t h r e e s i x f i v e | 365 days 12 countries 2 backpacks 1 blog |

Over. And. Out.

2011-05-25T20:34:00.000+01:00

xxx

Returning home and wanting to stay, is this normal?

2011-05-17T12:42:00.009+01:00

So, yes, after suggesting (clearly stating) that the last post was going to be our last post, here I find myself again - posting this time as a blogger, rather than a traveller.

We have been home for a few weeks now and the reality of stationary life has well and truly sunk in. The joy of not having to worry about where we are sleeping each night, the disappearance of that constant where-is-my-passport-I-must-know-it's-exact-whereabouts-at-all-times feeling is a relief. And, most of all, once again being surrounded by people who we know and love and are happy to pick our broke asses up and drive us to the pub and buy us a beer just because they geographically now CAN is a massive bonus (some even bake us cakes! yum!)

But what of the down-sides? Are we feeling bored now that every experience is not a new sensory overload? Do we miss meeting weird and wonderful people from all over the world on a day-to-day basis? Is it strange not to be spending as much time with eachother? Well, yes and no.
I walked from my sisters place in Angel to a friends place in Camden along the Camden Canal the other day - a walk I've never done before - and it was beautiful. Posh redevelopments merged into grimy and disused building sites and all the while barge boats floated by with families and friends aboard, merry in the sunshine. Yes, there was a dead swan bobbing upside-down in the murky waters, a homeless and clearly drunk man was shouting incoherently at everyone who passed and the closer my proximity to Camden locks the stronger the smell of spliffs. But it was a joy. I loved feeling like a tourist again - looking through the eyes of a traveller in a city I call home. Our friends and family certainly fill up the 'weird and wonderful' quota and as for eachother, actually it's been nice to have our personal space back and luckily we live near eachother so it's still easy to meet up.

And so we look to the future; I have began a job hunt in a less-than friendly climate ("the economy will be better when we get back from our trip" - or not) and Rob is busy geeking up on his IT things before embarking on a similar employment mission. The plan is to job-up, settle-down and begin our life in one place together. But why do we not want to travel more?

This is a question that has kind of been bugging me...we had a great year, we loved travelling, there were no major disasters and plenty of plans for future trips so why would we rather stay in London (image: london met uni.com)? Is that normal? Shouldn't we have been bitten by the travel bug? Isn't it proper that we have itchy feet now? Maybe so, but that's just not us...what we're looking forward to now is stability, building exciting and challenging careers and - dare I say it - an income to enjoy spending after a year of strict budgeting.

I'm interested in what other readers and travel bloggers think about this...when you return home do you ever think 'I'd like to stay'? What drives you on? And - most importantly - are we normal?

So long, farewell, auf wiedersen, goodbye

2011-04-26T16:29:00.009+01:00

It's been almost a week now since we took our homeward flight and since then - apart from plenty of eating and drinking and hugging (other people, not just each other) - we have done all the cleaning and counting and list-making that two people might after 365 days away.

A lot of people have asked how much our trip has cost and so, in the hope that it'll serve to demonstrate how do-able something like a trip around the world really is to others who are contemplating it; here it is ...drum roll please...rounded to the nearest ten; a 1-year RTW trip including flights, insurance, vaccinations and spending was £9,540 per person

I'm not sure if we could have spent much less - we always opted for the cheapest transport, sleeping and eating options (usually much more fun and authentic anyway) and only splurged on once-in-a-lifetime things like tours of the Grand Canyon, scuba diving and - in New Zealand - repeatedly throwing ourselves at the ground from great heights.

Another quested we've been asked is what was your favourite place? This is an impossible one to answer. Or at least impossible to answer in one sentence - there are places that were beautiful but no fun, there were places that were cheap but the food was awful, there are placed we loved but would never want to go to again and places we wouldn't want to return to but we'd recommend that others go. The permeations are endless and so to simplify matters and as a kind of grand finale round-up here is our list of recommendations for 10 Top Travel To-do's

Best places to party
Vang Vieng (tubing, below)
Pai
Bangkok

Best food
India
Thailand
Malaysian

Best places to spend lots of money
Queenstown
Ubud
Singapore

Best places to save lots of money
India
Cambodia
Laos

Best beaches & seas
Gili T
Rarotonga (below)
Koh Tao

Best for scuba diving
Gili T
Bali
Koh Tao

Best for trekking
Chiang Mai
Mt Cook
Lavena Coastal walk

Best natural landmark
The Grand Canyon
Halong Bay
Night sky at Mt John observatory

Best man-made landmark
Taj Mahal
Golden Gate Bridge
Angkor Wat (below)

Best places to motorbike

North Thailand
Goa
Southern Swing – Laos

Best holiday destinations
Rarotonga
Koh Tao
Bali

Best for a city break
San Francisco
Singapore
Wellington

Thanks again to everyone that has followed our international escapades for this past year - hopefully this blog will continue to be some sort of helpful resource to fellow travellers and travel-bloggers, being part of this community has been an absolute pleasure.

This will be the last blog post from Three Six Five - with no upcoming travels scheduled and Day 365 reached we're hanging up our blogging boots, but thank you again everyone - it's been fun :)

Safe travels and all the best, love Three Six Five xx

Day 365: Honey! We're ho-ome!

2011-04-23T12:30:00.003+01:00

So we made it! 365 days have passed and we are now back, a little more learned and a little more tanned, where we started this whole crazy trip; home sweet green-and-pleasant home.

For now there is family and friends to embrace and bizarre sleeping-patterns to fight before some kind of 'normal' might descend on camp Three Six Five so this is just a little post to say thank you for sharing our adventures with us here and - for those reading from England - hopefully see you soon!

Day 361 – 364: Viva Las Vegas

2011-04-21T20:39:00.002+01:00

Hello from the buffet hall in Circus Circus where Three Six Five are enjoying the final meal of this incredible adventure. Yes we've come a long way since we departed, pale and considerably wealthier, 364 days ago – but this is not the time for reflection (big plans for that post are afoot though) this is a time to tell you all about our last few days.

Las Vegas is, as it's reputation would have you believe, loud and bright and garish and thoroughly fabulous. We cannot think of a place that is less like the dark and dusty streets of Delhi where we began our trip. Everything here is geared towards spending and everything is being sold by sex, in one form or another. You can't walk around without a guy in a 'girls girls girls' t-shirt snapping a calling card into you hand and a troop of vans with some suitably saucy ladies pictured and the slogan 'hot girls direct to your room in 20 mins' patrols the strip with alarming regularity.

Huge video billboards show adverts for resorts and shows in incredible audio and visual quality at every corner. Some roads cannot be crossed without taking a series of escalators up, over and through a resort's mall or casino – only the most dedicated of pedestrians could possibly pass through all these obstacles without parting with a penny.

Inside the gigantic resort complexes, though some sort of theme prevails (the Venetian has Sistine Chapel-style painting and gondolas, Paris has replicated the Eiffel tower and Circus Circus is full of clowns) basically all the casinos are the same. Once inside the sound of coins falling and slot machines beeping is overwhelming, people perch on stools hunched at their fruit machine or sit with a calm sense of panic at the high rolling tables.

Maybe this post is sounding a bit negative so far? That really wasn't my intention – all of the above is fact, it's true, it's what makes Vegas, Vegas and we were here because we wanted to be part of that, and – believe me – they make it as easy for you to fall into it as they can. We had to pass through two casinos to get to our room and when we did go in for a bit of gambling – we loved it.

Needless to say we were not playing for big money, and after a few gos on the slots (still don't really know how they work) we settled down at a roulette machine. Here we could play for 25c/spin and we didn't have to wait for other people to play – it was great. And it turns out the rumour of free drinks as long as your betting is true too, we were down a few Long Island Iced Teas and up a few dollars when we upped the bets. In the end, as you can see from the overjoyed expression on my face here, we turned $5 into $38.75 – that's a 700% ROI! Surely that never happens in Vegas?! Maybe we should have bet more in the first place..? (no, no, that's how they get you) But these winnings meant we could have a night out, all winning, loosing, drinking, eating and tipping included for a profit of $5. Magic.

Partially to save ourselves from the draw of the next big win and partially because it is one of the things to do here we decided to get tickets to a show & buffet for our last night. We were hoping to go to a variety show but in the end saw a comedy/burlesque show called Sin City which was really pretty good – lots of ass, lots of laughs; what more could two world-weary travellers ask for? How about 70 different dishes (desserts pictured) in a room the size of 3 football pitches that were all-you-could-eat? Yeah – we had that too.

Our walk home took us past the scarily over-sexed Call of the Sirens show at the front of Treasure Island and the infamous dancing fountains at the Bellagio. If we had been burnt before by dancing fountains (see Mysore) the thoughtful choreography and lighting of these fountains dancing to the sweet sound of Celine Dion's My heart will go on (surely the greatest show tune, like, ever?) smoothed them away. This was Vegas – of course it was going to be bigger and better than anything we'd seen before.

And now here we are, a few plates have been cleared since I began typing and there is a sort of quiet mood at the Three Six Five table. This may be because we've reached new levels of full (two buffets in as many days...that basically makes us locals, right?) or because, as Rob just asked me “Can you believe we're getting on a plane to go home today?” Honestly, no. I've regressed back into denial on this one, but believe it or not in four hours we'll be on our way to Gatwick.

Vegas has been a suitably memorable ending to a truly unforgettable year but, really, there's no place like home.

Day 361: The Grandest Canyon tour

2011-04-20T17:10:00.007+01:00

I have to begin this post with a massive, brightly-lit, way over the top, Vegas-style thank you to Rob's parents, Mac & Trish, for kindly and cleverly suggesting that our birthday presents this year come in the form of a donation towards doing something extra special in Nevada's party city. Fighting the temptation to cash this in for a 7-day buffet pass (what a way to go) we opted for the Grand Voyager pass to the Grand Canyon. And extra special it was.

After our first night out “on the strip” the day began with a bus ride to Boulder City airport at a very reasonable 11AM. After a short wait we were flying in a light aircraft over the desert and above the Hoover Dam. This huge structure, so the in-flight commentary informed us, is still the heaviest man-made structure on earth – to withstand all that water pressure it's almost as wide at it's base as it is tall (200m) - and contains more steel than the Eiffel Tower.

It was a bit of a bumpy ride but there was plenty more flying to come because now that we were on the edge of the Grand Canyon, we were taking a helicopter down into it. I was even lucky enough to get the front seat and sit next to the pilot. From this incredible vantage point the greys and reds of the sheer rock face were visible through a window that stretched from the ceiling all the way down to the base of the helicopter, just past my feet. The moment that we flew over the rim and the deep canyon fell out below me is one that I will never forget.

It was a short but breath-taking ride, everywhere we looked looked like nothing we had ever seen before, and deep inside the canyon – thanks to the Colorado River – it was actually much greener than you might expect of a massive crack in a desert landscape.

Here, within millions of years of mother nature's finest handiwork, our incredible list of modes of transportation for the day, then extended to boat. And not just any boat, a small carpeted boat with plush leather seats and (lucky for us) only one other wonderful couple to share it with. With a guide from a local tribe we cruised slowly upstream, able to marvel at the vastness of this natural wonder that reached up to the sky all around us, as he told us of old tribal traditions and the history of this sacred land.

Back in the 'copter (can one be so casual about a helicopter ride after just one trip? Probably not...) we were taken up and out of the Grand Canyon and back to a small base built wonderfully close to the edge for a late lunch. By this time the heat of the sun had been diminished by a thin layer of cloud cover and outcrops were casting long shadows across the canyon walls. After a good feed there was time only for a small bit of clambering over rocks, a final few snaps of a sight there was no way we could possibly forget, and then a flight back to Boulder City.

