly ; it`s completely natural to say everyday things in Thai now.
Did you know theres no ``tenses`` in the Thai language. They get by with saying ``aready`` or ``later``
There is also , incredibly, no words for yes and no. I`ll illustrate how to get round that with examples
If I say ``Do you love me`` ? You should say ``love`` or ``don`t love``
If I say , ``Can I take you out for dinner`` ? you should say ``can`` or ``cannot``
If I say ``Do you have a double room available for tonight`` ? You should say ``have`` or have not`` and actually the Thais do say these things when speaking in English , they never say yes or no.
Anyway , when I get back from the trek on Saturday afternoon having spent tomorrow night with a hilltribe , I will be be bussing it back to Chiang Mai ; Saturday i sthe 22nd , I need be out of Thailand by 27th , or I turn into a pumpkin.
See you later.
Hello / Sah Wat de Kap ,
First of all , if you were one of the 24 people who read this diary yesterday when all I had was the photos and videos then please look at the photos again as many more have been added.
Secondly , don`t worry about the photo on the front page of my website , I`ve not been mummified ! Will explain later in this article.
Okay , here`s the story about the trek ; there are hundreds of little peices of info which I will have forgotten but when I remember of them I will mention to you in the days ahead.
So , we set off at 8.30 , the two Belgians , our local guide Prassi , and I. It took an hour and a half to drive to the start of the trek. It felt great when we got started to be in the jungle with no-one else around.
Much of the walking in the heat was farily difficult , especially as I haven`t been excercising much recently. The scenerey was fantastic and there was lots of bridges and streams to cross. At one stage we had to walk through a river for an hour , constantly checking for leeches , the Belgians got some leeches on their feet but I didnt.
Sometimes it was amazing how Prassi knew where to go as any resemblance to a path often disappeared. It would have been impossible to have done this trek without a guide.
We met a lady who goes to the pepper fields everyday , she was really happy and bemused as we wanted to take her photo after a pleasant chat with her ; a hard life , but a simple and happy one without the stresses and strains which city dwellers have. Next time you are having somethign spicey to eat with peppers have a wee thought for this lady. I thought she was beautiful.
We made our first stop for lunch at some bamboo hut where a family lived. A man there played a hand-made flute type instrument which he had made , I wish I had made a video of it but I didnt want to be intrusive. The family here kept pigs , buffalo , chickens etc.
We saw a couple of boys spear fishing in the river , it was quite an unusual scene and unexpected as we hadn`t seen a soul for hours.
We got to the village where Prassi lives and he welcomed us up into his house and showed us his wife , mother , and other family members ; they were all really curious about his guests. Maybe only once a week do they see farangs coming to the village.
Prassi went to a lot of effort cooking the Thai dinner , the Belgians were really impressed with it , but I`d still have much preffered if I could have had a sausage supper with gravy. I enjoyed the fried pork he made though , even though we saw a cat eating some of it from the pot before he cooked it.
Prassi and most of the other people in the village are christian , they take it all very seriously , I watched a coupel of visitors , one of them the local church minister come in and say grace ( in thai )before proceeding to eat.
During dinner we were drinking rice whisky from hand made bamboo cups , the cups really added to the flavour. I bought one the following morning. We ran out of whisky and Prassi asked someoent to go fetch some more , the guy returned with a clear plastic bag half filled with clear liquid ( it looked like there should have been a goldfish in it ) , this was the whisky. If truth be told I wasnt too keen on it but Prassi kept insistign I have another cupp and I didnt refuse as I didnt want to offend and thought it polite.
Prassi`s Dad , dead for many years , was the medicine man in the village , he had hoped to pass on his knoweldge to Prassi but died very quickly. Prassi spent about an hour tellign us what all the local rememdies were in teh medicine bag he kept to remind him of his father ; some of the stuff he didnt know what it was , and there was no other medicine man in the village. Sometimes Prassi`s english was difficult to understand , but a nicer man you could not meet.
We went to bed early , 9pm ish as we were shattered for the trek. It felt a bit weird , sharing a room with a Belgian coupl who had one bed and I had another right next to them , only thing separating us was our mosquito nets. I say bed , but I mean ``mat on floor``. I slept like a tree.
The next morning Prassis wife cooked us lovely pancakes for breakfast and after some bargaining with locals sellign us souvenirs we went a walk round the village. In the village we saw ladies weaving , they make all the clothes for the village here and send some to Chiang Mai for tourists to buy too. I really liked this village , it had a population of 500 and everythign was very authentic , much better than long neck tourist gimmick I saw last week.
In the village the governemt hass provided solar power free of charge so the villagers stop chopping down trees for fuel ; or something like that.
We got on our merry way and after another nice walk we arrived at a restraunt where we had Pad Thai for lunch then went to a big cave , the cave was really good too.
Anyway , I could go on all day about the trek so I will end it here for now and change the subject.
Yesterday I went for a massage , I thought would be good for the aches and pains ; having had thai massage twice in the last week I thought I would ask for thai massage and the advertised foot massage ; the masseur coaxed me into having both of those things and a face massage , that meant I was there for 3 hours ; the three hours cost about 12quid. I reckon it would have cost much more than that in Scotland.
For the thai massage it was increible how this woman put me into positions my brain and body previously did not think possible. Some people consider the massage to be more like yoga or some othe strenuous form of meditation.
The face massage though was not what I thought it might be ; she covered my face with many ,different creams , taking one off and another on. I dont know for sure what she was trying to achieve ; it all felt a bit girly but here veryone does massage , every 2nd shop has masseurs.
Anyway , I have been jibbering to you for ages , I think I will go and get a can of coke and maybe go for a snooze , my eyes are sore with my contact lenses.
Oh , there is another twist to my journey about to happen. I will enlighten you in my next diary update and won`t keep you in suspenders for too long. Stay tuned.
Good Morning ,
The day after the trek finished I decided to stay on in Thailand for an extra few days instead of heading into Laos as planned. I spoke to Tak as usual and we thought it an idea for her to travel up here for a few days.
Three days ago I made a visa run to Burma. No doubt you will have seen all the stuff on the news about the trouble in Burma at the moment ; this was a little concerning , but , it was really no problem in the town of Mai Sae after crossing the border. I was only in Burma for an hour and a half before coming back to Thailand with another 30 days on my visa. I will be heading to Chiang Rai with Tak for a few days and then going into Laos and Tak will return home to her family.
Tak needed 28 hours of travelling to get here and was really tired upon her arrival. We have been here 3 nights now and leave tomorrow for Chiang Rai. Yesterday we went to a famous tample where we had a great view over Chaing Mai. We also went to the zoo , the highlight seeing giant pandas.
I see on the news today that no visa runs are now being allowed to Burma , looks like I got there just in time. The Burmese authorities have also disconnected the internet !! As I say I had no problems in the little border town , just lots of touts trying to sell viagra and porno films.
I am in a bit of a rush at the moment. I have lots to tell you but I will leave youi just now with some photos and videos.
Ian
Good Afternoon ,
I have now been in Chiang Rai for 2 nights , this is my third day here. I like Chiang Rai a lot , it`s a lot more relaxed than Chiang Mai , which itself is very peaceful compared to Bangkok.
Chiang Rai has a night bazar just like Chiang Mai , but the vendors here don`t force you to buy anything , which I like. I like just to looky look. Soon I will need to start buying gifts to bring home to immediate family , I`ve already bought the odd bits and peices though.
We are staying in ``The White House`` , it`s a very nice hotel with very decent sized swimming pool , although I haven`t been in for a dip yet ; there`s always tomorrow.
Had a good day today , the hotle man took us a tour in his car. Apologies for no longer knowing the names of famous places I have been but today we ent to a famous flower garden followed by The Golden Triangle , Opium Museum , various temples.
Tak really enjoyed the flower garden , because she did then I did too. Every time we see a Buddha she puts her hands together in prayer , evern if just driving past ; a lot of Buddhists are like that. Anytime she is praying in a temple she seems very focussed.
Anyway , sorry a lot of the photos today are of Tak , it was only me and her on the tour and I thought she looked prettier in amongst the flowers than me. This is 2nd October , Tak goes home on 5th October and I then go to Laos and down the Mekong on a slow boat for 2 days to Luang Praghbang ; pardon the spelling.
Oh today at the Golden Triangle viewpoint e could see Burma and Laos from standing in Thailand , really nice.
I have been enjoying Chiang Rai and Thailand in general I suppose , every place has been different in this fantastic country , but , time is getting on and I look forward to seeign Laos and Vietnam , ith possibly a very quick into Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and The Killing fields , too many choices now , too little time , such is life. Life is great , will deal with any financial worries when I get home.
Let me know if you have anything to ask me. I look forward to get homing and seeing everyone.
Ian
Hello ,
Apart from my brief flirtation with Burma I have been in Thailand for more than 3 months.
This morning Tak got the bus to Bangkok and I took a bus to the border town of Chiang Khong.
Tomorrow at 9am I will be taking a slowboat down the Mekong in Laos. I can actually see Laos from the window of my hut , it`s only about 30metres across the Mekong ; actually the Mekong in this stretch belongs to Laos and not Thailand.
This town is so different to everywhere else I have been in Thailand , and for that matter , each place in Thailand I have been has had it own unique identity and feel.
I think I will get an early night tonight as it`s going to be a couple of long days on teh boat. Tomorrow night i will stay at Pak Beng , teh following night or three at Loung Pragbhang.
i hope everyone is well.
Ian
Good Afternoon ,
Well , I left my hut in Chiang Khong , Thailand at 8am the day before yesterday. I had breakfast then the guy I bought the boat ticket off took me to a big canoe type thing which took me the 5 minute trip across the Mekong and into Laos.
The usual immigration and passport formalities were dealt with speedily but with the by now expected confusion. The officer who stamped my passport said there was a hold up and we`d need to wait as he didnt have my change avalable ( my change was about 10p ) I told him just to keep it when his assistant returned with it. He genuinely wanted to give it to me and he wasn`t like some other corrupt immigration officers in certain other countries.
Anyway , I was waiting for the boat at 9am , now in Laos. I discovered about 9.30 that my boat wasnt until 11.30. I was offered the chance to go there and then on a speedboat but , the romance of the once in a lifetime slowboat down the Mekong had more appeal and I had been looking forward to it for nearly a year. I thought I was going to be the only tourist on it , but , about 10.45 lots , I mean about 80 , farangs appeared.
The slowboat was generally uncomfortable , but the scenery was fantastic. It wasnt slow either. By stroke of luck I brought a few bottles of beer Lao with me. Beer Lao , the national drink is very popular with travellers and locals. It`s very pallatable , if thats the right word. Teh boat was full of twenty-something pleasure seekers and things quickly turned into a v ery enjoyable ``Booze-Cruise``
We arrived at Pakbeng at Dusk and , along with another guy, I helped off a physicallly disabled Dutchman. It was quite a struggle as there was mud everywhere it was a very wet / steep embankment with many losing their footing ; we had to ensure the big fella stayed on his feet.
Got a guesthouse but it was dank and smelly and as I had only paid about one pound fifty for it then I changed to a better place for about 2 pound fifty.
I had a meal and then sat chatting to a couple of local guys in a restraunt bar. Really nice guys , one of them helps people off the boat with their luggage and offers accomoadation to them at the guesthouse he works at. He gets paid about 10quid a month and eats once a day if he is lucky. He offered to carry my bags to the boat for the following morning , I told him I didnt require it but I gave him about 50p anyway just to be nice , he was delighted.
It poured with rain all night and as I was trying to sleep I was worried about how we would get the disabled fella back down the embankment without a catastrophe. I thought it best that taller , stronger blokes helped him and thankfully that `s what transpired. Once on the boat the big chap was able to relax , it must have been quite a challenge for him , but rewarding ; very clever guy , he works as a ``headhunter`` in Holland.
We had changed boats from teh day before , this new boat never had as much room. The scenery and chat were fantatic , I spend most of my time talking to an Irish couple in front of me.
We arrived here , at Louang Pragbang at dusk last night and I took a motorbike taxi to a guesthouse. I had a descent meal , a walk around and then retired early. Today I have done very little other than chill and recover from the previous couple of days journey.
I think this is the first country I have been in , since the USA , where people drive on the right hand side of the road ; I have to be careful when crossing the street !!!. Everything is so very relaxed here though. Everything , particularly in this town , is very French. Lots of Farangs are speaking French around the place ; it`s full of little Parisesque coffee shops and restraunts ; baguettes seem to be being sold everywhere.
I`ve a lot to tell you but I`m beginng to haver.
My Thai mobile number will be disconnected until I return there from Vietnam. In the meantime , should you want to speak with me then you can reach me on my Laos number +177207778459.
I hope everyone is well.
Ian
Good Morning ,
Well , 3 days ago in Louang Pragbhang I got up early to go and partake in the daily ritual of viweing the monks all walikng to the monastry at 6am collecting food from well-wishers as they go.
I was there bright and early at 5.30am and I bought a bowl of sticky rice and lots of brown packets of something or other and some flowers. Each time a monk passed I was to break off a handfull of sticky rice and roll it into a ball and put it into the monks bowl along with one of the wee brown packets of whatever.
It was really fascinating. I know if I was a monk though I don`t think I would be keen on eating rice because so many people had been handling it ; I must have handled about 50 small balls of rice myself.
After the 300 monks all passed I retreated back to bed.
The day before yesterday I went on a trip to a famous waterfall , so famous infact that I have no idea of it`s name , it really was the most beautiful waterfall I ever did see. A couple of others and I tried to climb up to the top via a path but it was very dangerous when we got up , fences over the edge of the falls with signs saying ``no entry`` , despite this we insanely walked across the ravaging stream only feet away from a certain death. The others got leaches stuck to them , I got only one but it ate the side of my foot and now I have a big hole in it ; not to worry.
One of the girls on the bus to the waterfall was from Bridge of Weir , I think thats the closest to where I live that I have met someone on my travels ; she was a really nice girl , but clearly not a Greenockian.
So , the night before last , after the waterfall , some of the guys and girls who had been there and I all met up with some others who we were on the slowboat trip with and had a few drinks. It`s really crazy meeting the same people over and overe again just now. Everyone is heading in the same direction.
Yesterday I took a local bus to Vang Vieng , where I am now. I was intent on going all the way to the Laso capital of Vientianne but it was an 11 hour journey and I got a bit motion sick and hungry so I just got off here at Vang Vieng after 11 hours. The bus journey was spectacular , probably the best scenery I have witnessed , everything a really nice shade of green and passing theorugh many small villages. This is different from Thailand.
I quickly met up with others who were on the slowboat and today we plan to go tubing. Tubing involves floating downstream for 10km in a tractor tyre innertube and stopping for rests at many makeshift bars selling beer Lao along the way ; I think it`s basically like a pubcrawl but different. I will let you know in my next diary.
I have some important changes to my intinery which will dissapoint some of you reading to hear abou my further adventures in Indochina. When speaking with Tak on the phone I decided that I will no longer go to Vietnam but will return to see her when I leave Laos in a few days.
I know some people will say ``but Vietnam is spectacular and the most exciting part of your journey , it`s a pity your missing out``. I never made the decision easy and I spent a lot of time dwelling over it and taking advice from several fellow travellers. There gets to a stage when you`ve done enough and its gets very repetitive listening to new people that I ahve just met telling me where they have been and where they are going. Don`t get me wrong though , the current bunch of people I have met in Laos are all fantastic , this beautiful country seems to attract great people , just like me hahah.
I just feel that I have seen and done many things in the past 10 months and I am very satisfied and content. It would have been nice to see Vietnam but it will stay be there in a few years ; I just don`t think I would do it justice at the moment ; I am short on time and I just want to chill out again until I need to go home. I have been happiest when I have been with Tak and so we want to spend more time with each other.
This doesn`t mean my diary and blog end here and now. I still have a few more adventures to enjoy before I go home and I will keep you updated as usual.
I hope everyone is well
Ian
Hello ,
I must apologise for not updating my diary earlier than before. I am currently recovering from another bout of food poisoning having forced myself to eat lots of squid which I wasn`t enjoying.
I was hoping that some of you would become concerned about my welfare and leave messages for me haha but no-one bothered until Stuart did yesterday.
I have so much to tell you obviously as I havent written for 10 days or so but I will try and keep it brief and start from where I left off.
The tubing day was very good but as I expected it was just a glorified bevvy session really , the rain was torrential and we all sheltered and partied in a bamboo drinking den huts along the way, They gave me a dry bag to keep my valuables dry but unfortunately it didnt work and my camera and phone got ruined , fortunately the memory card in the camera was okay and I was able to still upload the photos , will need to see about buying yet another cheap camera ( I think that will be my fourth sine I started travelling ) , and I will get a new phone with my T Mobile contract when I get home.
I travelled from the Vientianne, the capital of Laos to Khorat where I was reunited with Tak , the bus journey was a nightmare , they told me it would arrive at midnight but it didnt arrive until 2am , I wouldnt have minded but Tak and her uncle travlled an hour by car and had been waiting for me since 11.30pm. No-one could speak English on the bus and I didnt know where it was going to arrive , I was the only person getting off at Khorat , everyone else was going the whole way to Bangkok. Fortunately everything turned out okay.
I stayed with Tak`s family for over a week , in the village where they live about an hour from Khorat , it was really basic but I liked it there , it was ever so peaceful. Only problem for me was getting some decent junk for me , I can`t eat any of the stuff they eat , I was making do with getting tak to cook me some shrimp frice every day but in the end I had that coming out of my ears.
