AUSTRALIA - Queensland

Brisbane

After 8 hours opf movies and airoplane food Caitlin and I landed in Bribane and were met at arrivals by my Mum! Mum had flown out a few days before hand for a holiday and to meet me out here! We were all staying with our family friends, Kate & Pauls, who kindly put us up for a few nights. That afternoon we went straight to the beach and got taken out for a fish lunch by Mum and Kate. The next morning, after we had cought up on sleep, I went to go and see Meg, Kates horse. I took her out for a ride around the tracks and out to the cross country fields. It felt great to be back in the saddle, especially on such an enthusiastic and gorgeous horse! That evening we went out for dinner with Mum to go and see Dougal and Margret and their 2 girls ( Dougal is Mum's cousin who also lives in Brisbane).

The next day, Friday, Mum took the car and with Caitlin and I drove up to Rainbow Beach for the weekend. On the way up we stopped for lunch at the 'G'day G'day cafe' and went to vist an Opal gallery. Austalia is home to the Opal, a nationally recognised stone that is also the birthstone of October (me!).


Rainbow Beach is little more than a cluster of shops, a post office and a caravan park perched on top of the cliffs above the beach. We went down to the beach for a walk and to see the layered sandy cliffs that give the beach it's name. Back at the hostel we watched Neighbours with beer and buritos!

Fraser Island

The following day we were going to Fraser Island for an overnight trip. Fraser Island takes it's name form a captin whos shipped was wrecked there in 1836. Unlike some of the crew, fraser managed to survive the 2 month wait to the rescue with Aborigonal help. The three of us got collected by Cassidy, our driver for the trip, in a 4x4 who took us to the barge crossing onto the island. The island itself is all sand: no soil, no clay, only 2 or 3 rocky out crops - hence the 4x4! On the island we drove up the 75 mile beach of the east coast and headed to the central staion in the centre of the island for a picnic lunch by the silent creek.

Afterwards we were taken to Lake Birrabeen, a short bumpy ride away. there is over 100 lakes on the island; all created byrain wat run off. Which is just as well as the sea is a definite no go: there are lethal undertow currents, dangerous jellyfish and the odd man eating shark! Lake Birrabeen was beautiful, despite being a little chilly but that didn't stop us from going for a swim!
During our time on Fraser we also saw the Pinacle rockformations, Maheno Shipwreck that was covered in crabs, went on a walk to Lake Wabby, the dissapearing lake, which will soon be covered up by the moving sand dunes and caught sight of Dingoes, the wild dogs that inhabit the island and have been known to kill.


Back on the mainland we spent out last night away at Noosa Heads ina quirky, hippy hostel. We were up the next morning for sunbathing at Sunshine Beach and then had lunch at Coolum Beach while we watched the surfers before heading back to Brisbane. On the way home we were feeling childish as we drove along to the 'Best of the Bettles' and stopped off at the strawberry fields for a pick you own session. The rest of out time in Brisbane we spent in the city centre looking around the shops and bimbiling along the Southbank. On our last night we had a BBQ with Mum, Kate and Paul: a huge ozzy feast resulting in meat sweats!



The Bruce Highway

On the way out of Brisbane Mum, Caitlin and I collected a camper van to start the next part of our journey. Mum was behind the wheel and our plan was to stick to the Bruce Highway, a road staying parralel to the coast all the way from Brisbane all the way up to Cairns. Each night we would stop at a different campsite to stay over. The first dew days we were on the move for long periods of time to cover the long distance we had ahead of us, sometime I would wake up and the van was alreadyon the road and had been driving for a couple of hours!

Sunrise: an early start that was worth getting up for!

Along the way we noticed the landscape change from lush, green, rolling hills to drier flatter land and the temperature became warmer. We also kept our eyes out for the famous ozzy wildlife and saw a couple of Emu's, a kangeroo and my favorite which was the Rainbow Lorikeet who came to join us for dinner at one of the campsites.





Rainbow Lorikeet

One afternoon we stoped early to make a trip to the Whit Sunday Islands. The 74 Whit Sunday Island are probably the best know islands of Queensland. The group was named after Captin Cook after he sailed through them in 1770. We got dropped off by a boat to enjoy lunch over looking the neighbouring islands and watching the yatchs sail past. Later we followed the nature trail up and over the top of the island through the forest and got to see a family of walabees relaxing in a clearing before we headed to the beach for the frest of the day.

