New Zealand

So no lotto win for me and I completed my flight down to Auckland via an eventful night on the floor at Sydney airport. I rushed to check in as soon as they opened at 04:00 only to be told that they had no record of my booking. They cannot fool me however as I had the evidence in my hand so Quantas had to concede. Bit of a scary moment though. Flying into Auckland airport over the tiny islands that surround the north east coast the views were glorious and a great fore taste of things to come. After a couple of days exploring Auckland, so called city of sails as it has one sailing boat to every 5 people, I had signed up to a Flying kiwi tour of both islands and so duly joined that in Auckland. Having been on the tour now for 6 days I feel my feet have barely touched the ground and I’ve been busy every moment. Highlights so far include walking the Tongairio crossing, a high alpine trek, considered to be one of the best day walks in the world. It was extremely beautiful but I have to say that I have had just as good walks in our Lake district, I’ve cycled up and down mountains, ran alongside waterfalls, taken forest walks and sat in thermal pools. We visited the oldest Kauri tree in New Zealand. It led to a bit of an error on my part when I looked at the wrong tree for five minutes thinking I’d been scammed whilst everyone else stared at the correct tree in wonder.

Bay of islands

I eventually found the largest tree!

Thermal activity in Rotorua

Lake side camping

Huka falls

Emerald lake Tongariro

Group of valiant trekkers

The north island of New Zealand is uncannily similar to Britain and at every view point there is something that reminds you of the lakes, Yorkshire dales or Snowdonia. It is a stunningly beautiful place with natural wonders in abundance. Every beach is fantastic, there are geysers, hot pools galore, all very lord of the Rings and today we drove past Mt Doom.  As I haven't seen the film I was a bit bemused but everyone else was very excited. Everyone tells me the south island is even better so I’m looking forward to tomorrow when we make the ferry crossing from Wellington over to Picton.

Bunbury and Walpole

Walpole

We had to visit the local bar



Xmas day on the beach



Met this crazy lady

James at the summit of Mt Frankland

Kangaroos!!

Damage from bush fires

Walpole

Fellow Odysseyers James and Kay had kindly invited me to spend Xmas and the New Year with them at their new home in Bunbury. An offer which I was most grateful for and it was fantastic to see them again looking very well and obviously delighted to be amongst their family. It was great to meet all of them whom I’ve heard so much about. Ben also joined us for his first Christmas away from home. Christmas day started off on the beach which felt very strange to me. Where’s the snow! I guess it doesn’t snow much at 38 degrees. We ate lots of good food at Rachels and Brians, daughter and son in law of James and Kay and we were fed until we popped! Of course Kay made us drink the dreaded alcohol as well, we were defenceless, particularly Ben. After a few days in which I either cycled, ran or walked every street in Bunbury we headed for Walpole which is situated on the south west corner of Australia. Rachel and Brian have a home there deep into bush land and I found it absolutely fascinating. Surrounded by acres and acres of bush land it was a slice of paradise. Populated by snakes, kangaroos and emus to name a few it was great to see the real Australia and Australian locals. So far here I have struggled to meet anyone who is actually Australian, every nationality but. A boat trip on New Years eve into and beyond the inlet at Walpole bought us to the best beach I have seen so far. The colour of the water had to be seen to be believed and with the waves crashing onto the deserted shore it was a memorable way to look forward to the oncoming year. A party late into the early hours at a neighbours house, this was the nearest neighbour at 1k away, enabled me to meet lots of true blooded Australians. Immensely friendly and welcoming, they certainly love to party and I only mentioned the Ashes a couple of couple of times! Well you’ve got to.




Australia is a country I’ve warmed too rather than liked straight away. In lots of ways and not unsurprisingly, it feels like England. Obviously slightly hotter and supersized and I’ve never had kangaroos bounce across the road in front of the car in England, but it feels very familiar. I do love the laid back attitude of the Aussies, no stress here, we should adapt that policy. Walpole is an amazing place, so amazing I’ve bought a local lotto ticket and I know where I’ll be buying a house if or should I say when my numbers come up. So another country chalked up, I think I’m on maybe 25, and it’s New Zealand tomorrow. Wonder what sport we can beat the Kiwis at!

