Sawadika Chiang Mai & Mae Taeng

Chiang Mai - a modern city and a beautiful northern province surrounded by mountainous jungle inhabited by hill tribes. The old walled town still remains - now swamped with guesthouses, it has become the tourist hub of the north yet still retains its sleepier, coffee shop culture.

After a long day of waiting and flying through fork lightning, we were relieved to land - picked up by our kind hostel hosts, we spent the first couple of nights in a 'couples dorm' - strange concept - its basically a double bed bunk squeezed into what can only be described as a large cupboard with sliding doors. A space saver, maybe, but comfortable? Not so much, though the place was pretty kitsch, with a chilled out vibe.

A quick walk around the old town and you'll find small wats (temples) litter the city like regular churches, only more beautiful - these are adorned in gold, covered in colourful decoration and illuminated by hundreds of hanging paper lanterns as the city prepares for Loy Krathong festival (a Buddhist celebration that falls on the 12th full moon where locals send lanterns into the sky and sea to ask for forgiveness for the past and bring luck for the fufutre) 

Tourism is big business here, the whole place swells with tourist traffic and offers plenty of quirky places to drink and dine. Tourist offices on every street corner advertise the latest trekking adventure, elephant sanctuary or tiger kingdom to feed the booming city's economy at the expense of animal welfare.

Not keen on posing for photos with drugged up tigers or riding atop a badly treated elephant, we decided to trek through the mountainous jungles of Mae Taeng instead and chill out with the hill tribe kids - learn about the ways they live.

Rising early and with slightly dodgy tummies, we reluctantly jumped into the pickup truck and met our guide Mr Chi and fellow trekkers, a small bunch of English, Irish and Scottish twenty-somethings who like us, were ready for an adventure.

Cruising past palm trees and jungle foliage, monkeys and the occassional elephant, we arrived at base and had a quick portion of fried rice and rambutan fruit and an all important toilet break - which we very much appreciated as it was quite possibly the last real working toilet we would see for a while.

We started ascending the mountain which was really steep in places, the heat beating down on our sweaty heads. As we scrambled the rocky, overgrown trail we spotted avacoado trees, coffee beans growing and still green and hazelnuts encased in their spikey shells. Mr Chi, brandishing a small machete pointed out fat bodied and equally leggy spiders, giant poisonous milipedes and even got bitten by a viscious caterpillar himself. Cobra holes dotted the hill sides, the undergrowth glowed different shades of green in the sunlight and the trail underfoot covered our trainers with an orange dust.

Arriving at nearby waterfalls we sought relief from the afternoon sun, stripped to our swimmers and slid down the natural water slides shaped and smooth from the eroded stones. Plunging into the deep rock pools took our breath away, an adrenalin rush and refreshing all the same.

Hiking on in wet clothes was more comfortable, Mr Chi, with his slingshot, entertained us along the way with stories of his life and his future ambition to become his village's cheif - before we knew it we were nearing the peak,.walking through the Black Lahu hill tribe village and just about ready to flop into our bamboo hut.

Massages were offered from the local hill tribe women trying to earn a living, lying down on a bamboo mat we began to unwind, though uncomfortable at times as an eight year old girl was put to work on us. Unruly hill tribe children tried to play with us - jumping their dirty little feet on our bamboo mats and playing havoc with our belongings, throwing and hitting too. 

Some locals seemed happy to see us, welcoming the opportunity we bring. Others weren't bothered at all which was good as we didn't want to intrude. The children put on a little song and dance routine for us, some singing whole heartedly, others reluctant to perform whilst their teacher played on her mobile phone. Yes, mobile phone and remote hill tribe is a bit of an oxymoron and originally led us to believe that we weren't gaining an authentic experience of real life in the hill tribes - yet on second thoughts, perhaps this is authentic but not quite as romantic as the idea of remote village life sounds. Technology surrounds these people whether they want it or not, being only a couple of hours drive from the city, they're bound to have some mod-cons.

After a beautiful sunset overlooking the hills, we showered with a cold hose under a spidery rooved hut and shared a curry around the campfire on the bamboo deck. Playing cards, stick games, sharing life stories and guitar songs. We enjoyed each other's company and made the most of the absence of anti-social technology and shared a somewhat spiritual evening under the stars before wrapping up, spraying ourselves silly with repellant and retiring under our mosquito nets for a restless sleep as rain battered down and lightning lit up the room.