The Tully River and Paronella Park

Nearing the end of our journey upnorth we decided that for the day we would swap the driving for adrenaline! All three of us signed our lives away to Raging Thunder... we were going white water rafting on the Tully River! Tully is the wettest place in Australia getting over 4000mm of rain a year > making it the beat place in Australia to white water raft. Mum Caitlin and I teamed up with 3 American boys: Cameron- an enthusiastic young one from Alaska, Mike- the cool kid in black from LA and Brian- also from LA and who couldn't keep his eyes off Caitlin for the entire day. It was boys against girls, all refereed by our instructor Alan- the original oozy from Tasmania. We spent the whole day tackling grade 4 rapids,over 0 of them to go down! I don't know who named each rapid but some of them were quite funny (including the stories that went with them) for example The Birth Canal, The Double D Cup and The 2 Incher! As well as the rafting we stopped at point along the river to so water slides down falls, rock jumping into plunge pools and swimming down The Lava Flow rapid, also known as the drowning simulation!

At the end of the day I felt absolutely shattered, battered, bruised and 100% EXTREME!


That night, our last night in the van, we stayed at Paronella Park. Paronella Park is an unusual place that was the dream of a child, Jose Paronella. Jose was a Spaniard who came to Australia, after working as a farmer for 10 years, he bought a block of land and started building a house, a castle, a grand staircase down to the river and Lovers Lane Tunnel - all by hand! many of the buildings are ruins due to flooding over the years, Cyclone Larry in 2006 and of course time, but large parts still remain and we were able to explore the castle and the grounds after dark on the night that we stayed and walk the suspension bridge across the water falls in the morning after.



Cairns

We have reached Cairns, after driving over 1,600 km to get to our final destination in the camper van. And the first thing that Mum wants to do is hire a car again! So the next day we get into out new rental, a little red Ford Fiesta, and head to Port Douglas. It is a short pleasant drive away up the coast and the blue sea is rarely out of sight as we wind up and over the headlands. Port Douglas is a small sea side town with some great shops! We got lunch at the surf shack and then went down to the beach to lie in the sun. When the beach shaded over we went back to the car - via the shop to make sure we hadn't missed anything, and of course we had! Back in Cairns, that evening the 3 of us went to check out the Cairns Night Market. It wasn't to different to the ones we had seen in Asia apart from a much improved hygiene standard and also extortionate prices!

October 13th: My Birthday! Mum Caitlin and I were going out on the Great Barrier Reef :) It was a fantastic day out on the reef. Mum and Caitlin snorkeled on the surface while i was scuba diving in the deep. I was very lucky and went to some great dive sights and got to dive 3 times. Underwater I saw many of the spectacular corals and as well as the abundance of beautiful fish I caught sight of a couple of White Tip Reef Sharks, more seas turtles and lots of stingrays too!


On board I opened some of the cards and presents that Mum had bought out with her and got some beautiful massages and gifts from back home and before we got back to the harbour the whole boat sang Happy Birthday to me - not embarrassing at all!

Back on dry land we had huge juicy steaks for dinner and then we all got dressed up for The City. The vodka started flowing (pretty fast) and a couple of the boys we had met while rafting showed up too. I think we spent the rest of the night on the dance floor but I can't remember much more than that!

SINGAPORE

We nearly missed our ride to Singapore! Caitlin and I had to run after our bus that had begun driving off which resulted in a telling off from the bus driver, but at least we were on the way!

Once we had arrived we had to track down a hotel to collect tickets from that we had pre booked for a very special event on the following day... more of that later! Tickets in hand, we were able to relax for the rest of the day taking in the new city. We marvelled at how clean the streets were and the crazy architecture of the modern buildings. We also made a stop at the beautiful Raffles Hotel and the Raffles City Shopping Centre. It was fun going into the shops that we miss from back h0me Topshop, Warehouse and even Marks & Spencer's. Pity it was only window shopping (apart from Marks & Spencer's Percy Pigs!)

