andrex travel the globe

JimPanZees

alex_ward — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:01:00 GMT

So we eventually got on the Oz Experiance bus after a full night out in Sydney. We didn't need accomodation so we pulled an all nighter to get the bus at 6.00am the next morning. Everyone had said that when you travel you bump into people that you know, but i didnt expect that as soon as we move into backpacker territory i would be bombarded by 5 different people we knew from college!

Our first Oz experiance driver was Joel, a big curly haired ginger man who took a real liking to our 'full on as loud as possible' approach to the australia! He also was our driver for most of the trips we did up the east coast, just by pure coincidence, and he loved every minute of it!

So we headed off up the east coast, meeting people as we went and finding a very special someonw - a JimJim. We met him in Sydney, sat at the back of the bus by himself, shaven head, leather jacket, loud metal music on in his earphones - not who we are used to. But no - JimJim was infact and became an extention to Andrex. A medical student next year whos best friend is best friends with Simon at Leeds! After a few nights, a few too many drinks (mainly goon) and learning to surf, we ended up doing an opporation on my toe to get rid of a blister. This became a running thing and we did a few more foot opperations during our trip up the east coast, deciding that after our nicknames of 'JimJim' and 'Peter Pan', we would make 'JimPanzees Surgeries'; something we were very proud of at the time.

A few other people we met were comody rob, Uncle Iain and JimJam. This formed the 6 person alliance that moved up the east coast together, making the trip just that little bit better.

The next big adventure after Byron Bay was probably Fraser Island. We got in a 10 person 4 wheel drive and set off in convoy with 20 other people. Bottom line was 8 people drinking, 220 beer cans, 22 litres goon and a beach! You do the maths. We started at about 9 in the morning after the people came to fix our broken car and brought beer and by 11am had had 11 cans. The rest of this trip continued like this. Fraser island was beautiful tho and we had an amazing time cooking BBQ's and chasing Dingos. We also swam in alot of lakes and toured the island, it was just too good to comprehend i ever did it. Sailing in the whitsundays was much the same.

Much of the east coast went in this same patters of chilling out, relaxing and meeting people in amazing surroundings and weather. A bit of golf, surfing, skinny dipping. Everything was just amazing. That is all i have to say about that - i guess pictures will have to be the way i show everyone how i felt about that one. And don't worry - everyone will get to meet JimJim when he comes down for our welcome back party.

love

xxx

From White to Gold

alex_ward — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:33:00 GMT

So after an amazing last few days in Cape Towns very own 'Cat and Moose' hostel, we headed off to the airport. It was so sad to say goodbye to everyone we had met, especially a select few people (yes, one of whom did happen to be very female and very attractive) and also to say goodbye to the city. The street kids knew our names by the time we left, we manager of a couple of the pubs and we knew the city and where to go to get the best meat and more meat!

It wasn't an easy change to Australia, the flight we were supposed to catch to Joburg, from Cape Town, was cancelled and we had been put on a flight 2 hours later that arrived in Joburg after our flight from Joburg - Sydney had left. We went in nice and early and they sorted it out for us, checking us onto a flight 2 hours earlier than our original flight. After a flight that we were convinced was piloted by a drunk South African (probably been to Bob's), we arrived in Joburg and got onto the flight to Sydney.

This flight was then delayed because the bags from the flight that came from Cape town, i.e. ours, had not been put on the flight and there was some sort of problem. Eventually we set off and we did get our bags at the other end. Further delays set in as we were convinced it would be fine to get Biltong through customs....it wasn't!

Richard met us at the airport as it got dark, we were very dissorientated because we had now only seen darkness! The weather on the first day wasn't brilliant but the last few days that we have been here have been great weather. We have been to the beach the last 2 days, and while still being a beach, they were very different to Cape Towns. The sand was much sfter and you almost fell through it and it was really gold, as you could see if i could get photots on here - which i really must do! Keeping you all in suspense just doesn't seem fair.

After a few issues with the Oz Experiance, like them thinking Andy was travelling with someone called Rebekkah, and not me and us being fined for not being on a bus at 6.30am, on a day that we were still in South Africa, we have sorted it and are catching the bus bright and early tomorrow morning. Our Oz Experiance really begins tomorrow as we make our way up the East Coast.

Hope England is full of cold showers, clouds and hail (because i am just that nice!)

love

xxx

Goodbyes and Hellos

alex_ward — Thu, 8 May 2008 01:01:00 GMT

After spending 2 weeks in Plumstead, seeing the sigts, drinking the wine, making ourselves known – we moved up to Rob and Waynes farm for the weekend, North of Cape Town.

The location was increadable and we sat out watching ther stars for hours because it was just Black!