Dogs fought underneath the hut's stilts, howling and growling. Roosters cock-a-doodle-dooed premeturely and creatures scuttled among the bamboo beneath our heads. A recipe for a disaterous nights sleep, but an interesting experience to say the least.

We woke to freshly boiled eggs, bread and fruit - stocking up before a slippery and wet descent.

The views were spectacular from above the clouds in the morning light - walking down through the mist and dew covered overgrown grasses. A slippery walk in conversve, Mr Chi chopped and shaped appropriately sized bamboo hiking sticks for each of us along the way. Making bridges with fallen trees, we crossed the swelling river several times reaching the bottom for a pad thai lunch and to prepare for our elephant trek.

The elephants reached their trunks out to greet us, waiting for us to be popped onto the metal chair roped securely on their backs. Our elephant seemed reluctant. The mahout struggled to maintain control as the elephant reared up and whipped his trunk back to us as if to ask for a banana. Once out of bananas there was very little moving forward yet lots of grunting from the mahout and hitting with his spiked stick. Signs of where it had previously drawn blood on the elephants thick grey skin put me off and so we quickly turned back and got off, feeling sad about how the elephants are treated. Some of these gentle giants looked injured, walking with limp back feet so it was quite funny when a disobedient one led a mahout through branches of a nearby tree!

Next up was white water rafting down the Mae Taeng River. Kitted up, but with no instruction we took to the water with our raft hitting the worst of the rapids fast! 'Oh my buddah!' Bamboo rafting was meant to be the more gentle of the two but seeing as our bamboo raft didn't float very well with all 7 of us aboard, a sudden influx of boats and we were an easy target for a splash around. All good fun as long as the river water wasn't swallowed or inspected too closely!

After a long drive back to civilization, we flopped in our new hostel room and took the next couple of days to recover and enjoy a foodie experience of cafe hopping and enjoying fresh vegetable wraps and milkshakes and an unfortunate trip to a Thai dentist which I won't go into too much!

Our last night in Chiang Mai was an unexpected treat - lined with police and military officers, the main street in old town stopped to welcome an important V.I.P, a commander or chief. Escorted in on an open leapord print bus and accompanied by 2 large cartoon-ized police officer mascots, he saluted the friendly troops and continued downtown towards Saturday walking street markets for a stunning display of Aspara dancers and street music. The officers blended with tourists - smiling and welcoming us to join, clearly enjoying the atmosphere.

The event attracted heaving crowds and equally swarming insects to the seemingly endless market stalls which fringed the pavements for miles. Stopping occassionally for souvenirs, I excitedly spotted some extra small locally made clothes whilst Matt eyed up the street food - attempting to continue on whilst battling with the chopsticks!

Chiang Mai - it's been an adventure from the hill tops to the city walls...Next stop - Thailand's southern islands.

Soo-as'day Siem Reap, Cambodia!

Touching down in Cambodia, you'll have flewn over wetlands, luminous green rice paddies and swaying sugar palms for as far as the eye can see. The tropical heat hits as you step out of the plane, yet the air is somehow fresher and smells like wet grass on a summery day, which in contrast to the sticky city food smells of Bangkok is a very welcome change!

Meeting our friendly Khmer driver, Pumpkin, and taking a slow country-side ride in his tuk tuk to our villa, we passed villagers and street food vendors, strange skinny looking cows grazing amongst swampy banks, bicycle riders, coconut hoarders, swerving motorcyclists and numerous hotels. Homes like gazebos made from tarpaulin, barefoot children and stray dogs, banana trees, palms and wooden shacks. Finally taking a turn off the busy and seemingly no-rule roads, we reached a long and bumpy dirt track that lead to our incredible villa, 'The Mansion'. Sounds posh, but it's not. It's homey and rough around the edges, but naturally beautiful with a gorgeous pool side and jungle-like garden. The  place seems like it's run by a bunch of really good mates, some local and some Japanese. They're fun, friendly and treat us like long lost friends, they wave us off every time we leave through the front gate for free tuk tuk rides into town and greet us excitedly as we arrive back again. It's a pretty good atmosphere. The whole area comes alive at night with the nocturnal sounds of nature - miniature frogs and teeny tiny lizards join you for drinks in the bar area, got to watch out for the mosquitoes though as the surrounding wetlands make for a feeding ground at dusk.

