Andrex Travel the Globe; Andrew's side of things!

The Thai Adventure Continues - One Month In!

bulwer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:17:00 GMT

An unbelievable amount of stuff has been done and achieved since my last journal entry. All I can hope to do here is give a brief blurb of everything and save the real story telling for when we get home!

The first thing we did after motorbiking was a different sort of biking; downhill mountain biking! We hiked all the way up a massive mountain, our guide Nooh easily equal to the challenge despite 4 weeks off for spraining his ankel; the other three of us, not so much, especially Alex who had been suffering with a mysterious cramp for several days (cue hilarious photos of Alex's pained expression half way up a mountain that I've already uploaded). We made it to the top after the best part of 3 gruelling hours, then leaped on to bikes and went back down again! Any thoughts of a gentle coast down some smooth surfaces were quickly dashed however as we jolted and jarred down the mountain over 2 foot drops, roots, rocks, single tracks barely a foot wide and one soul destoying 40 second uphill. The feeling of achievement at the end was incredible as we all lay down exhausted by the lakeside restaurant and tucked in to some Khao Pad (fried rice).

Next on the agenda was a 3 day hill tribe trek. We wanted to do the tourist checklist; Karen long-neck tribe, elephant riding, white water rafting, bamboo rafting. These bits however, despite being good, weren't the highlights. The Hill Tribes all seemed to exist in permanent shops deliberately set up for tourists. The feeling of discomfort was shared by everyone because it just felt very voyeuristic! They are making money though, so I suppose they're happy. Elephant riding was very enjoyable. Our crazy German friend Dominic road on the neck while Alex and I took to the seats. You feel very high up on the back of an elephant, especially when they are ambling next to a 20 foot drop!

Straight after the elephant rides we started the trekking. 5 hours later after an exhausting hike through very steep climbs and drops, torrential rain, a complete lack of any path at some points and one incredibly refreshing shower in a waterfall we made it to the first camp, a real hilltribe village, We had dinner, freezing cold showers and then played guitar by campfire light at the top of a mountain in the jungle!

The second day was easier, and included more waterfalls. we stayed at a beautiful jungle village purely for us, right next to the river and had an incredibly enjoyable second night in the jungle. Third day was the rafting. The white water wasn't particularly extreme, and the bamboo rafting was fun but the best bits of the trek were definitely the nights spent in the jungle with a group of people, some music and some drinks.

The next day (non-stop I know!) we went on a rather more relaxing outing; a Thai cookery course. We made six dishes each, ate everything we made and it was definitely worth doing.

Before we knew it, it was time to head south again, and so we booked the fateful bus journey that resulted in my minus one camera, one penknife and one mobile phone. Thankfully I actually got lucky. One poor Argentinian girl had all her money stolen and was forced to go home the next day, despite having 45 more days planned!

Khao San road was as crazy as usual. We met a guy we'd befriended in Pai and decided to go to a Ping Pong show! It's not the kind of thing you go to for titillation, unless you have particularly obscure fetishes. Razor blades, fired darts and cigarettes picked up with chop sticks are the order of the day (and if I have to explain how all these things are done then I'm not going to), all rounded off with a live sex show of two incredibly bored looking people going through a montage of obscure and quite painful looking positions.

Next stop; Ko Tao! The first of our Islands in the South. Ko Tao is the second most popular place to learn to dive in the world after Cairns in Australia, and it is easy to see why. Crystal clear and warm waters make it very easy and accessible. Alex and I did the four day PADI Open Water course, which qualifies us to dive to 18 metres, and enjoyed it so much we then did the advanced course. This qualifies you to dive to 30 metres, or shark spotting depth! Luckily enough as we reached said depths a bull shark appeared. It really was an incredible sight, and quite rare apparently. The other benefit of diving to 30 metres is getting narced, or nitrogen narcosis! It's completely harmless, but makes you very giddy and silly while at depth. We also did a night dive; just you, your buddies, torches and the sea. It's an incredibly relaxing experience.

And that about brings you up to date! Today we leave for Kophangan to dance the nights away and experience our first full moon party.