Anyway , that`s cutting a long story short and there are no doubt many key parts I haven`t told you about. We have now been back in Bangkok for 3 nights , will be staying here another night or two until my food poisoning has completely gone then will be going to Koh Samet for 10 days or so and back to Bangkok then home.
Oh I bought a suit today , well two suits as they persuaded me to buy a 2nd one for a good price , tailors are everywhere here , real tailor shops like with top quality material and designs. I told the tailor the suit I wanted was for interviews and he said he would make me a ``lucky`` suit ; so here`s hoping.
I hope you enjoy the photo`s and videos.
Hello ,
Just a very brief update to inform you that I will be going to the isand of Koh Samet tomorrow for a relaxing ``holiday`` before pondering returning home.
To Rhiannon my neice : if you are reading this I hope you have a fantastic 1st birthday. You probably don`t remember seeing me the last time we met , you were only a baby then.
Uncle Ian
PS , I have updated my map to show the most recent stops !!
Hello .
So this will be my third night on Koh Samet ; really enjoying it here. Teh travelling from Bangkok was quite stressful but once settled into a room here everything is fine. Was nearly charged a whopping 1800baht for a bungalow but fortunately found a fan room for only 500baht.
The rain at the moment is torrential and there is thunderbolts and lightning ( very very frightning ) , the lady who runs this internet shop said maybe she should close because of it ! , the mind boggles , for what ? It`s really impressive actually , wish I had the camera.
Anyway , the past couple of days have just been spent lazing on a fantastic beach eating pineapple and grapefruit , oh and bar-b-queud chicken and rice , its paradise here. This is the beach life I have craved since leaving Koh Samui.
Had a massage on the beach today , for 3quid , really good.
Oh this morning hired a motorbike to try and go look at some other beaches but really it was mad scrambles up and down hills , the roads were hopeless so we just returned to base.
The weather has been fine actually until now. the lady in this shop is now looking at me strangely , I askedif she wanted me to do anything , she say ``up to u , I is just scare incase you get hit by thunder`` , um , what is she on about ?
Today Tak told a man who sold us barb-q-ued chicken that we were here on our honeymoon !!! Nothing like getting ahead of the game !
Was going to drive into town tonight as we have that bike until the morning but I reckon teh road will be a washout , will assess the situation in a hour or so.
Was really happy to get out of Bangkok btw ,Bangkok is a massive city with so much to see and do but ti requires thought and planning. I reckon many backpackers and holidaymakers with limited time just spend a day or two on Koh San Road before heading to their intended destinations ; maybe they think that Koh San Road is what Bangkok is about , but now I have seen other parts of it and I feel a bit enlightened.
Theres 75 million people live in thailand , thats more than the UK and Ireland combined , but obviously that`s still a small population compared with many other countries. I had a point to make about that fact somewhere but I can`t remember what it was ; anyway , for now I am off ; If its not raining tomorrow I will swim again for the third day in a row , the sea is fantastic here and the amazing white beaches fairly quiet considering that high season is now upon us.
Hello ,
Last time I wrote 3 days or so ago I had given up on the idea of driving the motorbike into town that night due to the horrendous weather , however , the rain went off eventually and we noticed some sort of fireshow from the direction of the town so decided to take a chance by driving. It turned out we were the only loonies on the road and drove through huge puddles at least 3 foot deep ; I dont know how the bike kept going ; we ended up not finding the fire show though.
When I brought the motorbike back ti nearly toppled over and I had to grab it to hold it up ; I burnt my leg on the engine , it`s quite bad and has been cusing me some grief trying to sleep and stuff. I will post you a photo of it tomorrow.
It has since been discovered thats its possible to walk along the beach to where the fireshow is so we went there last night. The show was okay it was infront of a seafood restraunt where everyone lies and eats at tables on the beach.
Before I go on I should say I have many photos to show you but it wont be possibel until tomorrow ; don`t ask , jus technical problems , can show you a couple just now from before the problems started.
The swimming here is fantastic , I really like this island , it`s very beautiful and the atmosphere generally relaxed but sometimes Thais just do my head in ; Thailand isn`t always the Land of Smiles. Let me tell about last night in this internet cafe.
It`s 2 baht for a minute on the internet , a Farang girl , I think she English , went to pay her bill and the cashier said 100baht ; I wasn`t paying any interest at this stage as it was nothing to do with me but the farnang said something liek ``are you sure its as much as that , I was only on for about 15 minutes to check my emails ?`` The cashier abruptly and angrily said ``15 minutes , 2baht per minute , you pay 100baht``
Now , I am no mathematician but upon hearing this I was bewildered ; 15 minutes x 2baht per minute = 30baht , not 100baht for crying out loud.
The farang girl said ``okay no problem I just thought I`d check , the price seemed a bit high thats all`` the girl was really nice and I felt sorry for her for the way the cahsier was and continued to speak by demanding the 100baht. Everyone in the internet shop was obviously listenign in by now but no-one offered to help the girl , I felt duty bound to do so. I went over to the scene and said to her , ``sorry to butt in but I overheard your conversation ; if you have been on for 15minutes and its 2baht per minute then thats a price of 30baht you should pay , not 100baht``.
The girl was really thankful that I helped her and she only paid 30baht but why can`t Thais do apologies , it`s really easy to say ``okay we made a mistake , sorry about that`` ; and why do fellow travellers sit back and say nothing when someone has a problem and needs help. Sometimes , things just do my head in. It`s nice to be nice , that`s all.
I think I am am Koh Chang bound the day after tomorrow. will get photo`s to you tomorrow , or latest next time I get online.
I hope all is well with everyone.
Hello ,
Here are some photo`s from my ``holiday`` on Koh Samet with Tak.
Very busay at tthe moment so will write diary tomorrow or day after on Koh Chang.
Never went swimming today as the burn on my leg is causing me some grief and I dont know whether swimming in the sea with it will help or not ? What do you think ?
Ian
Hello ,
I am now on Koh chang ( see map ) , Chang in thai means ``elephant`` , so I suppose I am on elephant island. Chang is also the biggest selling Thai beer in Thailand. Koh Chang is also the 2nd biggest Thai island.
The journey here from Samet took much longer than expected , we had been travelling since 10am until 7 at night when I expected the journey to last only 3 hours. After the boat from Samet to the mainland the bus was hours late ; when we asked when it was coming we kept gettign the response ``soon`` ; soon to you and me might be about 10 minutes but soon in Thailand can mean half an hour , 6 hours , tomorrow , next week or even never.
Anyway , we finally got the boat to Koh Chang at dusk and saw a lovely sunset on the ferry. We had booked into a room for the night whilst still at the pier to save any hassle of walkign around looking for some place. the room was nice enough but now we have a fantastic bungalow ; I will show you a video of the bungalow next time I am online.
I have also hired a motorbike again ; really good value at about 2 quid per day ; it cost about 1pound 25p to fill it with gasoline.
Ko chang is beautiful , different from the small island of Samet. Last night we found ourselves at a beach bar and there was another fire show , we had the best seat in the house for it.
My Mum is on holiday at the moment and probably wont read this so I can mention that stupidly I had been smoking again some parts of my travels. It`s only about 80p for a packet of 20 here so its easy to get hooked. anyway , fortunately I have saw sense and for the past 2 and half weeks I have been using patches and havent had a cigarette during that time.
Last night I went to a pharmacy lookign for a new supply of nicotine patches and the German owner advised they have them but sell them indiviually and not in a box of of 7. The price for one patch was about a fiver. Extortion !!. I went to another Thai run pharmacy and they had boxes of 7 for about 15quid ; I bought them and told the owner about the bad pharmacy along the road. The ``good`` pharmacy wasnt surprised and told me the bad pharmacist is always taking things out of packets and ripping off tourist by selling the contents as individual peices. I think that`s terrible , in the UK surely he`s be breacing some trade description or something ?
My thai vocabularly is improving daily. It feels good in restraunts asking for the bill in Thai in front of tourists , makes me feel pleased as if I have taken the trouble to learn. I am also getting good at numbers and can more or less say 1 to a hundred , 2 hundred , 5 hundred etc. Tak and I speak to each other ina language that we seem to have invented for ouselves , its a bit like a mixture of Thai / English / Greenockian with our own new words and phrases thrown in for good measure. Tak`s English has come on leaps and bounds since I met her.
Yesterday on the motorbike I was driving with Tak sitting behind me , she was telling me to ``slow down`` and ``watch the road`` , when I ignored her please she shouted at me ``THE DOOR TO HELL IS OPEN AND THEY WAIT YOU FOREVER`` , yikes !!!
I think I made ther right decision in not going to Vietnam and Cambodia because I just feel like a relaxing finale now before coming home to face the music. I am excited about coming home and seeing everyone and looking for a new job ; I wonder where I will work next , looking for a new job fascinates me and I look forward to interviews and stuff , with my ``lucky new suit`` of course.
Thanks for all the messages on my messageboard. I am sorry I havent been able to answer them recently , just been snowed under. I will do it the next time I am online.
Oh , the burn on my leg from teh motorbike on Samet is still giving me grief but I have been keeping it covered and hopefully it will show sigs of improvement soon , at least it isnt green anymore.
PS , the bong thing in the photo on this page contains no nicotine or illegal substances , they make the substance with fruits , so they say anyway.
I hope everyone is well. See you soon.
Ian
Hello ,
Today I have for you a video of the bungalow I am staying at on Koh Chang. It`s really nice , it`s good to have a detached house for a while as it means the neighbours don`t have to complain about Tak having the TV too loud , that did happen by the way on a previous occasion.
I apologise for a little background noise at the start of the video , there is some construction work going on , but , it doesnt bother us as we can`t hear it with the door shut and it only lasts a couple of hours in the afternoon anyway.
Went a very long run on the motorbike yesterday after a swim. The bike got a puncture but luckily there was a repair shop nearby.
When we were swimming we became aware of jellyfish and this frightened both of us into leaving the sea ; it`s a pity that as I love swimming in the sea for exercise and cooling down. To be honest though , the beach life on Samet was fantatstic but it`s getting a bit repetitive here now. I think I am now going through the motions and I am planning for what dealing with things upon ``re-entry`` to Scotland.
I am considering going back to Bangkok for my last couple of weeks , there`s always something happening there to keep me amused.
Hello ,
just a very quick update to inform you I am now back in the city of Chon Buri where Tak`s sister lives ; it`s a long story !!
Will be back in Bangkok in 3 or 4 days and will provide comprehensive roundup of events at that time , including new photo`s.
Watch this space.
Ian
Hello ,
Firstly let me mention the arrangements for comign home. I fly at 8am on November 22nd from Bangkok to Singapore with Singapore Airlines , then at 12noon same day I fly from Singapore to Heathrow ( same airline ) arriving 7pm at night.
It`s a bit inconveniant having to go to Bangkok airport at about 4am on 22nd but c`est las vie.
I couldnt get a flight home from Heathrow late in the evening of 22nd or early 23rd for less than 100 quid so I have decided to stay in London on 22nd. I have booked to fly with Ryanair from Stansted to Prestwick , arriving Prestwick about 1pm on the 23rd. I`ll jump on a Glasgow train at Prestwick , change at Paisley and be home in Greenock mid-afternoon on the 23rd.
I have no warm clothes for staying overnight in London or for my arrival in Scotland. I will deal with that when I come to it.
Well , since leaving Ko chang we took the bus to Bangkok , well that was the intention. Tak came up with the bright idea of gettign off the bus near Chon Buri where her sister stays ; this meant rummaging through scores of bags in teh hold of the bus tryign to find ours , but we got there.
at Chon Buri there was a big pop concert / festival type thingey , a bit like T in the park but different. We went there for a while , it was a really good atmosphere but mostly all teenagers and people in their early 20`s , I felt a bit out of place as I was the only farang in a crowd of about 20,000. The music was really good.
After a couple of nights`s in Chon Buri we took a 7 hour bus to teh city of Korat where we went to see Tak`s family again in teh village they live about an hour or so from the city. Stayed there for 3 nights and now back in Bangkok.
The days are flying in now and I will be home a week today. I will keep this diary short and sweet just now and write more comprehensively in a couple of days as it was time consuming and footery with today`s photo`s. I hope you enjoy them.
There is quite of lot of stuff going on at the moment which would be inappropriate to mention on my blog , but nothing to be alarmed about.
I hope all is well and good luck to Scotland against Italy. I think the match is on at stupid oclock here so I dont know if I will be able to see ti anywhere. I guess I will find a 24hour internet cafe or something.
Ian
Good Evening ,
It`s 7pm here in Bangkok , only forur more days now before I come home , time seems to mean nothing anymore , I mean there is no difference between night and day , its just one big peice of time until I come home. I am a big bag of emotions.
Before I go on , let me say how gutted I was at the end of the Scotland v Italy match. I watched it in a bar with a few like-minded Scots and was devastated at the end. I tried explaining to Tak how we were always really unlucky. She did her best to console me and I smiled when she said ............``I think you shouldnt be sad , Scotland lose but still got one not zero so they still do good and nearly win``.
I took Tak to her favourite restraunt as a treat yesterday , well I have been with her 5 months , MK restraunts , do they have them in Scotland ?, All veggie food and not really for me. Look at the size of the pot Tak got , she had hundreds of stuff she put in there and ate the lot ; I`ve no idea how one person can eat so much in one go.
Had a late night last night drowning my sorrows after the match but today I ( and tak ) went for a lovely Swedish Oil massage for 90 minutes , that was a really good tonic and a change from the usual Thai massage I have.
I was thinking the other night about names people have called me on this trip. I`m named after my Dad , John McCready Dow , and thats` the name I use to book flights . checking in to hotels etc as thats the name on my passport. Everyone knows me as Ian though ( or Dowza but hopefully people will use Ian from now on ).
The receptionist guy at a hostel in Cairns , Queensland , Australia called me ``Johnno`` for a couple of days ; it seems everyone in Australia named John is nicknamed Johno , after a while he must have got mixed up as he said to me in passing ``G`Day Jonathan``
The ladyboy receptionist here at Thai Cozy House ( oh ladyboys by the way , I thought they were a gimmick for tourists but really they are everywhere in Thai society , young and old ). Anyway , this receptionist here , I asked him/her to clearly mark Tak and I`s both names on our receipts ( for future use , watch tis space ) , the he/she proceeded to write my name as Mr John Snow ; the mind boggles though Tak and I have had a real good relationship with him/her and all the staff here.
I bought a new jacket yesterday to keep me warm when I get home , I really like it , I`ve put a photo of it on here ; I reckon it will be good to wear at the Morton matches in winter , it was only about 18quid , I`ve no doubt I would have paid 5 times that in Scotland ; the only downside though is that it doesnt quite come far enough down to cover my bottom and Dad was always on at me that it`s important to do that when standing at the football.
I also bought a new pair of jeans for a about a fiver and got a street-side tailor to take 4 inches off them up for me for about 50p
In another photo on this page you will see a young lad with a cola-ice drink. It was hilarious watching him squeeze as much as humnanely possible ``into`` his cup and then watch passers by chuckle with him as he walked away with it. In essence he got two or three drinks for the price of one. He then went back and done it again. Bravo !
Taxi drivers do my head in sometimes ; they slow right down trying to get your business when you are just walking along the street , you know , like a kerb crawler or something ; I know they need to make money but it just seems a bit off to me. They all have a ``Taxi-Meter`` sign on their roof but the drivers in tourist areas always want you to negotiate a price , of course the price is much higher than what the locals pay. I had a taxi the other night wanting a 200baht fair ( about 3 quid ) , it wasnt expensive but I told him I would rather he put his meter on anyway; he said he could not and when I asked him why he said it was broken ; I dont button up the back so I got out the taxi telling him he should go to a garage and get his meter fixed before going back on the road ; I gave 220baht to the next driver.
Another thing about taxi drivers , sometimes when you tell them your sestination they just laugh ans say ``cannot`` and drive away , depending on whether it is a good run for them or not ; it`s a terrible service but one you need to use sometimes and the price is reasonable to be fair , unless you are a gullable tourist.
Anyway , I much prefer the Tuuk Tuuks to the taxis , I`ve been in tuuk tuuks and similar allover South East Asia but the drivers in Bangkok are notorious for their ``near accidents`` , its entralling stuff , much better than any roller-coaster.
I`m waffling here , I will write again before I come home and when I get so please don`t desert me just yet.
Ian
in the meantime , enjoy these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMH0HlrccMs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN-MinaP06c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuTBEnm9V9k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5QIzdaIwiE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFtUjMbHbdk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MagG8J--BBI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iLO6z6vXGM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4B2v6O5AMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPaud1ZV9wo
Hello , I thought I would just let everyone know some fantastic news. Tak and I are going to get married. I got engaged to her before we left Korat ; I had asked permission from her Mum and Dad and both were delighted as they know how much we love each other.
It`s the intention of Tak and I to set up our family home in Scotland but I think I need to be home for 3 months first before I can get a fiancee visa for her.
We will need to get married within 6 months of the fiancee visa being issued so please watch this space for details of when Tak will be coming to Scotland and when the date of the wedding and wedding party will be.
I`ll need to go and buy some warm clothes for her when I get home....
we are both very very happy.
Hello ,
My head is all over the place at the moment. Please come back tomorrow ; I will update my diary before I leave Bangkok.
Thankyou for all the messages on my blog in the past couple of days and throughout the year. I am amazed at the amount of folk who have followed my progress.
I can assure you there is more twists and turns to come and this is not the end of this story. I can`t say much else just now but please take a wee look in for the next few months.
