So that's it 11 months, 24 countries and a whole host of new friends and experiences later im sat writing my final blog for this trip but hopefully not for ever.
This year has been truly amazing and i owe alot to all those who have helped me and shown extraordinary kindness along the way. I will never forget this and hopefully i can do my part and return the favour at some point.
Last time i wrote i had just arrived in Brunei a place i chose to visit purely through curiosity, to see what the small oil rich kingdom had to offer. The curiosity aspect seemed to be the same for everybody else i met, some having purely come on a day trip from KL. I was unsure of what to expect and to be honest the capital Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) did disappoint. Together with Rob who i met at the airport we checked into the only affordable hostel and went off to explore. Lonely Planet provides a walking tour map for BSB and so it was 15 minutes after starting we had completed it. The city is tiny and apart from a mosque and a clock there is nothing there. The Sultan may be one of the richest men in the world living in a huge 4000 room palace on the hill above, but this wealth you do not see on the street. The people live comfortably and thats about it, no poor no rich just ok.
To kill a bit of time we took one of the water taxis, locally dubbed 'flying coffins' and used this to cross to the largest stilt village in Asia that sits just off the mainland. It filled an hour and we both agreed that we would leave the next day. That night we chanced upon a local who gave us a tour in his car using his local knowledge and we ended up getting to visit the largest mosque in south east asia. This is really spectacular and kind of worth the visit to Brunei on its own if we had actually been allowed inside. Instead we had to make do with the outside and the beautiful gardens.
Next day i caught a speedboat to Bangar from where i hoped to take the bus back to Malaysia and Kota Kinabalu (KK) in Sabah. The boat trip involved a hair raising hour long ride on a speedboat through the tiny mangrove lined waterways. Arriving in the Bangar i realised within about ten seconds that there was nothing to fill the afternoon so i scrubbed my plan and headed straight back to BSB. That pretty much sums up Brunei and unless your passing through i wouldn't bother.
Deciding to forsake the bus route i instead took a boat to the island of Labuan in malaysia where i spent a few hours before continuing on to KK. This town was hardly much better although Summer Lodge is a really great hostel and their cat was funny as it amused itself by chasing anything that moved including the arrow on the computer screen. My last major activity i had planned was to climb Mt. Kinabalu the highest mountain in South East Asia. Standing at 4095m it towers over the north of Borneo being visible from pretty much everywhere. While the weather remained fine i wanted to get the climb out of the way so i left KK after a day and found a mountain guesthouse just outside of the park. Most people climb halfway in the afternoon spend the night and then get to the top for sunrise and this was my plan as well until i was told it would cost 90 quid to stay at the mountain hut in a 30 person dorm. And this cost is in addition to the climbing permit and the obligatory guide which added another 50 quid. I could not afford this and gutted i was not sure what to do. By chance a ranger said you could always try a day climb but here is the time schedule and if you dont make it fast enough, tough luck.
The day climb was now my only option so i arrived back at the park at 7am to start the climb as i had to be halfway at 10am and at the summit by 1pm. God knows how much paperwork later as well as a bus ride to the gate we finally started climbing at 8am. I am not in the best of shape having done little vigorous exercise and i was increasingly worried when after 15 minutes i was out of breath. I really thought i wasn't going to make it as the guide kept glancing at his watch, and desperate not to fail i refused to stop for any breaks. Anyway at 9.50 we had done 6.5km out of the 8.7km climb. No problems from there on in although my legs were feeling the pace. The altitude had an effect and our pace slowed quite alot but we still managed to summit at 12 having climbed the mountain in four hours as well, in the process catching the only other day climb group who had left at 5am. The mountain is really beautiful with its lush forested lower slopes which give way to bald granite moonscape at the top. Having studied and been fascinated by the mountain at university i have finally fulfilled my ambition to see it for myself. Im so glad i did it although my legs gave out on the way down and hobbling in quite alot of pain i made it back to park headquarters with numerous blisters. Needless to say i couldn't walk the next day and had difficulty for a few days after that.
With only five days left and two weeks until im back at work i decided to fork out for a three day safari of the Kinabatangan river. A suitably exotic name and place to go and spot wild orangutans. Before the boat left I visited Sepilok the world famous rehab centre for the Orangutans but it was pretty rubbish and we saw one ape that had been forced out so as not to disappoint the crowd. That afternoon 8 of us took a boat upriver to Uncle Tans jungle camp. The place is set in the middle of the jungle and came highly recommended. There i spent two nights being attacked by millions of mosquitos and trying to avoid the enormous spiders that kept somehow getting inside my mosquito net. Despite this i had a really great time and my tour group were interesting people and a good laugh. We managed to see the wild Orangutans which was a real highlight, as well as gibbons, hornbills, macaques, leaf monkeys and crocodiles to name but a few. Most of Sabah is now one big oil palm plantation and very little forest remains as is the case on the river as the trees are probably only three or four deep along the banks. It is shocking to see but as the wildlife has nowhere else to go its easy to spot. I guess everything has an upside.
With two days left of my trip and not really enough time to do anything else i spent two nights in Sandakan with a father and daughter from Oklahoma who i met at the camp. The city is pleasant enough and yesterday I visited the really moving war memorial park which commemorates the thousands of POW's who died in awful conditions at the hands of the Japanese. The only other attraction of note in town is the house of the famous American author Agnes Keith which is located on the hill overlooking the bay next to of all things an english tea room, complete with scones, cream and even a croquet field. A pleasant hour was spent chowing down on the excellent chocolate cake and tea.
And thats as they say is a wrap. I now sit and wait for my flight which is in 6 hours and 15 hours after that i will be back in England. Plenty of time then to plan my next trip!!!
Sunday 20 February 2011
Saturday 12 February 2011
Finding Paradise
Wow wow wow what can you say. I am 24 and i have found what many people dont find in their entire lifetime. Paradise. I have looked forward to the Togians for so long and it didnt disappoint utterly incredible.
12 hours after leaving Gorontalo on the ferry we arrived in the ramshackle port of Wakkai. Not a good start by any means. From there the four of us travelling together hired out a canoe to take us the three hours to Malenge island. We had been recommended this by a guy on Bunakan and it was immense. As we rounded the final corner we were confronted with the whitest beach i have ever seen, on which were situated five bungalows surrounded by palm trees. So so happy at this point and more was to come. The resort was on a peninsula at the back of which was a blue lagoon perfect for pre/post dinner or all day swimming sessions. As if this isnt enough i hear you say the island is covered in jungle and is inhabited by many animals all of which you can hear and often see from the lagoon while you swim. Too good to be true especially as it was 7 quid a night including 3 meals a day.