Downtown Siem Reap is pretty fun and surprisingly hip, with backpackers and trendy bars popping up along the famous 'Pub street'. Tuk tuk drivers loiter, touting for business and Khmer women practice the art of public sleeping laying out amongst their market produce, exhausted from the relentless afternoon heat. Flies contaminate food produce - sweaty meat hangs from hooks, chicken feet and all sorts of seafood and fried bugs on sticks! Fruit and vegetable stalls and repeated clothes lines make up the most of Siem Reap and you'll soon be sick of hearing "hello ladiee, you buy something?" 

Food is good - it's milder than Thai and far more suitable for a bland western palate. Tonight we bar hopped, haggled for some souveniers and braved the 'bug cafe' a Cambodian restaurant famous for serving up insect delicacies including deep fried tarantulas, scorpion salads and crickets on sticks. We nervously awaited our sharing platter like it was some kind of 'bush tucker trial' and had to psyche ourselves up in order to dig in. To our surprise the spiders tasted the best - crispy legs, slightly hairy and a sweet chicken-like white meat body. Honestly - Delicious! One was deep fried and popped on the end of an insect kebab, and one was dipped in tempura batter but still hauntingly remained its eight legged shape! Squidgy silk worms and crunchy crickets seasoned a light medeterrain salad, fried red and giant black ants filled a crispy spring roll which was the easiest to eat as they were wrapped in filo pastry. The waterbug's shell was difficult to overcome, and the cricket legs after inspected were strong and seethrough and with tiny shoe-like feet - they were too much for me to eat. The body tasted sweet, but the head remained on the plate! Feeling very proud of ourselves, surely earning some serious backpacker points, we left for our tuk tuk and back to the villa for an evening swim...

We are surprised by how urban and up-and-coming downtown Siem Reap really is, civilized and uncivilized at the same time - its a city of contrast. Tourism is big business - with constant building work, near-luxury hotels and modern bars, it's pretty tourist friendly to say the least and with Angkor becoming well known on the tourist circuit, it's becoming more and more commercialised and unfortunatley less authentic. Though behind the modern city facade it seems the past still haunts - double amputees beg and landmine victims look for work, selling knock off books as you sit down for a drink. Young barefoot girls with babies wander the streets begging for milk powder (a scam where they return the milk to the shop in return for money and often spend it on cigarettes). Stick downtown for a few hours and you'll possibly see some baby swapping amongst them too! It's a poor place and with the US dollar as the unofficial but most commonly used currency, it makes the poor poorer and leaves tourists surprised at the unexpected inner-city prices - it's not as cheap as you would think! 

The Khmer people strike us as being incredibly friendly. even after suffering such a tragic past, they remain so smiley and good humoured that your cheeks will ache after a full day of haggling or chatting to the local tuk tuk drivers along Pub st. These guys have it pretty tough, working almost 24/7 just to feed their expanding families. As explained by a young driver Curtis, ten years ago there were only a handful of tuk tuks to match the small number of more adventurous traveller. Now there are more than 10,000 cluttering up the city streets which means business is hard to come by and tourists are constantly hassled. Tips are received graciously by kind drivers appreciative of the business we bring. Handouts are one thing, but these guys need opportunities to be created for a sustainable working life. Many have turned to scams in order to bring in some extra cash as the opportunities to work for an honest living are quickly running out.

Many khmers ride bikes around the untamed city roads transporting heavy goods like coconuts and baskets full of Market produce. Tuk tuks and motorbikes weave in and out carrying far too many passengers. Bare bottomed babies squeeze between the handlebars and toddlers ride casually on the back. Families of up to 5 squeeze on these things and children as young as 10 can be seen driving them! It's chaotic but in a chilled out kind of way, with no road rage, no anger, no racing at green lights. Instead they just cruise casually through the red ones.

A visit to Siem Reap would never be complete without visiting the wats (temples) within Angkor Archaeological Park, an ancient site of epic proportions. A long lost city now intertwined with jungle. In fact, it's what most people are here for. Our first visit to the iconic Angkor Wat was a bit of a wash out to say the least - arriving by tuk tuk we swiftly left again as a sudden thundery downpour hit the ground hard turning the rusty coloured dust paths into luminous orange landslides.