Bunbury

Bunbury Beach

A three hour coach journey south of Scarborough took me down the west coast to Bunbury. No ordinary coach journey for me. I found myself on a luxury coach with tea and coffee, free wifi and movies. I missed the hawkers of SE Asia though, I could have done with some cheap pineapple. Australia seems to be a great country but sometimes it just feels a bit too sedate after the madness of SE Asia and I’ve found myself missing the chaos. Still I could probably create some chaos of my own. Although I can see why people strive to live here, for young families it’s a great way of life and the standard of living is very high. The recession hasn’t reached this far. However the country does seem to have the same social problems as ours maybe just on a lesser scale because the population is so sparse. Bunbury is situated on the south west corner and apparently is home to lots of friendly dolphins. It is also one of only 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. I don’t know what that means exactly but it sounds good in the leaflet! Surrounded on three sides by water Bunbury is a charming city, very small with a population of only 35,000, it’s very quaint and old fashioned in a lot of ways. Arriving on a Wednesday caused problems. When I asked where the nearest shop was there was a big sigh from the hostel receptionist. She said “Is it Wednesday?” I agreed it was. “Oh dear” she said “Wednesday, Wednesday, everything shuts early on a Wednesday” My fault, I was a bit silly thinking the shops would be open after 6 pm after all! It’s also very strange to see the Christmas lights and trees decorated when it’s 30 degrees outside.




I have met up again with Ben who has been staying here since we arrived in Australia. It’s nice to see him and he certainly seems to seems to have settled into the way of life and looks happy and healthy. Bunbury is a great place to cycle with endless shared pavements and I have taken advantage of the cheap hostel rates for my first bike ride in Australia. The sunsets again are amazing and the beach is even better than Scarborough. White sand, virtually deserted bar the odd dog walker and clear water. It makes for a very picturesque scene. I have spotted my first kangaroos other than in the zoo and I think they were wild. Well they certainly looked pretty angry to me! Oh and my nose is peeling and bright red, quite an attractive look if I say so myself.

Scarborough Beach

 

 After a visit to Perth zoo which was very enjoyable especially the gibbons it was time to say goodbye to Roberta and to Perth. It’s been an interesting city if somewhat bland and well ordered but well worth seeing. Roberta is on her way to Melbourne and the comparative luxury of hotels whilst I am still in hostel land and have headed up the coast to Scarborough Beach. Luckily my choice of hostel for my first night alone in almost 8 months has proved very successful. Located right on the Indian ocean the hostel is clean, cheap with friendly staff and full of guests who are more interested in surfing than fighting, unlike the previous place. The beach itself is magnificent. I arrived on a windy day and the swells of the surf were great to see. I watched in awe at the skills of the kite and wind surfers, just as they watched in awe as they saw me running later! I think it was awe! Sunset was particularly spectacular. I choose Scarborough Beach as I have fond memories of living at our Scarborough and it’s uncanny how alike the two places are. Both are situated on a sea/ocean, they have exactly the same street names, both have a Peasholm Park and both have constant sunshine, oh no that’s just this Scarborough! As a bonus it is also a lot cheaper here than Perth and I have found some nice chilled white wine at last. On the downside every odd ball, there’s no PC way of saying that, seems to realise I’m in town and insists on talking to me. My avoidance skills are getting better and better though.

View from hostel

My running track

You don't have to catch fish here, they just jump out at you!

Australia!