The next day, 26th September 2010, was the day of the Singapore Grand Prix 2010 Night Race and this was the special event that Caitlin and I had tickets for! We were so excited to be involved in something so huge! Walking around the grounds of the track was fun to see everything that was happening. We caught some of the races going on before the big one and also got to see some of the people that were performing on the different stages around the grounds including 'Brazil!Brazil!' a stage show that was a mixture if martial arts and dance and 'The Cracks' an up and coming Australian rock band who we later met in the crowds of the beer tent.

As it grew dark the race drew closer. The skyline of Singapore is really something special and a perfect setting for the Grand Prix Night Race. The race began at 8pm. I can't believe how fast the cars actually go and the amount of noise that they make too-it's unreal! I had my fingers crossed for Button and Hamilton but it was Fernando Alonso that came out the winner. oh well.

That grey blur is one of the cars!The highlight of my day was still to come! After the race and all the celebrations were over everybody made their way to the main stage inside the track to see an exclusive, one night only performance of Mariah Carey!! Caitlin and I sang along and danced for the rest of the night to all her songs. I think we scared some of the more conservative Asians who were around us in the audience. It was a great way to finish a great day :)

The next day Caitlin and I found a bus route to take us out of the centre and back to nature (well as close as you can get to nature in Singapore!) We went to MacRichtie Reservoir and walked the trails in the surrounding areas and watched the locals practice rowing on the water. When it started to rain we were lucky to find shelter but it did not look like the rain was a passing shower like usual. As it got heavier and heavier we decided to make a run for it back to the rowing club cafe to warm up and dry off.

As it got darker we made our way even further out of town to go and see the famous Singapore 'Night Safari'. All evening we watched the animals to see what they did after hours- mostly the same as during the day hunting/ eating/ sleeping! But the set up of the Safari was excellent and the animals had large impressive in closures. Some of the animals we saw were Spotted Hyenas,Rhinos, Hippos, Flying Squirrel and the very elegant Indian Tiger. Some really beautiful creatures.

Our last day in Singapore Caitlin and I went down the the water front at the Marina. However after 3 months in Asia we still could not stand the humidity so we went to find refuge and air conditioning in the malls! Later we got the MRT (metro) across the city to the airport...

Next stop Australia!

MALAYSIA

PULAU PENANG

Penang is an island on the north west coast of Malaysia Peninsular, just south of the Thai boarder. Caitlin and I found a place to stay in Georgetown- the mainstay on the island. The hostel we were staying in was a huge Chinese building with old wood carvings and wide stair cases. We paid for 2 spaces in the dorm room which turned out to be beds that filled the landing upstairs!

The afternoon we arrived we went out to wonder Georgetown's back streets, a 'sensory playground'. Passing mosques, chicken rice stalls, fortune tellers, coffee shops and loud speakers blasting out Indian pop music! It felt strange being not so far from Thailand and yet the culture was incredibly different due to the islands mixed population of Malay, Chinese and Southern Indian.

The next day was got a bus to Batu Ferringhi- Penang's best beach area where we saw the shirtless Muslim men walking the beach while the Muslim women were in full burka...even on the banana boat!

That evening we joined two other travellers from our hostel, Scott and Shane, and went out for dinner at the night market which sold a variety of foods of the different culture. I chose the teri-aki salmon, which unknowingly was accompanied by eye ball soup - had to give it a go!

PULAU PERHENTIAN

We got a night bus over to the east coast and got dropped off at the port in the early hours and were greeted by a chain smoking, fish head eating Chinese man who walked way too much about meeting Asian men "JUST FOR FUN!".

The Perhentian Islands are made up of 2 islands; Pulau Besar (Big) and Pulau Kecil (Small), we stayed on Pulau Kecil at Coral Beach. Coral Beach was a small crescent of white sand, turquoise waters with a jungke backdrop creating a chilled and hypnotic ambiance. We decided to base ourselves here for a few nights in a pretty chalet on the beach front. The first morning I woke up with a kitten in my bed who must of snuck in during the night.