Love to everyone!

xxxxxx

Gallery: Elephants, Buddahs, Motorbike!

bulwer — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:36:00 GMT

Our first couple of weeks in Thailand

Thailand - Two Weeks In

bulwer — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:46:00 GMT

Thailand is the big one, the great adventure, we have two and a half months and we can do basically whatever we like. The last two weeks have been a blur of so many things that I can only do my best to chronicle as much as possible.

I'll start at the beginning. We arrived an hour and a half late into Bangkok. The airport was nicely air conditioned, so even though we had been told it was 30 degrees out at 2am, actually stepping out into that heat was crazy. Suddenly we both felt very over dressed. Using the print out from the hostel we were going to stay in I falteringly read out some Thai that was supposed to ensure the taxi drivers wouldn't rip us off. The grabbed our backpacks, put them in the boot and next thing I knew we were weaving through busy bangkok traffic. Lo and behold, we didn't get ripped off, and arrived at our hostel alive, despite our driver having fallen asleep at the wheel twice.

The way the hostel had been advertised was not the way the hostel actually was, it was a complete dump. We were given a room with a fan, and a window that had a hole in it covered up with a sheet of A4 paper. We went out for a walk, bought 6 litres of water from a 7/11 (they are everywhere except Europe) then went back, shover a fan right by our faces and slept.

Most people who have been to Bangkok say you only need 1 or two days there. We were there for a week and loved it, but we started out in Sukhumvit which is very untouristy. No one bugs you to use their Tuk Tuk, or take you to a ping-pong show, no one rips you off and an average meal is 50p. We met an American guy, who we got drunk with, enjoyed a river ferry, and used the sky train which is very fast an efficient. We visited the massive mega-malls, and when we were tired of not being able to buy anything (it's all Versace, Guci, etc.) headed back to our hostel.

After three nights there we headed to Khao San Road. This road is some kind of animal, it almost has its own breath and pulse and is just completely mental. Everyone in every stall shouts at you, Thai women/prostitutes/ladyboys stare and giggle, especially at beardy Alex; "handsome men, you come with me?"

After 6 nights there we had seen the palace, a Wat, the Emerald Buddha, had our first Thai-belly experiences and so booked ourselves on to the Night Train to Chiang Mai. It left at half 7pm, and arrived at 10 the next morning. The ride was fine for me, but anyone Alex's length is basically doubled over, so he didn't sleep very well.

Chiang Mai is different again. It's quieter, a little cooler, a little less smoggy. Our second night here we encountered the American from our first hostel again. He had hired out a scooter and was going to do a big circuit the next day. I'm not sure how it happened, but the next thing I knew, Alex and I, the American, two Germans and a Canadian all decided to get scooters and drive 130k to a town called Pai (pronounced Bye). This is easily the supidest thing I've ever agreed to do, and as to prove it, the Canadian's practice drive resulted in her running over someone's bycicle.

At 9.30 the next morning, Alex and I went and hired scooters. Insured, they costed two pounds fifty a day to rent. The drive had an auspicious start when the American guy Patrick crashed 30 seconds in. He was fine, and we continued. I can't describe the conviction I felt about my own imminent collision with a wall, or a car or some other undisclosed hard surface that would break various bones in my body. But, after 10 minutes I was fine, we were on the highway in a convoy of 5 and everyone was feeling good. Alex was a little more aprehensive, and his driving style is best described as pootling.

The drive through the mountains was intense. By this stage I was fully comfortable with the bike, loving the steep climbs, long straights and windy roads all in the most incredible setting you can imagine of tropical forests, valleys, rice paddys and bright sunshine. Patrick crashed again by careening into a ditch, but after 5 hours we all made it to Pai safe and relatively sound.

Pai is beautiful, a very touristy and un-Thai area in some respects, but our guesthouse was by the lazy river, in beautiful gardens. Each day we went on an excursion to the waterfalls and the canyon. Swimming in the waterfall pools was surreal and dreamlike, and watching the mental Thai children jumping 20 feet into 4 foot deep waters was alarming, to say the least!

