Meet Maggi our not so new but cute camper!

So we are in New Zealand now and have spent the first days wondering around Christchurch car shopping. On Saturday we stumbled across a bright, white, little van sat on its own in the corner of a car yard. 'That's the one'! We asked how much and bartered a while and settled on a price, which we think was a bargain. The van needed a few bits doing to it so we couldn't pick it up till Monday, this gave us two days to see what was left of Christchurch after the earthquakes.

We wondered a few blocks down from our hostel and got to a street lined with storage containers (the kind you find on a cargo ship), as we strolled further down the street we realised this was the new shopping  high street of Christchurch because the old town square is off limits and partly destroyed. We found a great place with loads of sale surf wear and we managed to pick up a couple of wetsuits for a great price. Robin's face lit up like Christmas had come early. We are now equipped to swim in the Pacific ocean without losing the feeling of our extremities.

The council have recently built a path through the main city square so you can see the real damage that the earthquake caused. It was so sad to see such a beautiful city in ruins. Having been here a few years ago with my family it was hard to picture the city how it once was.

On Monday we went for a lovely walk through the botanical gardens which was very peaceful and picturesque, it felt very strange to experience hayfever in late November! We then hired a rowing boat and Robin rowed me down the river Avon whilst I put my feet up and enjoyed the sunshine.

The adventure starts tomorrow when we slowly make our way down to the Southernmost point in New Zealand. We may not have access to internet quite as often as we have done so far but we will be in touch when ever we can.

Maggi the Camper

Cathedral Square

The Avon River

Back From The Mountains

OK so we are a bit premature with our return from the Blue Mountains, but the weather didn't really agree with our camping plans. Nevertheless we got a few great days of hiking under our belts and saw some fantastic views along with some great wildlife.

We arrived in Katoomba, one of the main towns in the Blue Mountains National Park, and it felt like we were in North Wales. Drizzle, Mist, and more Drizzle. We checked into a hostel and waited to see if it would pass. Which it did, but not for two days. In those two days we donned our waterproofs and braved the rain to get our bearings and hopefully see some of the sights but we were lucky to see 50 feet in front of us.

The sun finally came out and the temperature soared. We were raring to get going and make the most of the weather. We walked for miles and miles each day going here and there, getting lost then finding the way again, stumbling across spectacular waterfalls and clifftop lookouts with views of the forested valleys below us. Each day the tracks we took got smaller and steeper and we saw less people, it was great to be able to experience and enjoy things that so few others get to see. The downside to this however is that the further from civilisation you go, the closer to the creepy-crawlies you get. We had a few moments between us, and have lost count of the amount of times we had to check each other for spiders after walking into cobwebs.

We have come to the conclusion that Koala Bears and Kangaroos are mythical creatures created to lure tourists into the country, we didn't see a single one! We were thinking the same for the deadly snakes until I almost stepped on one. Some locals told us it was an Eastern Brown Snake, which we later learnt is the 2nd most venomous snake in the world!

Due to our change of plans in the mountains we have brought our flights to New Zealand forward to the 25th of November. We are going to enjoy our last few days in Australia by seeing a little more of Sydney and the surrounding area, and make sure Koalas and Kangaroos exist by going to the zoo!

If not before, we will speak to you next from New Zealand!!

G'day Mate (Hello for the non-australian speakers)

Arrived at Sydney Airport some time Sunday morning and jumped straight on a train and then a ferry which took us to Manly, a nice beachside town across the harbour from Sydney. Dumped our belongings at an apartment where Ollie, a family friend, is putting us up for a few days. Despite the Jet-lag we soldiered on and attempted to make the most of the full day we had to sample Manly.

Monday
After a good nights sleep we hopped back on the half hour ferry to Sydney, where you pass between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and get a great view of the Sydney skyline. We had decided to start easy and wander through the Botanical Gardens, which turned out to mean several hours walking...oh and it got up to 40 degrees! Lauren became obsessed with cockatoos and we spent about a hour sat on the grass as she attempted to stroke one by tempting it with grass. She was almost successful but the grass must not have been satisfactory, we did manage to get bitten by ants though. We had lost ourselves in the gardens for the majority of the day, enjoying the varied wildlife including flying-foxes (fruit bats) which filled the trees and began to fly around as the sun began to get low in the sky. We walked out of the gardens to the foot of the Opera House and took the obligatory tourist snaps. After walking around to the back of the building there is a fantastic view of the Harbour Bridge and after more happy snapping we moved on to grab a bite to eat and a cold drink before boarding the ferry back to Manly. We relaxed into the evening by swimming in the pool at the apartment complex and prepared for the next day.