We knew that crazy things were going to happen on our trip – and it has been great getting to know what people are about etc. but it came as a shock when on the farm we were told that the guy who took us up and down Table mountain, and we spent a lot of time with in Plumstead, had hung himself! We aren’t too sure what to make of the whole thing – it is sad, but it goes to show we didn’t know him that well, because we were under the impression he was very happy.

From the farm we started our journey on our own – we booked into a hostel, which we have been too lazy to leave, so we are still staying there, and began meeting people. We met a couple of guys from Joburg who took us out the first night and we had a great night. We spent the next day with them until they left for the airport. We then met another English guy, who we have spent a lot of time with. That night I turned 19 – so was a bit of a celebration. 4 shots of gin for 10R, that’s 60p!!! We also met a group of American girls with strange names and great bodies – so no complaints to be had. Being 19 so far has been amazing. We have a couple more nights there and then leave for Australia.

I will try and get photos up on here, but it is so slow that it is proving to be difficult.

Love

xxx

In the beginning there was a pasty man - now he has tanned!

alex_ward — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:54:00 GMT

Well we got to the airport and said our goodbyes - we were on our own for the first time! So after the - 'don't leave each others side' speach, we were immediately failing. Stood in the line at customs i was dragged out of the queue with all my bags, fully searched, x rayed and my neatly packed bags thrown across a table. I was then fast tracked through customs leaving Andy behind - wondering if i would ever see him again!

After re-aquainting we did what all good backpackers do - we went and had some spicy chicken wings, a couple of pints and as much free baily's as we could get our hands on! As we sat back down we were just coming to terms with the fact that this was for real - when Andrew Lloyde Webber walked past - am i dreaming?

12 hours later after sitting on a plane with no leg room next to a Belgian 70 year old who should not be anywhere else but in an insane Asylum somewhere, we made it to a clear, sunny Cape Town. We were picked up and taken to Claires house. 20 minutes later and we were driving with 2 19 year old girls at break neck speed to a bar. We were so dissorientated it wasn't even funny.

For the last week we have been sunbathing, and i already have a tan (that kicks Andy's tan's arse!) We have seen cheetahs, the botanical gardens, we have been to the beach, played in the sea, Been shopping, eaten alot of meat on braiis or butchers and drank our own body's weight in wine. Yet we are still spending less than half of our daily budget a day! We are being very well looked after and are just taking in as much as possible. I can't believe that we have been here a week already. The photos don't do justice to what we have seen and felt, but they give an idea of how AMAZING it is here!

I will try and update as often as possible, but it isn't always easy because of a lack of time.

Love

xxx

Andrex do Otterbourne

alex_ward — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Just under 9 weeks to go, and you can tell we are starting to get excited, because we are starting to do silly tings like walk for 3 hours through fields and woods in our local village and get just a little hyper when we realise we can have music 'on the go'.

So i was clearly wrong about my next entry being alot closer to the time that we were leaving, but deal with it - and enjoy some of the photos and video that we took on our little journey in the shiny shiny sun.

THIS journey did actually have a purpose - we were trying to see if Andy would be able to carry a backpack 4 times his size when fully packed. We spent the best part of a few hours thismorning playing with zips, clips, locks and flaps to try and figure out how the bags worked. What we did establish is that they are huge, heavy and that if i look the camera onto a certain part of the bag - it WILL fall off every time i take the backpack off.

Gallery: 'Andrex do Otterbourne'

Gallery: Andrex do Otterbourne

alex_ward — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 03:00:00 GMT

Practice walk through otterbourne's many beautiful fields and woods

10 weeks to go

alex_ward — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 19:40:00 GMT

So, this time in exactly 10 weeks, we will be sat on a British Airways aeroplane to Cape town.

If only that were the truth of it...this time in 10 weeks, i am sure we will be sat in Heathrow airport departure lounge, waiting to board our delayed plane; have some pre-packed, pre-cooked, pre-chewed aeroplane food, watch some mighty fine movies, and snuggle up to each other on seats that have no chance of fitting my legs in! On the up side, we will probably be too excited and tired to care. After about...lets be reasonable...10 minutes of that 'seat belt sign' being removed, i am sure we will have managed to gain enough free alcohol to toss a rhino to the floor - might aswell start where we mean to carry on!

Things are going very well now - we have payed for flights, started thinking abpout organising places to stay, we have backpacks and insurance and are both exploading with excitement (which isn't a problem at all, because we are totaly insured for it). We have almost got the funds we need to do what we want when we are in all the wonderful places we are going to and do some pretty awsome things.

Other than that, there is not alot to talk of, we have 10 weeks left to work, get some money, say our goodbyes and do some practice packing!

I imagine the next story i will be writing will be in about 9 weeks time!

love

xxx