On the opposite side of the beach was a very picturesque floating village with a 1km long stilt bridge that at sunset made for a stunning panorama. Unfortunately my camera is knackered so no photos will be forthcoming. But it will live in my memory for ever.
Five days i spent on Malenge, snorkelling the coral reef, trekking, relaxing in my hammock under the palms and generally enjoying life and the few weeks i have left. It was really great travelling there with the guys from Bunakan as we got on well and there was some good banter over a few beers. There is nothing quite like relaxing with a cool beer just watching the world go by, although the spiders were plate sized and cockroaches/ foot long millipedes abounded.
Unfortunately as all things do my time on malenge came to an end. The Togians have been largely preserved due to there isolation and so it was that there is only three ferries a week from Wakkai. I skipped the first one as i was enjoying myself too much trading this for no days in Makassar. This was a good idea but it meant i would have a mission on for the next few days. The morning of departure arrives and when we ask for the canoe back to wakkai we are told in the matter of fact way indonesians have 'no canoe waves too big'. On further questioning we are told the ferry has sunk and 8 people in a canoe have died in the past day. Exactly what you want to be told when considering chancing it. If i cant leave the island soon i could well run out of visa time which will be expensive. Eventually Rudi the owner finds some people from the village who are willing to take a chance for which they demand a high price. The togian island people only use small outrigger canoes and they cannot go out in even small waves, two hours later two guys turn up in a huge dugout with no outriggers. Saying our prayers we agreed to it as there was little other choice. At least on wakkai we would make the ferry if another one came.
I have feared for my life a few times on this trip, sitting on top of a truck which is leaning over a ravine, near misses driving through vietnam and now i have a canoe ride through a rough open ocean, with waves breaking over the sides and the indonsians bailing frantically all the while trying to position ourselves so we dont capsize. I think i may have said more prayers than most people do in a lifetime. To make matters worse we had to go the long way round trying to stay in the lee of islands as much as possible. I take my hat off to those boat guys as 5 hours and some severe nerves and sunburn later we arrived to Wakkai. Never have i been so grateful for land and cared so little about missing the ferry we had put so much effort into trying to make.
Now i was really pushed for time especially as i had intended to spend 5 days in Tanah Toraja and now that would be cut to two at the most. With little other option we headed out to the nearest island Kadidiri for two days where i tried to forget the impending travel nightmares and relax in the luxury resort. Thought id splash out a little as work is looming just around the corner.
Two days later the ferry arrives (having not sunk, indonesia is definately the king of rumours) and we make it to Ampana where the bus fun begins. Sulawesi is just mountains and forest with tiny tiny winding little roads. I set off from Ampana with a Dutch couple from the ferry as well as Nacho from Malenge. Six hours later and nearing midnight we arrive in Tentena having decided not to stop in Poso where some unfortunates were beheaded not so long ago. Next day involved probably the worst travelling day of the year, 11 hours on the bus got us into Podolo a horrible little town approaching 9pm. Twice we nearly went down a ravine having overshot hairpins as well as negotiating a narrow muddy section where the road had been taken away in a landslide. In Podolo we tried for two hours to find someone to drive us to Rantepao and after giving up all hope some decidedly dodgy guys who i think may have robbed the car offered to drive us. Still with an hour or so to go and at 1am in the middle of the jungle in the pitch black they stop and get out. Honestly we all feared the worst and being told to hand over everything we had wasnt far from my mind. Fortunately it didnt happen and five minutes later they reappeared and it was time for a driver change. Nachos face was amazing as he turns to see a kid who was maybe 14 at a push get behind the wheel. It was bordering on ridiculous as the kid started driving sitting well forward with his face pressed against the glass at around 10mph. I couldnt stop laughing as knackered beyond belief we roll into Rantepao at 2am. So so glad that we had reserved rooms and after hammering on the door for 10 minutes we were let in.
Tanah Toraja is famous for its people who are animist and maintain much of their traditions. The most famous and my reason for visiting was the funerals these guys have. Most ceremonies go on for three or four days and each one involves something different. We managed to get invited to day one of a funeral and turned up to witness alot of people milling around chatting, not really doing much apart from killing a few pigs. There was lots of piggy screeching and not much else so we left to visit a few of the wooden villages with there unique boat shaped houses covered in crazy carvings. You may think its a bit wierd going to funerals but these things cost a fortune and many times the person is dead for three or four years before the family can afford to bury them. During this time the body is left in a coffin in the living room. Crazy stuff. The cause of the expense is the Buffalo sacrifice. Each buffalo can cost thousands of pounds probably a few years wages for an indonesian, and it is believed that a minimum of five are required to be slaughtered to carry the deceased to heavan. So day two we rent bikes ride back to the village and go to the buffalo sacrifice. I half expected to pass out but it was strangely fascinating and a surreal experience. Watching buffalo being led into the ring surrounded by maybe a hundred people, seeing their throats cut with blood going everywhere accompanied by the wailing family of the deceased in a small wooden village in the forest in sulawesi was amazing. A real cultural overload. Something i feel priveledged to have witnessed before it eithers stops or is entirely ruined by hoards of package tourists.
Not having time to go to the third day where a procession transports the body from the village to its final resting place in a cave, i rode out to a couple of caves with coffins already in situ. I spent a few hours crawling around with a tiny flashlight looking at the coffins both old and new within the cave systems. Some of the coffins were so old they had rotted away partially exposing the deceaseds bones within, but also the people carve a likeness from wood which is placed inside or outside the cave. These are incredibly realistic especially in bad light and are liable to cause a fright when stumbled upon. If you look up photos on the internet you will see it seems more like a filmset from Indiana Jones than a real life place.
That night i had to take the nightbus to Makassar which turned from 8-9 hours into 14 hours sat on a bus, uncomfortable with no sleep due to the road condition as well as the two locals behind me who insisted on throwing up for the entire journey. The rain in several places had washed out a good few kms of road causing a huge traffic jam with nobody around to take charge. Just what you need. Tired and dishevelled i went straight to the airport to kill 7 hours before flying to KL. Then KL i had 10 hours to kill overnight before flight to Brunei early the next morning. No sleep two nights in a row as everybody sleeping in the airport got kicked out for two hours while they cleaned and then there was too much noise even in the darkest corner i could find. The comfy seat of the air asia plane was just the ticket and i just wish it could have been a longer flight to grab a little more shuteye!!