We were eventually returned to our hotel at just before 9PM – a long but beautiful, awe-inspiring and absolutely unforgettable day. This tour was with Scenic Airlines, who ran the trip like clock work and would come highly recommended from us if you ever find yourself in Nevada.

Huge thank you hugs to Mac & Trish again – not long now until we can do that in person :)

Day 351-360: San Francisco; New favourite City

2011-04-18T16:45:00.006+01:00

Sorry perfectly preened Singapore, apologies gloriously grungy Wellington; you have been beaten, ousted, you have been pipped at almost the very last post by San Francisco; three six five's official new favourite city.

We only had a few days in San Francisco and with so much to see and do we knew it was going to be pretty hectic. What we didn't know was that this would mean a sort of a get-fit-quick retreat to a beautiful city that perches perilously on no less than seven hills. As soon as we arrived we hit the streets, San Francisco is compact enough to walk around most of it – as long as you are wearing comfortable shoes and you are ready to layer up and layer down in accordance with it's ever changing micro-climates and the gradient of the hill you need to navigate through. And you will be passing hills; some so steep that the pavements are actually steps and some so high that the freezing gale force winds you experience at the top are nothing like the sunny little side street you were standing in below.

Our first excursion was to begin the strenuous trend; we decided to view the city from the top of a relatively small Coit Tower which sits on top of the deceivingly high Telegraph Hill. But the views from the top were well worth it. This would be our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge, glowing red in the distance over blue waters. From here we could see the city undulating out before us, every winding street, tiny secluded Alcatraz and all the piers that punctuate the coast-line. It is simply beautiful.

San Francisco, we knew, was a city full of artists and you don't have to go far to find a gallery, exhibition or even just some poetry taped to the pavement; passing the latter was a clear sign that we had made it to North Beach; former hang-out of Jack Kerouac and spiritual home of the Beat generation. Now I wouldn't really class myself as a fan of the beat movement (in fact, quite the opposite, but that's another discussion...) but it was pretty exciting for a bit of a lit-geek like me to go to the City Lights Book Store and have a drink in Vesuvio just as they were doing 60-odd years ago.

Further wanderings took us through China Town, Japan Town and to the Haight, where The grateful Dead once lived and the only thing stronger than the prevailing sense of the 60's hippy movement is the sweet smell of joints being smoked at every opportunity. There is even a clock on the corner of Haight and Ashbury that famously always reads four twenty; which will be either a deeply cool or very confusing statement to you, depending on your association with these cult numbers. The streets of Haight are lined with coffee shops, record stores, vintage clothes shops and – no surprises here – some incredible street art. Here the tattoo:person ratio soars and everyone seems intent on keeping the spirit of peace and free love alive. Yeah, I really really like the Haight.

Keen to take in as much of the city as we could, and with the soles of our shoes already notably thinner, we switched pavement for pedal and hired bicycles for a day. Our route took us through the beautiful Botanical Gardens and – not without a fair bit of huffing and puffing – over the Golden Gate Bridge itself. Unfortunately, this being San Francisco, the day had clouded over a bit by the time we made it to the big red bridge but to see it was still simply spectacular. Yes it may have all but killed the shipping trade in the area with its completion but who cares? It looks great – and as it turns out the then-defunct ferry house has now become a hub of culinary greatness.

We cycled along the coast back to our hostel and were more than happy to stop for a wander around the eateries and to admire the skaters and BMXers that strut their stuff aside a huge angular sculpture and below the huge clock tower that actually tells the real time, all the time.

Yes it had been a busy few days but it wasn't over just yet – we had one last thing on our must-do list; prominent in the prohibition era, there are still a few Speak Easy's to speak of. Under a 'Anti-Saloon League' sign, after a knock and uttering of a secret password, we were taken through a bookcase (seriously) to a tiny bar called 'The Library' that served incredible cocktails just like they did when it was illegal. It was the perfect way to end our short but sensational stint in this beautiful, vibrant and historic city.

San Francisco; we love you.

Day 348-350: The Getty and the Gospel

2011-04-14T06:38:00.006+01:00

It was a beautiful day that we visited the Getty Museum; sitting pretty high on the hills of Los Angeles it offers not only a stunning view of the sprawling city but far more exhibitions than one could possibly absorb in an afternoon's wanderings.

Much like the Guggenheim before it, the Getty Museum is one of those places where the building itself is one of the biggest artistic attractions. There are wide open spaces, frolicking fountains, great glass windows and sweeping sculpted gardens. And it's free to get in, once you've paid the $15 parking fee.

We wandered abound a small exhibition of Ankgor Gods, which made us realise how long ago it was that we visited Angkor Wat itself (for the record: 237 days) and a wonderful collection of impressionist paintings. On any visit to the Getty Museum, ample time must be allowed for coffee breaks in its numerous cafés.

That evening we had plans (so many plans, so many options...) so we couldn't stay to watch the sun set over LA but it is open late and I imagine it is quite the sight.

The following morning, in varying states of hungover and with a new edition to the British contingent, another friend from home, Claire, we were making our way to the holiest of events down in Hollywood. It was Sunday morning and we had tickets to a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues.

It was a buffet brunch and any preconceived notions I might have had about the American large portion-sizes were confirmed here. The buffet stretched from one side of the room to the other, almost as far as the eye (in an admittedly pretty dark room) could see and encompassed everything from scrambled eggs, muffins, waffles (plus toppings), macaroni cheese, salads (plural), cold meats, prawns, deserts (again, very plural) to build-it-yourself omelettes and watermelon slices. A feast! The perfect hangover cure – and that was just the buffet bit.

The best part was definitely the gospel itself; a choir lead by a woman with a voice like Aretha Franklin and an outfit like a wedding cake being attacked by a swan belted out hymns that were as funky as they were soulful. They also sung perhaps the coolest possible rendition of happy birthday I've ever heard to lucky birthday attendees.

It was all over too quickly and with full stomachs and an extra (if painfully out of time) skip in our step Natalie's house-mate Blake took us on a bit of a sightseeing tour around the city, stopping of course, for the obligatory Hollywood sign snap (you can see it behind us if you get your face really close to the screen and squint)

Our time in LA was coming to an end, it had been a crazy whirlwind of a week – certainly nothing like we'd experienced before and, probably, like nothing we'll experience again. A massive thank you here to Natalie for making so much of it possible.

Day 345-347: Ya'll wanna get legal? some more from LA...

2011-04-10T03:55:00.008+01:00

Honestly I don't really know where to begin with this post; this past week has passed at a frenetic pace. Fast certainly in comparison with the laid-back lifestyle of the Pacific-islanders but, I get the feeling, not to the locals here. I mentioned in my last post that we are staying with one of my best friends, Natalie, and she has been an endless source of entertainment options. There's always options. “Guys” she'll say “tonight we have options” and then she'll reel off more things than could be done in a week that have come via invitations from more people we could possible hope to meet, maybe ever.

She has also gifted us the use of her car – not just any car of course, darlings, a convertible and so while she's been at work in the day we've been able to try and tick a few things off the ever-growing to-do list.

Our first excursion was to Venice beach, a beautiful strip of white sand that plays host to a busy boulevard and a whole host of outdoor sports facilities. There are basketball courts where guys in vests play to an audience of pouting girls and passers-by, an awesome skate park, crazy mini tennis courts where players use over-sized ping-pong bats (really need to find out the proper name for this sport) and a gym with the obligatory massive guy with arms equivalent to tree trunks.

There are street performers, street artists and lots of 'doctors'. As I'm sure you're all aware California has recently legalised the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes...and subsequently there are many men in green scrubs with infamous leaf motifs that wander the streets offering “walk-in appointments”. You won't go far before somebody will ask you if “ya'll want to get legal?” - so much more fun than a stroll past the Stables Market in Camden.

And so very different from our next must-see destination; Hollywood Boulevard. Yes! After much driving around in circles desperately trying to find a parking space we got to wander down the street that is lined with stars. And really there are so many more stars than you may imagine. In fact when we first pulled into Hollywood Boulevard we thought we'd read the sign wrong because it looks just like a normal suburban street...it is just around the famous Chinese Theatre that all the big names have their stars.

It's really funny to see everyone wandering down the street (sorry, sidewalk) looking at their feet, spinning 180 degrees every now and again to read the names on the stars that are facing the other way. But apart from star-spotting and the learning of important facts like Jack Nicolson has really small hands, there's really not that much on this famous road.

But that didn't mean we were out of options.

That evening Natalie has managed to bag us free tickets to see a screening of the new Foo Fighters documentary Back and Forth which was really really good and ended with a 3D performance of their new album. I would definitely recommend anyone who is a fan of the band, and even those who aren't really, to watch this documentary – it is funny and charming and seeing a band play in 3D from the comfort of a seat in a cinema is definitely an experience.

That evening it was back to Hollywood for a few drinks with some friends in a beautiful bar...and it was only Wednesday! There's more, much more to write about LA but in a bid to avoid overwhelming (boring?) you with any more in this post I'll leave it at that and write again soon.

Day 344: Let's go Dodgers let's go!

2011-04-06T21:03:00.005+01:00

The last leg of our trip, the home-stretch, the 3 weeks that we'll spend in America before returning home began – as all things should in LA – with a bang. One of my best friends in living here now and she came with a friend to pick us up from the airport and whisked us out to a small and incredibly busy cafe with one of the most vast array of pastries I've ever seen (but as it turned out, this is more a measure of the short time I'd spent in LA than the actually vastness of pastry goodness available)

Following our brunch, almost as quickly as we could take our bags out of the boot of one car we were sitting in another and were on our way to one of America's most iconic sporting stadiums. It was Sunday afternoon and we were weaving our way through 6-wide lanes of traffic, through wide palm-lined streets and past high-rise blocks to the Dodgers Stadium for one of the first games of the season.

The car park was huge – a sea of shining bonnets filled the grounds right up to the hills where “think blue” was written in the “hollywood” style and everyone around was certainly thinking blue, and wearing blue, and waving blue, and buying blue under the clear blue skies. Our first task was to find tickets and, once we'd found the vendors, decipher the seating code; was outfield better than reserve? Where was the pavilion? And what did loge mean? In amongst all of this a very friendly man gave us a set of tickets that he wasn't using that would allow us, once inside, to upgrade seat right behind the batter. Awesome.

On entry, everyone was handed a dodgers blanket that turned out to be a slanket (they call them snuggies here – a blanket with sleeves) which was of no use in the glorious sunshine of the first innings but absolutely vital in the closing stages of the game. Everyone around us was chanting and cheering and balancing huge trays of natchos/chips/”dodger dogs” (foot-long hot dogs) and in between innings music blared and the big screen scanned the audience for “smile cam” “dance cam” and “kiss cam” - it was basically, just like the movies.

We all stood for the second rendition of the national anthem and the “7^th Innings Stretch” - which is kind of like half time...but with a stadium-wide rendition of the apparently well-known Take me to the ball-game which everyone waved their hands and belted out like a kind of second-national anthem. People-watching aside the game was great too; luckily Natalie had brought along a few friends to help explain exactly what was going on...and the Dodgers won!

What a day! We'd been on America soil less than 12 hours and already we'd been part of a truly American experience, and it felt good. Who knows what's ahead of us if we carry on at this rate...