We spent our time on finding a different beach each day, which sometimes involved a trek through the jungle, to snorkel and sun bath. On one of the days I organised a scuba diving trip for the morning. The dive site was a shipwreck, I felt like i was in a video game swimming in and around the wreck. Unfortunately the visibility was pretty poor (2 meters) as it had rain the night before, I did get to see a Bamboo Shark, but nothing else too exciting.

During our time on Pulau Kecil it was Caitlin's 22nd birthday! I could have wished for her to spend it in a more beautiful place. That evening we watched the sunset and went for dinner which included MEGA chocolate birthday cake and shisha. I hope she enjoyed herself as much as I did.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS

After the sticky days on the beach, the cool temperatures in the Cameron Highlands were a reprieve. We only had a short stay here during which we walked to one of the Cameron tea estates. The walk took a lot long than estimated as the map did not indicate the many turns on the mountain roads! Eventually we reached the estate and were rewarded with a stunning view of the blue peaks and the green humps of the fuzzy tea plantation. As it began to rain we went inside the tea shop. I tried Massala Tea milky blend of Indian spices, it was quite sweet and also reminded me of Christmas! As the rain got heavier we thought a taxi home was a good idea and watched films for the rest of the afternoon. We felt a bit sorry for some of the people coming back to the hostel who were returning, absolutely sodden, from trekking expeditions in the jungle. That evening we had a great street food dinner - curried fish on banana leaf with chapatti and dahl.

KUALA LUMPUR

Arriving late morning in the city Caitlin and I found a dorm to stay in in China Town. Walking around China Town I found that it's circuitous streets and cramped chaos creates a pressure cooker of sights, sounds and smells... not all of the pleasant! That afternoon we checked out the sights of the surrounding areas; Merdaka Sq., the Old Railway Station, Little India, Masjid Jamek (mosque),Central market - where we could see traditional Malaysian crafts and creativity and Petaling Street - a busteling street of tacky souvenirs including "genuine fake" Chanel, Paul Smith, Louis Vuiton, Gucci, Rolex and more!

The next day we got a little closer to Kuala Lumpur's Indian culture by visiting the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves are a system of 3 caves a short bus journey out of the city. The most famous cave is Temple Cave because it contains a Hindu shrine reached by 272 steps and is guarded by a giant 43 meter tall Murga statue (the biggest in the world!) and 1000's of monkeys too!!

Our last full day in the city Caitlin and I were up early to head over to the Golden Triangle, Kuala Lumpur's high rise business, shopping and entertainment district. We were in the cue at 8am to get tickets to go up the Petronus Towers. The view from the bridge was pretty cool however it was a shame that the bridge was the highest point open to the public - on floor 41 out of 84!

Later on we went over to the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex. Styled like a Malay village the complex offers the best local ethnic handicrafts including local pottery, batik outfits, weaving, wood carvings, ornaments, brass and silver jewellery. We watched the resident artists at work and were even aloud to try our hands at making our own batik pieces.

MELACCA

It was recommended to visit the town of Melacca by my Nana and Grandad, who used to live close by some years ago. Melacca is on the south west coast of Malaysia. Considering the small population of the town it has a colourful history, in short it was founded by a Hindu Prince, protected by the Chinese then dominated by the Portuguese followed by the Dutch and finally the British. The multi cultural influences are obvious in the towns interesting and picturesque appearance. A striking feature of the town is the red buildings on Town Square. They were originally built white by the Dutch but the heavy tropical rain would splash up red soil and stain the walls, so it was the Brits decision to paint them red to save on maintenance fees!

The town itself is easy to walk around and explore by foot visiting the churches, art galleries, silk shop in Little India, Porta de Santiago - a Portuguese fortress, mosques, river side walks and when we got tired we would spend the rest of the afternoon in the tea houses in China Town.

During the time we were there we were able to try out much of the local food. Our favourite was "Nasi Lemak" rice steamed with coconut milk and Rendang chicken accompanied by a herd boiled egg, green veg, peanuts and dried anchovies. And "Cendol" shaved ice treats with jellies, fruits, coconut milk and Malacca's famous sugar cane syrup. We also found a great local dig, a Pakistani place which served up mouth watering curries with soft naans. One of the cafes close to our hostel put on live music and we were able to catch an evening acoustic set of the local talent.

