The Watery City

It has to be one of the most romantic ways to enter a city - across the lagoon by boat - the approach by water to Venice is the only one worth considering. Famed for centuries for its narrow canals and alleyways, gondolas and vaporetti, this city is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Where East meets West

When my friend Sara told me she was moving to Lebanon for a boy, my first thought was not 'Wow I'm so happy for her,' nor 'I wonder how she will cope with the change,' but 'When can I visit?!' Fast forward a few months and I found myself en route to a country not often associated with the idea of a relaxing holiday.

A night to remember

What an adventurous few days. That's what I came to Morocco in search of so can't complain! After spending the first few days of the tour visiting the beautiful imperial cities of the north, including Fes where we saw the famous tanneries and huge medina, we crossed the Atlas mountains to the epic Sahara desert. Temperatures were topping 50degs, and shade was hard to come by.

Ramadan in Morocco

Visiting a country - where 99% of the population is Muslim - during the holy month of Ramadan was always going to be interesting... I don't think I was prepared for the fact that not only does everyone over the age of 18 fast during daylight hours - this includes not allowing a sip of water past the lips - but the country effectively shuts down and only comes alive after 8.30pm, when everyone has broken fast.

Time for another adventure

Its been way too long since I've been able to write on here. Aside from a flying visit to the Netherlands in December, I've been stationary for almost a year - and boy do I feel it! My feet are itching to get moving again so I 've packed my bags and am off to explore the exotic country of Morocco in 2 days time.

As a child I once went on holiday to Gibraltar with some family friends. My overriding memory of

There and back again

As I write this post, I am surrounded by beautiful green fields stretching as far as the eye can see. But these aren't the rice paddies of Cambodia to which I have been accustomed to of late, but the corn fields of Essex.

Although my trip was originally planned for 4 months, which would have seen me returning in mid-August, life - as I should know by now - doesn't always turn out the way you plan...

Beautiful Cambodia

As soon as I crossed the border from Vietnam to Cambodia, my mood lifted as if by magic. The landscape suddenly became lush and green, the roads  clearer and the people 'smilier.'

Still traveling with Louise and Floor, our first stop was Sinhoukville; a standard stop on the backpacker circuit. We were planning on heading down the coast to Otres beach but the rain was torrential, so we decided to hole up in Serendipity beach where there was more going on - i.e. other people to talk to and lots of bars in which to while away the wet days...

Vietnam continued...

I had a really good time in Nha Trang - I was with Isaac and a couple of other friends; Floor (female) from Holland, and Zu (also female) from S. Africa. We went to some mud baths which was a lot of fun, and also a huge water park - where of course I was too chicken to go on many rides. The one slide I was brave enough for, I burnt my bum and gave myself a wedgie on the way down, so wasn't keen on a repeat performance!

A story with no pictures...

Apologies yet again. I have been terrible at keeping you updated regarding my trip. But you'll be pleased to hear that it's because i'm having such a fantastic time, not for any other reason. However, my camera SD card has a virus so I can't currently upload any pictures, so will attempt to relay enough imagery with my words to make you imagine you are right here with me...

The Land of a Million Elephants

Apologies for the radio silence - since I last wrote I have been very busy in the beautiful city of Luang Prabang in Laos (if anyone reading this has been there you will understand my reluctance to spend my time in internet cafes.), or else travelling through some very non-touristy areas where internet has been very hard to come by - i.e. non-existant. But i'm getting ahead of myself...

A bit of culture

After leaving Koh Samui I caught a boat, 2 buses and then another boat to get to Koh Phi Phi on the west coast of Thailand. On the way I text my friend Trang to see where she was - she was in seedy Phuket and within a matter of minutes had booked a ferry ticket...

The Islands

Before I came to Thailand, I was being a bit of a travel snob and had said I wasn't going to bother with the islands, as they were bound to be full of gap year students getting drunk. Well, there is some truth in that...

Songkran

Wow - it's going to be very difficult to try and put into words how incredible Songkran is... I arrived safely after a good flight, on Tuesday evening into Bangkok feeling a little disorientated but ready to explore, I headed into Chinatown...

Preconceptions

Finally it's here! A cyclone of nervous excitement is whirling in my stomach. I'm impatient, scared, unprepared but, conversely, totally ready for my adventure. However hard I try not to imagine what to expect, it's impossible not to have a picture in my mind. I can't wait to have my preconceptions blown out of the water...

The final countdown

In one week today the dreaming will be over and I will be en route to Bangkok. Having spent the morning (and much of the last few weeks) surfing the internet and reading endless blogs, articles and travel advice about S-E Asia, it is starting to dawn on me how illprepared I am. This trip...

The last leg, the home strait, the final frontier. However I put it, the end of my journey.

I'm now back home and although it seems a lifetime ago, it was really only a couple of weeks since I was in Canada with my Aunt Sue. We had a lovely week together; gardening, baking, chatting and hiking (something that she can't do alone due to the black bears and cougars in the forests). We covered...

la la land

LA was crazy, as I expected it would be. But it was also fantastic – something I didn’t expect at all. I stayed in Santa Monica, one of the 80-odd cities that make up LA County (I meant that to read approx. 80 cities, but it would not be wrong to read it as 80 ‘odd’ cities)! My hostel...

New Zealand. Why not?

I am now in the real capital of NZ, Auckland (shh... don't let the wellingtonians hear you say that). It's been a busy couple of weeks hence the lack of blogging...so prepare yourselves for a mammmoth entry.

After leaving Wellington I drove north up to Tongariro, a stunning national park which is home to three volcanoes, including the iconic Mount Ngarahoe which was Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings...

New Zealand ... it's like Lord of the Rings

I am writing this from the capital of NZ, Wellington at the southern tip of the south island. To get here, I travelled down from Queenstown to the beautiful Milford Sound. It was one of the most remote places I've ever been (including parts of Africa!) but well worth the long lonely drive...

New Zealand - rocks!

Wow. Wow wow wow. I don't know where to start describing my first few days in New Zealand. What an incredibly beautiful country! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before coming here I had to say goodbye to my home for the last 3 months, Australia, and the incredible...