As for the Canyon, well health and safety really hasen't arrived in Thailand yet. The walk is a two foot wide path with sheer drops either side, but the views are stunning in 360 degrees and the climbing is fun. If you have vertigo however, I don't advise it...

The setting really was idyllic, almost too perfect and leaving Pai was a shame, we met some brilliant people and at one point had a convoy of 16 bikers driving around who we had dinner with.

The drive back was scary again to begin with because two more of our party had crashed. In fact out of the 6 people we started with, 3 people crashed, and two people crashed twice. Somehow though Alex and I both made it back to Chiang Mai completely unscathed. The look of shock on the Mechanics face was palpable!

Now I need some food!
Love

xxxxxx

Gallery: Australia

bulwer — Sat, 7 Jun 2008 12:43:00 GMT

Off Roading; Sailing; I love my life

bulwer — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 19:21:00 GMT

It's difficult to know where to begin for this entry, but I guess chronological order makes sense!

Byron was thoroughly enjoyable, a highlight being our trip to a tiny town called Nimbin, which is essential Australia's Amsterdam. People sell weed on the streets and the police turn a blind eye most of the time despite having a station right there. We arrived just after they'd finished their Mardi Grass Festival and it really does look like you'd imagine a stoner town to look. It was slightly surreal to see a school trip of nine year olds though. The tour is a whole day trip and also includes a drive through a national park to see the waterfalls and then a trip to a sanctuary that one crazy American has spent 40 years planting by himself - it will be easier to describe that in person!

After Byron we whizzed up north, stopping for one night of sleep in Brisbane then off past Rainbow beach (which was more Shades Of Dirty Beige beach) and up to Hervey Bay. The word's of our Oz Bus driver Hailey sums this place up; "thank fuck for the Irish" because the only nightlife there is one Irish pub. However, Hervey is really just a stop of place for revellers to catch a ferry on to Fraser Island.

Fraser Island is a massive sand island, and also covered in tropical rainforest so is very unusual. We took a self drive 4x4 trip there in a convoy of 3 cars, each one taking 10 people. Uncle Iain who met in Sydney did the driving while the rest of us sat in the back drinking beers and getting bounced around. Unfortunately our car broke down and we lost the convoy and got stranded in a camp we weren't allowed to be in. Fortunately we got a new one at 9 in the morning the next day and they brought us an Esky (ice box) full of beers by way of apology. The beer started flowing at 9 and by 6 in the evening we had drunk 220 cans between the 10 of us. Then we got on the goon...

A quick aside for those not in the know... Goon is the backpackers drink of choice, it is a cheap box of alcoholic liquid that pretends to be wine and contains fish eggs. It's about 5 quid for 5 litres and probably causes permanent brain damage. I'll say no more.

The night was incredible, our luck continued and the weather was absolutely superb. The stars were the most beautiful I had ever seen and sitting there on the beach in pure night, dingos running around, the Milky Way like a splatter painting in the sky was quite an experience.

We spent 3 days and two nights on Fraser but I wish I could have spent more. Fortunately we left before the weather got so bad they had to close the island! After Fraser we bussed on up to Airlie Beach for our Whitsundays sailing trip. Two days and two nights on a racing yacht and during the day we went snorkelling. We had a free dive included but unfortunately Alex, James and I all had blocked noses so it wasn't safe for us to dive.

As I write this I am sat in a hostel called Base on Magnetic Island. The beach is literally - literally - a stone's throw away, the weather is perfect and earlier we went for a swim in crystal clear water. In a minute I will go and grab a beer (or more likely, several beers) and have a dance on the beach.

Love to everyone reading.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The Oz Experience Begins

bulwer — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:13:00 GMT

Well after some problems with flights which Alex has detailed we eventually made it safe and sound to Sydney (minus biltong =[ ). More of Alex's wonderful extended family greeted us and then proceeded to help us a lot with various touristy things. At first however we had a real culture shock; coming from SA we were on super-alert mode about safety concerns and not seeing barbed wire and bars on doors and windows actually made us feel quite uneasy!