With numerous NGO's and responsible voluntourism agencies popping up, we thought we would experience the ancient temples of Angkor by bike instead and with a local guide in return we made a small donation to the Khmer for Khmer Organisation (KKO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) who strive to provide free edcucation for kindergarteners and primary age children, creating jobs for local teachers and tour guides whilst offering several vocational apprenticeships for young people in order to set them up for a sustainable and honest working life. A brighter future for all involved and a worthy cause we thought!

Our 40km off-roading bike adventure was lead by a young, local man, Yount - with an enormous smile and an enthusiasm for sharing with us his knowledge of the temples, surprising histories and religious tales of Angkor. Taking us from the chaotic city roads to the deserted jungle clad temples, we rode alongside luminous green rice paddies and splashed through sodden, sandy pathways flicking up fresh mud. Negotiating swathes of low hanging branches, gnarly tree roots and jungle vines, we flapped away at flying insects and stopped for a short walk through a rural village.

A woman fried freshly caught fish over a fire outside her handmade wooden and corrugated metal home, whilst her toddler watched and waved at us. A man in the shack opposite sat patiently working on some sort of wicker fishing trap whilst lame and injured looking dogs lay sleepily and small crabs scuttled around in a pot. Yount showed us their water pump and demonstrated how it worked - the life blood of the community, critical to their survival here within the Angkorian jungle. We rode on past their expertly built homes that looked too heavy to be balanced so precariously on their bamboo stilts. Barefoot children with 'Ben 10' lunch packs chased each other home from school, cheering and waving at us as we rode past. Their school - another wooden shack sheltered by a corrugated roof is filled with wooden benches set out in rows with a single whiteboard at the front. 1 teacher to 50 children aged 4-8 Yount explained. - imagine that! They have English class, and Maths daily and Drawing class once a week. It's great to hear that drawing skills are given importance here - maybe with a view to selling artwork to tourists in later life, or perhaps simply for enjoyment, no purpose is necessary I suppose.

Riding onwards through the jungle's untamed terrain, we reached the elaborately carved stone walls which surround the majestic temples. Suffocated by tree roots and covered in moss, some sprouted new life -colourful flowers attracting bright yellow butterflies and small orange-winged birds. Entering through the towering and somewhat fearsome gates, incredible carved faces looked down on us. The gods on one side, the deamons on the other. Depicted with cartoon like features, the precisely carved sculptures lined either side of the grand entrance to Bayon, one of the largest and most visited temples of all.

Taking a break from the bikes we enjoyed exploring the hidden and mysterious passage ways of the Bayon temple in the blistering afternoon heat before sitting down for a chat over lunch. Yount has ambition - studying English, the language of business and wealth, he plans to travel. But it's not straightforward for him. With the currency exchange so low - the chances of reaching the western world are pretty slim. We were surprised to hear he hasn't even stepped out of Siem Reap. It really made us realise and appreciate the wealth of opportunity that is available to us, to develop skills to sustain a secure life but also how ridiculously expensive living in the UK really is.

Onwards to hidden, tourist free temples - we spotted Apsara dancers on temple walls and noticed where Buddah carvings had been removed - transposed into hindu symbols by the late king. We took touristy snaps at Ta Prohm, standing by the towering tree that grows from the roof and next to the giant tree roots that run down the temple walls - an iconic image made famous by Angelina Jolie and the Tomb Raider movies. The tropical rain came, turned torrential and gave an eerie prehistoric atmosphere to the place. But onwards we went, crossing a precarious bridge over a swollen river dam, leaving tyre tracks in the mud and peddaling fast on low gears through minor floods.

Battered, bruised, bitten, filthy dirty and soaking wet...We cycled back through the dark finally joining the city roads only to find the early evening taffic a more challenging ride than through the jungle - keeping up with the tuk tuks and meeting motorbikes head to head riding towards us on the barely existent cycle paths! Feeling sore and exhausted we thanked Yount and took a tuk tuk back to our hotel impatiently awaiting takeaway pizza and our bed.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat was worth the early wake up. Although the downside is getting stuck behind the hoards of irritating Chinese tourists, a sea of big floppy hats, sun umbrellas and men clutching their Canon and Nikon SLR's. Not exactly an easy way to capture that much anticipated photograph as the low rising sun reflects Angkors incredible golden pagodas.