Day 338-343: Hello from unplanned paradise

2011-04-03T02:21:00.007+01:00

Hey, so, remember that post from Fiji last week when I was all like “Preparation is key”
And you were like “What?”
And I was like “Yeah, you so can't treat 1 week away the same as a RTW trip”
And you were like “Err, well it seemed to work out alright for you in the end”
And I was like “Nooo, no no, preparation is key. Trust me”

Well. I was wrong. Despite bold statements from yours truly about “learning lessons” etc. we arrived in Rarotonga even less prepared than we did for Fiji; and it has worked out even better.

Let me start with our accommodation. We are staying in the best accommodation of this whole trip. And we are here by total fluke after speaking to the owner, Auntie Adriene as she is affectionately known, at the airport after arriving and asking the first person we saw at the 'accommodation' kiosk if they had a room.

Our spacious self-contained unit (meaning we have our own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom) in Tiare Village sits in green lands where guava, avocados, coconuts, bananas and chilis are literally ripe for the picking and our room looks out onto the pool. Where there is a BBQ. And lots of friendly fellow guests who, as I type, are hatching plans for a BBQ by the pool this very evening. And all for $55/night (about 27GBP)

Such. Good. Times.

And it turns out that, outside these grounds, Rarotonga is absolutely incredible too. Life on the island breezes past at an enjoyably relaxed pace while we cruise around at an equally slow pace on our hired scooter. Rob even had to pass a practical exam for the privilege, but he now has a Cook Islands drivers license to show for it - so the $20 was well worth it.

Almost wherever you are on the island, look over one shoulder and you are looking out at a spectacular seascape. Just past the white sandy beaches, shallow waters filled with coral and exquisite fish twinkles in an inviting shade of turquoise. Cast you eyes a few hundred meters further out and the waves break, white and frothy, at the reef wall and then the sea stretches out into a darker blue infinity beyond.

We've passed our days driving and stopping wherever looks good (which is everywhere) and loved peering in on the sealife below through masks and snorkels. There are more picasso trigger fish than you could imagine – some smaller than a little finger, some the size of a hand – each as colourful and intricate in design as the next. There are bright butterfly fish in abundance, box fish that hover like tiny fat seals, flounders that hide in the sand, flying fish that leap like salmon into the sun for split seconds before splashing back into the sea and many more that I couldn't possible hope to namecheck. We also learnt the trick of bringing banana in with us which causes quite the aquatic stir, but alas, not any photos that quite do it justice.

And for those who've had enough of snorkelling (if anyone has ever actually reached this point, do let us know) there's also the lagoon at Muri beach. Sheltered by two tiny islands just off the coast, it's perfect for swimming without the worry of banging into coral or drifting off with the tide. It's also perfect for lazing in the shade with a good book and a pina colada. So we hear...

One morning we even took a break from this deeply strenuous routine to partake in one of our favourite past times; scuba diving. Which was, as you might imagine, bloody fantastic. It felt great to be 18m-under again and we were lucky enough to see a Hawksbill Turtle (yes! A turtle! Favourite favourite!) and spend some quality time with Tommy the friendly 25 year old trigger fish. Usually quite an aggressive species, Tommy is so tame now he often joins the dive trips. It was crazy to be so close to this big blue fish, face to fishy-face with his big hill-billy lips and buck teeth, Quite amazing to think that he'd been lurking down here for about as long as I'd been walking around on the land above. Massive thanks is needed here to Paul and Charles and everyone at Dive Rarotonga; highly recommended dive company.

What else to say? There's a inland mountainous walk that we heard was brilliant (bit too much like hard work for us this time round) and plenty of shops and great bars and restaurants to keep you busy here too.

Basically, Rarotonga is the perfect holiday destination; just come here. Don't plan it, just do it – because you will love it.

Day 334-337: Adventures on a tiny island

2011-03-27T21:08:00.005+01:00

And then it rained. And rained. No, that's not fair, on the afternoon that we arrived in Taveuni and checked into a little wooden hut at Beverly's Campground the sun was shining and we were soon scraping ourselves over the coral in low-tide. That evening the owner of Beverly's insisted we have dinner with the family...and then it rained.

For the best part of 2 days.

Fortunately also staying at Beverly's was a lovely Spinnish [Finnish/Spanish] couple who eased the disappointment of constant wind, heavy rain and no electricity and provided some much-needed direction. They even had a guide book! Preparation indeed! And so just as the rain was clearing we jumped on the bus to Lavena.

A note on the buses; before coming to Fiji we'd heard a lot about “Fiji time” an expression that basically means (I think); we'll do it some time but there's no telling exactly when and it'll probably be later than you think. A kind of nice, acceptable expression of inevitable lateness. So when our flights arrived bang on time, early even, we figured the aviation industry might be apart from this trend...but then the 10:30 bus arrived at 10:30 and the 2 o'clock return was waiting patiently at 1:50 … what's happened to Fiji time?! It's not going strong on Taveuni I can tell you that much.

Anyway, the bus rumbled through small villages, crossed swollen rivers on very dubious-looking bridges and climbed steep hills through lush greenery and along coastal paths to deposit us, about an hour later, into the little village of Lavena. There is only one guest house in Lavena and – to be honest – if there was another it would have a tough time taking custom from The Lavena Lodge. With turquoise walls, super friendly staff and a breath-taking view out to see the lodge also provides tour-guides and conservation assistance to the local sight-seeing spots.

It was here that we learnt of the cyclone that had been bringing all the lousy weather our way – fortunately it was in Tonga and heading away from us so, we were told through a high whooping laugh that it seems is the birthright of Fijian women, that though it was windy “you won't blow away from here!”

Another day of mostly-indoor relaxing with Kimmo and Fatima (the Spinnishes) before Friday morning greeted us with blue skies! There were ominous looking clouds lurking over the mountain but it was time to seize the moment and take the beautiful Lavena Coastal Walk to the Wainibau waterfall. And boy was it worth the wait! The walk there was fantastic but the real highlight was sliding down the fast-flowing waterfall into the whirling plunge pool. It took a bit of a tricky climb up the rocks next to the fall but what a rush!

The rain even held off and allowed us to enjoy the walk home – via a short serenading session by some of the outrageously adorable local kids - and some more snorkelling too.

Such is the way with fate sometimes, that the day we were to leave Lavena the sun came out and lit up the bay in that picture-postcard kind of way that you might expect from Fiji. It was a shame it didn't look like the first pic (above) all the time we were there but it did give us the opportunity to take some great pictures. Actually, because Robs camera died in Suva, we have to say a big gracias to Fatima for sharing her snaps with us.

Day 331-333: We're on Fiji time now (we were before we set off)

2011-03-24T11:23:00.005Z

If preparation is the key to success then the beginning of our excursion to Fiji is probably most akin to locking yourself out of the house in your pants, just as it begins to rain. We could see that shiny key of forward-thinking and thorough itinerary-making but it was just out of reach.

Never on this trip have we arrived in a country with such a vagueness of intentions or lack of research. We had in our possession a short message of recommendations from a friend – but even that was only recovered from the internet and scrawled into a notebook (from which we could regurgitate our intentions to disappointed-looking airport attendants later) at the last moment - thank you Auckland Airport for 15min free internet.

When we touched down in Nadi we were greeted by a 4-piece band in bright Hawaiian shirts that broke from their cheery tune only to shout the traditional Fijian greeting “bula!” as one passed. Oh how the false sense of security warmed us. Once through baggage and customs we were directed by a very large Fijian man towards a his smaller female counterpart to “help us with our holiday” - hang on! we'd only shook his hands and already he knew we were British and we were here for a week from New Zealand...these guys were good.
The disappointment in our assistant face was clearly visible when we confirmed that we intended to go to Taveuni – a small island to the West of Viti Levu - and not to the Yasawas Islands – the usual holiday hotspot.
“We'd like to get there as soon as possible, maybe today?”
[broad smile] “Ooooooh no, not today...you can go to Yasawas today”
“We really want to go to Taveuni – what would be the best way to get there?”
“Why you want to go to Taveuni?”
[white lie] “We're meeting a friend there” - if India taught us nothing else; you always have a friend already waiting for you in the hostel / bar / town you want to go to. Eliminates so much hard-sell.

And so, to cut a long story short we ended up almost buying plane tickets to Taveuni for the next morning, then deciding they were too expensive and so reverting back to our friends original suggestion of getting an overnight boat from Suva to Taveuni. Then we missed a bus to Suva. We eventually caught another bus to Suva about an hour later, arriving in the total darkness of 8PM to be told that we'd also missed the overnight boat. I had remembered one guest house's name in Suva from a glance in the Lonely Planet book in an airport shop (thus completing 365's Fiji research) and so we were dropped at Raintree Lodge, about 7 miles outside of Suva centre.

Fortunately, when we woke up in the morning, as has seemed to often be the case on this journey; everything – somehow - fell nicely into place. Raintree Lodge is a beautiful guest house; our room looked out onto a lily pond, there was a lovely swimming pool and the super-helpful staff pointed us in the direction of the best way to get the most out of Taveuni.

We were to fly the morning after and then fly directly back to Nadi on Sunday to catch our flight back to Auckland. Though the more expensive option, it turns out the boat is both long and fairly unenjoyable and since we'd only a week in Fiji we didn't really want to spend 4 days of it in transit. Plus, this meant we got to spend the day in Suva...which is no bad thing.

The town is a crazy kind of mix of traditional and modern. We caught the bus into town, a beautifully ricketty ride with perpetually-open windows and cramped seats that deposited us into a dusty bus stand. Food stalls, drink vendors (Mmmm...ice cold juicy) and people everywhere – so far, so familiar from Asia BUT turn the corner and a huge silver building plays host to flashy coffee shops, designer clothing outlets and Liquid nightclub.

Predominantly a harbour town, the views out to sea are just incredible. Take a wander through town and some fairly tired-looking gardens and you'll reach the Fiji Museum [canoe above, clock tower, left]; a wonderful way to catch up on the history of the country that we now found ourselves so unprepared and standing in. Thanks to the large Indian population, we even managed to find ourselves a delicious Thali lunch. Yes, it had been a bit of a stressful start but I could tell we were going to love it here in Fiji.

Moral of the story here? A one-week holiday cannot be treated the same as the kind of lengthy and relaxed jaunts around countries that have become our habit these past 11 months...some planning is advisable.

Or is it? What is the least prepared you have ever started a trip? And did it make or break your trip?