I reckon my head will be a bit clearer when I get home and I will be able to provide a summary of my travels then.
There`s been a lot happening I have been able to tell you about but so much more of a personal nature that I`ve not been able to. I will be able to elaborate soon and spill the beans.
I hope everyone is well and I know that I have been really really lucky to have been able to have had this big adventure. I know most people don`t get the chance.
Take care , I will write and show PHOTOS tomorrow.
Goodnight
Hello ,
It`s 4.15pm. I checkout the hotel at 3am in the morning and leave Thailand at 8am on a flight to singapore where I will duly depart for London at noon tomorrow. I arrive Heathrow at 7pm and I have booked into a hostel at Kings Cross. I will be home Friday afternoon.
The past year has been the best year of my life so far. I`ve had fantastic experiances and met lots of weird and wonderful people.
Now , here is what I have been holding back telling you.
Tak and I have known since the middle of July we would like to continue our relationship after the trip is finished. We have been really busy researching the possibility of Tak coming to Greenock , our desire for this to happen has only intensified as the days , weeks and months have gone by.
You may or may not be aware that it`s a nightmare trying to get any sort of visa for Thai Nationals to visit the UK for any purpose.
We have been collecting hotel receipts with both our names on , hundreds of photo`s from 5 months of travel in various Thai destinations , we even have a photo of me putting an engagement ring on Tak`s finger with a happy Mum and Dad in the background.
It`s essential that I have returned to the UK and have been in fulltime employment for 3 months before we are able to submit our ``Fiancee Visa request``. I will therefore endeavour to find work quickly and Tak and I have known that it will be a minimum of 4 months from now before we submit the application , probably through an agent with whom we havel already met who have expertise in these things.
We both know it could take some time for me to find employment and also that there are no gaurantees of a successful visa application.
If the visa application fails then I will endeavour to come back to Thailand for a short holiday before trying once again. Where there is a will there is a way. We love each other very much.
I will give a full roundup of my trip , and provide the photos from teh past couple of days when I get home and will continue to update my blog with any important developments.
Thankyou for joining me on my World Trip.
Take Care ,
Dowza.
Hello ,
Well its 9.45pm here at Kings X , London. Its 4.45am in Bangkok.
I left the hotel in Bangkok at 3am today/yesterday with Tak in a taxi to the airport. I left Tak at 6am and both of us were distraught. I caught my plane to Singapore and then a 13 hour flight to Heathrow.
I have lierally just arrived and checked into the hostel near Kings X , I have already consumed 2 cans of Irn Bru and a portion of chips !!!!!!!
I am walking around like a zombie. I think i will go and try and sleep but dont know if I can. On the 13hour flight I had a row of 4 seats to myself and I lay and slept there for a while.
I heard rumblings that I would find it cold here , well , its 8degrees and I dont feel cold at all yet, just confused.
Thanks for all the messages. i will update my diary with photo`s when I get home , probably not until Sunday , I will be going to see Morton before that , unbelievable really.
Shattered.
Hello ,
Well that`s me back in sunny Greenock. Its Monday afternoon and I got back on Friday afternoon to be met by my brother-in-law at the airport.
It was fantastic to see my Mum and the rest of the family , especially my neices and nephew who have all grown up quite a bit since I last saw them.
Before I go on let me just mention the two videos I have added to this diary entry , they are of a couple of songs which I liked when in Thailand , the 2nd one in particular was really popular in Thailand where it has been number one in the charts for the past 17 weeks ; it`s a shame I had to trim that 2nd video a little to enable it to fit into the max 5 minute slot that getjealous allow. The Thais love their music.
I went to the match on Saturday , the supporters club I travel with were scheduled to go to hospitality so by a stroke of luck I managed to get a seat at that. I had a nice surprise when there was an article about my travels and my return in the matchday programme ; and that wasn`t all , just before kickoff the announcer gave me a nice welcome back which everyone in the stadium would have heard ; more fame !! , I really appreciated it even if I felt a bit shy.
Yesterday my younger sister Cheryl , brother-in-law Craig and neice Rhiannon (1) took me up to Braehead for lunch ; I had no idea there was huge ski-slope up there , it looks amazing ; Santa was there too which was good news for my two young neices.
You may remember last year the local news website www.InverclydeNow.com done a peice about my travels and my website , well the reporter came back this morning to interview me now that I am back ; he is going to put a story on it very soon , so look out for it.
I have really enjoyed being back so far , I thought I would immediately feel depressed at no longer being travelling but in all honesty I am excited about the future and finding work.
I have so many things I need to do just now though , a big list of priorities. The travelling was fantastic , it would have been nice to have come back on the trans-siberian railway but maybe I was trying to bite off more than I could chew and staying in Thailand more than I intended enabled me to see a lot more of that country and being with Tak enabled me to see parts that tourists do not.
I need to be back in employment for 3 months before I am able to get a visa for Tak to come over here.
I know my travles are over and it`s understandable that the majority of people would have been tuning into my website to see and hear about the places I visited but , I intend keepign my blog updated a couple of times everyweek to enable anyone who is interested the opportunity to see what happens next with my search for work and bringing Tak over here ; and also for potential travellers to have a read through my blog just as I read through many random folks blogs for advice and to get me in the mood before I left this time last year
I`ve already had a couple of tip-offs about potential jobs and I got a telephone call from Scottish Enterprise today so I will go and see them very soon for advice too ; I still await the delivery of my lucky interview suit which I sent home from Bangkok.
I`ve decided to abstain from alcohol for a considerable period ( months at least ) as I try to find my feet and establish which directions I should be moving my life in now.
I am ever so glad I went travelling when I got the chance , I feel that I have a lot more experiance in life now and know how to deal with various situations I find myself in more efficiently than I would have done before. Hopefully , not too far in the future I will be able to travel again , I`m already dreaming about it.
Thanks for all the messages.
Hello ,
A couple of days ago I was interviewed by a journalist from our local online news website. The article has now appeared , It`s really good. Here is a link to it.
http://www.inverclydenow.com/news-detail2.asp?ID=961
I will provide a comprehensive diary update soon.
Hello ,
Just to let you know I am starting work on Monday. I will be working for a multi-national mobile phone company based in Greenock. It`s only a 5 minute walk from here. I was a bit worried that it might take me a while to find work but things moved quite quickly when I got back. That`s me back 2 weeks today.
I`ve been feeling a bit depressed some of the time. It was really fantatstic to see everyone but after a week or so I felt as if I was ready to move onto the next place on my travels , but there is no next place. Getting a job so quickly was a booster though.
On the trip I was drinking alcohol regularly. I have been feeling dependant on alcohol and I have decided to try not to drink for a considerable time , perhaps permanently , but I know it won`t be easy. My new job doesn`t pay as good as my previous one but I think I wll be kept busy and I feel I will enjoy it., I am happy it`s local as that`s what I really wanted to give me more time to myself , and now hopefully after 3 months Tak can come over ; I have been phoning her everyday , she is delighted for me that I have a new job.
It`s funny seeing people that I havent seen since before the trip. At the match on Satuday I saw many faces from before , some people were fatter , some thinner , some had a new coat or haircut , a bit like I`ve been stuck in a time-warp or something. Sometimes it feels that I went to sleep in my bed last November and woke up the next morning but a year had gone by. My travels seem a bit of a dream world now
I will update my diary anytime anything out the ordinary happens. I obviously don`t expect so many people to be following my story now but I will keep it ticking over anyway.
Take Care
Hello ,
Thanks for continuing to take a look into my blog now and again.
I thought I should make an update to let you know I am still alive.
I am now into my 2nd week at work. Its almost a month now since I have been back. Incredible. Soon it will 3 months and then time to apply for Tak`s fiancee visa. This is a very stressful time in that respect and I have been doing a lot of leg work preparing for the application. We hope hope hope nothing goes wrong , I am sure we will be well prepared but all sorts of doubts go through the mind.
My new job I think I will enjoy once settled into it , just now there is a lot of training and education ; it last about 6 weeks. The money is not great but goes up after a few months to year or so. I can`t complain , the job is in comfortable surroundings in an office with spectacular views over the river Clyde and ideal for short walks at lunchtime.
It`s an added bonus that it takes me only 10 to 15 minutes to walk to work from my flat. This is great , it gets me my daily exercise and I don`t need to go into further debt to get a car ; although , no doubt when Tak comes over she`ll require me to get some sort of transport , she`s a bit lazy , I think I will need to get a good fitness programme to shock that out of her system.
I`m still refraining from drinking alcohol , that`s 2 weeks now. I think I was enjoying socialising very regularly when on my travels and I have no option just now but to nip alcohol in the bud for a while , I will review the situation further down the line but the way I am feeling just now I would be content in life to give up forever. We`ll see. It certainly wasn`t doing my head and body any good in the end up.
For many reason I feel that it`s best for now that I only make short and sweet diary entries , I will do so every week or so. Whatever you do please tune in at the end of February 2008.
I must endeavour to get some new photographs to show you.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2008.
Hello ,
I am just writing to let you know that Tak and I are still on course to submit her Fiancee Visa application at the earliest opportunity.
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and I wish you well for 2008.
I will update my diary only on a care and maintenance basis for the next few weeks but I hope you don`t abandon me or lose interest as I hope to be able to tell you about being re-united with Tak ; it would be great if I were able to send you some photo`s.
Training in work is going well and I am looking forward to getting on with job.
All the Best.
Ian
Hello ,
Thanks for your patience.
Tak and I are still on course for her to come over here in March. Visa application is going to go in on February 8th.
I`ve been feeling under a lot of stress recently ; learning the new job and waiting for Tak , it`s a double whammy. On Monday we finished our initial training period and had to ``go on the phones`` for the first time. I don`t know if many of you have worked in a call centre before but I can assure you I was absolutely terrified that first time on Monday. I still am but it`s not quite so bad as we have plenty of people to help us.
I need to work a strange shift pattern at the moment which involves working every 2nd saturday , which means I will miss going to watch a lot of Morton matches but c`est las vie.
On Saturday just past I went to hospitality at the Morton match with the guys I go on the bus with , the Gourock Morton Supporters Club.
I show you a photo of that I got taken with Morton player chris Millar. Chris is one of Morton`s best players and he is a local guy but it seems he is leaving and going to another club , so it was quite sentimental on Saturday and I was really pleased I could get a photo with him. thanks Chris.
As I said before I have been feeling a bit down and under pressure and have been reluctant to update my blog often , but perhaps it would be good for me to get out and about and take some photographs to show you. I suppose I could start by taking a photo of the place I now work and some other photo`s from the Greenock area.
I hope all is well and you keep checking back for updates soon as it won`t be long now.
PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY NIECE, RACHEL, TOMORROW - SHE WILL BE 3 !!!!
Ian
Hello ,
Exciting news today.
Greenock registry office is now provisionally booked for the purpose of the wedding of Mr John McCready Dow (Ian/me !!) and Miss Pattida Malila ( Tak) at 2pm on Saturday 31st May.
There is a lot of work to be done before the wedding can take place and it all hinges on Tak getting her Fiancee visa, however , we are hopeful and confident that we meet all the required criteria and we have been meticulous in the time-consuming efforts in our preparation of the visa request.
There is a slight delay in the our submission of the visa request. It will likely be around February 16th or 17th and all going well we hope to get the right result by the end of February. We will then arrange a flight for Tak immediately after visa has been issued to put us out of our the torment we are suffering during this waiting period.
We were all out for a meal in Jade Palace for my Mum`s birthday last night and I include a few photo`s here for you - none of me but you will have been fed up looking at me when I was travelling.
I am feeling positive at the moment but learning my new job I have found to be a stressful experiance, hopefully that will pass in time once I become competent and once the distress of waiting for Tak has passed.
Morton are playing in a replay of a cup match tonight. I am dissapointed I couldn`t make it but I was at Dunfermline on Saturday and it wasn`t too great. I would have liked to have gone tonight but the busses left at 4.30pm and I didnt finish work until five , plus I am sknt and had lots of things to do.
I hope everyone is well.
All blog readers are hereby invited to our wedding at 2pm on Saturday 31st May.
Hello,
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I will keep this short.
The waiting is nearly over. Very soon Tak`s fiancee visa will be submitted to the British Embassy and then hopefully not too long after we can get the result we deserve and be re-united at Heathrow.
The past three months since I got home have been absolute torture for us both. I`ve really been ill with the anxiety and it`s not been doing me any favours in my new job.
Last week I went to hospitality at the Morton match and I show some photo`s of that to you here. I`ve also changed my homepage photo to the last photo of Tak and I together on our last night in Bangkok....November 21. I feel so proud that we both managed to keep the heads up and have a great last night together.
Please keep the fingers crossed for us. Hopefully the next diary I write will be full of euphoria and joy and Tak will have the fiancee visa stamp in her passport that we need.
Hello,
I was holding back from updating my blog as I was hoping to bring great news that Tak now has her fiancee visa.
It all started when Tak and her mum went to Bangkok a couple of days before St Valentines day to submit the visa application.
I had a really nice story as Tak submitted the visa application the day before Valentines day. I also sent Tak a bouquet of roses delivered to the hotel. She was really pleased.
There has been so much happening, its really been crazy. We have been waiting on call about the visa. Tak finally got that call today, and phoned me at 3am UK time. I have hardly slept a wink this week at all.
Anyway, the British Embassy in Bangkok want to interview Tak on Monday. We were hoping to get the fiancee visa without an interview but not too worry, we are confident we are well prepared and it`s only understandable that they want to make sure Tak is okay with everything about coming to Scotland.
I never intended to, but as soon as Tak said she had interviewI just knew I had to be there to support her. No-one can into the interview with her but at least I will be there to see her delighted face when she gets the visa.
I told my mum that I wanted to book a flight and my work have been ever so good to me by understanding the situation. I`m still in training at work and I know they put a lot of resources into the training programme, I would have understood if they siad they had to release me. I was delighted that my manager helped me in the way she did and I hope to complete my training on my return.
So, anyway, I came home today to book a flight for Friday, I was struggling to get a flight and then I phoned my Mum again. My Mum is now coming to Bangkok with me tomorrow !!!! The flights were available for tomorrow. I will be going into work tomorrow at 6.45am as per usual and explain to my manager (again), she said I could start the holiday from Friday and now I have gone and booked a flight for tomorrow without her knowledge....oops...nothing can do.
I will be in Bngkok until the end of the month and will be returning with Tak, we`ll try and book tak onto our return flight after she gets the visa, I keep using positive language but it will be a nightmare if something goes wrong with the visa application. we are not contemplating that.
It will be good for my mum too to see bangkok and Tak`s village too and her family.
My flat is an absolute dump but thankfully my sister Brenda has siad she will tidy up for me so that Tak comes home to a clean house. Thanks Brenda.
I think my other sister Cheryl summed things up good today when I menetioned in an SMS that Tak had an interview on Monday and that I was going to Bangkok to support her....Cheryl replied to my SMS with ..... ``Jeez Oh``
Anyway, I am probably not making much sense here, my mind is all over the place.
See you later.
Tak got the visa.
It`s been an incredibly stressful time. Tak, my Mum and I are very relieved but shattered and delighted.
As usual, unbelieveable story to tell you about today`s events.
Will write diary on here in the morning. Many things to do just now.
Absolutely bonkers what happened today..the visa is here, we`re coming home, yes Tak will be in Greenock before the week is out.. read tomorrow for more details ...just thought I would let you know as quick as could.
Hello,
Have many good photo`s and videos. The past week has had many experiances.
Here is a photo of Tak and my mum outside the British Embassy just after fiancee visa was issued.
Will provide full roundup on sunday when I get home.
Thanks for the messages on my messageboard
Hello,
Very tired at the moment so I will let the photo`s and videos do the talking.
So much to tell, don`t know where to start. Have just returned from Tesco`s with a bemused Tak who kept picking things up , for example leeks and laughing ``whats this ? not same same Thailand``
Travelling home again took an eternity, we had been travelling for about 30 hours or so. it was good for Tak to see the snow. everyone in my fmaily is really happy they have met Tak now, even if briefly, they are going to take a lot of getting to know each other in the coming weeks and months.
Coming through customs today was an experiance for me at Glasgow Airport, I accompanied Tak through the non-EU passport holders line and explained``I`m her fiancee``, the customs officer asked the usual questions and then pleasantly wished ``good luck``. tak kept looking at the policemen, I guess because they weren`t ``same same`` as Thailand.
I think the past 10 days or so have been a big experiance for My Mum and the past 24hoursfor Tak, this is the first time Tak has ever been out of Thailand. Her first impressions are that she will like it here but it`s ``cold`` and ``where is everybody`` , no markets, no tuuk tuuks, no motorbikes !! , I hope she doesn`t get put off when she has her first encounter with a gang of neds lol.
Anyway, as I say, I will keep this brief as I have work at 7am tomorrow and my head is pickled ; by the way , I never mentioned I lost my wallet n the 1st night in Bangkok, that was a nightmare, all my cards were in there and my id card for work / driving licence....bit of a polava really.
I hope you enjoy the photos and videos and I will further elaborate in the next 48hours.
Thanks again for the messages, it`s good to know people are still reading my blog. I will respond to the latest messages promptly.
I better go and see what my fiancee is up to. will write soon.
Hello,
Well, that`s Tak been in Scotland for about 10 days and she is settling in very well.
I came home the other night from work to find a strong smell of gas in the house, she didnt realise that switching the electricity socket off doesnt turn the gas off. I was very concerned as a gas ring on the cooker was switched on with no flame for goodness knows how long. Thankfully we survived to tell the tale.