Tuesday
We woke a little earlier today as we had planned a coastal walk to the headland outside Manly. We walked along beaches and sea cliffs where we saw Humpback Whales swimming offshore, and through forest and scrubland where we found an array of Lizards that scamper away as soon as you get close. The views were fantastic across the harbour towards Sydney and also out into the big, blue Pacific. We made our way back towards the town and stopped for a swim in the sea, with the crabs and the jellyfish. In the evening we went for a pizza and a beer on the wharf at the bustling waterfront, with the idea of seeing the penguins, that call the harbour home, clamber out of the sea up onto the beach....we waited for hours...they were a no show.

Venturing off to the Blue Mountains tomorrow where the real adventure begins. 3 weeks of hiking and camping! Can't wait! We might not have internet access so this may be our last blog for a few days but we'll update you as and when we can.

Cheerio!

Coastal walk near Manly

Harbour Bridge

This is as close as we got...

Thailand (part two)

Because central Bangkok is off limits with flooding we made the most of the suburb Lat Krabang where our hotel is. It's about 45 minutes drive from Bangkok.

After exploring some partly flooded streets we came across a beautiful nature reserve that made you forget you were surrounded by thousands of people in a busy market town.

We got about 5 minutes into the park and noticed what looked like a crocodile in the lake swimming our way. On closer inspection it was a huge water monitor lizard about 4 feet long (Lauren freaked out but I was incredibly brave). We were surrounded and lost count after we hit double figures. The place was crawling with wildlife...literally (bad cliché i know). There were chipmunks, turtles and tropical birds too.

After a few hours of enjoying the beasts and bugs we strolled back towards the hotel, risking life and limb as we dodged taxis and mopeds to cross the roads, while trying not to splash each other with dirty flood water (it turns out flip flops are not the best footwear for this scenario).

Back at the hotel we enjoyed a dip in the pool as the sun sank, and now we are going out to get some grub!

Here are a few pics...

P.S. Ray Mears here is telling you porkies, it was in fact me that was the brave one and Robin that was the wuss and ran away from the cute lizard, just thought I would make that clear ;) Ignore the frizzy hair, its the humidity ;) 

Next time we will speak to you will be after our 10 hour flight to Sydney...

I've Never Seen Such A Big Bed!

After 6 hours on the plane and ages and ages going through passport control we got out of the airport and into our hotel.

Rooftop Spa...Restaurant...Swimming Pool and 32 degrees C

What more could anyone ask for?

We'll post more after some exploration tomorrow.

Night

Day Two in Dubai

Today we went for a walk along Dubai Creek where Robin got a harassed by a man with a pashmina. This man insisted that we should buy this 'genuine' cashmere pashmina and then continued to wrap it around Robins head. 

We then went for a nice drink in a waterfront cafe where we were joined by one of the locals 'featured in the picture below'. 

Today's temperature was 27 degrees (bear in mind this is winter).

The next time we will speak to you will be from Bangkok!

Dubai!

The story so far...

Landed in Dubai at 7am, already really hot.

Got in a taxi, drove around for a while before the driver admitted he didn't know where he was going. Stopped and asked locals where the hotel was (unsuccessfully). Ended up directing the driver ourselves with our pocket map :)

Slept for a while in our apartment.

Bought a food shop for about a fiver.

Good first day!

Goodnight!

ITS CHRISTMAS!!!

Santa Claus came early to Linton this year and gave gifts of miniature toilet rolls and fold up shoes (which are awesome according to Lauren)

Jokes told, songs sang, games played.....and then the arguing ensued (aaah Christmas!)

Thank you Mr Claus, be seeing you again in December!

Passports Check!

2 Days to go, best get packing!

Question....How to cram what you need for 7 months into a rucksack?

First blog post

Lauren relaxing before the big trip. Only 4 days left!!!

EXCITED!!!!

So for those who don't know, we are going on an extended break from cold, wintry England to the toasty southern hemisphere.

This blog will be our way of taking you guys with us. So follow us and see what we're up too.

See you next June!