New Zealand

We arrived in Christchurch late at night, and despite the initial confusion whilst attempting to locate some sort of transport into the city, we had booked accommodation ahead and thus it turned out to be a relatively easy process. A quaint hostel exuding comfort, we spent the next day catching up on sleep and didn’t emerge from our beds till well into the afternoon.

 We started our Kiwi Experience on day two. We were picked up by a shuttle bus in the early morning and after a few hours, joined the main bus. We spent the evening in Westport, a small town on the north west coast of the south island. Our room was pretty much a hostel in itself: 10 beds, a working fireplace, television, toilet, and kitchen. The following day we stopped in Greymouth for a quick pick up of clothes and accessories for the night’s theme party: Superheroes vs. Villains, or Frat Party (a lack of decisiveness resulted in two themes). We then made our way down to Lake Mahinapua to stay at the ‘Poo Pub’. A night of Jägerbomb, vodka Red Bulls, dressing up as the queen of hearts, and losing various belongings including a brand new camera followed! Luckily Les (the angry owner) managed to find my various possessions scattered outside the next morning! 

  

The Kiwi Experience bus

Lake Mahinapua

En route to Queenstown

Milford Sound

We set off early the next day and headed to Franz Josef. Upon arriving, HT set off to prepare for her skydive, whilst I went to bed for the afternoon. Famed for the massive ice glacier in constant flux, the small town is nestled at its base. We spent the next day hiking - a tremendous experience that involved crawling through crevasses and climbing up ice. A tricky process which required mastering the use of crampons and picks – skills that massively escaped me and resulted in me falling over my feet…a lot. Definitely wasn’t helped by the fact I can barely walk properly anyway!

The next day, we carried on making our way down south to Lake Wanaka and eventually, Queenstown. Surrounded by the most stunning scenery, it wasn’t hard to understand why New Zealand’s south island is so famous! Unfortunately, the cold had finally got to us and we both fell ill, which meant we weren’t able to go snowboarding. Even so, Queenstown lived up to its reputation! Ferge Burgers, teapots, pick n mix, Milford Sounds, the discovery of Dotti, posing with scarves, and just general awesomeness ensued! Our five days passed by in a complete blur, and we were both pretty heartbroken to get back on the Kiwi Experience to head back towards Christchurch, and eventually the North Island.

From Christchurch, where we very nearly missed our bus, we went up to Kaikoura for a night, then on to Picton to get the ferry across to Wellington. Just as we were getting off the bus, I managed to knock a box of eggs onto the floor – needless to say, (stinky) Steve was not all that impressed that there was raw egg everywhere! Luckily we were changing busses…not so lucky for the next group of people. After Wellington, we stopped off in Taupo for a night. After massively chickening out of a skydive in Franz Josef, I attempted to try again but due to the temperamental weather it was cancelled. Moving upwards, our next stop was Rotorua. The town is built over a geothermal hot spot and therefore famed for its rather unique aroma, which can only be described as reminiscent of rotten eggs.

After two nights in Rotorua, we stopped in Auckland for a night and then up rainy Paihai. Our New Zealand experience was quickly coming to an end. A sun worshipper to the core, I must admit that whilst New Zealand was very cold, I had the most incredible time!

A Land Down Under

Out of everywhere we are going, I think I was most excited about Australia. After very little sleep and quite a few transfers, we arrived early morning in Cairns: a decidedly “quaint” town. We did the standard touristy things including the Karunda Sky Rail to see koalas and the Great Barrier Reef. During the latter, HT dived, and I snorkelled (bastard asthma). It was pretty hideous weather and by the time we started heading back, the boat was violently pitching from side to side (I think it was channeling Thorpe Park’s “Saw”). Luckily neither of us were effected by sea sickness, but a fair amount of the other passengers had turned a delicate shade of green. One extremely unlucky girl stood up to run to the bathroom only to smack directly into a pole instead during one especially violent lurch.

Karunda, Cairns

We then Greyhounded it down to Airlie Beach – the jump off point for the Whitsunday Islands: stunning beaches, epic snorkelling, and (mostly) brilliant people. The whole way through Asia, HT and I hadn’t stayed in a dorm, and had gotten used to the luxury of only the two of us sharing a room. In Australia (and subsequent stops), we were plagued by snorers and other less desirable noises. And unfortunately, this issue was especially noticeable in a small, cramped cabin shared by seven people.