I became very fond of this beautiful town, Melacca. It's so hard not to like!

THAILAND - The South

KOH TAO

Koh Tao literally mean 'Turtle Island' and was once a favored hide out for pirates who stashed their gems deep with in the jungle. This magical island now has a reputation for its treasures under the sea. This tiny island, with a population of only 5000, issues more diving certifications than any other place in the world (yes, even more that the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!) So it doesn't take a genius to work out how I spent my time on Koh Tao!

I met with my dive school early in the morning to set off on the boat at 7am. On the way out I was a little bit nervous, not having dived since last summer when qualifying in Greece, but when in the water it all came flooding back to me!

"Chumphon Pinnacle", the first dive site, had a colorful assortment of sea anemones along the 4 interconnected pinnacles and is home to schools of Giant Trevally, Yellow Barracudas and Moray Eels. Sadly, at this time of the year the water is too warm to see any of the Whale Sharks that are known to come by in the cooler temperatures.

"Green Rock", the second dive site, was like an under water jungle gym! The site featured many caverns and caves in the rocks that we were able to swim through. At Green Rock we saw so much sea life, including more Moray Eels hiding in the rocks, lots of Angel Fish and Parrot Fish and many of the territorial Trigger Fish.
Diving in Thailand had been highly anticipated and I can say that it had definitely surpassed all expectations. I really had the most fantastic time and I can't wait to get back to the under water world!

To finish our visit to Koh Tao on a high note we managed to meet up with Bex & Rosie and Chris & Orla, who were also staying on the island, and have a night out with the famous Thai Lady-Boys!

KOH PHA-NGNAN

Koh Pha Ngnan...the party pilgrimage! Caitlin and I were two of thousands of people who flock to the island every month for the epic Full Moon Party. We based ourselves in Baan Tai, a less touristy part of Koh Pha Ngnan, and stayed in a bungalow on the beach that over looked the neibouring island, Koh Samui. During the time we were there we went on a snorkeling trip around the coast which also included a small trek to a waterfall inland. It Was a great way to see more of the island but unfortunately I came returned with a sun burnt bottom from too much snorkeling!!

The day of the Full Moon we spent on the beach sunbathing, I was careful to only expose the front side of my body- still nursing the sunburn! To prepare for the party the evening was spent decorating ourselves with neon body paint. Caitlin and I teamed up with some guys staying at the same place as us, Rob, Chris and K, to share 'artistic skills'. However our bungalow ended up looking like a fluorescent play group! Ready to go we piled into the back of a truck to meet fellow party go-ers on the Hat Rin Beach...
It was a crazy night that was proved by our 6am home time. The following day was a day of recovery spent in the shade re-hydrating, eating spring rolls and playing UNO!


KOH SAMUI

One of the original islands that started the backpackers migration to Thailand. We found a place to stay on Hat Lamai Beach where we found Hin-Ta and Hin-Yai stone formations. (Also known as the Grandfather and Grandmother rocks.) These genitalia shaped rocks were able to provide a good source of entertainment! Regrettably we were only able to stay one the island for one night before an early start for our journey to the Andaman Coast.


PHUKET

Caitlin and I had a long journey from Koh Samui across to Phuket, using 5 different modes of transport. Eventually we found a grotty guesthouse to call home for the night; the 'On On Hotel'. Despite the droopy beds and the peeling paint we thought it would be fun to stay here as this bare bones hotel scooped a part as a dirty flophouse in the 2000 hit film The Beach, staring Leonardo Di'Caprio.

I had set an early alarm for the next morning but getting out of bed was easy as I was going to meet Guy, my boyfriend, from the airport who was flying out to see me in Thailand for his summer holiday. From the airport we headed to Patong Beach. Until then I did not know that Patong was well known for ladyboy's, PingPong shows and prostitution, so I don't think it was the best first impression of Thailand that I could have given Guy! So the next day we went to Hat Karon instead; a long sweep of gently curving beach. Even though Caitlin and I were both applying factor 30 sun cream Guy rejected the idea in hope of tanning, however the consequences of his mistakes soon followed!