10 reasons you MUST visit New Zealand

2011-03-23T10:00:00.003Z

1. The art & architecture

With landscapes and history like this it would be a crime not to record it.
Where? Check out the mural-covered walls of Katikati and the Sea to City bridge designed by Māori artist Para Matchitt in Wellington

2. The feeling of freedom

270,000km2 of land a population just smaller than Liverpool's (4,500,000); you do the maths. Sit on a secluded beach, climb a deserted mountain at sunrise or gaze at the incredible array of stars from one of the best vantage points in the world – feel tiny, feel amazed, feel free
Where? Golden Bay, Abel Tasman National Park, St John's Observatory at Mount Cook

3. It's not all liquefaction

I was lucky enough to see beautiful Christchurch before Feb 22 and while it may need support more than it needs tourists right now, the rest of NZ would make a trip across the Pacific more than worthwhile
Where? Almost everywhere

4. The adrenalin rush

This is the nation that invented the bungy. Two blokes got bored and a little bit tipsy and bang! the world had zorbing. Where could possibly be better for getting your heart pumping in simply stunning surroundings?
Where? Bungy in Queenstown (we're the little dots just below the platform) Sky Dive in Franz Josef, Zorb in Rotorua

5. Beer is cheaper than milk

Any country that endorses those kind of priorities is OK by me
Where? Everywhere

6. Everyone in your brother

“haaaaws it goin, bro?” “yeah yeah yeah yeah sweeeet as, bro, sweet as” No sentence is complete without the affectionate “bro” suffix
Where? Everywhere

7. It is breath-takingly beautiful

Want white sandy beaches? Snow-capped mountains? Crystal-clear seas? Rolling green hills? Steaming waterfalls? Ominous mountains? Emerald lakes? I could go on...but you name it, NZ has got is
Where? Everywhere [Tongariro Crossing & Rotorua above]

8. You can do it on the cheap

NZ was made to be explored – and driving around doesn't have to cost the earth. We think it's the best way to see all NZ has to offer so we weighed up the costs in this post
Where? Everywhere

9. The burgers are MASSIVE

Probably the most famous independent burger joint in the world, no trip to NZ is complete without tackling a Fergburger
Where? Fergburger in Queenstown

10. The cultural variety

Maybe it's the friendly Kiwi spirit? Maybe it's the spectacular landscapes? Maybe it's because everyone – and I mean everyone – owns a kick-ass BBQ. Whatever it is, people from all over the globe call NZ home and really add to the flavour.
Where? Wander around Wellington

Driving around New Zealand; the RENT vs BUY debate is settled here

2011-03-21T01:00:00.005Z

New Zealand was just made to be explored in a camper van, and millions of tourists do just that every year. We bought our Toyota Townace, Emilio, and have loved cruising around NZ in it for the last 3 months...but was it the best way to do it...?

The debate ends here! This post adds up the most enjoyable / cost-effective / generally best way to get around these beautiful islands

[our calculations are based on a 3 month trip, all prices are in NZD]

Buy a Van
Obviously what you buy and how much you pay for it / sell it for is going to be different in each case so we'll use ourselves as a case study of what is quite a normal deal.

Buy van: $4000
Spend on van: Insurance ($250) renew reg ($77) and WOF ($50) and fix starter motor ($300) = $425
Petrol: $1500 (this is an accurate rounded-up count...we're geeks)
Accommodation: real purists could easily spend nothing at all but we stayed in a few DOC sites along the way (always much cheaper than private camp sites) and we treated ourselves to the odd hot shower when freedom camping wasn't possible (Milford Sounds, Dunedin and famously, Wanaka) so est. total: $100
Sell Van: $4000

TOTAL spend: $2277

Risk: 4/5 – of course when we were looking at vans we were thinking about selling it on. Some might say we were unlucky with the starter motor expenditure but I'm just glad nothing major broke. Not being able to sell your van on would make this option very expensive

Enjoyment: 5/5 – there is simply no better way to see NZ than to take time exploring in a van.

Hire a van
Wicked are probably the biggest name in campervan hire in NZ so we'll use their prices here as a guideline. Prices here are for the standard camper van which come with gas stove, folding bed and all the pots and pans you'd need (same facilities as our van)

Deposit on Van: $500 – I'm pretty sure someone we met said this was their deposit, but I may be mistaken, either way we're assuming that it's all returned so it doesn't really matter...
Rent of van per day: $41 (it's $75/day for bookings of less than a month) so total for 3 months: $3690
Spend on van: 24hr Road-Side Recovery is included
Petrol: doing the same journey as above, $1500
Accommodation: as above, $100
Deposit returned: $500 – presuming nothing went wrong

TOTAL spend: $5290

Risk: 2/5 – we've heard some dubious things about the quality of Wicked vans beneath all that spraypaint but for us the biggest risk would be driving around in a truly hideous van...would you really want to pay to be driving around with “free breast testing here” on your bumper?

Enjoyment: 5/5 – apart from the dodgy slogans, as above – there's no better way

Hire a fancy van:
Oooh there were some serious bouts of van-envy on the road at times. Jucy seem to do the best of these, so below is the price for the Jucy Condo – it comes with sink, water tank, 2 fixed double beds, fridge, gas cooker and a flat-screen TV with DVD player

Deposit on van: 20% on camper vans, none on smaller vehicles, so $774
Rent per day: $43/day = $3870 for 3 months
Spend on van: 24hr Road-Side Recovery is included
Petrol: doing the same journey as above, $1500
Accomodation: Once you've got the extra facilities you may as well get full use out of them...and this means being plugged-in...though this doesn't have to be every night it does sensible to re-charge fairly often. So at an average of $35 per night for a powered site, staying 1 in every 3 nights, the total for 3 months is $1050
Deposit returned: $774

TOTAL spend: $6420

Risk: 2/5 – the risk here is lowered by having to always stay in proper places, which usually aren't down dirt-tracks

Enjoyment: 4/5 – yes life inside your van is bliss but aren't you here to explore the wonderful land outside your air conditioned box on 4 wheels? At least for us, camping out in the wild was part of the fun (most of the time) but this is the perfect thing if you're more of a flashpacker

The Kiwi Experience
I'm including this only in the interests of thorough journalism (yeah, because that's what we're all about here :) ) - in fact you couldn't pay me to get on the big green fuck bus and share tiny, prescribed portions of the country with a bunch of drunk British 18 year olds...apologies, that's harsh, I've never been on the bus but I do know I drive the other way when I see one pull-in somewhere
Anyhoo...Price: its $2200 for “The Full Monty” pass “This is the bus pass for the traveller who wants it all, and doesn’t want to miss a thing!”
Rent per day $0
Petrol: $0
Accomodation: $25 per night for a dorm room, total for 3 months: $2250

Total spend: $4450

Risk: 0/5 – you know exactly what you're going to get. You'll definitely miss out of seeing anything “off the beaten track” - but that's not really a risk, that's for sure

Enjoyment: 2/5 – rushed timetables and structured fun? No thanks...for me at least the '2' is for the glimmer of hope of meeting the kind of great people we met while driving and because you will see all of NZ's big attraction – which shouldn't be belittled by my biased against this option

SO

to conclude – the good news for us is that our 3 month trip was the cheapest – staggeringly it was less than half the price of doing it in a Wicked Van with the same facilities.

Hiring an all-singing-all-dancing Condo was only marginally more expensive than hiring a standard camper van – it's just paying for electricity and water on the way round that brought the price up...those who like comfy beds and the ability to stand up inside vehicles but don't mind washing up in streams would do well to consider this option.

The Kiwi Experience was actually much more cost effective than I thought it would be – a perfectly reasonable option for solo-travellers and/or gap yah students

Of course, time is a factor too – a week spent buying and selling a van on each side of a visit would ruin a 1 month trip to NZ...short term visitors can quickly and easily pick up hire vans anywhere at all. There is so much choice that with competition and return-legs to be had, there must be cheaper deals for the time and money conscious traveler

There is also a 5^th option that I have not yet mentioned; Hitch Hiking – it gets you to anywhere there are roads and sometimes even where there aren't (if some of the hitchhikers we picked up are to believed) – of course it's totally free and, apart from the standing in the rain on the edge of a motorway every now and again, also incredibly enjoyable. The risks are high (rape, murder, incredibly dull conversation) but as long as you have a tent and a lot of time, it's another great option.

So that's it for today, apart from easing our minds (if not our bank balances) I hope that this post also helps someone somewhere who was thinking about driving around NZ, by which I mean...encourages them to DO IT, because it is truly amazing.

This post is proudly in support of Blog4NZ - a collective of travel bloggers and tourism industry folk who are dedicating these three days to supporting New Zealand which, in the wake of the Chrishcurch earthquake one month ago, is still very much the place to be...we think so at least :)

[all images stolen from Google Images]

Day 327 - 330: Berkely Avenue Reunion

2011-03-19T00:11:00.006Z

As Kat mentioned in the last post, our trip to the Northland came in the middle of a two week stay in Auckland. The reason for staying put in a single place for longer than usual was to spend as much time as we could with some old family friends of mine. The Graimes/Woottens (the family tree is a trifle convoluted, I won't bore with diagrams) moved out here about seven years ago after living next door to my family for a few years. Almost instantly it was clear to see why they are so happy here.

Although not the capital, Auckland has the biggest population of NZ cities, and, when taking a walk through the main town streets, is clearly the commercial and industrial hub of the country. The water front area, for example, clearly has a job to do; sky-high office blocks and trade ships obvious in even the most central and touristy of areas.

But, don't be fooled. There's more to it. Ginni and Martin live in one of the many suburbs of Auckland, a good forty minute dive away from the town centre. Here it's a totally different story, as the house looks over beautiful crescent bays with Rangitoto island, and joining it on a clear day, the Coromandal peninsula serving as a backdrop. We still love you Emilio, but with a spare room to stay in, access to the well stocked fridge, and even a hot tub, we were going to be mighty comfortable here.

And what a wonderful two weeks we've had. Of course the highlight was spending time with my friends again, catching up over the last few years and constantly being reminded why we spent so much time together when they were but a jump over a garden wall away.

We had an amazing day with Tom visiting a secluded but beautiful spot known as 'The old cement works'. There was a particularly perilous looking rope swing going into the water, which, wisely I think, we passed on. We maybe made up for it a couple of days later by jumping off one of the traffic bridges into the river below. “Jump off here” Tom said. “The area right under the 'do not jump – rocks below' sign has no rocks under”.

We also spent a few days with Tony, who lived a little closer to town giving us a good base for exploring a bit more of Auckland city. The Auckland Museum is definitely one of the best we've been to, and the views from the Sky Tower – the tallest building in the Southern hemisphere - are amazing. Me and Kat got to brush up on our baseball skills again (watch out America) and had a little golf lesson from Tony and his girlfriend, Kelly, too. Seems I'm turning into my folks a little early...

Shakespear park was great as well. We had a pretty full on barbeque, and messed about with the whole family playing cricket, rugby, and swimming in the sea. Maybe its just our London routes, but I really don't understand how you can have such nice beaches, so close to a major city.

We really had the best time staying here, and to Martin, Ginni, Ants, Suzi, Tom, Pete, Max, Josh and Bella – we thank you again for having us. Lets not make it seven years again, eh?

36.5 days til 365 come home!

2011-03-17T12:00:00.000Z

Maybe this is only exciting if you are number geeks like us...but midday today (UK time) marks thirty six point five days until your Team Three Six Five return from whence we came!

We're into the final 10% now folks...exciting times :)

Day 312-319: The only way is up (baby)

2011-03-11T22:35:00.009Z

Well it's been a while since I let you lovely people know what we've been up to...apologies, actually we've done a fair bit. First we hit up the Coromandle – the smaller peninsular that stretches out at the north of Rotorua. Our first port of call was Tauranga, a lovely seaside town that sits in the shadow of Mount Manganui. It was getting late in the day so we opted for clambering on the rocks that afforded beautiful views of the sacred mountain and the South Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of it instead of a strenuous climb up the mount itself.

Next on our whistle-stop tour was Katikati, which was particularly exciting for Rob whose taken to calling me Kati / Katikati / Katikatikatkat /Kaaaaaatikatikatkat etc. and to see his chantings in writing was, as you can imagine, almost to much to bear. For me the tiny town was wonderful because it is covered in murals (below)...what a brilliant idea to cover any empty walls or shop-sides with portraits and old-fashioned vistas. Even if it did come with a soundtrack of my own name ringing in my ears.

The rest of our trip up the Coromandel was sort of rained off, we made it Forest Park but weren't really in the mood for walking around in the drizzle, so we departed shortly after. And this was a pattern that then repeated itself for the next few days in various locations.

