The end is near . . . . how can that be???

Hello there and greetings from two very upset travellers whose trip is drawing to a close far too rapidly! Unbelievable how even 18 months isn’t long enough!

Return date to UK is 12^th June and we look forward to seeing everyone when we return. A UK ’tour’ is planned, just as soon as we have done babysitting duties to help my sister through her exams and of course welcome us back to reality with a thud! :o)

As for adventures, much has happened since our last update. Well is has been a few months – oops!

3 weeks spent in Indonesia was a shock to the system after Australia and NZ and we were extremely glad to escape there. In fact so much so that as we arrived in Singapore, we saw a ship with London on the back and were very tempted to stowaway and finish the trip early! The main culprit – fearing we were going to turn into a rice dish!!! Indonesians have rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Something we couldn’t face and so even I resorted to Mcdonalds (Mark of course didn’t need much persuasion, although we both regretted it immediately!)

However to be fair on Indonesia we did have a great time in Bali where we hired a car and so could go wherever we please, did some fantastic snorkelling, explored pretty rice paddy field terraces, saw heaps of monkeys everywhere especially in the Temples (a shock after the fleeting glimpses in South America where they hunted them. Here they are a sacred animal so people feed them!) and as we were in Bali for Hindu New Year we saw loads of processions in traditional dress (pictured) and joined in with the ‘monster’ ceremony (where the locals had made huge scary monsters that they marched through town. Traditionally I think they burnt them as a way of getting rid of last years ‘bad omens’ but we were pleased to see that they were now taking them apart and reusing all the materials!). There was a fantastic atmosphere. Everyone got involved. After all the partying, next day was a shock though – we were under house arrest! It was called Nyepi Day which meant ‘quiet day’. Nobody was allowed to drive anywhere, cook, have lights on or even leave the house! The idea was for everyone to relax and have ‘family time’

Not being able to leave the house was a bit freaky though – after all a walk is relaxing and quiet? They even had police patrolling to enforce it! (and I got told off as I needed to get something out of the car!)

So that was all great. However then we went to Java – the most populated island of Indonesia and not very touristy. This was were the issues started – local transport that took forever and kept breaking down, driving along busy unscenic roads, limited choice of meals etc. Mount Bromo at sunrise was a highlight though (see photo). But then we both got ill which did little for moral either and we did feel you couldn’t trust a thing the Indonesians said. They would put you on their bus which would take 2 hrs when you could have got one that took 30 mins! It happened – believe us!!

However there was a rather amusing incident while we were ill. As we both felt pretty yuck M went down to reception to order a pizza and to collect our laundry. As all his clothes were in the wash he was just wearing a sarong and so when a few minutes later he fainted and was caught by the hotel receptionist, Mark still wonders whether the mouse came out of its house!! ;o)

Singapore was a life saver and energy booster and got morale well back on track. It was a bit of a bank account buster though so we were only there 4 days. If you ever go there the zoo and Night Safari is a definite highlight. The best we have ever been to as it is set in jungle and most of the animals seem as if they are in the wild.

Next stop was Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia – an immensely smelly city with the highest concentration of rats and cockroaches on the planet!! (from personal experience – I kept tripping over them and only had flip flops on! Teach me to go walking on bin day!!) Other than that it was pretty nice with cheap good food. So easily pleased?! If you saw what we had been eating you’d understand!

From here we flew to Sabah for 2 weeks (used to be called Borneo). Here we did some fun activities and the people were very friendly (a plus point that Indonesia didn’t generally have). We did several boat trips and a camp on the Kinabatangan River and saw loads of monkeys – the very strange Probiscis monkeys are pictured. Saw Orang Utans, birds, crocs, civit cats and met loads of friendly fellow travellers. Went to Sepolik Orang Utan sanctuary and saw many rescued young OrangUtans too. They were so amusing and got very close. One lady almost had heart attack as she didn’t realise one had sat on the bar right next to her!

