Tree Bagging innit

It's now New Years Eve. The hostel is quiet except for a few Brits and our Korean friends. Everyone else deserted us for Magnetic Island for a beach party, it's a shame that it has been raining all day.

Christmas day was a bit of a bust no one wanted to celebrate; together anyway.

I have a new job on the banana farm which consists of me riding a converted tractor that has a cherry picker on it. I have to use this vehicle to bag the fruit whilst it is on the tree to protect it from the sun, insects and other nasties.

It's still raining at 19.40 and the weather man informs us that it will stay this way for the next 72 hours! Bring it on!

Prawns and beers

Doing three months time in an outback town called Cardwell. The deal is that one can score a second year visa by working for 88 days on a farm, ranch or road station.

The story so far has seen me work on a Paw paw farm climbing up and down a 6ft ladder for 8 hours a day. Times the number of trees by number of rows and it's roughly 1000 accents and descents are made on said ladder a day.

I did one day on a Pumpkin farm. Kicking out the 5ft high grass to locate said pumpkin and squatting down to collect. 81 tonnes was collected in 3 weeks to give you an idea of the amount we were picking (5 tonnes a day).

I also worked as a farm hand, cleaning and organising a sorting shed then going onto plant 4,500 banana roots in three hours.

It's dam hard work when you consider it doesn't rain even though it's rainy season and the temperature doesn't fall much below 35 degrees. Needless to say I'm sleeping well every night!

Time for a jobby

So we've been in Cairns since Wednesday sorting ourselves out. Daily phone calls to farms and visiting our posts forwarding address harrassing them on the whereabouts of our post. Interesting stuff. Just been offered a job three hours south of Cairns in a place called Cardwell. It's farm work, what we don't know all we know is that we got to be there on Tuesday (for a Wednesday start?) and it's going to be hot, very hot!

The Open Road

Did five days in Cairns sorting out all the boring stuff for work. We were lucky enough to book a campervan last minute for a week so we're toddling around North Queensland. Already visited Cape Tribulation (rainforest, very important apparently) and Port Douglas (diving the great barrier reef, spectacular!).

Currently on a rest stop in a place called Atherton before we carry on to Innisfail. Don't know what we're going to do there, may carry on down to Mission beach before returning to Cairns on Wednesday.

Order, order I say

Just booked a flight out of Darwin, going to Cairns.

Not much goes on here besides drinking and sleeping in all day. More is located around the East coast so we will start our job search there.

The car thing didn't happen and we're not waiting around until it does.

See you in Cairns!

DARWIN

We've finally landed in Aus.

Currently in Darwin, looking to get to Cairns or Adelaide. Found a website that pays you to take rental cars to various destinations. Looking into that.

Until then, we're stranded in Darwin not knowing what the @#$%@# is going on!

Tough times don't last, tough guys do

Now at the end of our second day of being within Singapore and another storm is brewing. It's very clean here. no rubbish anywhere! It feels rather strict here mind - if you cough or show the slightest bit of distain in public you are automatically fined :S. For example if you're caught drinking on the MRT (subway) and by drinking I mean ANY fluid, 1000 Singapore Dollars leaves your pocket. Maybe we got too used to Thailand's liberal stance on just about anything. It is strange walking around town with loads of signs telling you what can and cannot be done, it is the same as the UK but when you haven't come across anything like that for a while you notice it a lot more when it pops up again.

We visited the Zoo today. A rather unique Zoo in that there are very few cages, many animals are allowed to roam about especially the monkeys that have ropes and access to many trees so it wasn't a rare sight to have a moneky swinging overhead! We saw the Polar bears getting fed and I ended taking part in the Sealion show that saw me having to stand 20 metres from the animal and throwing a frisbee that it would catch. A Giraffe would have had a better chance receiving my first attempt and the tranners would not let me go until we had succeeded, luckily the second try saw success. My prize for this feat was to allow for the creature to mount itself next to me and kiss me on the cheek. Fishy.

We have still a few days to burn, maybe a visit to Sentosa tomorrow (Singapore's pleasurebeach!), or maybe a ride on their version of the London Eye. Choices, choices!

No Cancellations

There were no cancellations for Sipadan - maybe next time!