 So to Australia and as the airport taxi driver pointed out, no more “massage, transport, taxi” to worry us we were on our way back to the western world. Sharing a flight with dozens of dreadlocked Australian women wearing Bintang vests we flew over the Kimberley and down the western coast to Perth. When I worked at the airport we used to call this sort of flight RAF, not in recognition of our splendid air force, more as in rough as f….  Sorry kids.  The views from the aircraft window were of a vast red desert stretching as far as you could see with seemingly no sign of life. Immigration proved to be no problem, which was a relief for Ben who had somehow assumed that they would pick on an American boy. No-one could pick on him as much as we’ve done for the past 7 months. With Ben safely on his bus myself and Roberta arrived at our hostel in central Perth. Hence incurring the first culture shock. The hostel also provides accommodation for long term backpacker workers and as such resembles a student digs or even a youth offending institute but even messier. The list of rules handed to us included certain fines. So if I ever feel the need to urinate in the room it will cost me $50 or if I reach the dizzy heights of vomiting $70. I have yet to enquire if they do special two for one offers! Welcome to Australia! There was also a fight on our second night which involved one lad knocking out another. Nice!

About time I did some exercise

Both not worth drinking especially at $4 a bottle!

Hostel!  Not my mess.

Watching the Ashes in the sunshine

My running route

Feeling a bit negative I felt even worse when I realised how expensive everything is. Probably not in real terms but it certainly seems it after Asia. However a long walk around what seems a very nice city including a great waterfront made things seem better. Plus of course the sun is shining and the sky is blue, very blue. I have had my first run on Australian soil taking in no less then 3 different parks. I haven't suddenly become a great runner it’s just the parks are close to each other.

A visit along the coast to Fremantle, famous for the America cup, provided us with views of houses reportedly worth $87 million, so I just need to find the owners and I'm sorted.  The first glimpse of the Indian Ocean looks very impressive and having decided to spend a week very soon at the beach in Scarborough, not our Scarborough!, I look forward to seeing lots more of it.  I'll put some pics up soon when I buy a new camera and I have to say this quietly so my kids don't hear, I'm going to the zoo on Tuesday!

Ubud and beyond

Gili Air

Ubud turned out to be a great place to spend a few nights. With our bargaining skills honed by months on the road we managed to secure a room in a great hotel with swimming pool and breakfast for less than £6 a night which made us all very happy. It’s a great town with seemingly a temple on every corner, art galleries galore and lots to see and do and certainly plenty of expensive boutiques if you’ve got money in your purse. If you can ignore the constant cries of “transport, taxi, massage” that fill the air it really is a very nice place. The rest of the guys did the culture trip which meant that I didn’t have to, phew!! so I hired a bike to visit the rice terraces and such like. More my sort of thing. Although I did go to the monkey forest which housed 300+ macaques in a beautiful setting. Or it would have been beautiful if I wasn’t so scared of of them! One or two are okay but 300 was a bit much for me. We also found a Mexican restaurant with the best fajitas ever so happy days for all and Ben kept us laughing with his tales of his emergency use of the pages of his rough guide to Australia book and his saving of the letter P for Perth.

They might look cute but they're very very scary honestly!!

Not the worse place we've ever stayed.

We reluctantly left Ubud and travelled on a ferry across to Lombok. A scenic ride led us past deserted white sand islands, schools of dolphins and turtles. However it also led us to believe that Lombok would be similar. Unfortunately not. We arrived in the main resort of Singiggi somewhat surprised. The postcards show sweeping bays of clean white sand, in reality it is volcanic ash mainly covered in rubbish. Maybe because we have seen so many great sights on this trip we have been spoiled but certainly I wasn’t impressed. It could be that we are on the wrong part of the island, who knows. It could also be the fact that we have been travelling so long we are getting weary and things don’t appear fresh anymore. I do miss my family, my dog and especially my bambino, so maybe it’s just that, but at least least it’s warm here!




Catching a ferry to one of the Gili islands, Gili Air, the next day cheered me up. Situated just off the coast of Lombok these really are the islands that postcards are made of. White sand, deserted beaches, lots of snorkeling and swimming along with a great bungalow to sleep in all for less than £5 per night! It also had the most chilled out manager ever maybe due to his chain smoking of dubious substances. I opted to sleep outside on the balcony which proved a great choice enabling me to watch a fantastic sunrise every day. Plus it bought out the gypsy in me. Don’t think I’ll try it at home though. A run around the perimeter of the island takes about 40 minutes and again I’m privileged to be able to run amongst fantastic scenery. Running with the sun setting over the Indian ocean and the sound of the mosque calling for prayer is amazing.  Myself Heather and Roberta spent a day snorkeling and had a great time, spotting giant turtles, a huge variety of fish and the most amazing coral.  The Gili islands are famous for diving and snorkeling and rightly so.  We also saw fantastic sunsets, definitely a place I would return too.  It was the perfect end, or nearly end, to Asia for us.  After 5 relaxing days we caught a boat, bus, ferry, bus in the Indonesian tradition of hurry up and wait and are now in Kuta sorting our bags out for the flight to Australia.  Kuta is a major holiday resort for Australians and as such full of tacky bars and very similar to Benidorm, maybe without the pensioners!  Still a couple of nights are ok.  Next stop Perth.  Thanks Roberta for the photos.