Whitsunday Islands, view from Whitehaven Beach

Whitsunday Islands at dawn

After Airlie Beach, we carried on down the East Coast: Brisbane, Surfers Paradise, Byron Bay, Sydney, and Melbourne. In Brisbane, after nearly six weeks of warm weather, the hoodies, jeans, and tights sadly came out. In Surfers Paradise we rented bright lime green bicycles and whilst hungover, attempted to explore. Needless to say we got about as far as the Jolly Lolly Shop (pick 'n' mix) before conceding defeat and returning to watch the Hangover, standard. In Byron Bay we unsuccessfully attempted to forge our way through bush and sand dunes to the lighthouse. We eventually gave up and took the road. In Sydney we stayed with a friend. Her mom and dad were truly wonderful, took us in, fed us, washed our clothes, and generally acted as though we were part of the family – a welcome four-day break. We also got to see areas of Sydney less frequented by backpackers, like the Kiama blow hole – a two hour journey down the Grand Pacific Drive. And in Melbourne we met up with some legendary people from the Whitsunday Islands. An extremely cold, apparently typically wintery Melbourne day was spent on Philip Island watching miniature penguins and eating lamingtons (everyone’s new favourite).



Philip Island, Melbourne

The few weeks we spent in Australia flew by too quickly. We definitely didn’t do the country justice in any shape or form, but this is often the case when travelling on a shoe-string.

Next stop: New Zealand!

Bali

We arrived in Kuta late at night and having not booked any accommodation in advance, spent an interesting evening in a rather decrepit room whose bathroom was inhabited by some sort of animal. Needless to say, we left early the next morning, moving onwards and upwards to Kedin’s Inn - a lovely hostel slash hotel on Poppies Line 1, minutes away from beaches, bars, shops, and most importantly Boost. (Boost - the most amazing smoothie bar ever.)

We were decidedly more adventurous in Bali: surfing, diving (HT, not me), cultural explorations and such. The surfing was epic, even though we definitely spent more time in the sea as opposed to on the boards, but it was insane fun nonetheless. We also decided to try Bali’s version of Go Ape (Bali Treetop Adventure Park); however, made a massive schoolboy error by attempting it after a night of Jägerbombs and Red Bull induced insomnia. It involved climbing, swinging, zip lines, and generally lots of throwing ourselves around. Fun but definitely too overwhelming! At one point, when facing an obstacle that required jumping off a very high platform, dropping and then swinging into a net, we were having serious doubts. So much so we attempted to go back the way we had come. It was only at that point we realised that that was in fact impossible, apparently the obstacle course was designed ‘one-way’ only! So we hung out on the platform for a while as little kids passed us, pointing and laughing at our general uselessness, which was entirely fair enough. Eventually an instructor had to physically come up and coax us down. Most definitely not one of my finest hours.

Surfing, Kuta

Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

With time quickly running out in Indonesia, we decided on a fleeting visit to the Gili islands, Gili Trawangan to be exact. An absolutely stunning, picture post card beautiful beach! Due to boat timings, we ended up having to spend one more day in Bali. On the last day in Kuta, we were walking along Poppies 1 where we were subjected to the usual hawkers. Nothing particularly special until one more adventurous woman tried another tact: insults. As we passed, she spotted me and in a loud shriek commented on my chin, or as she put it, my 'special' bum chin. Prior to writing this post, I had recently watched a Glee episode whereby Mr Shue had drawn attention to his bum chin and stated how self-conscience he had been growing up. I can now relate. 

Next stop: Australia!  

Not at all 'off the Beaten Track'

Destination two: The Perhentian islands located just off the northeast coast of Malaysia. Despite arriving in the rain (an emerging theme we were discovering), it was easy to recognize the gorgeousness of the islands. Following a recommendation, we stayed at Moonlight Chalets, rather shabby beach huts at the far end of the beach which were run by a hilarious transvestite (Dee) and her boyfriend (possibly). Bugs galore, stained walls, and a broken bed, the rooms certainly did not lack character. 

We spent the majority of our stay sunbathing and swimming, although at one point we did try to be a bit more adventurous. Teaming up with a couple, we set off on a pretty rickety long boat driven by a slightly mad young Malaysian. First stop, swimming with sharks. Whilst they may have only been as long as my arm, a shark is a shark nonetheless and I was admittedly terrified getting into the water. We then went on a slightly random turtle hunt which effectively resulted in almost being drowned by a lot of Chinese tourists, a brief sighting, and an almost capsized boat.

Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

After our four blissful days in paradise, we returned to Wakaf Bharu, the jumping off point for the train to Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately due to our lack of organisational skills, we hadn’t booked ahead which meant we couldn’t get a sleeper train back down. The result: an overnight 14-hour train trip sitting up. We arrived in KL a little worse for wear and after an extremely frustrating attempt to book transport down to Singapore, we had to settle on the most expensive means, which as it turned out, was a luxury bus – personal TVs, food, a hostess, and reclining armchairs. Definitely not the worst way to travel!

After our relaxing bus ride down, we arrived in Singapore late afternoon. HT had a friend in the city, so we were lucky enough to stay at her absolutely stunning apartment - a welcome relief! That night we went to a Beer Festival. Admittedly I was flagging after our hideous train ride the night previously, but after a few jägerbombs, HT and I perked up considerably. Minus any post-drinking heart palpitations, it would seem that Red Bull is always the way forward!

The next few days passed by in a whirlwind.  We were granted the ‘Lodde’ style sightseeing trip round Singapore which included an attempted (and failed) wakeboarding excursion, Orchard Road, Sentosa island, and two very successful stops at the Hawkers food market. Four days later, sad to be moving on, but extremely excited for our next stop, we set off for Bali.

Failed wakeboarding trip, Singapore

PS - Thanks for the photos HT!

Around the World in 120 Days

First stop: Thailand. Aka, LOS (Land of Smiles). After flying back to the UK for a week, we headed off. With a fleeting stop in Abu Dhabi, followed by a small tumble down some very public stairs, finishing with (another) long plane ride, we finally arrived in Thailand.

Following the steady stream of backpackers, we took the overnight train down to Surat Thani. An interesting experience to say the least. The drop down flip beds were quaint, and despite the ladder required to climb up to, manageable. Even the random stops and noisy commuters were novel. Less thrilling however, were perhaps the toilets. Essentially a hole in the floor of the carriage which opened up onto the tracks. Interesting. Aiding this already difficult setup was a definite lack of anything to hold on to. The whole escapade involved a lot of balance and strength in the quad muscles. At least I savoured a little dignity, unlike HT who was subjected to a demonstration, despite her protests, on the proper squatting technique. 

Finally we arrived at Shiralea (Had Yao), Koh Phangan. We had racked up an impressive 48 hours of solid travelling and were exhausted. Koh Phangan is the stereotypical picture post card island. Gorgeous beaches, gorgeous weather, and gorgeous people. And as a result, we spent three exquisite weeks there. HT completed her PADI (whilst I did some not so subtle sulking on the sidelines – bastard asthma), I wakeboarded, and together we managed to survive the Full Moon and the Half Moon parties, both of which, I hate to say, passed by in a blurry haze. 

Reluctantly we left Koh Phangan and headed to Koh Phi Phi island, the other side of Thailand. We arrived in the midst of a downpour, everything was completely flooded. After we had organized accommodation, we felt that vodka was the best way to pass the time. We spent that evening (and subsequent ones) at Jordans – apparently no place is complete without an Irish bar. 

Phi Phi, Thailand

Phi Phi, Thailand

Phi Phi was promising. We had a brilliant first night followed by a fabulous day of rock climbing. Unfortunately, it only went downhill from there. Two days after arriving I discovered I had conjunctivitis, a highly contagious eye infection. Sorry HT. I feel our trip was slightly marred by this unfortunate event. Even so, we were living in paradise so couldn’t really complain. I would like to think that with the help of HUGE sunglasses and (countless) bottles of eye drops, we massively manned up. By the way, there is a chance we may have been to blame for the outbreak of said disease June 2010. 

View from climbing, Phi Phi, Thailand

Rock climbing, Phi Phi, Thailand

Regardless of the rather negative remarks we had heard about Phuket, we headed off that way. Had a ‘small world’ encounter when we met a friend of a friend at the lovely hostel we were staying at (surprisingly standard when travelling). We spent our last few days in Thailand horse riding, sightseeing, suntanning and warding off Thai MAAASSSAAGGGGGEEEESS, which unfortunately I found to be rather painful. Indeed, my one experience was quite disturbing. At one point, I was literally fighting back tears, I politely asked my Thai woman to be a bit gentler. She just laughed politely and kept going at what I suspected, an even harder pressure. Needless to say, I did not wish for a repeat.