We're in Kota Kinabalu now, off to Singapore tomorrow (Thu 29th) for five days and then Aussie land. Haven't done a great deal in KK. Hannah's gone off island exploring with a lass she befriended in Phuket so peace and quiet at least for a few hours!

For a personal pizza it's really quite rude

KL was awesome, went up the Menara Tower which is the fifth highest radio tower in the world. Visited the Petronas towers but didn't go up them as we never rose early enough to get on the free tickets. That maybe attributed to the snakebite and hoegaarden pints that we drank almost every night - a rarity in SE Asia, well a first time find!!

After KL we took a flight to Tawau then mini vanned it to Semporna which is a shit heap of a place that is the gateway to the Sipadan Islands (in the top ten dive sites of the world). We have completed our first dive today and saw loads of Turtles, Clownfish (Nemo), Bannerfish (Jack, Off Finding Nemo), Anemome Cleaner Shrimp (Finding Nemo Again!). One might say it's like being in a live Finding Nemo!

We're off to Mabul (another dive area in the Celebes Sea) tomorrow and althought the waiting list to dive around Sipadan Island itself is over 6 months, we're laying in wait for a cancellation! In the mean time we'll discover more of the surrounding islands!!!

Murray Curry

In Kuala Lumpur now having spent two days in Georgetown, where we visited the largest buddhist temple in the whole of Malaysia. They were building a roof over one of the biggest bronze statues in the world so maybe that in turn will be the world's largest roof? We met a Chinese man who recounted his love for Manchester and hatred for China.

After being kept awake by the local mosque hollering out their prayers like some early rooster at 5am on the dot every morning we decided to make a move to KL.

More on that front to come.

Wikka Word

In Malaysia spared no problems. Residing in Georgetown on the island of Penang for a few. We booked flights out of Peninsula Malaysia to Borneo Malaysia next Tuesday (20th) and we should definitely be diving this time around!!!!

That's all I have to say about that.

What it means to be living

Had a good birthday yesterday. Khao Lak is a little like fair Swadlincote but we still managed to have fun! I even got to blow some candles, all 24 were wedged into one scoop of ice cream.

Tomorrow we are making a break for Hat Yai and then to Malayasia the next day. We are trying to get to Semporna (Borneo Malayasia for more diving) or should I say to make up for the diving we did not find here?!?!?!

Thanks to everyone for the thousand emails I am currently staring at!

Directed by the French

Now you join us on Phuket. There was a stop gap between Railey and Phuket, for arguments sake I shall refer to it has Koh Phi Phi Don. People rave about this place.

We did some diving. "Better than Koh Tao" and "Lepard Sharks and Manta Rays" were the fruitless promises. Still got some diving done.

Not a lot else on Phi Pee besides smelling the water recycling facility.

So today (tues 6th) we took the boat to Phuket. The journey was made interesting by the rough seas making manier passenger fight over the limited supply of sick bags., the waves breaking through the cabin windows followed by random attacks on the life savers. Definately a journey to look back and laugh at. Oh how we're laughing now!

Phuket will entertain us for a marked number of two days before we rise to Khao Lak and some more diving. Perhaps if I'm lucky, some birthday diving!!

Crabby Pattie

We left the party scene of Pha Ngan behind, having never really joined it in the first place and made a run for Krabi. When we got here we realised we might as well push on to a place named Railey, rather than stay in the Blackpool-esk Krabister.

We have been on Railey for a few days, I say on, it's not an island because it's connected to the mainland via a maze of impassible limestone rock formations and the only way to get here is not cable car or some innovative means of transport but the trusty longtail (a boat).
It's quiet and somewhat closed off, but always has a steady stream of backpacker's coming through.

Tomorrow (Sat 3rd) we will break for Koh Phi Phi Don.

Good Kop, Bad Kap

We have left Koh Tao after an amazing 12 days. I pleased to announce that I am an EFR (Emergency First Response) and Rescue Diver!! It was a hard course involving lots of drowning and people around me "drowning", but I can now comfortably pull anyone out from the water if they run into trouble. Hannah also inroled in doing her open water and she is a qualified diver too!!
So now, we are on a diving holiday!