On Borneo now in Sabah but as this is quite a long one i will do the past few days at a later date....
12 hours after leaving Gorontalo on the ferry we arrived in the ramshackle port of Wakkai. Not a good start by any means. From there the four of us travelling together hired out a canoe to take us the three hours to Malenge island. We had been recommended this by a guy on Bunakan and it was immense. As we rounded the final corner we were confronted with the whitest beach i have ever seen, on which were situated five bungalows surrounded by palm trees. So so happy at this point and more was to come. The resort was on a peninsula at the back of which was a blue lagoon perfect for pre/post dinner or all day swimming sessions. As if this isnt enough i hear you say the island is covered in jungle and is inhabited by many animals all of which you can hear and often see from the lagoon while you swim. Too good to be true especially as it was 7 quid a night including 3 meals a day.
On the opposite side of the beach was a very picturesque floating village with a 1km long stilt bridge that at sunset made for a stunning panorama. Unfortunately my camera is knackered so no photos will be forthcoming. But it will live in my memory for ever.
Five days i spent on Malenge, snorkelling the coral reef, trekking, relaxing in my hammock under the palms and generally enjoying life and the few weeks i have left. It was really great travelling there with the guys from Bunakan as we got on well and there was some good banter over a few beers. There is nothing quite like relaxing with a cool beer just watching the world go by, although the spiders were plate sized and cockroaches/ foot long millipedes abounded.
Unfortunately as all things do my time on malenge came to an end. The Togians have been largely preserved due to there isolation and so it was that there is only three ferries a week from Wakkai. I skipped the first one as i was enjoying myself too much trading this for no days in Makassar. This was a good idea but it meant i would have a mission on for the next few days. The morning of departure arrives and when we ask for the canoe back to wakkai we are told in the matter of fact way indonesians have 'no canoe waves too big'. On further questioning we are told the ferry has sunk and 8 people in a canoe have died in the past day. Exactly what you want to be told when considering chancing it. If i cant leave the island soon i could well run out of visa time which will be expensive. Eventually Rudi the owner finds some people from the village who are willing to take a chance for which they demand a high price. The togian island people only use small outrigger canoes and they cannot go out in even small waves, two hours later two guys turn up in a huge dugout with no outriggers. Saying our prayers we agreed to it as there was little other choice. At least on wakkai we would make the ferry if another one came.
I have feared for my life a few times on this trip, sitting on top of a truck which is leaning over a ravine, near misses driving through vietnam and now i have a canoe ride through a rough open ocean, with waves breaking over the sides and the indonsians bailing frantically all the while trying to position ourselves so we dont capsize. I think i may have said more prayers than most people do in a lifetime. To make matters worse we had to go the long way round trying to stay in the lee of islands as much as possible. I take my hat off to those boat guys as 5 hours and some severe nerves and sunburn later we arrived to Wakkai. Never have i been so grateful for land and cared so little about missing the ferry we had put so much effort into trying to make.
Now i was really pushed for time especially as i had intended to spend 5 days in Tanah Toraja and now that would be cut to two at the most. With little other option we headed out to the nearest island Kadidiri for two days where i tried to forget the impending travel nightmares and relax in the luxury resort. Thought id splash out a little as work is looming just around the corner.
Two days later the ferry arrives (having not sunk, indonesia is definately the king of rumours) and we make it to Ampana where the bus fun begins. Sulawesi is just mountains and forest with tiny tiny winding little roads. I set off from Ampana with a Dutch couple from the ferry as well as Nacho from Malenge. Six hours later and nearing midnight we arrive in Tentena having decided not to stop in Poso where some unfortunates were beheaded not so long ago. Next day involved probably the worst travelling day of the year, 11 hours on the bus got us into Podolo a horrible little town approaching 9pm. Twice we nearly went down a ravine having overshot hairpins as well as negotiating a narrow muddy section where the road had been taken away in a landslide. In Podolo we tried for two hours to find someone to drive us to Rantepao and after giving up all hope some decidedly dodgy guys who i think may have robbed the car offered to drive us. Still with an hour or so to go and at 1am in the middle of the jungle in the pitch black they stop and get out. Honestly we all feared the worst and being told to hand over everything we had wasnt far from my mind. Fortunately it didnt happen and five minutes later they reappeared and it was time for a driver change. Nachos face was amazing as he turns to see a kid who was maybe 14 at a push get behind the wheel. It was bordering on ridiculous as the kid started driving sitting well forward with his face pressed against the glass at around 10mph. I couldnt stop laughing as knackered beyond belief we roll into Rantepao at 2am. So so glad that we had reserved rooms and after hammering on the door for 10 minutes we were let in.
Tanah Toraja is famous for its people who are animist and maintain much of their traditions. The most famous and my reason for visiting was the funerals these guys have. Most ceremonies go on for three or four days and each one involves something different. We managed to get invited to day one of a funeral and turned up to witness alot of people milling around chatting, not really doing much apart from killing a few pigs. There was lots of piggy screeching and not much else so we left to visit a few of the wooden villages with there unique boat shaped houses covered in crazy carvings. You may think its a bit wierd going to funerals but these things cost a fortune and many times the person is dead for three or four years before the family can afford to bury them. During this time the body is left in a coffin in the living room. Crazy stuff. The cause of the expense is the Buffalo sacrifice. Each buffalo can cost thousands of pounds probably a few years wages for an indonesian, and it is believed that a minimum of five are required to be slaughtered to carry the deceased to heavan. So day two we rent bikes ride back to the village and go to the buffalo sacrifice. I half expected to pass out but it was strangely fascinating and a surreal experience. Watching buffalo being led into the ring surrounded by maybe a hundred people, seeing their throats cut with blood going everywhere accompanied by the wailing family of the deceased in a small wooden village in the forest in sulawesi was amazing. A real cultural overload. Something i feel priveledged to have witnessed before it eithers stops or is entirely ruined by hoards of package tourists.
Not having time to go to the third day where a procession transports the body from the village to its final resting place in a cave, i rode out to a couple of caves with coffins already in situ. I spent a few hours crawling around with a tiny flashlight looking at the coffins both old and new within the cave systems. Some of the coffins were so old they had rotted away partially exposing the deceaseds bones within, but also the people carve a likeness from wood which is placed inside or outside the cave. These are incredibly realistic especially in bad light and are liable to cause a fright when stumbled upon. If you look up photos on the internet you will see it seems more like a filmset from Indiana Jones than a real life place.