Anyway, we did the touristy thing and went to Palm beach (which has no palm trees...) and got trains into Sydney to see the sights. The Opera House actually looked quite small at first, but when the weather cleared up it looked fantastic. In fact the whole city is so modern and shiny it just gleams in the sun. We got a ferry to Manly beach and the city and harbour look even better from the water - definitely reccomended!

We had a minnie-drama when we thought we were going to get fined by the Oz Bus for not turning up while we were still in Joburg, but it was fine and re-booked to depart on saturday. We left Richard and Anne-Lii's at 4ish in friday and then proceeded to stay up all night in Sydney. We figured it was easier than having to wake up for a 6.40 bus! We met some people Alex knew from Symonds and they hung out with us till six, then we got our bags from some lockers we'd rented and boarded the bus.

First stop was Surf Camp! Along the way we stopped for munch and at a Surfing Museum curated by an impressively energetic (and horny...) 80 year old surfer dude who is a bit of a legend in the surf culture here. He told us stories of shark attacks which was great just before our first lesson! Arrived at Surf Camp at 6pm, and started the boozing. Camp Fire songs and drunken singing were the order of the day till two in the morning with me and two other guys sharing the guitar (one of whom was actually the camp guitarist and was really good).

Wake up call was 6am... Alex, this guy James we'd met who also is going to do medicine and this German guy all jumped out, grabbed some brekky and then waited for the other 14 dudes and dudettes on the tour to surface. Some didn't, and they really missed out. The surf lesson was fantastic, and needless to say we are now hooked. Unfortunately the beginner boards they use are like boats and are difficult to fall off if you try, so when we eventually used the real deal in Byron we suddenly weren't as good any more!

Departed Surf Camp at 11am after a few hours in the blue (and it was blue!) and journeyed up to Byron, from where I currently typing am! The weather is just getting better as we head north and we were up at half 8 this morning to go surfing. We spent all day on the beach and in the afternoon built the most awesome sand castle. And then destroyed it when the tide came in!

The only downside to Oz so far is the expense of things - our budget is out of the window while we're here but we saved so much in CT and will save so much in Thailand that we're happy to feel poor here for now. And the beach is free after all!

Photos will come, love to everyone reading!

xxxxxx

Sights, Heights and Spider bites!

bulwer — Fri, 2 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Unbelievably, more than two weeks have already gone by! This is our last night at Marc and Claire's for tomorrow we head to the Farm... Rob and Wayne's olive farm to be precise. Our plan is to stay there over the weekend then head to the hostels in Cape Town for our final (sniff!) week in SA.

The time has absolutely flown by because we have been really busy. We went to the V&A again on saturday and I managed to at last watch a band play on the stage there - The Ragdolls. Even Managed to win a fairly hefty beltbuckle by going to the front of the stage and dancing and headbanging away with Boll and one of the band's groupies.

Other highlights during the week were swimming in Blouberg beach's waters which were freezing! We were there to see the Big Swim from Robben Island, where 170 swimmers did the 7ks in 13 degree waters! Natalie De Toye won despite only having one leg, then jetted off to Beijing the next day to prepare for the olympics! On monday we went to Cape Point. Of course the views and scenery are stunning, but what really made the day was when we went to the sanddunes. It was fairly surreal, like a lucid dream where the colours are all super-enhanced, and the sand was absolutely pure - till we jumped all over it!

We also finally met up with Rob on tuesday who took us to see a wonderful show, the Kramer-Peterson Songbook. The next day we went to the Grand West with Marc and Claire to see another show, a Queen tribute/review. It was really good fun, but the Grand West itself was just incredible, Sol Kersner is some kind of mad genius. He's created a casino without time, a whole world in itself where everything is always going, there are daylight, twilight and nighttime areas that all make you feel like you are outside and also very confused, and the whole place is absolutely massive.

Now for the excitement, I got bitten by a spider! It swelled up to the size of half a golf ball, but after using copious amounts of drawing ointment it is now on the mend. It is still tender, but at least half of my left arm isn't sore any more!