We are now on Koh Pha Ngan (Fang Nan). It's bigger than Koh Tao. That's all I can say because we just got here today!! I do miss Koh Tao, we started to make friends and become familiar faces amongst the locals. With everyone being so friendly and having something that resembled a routine (wake up, eat, go diving) I can totally understand why people never leave (or comeback). I'll be in the latter column!!

I wanna be a Scuba diver!

Reet. We did Kanchanburi - Death railway, bridge over the Kwai also saw some outstanding waterfalls (Erwan Waterfalls), placed number six in the world top ten. It had pools we could swim in, rocks to slide down and fish that enjoy the delicacy of your dead skin.

Fast forward to Sunday, we arrived in Chumpon to get the ferry to Koh Tao the next day. Then on Monday got said ferry to Koh Tao.

Since being here I have learnt how to dive through the Open Water course. I am now a certified diver. I have enrolled on the advanced course already!! This will give me more skills underwater and will involve a deeper diver, (30m), so far I have only breached 14m. After that it's the EFR and Rescue Course and then Divemaster training. Once I have my dive master I can organise and take certified divers to dive sites - start working and earning. Divemastering is everything from planning the dive, to organising the boats, equipment and instructors. After a few years of Divemastering I can then decide to become an instructor. But that's a long way yet. If I can twist Hannah's arm I maybe "allowed' to go as far as EFR and Rescue, because after that I can complete my divemaster and start working. I've got a date with Australia first and I'm currently working away at Hannah to get her diving so she can come and experience the wonder of Davey Jones' Locker too.

Sodukuthai

After Bangkok we travelled for 14 hours on a train due north to the religious captial of Chiang Mai. Smaller than BKK but houses the same amount of religious stuff. We rode elephants, conquered rapids on rafts constructed of bamboo rods and wrapped it up by going down to the local penitentiary and getting touched up by the inmates. I would like to stress that I didn't get arrested, neither did Hannah, it's part of a rehabilitation program to stop the wee ladies from coming back for another stay.

From CXY we arrived in the old capital of Sukhothai. More Wat (buddhist Churches) spotting in the local history park. Bicycles and smiles, we also rode the wierdest contraption for mass transportation yet. I cannot explain it or the joy it brings to those who ride it.

It was then onto Ayutthaya, another old captial and even more Wats but in a less delapidated state. Bicycles and sweat this time. You are now up to date and for the future; tomorrow we will depart for Kanchanaburi (bridge over the River Kwai). No more Wat spotting unfortunately, no, we will be learning just how harsh the Japs were to the POWs that had to do make their plans for a railway over unforgiving terrain possible.

Design is Honest, Advertising Lies.

Arrived in Bangkok after the bus that should have taken 7 hours, was 4 hours late! Luckily it dropped us off in the end of town we needed to be in (it shouldn't have!).

We are staying North of the backpacker district of Ko Shan Road. It is a road where manier backpacker descend in search of the "Thai experience" before they inadvertently head South to lie on a beach. The road itself is Camden market squeezed into a road too small. Banging toons, people selling everything from suits to shesha's, fortunes to ping-pong shows (table tennis yes. . . ?).

Like many cities Bangkok has many ethnic districts from "Little Arabia" to 'Chinatown'. Chinatown is pretty much like being back in China, so I assume the same for Little Arabia. Both are of equal fun to walk around and see them deep frying whole ducks (head included!).

Getting around town is easy, everywhere is traffic jammed even at the best of times. The best method of assault is a three wheeled vehicle named "Tuk tuk" after the noise the LPG fuelled engine makes. Nothing beats flying thought backstreets of Bangkok at 50mph, I would almost call it an extreme sport!

Bandcock

Tickets booked off to Bangkok on Friday, now gonna get me a haircut.

Viva La Sihanoukville

Sihanoukville was a blast. Lovely white beaches, with some more secluded than others. The sea was always inviting for a swim in it's calm, warm and shark free waters!!

We arrived back in Phnom Penh on Tuesday where our thai visas were waiting for us in all their A5 size glory.