That night i had to take the nightbus to Makassar which turned from 8-9 hours into 14 hours sat on a bus, uncomfortable with no sleep due to the road condition as well as the two locals behind me who insisted on throwing up for the entire journey. The rain in several places had washed out a good few kms of road causing a huge traffic jam with nobody around to take charge. Just what you need. Tired and dishevelled i went straight to the airport to kill 7 hours before flying to KL. Then KL i had 10 hours to kill overnight before flight to Brunei early the next morning. No sleep two nights in a row as everybody sleeping in the airport got kicked out for two hours while they cleaned and then there was too much noise even in the darkest corner i could find. The comfy seat of the air asia plane was just the ticket and i just wish it could have been a longer flight to grab a little more shuteye!!
On Borneo now in Sabah but as this is quite a long one i will do the past few days at a later date....
Thursday 27 January 2011
An introduction to Indonesia
Three days in Ubud turned into a nice getaway from the heat and nightmare place that is Kuta. It was by far the most i have been hassled by touts anywhere on my trip and after a month in australia with none of that it was a shock to the system.
Ubud is a pleasant enough town situated in the volcanic foothills of Bali, set amongst what seems like endless scenic rice terraces. It is also the artistic centre of Bali attracting many artists from all around Indonesia. My real problem at this point in time is space, i have very little of it and there is increasingly less ways i can rearrange my bags to fit within baggage restrictions. This trip has revealed my intense weakness for buying art and i should have realised in retrospect that Ubud wasn't the best place to go in my position. In three days i wrestled with my conciense and in a way i successfully escaped with only one more painting to squeeze in. There are some seriously impressive pieces on show and for between 10-100 quid a pop it is seriously hard to resist.
With only ten days to spend on Bali i had to move on and the next port of call was Toya Bungkah a small town inside the crater of Gunung Batur. This is the second highest point of Bali and is truly stunning. The road and several villages rest precariously on the rim of the volcano and down below lies the town of Toya and the beautiful lake. Then within this crater is another volcano which is the summit. I headed here eager to get some more hiking in before returning home and a steamy active volcano seemed just the ticket. Before this i had another slightly more unwelcome challenge to overcome. I had rented a scooter to get around Bali as the island is pretty small, but this brought me face to face with the islands incredibly corrupt and such a pain in the ass police force. Knowing full well that tourists don't have the correct paperwork they seem to have taken it on themselves to dent Balis image and extort money. So as i approach the crater rim my heart fell as a police road block waves we over. Shit shit shit. I had spoken to some people in Ubud who had been had for 100 quid which was not an option for me or even within remotely reasonable realms so i awaited what they said. Predictably they say you do not have an international license which is true (the uk one does not count in Indonesia) so i just keep saying, no my license is fine over and over again like a stuck record hoping they will just let me go. Not to be outdone he calls the boss over and same story is repeated to him, then an unexpected turn he asks what is is in the tube i am carrying. I explain it is a painting, then he says you are an art student, yep i reply not knowing where it is going. Then prove i am a student i pull out the bedraggled and long since expired card i carry all the while trying to hide the money just taken from the ATM earlier. I think the student ploy was good as they said so you are poor and yes that is now very much true thanks to Australia and with a smile that seemed to say you are not going to be so lucky next time he let me go. So so happy but it just meant that i had to ride looking out for police more than anything else and although twice more i was waved at i just floored it with the plan of playing ignorant and they never pursued. It really is annoying though, in Vietnam despite being there for a month and breaking so many road rules we didn't have a single issue. But Indonesia as a whole is not quite as welcoming or accommodating as some of the other places i have been to.
When you do a trip like mine you cant always be in a country during the dry season and so it is with Indonesia. January is the wettest month and up until Gunung Batur no rain although this was unlikely to last. I took the initiative and climbed while the weather was fine and it was a great hike up through the pine forest and over the lava fields to the summit. I had been given an egg by the lady at the home stay but after putting it in a steaming vent to cook i dropped it over the edge as it was a lot hotter than expected. Not too big a disappointment as i would rather the egg than me. There really wasn't much else to do in the crater apart from drive up and down the windy road pretending to be Valentino Rossi and even that after a while lost its thrill. So off to do some snorkeling in Amed.
The weather by now had turned and in torrential rain i headed off for the three hour drive over two volcanoes to the coast. On the way i stopped off at the Besakih temple complex the holiest site on Bali which was full of worshipers as it was the full moon that day. The rain meant i couldn't really hang around but fortunately by the time i reached Amed the sun was out and wow what a place. The beach is black sand and due to the time of year pretty much deserted making for some tasty deals on beach front bungalows. I really enjoyed it snorkeling on the amazing reef in the bay with all sorts of colourful fish and then an early morning fishing trip. I managed to extend my run of never having caught anything ever and instead had to make do with watching a school of dolphins swimming around us and then jumping ahead of the boat. Amazing stuff. The guy who took me fishing i think felt pitty and gave me some fish he had caught which the lady at the bungalows turned into the most incredible fish lunch i have ever had. Indonesian food might have little variety but if you like fish there is no better.
My flight left the next day so i split the journey back to Kuta with a stop over in Padang Bai. The town was pleasant enough for the evening but the road on the east coast of the island was phenomenal and the real draw. Like the great ocean roads of California and Australia but designed for bikes. Windy, up and down with amazing views so much fun. More than confirming my need for a bike license when i return. I had six hours to kill till my flight and there was a huge power outage so i headed to the airport just to get some air con and max out Starbucks free wifi. The heat in Kuta that day was like nothing i have ever felt before, so hot and humid you feel sick and cant breathe. Plus i had 23 kilos of luggage hanging off me. Cant wait to be rid of it soon.
Bali might not be my favourite of places and sometimes it is a bit of a tourist trap but i would recommend it if anyone wants a taste of Asia with all the trimmings. And the east coast is stunning and would be a highlight of any trip.