[insert days spent in coffee shops / the back of Emilio / rinsing free wifi in McDonalds' in the Hamilton and Raglan area here]

After a brief stop in Auckland (which I will write about properly in it's own right) Rob and I took a few days out to continue of journey north. At Goat Island (not, I note, a goat in sight here) we did some snorkelling before camping up for the night just above Tutukaka on a gorgeous sandy beach that came with the added bonus of a beautiful sunset and a family skinny dipping. Good times.

Back in Highway 1 we were soon at Paihia – gateway to the Bay of Island, which is, as the name would suggest, a bay with many islands. We decided to indulge in some more snorkelling on Roberton Island since a company was running day trips there for $50 with all the gear included. And it is a beautiful island, sitting pretty in blue oceans it holds two lagoons and one retired man who apparently survives by having cruise boats bring in supplies for him every day or so.

We were dropped off by boat at 10AM when the sun was shining and dived right into the freezing waters, though there wasn't too much sea life about Rob did an amazing job in spotting a lazy Manta Ray lurking on the sea bed. This was brilliant! After all our diving we sill hadn't seen a ray and, for me, this really completes the under-water check list of must-see animals. Then a smaller, lighter one swam around below us for a few minutes. Two manta rays - magic.
We'd been told that we'd be picked up at around 2:30-3ish but by 4PM there was still no sign of our lift. We were, literally, stranded on an island. Which might not sound like such a raw deal but the clouds had rolled in and we had a long drive ahead of us...eventually after a phone call (“we haven't forgotten about you, we'll be over at some point” damn those relaxed kiwis) we made it back to shore at 5ish. The extra 2 hours did kind of take away from the enjoyment of the day, the lesson here? Do go to Roberton Island, but don't do it with DiveOps.

At this point we'd considered continuing up to the northern most peak of NZ, Cape Reinga, but it is a long drive on partially unsealed roads which we weren't sure were too healthy for little Emilio so we left it at that and returned “home” to Auckland.

We're now listed on As We Travel's Blog Directory

2011-03-11T03:10:00.002Z

Good afternoon all

Just a quick shout out to those lovely folks at As We Travel for squeezing Three Six Five into their Blog Directory

We're in amongst some really exciting and inspiring company there - it's well worth having a browse if travel blogs are your thing

Not Another Top 5 List; The cheapskates guide to campervan-ing around New Zealand

2011-03-05T02:54:00.003Z

1. Public Toilet Loving (not like George Michael)
New Zealand loves its public toilets and you will come to love your time in them too. Whoever decided a lounge-jazz arrangement of “What the world needs now (is love sweet love)” was a necessary cubical soundtrack; I solute you. Wash yourself here, wash your dishes here, wash away the need to ever pay $40 for a campsite with facilities again

2. Beat the warden
Many DOC sites operate on “honesty envelopes” that allow campers to self-service payment before “early morning” checks by wardens. Leave the site by 6:45AM and never pay a penny (so we hear...)

3. Fashion forward / Cash back
Have you arrived from the blistering heat of the Asian sun completely unprepared for normal cold weather? Go 'op shopping' (2nd-hand clothes shopping) and come away with warming corkers like this for $2

4. Pam is your friend
New Zealand's ode to Asda's Smart Price, the cheapest of the cheap in basic food products comes with a friendly name here. Shall we dine with Pam tonight? Yes please.

5. The 'No Camping' sign
Don't be fooled by what may seem to be a clear statement – this common sign simply means, here's a nice spot to stay for the night if you are happy to maybe (probably not) be woken up and moved on at 4AM [see Wanaka]

Like this? There's more! Why not check out How to survive a night bus or How to achieve traveller chic (for the guys)

Day 309-311: Rotarua stinks (literally...but not figuratively)

2011-03-02T05:05:00.007Z

You know you are approaching Rotarua long before you reach the township. This is not because of the useful road signs - though this is New Zealand, every tiny thing is absurdly well signposted – it's because you can quite literally smell it coming a mile off. Wind down your windows and as you cruise through the wooded highway up from Taupo that putrid scent of rotten eggs will fill your nostrils by the time you reach Waipa.

Rotarua is a big attraction on the 'Thermal Explorers Highway' (see what I mean? Short of just signposting a road as Highway 5 it also gets the catchy-name signpost...see The Southern Scenic Route for further examples of this Kiwi-craze) and the thermal activity here means that sweet sulphuric smell abounds (boo!) and that you can dip your feet in naturally heated water from mother earth while waiting for the bus (yay!)

The town has really tapped into it's natural resources (well, there was no glossing over it...) and there are loads of spas / natural baths / hot water pools / geothermic hot water spa and pools in the vicinity, all charging something-or-other for the privilege of bathing in the magical waters or rubbing warm mud over your nearest and dearest...actually I would have rather liked to do the latter but our budget would not have ($140 per person?! You're having a laugh!) Instead we took a stroll around the free Kuirau Park, a glorious spot right by the town centre where mud pools bubble and steam spouts out of the ground right before your eyes. It really is quite something to see.

We also took a walk around the Government Gardens which sidle up to the south-west corner of Lake Rotarua. Not as spectacular as Lake Taupo before it, but worth a wander around for sure. We even came across a batting-cage (Rob assures me this is the right name for it, but just in case...it's like a driving range, but with baseball bats and balls) where one bucket of balls soon turned into three and much fun and miss hits (mostly me) were had by all.

It may claim to the cultural heart of New Zealand (it does have the largest Mauri population and, to it's credit, even the whitest European-settler-types pronounce it rrrro-ti-rrrr-rua with real rolling r's in the classic Mauri twang) but it is still Kiwi enough to cater to the needs of adrenalin junkies such as it seems I have become. So after a childhood of wandering what it felt like when Hayley Duncan's hamster accidentally rolled down the stairs in it's ball; I went Zorbing.

And not just any Zorbing – Hydro Zorbing. And I am happy to confirm that it is pretty much like the best water park ride you'll ever go on...it's so much fun. After diving super-man style into a big inflatable ball partially filled with water I had to walk it onto the down-hill track where I was washed around, splashing and sliding from one bump to another, until arriving at the bottom a minute or so later ready for this awful snap to be taken...that's pure joy right there. That's not what poor Sandy looked like after his trip down the stairs though, I can tell you that for nothing.

Rotorua had treated us well but there was one more thing that made us stay on in this wonderful stinky town for another afternoon...but I can't write about just yet.

It's very good and very exciting and I'm just waiting to receive the ...hmm... the documentation, and then I'll tell all :)

Day 307-308: Some like it hot (happy birthday Rob)

2011-02-28T01:42:00.007Z

It's safe to say that after a days excursion at Tongariro we were ready for some R&R. Luckily we were just around the corner from Taupo...and Rob's birthday.

When we arrived, Taupo town was sitting pretty in the sunlight on the north-eastern bank of the largest lake in New Zealand that it shares it's name with. We parked up and wandered around the small grid of roads that make up the town centre, stumbling across some fantastic local artists and a great array of eateries.

Just outside of town we decided to follow signs to the Huka Falls – this is partly because it would no doubt be free and because, I have learnt in the last 10 months (10 months! Christ!), that Rob has something of a fascination with waterfalls. He loves them. Likes the sound especially. Even pathetic little ones that sound more like a broken toilet than a force of nature, which this one was not, but I digress...Whatever the reason – the falls that we rounded the corner and climbed up onto the viewing platform to see were absolutely amazing. About 15m wide and of the kind of clear water that I've only seen in NZ, huge amounts crashed over the falls into a white cauldron of turbulence that was so powerful it actually looked a bit like the river was boiling.

And we were to be spending the night just down stream from here, in a wonderful (magic word) FREE campsite where the current was not so strong and some Germans had made a rope swing that could deposit any willing participant into the surprisingly temperate flow with a thoroughly satisfying splash. I resisted...if tubing in Laos taught me nothing else I came away knowing that my arms are not for supporting the rest of me over bodies of water.

Night fell and the morning brought Rob's coming of age – now I never know if that expression is just for specific landmark ages or any old age – either way, the age Rob came of was 24 and we celebrated with a morning wash in the river. “That's never happened before on my birthday” Well, that's what this trip is all about.

What was to follow was a day of pure indulgence. We stopped for bowls of coffee (sooo much caffeine) and fancy drinks, lunch by the marina, we strolled around the lake as the sun was setting and made our way to the best Indian restaurant we'd found in town for a “Vegetarian Banquet for Two” - and a banquet it was!

Honestly, I was full after our starters – a plater of Samosas, Onion Bajis and Pakora that came piled up and sizzling to our outdoor table with a great spicy dip. But there was plenty more to come, and we'd asked for them 'hot' (ooh we're seasoned traveller-types aren't we?) - four dishes that were as flavoursome and delicious as they look with rice and naan on the side. We were full and the birthday boy was happy...but we had one more thing left to do in Taupo.

In fact, as we sat satisfied at the Indian Affair restaurant, we didn't even know about it, but back at the campsite we were told about the Hot Springs just upstream where underground geothermal activity gifts an incredibly hot waterfall to the otherwise cool waters. Suddenly the forgiving water we'd been washing in was less surprising. We had to see for ourselves, so in the morning we took ourselves down for a genuinely hotter-than-you-average-bath dip in the very same river. It's really very strange to see steam rising up from behind green hills and then be able to say that the river was “too hot” the closer you got to the waterfall.

Ahh Taupo, you are full of surprises, wonderful surprises...

Day 305-306: Which way to Mount Doom?

2011-02-27T01:39:00.000Z

After a week or so of mincing around a city it felt good to be on the road again – not least because the road that we were on followed the spectacular west coast of the North Island and each curve gave way to a bay of the clearest blue sea crashing against jagged cream-coloured rocks interrupted only by small towns until the sky was turning sunset pink and it was time to stop for the night.

We were shooting for the Tongariro National Park and, though we didn't know it when we found a lovely shady spot by a quiet river, we actually still had a fair way to go. This was only made clear to us when – after getting up at 7AM (normal, I know, for people like you with real jobs and real lives but not for us) – a road sign confirmed we still at 200km to the National Park and even then, we had to get to the north of the park because we'd decided today was the day to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing; a 19km-long one-way mountain track frequently voted the best walk in all of NZ.

Now the problem with arriving at the Information Centre after a longish drive and a leisurely breakfast was that the shuttle bus that drops you off at the start, fresh-faced and raring to go between 6&9AM, and picks you up, a sweating and broken mess at some unimaginable point in the afternoon was that at 11AM (our arrival time) – we'd gone and missed it.

Not to worry, the friendly DOC man told us, at this late hour we could drive to the start, walk 3.5 hours to the big attractions, turn back on ourselves and make it back before dark. A 7-hour round trip to get closer to MOUNT DOOM? Yes please! I wouldn't say I was a massive Lord of The Rings fan but yes, this is where all scenes involving Mount Doom (real name; Mount Ngauruhoe) were filmed and besides, anywhere with 'doom' in the title has got to be worth a look, right?

Right. Off we set for an hour of joyously flat walking along orange-rocked streams until we reached the bottom of the first incline and this sign (pictured) that sternly warned us to “Consider turning back” - we did not. And then it got really steep. And after a further hour of upward slopes and seemingly-endless wooden steps I, at least, most definitely did.

At just under 1600m above sea level the climb was over (so I thought) and we paused for lunch at a graciously flat rocky platform in the shadow of Mount Doom and watched as clouds clung to it's summit before being whisked away and replaced once more. It really was a magnificent sight, a breath-taking way to catch ones breath, for sure.