Monkeys, once only spotted in the jungle trees, have decided that tourists are a great provider of food and nik naks. A minor attack, and one little guy with surprisingly sharp teeth fooled us with his lazy disposition and with sudden determination he grappled with a man for his packed lunch. Celebrating his success and causing quite a stir on the temple steps, he sat down to eat quietly, casually and carefully unwrapping the celephane with his dexterous fingers before digging in.

After finally locating our driver - not an easy task picking him out from the crowd of tuk tuks and sleepy drivers, we went back to hang out in our favourite place on pub st - The Sun.

After a late afternoon swim we climbed Bachay Mountian - a temple upon a hill. Not only were we
 all templed-out - but we pushed passed the tourists only to find a thick cloud of storm approaching. No sunset - just a cloudy distant view. Tried again at Angkor for sunset - capturing the perfect photo from there instead as the crowds were up high on the mountain.

With one last day in Siem Reap, we tasted the local dish - Amok (it's bit like a curry with a spicy coconut taste) and visited the night markets once again to haggle for a coconut bowl souvounir.

We're sad to leave this place, but excited to come back.

Swasdi Bangkok!

Crowded, humid, aromatic, fashion concious Bangkok is without a doubt one of the craziest cities to grace our planet. Public transport is a plus - like London yet cleaner and smarter and only 20p a ride.  Food - Overwhelming amounts of whatever takes your fancy, but must get used to the chopsticks, soft and slippery textures and strange Thai mixtures. Eating at bbq plaza was an experience we may not take again - the idea is to order small dishes to cook yourself on a hot plate. Unfortunately for us unfamiliar westerners we hadn't the first clue what to order or what to do! Food was not even close to being delicious, but we'll keep trying...

First thing that hits you when you walk out of Suvarnabhumi airport's sliding doors is not only the hot, sticky air but the city smells. A mixture of cultures and street foods makes for a salty, spicy smell so thick it consatntly hangs in the heavy, humid air.

The Thai people seem incredibly humble, friendly and attentive, making an overwhelmingly busy and seemingly careless city an inviting and pleasant one to explore.

A city of contrasts - simply catching the sky train downtown, gliding over the many raised spaghetti shaped roads, will give a glimpse of what life is like here. Towering modern office blocks in the financial district and high rise malls brimming with fashionistas clutching their iphones mingle amongst street vendors, beggers with visible illnesses, orphaned children and small make-shift huts with sloping corrugated metal roofs. Advertising billboards so enormous they shadow small plots of overcrowded settlement.

A walk from the main street down the numerous sois (side streets) and there will be men touting for business, motorbikes with girls sat casually on the back, weaving through pedestrians who walk along the uneven pavements and street vendors who line the paths with intriguing goods and snacks of all kinds for ridiculously low prices. Tuk tuks with surprisingly large exhausts push through the crowds advertising their fares whilst scantily clad Thai girls try to welcome tourists in to massage parlours and bars with explicit names like 'shag bar' or 'honey house' which are exactly what it says on the tin! Inside, dingy bars are brimming with 'waitresses' and foreign men.

Bangkok has to be the capital of consumerism! Whether it's glamorous shopping malls with designer stores and themed floors or the weekend markets, you can get your hands on literally anything you like from clothes and souveniers to knives, machetes and even sex toys just casually layed out for all to see.

The weekend markets at Chatachuck were an interesting array of stalls and street food and clothes that finally fit! Exploring downtown Silom and its numerous risque side streets including Patpong made for an eye opening experience to say the least! The streets are lined with seedy clubs. Market stalls set outside entice tourists who are desperately persuaded by touts to enter the many strip bars and underground clubs for sex shows and 'pingpong' girls. 

We made for a swift exit after a few inappropriate offers, although felt quite safe all the same as thankfully the touts respect a simple 'no thank you' and move on. Sex is big business in Thailand and they are more than forthcoming about it...

We're getting used to the food...slowly. Taking a seat at one of the many pop up street food areas we tried some Seafood Pad Thai. The miniature octopus on top put me off a little, but Matt quickly swallowed that up and I was ready to give it a go. Verdict: not bad.