10 days in Bali down and then a flight to the north of Sulawesi and hopefully a bit more adventure. Touching down in Manado at midnight was a massive pain especially as all the hotels were full leaving me with the hotel Celebes. Not bad location i thought next to the harbour, that was until the morning fish market started at 5.30am. Great stuff. What took the cake is that i had to stay two nights as being a small christian enclave in Indonesia nothing runs on a Sunday. From Manado on many peoples recommendation i headed out to Pulau Bunakan which is rated as one of the top 10 places to dive in the world. And i can see why. Not being a diver i satisfied myself purely with snorkeling. Lorenzos bungalows was quality and had a great vibe and some really nice people with whom i shared a boat out onto the reef. It was such incredible snorkeling we stayed alot longer than i had planned and my back was thoroughly cooked by the time we returned. The disappointment of Australia was completely forgotten. The reef stretches 100m or so off shore before there is a deep sea dropoff that attracts barracuda, sharks and many other things besides. We saw so many turtles it was getting ridiculous. Two days of that was wonderful and im so glad i got over my slight fear of being swept away in the fairly strong currents and took the plunge. Again pushed for time as i always seem to be yesterday i grabbed a bus on a wild ride through the dark forest and mountains in the north of the island to Gorontalo to get the ferry to the Togian islands. This is something i have looked forward to for nearly a year. Its a tropical paradise national park, with wildlife teeming both onland and offshore and i cant wait to get back in the water. Never ever thought i would say that.
Ubud is a pleasant enough town situated in the volcanic foothills of Bali, set amongst what seems like endless scenic rice terraces. It is also the artistic centre of Bali attracting many artists from all around Indonesia. My real problem at this point in time is space, i have very little of it and there is increasingly less ways i can rearrange my bags to fit within baggage restrictions. This trip has revealed my intense weakness for buying art and i should have realised in retrospect that Ubud wasn't the best place to go in my position. In three days i wrestled with my conciense and in a way i successfully escaped with only one more painting to squeeze in. There are some seriously impressive pieces on show and for between 10-100 quid a pop it is seriously hard to resist.
With only ten days to spend on Bali i had to move on and the next port of call was Toya Bungkah a small town inside the crater of Gunung Batur. This is the second highest point of Bali and is truly stunning. The road and several villages rest precariously on the rim of the volcano and down below lies the town of Toya and the beautiful lake. Then within this crater is another volcano which is the summit. I headed here eager to get some more hiking in before returning home and a steamy active volcano seemed just the ticket. Before this i had another slightly more unwelcome challenge to overcome. I had rented a scooter to get around Bali as the island is pretty small, but this brought me face to face with the islands incredibly corrupt and such a pain in the ass police force. Knowing full well that tourists don't have the correct paperwork they seem to have taken it on themselves to dent Balis image and extort money. So as i approach the crater rim my heart fell as a police road block waves we over. Shit shit shit. I had spoken to some people in Ubud who had been had for 100 quid which was not an option for me or even within remotely reasonable realms so i awaited what they said. Predictably they say you do not have an international license which is true (the uk one does not count in Indonesia) so i just keep saying, no my license is fine over and over again like a stuck record hoping they will just let me go. Not to be outdone he calls the boss over and same story is repeated to him, then an unexpected turn he asks what is is in the tube i am carrying. I explain it is a painting, then he says you are an art student, yep i reply not knowing where it is going. Then prove i am a student i pull out the bedraggled and long since expired card i carry all the while trying to hide the money just taken from the ATM earlier. I think the student ploy was good as they said so you are poor and yes that is now very much true thanks to Australia and with a smile that seemed to say you are not going to be so lucky next time he let me go. So so happy but it just meant that i had to ride looking out for police more than anything else and although twice more i was waved at i just floored it with the plan of playing ignorant and they never pursued. It really is annoying though, in Vietnam despite being there for a month and breaking so many road rules we didn't have a single issue. But Indonesia as a whole is not quite as welcoming or accommodating as some of the other places i have been to.
When you do a trip like mine you cant always be in a country during the dry season and so it is with Indonesia. January is the wettest month and up until Gunung Batur no rain although this was unlikely to last. I took the initiative and climbed while the weather was fine and it was a great hike up through the pine forest and over the lava fields to the summit. I had been given an egg by the lady at the home stay but after putting it in a steaming vent to cook i dropped it over the edge as it was a lot hotter than expected. Not too big a disappointment as i would rather the egg than me. There really wasn't much else to do in the crater apart from drive up and down the windy road pretending to be Valentino Rossi and even that after a while lost its thrill. So off to do some snorkeling in Amed.
The weather by now had turned and in torrential rain i headed off for the three hour drive over two volcanoes to the coast. On the way i stopped off at the Besakih temple complex the holiest site on Bali which was full of worshipers as it was the full moon that day. The rain meant i couldn't really hang around but fortunately by the time i reached Amed the sun was out and wow what a place. The beach is black sand and due to the time of year pretty much deserted making for some tasty deals on beach front bungalows. I really enjoyed it snorkeling on the amazing reef in the bay with all sorts of colourful fish and then an early morning fishing trip. I managed to extend my run of never having caught anything ever and instead had to make do with watching a school of dolphins swimming around us and then jumping ahead of the boat. Amazing stuff. The guy who took me fishing i think felt pitty and gave me some fish he had caught which the lady at the bungalows turned into the most incredible fish lunch i have ever had. Indonesian food might have little variety but if you like fish there is no better.
My flight left the next day so i split the journey back to Kuta with a stop over in Padang Bai. The town was pleasant enough for the evening but the road on the east coast of the island was phenomenal and the real draw. Like the great ocean roads of California and Australia but designed for bikes. Windy, up and down with amazing views so much fun. More than confirming my need for a bike license when i return. I had six hours to kill till my flight and there was a huge power outage so i headed to the airport just to get some air con and max out Starbucks free wifi. The heat in Kuta that day was like nothing i have ever felt before, so hot and humid you feel sick and cant breathe. Plus i had 23 kilos of luggage hanging off me. Cant wait to be rid of it soon.
Bali might not be my favourite of places and sometimes it is a bit of a tourist trap but i would recommend it if anyone wants a taste of Asia with all the trimmings. And the east coast is stunning and would be a highlight of any trip.
10 days in Bali down and then a flight to the north of Sulawesi and hopefully a bit more adventure. Touching down in Manado at midnight was a massive pain especially as all the hotels were full leaving me with the hotel Celebes. Not bad location i thought next to the harbour, that was until the morning fish market started at 5.30am. Great stuff. What took the cake is that i had to stay two nights as being a small christian enclave in Indonesia nothing runs on a Sunday. From Manado on many peoples recommendation i headed out to Pulau Bunakan which is rated as one of the top 10 places to dive in the world. And i can see why. Not being a diver i satisfied myself purely with snorkeling. Lorenzos bungalows was quality and had a great vibe and some really nice people with whom i shared a boat out onto the reef. It was such incredible snorkeling we stayed alot longer than i had planned and my back was thoroughly cooked by the time we returned. The disappointment of Australia was completely forgotten. The reef stretches 100m or so off shore before there is a deep sea dropoff that attracts barracuda, sharks and many other things besides. We saw so many turtles it was getting ridiculous. Two days of that was wonderful and im so glad i got over my slight fear of being swept away in the fairly strong currents and took the plunge. Again pushed for time as i always seem to be yesterday i grabbed a bus on a wild ride through the dark forest and mountains in the north of the island to Gorontalo to get the ferry to the Togian islands. This is something i have looked forward to for nearly a year. Its a tropical paradise national park, with wildlife teeming both onland and offshore and i cant wait to get back in the water. Never ever thought i would say that.