Then went snorkelling and stayed on Mabul Island which was fantastic. And I even brought home a souvenir. Teeth marks of a particularly aggressive fish – no not a shark, although I probably deserved it after all the ribbing I gave Mark on his fear of them in Australia!! Sorry Mark! It was actually a Trigger fish (pictured) which apparently becomes very territorial during egg laying season – tell me about it!! I don’t know what it did to me but 2 months after the event I still have a hard lump in my leg! The snorkelling was great though and the corals amazing.

The saddest thing about Borneo really was that we were expecting a much more natural landscape as mainland Malaysia is now largely covered in Palm oil trees and Borneo used to be known as Wild Borneo. However certainly from the main road you struggled to see any primary forest and we were told that 70% of the forest in Sabah had been cut down in the last 30 years. No wonder the Orang Utans and Wild elephants are in such trouble? (Not to mention global warming – less trees to reduce the Carbon Dioxide?!)

On our return to mainland Malaysia, we visited Georgetown and then went to Coral Bay in the Perhentian Islands – certainly one of the highlights of the trip. They are so idyllic. We had a beach front hut set under palm trees to chill out, watch the sunset and do some snorkelling. Definitely to be recommended. See photo of our view from the hut at sunset.

Before we knew it we were into Thailand where we spent more time on pretty islands. Ko Tarutoa Island was still pretty natural and idyllic if you got away from the main jetty area. See photo. I was well chuffed to see 3 otters playing in the sea as we got off the boat.

M got to fulfil his dream of seeing James bond island in PhangNga. The island of Koh Toa was a little disappointing after Perhentians, being extremely built up, although we did splash out on a brand new sea view accommodation which was good.

We were astounded at the prices in Bangkok and the availability of Shark fin soup. Virtually every restaurant in Chinatown sold it. The royal palace was very impressive and we now know what we are aiming for in a home. see picture!

Northern Thailand was the nicest place in Thailand though and we ended up spending extra time there doing a cooking course, (unfortunately I chose that day to be ill and was most embarrassed to throw up in front of everyone in the market), an introductory meditation course – (you must ask Mark to give you a demo – he loved the walking meditation, I found it very funny!), visiting some old city ruins and seeing and riding elephants.

However it was when we got to Laos that we really got the travelling feeling again. It felt like we had gone back to Bolivia or Peru. Living is basic – wood huts, chickens and pigs wandering freely, locals working on the land. It felt like we had come home!

The scenery is far prettier too – lots of hills – the first we have really seen in Asia. The people are friendly and honest. No fighting over price needed here and it really is so cheap. An okay meal generally costs about 1 GBP. A fabulous 3 course meal in a gorgeous restaurant can be had for 3.50GBP.

The kids love talking to us and happily yell ‘Sabidee!!’ Mark looked like the pied piper the other day with 5 kids following him across the river – oh to have had a camera.

We were even lucky enough to be able to visit a village primary school where the kids were so happy to see us and they adored the camera (see picture below). Mark taught them to count to 20 in English. They were keen students! And the villagers treated us like royalty. They loved talking to us. It was a great experience.

On top of that we did a riverboat cruise with a lovely dutch couple we met and travelled with for a week. That was in a real non-tourist area and we saw many great sights (see photo). Hired a moped several times and did our own tours. Got out into the countryside. We both agree that Loas is our favourite country of the travels in South America

So here we are in Cambodia – which is much like Laos but with more rubbish and flatter. We have had a great time though – saw the Irrawaddy dolphins of which there are only about 80 left :o(

These poor creatures were badly effected by the Polpot regime, (as were the people, it is a horrific story for another time and only 30 years ago too). But the dolphins numbered 4000 prior to this and were killed by Polpot because the locals believed they were reincarnated relatives and Polpot wanted to break down the family bond.

Really liked Phenom Penh the capital city, where we saw an elephant walking through the centre! The drivers are crazy here and go on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic frequently. Luckily they generally ride slow!!

The last couple of days have been at Angkor seeing the fantastic temples and when I have sorted the photos will attach some. And now we are on the final countdown . . so until we see you soon – take care!

Bye bye Australia

G'day to you all, on this stormy, monsoonal, humid day!