And finally, like the true manly masculine alpha males we are, Alex and I climbed Table Mountain today! We'd had been organising it for some time with Craig, one of Natasha's friends. He said today would be a good day and it was! We went with him, and his father who is a doctor so Julia and mum, you can stop worrying now. We didn't get mugged, and had a great time, but we did get very tired, and now I am a proper rooinek (and chest, and shoulders).

Gallery: Cape Town

bulwer — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:25:00 GMT

Photos of us in Cape Town! (surprisingly!)

Well, we've made it this far

bulwer — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:34:00 GMT

Firstly the bad new... No pictures yet. But we have taken many and they are coming soon! Except the first day we got taken by surprise as Natasha and her friend picked us up and drove off at break neck speed so that the police (Natasha's father) wouldn't catch them bunking varsity..!

So far we've drunk about 12 bottles of fine South African wine between us and Claire who we are staying with. Part of the reason for this is being able to buy 7 bottles for the equivelant of about 7 quid! And the stuff is quality, so no hangovers. We have spent minimal amounts of time completely sober thus far.

The weather has been beautiful; the natives are complaining about a wintry nip, but Alex and I have been tops off and tanning every day. It has rained once so far, but by midday it was clear skys and hot again. Alex the bugger is beating me tan-wise.

We've been to see the Cheetahs at Spier, been to the Botanical Gardens at Kirstenboch, window shopping at the V&A and today went to Fish Hoek beach and built a massive sandcastle.

Boll has been enjoying every minute, although hasen't consumed as much wine or been quite so naked.

Love to anyone reading!

xxx

P.S. The song is a favourite of mine, and the lyrics sum up how I'm feeling, enjoy:

"The world is our carpet now
The world is our dancefloor now
Remind me how to dance again
The world is our carpet now

The world is just waiting now
No staring out windows now
Our train stopped moving hours ago
We're here, we're here, we're here

Yes we're here
Free to laugh and cry
Obliged to try
And nothing here's worth winning without a fight

When I can't move
I'll enjoy the still for a while
And lose myself in waves
And mountains and the sky
And I'm back here quick as lightning

'Cause we are just seconds
Seconds in a day"

"We're here" - The Guillemots

The Night Before The Morning After

bulwer — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:56:00 GMT

This is my final night at home, my last sleep, before we leave tomorrow. I feel dizzy, tired, and a little bit crazy, truth be told!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Almost everything is done, I just need to do some photocopying, and then try and sleep.

This is clearly the single most interesting entry I will write.

Ciao

xxx

Gallery: Training

bulwer — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:03:00 GMT

Backpack training whilst still in England

Training!

bulwer — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:13:00 GMT

OK, so I lied in the last entry about it being the last one until much nearer departure. But today, Alex and I embarked on a grand mission, in the full spirit of adventure.

We needed to start learning our backpacks, understanding them, becoming one with their many clips and zips. We packed them full of things just like things we will be actually taking, T Shirts, boxers, soxers, etc. It turns out that these backpacks are bloody massive, and stick out from our backs by about 2 feet. In fact, we will probably have room to spare in them! They both weighed about 12kg, which is a relief because that is well within the airport limit of 20kg.

And so, fully prepared with rations of crisps, chocolate coins and more normal chocolate we embarked on our adventure. The plan was to walk away from home for about an hour, and then, come back. However, we didn't get particularly far, since we kept going round in circles. Often we would jump out of a field only to look back and see a "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted" sign. This conscientiousness clearly bodes well for us.

A video is included, witness; Alex, and Me. Frolicking. In the fields. La la la la.

Gallery: Andrex

bulwer — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:20:00 GMT

The heroes of our story

Before we go!

bulwer — Sat, 9 Feb 2008 08:34:00 GMT

Well there is much to be done before we leave, but we have already achieved a fair amount! So far we have; flights (fairly important) and backpacks!

As of yesterday (Feb 8th) we have 10 weeks till we are in Cape Town. This is hugely exciting as you can imagine; Alex has not even barely been unable to contain his salivatory excretions out of sheer excitement and now walks with a tub under his mouth to catch the drool.

This will probably be a solitary entry until we actually are nearer to departure, and really I only wrote it because I was bored.

Ciao!
xxx