Saturday 15 January 2011
Australia - Melbourne to Brisvegas
Following on from our Christmas day on St Kilda beach, I had the opportunity to do something i had dreamed of doing for quite a while. Go to the ashes in Australia. This is basically one of the most important things i had in mind before i left home and was a fixed date in the calendar. I was a bit gutted that i didn't see any cricket in Perth but our change of plan was definitely the best decision. So boxing day, early doors we headed to the MCG with most of the other residents at the hostel and what seemed like half of Melbourne. 85,000 people at a cricket match is essentially unheard of and walking into the stadium you really did feel butterflies. And so much more was to come. By midday with the Australian batting line up in a complete shambles things couldn't be better. Never did i dream i would see their entire innings and see England bat all in one day. I have just been chatting to an Australian couple over dinner and its nice to be able to give someone else stick about their national team. All in all it was an excellent time to be a Pomme down under.
Next day was another must do for any self respecting English person and a trip to the neighbours night to meet the cast. Despite how corny i was expecting it to be it was kind of cool. We went with Tom and Paul two guys we met on Christmas day and it turned into a really fun evening of which i have very little recollection. I have the photo and signature evidence of meeting Dr. Karl Kennedy, and also the very lovely Sky Mangle. It turns out Dillon, Stingray and Boyd all live together so they were all there as well. Normally Karls band plays but for some reason he didn't that night which was a bit annoying but the rest of it was great although we definitely were cheated out of the trivia prize. Next day was a bit of a mission though trooping around Ramsay street and some other parts of the neighbours set with a massive hangover. It was ok but the street is nothing like i expected, its really small in real life and just a normal residential street. The tour was pretty short so we managed to get to the cricket again for midday and see us rub salt in the wounds and take another 7 Australian wickets. Immense
That was pretty much it for Melbourne apart from seeing the penguins in the harbour. Melbourne without a shadow of a doubt is the best city i have ever been to, no word of a lie although Sydney does run it close. If i don't end up back there someday i will be very disappointed.
Next up Sydney for the most iconic new years imaginable. For this special occasion Jon and I were joined by Jamie who had managed to leave the arctic conditions of the UK and join us for a couple of weeks. Sydney like Melbourne is great, and we were blessed with the most perfect weather you could hope for. Seeing the opera house and bridge were must do's of course but the real reason as i said before was the fireworks and new years party. Most places fill up fast and we kind of left it a little late but we joined Tom and Paul headed to the only free patch of ground in a tiny little park with about 1,000 others. Quite a few beers later the 10 hours or so of waiting went by fairly quickly and although it wasn't the best view it was definitely the best new years i have ever had. Nicely followed up the next day by a trip to the world famous Bondi beach to soak up some rays and sleep off the after effects from the night before. Bondi was rammed but the good feeling abounded and it was a really pleasant way to spend any day.
Three days in Sydney was pretty much it and saying goodbye far too quickly for what i would have liked we flew to Cairns in the north of Queensland. It was here that we had to amend our plans as the flooding had cut the roads between us and Brisbane as well as the access points to Fraser island. This was gutting to be completely honest as this was the number 1 thing everybody said to do in Australia. Not to be too downhearted we made the most of the north of Queensland heading up to Cape Tribulation and Daintree national park via Port Douglas. Despite the hundreds of slow down for Cassowary signs we saw hide nor hair of them or any other animal for that matter. Queensland's great and the beaches are truly spectacular but the signs everywhere warning of the crocodiles and jellyfish mean you cant go swimming. Its like being given the best dinner in the world and being told you cant eat it. Oh well there are plenty of other activities and happily for me at least the clouds stayed away long enough for me to tick off another of my things to do before you die and i did a skydive. The whole experience was immensely surreal as we kept being delayed and delayed, then it was all go go go and over in the space of five minutes. We freefalled 11,000 feet in 60 seconds before doing the final 3,000 parachuting down. Honestly it is hard to describe the rush, im glad i did it as a tandem as i am sure i would forget to open the schute while looking around. The feeling is incredible and pretty much all consuming so it is very difficult to concentrate on doing anything else. A real highlight and a big thanks for the amazing Christmas present to everyone who contributed.
From Cairns we had a long drive down to Airlie beach in order to take a trip to the Whitsunday islands and the great barrier reef. Having had to change all our plans at the last moment we had nothing booked but managed to do it the same morning we wanted to leave, so we had a mad rush to get the ferry to long island. The resort was pretty decent and made a nice change as it was only the second place where i have had a pool since ive been away, with the added bonus of a hot tub and turtles swimming just off the beach. One day on the island and one day on the reef was all we had time for. Im not going to lie the reef was a bit disappointing although I did see some cool fish and some anemones etc. The area of the reef they have their big pontoon on has had two typhoons recently which pretty much annihilated the coral. Still a good day out followed by a pub quiz at the resort which is a good way to end any day.
Unfortunately for us that concluded Australia. On flying into Brisbane we had intended to drive down to Byron bay but the weather/lack of accommodation rendered that pointless and left us with 4 days to kill in Brisbane. Its not the greatest of cities and when the weather is wet there is very little to do in Australia and even our trip to the cinema was cut short when they turned off the film and told everyone to leave before the city was cut off by the rising water. We did manage a trip to Australia zoo which descended into farce in the heaviest rain i have ever seen. Despite this we did manage to go and pay homage to Steve Irwin at the crocoseum and see his wife and kids do a show. It was good but it must have been awesome if he had been there. Looking around the zoo you realize what an amazing guy he actually was and how much he did for wildlife but also Australia as a global icon.
Due to the nightmare situation we found ourselves in Jon and Jamie bailed early so as not to waste any more of their holiday and headed for Hong Kong and fortunately for myself i managed to change my flights and left the next morning. Rumours abounded about public transport stopping and the airport being cut off, so with no desire to spend anymore time in Brisbane i took a cab and got the earliest flight i could and now i am here amongst the temples and rice terraces on the paradise island of Bali.
Hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and new years. All the best for the rest of the year!!!
Next day was another must do for any self respecting English person and a trip to the neighbours night to meet the cast. Despite how corny i was expecting it to be it was kind of cool. We went with Tom and Paul two guys we met on Christmas day and it turned into a really fun evening of which i have very little recollection. I have the photo and signature evidence of meeting Dr. Karl Kennedy, and also the very lovely Sky Mangle. It turns out Dillon, Stingray and Boyd all live together so they were all there as well. Normally Karls band plays but for some reason he didn't that night which was a bit annoying but the rest of it was great although we definitely were cheated out of the trivia prize. Next day was a bit of a mission though trooping around Ramsay street and some other parts of the neighbours set with a massive hangover. It was ok but the street is nothing like i expected, its really small in real life and just a normal residential street. The tour was pretty short so we managed to get to the cricket again for midday and see us rub salt in the wounds and take another 7 Australian wickets. Immense
That was pretty much it for Melbourne apart from seeing the penguins in the harbour. Melbourne without a shadow of a doubt is the best city i have ever been to, no word of a lie although Sydney does run it close. If i don't end up back there someday i will be very disappointed.
Next up Sydney for the most iconic new years imaginable. For this special occasion Jon and I were joined by Jamie who had managed to leave the arctic conditions of the UK and join us for a couple of weeks. Sydney like Melbourne is great, and we were blessed with the most perfect weather you could hope for. Seeing the opera house and bridge were must do's of course but the real reason as i said before was the fireworks and new years party. Most places fill up fast and we kind of left it a little late but we joined Tom and Paul headed to the only free patch of ground in a tiny little park with about 1,000 others. Quite a few beers later the 10 hours or so of waiting went by fairly quickly and although it wasn't the best view it was definitely the best new years i have ever had. Nicely followed up the next day by a trip to the world famous Bondi beach to soak up some rays and sleep off the after effects from the night before. Bondi was rammed but the good feeling abounded and it was a really pleasant way to spend any day.
Three days in Sydney was pretty much it and saying goodbye far too quickly for what i would have liked we flew to Cairns in the north of Queensland. It was here that we had to amend our plans as the flooding had cut the roads between us and Brisbane as well as the access points to Fraser island. This was gutting to be completely honest as this was the number 1 thing everybody said to do in Australia. Not to be too downhearted we made the most of the north of Queensland heading up to Cape Tribulation and Daintree national park via Port Douglas. Despite the hundreds of slow down for Cassowary signs we saw hide nor hair of them or any other animal for that matter. Queensland's great and the beaches are truly spectacular but the signs everywhere warning of the crocodiles and jellyfish mean you cant go swimming. Its like being given the best dinner in the world and being told you cant eat it. Oh well there are plenty of other activities and happily for me at least the clouds stayed away long enough for me to tick off another of my things to do before you die and i did a skydive. The whole experience was immensely surreal as we kept being delayed and delayed, then it was all go go go and over in the space of five minutes. We freefalled 11,000 feet in 60 seconds before doing the final 3,000 parachuting down. Honestly it is hard to describe the rush, im glad i did it as a tandem as i am sure i would forget to open the schute while looking around. The feeling is incredible and pretty much all consuming so it is very difficult to concentrate on doing anything else. A real highlight and a big thanks for the amazing Christmas present to everyone who contributed.
From Cairns we had a long drive down to Airlie beach in order to take a trip to the Whitsunday islands and the great barrier reef. Having had to change all our plans at the last moment we had nothing booked but managed to do it the same morning we wanted to leave, so we had a mad rush to get the ferry to long island. The resort was pretty decent and made a nice change as it was only the second place where i have had a pool since ive been away, with the added bonus of a hot tub and turtles swimming just off the beach. One day on the island and one day on the reef was all we had time for. Im not going to lie the reef was a bit disappointing although I did see some cool fish and some anemones etc. The area of the reef they have their big pontoon on has had two typhoons recently which pretty much annihilated the coral. Still a good day out followed by a pub quiz at the resort which is a good way to end any day.
Unfortunately for us that concluded Australia. On flying into Brisbane we had intended to drive down to Byron bay but the weather/lack of accommodation rendered that pointless and left us with 4 days to kill in Brisbane. Its not the greatest of cities and when the weather is wet there is very little to do in Australia and even our trip to the cinema was cut short when they turned off the film and told everyone to leave before the city was cut off by the rising water. We did manage a trip to Australia zoo which descended into farce in the heaviest rain i have ever seen. Despite this we did manage to go and pay homage to Steve Irwin at the crocoseum and see his wife and kids do a show. It was good but it must have been awesome if he had been there. Looking around the zoo you realize what an amazing guy he actually was and how much he did for wildlife but also Australia as a global icon.
Due to the nightmare situation we found ourselves in Jon and Jamie bailed early so as not to waste any more of their holiday and headed for Hong Kong and fortunately for myself i managed to change my flights and left the next morning. Rumours abounded about public transport stopping and the airport being cut off, so with no desire to spend anymore time in Brisbane i took a cab and got the earliest flight i could and now i am here amongst the temples and rice terraces on the paradise island of Bali.
Hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and new years. All the best for the rest of the year!!!
Thursday 13 January 2011
WA and Melbourne
I will first make my excuses as to why i haven't done a blog post in over a month. The problem with Australia is that it seems to be the only place on earth where providing easy and cheap internet access is not taken for granted. It does go to show how much we rely on it now.
Despite this the month in Australia with Jon and in the later stages Jamie was immense. I really really enjoyed it and if there is any city on earth that can claim to have the best quality of life it has to be Melbourne or Sydney. Not being much of a city person at the best of times i loved these two cities with Melbourne i think just slightly edging it.
Anyways we started off our ambitious plans with 6 days in western Australia. Originally we were going there to watch some of the cricket but the lack of anything else to do in Perth, plus the rave reviews we heard about the margaret river region meant we took the hire car for an extra day. Before taking the car we had a day in Fremantle where we met up with Josh who happened to be in town before heading to south africa for christmas. We took in the sights of the fremantle jail on a guided tour before grabbing some beers and heading to the beach to watch the sunset over the indian ocean. The quality of life in australia is ridiculous at no point if you live in a major city are you more than 1/2 hour from a beach that puts most places to shame. And these are the city beaches much better were to come.