Well its hard to believe it but we already find ourselves on our last day in Australia after enjoying a fantastic and lucky month here, with our 4WD campervan Polo. We have spent our time dodging cyclones, mosquitoes and managing to get across the Victoria river in the 5 days that it was possible to (water is now 2m above the bridge!!) - phew its been hectic time! Oh and we managed to cover a few kms and seen some fantastic sights - endless red sands, bright blue skies, fantastic sea creatures and loads of kangaroos. It has been a brilliant trip with a bit of all sorts. Snorkelling, walking, off road driving, bush camping, rock scrambing - it goes on . . .

It has been great being able to pull off the road wherever we please and have fallen asleep to the sound of the wild creatures or even flood waters approaching a couple of times! Great for me but I'm not so sure about Mark!! He has done well though coping with the thought of snakes, Sharks and crocs (and the last few days we have certainly seen a few snakes in the wet!)

He has loved the 4wd driving though. And the climbing/scrambling through caves and pools. It has certainly been an adventure! I think a similar trip will certainly be on the cards sometime in the future.

Oh and of course we had a fab tour of Perth courtesy of two Aussies I worked with in New Zealand. Thanks Bridget and Teresa! And also had a fab time in Sydney climbing the sydney harbour bridge in the rain. All seems so long ago now!!

Anyways next we fly to Indonesia later today. There is just no rest for the wicked ;o) So take care and we will catch up soon

On the road again!

Greetings All and Happy New Year to you! We hope you had a great one and look forward to hearing all about it!

Our time in New Zealand is drawing to a close rapidly and so we are again faced with the daunting prospect of squeezing all our stuff into a few bags again. It has been bliss having a car and houses. Back to proper backpacking :oO We fly to Sydney on the 1^st Feb and then onto Perth the 5^th , for a trip up the West Coast (extremely hot at this time of year – we have been warned!) Then we should be heading to Indonesia around the 1^st March - tba!

So on our thoughts of New Zealand we would say it is the land of magnificent mountain vistas and emotional sunsets! We didn't realise the sky could go so many different colours in such a short time. We have certainly seen some great scenery - huge sand dunes, forests, long sandy beaches and crazy wildlife. One of the native birds, the Tui, sounds like a computer with the all the strange noises he makes. He also dive bombs a bit like a fluttering leaf. We are amazed he doesn't crash!

It has certainly been a wildlife bonanza though – with lots of dolphins, sea-lions and penguins being sighted, and many birds (pictured above the Fiordland Crested Penguin). The only little critter that has failed us is the kiwi! Despite doing a 16 hour walk through the forests of Stewart Island, one of their last natural refuges. They are certainly shyer than the human kiwi! ;o)

The North Island is the land of beaches and volcanos so is quite different from the South Island (full of mountain ranges!) And the last few months it has certainly been warm.

The saddest thing about the country is that so many of the native wildlife (birds) are hanging on by a thread because they are not evolved to cope with predation. Most of them are flightless as until 400 years ago there were only birds on the island. Then us humans brought over rats, cats, stoats, deer, possums, other birds etc. as well as alien plants. Now many of the birds only survive on offshore protected islands and many of the birds have gone extinct in the last 100 years! (quite a few due to humans desire to collect feathers and stuffed birds!) Loss of their food sources due to deforestation is an issue too. The colourful parrot to the right is called a Kaka and is a right character. Unfortunately the only wild place we saw these parrots was Stewart Island, the smaller '3rd' island of New Zealand, south of the South Island! Certainly a shame . .

Anyways rewinding a few months the camping trip was great fun and we have in fact had 3 of them now. It started off extremely cold in the South Island back in November which was a 'challenge' but meant we did some fantastic snowy walks, the best being at Mt Cook where half the path up the mountain was so covered in snow that we had to use crampons. It was a tad scary in truthfulness, especially as we tended to sink thigh deep into the snow every now and then. However the views were magical and well worth the effort.

This last couple of months however have been the exact opposite however and have been very hot, so shade has been a saviour. As well as being able to swim in the sea. Christmas day was definitely different with the traditional kiwi christmas of shrimps on the bar-b and then a swim as proved below! It did decide to rain though (note the grey sky!), just to ensure we couldn't totally forget the UK!!