A couple of days hanging around before we left for Battambang. We had a pleasant few days there where we went to a crocodile farm and also rode a bamboo train or "norry" as the locals refer to it. It's a bamboo bed frame that sits on the wheels of a tank (that drive the caterpillars) and a chainsaw motor that s connected to the wheels via an oversized cam belt and that's about it. One then flies down a buckled and warped single track at around 20-30mph, if you meet another bamboo travelling in the opposite direction a simple comparsion of what loads each train has and the lightest is disembled to let the other pass. Simples!

After this we headed to Siem Reap (where we are now based) and today we started to disect the Unesco herritage site of Ankgor Wat. We have three day passes that will take us to Wednesday evening where we plan to stay one more day before leaving for Bangkok on Friday.

Peaking in Phnom Penh

Residing in Phnom Penh, applied for our Thai visas today as they aren't issuing above 15 days across land crossings, so fingers crossed that we get them on Monday.

We had a morbid day yesterday visiting the Genocide and Killing Field Museums. They're to commemorate those who were tortured and killed under the Khmer Rouge reign (1975-1979). Seems that every single Cambodian was persecuted against by a very paranoid Totalitarian state.

Having done Phnom Penh and not having the passports to carry on we will be sunnying it up in the south (Sihanoukville) for a few days!

Cambodia the sheep

We have completed the two day Kayak and another couple of days on the island of Don Det (four thousand islands). The Kayaking was the best way to see everything on the islands, from the waterfalls to the Irrawady Dolphins. Our guides were a right couple of Laotian lads. They really made the trip and invited us to a night of drinking Laos style! During which time we befriended all of the Islands tourist board - three men by the name of, Mr King, Mr Cricket and Mr Chicken. It wasn't until we the next day we realised how useful it was to know those incharge of the islands tourist spots!

I'd like to say that the following nights were blissful sleeps by the river. . . I don't like to lie. Aside from monkeys fighting and letting themselves in our room, time was divided up into listening to the dogs and goats furious conversations, our neighbours conversations and if you could get to sleep on the concrete bed in the blistering heat (there was a mattress, soft option not included, but they did provide a sandbag as a pillow!) you were duly awoken to the national anthem of the rooster each and every bloody morning from 3 til around 5, maybe 8.

A concious decision was made to leave Laos behind and make a run for Cambodia.

Four Thousand Islands Sauce

Now in Pakse for a second time, awaiting a two day Kayak down and around Four Thousand Islands.

We have been to a few places before here: Savannkhet, Pakse (the first time), Tad Lo and Pakse (part two). We didn't stay 24hours in Savannakhet, (for those who have seen Big Fish the place is like Spector but the second time around), for those who haven't; it's a mix mash of Indochina and Soviet buildings all desperately needing attention. People were very receptive, the most we've felt but there wasn't a great deal else.

We were in Pakse a day too because we wanted to hop over to Tad Lo (about 1.5hours East) to check out the waterfalls, before returning to start our adventure South. Tad Lo was a peaceful little place, with raging waterfalls (due to it being wet season) and a nice hammock to sit back and have a few tasty (and well deserved) apple juices :).

Back to Pakse, in double the time, as thats how public transport likes to play it. Sometimes you're at your intented destination unbelieveable early but more often that not it's a ride that allows for you to fully appreciate every centimetre of the surrounding area!

GRRR I am Michael and i am in your bed.

In Vientiane we seem to be. It's a rather odd place in that it is the capital city of Laos and it is no bigger than Burton or Cheddar, perhaps double the size of Romsey but that's pushing it!

Everything here is French, obviously because the French were the last to colonise the place. Which is fantastic, it's French without the French. I'm beginning to like this place already.

However I have befriended a fair few bratpackers (a new term used {by me} to descibe people who either are here on their parents money and/or are just here for the stamp in the passport). These people annoy me because everything is a pissing contest. Chossing not to go to a popular backpacker haven is like proclaiming to the customs man that you intend to smuggle 50 tons of fresh ivory, blow up the plane it was on and go to his house raid the cookie jar and have some late night fun with his wife. Maybe they find out where you're going and they give you the complete lowdown, the exchange rates and every emotion they went through before suggesting a "better" place to go, that they themselves have not even been to as it's listings have not yet made it to the dizzing heights of a Lonely Planet.