Perth isn't bad by any means just very quiet and the main attraction in Western Australia is the lack of people and the completely unspoiled coastline. So we headed south and our first day in Margaret river took in the beautiful Meelup beach and the cape peninsula as well as wine tasting at one of the many vineyards in this very famous part of the world. We ended it on Hamlin bay swimming in the crystal clear waters off a 5km stretch of beach with literally no-one else. WA is the size of India with only 2 million people of which most live in Perth. Unfortunately you could spend months here and not see everything and we only had six days. So unlucky for Jon as he was the only one driving the next day we blitzed it south to Pendleton to climb the Gloucester tree which is the highest fire lookout in WA at 60m. A little bit hairy climbing up some spikes sticking out of the trunk but an awesome view from the top. After a quick walk in the bush we pushed on to Walpole where you can do a boardwalk through the forest canopy. It was pretty cool but a distinct lack of any wildlife to look at. To date only kookaburras and kangaroos to tick off in the i-spy guide.
That was pretty much it in WA, i would have liked to have a bit of time to see the dolphins in Bunburry where we stopped for the night but time did not permit as we had to drop the car off. Again as with so much of the trip i flew out of perth with the feeling of having so much unfinished business, only getting the very briefest of tastes.
Even briefer still was my stop in Adelaide as i could count the hours on one hand having had my flight delayed until the evening and then being picked up early as the next morning. Instead of flying to Melbourne straight from Perth we had booked onto a tour of the Grampians and the great ocean road leaving from Adelaide. Normally hating tours more than anything this was much better than expected. First day was a bit rubbish as it was mainly sitting in the bus but the next two involved a bit of hiking, some amazing views from the pinnacles at the top of the Grampian mountains as well as the coastline of the great ocean road. Good times and after this we arrived in Melbourne to get ready for the most un-christmasy Christmas of my life.
Despite it being the 23rd of December and making quite a few attempts to boost the Christmas spirit listening to the Glee rendition of numerous classics (Jons ipod not mine) being sat in the sunshine getting a tan seems to nullify all efforts. Despite this we went to the cathedral in the centre of Melbourne Christmas eve which seemed to be full of English people for the evening service, before standing in the main square watching carols by candlelight. Turned out to be pretty good in the end and it was a great atmosphere all around. For Christmas itself we signed up for the meal at the hostel which after a few initial reservations was pretty good. Being my first Christmas not at home it kind of helps being around other people who are also away from their families and are in the same position as yourself. The atmosphere was pretty good and the post Christmas lunch activities were one to remember as we all headed down to St. Kilda beach to play cricket (which my team won) and football (which i gave up on due to the dubiious leg breaking challenges that seemed to be dominating). After watching the complete misery at home over the winter i was not the slightest bit envious of not having a white Christmas and i reckon i could get used to sunbathing with some turkey sandwiches in the future.
TBC...
Despite this the month in Australia with Jon and in the later stages Jamie was immense. I really really enjoyed it and if there is any city on earth that can claim to have the best quality of life it has to be Melbourne or Sydney. Not being much of a city person at the best of times i loved these two cities with Melbourne i think just slightly edging it.
Anyways we started off our ambitious plans with 6 days in western Australia. Originally we were going there to watch some of the cricket but the lack of anything else to do in Perth, plus the rave reviews we heard about the margaret river region meant we took the hire car for an extra day. Before taking the car we had a day in Fremantle where we met up with Josh who happened to be in town before heading to south africa for christmas. We took in the sights of the fremantle jail on a guided tour before grabbing some beers and heading to the beach to watch the sunset over the indian ocean. The quality of life in australia is ridiculous at no point if you live in a major city are you more than 1/2 hour from a beach that puts most places to shame. And these are the city beaches much better were to come.
Perth isn't bad by any means just very quiet and the main attraction in Western Australia is the lack of people and the completely unspoiled coastline. So we headed south and our first day in Margaret river took in the beautiful Meelup beach and the cape peninsula as well as wine tasting at one of the many vineyards in this very famous part of the world. We ended it on Hamlin bay swimming in the crystal clear waters off a 5km stretch of beach with literally no-one else. WA is the size of India with only 2 million people of which most live in Perth. Unfortunately you could spend months here and not see everything and we only had six days. So unlucky for Jon as he was the only one driving the next day we blitzed it south to Pendleton to climb the Gloucester tree which is the highest fire lookout in WA at 60m. A little bit hairy climbing up some spikes sticking out of the trunk but an awesome view from the top. After a quick walk in the bush we pushed on to Walpole where you can do a boardwalk through the forest canopy. It was pretty cool but a distinct lack of any wildlife to look at. To date only kookaburras and kangaroos to tick off in the i-spy guide.
That was pretty much it in WA, i would have liked to have a bit of time to see the dolphins in Bunburry where we stopped for the night but time did not permit as we had to drop the car off. Again as with so much of the trip i flew out of perth with the feeling of having so much unfinished business, only getting the very briefest of tastes.
Even briefer still was my stop in Adelaide as i could count the hours on one hand having had my flight delayed until the evening and then being picked up early as the next morning. Instead of flying to Melbourne straight from Perth we had booked onto a tour of the Grampians and the great ocean road leaving from Adelaide. Normally hating tours more than anything this was much better than expected. First day was a bit rubbish as it was mainly sitting in the bus but the next two involved a bit of hiking, some amazing views from the pinnacles at the top of the Grampian mountains as well as the coastline of the great ocean road. Good times and after this we arrived in Melbourne to get ready for the most un-christmasy Christmas of my life.
Despite it being the 23rd of December and making quite a few attempts to boost the Christmas spirit listening to the Glee rendition of numerous classics (Jons ipod not mine) being sat in the sunshine getting a tan seems to nullify all efforts. Despite this we went to the cathedral in the centre of Melbourne Christmas eve which seemed to be full of English people for the evening service, before standing in the main square watching carols by candlelight. Turned out to be pretty good in the end and it was a great atmosphere all around. For Christmas itself we signed up for the meal at the hostel which after a few initial reservations was pretty good. Being my first Christmas not at home it kind of helps being around other people who are also away from their families and are in the same position as yourself. The atmosphere was pretty good and the post Christmas lunch activities were one to remember as we all headed down to St. Kilda beach to play cricket (which my team won) and football (which i gave up on due to the dubiious leg breaking challenges that seemed to be dominating). After watching the complete misery at home over the winter i was not the slightest bit envious of not having a white Christmas and i reckon i could get used to sunbathing with some turkey sandwiches in the future.
TBC...
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