We have been really lucky to meet lots of lovely people whilst we've been over here whom we hope very much to stay in touch with. And of course a big thank you goes to Joe and Tash for letting us stay at their house for the last few weeks. Much appreciated you guys!

So until next time take care and have fun!

The adventure continues . . . !

Well after a few months of relaxed living in Christchurch, being reminded of the joys?!! of 9-5 work every day, we are about to embark on the next chapter of the journey, travelling around the South Island, armed with our car – Henry, a tent, some sleep mats and our cooking stuff. We have lots to fit in (both luggage-wise and things to do!!) – walks, a 3 day cycle ride and of course the popular sights like Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. Should be some great sights but the thought of camping for the next few weeks is a little uncomfy! Some may and have called it an adventure. We will see soon whether we agree! :o)

Therefore as the evenings are unlikely to be too action packed, we hope to be able to let you know what we have been up to in New Zealand so far, shortly. And hopefully from here on updates will be slightly more frequent once again (no promises though! ;o))
All the best. Take care

Thoughts on South America

What a fantastic continent to explore. Too much to see! Could easily spend a year and still not see everything. Vast array of different environments even within one country let alone the whole continent – many of which are extremely harsh – deserts, rugged mountain ranges, flat high altitudes (Bolivia which means you don’t even realise you’re high!) Rainforests, Cloud forests the list goes on and on. . . And the traditional culture still so apparent in Ecuador and Peru (less so in all the other countries especially as headed south) - the costumes, festivals, processions were so interesting to watch.

But it’s not just the physical attributes that are worth mentioning. There is a great deal more that South America opened our eyes too. Mainly about the way the western world lives and how many things we take for granted. In SA, possessions are not everything. In fact they mean little because people just don't have them! Ecuadorians and Peruvians live in little wooden or mud huts, furnished with their few bits of second hand old furniture, surrounded by their little mud yards, and a few roaming animals and little else, but they seem so happy and content. Especially the kids who are happy to play with whatever they can. Family, friends and the local community are most important to them.

Which posed the question to Mark and I - are we happier for all our extra possessions and our 'grander' way of life? Or have we just somehow lost sight of the most important things?

At times Ecuadorians, Peruvians and Bolivians did seem envious/hostile of tourists. Is it that tourists flaunt their wares irresponsibly or is it the advertising by multi-national companies creating desire to be like western people? (we saw only a few ads in these countries but tvs were becoming more popular . . . )

Low energy light bulbs and solar panels were everywhere. Arequipa, a town in Southern Peru even had solar hot water shops in the High Street (much to Mark’s delight!! He had to go in and enquire despite not understanding the info!) It certainly put the western world to shame on the environmental front(with the exception of Germany)

So come on guys we can do better! :o) Here is a really informative website to check out for starters: www.sustainableliving.co.nz (yep we know its from New Zealand but the info still applies!)

We observed many other interesting points

• Just how many habitats are being destroyed, the plants and wildlife with them. Often for the locals to make money to survive from them but all too often driven by the Western world’s desire for the most expensive woods, or our need for steaks – leading to rainforest being destroyed for beef production. Costa Rica lost 80% of its rainforest in about 10 years due to supplying America with steak. Obviously everyone needs to eat but the frustrating part is that much of that steak was probably wasted as portions are way too large and way too cheap. Same with Brazil (there were about four meals in one there!) So really half of that rainforest could have stayed standing. Brazil also over produces on their sugar cane and coffee too. So the forest is being lopped for them to make a few pennies on their produce as supply outstrips demand.

• All too often the destruction was actually by huge oil companies from other countries?! Again driven by human dependence on cars, air conditioning, heating etc. Again the Western world seemed to be the main culprits. We were told by a German girl studying Cultural studies in Argentina that somehow America got Peru to sign a free trade agreement which entitled America to help themselves to whatever they liked!?!!

In Bolivia a Canadian company wanted to extract mercury from beneath the Salar de Uyuni (pictured above) -the huge salt plain that Bolivia is renowned for (and the biggest in the world I believe). So far the government had refused but with the country being so poor will their minds be swayed eventually?