500 baht to hire a longtail boat down the Chao Phraya river, not a bad price, but it's not exactly the gentle cruise we expected! Slipping down into the long and very narrow boat, we held hands tightly and prayed for our safety! With wooden benches so low we huddled up as central as possible to ease the swaying and were practically on level with the polluted river water. The huge engine revved and before long we were slamming down onto the river, spray hitting our faces with every bump. Along with a sudden thundery downpour, our driver offered an umbrella and soon pulled up , thankfully letting us off at Rattanakosin, the first city of Bangkok, the old, traditional town home to the numerous Wats (Buddhist temples) and the famous backpacker district surrounding Khao San Road. 

First stop - Wat Pho - Temple of the reclining buddah. The ornately decorated temples and towering pagodas house multiple golden Buddahs, one of which whilst stretched out is about the same size as a large passenger plane. An interesting position for a buddah seeing as they usually tend to sit cross legged. The colours are incredible, the multi-tiered rooves drip with gold and tropical flowers sit at the buddahs feet. Buddhist monks in bright orange robes teach local school children. It's quite humbling to watch them try to grasp the attention of classfulls of fidgety 9 year olds. The Grand Palace and The Temple of the Emerald Buddah are exactly as named, although exceeded our high expectations. They're spectacular theme-park sized complexes dedicated to a teeny tiny Buddah made out of Jade! Commissioned by King Rama, the temple buildings are a stunning example of Thai-Buddhist Architecture, although heaving with tourists, it was not always easy to appreciate them getting caught up in Chinese tour groups and sweltering in 34℃ heat. 

Khao San Road, backpacker paradise - you could be anywhere in the world. A generic road lined with illegal street vendors who pack and unpack their goods as and when they spot the tourist police who parade the street. Neon signs overwhelm and touts treat you like walking dollar signs. Finally sitting down for drinks served by a 'ladyboy', we are interrupted continually by women selling bracelets, men with umbrellas and wooden elephants, fake ID's and even cooked Scorpions on sticks! Heaving with European teenagers and those annoying guitar playing guys with dreadlocks, the whole experience is not exactly authentic but it's worth checking out. 

Not a great place for browsing the clothing stalls though. With the target market being the tourists as oppposed to Thais, I'm getting a lot of 'oh skinny girl' and 'you tiny - like Thai girl' - Ok so yeah, I'm small for a western woman!

Taking our first tuk tuk back to our hotel - dark and raining - it was one of those 'heart-in-mouth moments'! Swerving in front of cars and chasing overloaded motorcycles, we held on tightly as we were flung around in the back, no slowing for pot holes. Our chinese driver, intent on mumbling to us in Thai turned round in an attempt to pose in our photographs all whilst cruising on through a chaotic intersection. 

There's no health and safety here! - We were pretty safe in comparison to what we saw...babies bundled up on their mother's laps who sit casually on the back of motorcycles, workers huddled up in open pick up's or riding barefoot on the roof of trucks. 

100 days of happy...travelling

Last summer on the Isle of Wight...

A few from our summer as Senior Camp Coaches for Camp Beaumont on the Isle of Wight....

 

Top 10 reasons to Travel:

1. Stop rushing through life, juggling the jobs and obsessing about the next big thing. Wriggle out of the rat race and stroll down a side street for a while. Travelling allows you to live in the present, slow down and enjoy the moment.

So quit checking chores off the to-do list and start making a bucket list. The best thing about travelling is that the hardest decision you make is what your next meal will be!

2. Surviving on a tight budget and carrying your life belongings on your back, you’ll learn to live with less. Volunteering is a great way to give back and makes you appreciate the life you have.

3. Travel will challenge your preconceptions and beat the stereotypes. Learning and living among other cultures will help you to see the world with new eyes. The change in perspective might even lead you to consider changing aspects of your own lifestyle.

4. Travel for the excitement. Scrap the plans and step into the unknown, travel isn't meant to be predictable, it’s about stepping out of your comfort zone, so say yes to new experiences.

5.  Meet new people! Making friends whilst travelling is effortless, you’re all in it together so finding common ground is really easy, the best thing about it is discovering your differences and learning about each other’s lives. Rely on the kindness of strangers, it will restore your faith in humanity and leave you feeling happy.