Volcanos!!

Ok so now I'm the big 50 I'm meant to appreciate culture!!

Should be mighty mariners!!  No wonder I had trouble sleeping!

We tried Simons cupboard game to no avail!  Never mind Simon where ever you are!

Arriving at the train station in Yogyakarta was a bit surreal. A layer of ash covered everything as evidence of the still erupting Mt Merapi. Although it’s usually a busy tourist destination most of the tourists had been evacuated so it was just us hardy backpackers and a few random Germans, not that there‘s anything wrong with random Germans of course! Respect for race and diverity and all that! Unfortunately due to the volcano many of the tourist attractions were closed as there were within the 20k safety zone but we did manage a bit of culture, visiting the Sultans palace which was slightly underwhelming and also a batik factory, where I swore that I wasn’t going to buy anything and came out with a present for Louise. They know I’m an easy touch. The next day due to it being my birthday and to celebrate somehow reaching such a great age, I managed to persuade Roberta and Heather that cycling 40k in the heat and with crazy traffic was a great idea. We cycled merrily along to the Prambanan, a 6^th/7^th century Hindu temple. Along the way motorists stopped their cars to take videos of us no doubt impressed by our turn of speed! The temple was actually very impressive and extremely well restored. The gardens were also bizarrely similar to Chatsworth which made me long for the English countryside somewhat. Yogyakarta was overall a very pleasant city with a good feel to it and hopefully it will recover soon and the tourists return.  There was just one bad note for me, inadvertantly I found myself sleeping on a Man Utd mattress, not amused, the mighty Mariners would have been better!

We caught a free train to Solo the next day. Not used to getting something for nothing it took a lot to persuade us that it was really free and even then we weren’t really convinced. Expecting to be be thrown off at any time. However we arrived safely for a quick overnight stop in a quaint hotel. Confined to base due to a massive tropical storm dinner proved to be most amusing. First Heather stated “ I’ve never had a boiled egg before, I’m actually a bit scared!”, then I proceeded to eat a whole green chilli thinking it was asparagus and nearly passed out and lastly Ben tried to eat an ice cube, got brain freeze and had to run around the hotel for ten minutes refusing to spit it into a napkin “ because I need that for my toilet roll”. Roberta just rolled her eyes. We’re getting more sophisticated by the day! It’s only a matter of time before hotels refuse to take us.




So an overnight bus driven by a pair of maniac drivers has bought us to Lovina on the north coast of Bali. Myself, Ben and Roberta got up at the crack of dawn to watch the dolphins swimming and go snorkeling.  Very worthwhile as we saw dozens of dolphins including one which did a nifty spin for us and then did it again to make sure we had seen. So I need to add dolphins to my list of creatures to take home!  Lovina is a quiet resort with the only sound the calls of the beach traders “ Lesley, Lesley buy this buy that.  I did make the mistake of telling them my name and they have passed it round to the extent where I was swimming 500 meters out and they called me by name to buy bracelets! I thought I’d managed to avoid them by clever use of my bike only to have one of them offer me a better bike to hire. I going to try and run past them this evening, that’ll frighten them! I’ve spent a bit of time a the natural hot springs, very relaxing and riding around the countryside. Also quite relaxing in it’s own way once you get used to the traffic rules, i.e. there are no traffic rules! Tomorrow will see us travel to Ubud, a inland hill resort for hopefully lot’s of trekking.