• In addition animals were being taken from the wild to fuel the Western world passions of having exotic pets. For example the Hyacinth Macaw from Brazil is becoming very rare because Americans like to keep them as pets. Now admittedly they are gorgeous looking birds but you have to wonder, do the owners actually know where they are coming from and if they did would it make a difference?

• The goodness of organic foods- Ecuador and Peru full of delicious fresh fruits, Vilcabamba a town in Southern Ecuador used to be known as the town of longitivity because people used to live to around 100 years old. However since the road has been built connecting the town to the ‘outside world’ and therefore chemical filled food brought in, the life span has dropped to around 80.

New Zealand here I come!

Hi!!

Well here I am back in Quito, pleased to be able to say that I loved the voluntary work, met loads of really nice people and also learnt lots about Ecuadorian politics (which I may have already forgotten! Ooops!!) I have lots of great piccies of the animals - capuchins, monkeys, ocelots, parrots, parakeets, coatis, kinkajous and also the locals (generally not animals!!) which I will try and add to the blog sometime but do not have the equipment required at the mo. It was a fantastic (and very mucky) experience which I am very glad I did. I even managed to improve my salsa skills on a weekend off as well as almost chop my finger off with a machete! I think Mark will be very impressed with all my war wounds and also my new found skills of constructing huts out of trees. Could certainly save a few pounds?!

Tonight I am catching an overnight flight to Chile and then tomorrow night a flight to New Zealand so the next couple of days are going to be somewhat tedious. It'll be so nice to arrive in New Zealand even if it is 4.40 in the morning, where Mark assures me he will be waiting.

Then he says he has lots of nice things planned which I am not allowed to know until I get there, although he has told me we are going to a rugby match on the 2nd June which will be interesting - The All Blacks against France. I take it they should be good then? - I hope so as it's my first ever rugby match. If this games bad that's it, I'll never be persuaded to go to another again?! ;o)

Talking of Mark as I note he has let the side down on the blogging (he says he had nothing to write!) He has been in Auckland the last 3 weeks, seeing the sights and working at the hostel a few hours some days for free accommodation. It sounds like he has been enjoying himself but is ready for a change now, so he says. On his birthday he went paintballing with some other hostellers and ended up rather bruised. He has also spent a few nights at some comedy clubs and meeting up with a friend Joe and his wife Tash. Hopefully I won't cramp his style too much when I get there?! :o)

Anyway I had better go and get my stuff sorted so I'm ready to go as soon as I've had dinner. It wouldn't be too great if I missed the flight!

So until next time have fun

Off to pastures new . . .

Hola All

Well here I am having just waved Mark off on his way to New Zealand, since after several weeks of most frustrating organising, I have finally arranged to head back up to Quito tomorrow (to where the adventure started all those months ago . . .) so that I can do three weeks voluntary work in the Ecuadorian Amazon at a Wildlife Rehabilitation centre. I hope it will be as good as I imagine as I think it has aged me by several years already! Being a charity AND Ecuadorian I shouldn't really be surprised at the constant delays and lack of efficiency . . but I still am! ;o)
The website of the organisation I am volunteering for is: www. Santamartharescue.org if you wish to know more.

Meanwhile Mark is looking forward to watching the rugby, frequenting Jazz clubs and enjoying some peace and quiet before I join him on the 31st May. . . . :o)

This last week in South America has been pretty hectic too. We went to a couple of towns in the wine region of Argentina – Mendoza and San Juan. Visited the Valley de Luna National Park which has amazing coloured rocks from each of the Mesozoic periods - Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous. Its pretty amazing really - one is bright red, another yellow and the other grey.

They have found many intact dinosaur fossils in the park too.

Then we had a very pretty bus journey across the Andes to Santiago, a surprisingly pleasant city. The area of our hostel looks how you would imagine London to have been many years ago with cobbled streets, old fashioned lamp posts and quaint buildings. However I can't remember being somewhere where so may people smoke for a very long time!

And that brings us up to date again so until the next instalment (and Mark said he may do one – shock horror!;o)) Take care and Adios.