6. Travel for the confidence it will give you once you have conquered your fears. Take on challenges, climb mountains, bungee-jump off bridges, fall from planes and trek through the country’s outback. Do the things that you always talk about doing. Dreams are never as unrealistic as they may seem before you start travelling.

7. For the food! Eat and enjoy food you never even considered consuming! Try new things, no matter how bizarre they may seem! Eat like a local, snack on street food and discover the delicious delicacies. You’ll never be disappointed by a trip to the supermarket, explore their isles for weird and wonderful treats.

8. quench your curiosity! Climb to the top of the mountain, hire a bike and ride off the beaten track, take a detour on the way back to the hostel. Put your travel guide down and be guided by the locals, follow your interests, incite your imagination.

9. Travel helps you to break free from the mold, be the person you truly want to be and accept yourself for who you are. We don’t always have to conform. It feels good to kick your shoes off and live life by your own rules.

10. Travel for the memories, the cool stories you’ll be reminiscing and the quirky souvenirs which will fill your humble abode!  

This is 2014.

So it's actually 2014. Can hardly believe it, im wondering where the time has gone! The year we have been looking forward to... to finally graduate after 4 years of hard out study, both suffering and conqouring various teaching practices, coaching courses, assignments and exams. Now we are  drowning in a sea of books, spending our evenings hunched over laptops and praying for the day that our dissertations are ready to be bound and submitted! There's way more work to be done before we get there, and I'm now unsure about whether im looking forward to it or dreading it! Nottingham Trent has served us well, great friends, good times and happy memories, such a friendly university, feeling at home here, i think we would both quite like time to stop for a second or two so we can appreciate it and enjoy our lasts few months as students - an occupation we have become exceedingly good at! This was definitely one of life's good decisions!...

With all this going on, you would think there wasn't room to make travel plans, maybe there shouldn't be. But what better way to motivate than planning the next big trip?!....

Happy New Year!

Survived final teaching practices and numerous university presentations, taught Xhosa kids in South Africa, Jumped the world's highest bungee bridge, nearly died cliff jumping in Storm's black water river! Ate the tongue from some severed sheep's head, sat and watched as 150 elephants splashed about in the watering hole, clambered to the top of Table Mountain and abseiled down again, celebrated my mum's 60th with family and friends, watched my best friend walk down the isle on her wedding day, sunned ourselves at my cousins spectacular wedding in Sicily and met some very cool people whilst spending another summer working on the Isle of Wight! .... Bring on 2014!

On Safari - Addo National Park, Eastern Cape - South Africa

5.30am and we're jumping into an open 4by4 truck for our sunrise Safari through Addo National Park. What an incredible game drive. Still dusk and with the cool wind whipping against our cheeks we huddled together, watching carefully, camera's at the ready for the first signs of wild-life. It wasn't long before we spotted Kudu, the male's long twisted antlers looked beautifully majestic and the females had such giant ears. Some stood still, stunned by the vehicle, others ran and hid in the bushes. Tortoises sat at the side of the dusty orange road, slow and sleepy looking whilst Jackalls chased each other over the plains. We spotted Zebra grazing among dry patches of grass when a huge herd of African Buffalo walked towards the watering hole. Amazing, we couldn't quite believe it was all happening right in front of us, we drove closer to the herd and watched them all cross the dusty path and refresh themselves in the water, Zebra too with birds flying alongside the Buffalo. 


It was a cold, cloudy morning but when the sun finally broke through it felt warm against our faces. We spotted 2 elephants in the distant bush before heading back the park's entrance for breakfast. 

Back in our tour bus we took to the dusty tracks for another 3 hour game drive to the other side of Addo. Within minutes we were blocked by African Elephants in the road ahead and only about a metre away from us! Such incredible, pre-historic looking creatures, they were relatively slow and so heavy looking, every step they took looked like hard work! The Elephants grazed on the bushes, using their trunks to reach the tall leaves, happily munching without a second glance at us. Along the way, we saw many more Kudu, by lunch-time animals were appearing much closer. 