We went up to Glasgow on Saturday for a day out and in search of an asian supermarket which we ultimately found near Cowcaddens underground ; Tak was able to get plenty of fresh Thai vegetables and we got a huge sack of Thai rice too.
On sunday my Mum was kind enough to treat us all to a Chinese meal in town, there was Thai food on the menu which Tak had but couldn`t eat it and preferred her own home cooking in my house.
Imagine my horror that she has discovered ``The Gerry Springer show```, nightmare she keeps laughing at arguing freak couples and is constantly on at me to translate proceedings.
Things are coming along nicely, work is okay, I`m learning a lot but I still find it a bit daunting and I dread going in but hopefully everything will fall into place and I will soon start to enjoy it but if not I will just need to find something else. It`s been many years since I was not enjoying my work. I think this job could be satisfying after a few months and they keep telling me that..The people I work with are all great.
So much has happened in the past weeks, obviously, and it`s not been possible to tell you even a small fraction of what`s been going on. For the record though it`s worth me telling you about the visa application in Bangkok that day...so here I go...
We went to bed the night before and talked and talked an talked to prepare Tak for the interview. We contenplated what it would bd like if the visa wasn`t granted. It would have been horrible.
We got a taxi to take us to the British Embassy but the driver didnt know where he was going and we ended up ditching him and legging it.
We got to the Embassy and Tak went up to a window and they let her in but Mum and I couldn`t get in. I was really tense and rooted to the spot, I didnt want to leave incase tak came back out. Mum went a few short walks. I waitied in teh same place in the heat with my arms folded for nearly 3 hours.
eventually Tak approached the turnstile and I moved to wards her looking at her body language and when I could eventually talk to her I was puzzeld ``yes or no, we have visa or not``??? Tak said ``they want speak to you``.
I had no idea why they wanted to speak to me but we went into a tiny room anyway with my Mum where we looked at the young interviewer through a glass screen. He asked Tak and My Mum to leave and he interviewed me.
Unbelievable, we prepare Tak for months incase she gets interviewed and they chose to interview me. It showed it was worthwile for Mum and I to fly to Bangkok at the drop of a hat. the interviewer asked me easy questions such as ``whats her brothers and sisters names...so I was like ``Doe, Dom, Bun ,Bok , Duoy `` no problemo.
The interviewer turned out to be a bloke from Largs and he waqs even talking to me about Morton!!!.
He said there wasn`t a lot wrong with the application buit that one or two of his colleagues may have questioned the age gap and the fact Tak is only recently an adult. They would need to be sure that Tak was a responsible mature young adult and I suppose that`s fair enough.
He complimented the fact I had come over in support and also mentioned it was incredibly unusual for my mother to have come in support and for her to go and meet Tak`s parents.
I also think that even f Tak did go for interview on her on and was granted the visa, it would still have been very difficult for her to fly on her own,especially if needing 2 flights and chaging somewhere, afterallshe had never been out of Thailand before or on an aeroplane. It was also great to be there at the moment of the visa being granted.
When he told me we could have the visa an incredible feeling of joy and relief swept through me. I went back out after he wished me ``Good Luck`` , Tak and Mum were in the waiting room. Tak thought I was going to tell her to go back into the interview room but I told her it wasn`t necessary and we had the visa. she said ``We have visa sure ? sure we have visa, you sure ``
All the stress, the sleepless nights , the crying on the phone, the determination, the heartbreak of leaving each other that morning on November 22. It was all worth it at that point. We were on cloud nine. The rest of the day was a blur as I went and had a few Chang`s.......and had a changover next day !!! I`ll get my coat.
I`ve added some photo`s here from my Mum`s camera and also a few I took since Tak`s arrival..They are a bit out of sync as you will gather.
Will write soon.
Thanks again for the messages on my board. Please remember if meeting Tak her name is pronounced Dak, long story... ciao.
Hello,
Our Wedding arrangements have changed.
We will now be married at 3pm on Friday 23rd May in Greenock Registrar office.
We will be holding an Evening Reception in the Greenock Dock Workers Club.
We would like to invite all blog readers to attend our Evening Reception. It would be nice if some could attend as you know how events have unfolded.
If you would like to attend please can you leave a message on my messageboard or email me at dow5a@hotmail.com at your earliest conveniance.
Hello,
A few brief updates.
This may sound a bit bizarre but Tak will now be referred to as Dak from now on. theres only 15 letters in the Thai alphabet and her name sounds more like Dagc than Tak and she is forever correcting people when they say Tak, so please, it`s Dak from now on.
This is my day off work. We have just been for a medical at the health centre to have Dak registered with a doctor. The good news, much to our relief, is that a pregnancy test we requested was negative. It was quite a tense time we had for the minute or so whilst watching the nurse doing the test but we`re all smiles now.
I am going to get married in a brand new tartan which is wxclusive to Keogh & Savage of Greenock, it`s called ``Pride of the Clyde`` , you can see a photograph of it here at the bottom of the page. I have also included a description of it from John Keogh, it`s creator.
My Mum, Cheryl, Crag and Rhiannon are coming over here in less than an hours time for dinner. Dak is cooking Thai food for them all, should be interesting. I`ll need to do something about our shopping bills because currently our food bills come to more than my monthly earnings.
Work is okay, sometimes it`s horrible but sometimes I really enjoy it. I want to enjoy it all the time and they keep telling me that will come after I have been in for a while and that its a long learning process. I`m determined to stick it out in hope that I do indeed enjoy it more once I am competant. I guess it`s just because it`s all new and dealing with the public isn`t something I`ve done before in my career to date.
Dak tells me she pities the trees here. I was puzzled by that but she was meaning it is because they have no leaves. I have explained that the trees will soon have leaves when summer comes. The trees in Thailand must be evergreen. Whats the word for trees that lose their leaves in winter ? I forget.
On Sunday we went and walked the Greenock Cut with my mate Jim. For those of you who don`t know the area it`s a really nice flat 7 mile walk behind Greenock with some nice views of the Clyde. Dak asked me if it was still Scotland the other side of the Clyde. Some things which seem really obvious to us are not to newcomers like her. I find it all fascinating. I was also trying to catch sheep to show Dak that I love them. She said the sheep would die of heat exhaustion if they had those big woolly coats in Thailand.
Dak also started college. She has to go for 2 and half hours every week to learn English. Her English is improving all the time but I think it`s important that she learns the language from professionals who specialise in teaching English for speakers of other languages ( ESOL ) in addition to picking things up from those around her. Interestingly she now says a few Scottish phrases like ``nae bothar`` & ``see ye later``. Shamefully she has picked one or two not so savoury words up from me and from the Morton match on Saturday..
Oh the Morton match on Saturday. It wasn`t planned for Dak to go to the game but she was available to come along anyway. She really enjoyed it, I sent her in the boys gate as no way could I afford to pay full fare for both of us. Dak is now a loud and proud member of the ``Cowshed aggro``. The tannoy announcer gave her a mention at half-time to welcome her to Scotland. I was cringeing as he mentioned me too though as Morton fans are fed up hearing about me and my travels. I would have preferred if it just said ``welcome to Dak from Thailand to her first Morton match`` , but the intention was good and it was nice of them to do that.
Things are going to be really hectic in the next few weeks I supose as the wedding gets closer. Thanks to those of you who responded that you would liek to come to our wedding reception. There is still plenty of room if any other blog readers want to come along, just let me know.
My Getjealous.com subscription is up for it`s annual renewal. It was my intent when signing up for it only to have my blog for my travles but I am considering paying my dues and keeping it going at least until after the wedding as it will be good to show people from outwith the are our wedding photo`s on here. What do you think ?
FOLLOWING IS DESCRIPTION OF THE TARTAN I WILL BE GETTING MARRIED IN
A brand new tartan with echoes of the heritage of the river Clyde has recently been introduced by John Keogh of Keogh and Savage in their shop at West Blackhall Street in Greenock.
`As a child I grew up seeing the edges of the shipyards from my window and have
tried to reflect this aspect of Inverclyde within the tartan we have produced`, said
John.
The blue stands for the ocean, with the vertical white lines suggesting the
Greenwich meridian and the horizontal white the equator. The grey signifies the
steel of the ships which went from Greenock to the four corners of the
world. There was a time, you know, when 75% of the world`s shipping was built on
the Clyde. The thin blue lines represent the burner`s torches I could see from my window at night while the thin white line represents the arc of the electrical welders at work.
Finally, the light blue signifies the sky`s horizon.
`We have made the Pride of the Clyde tartan kilts with extra pleats to help signify
the waves of the Clyde when worn. We have also designed a special sporran to go
with the new tartan using an anchor with a celtic cross effect and three ropes and a
blue chain arc on the cantle.
Overall I hope wearers will feel that this new tartan is a celebration of the river and will wear it with pride. A number of kilts have already been sold while others are on order and hire arrangements for the new tartan are in place. We have sent material over to North America with the aim of getting the tartan well known there through the various Scottish Associations.
We also hope that the Pride of the Clyde tartan will be suitable and liked by families whose surname does not lead to a specific named tartan. There also may be some interest from a national media company.’
The new tartan is on display in the Keogh and Savage window in West Blackhall
Street, Greenock.
Hello,
Here is a link to another song which is HUGE in Thailand at the moment, what do you think ? Really catchy. That singer is a superstar in Thailand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5UOpFHZF-Y
I`ve just been jogging along the splash (Greenock`s esplanade) with Dak and Cheryl. Dak and I are trying to ``be slim`` for the wedding.
Yesterday we went up to Glasgow on the train and we got our wedding rings. I am financially ruined but dak has a nice rng and we`re happy.
We went to see Morton again. Sadly we lost 2-1 to Dundee. It was a topsy turvy game and with the match finely balanced at 1-1 it could have gone either way, it was bitterly disapointing when Dundee got the winner, but c`est las vie.
I thought dak was cold at he match so I wen and bought her a bovril. I said to her ``this drink, it`s name is bovril``....and Dak replied to me.......``Buffalo?`` , I didnt know whether to laugh or to scratch my head in bewilderment. True story.
We`ve been busy sending out wedding invitations. We are really looking forward to the big day, the time is flying in.
Tomorrow after I finish work we are going to meet a lady from the council in the library who is going to help Dak with some extra English lessons once a week. This will compliment the lessons she is having at college. We are of the opinion that we should get her to as many classes as possible for now as it won`t always be possible once Dak starts work.
Theres a few photo`s on here, mostly of Dak and none of me. Dak is more photogenic than me and I feel that everything revolves around Dak at the moment. I am finding her adjusting and progressing to life in Scotland to be fascinating.
Dak`s Dad has gone to be a monk for 3 months. I think it will be good for him.
I`ve paid my subscription to getjealous.com and so will be keeping ti going for another year. I think it`s important to have everything documented as it will good for our grandchildren to read hahah.
Anyway, Dak is badgering me to get away from the PC so I will get back and write again during the week.
I hope everyone has a nice week, heres a link to that song again incase you missed it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5UOpFHZF-Y
Hello,
Well, in a months time Dak and I will Mr and Mrs John McCready Dow. Literally, as Dak feels her name would sounmd a bt short if it was just Pattida Dow, she wants to adopt my middle name, Pattida McCready Dow, it has a nice ring to it. On the subject of rings there is a funny story about that.
Well, you remember we went and bought our wedding rings in Glasgow 3 weeks ago? Dak was out and about on her own in Greenock Toon Centre when she happened to look in the window of Chisholm Hunter, the jeweller we bought the rings from in Glasgow.
She said to me as we woke one morning ``Ian, I have something to tell you`` I wondered what it was as she was serious. She proceeded to tell me that her wedding ring was in the Greenock shop for £100 less than what we paid for it in Glasgow. I was a little frustraed..what do we do, take it back to Glasgow and hope they give us a rrefund and then buy it at a cheaper price ? Take it back to the Greenock branch of the shop ?Or do nothing as my Mum suggested as it`s our ``lucky`` ring forever.
We dwelled on it a few days and and I sought the opinion of many people, including Morton fans on our forum, read about it here http://www.greenockmorton.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=20557 I was even given advice to call Consumer Direct, I called them and spoke to a lovely man called Kevin who was sad to inform me that we had completed the contract with the jeweller and they were not obliged to give me a refund, if they did it would be as a goodwill gesture and nothing else. He said the worst they could say was no, so why not ask them.
Dak and I headed into Greenock Toon Centre armed with the ring. When we got to the shop I took it out of my pocket, opened the box and said ``okay, show me it in the shop window`` , she pointed at the ring in the window...........it was a DIFFERENT RING, it was a lot thinner and looked a lot less expensive. She realised as quickly as I did and we spontaneously laughed and laughed. If it was possible to get divorced before the wedding I`d do that.
Dak has now progressed in her English lessons and has now started going to college 3 or 4 times a week and taking additional coaching in the library once a week. She always has been confident but she has come on leaps and bounds recently and has no fear to do things like go into town on her own and next week she is going alone to the doctors.
We`re really happy, it was always going to be a big step into the unknown bringing Dak to Scotland, not knowing how she`d settle. We knew we loved each other but things have gone better than we could possibly have imagined.
Dak can watch all of her favourite Thai TV channels on the internet and can phone home for 2p per minute, and has all of her favourite Thai food, some of which she can get in Tesco but other stuff from a couple of Asian supermarkets in Glasgow. She also has three thai friends now ``a network`` , if one of them is going to the asian supermarket in glasgow for example they can bring stuff back for the others.
In addition to thai TV, Dak likes to watch some ``falang`` channels too, in particular she likes ``Jerry Springer`` and also watching really crap movies on the ``Zone Horror`` channel.
I`ve started going out running and have also managed to patch up my bike and have been out on that again. things are just going so fast at the moment. I feel there isn`t enough hours in the day, lots of little niggly things have been getting neglected. I am looking forward to settling into family life after the wedding.
Work is still a bit iffy, I`ve moved into a new team and my new team-mates and manager are really nice. It`s just I don`t know if I am cut-out for it or not, I am enjoying it sometimes though and the confidence is with me ``sometimes``. I just wish I had a better shift pattern, it seems as if I am never out of the place. I have got Saturday and Sunday off this week and I am really looking forward to that..
Saturday is a huge match for Morton at Firhill, home of Partick Thistle. Morton are 8th place in teh league, one ``goal`` ahead of Clyde in 9th place. Saturday is the last match of the season and we must match what Clyde do on Saturday to avoid us going inot a play off situation to see if we stay in this league next season. Dak and I will be there roaring the `Ton onto victory.
we are both looking forward very much to THE BIG DAY. I am sure it will be the happiest day in both our lives. Its unbelieveable to think that Dak and I have known each other for nearly 10 months. Unbelievable. Unbelievable to think things have gone so quickly.
There`s going to be one or two surpise guests at the wedding, it will be nice to see them.
When I was helping dak with her homework tonight she mentioned that some of the students in her class have a translator. I found a cracking little device on the net and Cheryl and Craig have kindly offered to buy us it as a wedding gift. It will help Dak a lot in her studies in and out of college. Here is the translator, what do you think, looks good huh ? You can speak English words to it and will tell you the Thai word, and vice versa. Or you can just type the words in , in Thai or english, or Chinese, but we don`t know any Chinese words haha. Dak can speak a little Japanese though but I digress.
I`m starting to ramble. I will write soon and show some photos, within the next week as the clock tick tick ticks away.
Good Afternoon,
It`s seems spring has finally arrived.
I feel a bit tired so I will keep this brief. There are some photos at the bottom of this page videos of some songs we like, a video of Dak`s mum and Dad in the rice fields and one of me dancing in my livingroom.
Well, Dak and I went to cheer on Morton yesterday and we won 3-0 and managed to secure our place in next season`s 1st division by a solitary goal. It was really tense stuff. Morton played really well and everyone was delighted at the end.
Last night we went to the club we travel from, comedians were there to entertain us and a couple of the Morton players, management and chairman came in. Dak was lucky enough to get her photo taken with some of them.
On Friday my friend Lynsey came round for some Thai food. It was a good wee night.
I feel really unorganised as the wedding fast approaches. Need to get everything sorted.
I am going to make a really big attempt to give up drinking alcohol after the wedding. It`s not doing me any favours health-wise and it`s a financial drain. Dak doesn`t want me to drink either. I enjoy life a lot more and feel a lot better when not drinking. I now also have to be a responsible husband. I want to be fit and healthy and in top form to work and to look after Dak and hopefully our children.
Today we went to the fair which is here in Greenock. Dak went on a really scarey ride..some big bomber thing, not for me, I`d have been sick. She was terrified but loved it.
How is everyone ? Please let us know if you will be coming to our wedding reception.
Hello,
I`ve not updated my blog for a couple of weeks, there`s beena lot happening though.
Only 12 days now until ``the Big Day``, it`s getting really exciting for us both. I can`t wait, I feel like a wee boy waiting on Santa to come at Christmas
Yesterday after visiting my Mum we somehow went a detour through a ``demolition area`` where some high rise flats are being knocked down. I took some photo`s, it`s like something from the twillight zone.
Also yesterday we went out for some drinks with friends. I made the mistake of telling them I was not going to bother having a stag night. This must`ve prompted them to arrange some sort of stunt for me as they proceeded to strip me naked and tie me onto a fountain in the town. Yikes.
I think the cherry blossom trees are lovely at this time of year and there is some really nice tulips around too. ( just a random comment )
As I say only 12 days to go, please stay tuned.