Next stop: Malaysia. 

NB: Thanks HT for the pictures! I had just broken my camera by forcing into the hold on a moped and promptly sitting on it.  

Back to the Sandbox

A year later, I was finished with formal education. I loved the idea that I was free to do whatever I wanted and go wherever I pleased. Well, in theory at least, in practice, not so much. Having spent all my (pretend free) money (student loan trickery), I was pretty broke. So I did what the majority of graduates do straight out of university, I moved home. Only that didn’t involve just a 2-hour train ride back (with a few buses thrown in somewhere along the line for good measure), home was a 7-hour plus flight away.

I also decided that whilst I enjoyed studying public relations, I felt I needed to make a change, do something else for while, after all variety is supposedly the spice of life. And what job can you combine with travelling… the obvious answer seemed teaching. Specifically teaching English as a foreign language. I chose the best course I could find (CELTA) and after a month long intensive short course designed to throw you into the deep end of teaching, I headed back home to Qatar.

Qatar

Until recently, not many people knew about Qatar (cue outcry over FIFA 2022). Confusion often crops up over the pronunciation – “cutter,” “gutter,” “KUH-tar,” and my personal favourite, “Qwatar.” (not entirely sure where the “w” came from). For eight months of the year, the weather is near perfect. For the other four months though, it feels like you’ve been thrown headfirst into the fiery pits of a furnace. Literally. Mid-summer temperatures push 50 degrees Celsius, and the key to general survival is running from one air-conditioned room/car/chilled pool to the next. The heat is unbearable. Even the sea is too hot (baffling). Weather aside, the country is almost brand new, it holds infinite possibility. Opportunities are rampant. 

I then spent the next nine months planning my upcoming journey around the world….’cting! Oh that and sitting by the pool, suntanning, going to the beach, and wakeboarding.  For those who don’t know what that is, picture snowboarding on water whilst being dragged along behind a boat. Basically waterskiing but infinitely cooler.

NB: I may have given a slightly rose-tinted view of Doha. Sure the traffic jams are endless, sure every single road has been dug up…at least twice, and sure the driving is crazy (do you see a common theme here). But I can’t help it, it's my home! 

The desert at dusk

Wakeboarding in the canal

Wakeboarding

The (Bastard) Travelling Bug

The first time I went travelling was to Eastern Europe. It was between my first and second year of university and with very little money and even less travelling experience, I set off with two friends. Following the release of Hostel, our first stop was Bratislava (obviously we did NOT see the movie prior to leaving). To say I had the most incredible time doesn’t even begin to cover it. Jumping out of planes, throwing myself down waterfalls, accidentally stumbling across a nudist beach (try not to think about the naked lunges we were subjected to) and being sh** on by a dog whilst sleeping in a garden were only some of the highlights (perhaps not the latter so much). Even so, we managed to return to England in just about one piece and I was itching to skip off somewhere new.

Hvar, Croatia

So a little over a year later I did. This time to Greece. Armed with a little more  experience and a lot less money, we set off in the summer of 2007. Following my previous years’ dog/garden/sleeping escapade due to lack of available rooms anywhere, we decided to book our first few nights’ accommodation in advance. If you learn anything from this blog, it’s this…always organise somewhere to stay on your first night! Even if you don’t like it, at least you’ve got something. It beats wandering around at 1am with a heavy rucksack desperately trying to find a bed. And the room you do eventually find might have some weird sort of animal living in your toilet making even weirder noises with a door that doesn’t lock (nightmares of The Thing emerging from the bathroom ran amok that night).

Our six weeks in Greece flew by. We hopped from island to island, starting in Lefkada, quintessentially Greek, and finishing in Ios, decidedly not so quintessentially Greek. Due to lack of funds, we spent a random week in Crete in a hostel room that must have been pushing 40 degrees during the day and not much less at night. I don’t think the tiny room, two extremely small windows, 12 bunks, and a very ill person appeased the situation in anyway. In order to combat the terrific heat, we spent our time at the beach swimming in a rather overcrowded, unpleasant sea. Or we did until something rather nasty floated by us, at which point we had to find ourselves another beach. 

But like the previous years, university was calling, so back we went.

Lefkada, Greece

Lefkada, Greece

Santorini, Greece