We spotted another couple of elephants walking towards the main watering hole, following them there we stumbled upon over 150 of them hanging out there having a drink. Babies taking shade under their mothers and smaller elephants  playing in the water splashing each other and rolling around. Families tended to stick together and we spotted herds crossing the plains on their way over. 
They patiently awaited their turn, and when one family had moved on another took to the watering hole. The Elephants shared their space with warthogs, but Jackals were clearly not as welcome. Protecting the babies, the Male Elephants scared them off with a flick of the trunk or a stamp of the feet. Incredible to see their power, only used if absolutely necessary to assert their authority and protect their young.  How incredible! We couldn't believe it was all happening,  like something from a National Geographic documentary, unbelievable to truly see this all happening in the wild in front of us! Such beautiful creatures, we watched them as they played. 

When the Elephants had started to move on, heading to the buses for shade and a graze, we drove on wards to a high look-out point where we could hop off the bus and overlook the plains. It was a hot day with temperatures creeping up to 30°c. Monkeys played in the tree's and tortoises crept along the ground. 

On our way out of the park we spotted Wilderbeest and Springbok, Ostrich and Warthog. An Elephant even blocked our path! We stopped as he slowly sauntered towards us. For a second i thought he might sit on our bonnet! But he moved past us and blew water from his trunk into our windows! Wow - how lucky are we!

Blackwater Tubing & Kloofing – Storms river, Tsitsikamma forest, South Africa

Kitted up and ready to go – well, almost – the water was so cold that we were advised to double up on wetsuits!....mine were far too baggy, and my shoes had holes in and the helmet kept slipping over my eyes, meanwhile Matt managed to somehow look rather gorgeous in his wetsuits! 

We hopped on the back of a pick-up truck and in true South African style we sped through the indigenous forest, the windy rain blowing in our faces and the occasional splatter of muddy puddles and passing branches! It was a bumpy ride! Our guides, Tate and Richard were very entertaining though at one point I hadn’t a clue where Moses, the driver was going! We came to a sudden stop in the middle of nowhere and jumped off and grabbed a rubber ring. After a steep hike down to the river, we jumped in backwards into the water. It was deep, completely black and absolutely ice cold! It was deep red in the shallows, coloured from the tanin (the same stuff that’s in red wine and tea). Hitting the water fast, it took my breath away, the bones in my hands ached from the cold!

The first jump (kloof) was 5m. After conquering the world’s highest bungee yesterday at 216m, 5m was nothing! After watching everyone else do it, I plucked up the courage and climbed up the steep cliff. Richard stopped me at the top and warned me seriously about the rocks below and that all I had to do was jump out away from the cliff. After a short countdown I ran towards the edge but without thinking I just stepped off. I fell just centimetres away from the rocks below. Everyone held their breaths, It was so cold and I hit the water so fast, I was in complete shock and was hardly able to catch my own breath, my hands were red and stinging from the impact. I struggled back onto my ring as fast as I possibly could only for Richard to chuck me off again, a friendly way of saying ‘at least your alive! you idiot!’ And with that, I summersaulted under the water!

That was it for me – no more kloofing! Matt was brave, he did all the jumps; he is so confident in the water even though his ring had a hole and kept deflating underneath him! The water was deep and so dark but very fresh and drinkable. The rapids were fast flowing and so much fun to tube along. The scenery was epic! Tate said I was a reckless driver but I felt like I couldn't control my speed, I'm only little and light so the rapids carried me and I slipped over the rocks! There were times when we all became stuck, beached on the larger rocks. Once I gained my confidence I enjoyed the rapids and felt more in control. Matt was cruising along without a worry in the world! At times it was relaxing, floating on the Stormsriver. There were lots of reeds, beautiful birds and overhanging trees, the mountains were tall and cast long shadows over the water, we felt rather insignificant in comparison. At times I was scared, giant, silvery spider webs hung low in the trees and we spotted spiders walking on the water. Pretty incredible really.

We played around a lot trying to tip each other, or escape from Tate and Richard. It was hard work paddling, but what an incredible experience. The guides opened up a sandwhich box towards the end and gave us all a Mars bar in the water – just what we craved! We walked over rocks and negotiated slippery rapids, what a great way to see the explore Tsitsikamma forest. Exhausted, we jumped back into the pick-up and hitched a ride home with Moses, spotting a family of baboons along the way.  

What an adventure!