Hello,
Just a short entry. Apologies for lack of updates. I am a big bag of emotions. Getting married tomorrow afternoon. Everything is ``nearly`` organised.
On saturday morning we intend going away for a few days for a honeymoon. Might go to Blackpool for a couple of days and then camping in the Lake District & visiting Dak`s sister in Hartlepool. I bought a car last week, an R Reg Vauxhall Astra with 107,000 miles on the clock for £450, it runs very well.
I will update the diary with photo`s of the wedding ASAP. Until then take care.
Hello,
Wedding went really well. Got great photo`s and videos to show you on here soon.
This is just a quick diary to let you know we are now in Hartlepool at Amar and Orasa`s house ( My new brother and sister-in-laws), had to pay £200 for a new catalytic converter for the car in Blackpool and stay an extra night as the garage didnt have it in stock.....last night it poured with rain in the Lake district but the tent stayed watertight ( good valur at £15 from Tesco).
Feel really tired at the moment as it`s been a long drive again today, the car is still not too healthy..........need go for now...will update further when I get home.........it`s been a crazy few days...as I say the wedding was great....I am looking forward to doing what I promised...eating healthy....giving up alcohol....getting fit...being a good husband and looking after my beautiful wife....
Apologies for the delay. More to follow
hello,
I`ve added a lot of photo`s. somehow a lot of them are the wrong way round no matter how I try and rotate them...quite annoying that..there is also some photos of our honeymoon in Blackpool, the lake-district and at Doe and Amar`s house oh and some of when we all went out for a meal in Inverkip Hotel on Sunday.
I am also trying to get some videos uploaded. Unfortunately on getjealous I can only upload videos up to 5 minutes long..so I have uploaded the shorter ones directly to here and given links to youtube for a couple of others. There`s a good one of when they played the national anthems before we started emmmmmm dancing.
A friend is going to make up a compilation video and photo DVD which we will send out with thankyou cards for the presents we received
I`ve come down with a bad cold at the moment which is fair enough as I haven`t had one for nearly a year. I am pleased I wasnt ill at the wedding.
As promised I have now given up drinking alcohol. I haven`t had a drink since Friday. It`s time to get my head straightened out as Dak and I plan for our future together.
Aunt Nan goes home tomorrow. She lost her purse with credits cards and money in it in Edinburgh. I think she has had a good time though apart from that and Dak and I are glad she was able to attend the wedding. Linda / Tom, I think she got the crunchies before losing her purse.
Here is a video of the Naional anthems...I will add more links to videos on this page later today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLVn2qyOQCIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDF6lM41h_0
Hello,
I`m not one for using the word ``flu`` lightly. I know I know, I exaggerate whenever I have a bad cold but this time it floored me completely.
It hit me like a tonne of bricks on Tuesday and I have virtually been bed-ridden since. Dak too, is now suffering.
I think we had so much pressure on us since I left Dak in Bangkok on 26th November that now everything is finished with regards to the wedding that our bodies just ``shut down with exhaustion`` , is that reasonable ?
Sometimes now I feel okay but then it comes back, like in waves. I am sure though that I am on the mend. I will be back at work on Monday if I continue to recover quickly. I hope I don`t get into too much bother for being off but nothing can be doen so why worry, can`t help being ill.
On the brightside I have continued to eat healthily, both to aid my recovery and to keep my promise that I would refrain from alcohol / unhealthy food after the honeymoon.
I am looking forward to getting fit, slim and having a healthy body and mind.
Good Evening,
I spent ages writing a diary entry and then it vanished !
I will write it again in the morning.
Basically just wanted to let everyone know that Dak and I are alive and well.
Hello,
As I was saying the other day, it`s been a while since I have regulary updated my diary. This has given Dak and I a period of privacy as we have settled down into our new family life after the excitement of the wedding.
I`ve been under a lot of strain in work, trying to fathom if I have been in the right job or not; I mean, when I came home from travelling I had to find a job as quick as I could to satisfy the Home Office that I could support Dak to enable her to get a 6 month Fiancee visa to come here; T Mobile was conveniant as it was just down the street and they are always hiring people. Don`t get me wrong, I did have hopes that I could progress in there and stay numerous years but I think I have just now resigned myself to saying that ``it just wasn`t the job for me``.
After we got married and Dak subsequently got her 2 year settlement visa it was a weight off our minds, 400 quid we had to pay for that visa in addition to the 600 in March for the fiancee visa, these ``stealth taxes`` are getting higher by the day, and people wonder why there are so many illegal immigrants in the country,
I got an ulcer in my eye a few weeks ago and had no option but for the doctor to sign me off sick. I was unable to wear my contact lense in my left eye, which is my strong eye, and wearing only my right contact lense I was unable to read the computer screen; this is when my diary fell by the wayside. Those who know me well know that I have an eye condition called Keratoconus, the only way to improve sight with this condition is wearing rigid gas permeable contact lenses, wearing spectacles has no effect.
Whilst I was off on the sick with my eye problem and was wandering around like a pirate with my eye patch on I felt pretty miserable, miserable that perhaps T Mobile would dismiss me for my absenteeism as I had the flu a few weeks before remember and also another day off sick, I wouldn`t have had any grievance if they terminated my contract.
Anyway, sitting around on the sick I realised that, as much as we needed the money, working in T Mobile hasn`t been doing my health any good and the doctor deemed it appropriate for me to take extended sick leave to consider my position.
I`ve a lot to thank T Mobile for, it was fantastic of the training manager to give me time off at very short notice to go to Thailand to support Dak in her fiancee visa application at the British Embassy and for my training to be extended for a week or so. I also met some great people there, but as I say, I think I am now ready to resign myself to the fact that it just wasn`t for me and to put it down to experiance.
I`ve been for a couple of job interviews already and I`ve another couple lined up for Monday, so hopefully something turns up soon. The ones coming up are particularly interesting, one is for a driving job, driving a 7.5 tonne truck around Scotland delivering exhausts and tyres to repair centres, I`d love that, would be ideal for me, but the money is rubbish although thats a secondary issue at the moment.
The other interview is for a job which would be ideal for me as it matches my experiance and ambitions and has good terms and conditions, however, I count no chickens. every now and then a part of me says ``go on just go back to T Mobile`` and this is why I have been holding off from quitting.
I appreciate that a lot of people who previously read my blog will have gone now, satisfied after reading my round the world adventure, however, I know that there are still some loyal people out there who have been asking about where my updates have been.
It was incredible a few weeks ago in the town when a bloke shouted ``Dowza`` and came up to me saying I didnt know him but that he had followed my blog lol, I felt like asking him if he was wanting an autograph hahaha, nice guy though and it was nice to meet him.
Theres a smattering of photos from various occasions on this page, some dating as far back as the wedding, theres one with Dak and the eye patch I had been wearing.
You may rememember that when I was in New Zealand I stayed for a couple of days with a guy called Brian and his wife who were working in Wellington ; well I met Brian today in Tesco, they have moved back over here as they have a wee daughter now and feel its important that she grows up with the comfort of her grandparents around her, very understandable that, but it must be hard leaving such a beautiful city as Wellington and such a beautiful country.
Tomorrow, Morton play St Mirren in the Renfrewshire cup final. I will be going along to take my mind off of things. Dak isnt interested in football but thinks that if she aint going I should give her the admission money so she can spend on something else !!! I must button up the back !!
The doctor has advised that as my head has been a bit all over the palce with work and with other pressures then a healthy dose of exerise , good food, and no alcohol is required. I`ve not had any alcohol for a fortnight and yesterday I ran 10 miles.
Anyway, I`m rabitting on here, basically I`ve brought you up to speed with what has been going on without too much detail. It`s crunch time now, I need to decide if it is worthwile struggling on in my current job or move on even if that means moving on before a new job comes along, something will turn up, it always has before. It`s easy to say I should stay there until something else comes up, but sometimes things aren`t so straightforward.
I`ll need to get the pennies coming in though, I know that, and I am prepared to work hard. I`ve the weekend to come to a final decision and then hopefully Monday brings better news, who knows Dak could have two jobs by then aswell. Fingers Crossed.
PS, we went camping at Balmaha and to a Thai ``convention`` at a mansion at the side of Loch Earn, quite bizarre seeing a couple of hundred Thais in the one place in Scotland, theres over 2000 Thai people in Scotland now. anyway, speak to you soon.
PPS. You can now watch our full wedding video online at the following addess......
http://www.myclubfantasyfootball.co.uk/dow5a.avi ......right click on the file to save it....if it still doesnt work you will need to download the codec software from.....http://www.xvidmovies.com/codec ...if you still have problems drop me a line and thanks to my friend Mr Morrison of Steele Road Ltd for the webspace to host the video.
Hello,
I thought I would write a quick diary entry to share the good news with you that Dak has been offered a job in T Mobile as a cleaner 15 hours per week. She will work Monday - Friday 3 hours each morning.
This is a vital peice in our jigsaw, there`s still a lot of work to be done, it`s not all been plain sailing.
Good Morning,
It`s my birthday today. It doesn`t seem like a year ago since I wrote my diary on here from Koh Samui when Dak had surprised me with that wee birthday cake, haha remember that ?
I got good news (at last) yesterday in that I`ve been offered a new job. I am going to be working as a Meter Reader for Scottish Gas. It sounds enjoyable, a lot of walking, it will be a change from the lethargy of sitting in an office for the past 12 years or so of my career.
I start work on Tuesday, as you know I like doing a lot of exercise and this job will keep me fit. I`m still exploring another couple of job opportunities too incase this one turn out not to be ideal.
I think it`s very important to enjoy the work anyone is doing. It shouldn`t be a case of working just to pay the bills or make ends meet. Life`s too short to be getting stressed out / depressed / frustrated / driven insane.
I had been applying for a huge variety of jobs in the past few weeks, for example, binman, lorry driver, bus driver, van driver, office worker, postman....the list was endless and I was getting a bit concerned at not having a positive end result so it`s a huge relief to finally have something.
Working in T Mobile, and I suppose, in Call Centres in general, listening to customer complaints, just wasn`t for me, but I would never have known had I not tried, and I did try, sometimes things just don`t work out, I just had to dust myself down, pick myself up and get on with it.
Dak is still enjoying her job, she`s had a fair bit of overtime last week. she had a mis-understanding with her big manager due to a language problem, that seems to be sorted now though. The more Dak works the better her English will get as she has to communicate with colleagues. I think they know though that Dak is a very hard worker, I am too, I am just happy that at long last Dak and I have the opportunity to work hard.
Today I am going to go for a birthday haircut, and then Dak is going to take me for a birthday treat.... A 1/4pounder meal in McDonalds ...large....Can`t wait......oh the joys of giving up alcohol.
Take Care and best regards.
Hello,
Dak`s away to college tonight and poor wee me is sitting in here loaded with the cold, I think the term these days is ``man flu``.
Anyway, the meter reading job lasted 6 days before I decided it was a hopeless waste of time and effort. I enjoyed the physical exercise of walking around all day out in the fresh air (when it wasn`t raining) but the fact of the matter was that I wasn`t making a lot of money; you get paid by how many ``reads`` you do and I found I was knocking on the same peoples doors umpteen times with no response.
One morning (in the meter reader job) I went to Renfrew for 4 hours and got 3 ``reads``, this meant I earned a total of about £7.50 and after I paid for my petrol it meant I had worked for nothing. It`s also no fun knocking on peoples at 7.30am as sometimes they come to the door like a bear with a sore head...what was it that man in Renfrew said to me ``what, at this f***** time in the morning...there`s the f***** meter then , read it`` , yikes.
Anyway, so thankfully it`s only been a few days since my resignation that I have been offered a new job as a manufacturing Technician with a bio-technology company Invitrogen in Inchinnan. I really like the sound of this job and the company, the wages aren`t great to begin with, similar to what I was on at T Mobile but I think I will enjoy it.
Invitrogen actually called me up today to go for an interview for a Customer Service job, it sounded okay, it wasn`t as if I would hae been on the phone all day listening to people moaning about their phoen bill, but, working in T Mobile has put me off having any direct contact with customers. I stress, that`s not T Mobile`s fault though.
It`s been a bit of a polava trying to get settled down with a decent job since I came back from travelling; I knew it was never going to be easy but I hope this is finally a new beginning for Dak and I. Dak is still enjoying her cleaning job and I have noticed a vast improvement in her English as she has had to communicate with colleagues.
Oh, the new job I will be working 2pm until 10pm one week with 6am till 2pm the next. It`s a similar pattern to what I worked in IBM and where I was most happy with the hours. If I need to work at the weekend it would be time and a half on a Saturday and double time on a Sunday, I like tha instead of having weekends built into a shift pattern. This will allow Dak and I to get our family life into a routine at long last.
Now digressing ; Dak and I went ice-skating down at the Magnum centre in Irvine a couple of weekends ago, that was great fun, Dak had never done it before and it was hilarious helping her to learn; I wish wish wish I didnt forget to take the camera, I could have made a good video.
Dak`s friend in college, Eugenie ( from The Congo ) and her husband Roger from Belgium had a baby boy, Emmanuelle. We went to visit them and bought a moses basket for present. I will try and put a few photos on here shortly.
Apologies for the lack of updates, I was waiting on good news on the jobs front. Here`s hoping for a period of settlement now.
Hello,
I had virtually abandoned my blog.
I have now been in my new job for a month and I am really enjoying it. The time goes by so quickly on the shift and the people I work with are great.
It`s hard work though, my new job, I`ve been used to working in an office environment for most of my life and now I am on my feet all day and there is a lot of lifting / bending etc , it`s good exercise and I am feeling the benefit of it and losing weight. Sometimes I come home shattered though, but at least now I feel that I have done a hard days work and earned my money, unlike when I was been driven demented in T Mobile by loony customers.
Looking back now, T Mobile is becoming a distant memory, a lot of good people work there but when I was there I noticed that there was a lot of personnel changes and many people didn`t seem happy at work, it seemed to me that virtually everyone was looking for a way out. I really hope I don`t ever have to work in a call centre again in my life. I am glad I gave it a go though, I had no alternative at the time.
Dak, My mum and I went to Samye-Ling Monastery near Langholm in the Scottish Borders on Saturday; it was fascinating, I thought it would be good for Dak as she is Buddhist but it turns out that this was a Tibetan monastery which has a different version of the Buddhism which Dak has in Thailand. I did try though !!
Dak and I went to see the QE2 bid farewell to Greenock on Sunday night where we had a fantastic position to view a spectacular fireworks display. Dak really enjoyed this.
Anyway, I`m rambling here, life is good, Dak and I are happy in work, it`s nearly a year since I have been back home from travelling..
Oh, one final thing I should mention. the company I work for has two sister plants, one in USA and one in ...........NEW ZEALAND.
Watch this space
Hello,
*updating photo`s and videos, please come back in an hour*
It`s been a while again. Life is still good. I have been working nightshift for the past week and will be next week too. I`ve never worked nightshift before but I am enjoying it, I just get confused sometimes as to what day it is / who I am etc lol. I get good money for doing it too.
I really like my new job, it`s quite physically demanding, the time passes really quickly as it`s good honest hard work. My hands and my body are always sore though, I guess I spent too many years wasting away in an office. This is exactly what I have needed but it`s going to take time to adapt.
The weekend before last we went up to Glasgow for some drinks and to meet up with David. You rememebr David ? David is the guy that I was wit the night I first met Dak on Koh Samui. David was really impressed with how Dak now has a Greenock accent !!
I`m well and truly over the nightmare I had in T Mobile now. I really like T Mobile and it`s a shame things couldn`t have been different. I will be eternally grateful to the training manager Donna, and to the many great people I worked with there.
On saturday Dak and I are going to meet Jackie. Jackie is a girl who read my blog whilst I was travelling to get ideas for her own journey. I subsequently popped in to read Jackies blog now and again, so on Saturday we are going to meet up to talk about our travels.
It`s so hard to put the enormity of a year long world trip into perspective. It`s impossible to convey experiances to people who are going on a holiday somewhere for example. It will be good to have a blether with Jackie.
The wife and I are looking forward to Christmas. Dak saw Santa Claus on the TV and said ``it`s going to be your birthday soon``, I said ``it`s not going to be Santas birthday, it`s going to be Jesus birthday`` , ``who is Jesus`` ? she asked ? Oh well, not too worry, as long as Dak and I enjoy our first Christmas together, that`s the main thing, last Christmas was difficult as we were apart.
Looking ahead to Spring 09, we are going to go to Amsterdam for a short break. I want to take Dak ``Window shopping``, we`ll also hopefully go to Paris and some other Euro city weekend break. We had intended a traditional summer 09 holiday to Spain/Greece or something but, I think it would be in both our interests if we headed back to Thailand instead, we need to remember Dak is still young and a get together with her Mum and Dad, family and friends is crucial to her well-being.
I am going to update with a few photos just now and a video of the fireworks which we watched for the QE2`s farewell to Greenock, so please come back in an hour or so.
I will write again next week. In the meantime, take care.
Hello Everybody,
I hope you all had a relaxing Christmas and I wish everyone a belated Happy New Year.
Where do I begin ? I thought I would write an update incase you have been wondering if Dak and I have fallen off the end of the world; we`re still here !
Dak is at work at the moment. I am meant to be doing housework but I thought I would do a quick update on here first.
Well, I am currently looking for a new job (again), I thought the last one was okay but things didnt really work out as hoped as it transpired I was only required for a temporary contract which finished at Christmas; not too worry, I`ll bounce back, I`ve got an interview on Tuesday and I`ve one or two other things in the pipeline, so watch this space.