But we weren't just here for the doomster – we'd been promised Emerald Lakes and so on we walked. As before the way was initially flat but soon, as is usually the way with mountain ranges it seems, the upward slopes weren't far away and this time it was more like climbing a mountain-sized sand dune than a never-ending step-machine. The path was dotted with sharp rocks and increasingly frequent calls for a quick break from me. This part, I will admit, I did not enjoy.

But this story does have a happy ending; climbing up to the geothermal peak above the lakes does give the weary walker the best way to view red volcanic rock clash with beige, steaming mountains. Lakes of deep green sit calm and beautiful below you and suddenly it becomes all worthwhile (you can see them just behind our sweaty faces, below). They say there's no gain without pain, well here that's certainly true; it's a lot of pain but boy is there a lot of gain too.

And then there is the long walk home...oh it's certainly better than the uphill struggle there, I'll give it that but it is pretty dull. We arrived back at Emilio almost 6 hours after leaving him with shaking legs, achy knees and some incredible photographs.

I'd probably only recommend this walk to someone who says they 'enjoy keeping fit' – but you have to go there to find out what you limits are, and if my limit is a mountain called 'Doom', then I'm fine with that.

Day 297-304: What's not to love?

2011-02-21T23:24:00.010Z

Ahh Wellington, Wellington – where should I begin? Should priority be given to the beautiful architecture? Or the fantastic shopping that effortlessly mixes every-day necessities with high street brands, quirky designers and treasure troves of vintage clothing? What about the bars and little coffee shops that spill out onto the street at every possible opportunity, battling for pavement space with endless buskers, artists, hari krishnas, beat-boxers and magicians.

No, I'll begin with the first thing that really struck me about Wellington; it's diverse. Walk around town and you will pass people from every corner of the world; Chinese, Malay, European, Indian, Polynesian, African, Japanese, even a few Latinos – and they aren't tourists, they are people who call Wellington home. Now this may sound like a strange thing to notice first-off but, with the exception of Singapore, [Warning! wild generalisation approaching] everywhere we have been on this trip has been 95% local and 5% white-skinned tourist.
Get on a train in India and everyone you'll see will be Indian, apart from a few European tourists (us), go to a market in Indonesia and pretty much everyone you'll see will be Indonesian apart from a few (mostly Dutch) tourists (again, inclusive of us). I'm not saying this is a bad thing – but there was very little mixing in these societies, the local/tourist divide was as clear as the colour of our skin. But in Wellington, everything was all mixed up, and I loved it.
Maybe when you grow up in London, where ethnic diversity is a beautiful reality, you're naturally more inclined to notice it (or the lack of it) in other places you visit. That said, I don't think that it's a coincidence that Singapore and Wellington are the only places I'd really consider living more permanently in. It just feels more right here.

Maybe too because the “windy city” did not live up to this reputation at all – we enjoyed a week of glorious sunshine with often not so much as a cloud in the sky. Which was particularly good news for Emily [below], one of my oldest and best school-friends, who arrived from Sydney on the stroke of midnight with a rucksack that had been quarantined into a huge plastic bag and without her tent pegs which had been taken from her by a less than friendly customs officer under the absurdly stringent anti-contamination laws.

Not to worry though, actually the spot that Rob and I had found to camp up each night in was a glorified car park over-flow that climbed into the hill side at the tiny and incredibly scenic Scorching Bay [above] about 5km south of Wellington. So most of the ground was tarmac and not exactly peg-friendly anyway. After a few failed attempts in the dark (we would later become incredibly quick at this) we got the tent up, tied the guide ropes to Emilio and the railings and we were good to go. Like I said, it was really lucky that it didn't rain.

The morning brought the small matter of turning 25 for me and with it croissants and coffee on the beach for breakfast. A day spent perusing the shops was broken up only to eat a delicious lunch and in the evening we met up with a friend we had made in Thailand and she brought the kind of local knowledge that means $1 glasses of champagne for ladies on a Wednesday [thanks Yvonne.] Needless to say, I had an utterly awful time of it :)

Thereafter each day brought something new and exciting; well...at least one day was lost to the seemingly impossible task of obtaining an Australian working-holiday visa for Emily but even that ended in a feast of falafel...and eventually (days later) a visa too. We spent a day shopping, a day relaxing on the beach at Scorching Bay – which did live up to it's name - and even needed two days to wander slowly through the wonderful Te Papa museum [right], which features everything from geology to gay rights and has a fabulous exhibition on photographer Brian Blake on the top floor.

Emily and I also spent a day wine-tasting in the famous Wairarapa Valley region. Martinsborough is just an hour and a half away and it must surely hold the record for the most wineries per km2 – the place is packed with them! And tasting is the name of the game. We stopped in a few, all walking distance from the small high street, enjoying crisp Chardonnays, bold Pinot Noirs and some surprisingly moreish sweet desert wines. Our favourite spot, though, was the Vynfilds winery; a huge white manor-house type of a building surrounded by vineyards where you could taste a 'flight' of wines – 5 half or quarter glasses – with tasting notes and some great bread-and-dips to wash it down with.

Wellington has been one of our longer stays on the trip and it has definitely been one of my favourites; friends, sun, good food, great wine and even champagne on a Wednesday. What's not to love?

Not Another Top 5 List; How to achieve traveller chic (for the guys)

2011-02-20T02:05:00.001Z

...I've had this one drafted since Thailand when it was maybe a bit more appropriate, but better late than never eh..?

1. Get the Costa del Shoreditch look
Take 1 pair of day-glo girls shorts with a 'full moon party' logo on (many colours available) and team it with a vest bearing the logo of a SE Asian beer (Chang, Angkor, Saigon Green etc.) A thick wad of colourful wristbands on one wrist is optional but recommended and voila! You have joined the masses and now you look cool

2. Don't cut your hair
So what if you sweat so much in the Asian sun that it is actually physically uncomfortable both for you and passers-by? Un-washed, un-styled and not-quite officially “long” yet in so en vogue...you look great

3. Focus on what is important
“Once you've seen one mountain” 365 was reliably informed in a pub in Sapa “you've seen them all” - that's the spirit, now whose round is it anyway?

4. Have sex in your dorm room
So you've finally managed to bed that blonde gappie from Bristol. Why wouldn't the 9 other people in your dorm want to share those magical 2 minutes with you? Please, go right ahead

5. Going loco
An excerpt of a conversation we genuinely overheard between two British backpackers in Hoi An;
lad1: “let's go out for dinner in a bit, what do you fancy?”
lad2: “I don't know...I think I might actually have Vietnamese food tonight”
lad1: “Really? Just make sure you're not sick for the big night out though, mate”
Thank you lad1; a total focus on 'the big night out' and the firm belief that any contact with local culture will harm you – textbook traveller behaviour

More not-so useful hints and tips for the travel savvy include How to survive a night bus and How to get the right day tour

And the winner is...

2011-02-19T22:38:00.000Z

[drum roll please]

The Hipster frames!

By poll-results and because they were my favourite anyway... thanks to all who voted/commented :)

Day 296: The eyes have it

2011-02-16T22:03:00.012Z

Firstly thank you for joining me in this hour of need. I need to buy new glasses but I can't decide which ones to buy...

The reason for this sudden frame-upgrade is simple; at least for a short time I am not allowed to wear contact lenses (doctor's orders) and if I must wear glasses (and I must) then it's time to replace the old frames I've been wearing for the last 4 years – and I need your help deciding which frames to buy!

Full break-down of the afore-mentioned doctors orders at the end of this post – but if you're just here for the fun stuff then here are your 5 choices. Please place your vote in the Poll Box on the right > > > >

Voting will be open for 2 days and then I'll place my order and let you know which one was the winner...all votes and comments gratefully received, this is a big decision and being at least partially able to blame the blogsphere for a bad decision is important to me :)

<<< 1) Geek Chic

2) Euro Chic >>>

<<< 3) Mother-of-two Chic

4) Hipster Chic >>>

<<< 5) Free-on-the-NHS chic

Right, doctor's orders. Well, in short, my left eye had been giving

me some grief over the past week or so (itching and redness that eventually gave way to full on pain) and so in Nelson I went to an optometrist, who quickly referred me to the hospital, where I spent most of Saturday either in the waiting room or with bright lights being shone into my eye – and I'm so so glad that I did.

My left eye has what is medically known as Keratitis – small markings or infultrates on my Cornea which are relatively common in contact-lens wearers, can be tricky to totally get rid of and that, left untreated, can result in permanently blurred vision. Which is the scary bit.

Anyway, after all the necessary checks I am now in possession of Ciproflaxacin (“the strong stuff – they don't usually prescribe this”) that I'm dropping into my eye every 2 hours for 2 days and then 4 times a day hence forth until I get rid of the little buggers. I need to get my eye checked again in 5 days or so and I cannot wear contact lenses for at least 2 weeks and until I get the “all clear” from a optomotrist and even then, greatly reducing my contact lens wearing is strongly advised to stop any resurgence.

So there we are; nothing fatal but something pretty serious...and a good excuse to buy some exciting new frames.

Thanks for your votes :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000Z

Just a quick post to send a big sloppy kiss and wish you a very happy Valentines Day wherever you may be...

LOVE three six five xx

Day 288-295: Kaikaura to Nelson in fast forward

2011-02-13T05:27:00.004Z

Well this is going to be a little bit of a mixed bag of a post – in the long wait for Rob's video that ensued after our Sky Dives (we have them both here now, hurrah!) we got a little behind in our postings...so today I'm going to zoom from Kaikaura to Nelson in one fall swoop so we are once again operating in real time.

Kaikaura is a sweet little town. When we arrived it was being slowly swallowed by cloud rolling in from the sea that made the Seaward Kaikaura Range look like it was floating Avatar-style on a fluffy white bed (right). The pebble beach was hot underfoot and the sea was freezing.

We passed the day wandering around a school fête and then along the long Beach Road that makes up the town centre. It is a hotspot for those keen on seeing whales and albatrosses – but when trips begin at around $140 dollars, we were priced out of the market and forced to settle for antagonising seagulls instead.

There is however a very photogenic and – most importantly – free to see seal population at South Bay just outside of town. We paid those funny-looking things (left) a visit and also began a walk that follows the coast for about an hour along the cliff tops. From this vantage point the divide of grey cloud from the coast against the blue sky inland was quite magnificent. You could literally walk in and out of fog into searing daylight – it's difficult to explain but this pic (below) shows what I mean.

The following day we continued north on Highway 1 to Blenheim where we stumbled upon a local Radio Station's Summer Sundays in a park. Basically there was just a DJ and a couple of More FM flags and the perfect reason to get a picnic together and chill out in the shade for the afternoon. A perfect Sunday (below)

After a few days of relaxing we made the longer drive to Nelson, definitely one of my favourite towns in NZ. It is set on beautiful coast line with jagged rocks and sandy beaches, the town centre is compact and charming with everything you could possibly need in one place and the enlightened council there have even allotted a small area of park land as designated FREE overnight parking for camper-vans. Every town everywhere should have this – heavens knows it would make our lives a lot easier. Yes, we knew Nelson was great almost as soon as we arrived, and it would turn out that it was lucky we felt this way...

But we didn't know then what we know now and so after a day we continued to the northernmost tip of the South Island for some spectacular views and some challenging walking. The plan was to spend a day in Golden Bay and then do a long walk in the Abel Tasman Nation Park on our way back to Nelson. We found a great place to stay with some lovely Dutch folk just past Collingwood and in the morning made our way to “must see” Wharariki Beach which lies down a dirt track, through green fields with grazing sheep and over gloriously white dunes – and it really is a must see.