KOH PHI PHI DON

A truly jaw-dropping beauty, Koh Phi Phi Don is blessed with bodacious jungles, arcs of white sand, bejewelled tropical waters and technicolour corals. Our time on the island was spent mostly on the beach, Ao Loh Dalam, lying on the sand or bathing in the sea.


But I did make time for a scuba diving trip. Guy and Caitlin wanted to come along for the ride to which was lovely having their company on the boat. Whilst I was underwater Guy went swimming and Caitlin opted for sun bathing. Again I dove at 2 dive sites, "Bida Nok" and "Ma Long", which were situated within the National Marine Park surrounding Koh Phi Phi Leh- Koh Phi Phi Don's uninhabited twin island. The dives were fantastic and the marine life was incredible. It included Clown Fish, Jelly Fish, Scorpion Fish, Sea Turtles and one Black Tip Reef Shark!

That afternoon, back on land, Guy and I took a little trek across one of the headlands on the island to reach Monkey(less) Beach. It was a shame we didn't see any of the monkeys but it was a beautiful beach to visit that could only be reached by foot or by boat.

In the evening we went out for a BBQ dinner in town. Guy and I tried the barracuda, to be honest it wasn't very exciting but Caitlin's curry looked good!

The morning we left Koh Phi Phi Don I got up early to go and see the viewpoint before we caught the boat. Unfortunately I was unable to persuade Guy or Caitlin to come with me! The viewpoint was a short hike up a 300m vertical climb including hundreds of steps and narrow twisting paths. But the views at the top were amazing, over looking twin bays Ao Ton Sai and Ao Loh Dalam and the Marine Park that seemed to stretch on forever in colours of aqua, emerald and jade.



Back to PHUKET

We arrived back on Phuket to check into a new hotel for the night and spend some time on Kata Beach. Later that afternoon, Guy and I rented out a motorbike and headed inland to the cable lake. Guy was on a wake board and i chose water skis. neither of us had done it since last summer whilst in Greece so it was great fun to get back on the water.

The next day we took the bike again and headed to the north of the island where we spent the second half of Guy's holiday. On one night we treated ourselves to 'luxury' accommodation at @@ beach where we stayed in a pretty poolside villa that served up an enormous breakfast in the morning. The rest of our time we stayed in a bamboo hut on @@ beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so we decided to explore the island on the motorbike. Our days were filled with:

• visiting gibbon rehab centers,

• climbing Bang Pae Waterfall,

• elephant trekking

• and even an afternoon at the 3D cinema!

On the last afternoon we had had the idea to try out some of the recipes I had learnt at the cookery course in Chang Mai. We were lucky to find a quiet bar/ restaurant run by a Thai family who very kindly lent us the use of their kitchen for the evening! After a trip to the market to get supplies we were on a roll... Together we replicated the Tom Yum Soup with prawns, Green Thai Curry (yes, we even made the curry paste!) and Fried Bananas. We ended up cooking a huge amount and shared it with our hosts, who said it tasted good - for our first time!

The following morning was a little teary saying goodbye to Guy at the airport. But Caitlin was able to cheer me up on the bus on the way out of Phuket as we shared sweets and headed further south down Thailand.

HAT YAO

Hat Yao was our final beach destination in Thailand. We found a great bungalow to stay in opposite the beach nestled under the towering limestone cliffs. The beach at Hat Yao was lovely and wide and we had it all to ourselves as it was low season and we were the only guests. In the afternoon I went exploring around the caves, cliffs and secret beaches while the tide was out.

Hat Yao is a tiny Muslim fishing village and Caitlin and I were there during the festival of Ramadan. Because of this it was quite difficult finding food to eat! When the sun had gone down we were able to order in a nice restaurant that stood over the sea on stilts, I chose Poo (Thai for crab!). Later that night we struggled getting back to the bungalow in the darkness, but came prepared the following evening with the head torch!

HAT YAI

I am now in Hat Yai, this town is mainly used by travelers coming from and going to Malaysia, like Caitlin and I who are off tomorrow! To pass the time, today, we snuck into a posh hotel to take a dip in their pool and sun bath on the terrace while the sun was out!

Since being away Thailand had been the country Caitlin and I have spent longest in, exploring the country has been remarkably exciting and rewarding.

Thailand is exotic, yet chaotic!