Dak really enjoyed her first Christmas, New Year & Birthday (6th January) in Scotland; I dont think she had ever seen so many presents.
I`ve put some photo`s on this page. Stuart and John are a couple of blokes who also have Thai wives here in Inverclyde; Dak spends a lot of time with their wives Ann & Tuuk, we had a Christmas get-together where we all went out for a meal and lots of drinks.
What we want now for the future is for me to find a steady job, hopefully locally, and then we can start planning to move out of our lovely flat and into a bigger house as we hope to start a family within the next 3 years and this flat is a little on the compact side, not too mention two floors up.
Dak`s English is coming on leaps and bounds; she loves college and her job; she is contracted to work 15 hours a week (6am till 9am) but has been working a lot more than that, sometimes double. As I am not working just now I am being her taxi driver, taking her from work to college and from college back to work. I`ve become kind of like a house-husband since being laid off at Christmas.
Once Dak finishes her English course in college she intends doing a course in either childcare or nursing. Dak really is a bright, clever girl, and gorgeous too, I`m so lucky to have her.
I`m not as desperate for work as I was when I left T Mobile, I need work, for sure, but I`ve learned my lesson from the last time that it`s pointless taking the first thing that comes along just for the sake of it; that meter reading job which I done for 6 days was a nightmare, it was actually costing me money to work afte I paid for petrol.
We had a great night shortly before Christmas when Phil Fox came up and we wnt to see the Vatersay boys at the Barrowlands in Glasgow; they are a ceilidh band from the outer hebrides, I`ve loved them for years and I`ve seen them out at Barra and previously at Barrowlands, I knew how good they were and wanted to show some others too.
Dak really likes going to the bingo in the pub, I go too to keep her company, up until recently I had been going for the bevvie but as I said, it was costing a fortune and not doing me any good so the past couple of times I have went sober and took the car with me.
Anyway, I`m waffling a bit here, how can I possibly update you on whats all been happening for the past 3 months in one short diary entry; I`ll need to write a few dairy entries over the course of the next couple of weeks to show you all the videos and photos.
I`ve got a new phone, it`s fantastic, its a sony ericsson C905, its got an 8.1 mega pixel camera on it, the photos on this diary page are from it, I`ll need to figure out how to put videos from it on here too.
It`s amazing to think that Dak has been in Scotland for 10months now, time flies.
I`m thinking of re-vamping my blog into more of an all-singing, all dancing family website, If I do I will of course ensure that anyone who types in www.getjealous.com/dowza is automatically re-directed to it.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ? OBSERVATIONS ? add them to my messageboard.
Anyway, take care and I will write again at the weekend.
Ian
Yadda Yadda,
I went for a job interview at the start of the week. I am fairly sure I have to start the job a week on Monday but nothing has been 100% confirmed yet. It`s not great money but it`s in Greenock so I wont need to use my wages for travel and I will be able to maximise my freetime.
For the past few weeks sinc eI was laid off from my previous job I`ve really just been vegetating and being a taxi driver for Dak. I`m averaging about 14 hours sleep per day. Really I`d like to start getting out and exercising to clear the cob webs but I`ve been using the poor weather as an excuse.
To be honest the past couple of years have been really hectic, my travelling was jam packed full of adventure and htne meeting Dak, getting married, a couple of jobs etc, we`ve not really had ime to settle down, so this 4 or 5 weeks of doing nothing but lounging around, re-charging the batteries and spending quality time with the Mrs has been a blessing.
We`re going to have two children, a girl called Lydia and a boy called Alex, there`s a famous pop star in Thailand called Lydia so we are naming our girl after her and I have no idea why Dak wants to call our boy Alex; but who knows what`s going to happen anywya, maybe we`ll have a big family, that`s what I`d really like.
When Dak is finished her English course she is thinking of training to be a nurse, that would be our new key to getting into New Zealand; I`ve sold New Zealand to Dak and that`s what our mission in life is now, to settle there.
I`m going to go to bingo in chaplins with Dak shortly; she`s been working 30 hours or more every week recently.
I`ve put a couple of photo`s on here, one is of me looking smart before job interview and one is of my nephew David who was complaining about his lack of appearances on here. David plays a lot of games on his Xbox 360 or whatever it is he has.
Thanks for the messages, I will write again soon.
Hello,
Just a short note to let you know that I am starting work on Monday at Invec, they are a small firm at Faulds Park in Gourock. I will be working Monday - Friday 8am - 4pm.
Hello,
Hope you are well. Today was my first day in my new job. It`s okay, money is rubbish, not too exciting, but it`s a job; it will do until I find something better; it`s much better than the meter reading job I lasted 6 days in and it`s unlikely to make me demented the way T Mobile did.
I`ve been trying to keep healthy. I`ve given up alcohol and I am taking regularl exercise. I want to have a healthy mind and body before Dak and I start a family; to help me focus and find a good job and also I can`t afford to be boozing anyway.
Dak and I are considering walkign the West Highland Way in June this year, if we can`t then we will definately do it next year. I`ll need to seee what the situation is in this job. They want me to work backshift for the next 7 weeks or so before I permanently go onto dayshift.
There`s been a few things occurring. I`ll keep making regular updates in the next few weeks as the current situation is constantly changing.
Dak and I are very content in life; just wish we could get some more money coming in, but don`t we all.
I`ve put a few photo`s on here today. Will attempt videos again very soon
Hello,
The new job is okay. Have you heard of topup TV ? Well our company get their ``returned`` defective units and do lots of tests on them. My job is to make sure all the functions work. Basically, and without word of a lie, I`m being paid to watch the TV all day. It`s not too exciting, but not stressful either.
I`m thinking that, once I get settled down in this job I might try and get a take-away food delivery driver job for an evening or two during the week to make up the pennies.
Dak is going on holiday. She is going to stay with her sister in Hartlepool for a few days in the middle of March. She is going down on the train and we have booked her tickets, it was only £40 a return so that wasn`t bad.
The both of us have had a fair bit of stress since we met with tryign to get the visa for her to come here, being separaed for three months, trying to find jobs etc, we`ve been in it as a couple and it will good for us both to get a wee breather; I know I am looking forward to not having anyone nagging at me to help with the housework !
On Sunday we went up to Glasgow for Dak`s favourite Chinese buffet since it was Valentines day, we enjoyed that very much.
I`ve not had any alcohol for over three weeks now but I don`t see any rapid weight loss...perhaps I need to exercise too; and have some patience.
I don`t think we will be doing the West Highland Way this year afterall; but next year for sure; it just doesnt really fit in with our holidays from work especially as we now hope to go to Thailand as early as December of this year, for that reason we will be forfeiting summer holidays; I can`t grumble having had a year travelling in recent times and the fact that my new workplace is a holidaycamp anyway.
I`m really looking forward to spring and getting some natural light about me, I reckon for sure that I will savour the spring and summer evenings by getting out there and exercising. I hope these hours of 8-4 last in work. Oh I meant to tell you, the 7 weeks of backshift got cancelled so I am pleased to say I am on 8am - 4pm as of last week.
Here is a photo of Dak at the hotpot buffet on Sunday, it`s mind-blowing how she can eat so much food.
Hello,
Dak arrived here a year ago today, how time flies !!! Incredible.
Doesnt seem that long ago.
I`ve been working really hard at work for the past few days, been putting plenty of hours in.
On Saturday I`m taking Dak to Edinburgh to visit the castle.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone can help me analyse this weird dream I had last night. If you can please put a meassgae on my board for me. Thanks.
In the dream we had a budgie (also had one in real life)
so in the dream the budgie started talking to me ( it didnt in real life)
the budgie told me that he was going to fly outside for a wee while just to perch on the branch of a tree just outside the window but not to worry that he would be right back.
I watched the budgie fly out the window and come to rest on the tree right outside.
I began to get worried when I saw large seagulls and blackbirds swooning about.
I told the budgie he better come in for his own safety as one of them bigger birds was likely to see him as an easy feed.
the budgie re-assured me not too worry and that he didnt feel in any danger
I tried to persuade him as I continued to fear for his safety.
then a big blackbird swooped down and grabbed him in his mouth and flew off with him and then I saw the blackbird swallow the budgie.
I was most disturbed when I woke up. Can someone tell me what my dream meant pleas ???
ps when I was young I knocked down one of our budgies cages with my bike and it flew out the door never to be seen again, but, I don`t know if the dream relates to that or not.
Hello,
``Do you have any questions or observations ? Leave a message on my messageboard``
The photo on my front page is Dak when she was between 18months and 2 years old.
Dak is now on holiday, I took a day off work on Thursday to escort her to Glasgow Central for her train south where whe was collected by her sister in Darlington to take her to Hartlepool where she lives. It`s quiet in here without her and she has demanded I have the place gleaming for when she comes back next Sunday.
I have this whole weekend off work, I`ve not done much other than vegetated, but I have enjoyed that, no rushing around trying to achieve anything just totally chillin.
Friends of ours had bought us Historic Scotland memberships for a wedding present and we had been gutted that up until now we hadnt been able to use the passes for one reason or another, genrally being skint or working or tied up some other way; so last weekend we headed to Edinburgh for a day out and used the passes to see the Castle. We still have a few weeks left on our membership so will make sure we take in some more attractions in the near future.
Its hard to believe that we have been married for nearly a year.
We have every intnent on going to Thailand in December. I`d use all my holidays from work and hopefully get another couple of weeks off unpaid and we could go for 6 weeks or a couple of months; I think it would be good if Dak and I could go to Vietnam as I was sad to have missed that when I was on my big one.
Last night I sat for a couple of hours and read all the messages people had sent me during my travels, it was the first time I had done that, the messages all tell a story themselves.
I`m delighted to see the temperatures have risen substantially today and hopefully springtime is now upon us. I`m not a fan of winter, I like to see the daylight and to get out and about.
My job is okay, honestly, it`s quite boring and repetitive but the people are nice, the wages are rubbish but I`m trying to get them topped up with working tax credits but its taking a while to process; anyway I better watch what I say as I read on the news that a lassie got the punt from work for saying her job was boring on her facebook account. Anyway, I am just happy to have a job during this recession and it`s virtually stress free, just go in and do the time. Theres a great view from up there too.
As I work in Gourock I am lookign forward to going for a swim in the Gourock pool after work in summer.
I want to find a part time job for a couple of evenings per week as it`s crucial that I eliminate debt before going to Thailand; a trip to Thailand gives us something to aim for.
I`ve put some photos from our trip to Edinburgh on here; I`ve also scanned a couple of photos from Dak`s album, do you think she looked cute when little ? Turned into a big monster !
Well,
So much has occurred since my last blog entry that i wouldn't have a clue to where to begin.
Dak and I have both ben working hard over the pat few months to save for a holiday back home for Dak to Thailand.
We have booked flights to fly from Glasgow on October 27th for over 4 weeks. We are really excited about this. We will be meeting Dak's mum and Dad at the Bangkok airport, spending a few nights in bangkok and then heading north to Korat to spend a few days in Dak's village.
Dak and i will then fly to Koh Samui for a few days to re-live the days of our first encounter which is increbible in some ways to think this was well over 2 years ago. it will be really fascinating to see if any of the characters we were acquainted with are still there as the last the community there knew was that Dak and i were leaving koh samui to have a few days together in Bangkok before i got on with the rest of my travels; no doubt they will be amazed to learn Dak came to Scotland, that we got maried and that she can speak near perfect English.
it's not been easy at times since i got home in november 07, sure we have had great times like Dak getting the visa to come here, getting married etc but other things have been tough, inparticular finding suitable employement for us both. i will never forget the nightmare of working as a meter reader for a week and managing to read only about 4 meters a day earning £1.50 per meter read. T mobile was a horrible experiance for me, i have nothing aginst T mobile, i was just in a job i was completely not suited to and i was forcing myself to go in there as i needed the money; it reminded me of when i was 6 years old and kept running back home instead of going to school.
Those dark days are long since gone. We both have more than one job that we really like. I'm knocking in aound 70hours per week and Dak about 40. We aim to come home from thailand debt free; oh i meant to say, after koh samui we will be going to Vietnam for a few days; Vietnam was one of the places i got a visa for but ended up never going so dak and i could stay together; now we can both realise that dream.
We are getting on so well together, as we knew we would, it's has made that time we spend apart from november 26th 07 until the start of march 08 while we worked on getting dak a visa to come here, all worthwile.
sometimes i feel a bit embarassed that i have such a a beautiful, happy, caring, young wife. why am i so lucky ? i wonder if people sometimes thing ''whats she with him for''; the reason is that we both love each other a lot.
After we come back from our big holiday we are going to knuckle down once again and are looking to sell the flat in Spring 2010 and find a bigger family home before we contemplate starting a family.
Also in 2010 we will b taking short european breaks to let Dak sample what other countries in europe have to offer, as currently she has only ever been to Thailand and scotland. We also hope to walk teh West highland way together. we will go back to thailand in 2011.
My mum is going to New Zealand aroundabout the same time we are going to Thailand, i am pleased she is going there and i am sure she will enoy it; it's a coach tour all over the north and south islands taking in a lot of highlights, i have no doubt she will love it the way i did.
i am a bit frustrated right at the minute as i can't find the scuba diving video i got made on the great abrrier reef in queensland, australia, hopefully it turns up as it is something i want to show my grandchildren when i was 90 years old.
i will add some photos on here just now and will keep you up to date about our forthcoming hoilday.
Hello,
I'd almost abandoned my blog as I decided just to enjoy the holiday.
The last I wrote we planned on going to Vietnam, but we scrapped that idea.
We've been in Thailand for a week now, spent the first few days around the koh Sahn road area and done some exploring. We went up to Dak's village after 3 days; it was great up there; they had a big ''welcome back to thailand Mr Ian'' party with karaoke and a big cake for me; was good fun.
We also went to Dak's brother Bok's wedding ceremony, that was interesting too; his wife ewe-ee is really nice.
Just had a 2 hour massage now that Dak and I are back on Koh San alone and now our holiday officially has started; going to fly to Phuket tomorrow where we will stay on at Karon beach for a few days and also head over to Phi Phi ( where the film ''the beach'' was filmedm I am reading the book just now), back to Phuket then fly to Samui for a few days, we'll be staying in the hotel on samui where dak and I first met; will be interesting to see some old and new faces.
Oh we got fantastic photo's taken in a boutique with dak and I in Thai dress. Will put those, and photos from the holiday so far up when I get to Phuket.
Running out of time. Need to dash. how is mum enjoying New Zealand and is my motor okay ?
yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.
Going to Koh Phi Phi tomorrow for 3 nights; that's where the film ''the beach'' was set. I have just finished reading the book.
Got lots and lots of photo's but can't find a cafe to upload them; maybe I will need to wait till I get back and do it in the house in chronological order.
We've spent the past few nights in Karon beach, nice hotel called ''the living room''. Most of the tourists here are Scandinavian, the beautiful blonde women are sometimes a distraction from the gorgeous Thais.
Having a Thai wife with me has its advantages and disadvantages.
The big Buddha was impressive, correct me if I am wrong but it's the biggest buddha in the world.
I think I just managed to beat Dak at go-cart racing.
It's not cheap here, dinner for two is costing us about 30 quid a hit; although the wine might have something to do with that. I'm not drinking a lot of alcohol though to be honest and can't really think of a time of being drunk. I dont want to spoil the holiday with having too much alcohol (am I grwoing up at last) ?
There is three prominent beaches here, Karon, Kata yai(big) and Kata noi(small). We were at Kata noi today, cracking beach if youre ever here; I'm now looking like a lobster and dont know if I will be fit for the boat trip tomorrow. Had a soothing Aloe Vera massage on the beach.
A couple of days ago we went into Patong at night, saw some really gorgeous ladyboys there, wait till you see the photos you will be amazed at how pretty they are, or as we say in Thai (suoy mak mak) suoy = beautiful, mak mak = very much.
anyway, need to get going as we want fed and an early night as need be up at 7.30am for the phi phi trip, it's got a tour first on approach islands; its a hard life but someones got to do it.
It's not been possible to document everything thats been happening but we've not been bored, always up to something, spending a lot of money. I need to find prickly heat cream, I hope they have some in seven eleven.
Okay doak, see you later
Koh Phi Phi was okay, very hot, wouldnt go back there or Phuket though. Phuket is just like going a package holiday to Spain, going there won't get you thai cultural experiances and it's pricier than anywhere else. Enjoyed it though, the beaches were nice.
Now Koh Samui, it was great to get back there again to our ''home'' town of Bangrak where I spent a couple of months when travelling. Lots of great stroies and photos from there, met some great friends from the last time and new ones too. Samui is kind of like a half-way house, you still can get all your western comforts when needed but can also get a feel of thai life.
I went diving, daks friends boyfriend works for a diving company so he took me out for a knock-down fee, was good fun to get in the water again.
Now back up at Ampherkhong in Korat staying with Daks family again for a few days before it's back home to the re-join the rat race. Will provide lots of stories and photo's when I am back home with more time on my hands.
Starting to look forward to next year. so much to aim for next year.
just had an eventful few days up at Dak's village, We went to a rock concert wherea huge gang fight kicked off right beside us. Police with batons had to disperse the rioters a couple of times, was quite exciting.
Last night Dak went out with her old friends and I stayed at home dancing to thai karaoke with the farmer men in the village, was such good fun, sang a few english numbers for them.
Today coming back to Bangkok the coach we were in crashed head on at high speed with a truck; we heard the driver frantically pamping and then slam the brakes as we waited for the inevitable impact and it came with a huge bang; the truck nearly overturned it was up on two wheels. Fortunately the bus driver managed to bring the bus to a stop but the whole front of it was smashed up and the driver injured. We had to wait ages on replacement busses. Incredibly no passengers were hurt.