We dropped our bags on a stray tree branch and went for a paddle, the tide was coming in so we decided against one of the walks but did not, crucially, decide to move our bags before a particularly big wave swept in swirling our flip flops and belongings up the beach. Why am I telling you this? Flip flops get wet all the time. Yes, but cameras don't – and shouldn't, but Rob's one did. And back at the van it made only a scary clunky noise and the lens didn't open. For the first time in 290 days threesixfive would be without images.

And that is why we decided to return immediately to Nelson – to buy a replacement. Why put ourselves through a days gruelling walking around Abel Tasman if we couldn't even show you guys what it was like. Spirits were low. And, it seemed, the cost of this error would be high.

That said, the following morning after a bit of fiddling and vigorous blowing out of grains of sand the camera actually took a photo and started to show signs of recovery. It is early days yet but the prognosis is looking good. This did mean that we had some extra days in Nelson and, though we possessed a working camera, we'd missed out the Abel Tasman National Park – but all's well that ends well and the extra days turned out to be so necessary for me. But more on that next time...

Day 287: One day in Hanmer Springs

2011-02-11T23:18:00.000Z

If there is more than one thing to do Hanmer Springs, 365 does not know about it. I don't even want to know about it if I'm honest...because the one and only thing that we did do in 'the Han (yup, pretty sure no-one else is calling it that) was more than enough for one tiny town.

That thing, as the name would suggest, is Spring-based. But we're not talking some pathetic little trickle of a spring somewhere in the distance that was once of some historical importance blah blah blah oh no! We're talking full-on outdoor water-park type complex with a spa, flumes, pools for children, pool for adults, pools where the kind of people that bring goggles to an outdoor pool could swim lengths, naturally heated sulphur pools, natural water pools for those not so keen on the smell of eggs, pools that were really jacuzzis, pools surrounded by sculpted rocks and greenery...I could go on; and all inside lovely grounds with benches and deckchairs and no silly rules that stopped people like us bringing in breakfast (pictured) and lunch and setting up camp for the day.

Basically, we were in holiday-making heaven...and all for a mere 18NZD (not even a tenner)

So all we did in Hanmer Springs – and this is an itinerary that I would recommend to anyone – is go to Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools until they close at 9PM and then get chips from The Log Cabin over the road. No-one could accuse this day of being action-filled but my was it wonderful.

Day 285-286: A window of sunshine at Arthur's Pass

2011-02-09T23:17:00.003Z

Dear readers, looking over some of my last posts I have noticed a worrying increase in the inclusion of comments about the weather from yours truly. I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to all those who came to this humble url to find exciting, informative, dare I say even amusing travel blog and have been bombarded with a boring running commentary regarding rainfall in NZ. I promise that I will try to keep my inner Michael Fish under wraps hence forth.

With this caveat in mind let me begin where I left off...ah yes, winding up the west coast to Nelson. Well, yes, now this is going to be tricky because we have in fact diverted from that cause of action because of the poor...oooh...the...you know...there was too much...it was torrential...so we... Alright; here it is – it was raining so bloody much on the West Coast and the forecast was for more of the same so we nipped directly Eastwards from Greymouth (lovely town...awfully apt name) to make the most of a small window of sunshine we'd spotted on the horizon at Arthur's Pass.

By the time we arrived we had time for a beautiful late-afternoon walk to the Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall (a thoroughly drenching experience) and an early dinner with a spectacular backdrop of pinks and blues as the sun set over mountains.

We were up early again for another blustery walk as the shadow of the mountain on one side of the valley crept slowly down the mountain opposite. We were back at base camp and enjoying breakfast by the time the winds really picked up (160km/hr at the peaks) and we were driving east again by the time the storm that was tearing apart the West coast crept over the Southern Alps and things got really wet.

Though it would have been great to stay longer and do some more challenging walks and see some really incredible sights the *eh-hem* you know that thing wasn't on our side this time. Still, I think we made the most of our short time in stunning Arthur's Pass.

Now it is onwards and north-eastwards to sunnier climbs and, since it is now somehow February already, the final leg if you will of our South Island adventure.

Day 283-284: “And I'm freeeee, free-falling”

2011-02-08T02:01:00.002Z

The day spent bumming around the hostel in Fox Glacier had worked; now the sun was out and we were ready to see the glacier itself. Conveniently it's only 5km out of town and easily accessible by road so we drove along and did a few of the short walks that showcase the ever-retreating Fox Glacier itself from a few different angles.

For obvious safety reasons, you can't just go up to a glacier and have a look around and so marked paths keep everyone but the guided tour groups quite far away. It was still spectacular though – and to see the valleys and river beds that it had carved through solid rock in the glory days of the last ice age was pretty impressive too.

Onwards we drove to a bigger and (arguably) better glacier just up the road at Franz Josef; the town is certainly more lively and it holds the prestigious (?) title of the worlds 2^nd best site for sky diving. I never know if being certified 2^nd best at something is actually a compliment...in this case it's second place to sky diving at Mount Everest, and anything that's second to Earth's highest peak can't be too shoddy I guess. But I digress; Rob had been talking-up sky diving at Franz Josef for the best part of this trip and – at least for the first two minutes of our time in the sky dive shop – I was still convinced that because I'd sky dived in Australia before, I wouldn't need to this time.

It didn't last and here, after a mornings will-we-won't-we with the clouds and the wind speed we made it up in the tiny plane and jumped out at 16,000 feet...

Rob's video has been miraculously saved from the depths of the interweb, so here it is in all its extremely-nervous-but-trying-to-stay-cool glory:

Kat's fear and flapping cheeks are available for viewing here:

And it was absolutely amazing! The views in the plane going up were worth it alone – we could see see Mount Cook and Mount Tasman (2 highest peaks in NZ) poke out over the clouds, and the Franz Josef Glacier with it's network of cement-coloured rivers reaching to the sea. It was magnificent. It was breath-taking at 4,00 feet and then we just kept. on. rising, until it was eventually time to swing our legs over the edge of a flying aircraft and go for it.

Nothing can really describe the exact feeling of falling at terminal velocity – a cool 200km/hr – but I think the look on our faces before, during and after sort of capture it...

Luck has really been on our side throughout this trip; it seems that we always somehow manage to time stuff like this to perfection and as we watched our vidoes back and dark clouds rolled in we knew we'd had the best jump of the day and one of the best experiences of this whole crazy year.

And maybe – just maybe – for the faint of heart, this'll be the last time we insist on showing you footage of Team 365 falling from massive heights :)

Shiney New Things

2011-02-05T02:10:00.000Z

Everybody loves shiney new things and threesixfive is no different - so we've added a couple of new links on the toolbar above. Yup - just up there^^ between this post and the ridiculous list of countries we visit on this trip.

We've got an easy link to our Regular Features and the all-new 365-Favs, a kind of 'best-of' and hopefully a good way to catch up on anything you may have missed

Thanks for reading folks - let me know what you think...

kat x

281-282: Beautiful West Coast / Bastard sand flies

2011-02-02T01:53:00.005Z

In 1990 the whole of the South West of New Zealand's South Island was recognised as a World Heritage Site, putting it in an elite with the likes of the Pyramids in Egypt and the Grand Canyon in the US. I'm not sure if it is the biggest World Heritage site (feel free to google and report back) but it has to be up there, surely. I mean – it's huge. We have already visited parts of it at Mount Cook and Milford Sounds but now we were joining the highway that winds all the way up to Nelson.

Out first port of call was the pretty little town of Haast; we started the day with a Whitebait Pattie for Rob (local speciality) and a visit to another very well done Visitor Centre. It seemed we had landed, all quite deliberately of course, at a great place for some walks on a day when the sun was shining – which is actually pretty rare in these parts.

So we followed the coast up, stopping at picturesque trails, bays, river mouths, forests and even a “swamp” where the high levels of Iron in the rocks had rusted and turned the water the colour of ale; we haven't fiddled with the settings on these photo...it really is that colour.

It was all going rather well until it came to settling down for the night and the lovely lake-side spot we'd found turned out to be swarming, and by swarming I mean literally infested, with sand flies. It was turning into a beautiful sunny evening but there we were with trousers tucked into socks, long sleeves, scarfs, constant re-application of repellent and we were still twitching and having to wave our arms around like crazy folk to try and defend ourselves. It was awful; I'm not sure if I got my moan on about them in the Milford Sounds post (just checked...I didn't) but if we thought they were bad then (and we did) this was something else.We set up a mosquito net over Emilio's door but it was soon coated in little black bodies, baying for our blood – and when they do bite, they do draw blood. Not the best night's sleep ever.

When we got up in the morning and let about 100 new hungry mosquitoes and twice as many sand flies into poor Emilio, it was time to leave. We were tired, bitten and it was raining with no sign of stopping. We drove to Fox Glacier and checked into a hostel where we enjoyed such luxuries as hot showers, a kettle (AKA constant source of tea for me), comfortable sofas, electricity and the real luxury of a sauna. It was R&R o'clock and as the continued to pour outside we knew it was the right decision.

Only a few pics for this one...and they are here

Day 278-280: Moving on isn't the same as getting moved on

2011-02-02T01:34:00.006Z

When we arrived in Wanaka it was shrouded in a rain cloud so thick that you could barely see the shore of Lake Wanaka, let alone the mountains that usually form a beautiful backdrop on the far side of it [below - the next day, as it should be] The streets were soaking and our spirits were low – but luckily there was Cinema Paradiso.

This beautiful one-screen independent cinema is just the thing for a rainy day. Much like Notting Hill's Electric Cinema, seating is made up of comfy sofas and armchairs. There is one exception; perching at a jaunty angle in the corner is ¾ of an old Morris Minor that you can watch from- but only if you're that guy whose lingered conspicuously by the counter that becomes the front of the queue and made a dash across the room followed by a winning smile to your mate whose hung back to collect and carry in your pizza and beers. Oh. Yes – they have a menu too, and a wine list and they bake cookies so that in the half time break (yes, they have one of those for each viewing too) you can stock up on movie snacks again. It's absolute genius.

By the time we emerged from The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (fantastic, if a little lacking in the depth and detail that make Laarson's book so incredible) the rain had ceased and a few shy rays of setting sunlight were shining on this lovely little town. We ate and after much driving back-and-forth we slept.

And then it happened.

It was always going to happen, but this is when it did. It was 3:49AM and there was a firm knock on our window and a friendly-but-firm torch-wielding DOC officer in a hi-vis vest informed us that we were camping in a “no camping” site (reference here to the “no camping” signs we'd parked besides) and that the police we behind him and if we were caught in said “no camping” zone we'd be charged somewhere in the region of 500NZD each. We apologised for the mistake and he generously pointed us in the direction of the nearest DOC site, about 10km away, and on we drove. We had been moved on.

Well, we weren't about to pay $7 each for a nights' sleep that began at 4:30AM [many DOC sites are operated by leaving fees in designated envelopes that contain receipts that must be displayed in windscreens for “early morning” checks by site rangers] so two hours later after very little sleep we moved on again...voluntarily this time...back to the lake front where we snoozed undisturbed until 10ish. A terrible night's sleep all in all but at least we hadn't paid for it.

Perhaps going to a attraction that specialises in puzzles was not the wisest idea after very little sleep but the sun was out and we were keen to see the famous Puzzling World. It boasts an outdoor labyrinth [right] – which is really fun until you are widely lost and then it's deeply frustrating – and rooms of holograms and illusions that mess with even the most alert of minds [above]. Tables in the cafe have puzzles on them that you can try and try at before giving up and moving onto the next one. It's great fun.