It's not all like this, we have met some thoroughly interesting people ranging from a honeymooning couple from Israel, a Norwegian merchant sailor, a gay Russian, John from Manchester who had an incurable disease in the shape of verbal diarrhea and a Submarine and diving expert from the US Navy. Admittedly some more useful than others but all entertaining characters nethertheless.

It's not happening Nigel!

From Luang Nam Tha, we took a bus to Pak Mong (6 hours) and then a taxi to Nong Khiaw a sleepy little village on the Nam Ou River. We stayed the night in a little quient bungalow by the river. The bungalow itself was made of paper mache with holes in the floor and wall for every creature of the night to pay it's respects.

Next day we awoke and took a slow boat (5 hours) down river to Luang Prabang. The water was that calm (and murky) that it looked as if we were tearing through wet sand.

Before Luang Prabang there are a colleciton of Buddist caves at Pak Ou. We knew a specific tour out to them from Luang Prabang would cost us time and money to retrace our "steps". So a few extra kip found their way into the skippers back pocket and we got to look around Pak Ou.

The next day was spent on Wayfarer bikes as we toured the surrounding area before retiring to one of the finest Saag curries I have ever sampled.

On Tuesday we leave for Vientiane, the country's capital.

Kunming didn't want to say goodbye

It's amazing we got here as we missed our overnight bus to Mengla (from Kunming), or we thought we had. . . .
Our bus departs at 19.30 yet by 19.00 we were no closer to the bus station. Taxi drivers it seems do not like Western passengers. So we hop the three bus after our guide (a lady from our hostel) had come out with us in the poring rain (18.30) to try and secure us a taxi . . . So now it's 19.15 and the bus stops dead in traffic.

19.20; we had given up all hope, I had the address in Chinese written on a scrap of paper and showed it to the couple next to us also informing them of our deadline. We ditch the bus and they make us believe we're still in with a chance.

19.30; having already walked the best part of a kilometer and no where near the bus station I'm ready to give up. It's 19.40 and we arrive, everything runs like clockwork in China, except for this bus!!!!!! We run through the security checks with officals yelling at us, excited at the fact we had still made it. Back out and into the rain where the girl of the couple had ran ahead and maybe stalled the bus, smilling, clapping and jumping with that overjoyed sense of achievement.

The bus departs from Kunming at 19.50, happy and thankful as we leave the couple that had helped us in the rain.

Whoever you are, we thank you for your kindness when we had given up.

Hello Luang Nam Tha

21 days later, we now sit in a town within Northern Laos (Luang Nam Tha) after making a short hop over the border. It's hot as hell here but at least we can see the sky, something of which feels like a novelty.

Going on a trek with David Attenborough tomorrow, I offered to narrate or make some ape calls, he just looked at me funny and insisted that we both keep a wide berth.

Probably heading South on Friday, maybe as far as Nong Khiaw, we'll see how that one goes.

You know when you've been winked at by Chris Eubank's Winking Willy

I haven't been able to blog because of China's restrictions on such sites. . . until now :D.

We sit now in Kunming, the gateway to the South having endured 14 hour trains in a 4th class carriage with no seats or aircon, sat in taxis that seem more happy on the other side of the road and battled days with stifulling humidity.

We will move out to Laos in a few days time, I cannot wait as China hasn't been all I'd hoped - it definately is not Japan's younger brother, but more like a distant cousin who's tie with the family does not run in the blood.

Apparently, if you can travel through China, you can travel anywhere. . . .

The Point of No Return

It's just over 24 hours before I leave this place behind for one hell of an adventure, I'd like to take this opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to all involved with Saturday. I was gobsmacked and so very pleased that you all took the time to make sure you were there. I can't thank you all enough.
I wish everyone of you nothing but the best for the future, take care of yourselves and I expect to do the same next year . . . on the other side of the world!

So Long to Red, White and Blue

Five days to go, all lists completed, bags packed, repacked and unpacked. Smaller lists made more room in bag! Appreciating the madness and splendour of the place I have called home for many years. Thoughts locked in a battle between complete anxiety and fear of the unknown to unbridled highs of bliss and excitement. One feeling is unquestionable; it’s all come round a bit too soon.