Hello,
Well that's us home and jet-lagged. it's good to be home though and we are looking forward to the future. we have a lot of things e hope to achieve next year.
On one of the first days up at Korat in Daks village of Ampherkhong we went to a studio to have some photo's taken in thai costumes. They didnt have many costumes in ''big'' sizes though.
What do you think of the photo's ? We got a couple of big ones too which we will frame.
Over the next few days i will write a new dairy entry with photo's from our holiday.
i am not looking forward to going back to work tonight out delivering indian meals, but we spent a lot of money on the holiday and if we want to achieve everything we hope for in the next 12 months then we're going to need to work hard, save money and live sensibly within our means.; i definately must be growing up to be thinking like this.
Hello,
As i was saying, I am now providing a daily dairy to document some highlights of our holiday to Thailand.
Some of the photographs have inexpicably got them self out of chronolical order; thats one of the reasons i've decided to break these diaries into sections.
The first few days of the holiday which i show photo's below for were spent in Bangkok with Daks Mum , Dad and younger sister Dom.
in Bangkok we went a boat trip on the canals which takes us to lots of areas; to be honest it was a pure rip off but we enjoyed it nonetheless, feeding the millions of fish in the river with bread and food pellets and watching them go into a feeding a frenzy, then we fed the pigeons too and went to visit a temple.
After the boat rip we wnt to a famous temple where we saw greta views over Bangkok.
After bangkok we went up to the village in Isaan where Dak lives, it takes about 5 hours on a bus from Bangkok to there.
In the village Daks family held a ''Welcome back to Thailand Mr Ian'' party. it was a nice surpiise and we had good fun. We also went to a ceremony for Daks brother Bok who got married to ewe-ee.
it was also at this time we got the studio photos that you seen in the previous diary entry.
We had planned for a long time to go to Daks old school and supply and prepare lunch for all the students. there are 250 students in the school, usually they just have rice for lunch which they need to take to school with them; so we made them a fantastic lunch and also ice-cream, it was quite hard work as we had to have everythin ready for the lunch break; daks close family helped us. it cost about £100 in total for the lunch for all the students.
it's an important ethos of buddhism to give back what you can and it made us feel good by providing that lunch. One of the head students stood up and done a speech to thank us and the headmaster also provided us with a certificate to remember the day by.
Tomorrow i will show the next leg of our holiday which saw Dak and i fly to Phuket; ladyboy photo's included.
if you have any questions please leave them on my messageboard
Hello,
As promised here is photo's from Phuket and Phi Phi. i was going to write with information but i am tired and will just let the pictures tell a story instead. Some of them are out of sync again, for example, the first photo's are of the plane we got to Samui and should therefore be the last photo's shown and not the first !!
i will come back tomorow with the remainder of the photos from our holiday, ie on Samui and back up at Dak's village.
it was good to get back to Bangrak on Koh Samui; we much prefer here to Phuket or anywhere else for that matter. i spent two months in Bangrak on my travels and if i had a place i could go and live in Thailand then this would be it.
You see some photo's of Dak's friend Linn and her boyfriend Adam. You may remember Linn being in photos on my blog way back when i was last in bangrak...july 07, still looks the same. Adam is a really decent bloke, he's a dive master and he took me diving to Koh Tao one day; they have a nice house in bangrak and were very hospitable to us by showing us around lots of places.
in the photo's you will see a photo of a wee girl in pyjamas; thats back up at the village; Mum thats the baby you were asking about; my mum is photographed with a baby on my blog back in March 08 when we were over to get dak her visa. Same baby, but now grown into a girl !
Anyway, that was the holiday. I havent really went into much detail. Was quite an eventful holiday. Thailand does things to people which cant really be explained. A lot happened and i haven't even touched the surface.
i will update my blog again at christmas.
is there anyone out there still reading this rubbish who was reading it when i was travalling ??? if so please say hello on my messagboard
Hello,
A Very brief update tonight. I know it''s been ages.
I will provide a full and comprehensive update on Sunday evening.
Dak and I are going to attempt to walk the West Highland Way in May. Full details on Sunday. We've booked the time off work and the accommodation.
Dak wants to give something back to needy people in her adopted homeland of Scotland.
She is raising money for bigheartedscotland.org and has a webpage set up at justgiving.com/dak for the purpose of donations.
As I say, full roundup of the past few months events and full details of how you can follow Dak ''daily'' with her diary, photo's and videos from the West Highland Way in a few weeks time will be posted here on Sunday.
Dowza
Hi,
Today we went and had a lovely climb up Ben A'an in the Trossach's ; a first training session for the West Highland Way I will provide photo's after this blog entry.
Anyway, update on past few months. I am still working at Invec Solutions in Gourock which was acquired by multi-national company Celestica in January. For a while I was working as a repair technician but now I am working as a Logistics Controller which is more what I was used to in IBM.
I had been working part time as a take-away food delivery driver but all the hours were getting to me and I have given it up to reclaim my weekends.
Dak is also working a lot of hours in her cleaning job in T Mobile and more so as a waitress in a cafe in the town; she particularly likes the waitress job. She is going to send away for her provisional driving licence this week.
After the West Highland Way we are planning to go a holiday which will combine Paris & Amsterdam as we feel it's about time Dak gets to appreciate what else is out there other than Scotland and Thailand.
Ultimately we want a new family home and to start a family but we think that's at least 18 months away; we don't want to delay it too long as I want to live long enough to see my grandson playing for Morton.
We joined the gym back in November and have been going at least once a week, usually more. i'm going to start cycling to work.
Next stop for hillwalking will likely be Goat Fell ( Arran ) or Ben Lomond. Dak huffed and puffed a bit today but I think she will be okay for the West Highland way as she seemed to enjoy herself and now her boots will be broke in a bit.
blah blah blah, so much to say, dont know where to begin.....if you have any questions please put them on my message board.
ps. Please sponsor dak at www.justgiving.com/dak
Hi,
Sorry I forgot to come back and update my diary entry. We went to Portobello on Easter Sunday as there was a big Songkran ( Thai New Year ) celebration there, there were 100's of Thai folk there. It was a good day out.
Hello,
We've done another practice walk for the West Highland Way. We climbed up Ben Lomond; I've been up there a few times but thought it would be important for Dak to get some practice going up a real mountain....I was very proud of her that she made it. It was tough for us both as you will see from the photo's.
I've been cycling to work and we've still been going to the gym but not this week as we got a bad dose of food poisoning.
I've just renewed my getjealous account and will be linking it to my facebook account. I will update you more about that shortly.
Hello,
Just to let you know that tomorrow is the day that we start the West Highland Way; the forecast is for heay rain :o(
There are some areas on the way that we will have no mobile phone reception and internet access is virtually nil. For this reason I will provide a day by day diary of events as soon as we get home.
In the meantime, feel free to catch up with us on Facebook, or if you would like to sponsor dak for bigheartedscotland.org please visit her siste at www.justgiving.com/dak.
Hello,
Well that's me now done the West Highland Way 3 times. I've no intention of doing it again for at least several years; maybe I will do it with my children if we have any. I really enjoyed it but it was mostly for Dak's benefit I wanted to do it this time. Dak seemed to really enjoy herself. I'd like to do other long distance walks in the future but I definately feel that now I have the West Highland T Shirt and it's time to broaden my horizons if I am to do long distance walks in future.
We arrived slightly late to Milngavie last Thursday morning and eventually got on our way (no pun intended) after the obligatory photo-call at the start.
I'm not going to go into huge depth with this diary account from memory as I think the photo's will tell more of the story.
The first day was a fine introduction. I'd come down with a bad cold the day before so that put a bit of a downer on things for me; the walking was fairly straightforward in pleasant spring weather and we mostly were by ourselves without getting involved in much of the famous camaraderie yet with fellow way-walkers. We stopped for lunch at the Beach Tree Inn where I was ''robbed'' of £5.95 for 4 sugar lump sized peices of chicken pakora.
We had set off on the first morning about 9.45 and got to Drymen about 3.30pm when the rain started; can't complain as it had been dry all day; had a pint in the Clachan Bar and then went to our B&B at Rose Cottage; the B&B was okay, quite an elderly couple ran it; had no TV in the room though which a bit of a dissapointment for Dak. The Clachan had a waiting time of over an hour for a meal so we went to the Winnock instead; the food was passable. After a few pints we headed for an early night.
On the Friday morning, our 2nd morning, we had a nice chat with a couple of old guys from Manachester and it transpired they would be staying in the same places as us and were on the same itinery so we'd see them for the duration of the walk; this was not too surprising for me given the limited selection of accommodation en-route.
We set off from Drymen and it wasn't long before we were heading through a large forest; it had been raining shortly before our breakfast and it made for some great sights as the rain-water turned to steam with the heat. Leaving the forest behind we made the arduous climb over Conic Hill and were rewarded by splendid sunny views of Loch Lomond from the top. We never bothered stopping at Balmaha for lunch as we'd brought provisions fromt the Spar in Drymen.
Oh I should have mentioned that Dak had been talking in Thai to her fr4iend the night before and I didnt understand a word of what she had been saying apart from two words I recognized in amongst the mumbo jumbo ''William Hill''. I was puzzled as to why Dak was mentioning the bookies to her mate but it all became apparent when she came off the phone....''whats the name of that place we finish this walk at Ian''? she asked.....so it wasn't William Hill she meant it was Fort William hahaha, it became a joke for us for the whole trip and sure enough when we got to Fort William we did get Dak's photo took outside William Hill.
Anyway, back on with the walk; it's only 7 miles from Balmaha to Rowardenna but it seemed to go on for ages and ages; we eventually limped into rowardennan at 4pm ish and checked into the youth hostel; Dak went for a snooze and I had a meal and few pints in the Clansman before Dak joined me.
The Saturday was the most difficult day but from my previous experiances of this section I had mentally prepared both Dak and myself for the 3 steps forwards 2 back polava of ups and downs and scrambling over boulders and up ladders by the side of Loch Lomond. We had a brief stop at Inversnaid hotel before getting on with the long afternoon to Inverarnan where we had a fantastic fully equipped chalet; we had our dinner on the premises at Beinglass Farm and just stayed in the chalet and watched Britains Got Talent on TV; yikes.
So onto the Sunday and we were to go from Inverarnan to Tyndrum, not the longest of walks by any stretch of the imagination but an enjo0yable one with some great scenery, particularly the views of Ben More at Crianlarich. I've been up there and most of the notable mountains on the route of the West Highland Way.
We got to Tyndrum nice and early; Dak had steak in Paddy's bar which she commented wasn't the best; so I got a fish supper from the chippy and we shared that; we played a few games of cards (Dak won 11-9) in the By The Way Hostel before retiring.
From Tyndrum on Monday we walked to Inveroran; scenery again was good; we saw the Glasgow to fortwilliam train pass us on several occasions in both directions and the peaks above Bridge of Orchy were impressive. We never stopped at Bridge of Orchy for lunch but we came back there in the evening as Maurice, the guy we were staying with in his cottage at Inveroran (3 miles over the hill from Bridge of Orchy) recommended there instead of the Inveroran hotel; he took us to Bridge of Orchy in his car and arranged for a driver to take us back;
Tuesday we walked from Inveroran to Kingshouse; still no rain and a pleasant walk across the tranquility of Rannoch Moor with more awe inspiring views. We got to Kingshouse really early, shortly after 1pm; had a meal then checked in; after a snooze we went out to take photographs of some of the deer which were grazing by the hotel when all of sudden we heard a huge whirring noise.
Incredibly a Royal Navy Rescue helicpoter came into land right next to the hotel and the amazed onlookers eventually inched close to it after the pilot got out and the rotor blades had stopped. It was as it were an alien space-ship and the small gathering of hotel guests waited to greet the aliens. The captain got out and in a very matter of fact way started telling everyone who he was, who the rest of the crew were and what they were doing there today. They were ''training''. It seemed conveniant to everyone that their training included landing at the Kingshouse hotel for a pint ! Was great entertainment; when they took off again an hour or so later they swooped back towards us and flashed their headlights at us; fantastic; one of the highlights of our whole walke.
Kinghouse to Kinglochleven on the penultimate walking day was again fairly straightforward, excluding the devils staircase of course, but , by now that didnt seem too much of a strain anyway. We got to Kinlochleven and had a good night there iwht a pub crawl and me beating Dak at Darts in the Antler Bar.
By this stage the camaraderie we were having with other walkers was in full swing and it seemed every person we met wither on the Way itself or at one the detsinations was known to us. We walked past a pub in Kinlochleven and someone waved out the window at Dak; I couldnt see who it was and Dak didnt know who it was either......she said something very funny...''I think I am just quite famous''; the fame was obviously going to her head hahaha.
So, incredibly we had reached our last walking day; it was to be a long one from Kinlochleven to Fort William (or William Hill as Dak thought), 15 miles with no stop for lunch; my feet were killing me and we stopped and Dak gave me a Thai foot massage; we should really ought to have seriously had that as a wee side earner on the walk; Dak would have made a fortune from the weary walkers.
Fort William eventually...eventually...eventually came into sight and we had the essential photos taken at the end point...the old end point that is as the new one isnt there yet. Dak had a great Thai Curry in Fort William and we said our farewells to all the comrades we had met along the way, Germans, Dutch, French, English, Scottish, Australian's; the lot; I always find it sad to leave everyone and come home; but here I am now.
I will endeavour to upload photo's tonight and will no doubt come back within the next few days to cover things I missed; it's hard to cram such a lot of experiances into one diary entry.
I am so proud of Dak and her achievement of walking the 96 miles of the West Highland Way; it was much easier for her than me; I think she really enjoyed herself (sometimes)
By for now and enjoy the photos. If you have any questions or observations please can you ask via my messagboard on this here blog.
We spent a lot of money on this walk, more than we expected or had hoped. We opted for quality accommodation where possible and always had a private room even when we stayed in hostels. We ate out a lot and I consumed more alcohol than perhaps I should have done; we enjoyed it all though and have no regrets; the memories are forever.
Right, I'm away in a bath.
Ian
Hello,
Well it's incredible to comprehend that Dak and I have been married for precisely two years; how time flies.
We haven't done anything special for our anniversary as we've just returned from our holiday adventure on the West Highland Way; incidentally, if you were one of the early readers to the diary entry previous to this then you will notice I have now fixed all the photo's into date order; they now tell the story more accurately.
I always feel a bit depressed after a holiday and having to go back to work, I suppose everyone does, I've learned the cure for that is to always have something to look forward to in the not too distant future.
For now, we are both concentrating on staying fit; for me inparticular I want to continue to lose some weight; I'll be restricting alcohol to special occasions during this time which will also help with paying some debt we've accrued.
Tomorrow Dak takes her first driving lesson. We feel it's hugely important with her integration, independance and education that she takes this bold move onto the roads. She has a long day tomorrow with working in her cleaning job at T Mobile from 6am - 9am then college from 9.30 until noon then Leos from 12:30 until 5.30pm and then her driving lesson at 7pm; she has already gone to bed; understandably.
Since we returned from the West Highland Way on Friday I've been out cycling yesterday(Saturday) and today (Sunday) , the weather has been fantastic.
Yesterday we submitted Dak's postal application for Indefinate Leave to Remain in the UK to the Home Office, so hopefully all will go well with that; I'm sure it will as we have all the required documentation but it's still a huge £860 we have to fork out for it; thanks Labour, .Dak hasn't had to sit the Citizenship test as her ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) qualifications give her an exemption.
Anyway, we're now conjuring up our next adventure, I'll try and keep this blog updated with photo's and videos more often especially as I've almost a year to run on my current subscription.
Any questions please let me know on my messageboard as usual. Hope all is well with everyone.
Good Morning,
The journey is almost over. Dak has now been granted Indefinate Leave to Remain in the UK. she can now live here forever and is no longer subject to Immigration Control.
All that remains now is next spring we apply for citizenship when Dak will have been in the country for 3 years; after citizenship she can apply for a British passport and it's all over.
In other news. My sister Cheryl, my brother-in-law Craig and my niece Rhiannon have announced they are emmigrating to Auckland in New Zealand. I am delighted for them but sad about it too. Craig has a job with the new Zealand government.
New Zealand is the most beautiful country I've ever been. when I was travelling there on my wold trip I often thought I could easily have settled there; in fact I would have pursued the matter had I not met Dak in Thailand. Once Dak has her citizenship next year maybe we will look into it further, perhaps it will be helpful that we have family there, perhaps not.
Rhiannon, my niece, Cheryl and Craig's daughter fell off the chute at my Mums house during the week and broke her wrist. Poor Rhiannon, I hope she makes a speedy recovery.
Back to the topic of ILR. Here is a time line of where we have come from
July 9th 2007 - Dak and I meet on Koh Samui Thailand during my world trip.
November 23 2007 - I leave Dak at Bangkok airport and come home promising her we will be re-united soon.
February 2008 - Dak is granted a Fiance visa at the British Embassy in Bangkok to come to the UK to be married.
March 3rd 2008 Dak arrives in Scotland
May 23rd 2008 . We are married
June 18th 2008 Dak is granted Further Leave to Remain in UK for 2 years
May 18th 2010 we lodge application for Indefinate Leave to Remain
June 18th 2008 - ILR visa is granted.
That's a fiance visa, FLR visa, ILR visa we have had in this journey. The costs have been well over £2000. The ILR visa we have had to get just now cost £860. Currently to apply for citizenship next year it will cost £750ish. It's all worth it though and has got to be done.
Yesterday, when Dak finished work I rushed over and gave her the unopened package from the Home Office. We were pleased to be granted the visa but feel that this time it was more a matter of course; a procedure. When we were applying for a fiance visa in Bangkok for the first time it was a different story as then there was a real possibility the visa might not be granted. Thankfully it was and the rest is history.
Last night Dak went out with two loaves of bread to feed her friends the seagulls. She was throwing bread on the road to a swarm of gulls; tragically a car ran over one of the seagulls she was feeding and broke it's neck. Dak later told me it wasn't only bread but 3 Chelsea buns and a pancake. I felt so sorry for her, and for the dead seagull and it's family.
Dak is getting into the swing of her driving lessons. She is taking two per week so it wont be too long before she is sitting her driving test.
Dak has passed all of her exams at college and will be going back next year if we can afford it;. There is concern that the English for speakers of other languages courses which she has benefitted hugely from for free until now will be £5 per hour next term due to spending cuts. We hope not as we couldn't possibly afford that.
I'm enjoying my work more now than what I have done since I came back from travelling. I am working as a Logistics Co-ordinator for a company in Gourock which has about 100 employees, it's a nice place to work with fantastic views but like everywhere at the moment the company is trying hard to get more contracts.
Dak continues to work part time as a cleaner in T Mobile and as a waitress in a cafe in the town. I am so proud of how independant she is. Her English is almost flawless and everyone comments on her Greenock accent.
Anyway, I was just updating you on the latest situation and I will get back to you again very soon.
If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them on my messageboard or if you want to contact me privately please do at dow5a@hotmail.com
Ps come and join us on facebook :o) on there we have ourt own seperate profiles. I am Ian Dow and Dak uses her maiden name of Pattida Malila.
Dak's sister Orasa was up from Hartlepool at the weekend. I think she enjoyed herself; we had a wee party for her here in the flat on Friday and went up to Glasgow on Saturday; it was also Dak's friend anne;s daughter Poi's 18th birthday on Saturday which was the main reason to go to Glasgow.Anyway, it's just a brief update this with some photos.Next weekend we are flying down to London with Ryanair where we are going to see the sights; I've done so before years ago but it's more for Dak's educational purposes and experiance. We'll be staying in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex for a couple of nights where we will spend some time with Phil the legend McFox. Phil will meet us at the airport and take us around London on the Friday before we head to Clacton on the Friday night.I've put put on a reduced working week in work, it's basically a 4.5 working day week; I love the hours but we could do with the £. Fortunately Dak has a lot of hours at the moment, much more than me.I will come back and update with more photo's after the London trip.
Hello,
We went to London at the weekend. Left the house at 3.30am for the 1st Ryanair flight from Prestwick. We met Phil Fox at Liverpool Street station in central London and headed on the tube to Westminster where we went on the London Eye, the the London Aquarium and into the Houses of Parliament.
We had lunch in a pub across the Street from Downing street called the Red Lion; Downing Street is very dissapointing these days as you can see nothing from behind barriers; a wee boy asked a policeman where number 10 was and the policeman told him ''next to number 11.
After Lunch we to Buckingham Palace then Trafalgar Square and fought our way throught the masses of shoppers on Oxford Street. We then got on the Tube again and went to Camden Town whee we had good fund strolling around the market stalls; lots of food bars from all over the world, including many Thai. We got a Thai takeaway and sat and ate in in great surroundings next to the canal; could have sworn we were in Amsterdam. would really recommend Camden, was one of the highlights of London.
After Camden we got back on the tube and went to Soho. Dak found a good Thai restraunt there and she suggested we let her go there and Phil and I go for a drink; no complaints from us. After an hour so we rejoined Dak and Dak really wanted to go to a gay pub so we found one called ''The Village''; I think we were the only non-gay people in it.
Time was getting on and so we said goodbye to London and got on a train to go and stay in Phil's town Clacton-on-Sea. We were really tired when we got there and went straight to bed when we arrived at the hotel, The days Inn. We were quite impressed with our hotel room, it was good value.
On Saturday morning Dak and I went a stroll along the prom and into the town; we were really pleased with Clacton, it was a glorious sunny day and it seemed like a lovely English seaside town.
We had lunch in a pub called the Moon and Starfish and then Phil and Sue came to meet us again, we had met Sue briefly the previous evening as she picked us up from the train.
Sue took us a lovely drive in the countyside where we stopped at a couple of pubs, one of them was really nice in the middle of nowhere and we had dinner there; courtesy of Phil, thanks Phil.
We ultimately headed back to Clacton and after a pitstop at Sue and Phil's house we went back down to the pier to see a firework display; we mte soem of Sue's family there.
Time was getting on and everyone was tired; we said our goodnight to Phil and sue after a nightcap at our hotel and then Dak and I went out to a nightclub for an hour and hlaf or so then to bed.
It was really good to see Phil, Phil is a legend up here as he travels up from there to see Morton, unfortunately he's not managed to get up as much recently btu we hope to see him up this season; Sue is lovely aswell and I Dak will no doubt be keeping in touch with her.
We achieved a lot over the course of the weekend and we both really enjoyed it; don't know what our next adventure will be but will update this diary with anything relevant; or irrelevant as the case may be.
Hope all is well. Any questions please leave a message on my messageboard or drop me an email at dow5a@hotmail.com or visit Dak ( Pattida Malila ) on facebook or me there too.
That's all folks, hope you enjoy the photo's
Apologies for not having updated this.
After much study Dak passed her theory driving test a couple of weeks ago and hopes to apply for the practical test very soon. I am very proud of her. She is more or less fluent in English now and everyone comments on her Greenock accent.
We are going to Paris for a few days before Christmas including Disneyland so will be sure to come on here before Christmas and upload photo's and story of our trip.
We are organising a birthday party for Daks 21s which is on 6th January.
In March 2011 Dak will have been here for 3 years and will then be able to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen and then a British passport and the journey is complete.
Hello,
Well, we got back from Paris last night. We seemed to be looking forward to this wee break for ages. We had a great time. Here is a summary of what we got up to.
This was Dak's first time outside the Thailand or the UK and she had a lot of new experiances.
When we arrived on Thursday evening we were quite tired so just had a walk around, something to eat and had an early night. We quite liked our ETAP hotel, It was ineexpensive with no frills but clean and the bed was comfortable.
Friday morning we took the subway then train to Disneyland. to be honest we found Disneyland a bit of a let down. It was cold and we never really had a decent plan for getting around, we waited ages to go on one of the rides ''big thunder mountain'' only for it to develop a ''technical problem'' whilst we were inside waiting and we had to abandon it :o(. The parade at the end was quite good I suppose, perhaps we are being a bit unfair but I think the whole experiance is designed with kids in mind.
After the parade at Disney we hjumped back on the train and we got off the metro at Place de Concorde where there was a huge ferris wheel and a Christmas market extending right up the Champs Elysee. We enjoyed the market with the stalls and mulled wine, it was cold but they had wee heated marquee things where we could sit eat and drink.
Saturday we went back to complete our walk up the Champs Elysee to L'arc d'Triomphe and then we took a quick ride on the Metro to Le Tour Eiffel. It took pure ages in the queue, at least 2 hours and our feet were killing us. I think Dak was in awe with the view.
Saturday evening we went and met Dak's Thai friend Be Be and her French boyfriend andenjoyed some drinks and music in their flat. I was pleased with the Morton scarf which Be Be had knit for me.
Sunday morning we went to Hotel de Ville, I was hoping to see a giant outdoor ic-skating rink there but unfortunatley they were just getting it ready whilst we were there, we were probably a couple of days early. After this we went to Notre Dam; really nice inside, first time I'd been there.
We met up with BeBe again on Sunday at lunchtime and spent the afternoon in the Latin Qtr / St Germain des pres area which was good for Dak and BeBe to do some shopping and we had a nice meal. We then went up to Sacre Coeur, Dak loved the view and atmosphere up there. After that we went back to the Latin Qtr and had a few drinks and a meal in a Greek restraunt.
Monday we had a relatively quiet day just exploring. We went to Boulevard Haussman where the very expensive Gallieries Layfette department store is. Unbelievable the prices in there. We had a wee relaxing drink beside the lake where our hotel was. Lovely lake, we also had a couple of hours first thing that morning walking around there.
Tuesday we decided to go back up to Sacre Coeur to show Dak the daytime view and atmosphere; we got our potrait done in charcoal at the Place de Tetre then it was time to make our way back to ''our'' Metro and get our bags and head back to the bus to Beauvais.
We both had a great wee break. Hope everyone has a nice Christmas and we will update this before the New Year.
PS We have booked Dak's 21st birthday party for 8th January 2011 in the Grosvenor bowling club across the street; please let us know if you can come.
Will update photos to this page later tonight / tomorrow
Hello,
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and new Year. New Year was a write off for us with flu but we knew that the big one for us was Dak's 21st birthday pary across the street in the Grosvenor Bowling Club.
We were very worried about the weather on the night of the party, some of Dak's friends called to cancel just before it started which put her on a downer but then they ended up turning up, they were just fibbing.
Dak had a fantastic night. So did I.
On the negative side it looks like my car needs a new engine. It's a bit of a blow considering I've just spent £500 on it.
In 2010 we didnt go out as much.We had great holidays walking the West Highland Way, London & Clacton, and Paris. We hope to do a lot in 2011 aswell bfore Dak goes back home to see her Mum & Dad for a holiday in 2012.
I gaurantee i'm going to get fit and lose weight this year. Watch this space. Have cancelled the gym membership but definately going to cycle to work and do a lot more hillwalking.
Finally, did you notice on my messageboard that STV have been in touch wanting to speak to me with a view to appearing on The Hour show with Micelle McManus lol, hope it happens.
Any questions email me or post a message on my messageboard.
Ian
Hello,
Just thought I'd quickly update this to let you know that yesterday morning Dak passed her practical driving test. We are delighted at this as she worked really hard learning, she passed at the first time of asking with only 3 minor faults. The roads are white with snow today so we are lucky the test was yesterday.
Yesterday we also sent away Dak's application for Naturalisation; British Citizenship. She is entitled to do this now as she is married to me and has lived here for 3 years; its hard to believe that 3rd March 2008 was 3 years ago; I remember it like yesterday giving Dak a bottle of Irn Bru upon arrival at Glasgow Airport.
At the start of April we are going away for a long weekend. We had saved up hotel tokens from the News of the World and have planned a nice circular driving route over 4 nights as follows
We are so glad Dak passed her test as now she'll be able to get a lot of driving experiance during this trip and will see more of the beautiful country which we live. She loved walking the West Highland Way last year and the idea is this time she'll enjoy even more without the legwork !
Dak now works fulltime in Cafe Leo in the town, she loves working there and her workmates, bosses and customers.
I am still working as a Logistics Co-ordinator in Celestica in Gourock.
I've just received my taxi driver's licence and have been offered a shift to drive Saturday day shift. This extra part time job should help reduce our debts. I'm looking forward to driving a taxi and meeting customers.
We don't think we will be going away for a summer holiday as the citizenship application of £800 and having to pay £1000 to the car at Christmas have hampered our efforts to save up.
We're looking forward too to the Tall Ships event in greenock in the summer.
I've applied to run in the Great Scottish run (Glasgow half marathon) in September. i've done this twice before but I weighed12st then when I last done it 11 years ago. I've therefore given myself a target to aim for to get slimmer and fitter for. I am currently 14st and unfit but the good news is I've lost some weight since Christmas and I'm focussed.
The plan now is that we eliminate debt slowly but surely over the course of the year and early in 2012 Dak will go home to Thailand for a few weeks to visit her Mum & Dad and rest of family; looking further ahead we'd like to put the flat on the market and get a mortgage for a new family home; but that's a while away yet.
My annual membership with getjealous is up for renewal again soon. I think I will renew it; most people use getjealous simply as a travel blog but its helping me diarise important milestones life.
If you haven't done so already, please feel free to add me, Ian Dow and also Dak who is Pattida Dow on Facebook.
Also remember to feel free to leave any messages here on my messageboard.
We'll update this site again with photo's and story from our mini-break to Oban,Arisaig,Skye & Glencoe. In the meantime, take care.
Hello,
We were really looking forward to our wee tour of the West Highlands. We had as good a time a time as we can remember. It was a fantastic wee break.
We set off on Thursday 7th April about 9am and took the ferry to Dunoon, Dak drove from the outset but I took over after Inveraray; We drove down the West side of Loch Fyne briefly stopping at Loch Gilphead; the drive to Oban from Loch Gilphead was long and winding and we arrived in Oban pretty shattered, The hotel was quite nice, the Caledonian Hotel.. We took a walk up to McCaiggs tower and took some photo's; we got a Chionese takeaway and an early night after a couple of drinks
Friday monring in Oban we went for breakfast in Subway; we were sad to learn from the assistant in there that a man had died in a fire above the pub we were in the previous night; he was only 32; very sad. We heard the fire brigade that night when we were in bed but thought nothing of it.
Anyway, We set off from Oban and drove to Fort William where we stopped for a rest. Dak then drove the road to the isles giving me the chance to soak up the views with a couple of cans of cider. The sky overcast; we stopped at Glennfinnan to visit the monumnet there where we took some more photos. We had something to eat in Mallaig before finding our B&B in Morar; it was a really nice B&B.
We ended up going back to Arisaig for something to eat in the evening and then another tire early night; oh I forgot to tell you we had a laugh on the beach where the movie ''Local Hero'' was filmed; I even went for a quick swim
On Saturday morning we took the ferry to Skye and after arriving in Portree we kept driving in glorious sunshine right up ring road on the north east of the island; it was a long drive but a very interesting one. We checked in at the hotel then had the cheek to put a couple of horses on in the grand national.
We had intended on Saturday night listening to live music in the hotel but we were shattered and went to bed really sober and early. We didnt hear music anyway so I guess we never missed anything.
On Sunday morning we drove from Portree, over the Skye Bridge, stopping at Eileen Doan castle at Kyle of Lochalsh and also at the Royal Marines monument near Spean bridge before checking in at the lovely isles of Glencoe Hotel; on the Sunday evening Dak drove us back to Fort William for a Chinese meal. We had another early but very satisfied night.
Our last day we drove East to Pitlochry, we took a lovely photo of Dak at Laggan Dam on the way. It was another lovely hotel with spa, steam, room, pool and sauna which we made the most off. We met a lovely couple from Irvine when we were out;
Dak had a new kilt on which we bought that day; I think she is feeling patriotic and looking forward to hearing good news about her citizenship application. We were reaally drunk that night, after the pub closed the caretaker of the hotel said we could stay up all night and he's get us drinks...if we kept the noise down...which he had to re-iterate every time he passed
All in all it was a great trip, we covered nearly 700 miles in the 6 days; it was a well planned circular tour, the weather was great. Its our dream that maybe one day we can take Dak's Mum and Dad and our kids on a similar trip; who knows.
Anyway, we are still waiting on news about Dak's citizenship (naturalisation) application. Dak's now been driving for a month. The car is going back in to get fixed as 5th gear popped out when I was driving it home.
We'll keep you updated here with any important developments so please come back and check regular for updates; you can also catch up with bopth of us on facebook.
Hello,
It's been around 7 weeks since I last updated this. I've been holding on until after Dak's British citizenship ceremony which was on Thursday 26th May.
It's been a long journey since Dak and I first met on or around 9th July 2007 until her citizenship ceremony a couple of days ago. First we had Fiance visa, then further leave to remain, then indefinate leave to remain and finally British Citizenship.
After you have read this update we would like to invite you to watch the 7 minute video at the bottom of this page of Dak's ceremony. I think I made a reasonably good job of it and the sound quality is excellent.
The citizenship ceremony was really enjoyable as you will see from the photos and video. Personally we would have preferred if Dak could simply have had a Scottish Citizenship Ceremony, but we are where we are; maybe one day.
Now that Dak is British she will be able to apply for a British passport. We can, if we decide to, re-locate somewhere abroad and return to the UK anytime in the future without having to apply for all the expensive visas all over again.
2011 has, so far been eventful with Dak's 21st then Dak passing her driving test, our break in the Highlands and now Dak's citizenship ceremony. We had our 3rd wedding anniversary last week too.
It seems like a long time ago now since I left to go travelling on November 24th 2006. Life has been great, full of ups and downs. We feel we are getting there now though due to our hard work and determination, things are coming together; our vision is becoming a reality etc etc.
I'd like us to go a wee holiday in summer, maybe to Majorca or something, just for a week, but, I don't think we can afford it.
The plan now is for Dak to go home to Thailand to spend time with her Mum & Dad ad family for a month; we expect this to be in March 2012. After that we'll re-assess our position but not too long after her return we'll want to consider starting a family; I don't want to leave it until I'm much older.
We've had major car problems and other issues this year which have prolonged our attempts to be completely debt free. We want to clear our debts and get the flat on the market. Hopefully we can be in a position to sell by spring 2012; once the flat is sold we'll look at the situation and see if it's in our best interest to buy a new family home in Greenock, or, if it's time to move on.
For a few weeks I had got myself quite fit but the weather has been poor recently and it's threw a spanner in the works. I'm not sure now if I have time to get fit for the Great Scottish Run which I've applied for; will still try.
feel free to catch up with Dak and I on facebook, or, leave us a message on our board here, or drop us an email.
I will come back and update this again next month at the latest.
We hope you enjoy the photo's and videos.