Apart from this we spent most of our time in Wanaka next to the Lake; when the sun is shining it is the perfect holiday town...but after a day or two of beautiful sunshine and catch-up midday snoozes the dark clouds rolled in and it was time for us, again, to move on.

Day 274-277: Taking it Easy

2011-01-27T02:06:00.003Z

Travelling north of Queenstown on the usual tourist trail – or highway 8 as the signposts would have you believe it's called – you could, and I believe many travellers would – make it to Wanaka within a day. This sort of time:distance ratio is not one that regular readers of this humble blog will know that we like to endorse. It's just too fast. And I don't mean fast in an Emilio-is-over-20-years-old-and-a-1.9 litre-engine-simply-wouldn't-be-capable-of-it kind of way, no...zipping from one big tourist attraction to the next just means you miss out on a lot of stuff.

Beautiful stuff. Interesting stuff. And in the case of Lake Hayes, the first of the three places that I will try shamelessly to promote to you here, free stuff. Ah free, the magic word...free both in the sense that we could wander where we liked and free in the sense that when we ignored the sign that said 'no camping' we were duly ignored by any enforcing body and left to camp, for free, for two nights by this beautiful lake.

We decided to stop by the lake because it had a 2-3 hour walk around it that had caught our eye in Queenstown – in fact the walk isn't all that, it does not offer any better views of the lake than you could get from the little shaded alcove you parked up in when you arrived and there is little-to-no shade on the path, making it a pretty sweaty affair. Luckily a thermocline makes the water a cool but not limb-loosingly freezing place to take a dip. Which is perfect after two and a half hours of intense perspiration.

It also makes for a pretty fun way to wash in the morning; a quick game of one-knee-two-knee with the soap to get used to the cold and it was like washing in our own massive and almost private (there were some confused looking ducks present) bath. Otherwise, apart from book-reading, clothe-washing and dinner-cooking not much else is to be achieved at Lake Hayes. It's glorious.

When we finally managed to drag ourselves away from the lake (incoming clouds helped – had it stayed sunny, I fear that we may never have left) we took the short 6km drive to Arrowtown. Once a hub of the 1860's goldrush, the town is now a tiny living homage to the glorious era gone by. All the shops on the small high street are in the traditional style and there is a homage to the Chinese settlers that were once so badly treated in the area.

Onwards to Cromwell, a larger town that also pays tribute to a time gone by. Unfortunately in Cromwell the “Historical Precinct” is tucked away on the banks of the river and though it has been lovingly restored, it could be - and maybe often is - easily missed.

We had hoped that there would be more to see and do in Cromwell but alas there was not and so we spend the night just outside of town by Lake Dunstan; we shall make it to Wanaka tomorrow I expect, 3 days after leaving Queenstown...yes, that's how we like to do things here.

Day 271-273: 365 battles Burgers and Gravity, only in Queenstown...

2011-01-25T01:46:00.000Z

So here we were; adrenalin capital of the world, home of the bungy jump and self-professed party capital of New Zealand. Queenstown is a beautiful little town; set on a glistening lake with small streets and lovely botanic gardens that stretch out on a small peninsula. The town centre is – especially by NZ standards – really rather busy. Families and backpackers lounge on the beach, wander around town and fill the many cafes and restaurants.

And there is one eatery in particular that is, without question, the busiest 10m2 in the whole of Queenstown, maybe NZ. It is held in international acclaim and anyone who has been to Queenstown or indeed ever spoken to anyone who has ever been to Queenstown will already know all about Fergburger. But, for the uninitiated, I will try to explain; it's a burger joint. That's basically it but for whatever reason it has become the stuff of legend; to finish a fergburger and chips is to join an elite. Maybe I am the wrong person to muse on the greatness of a small place that sells 16 types of over-sized burgers and little else...I am assured that the burgers are amazing (I can assure you the veggie one I tried was only alright) and, yes, Rob is indeed in the elite – in fact he finished 2 fergburgers over the course of our stay, which means uber kudos points now available in all future conversations about Queenstown for him.

But you're not here to hear about the township are you? No! It's the out-of-town entertainment that Queenstown is really all about. If you've joined us today through the wondrous medium that is facebook you'll already have no doubt enjoyed watching Rob and I throw ourselves into a canyon and if you didn't join us through facebook, don't worry! There's something for everyone here on threesixfive...

Here's the footage of Team 365 on our first and tandem Canyon Swing on the famous Nevis Arc. 70m of free-fall that turns into about 140m of swing all from an alarmingly sudden release. Check it out.

Now you might be forgiven for thinking that the look on our wind-swept faces would suggest that this was adrenalin enough for one day but, having seen someone else do the swing upside down, Rob decided to go for it too...

And then, even though my knees were literally shaking and because I don't like to be out-done in matters of bravery, I also decided to do 'the Arc again - upside down - which really was a totally different experience. When your legs are firmly twisted around the supports and you lean your head back to see a vast and empty canyon upside down in front of you, knowing that gravity is about to drag you into it, it's actually terrifying. Then you're released and the canyon floor is rushing at you and all you can hear is the wind in your ears and at the last moment you feel the rush of blood to your head before you peak silently at the other end of the arc and then it's just a breathtakingly beautiful and surprisingly gentle ride up while your insides right themselves and you try to breathe normally again. It's such a rush.

And all before midday, eh? Oooh we've done some crazy things on this trip but that was one big tick-box completed – and the best thing about it is that we'd do it all again if we could :)

[all the professional pics are here]

Day 268-270: Southern Scenic Route; The Grand Finale

2011-01-21T00:13:00.008Z

The final leg of the Southern Scenic Route was upon us. We were creeping up the western-most road in the south of the South Island and by the time a day-long downpour abated we were at Te Anau; a bustling town that serves as a stock-up-on-petrol-and-food point and gateway to the great Fiordland Mountains.

The Fiordland National Park rolls in undulating mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and glaciers for around 12,500km2 – most of which is inaccessible unless you are very brave, very stupid or Peter Jackson; many of Frodo's infamous adventures where filmed around these ends, you know. But we weren't delving into Middle Earth – we were staying pretty close to civilisation along the winding 120km-or-so road to Milford Sounds, and we were taking our sweet time about it.

All along the road are DOC campsites and lovely clearly-marked walking tracks. The walks seemed to fall into two main categories; under and hour strolls that anyone [grandparents/children/500 Japanese tourists with 499 digital SLRs and 1 16-inch video camera] could do or multi-day treks to far-off destinations for mentalists that actually like walking up hills carrying rucksacks. I am happy to report a full sense of fulfilment and some fantastic photos are the result of completing all of the former and none of the latter.

There is one exception to this rule though; a 3-hour walk up to Key Summit [left] At about 920m above sea level it's not by any means the most challenging walk we've done on this trip but it was rewarding all the same and, though it was a little cloudy, the views from the top were excellent. There was even a self-guided alpine tour around the summit highlighting some of the flora and fauna and explaining how the mountains were formed. God I love the DOC (department for conservation.)

We spent our nights camping by crystal-clear streams and our days walking over swingbridges and past waterfalls until we reached Milford itself. As one of only two Sounds that are accessible to the public (the other, aptly named, Doubtful Sounds is reachable only by boat, then bus, then boat via about 300NZD) it is a truly unique experience.

Lake Milford [below] lies calmly surrounded by a cascading waterfall, curling clouds and endless outlines of almighty mountains.

For me the journey itself was the best thing about getting to remote Milford Sounds, and almost 250km might sound like a long way to drive to look at some old lake; but it is the end of the Southern Scenic Route and it is quite the grand finale.

Day 267: Ode to Invercargill

2011-01-21T00:06:00.004Z

...because it is right in the middle of the Southern Scenic Route and, I believe that I am being statistically accurate when I say that, no-one has ever heard of Invercargill, ever. Which is a travesty.

Invercargill, oh forgotten town
Your beautiful gardens opened by the crowd
Yet fame and fortune have let you down
Will the world ever know thy name?

A brewery with the finest ale
The fastest Indian – know that's a tale
Why so over-looked? I softy wail
Ever cherished by those who came

Your town it boasts no bungee rope
You were not built by the steepest slopes
Tell me is there any hope
Of international fame?

You're not that big, you're not that small
You cannot boast a shopping mall
Most will not visit you at all
But I love thee all the same

Day 264-266: Taking the Scenic Route (not just getting lost)

2011-01-16T22:07:00.006Z

Taking “the scenic route” hasn't always held positive connotations for me. It's what my Dad used to say on family holidays when we were packed into the car and still no closer to pinpointing the elusive beach we'd set off for 6 hours ago. “We're not lost, we're just taking the scenic route.” Or when he missed the right exit on the M40 because a sister had eaten two tubes of smarties in 30 minutes and been sick on herself at the crucial moment, “not to worry, we'll take the scenic route to Grandad's instead.” Entering the outskirts of Birmingham from Wolverhampton instead of Solihul isn't 'scenic' – it's just longer.

So when New Zealand's 'Southern Scenic Route' sprang out of the side of the road with it's easy-to-follow sign posts and the promise of, well, scenery I guess, I was dubious. But may it never be said that I cannot admit when I am wrong*.

I am writing from a happy mid-point in the route that stretches like a smile across the southern tip of NZ's South Island from Dunedin to Milford Sounds. And so-far, so good. Dunedin (above) is a lovely little town, usually one sixth students by population (but not in the summer holidays...now), there is a town centre with a beautiful church and plenty of shops. The old train station is a living working homage to Victorian times and, if you're willing to part with some cash (we weren't) you can even watch tiny Blue Penguins waddle up the rugged coast and into their nests each night.

South of Dunedin we stopped for a sunny afternoon at Lake Waihola. Maybe Asia has conditioned us to bath-tub temperature water but there was no chance of a dip here, though Emilio got a bit of a wash-down.

The following day we continued on to Kaka Point, where there was a small summer fête going on; bbq, local cheeses and crafts and pony rides on the beach. About 30 people. The lot. Just past Kaka we were treated to some spectacular views and lots of fur seals and sea lions frolicking below from an old lighthouse at the less-than glamorously named Nugget Point.

I'm not sure if it counts as 'scenic' or just plain mental but one of the highlights for me was 'Tea Pot Land' - just a front garden full of teapots. Every type of teapot you could imagine, it was amazing. And if that wasn't enough we rounded of the day with some cute waterfalls and a beautiful and almost completely deserted beach at Tautuku Bay.

Yeah, I could get into this scenic thing.

*this admission is limited to select cases only. Terms apply

Day 262-263: Icebergs and other unbelievable things

2011-01-16T21:57:00.005Z

About 100km north of Lake Tekapo, via a winding and unsurprisingly scenic road, lies the small village at the base of Mount Cook - which goes to show just how bloody massive Mount Cook is. For obvious reasons it has become something of a Mecca for mountaineers and there is a beautiful Tourist Information Centre courtesy of the DOC (of course) that details it's history and provides loads of information on what present day visitors can get up to. And I mean up to.

Now obviously as people that have, over the last few months, scaled a few mountains and dare I mention the erupting volcano we positioned ourselves in close proximity to, one may be forgiven for thinking that mountaineering is the next logical step. One could not be more wrong; nothing about having to defy death at every step, put up tents in gale force winds and sleep surrounded by snow...all for potentially days on end, is appealing to me. We opted for some comfortingly-mapped out walking routes.

Of which there are many and all of varying difficulty and offering diverse scenery. All with Mount Cook looming large in the background, of course, with its glistening glaciers, looking like it's been photoshopped in or cleverly painted onto the inside wall of a huge conservatory in a sort of The Truman Show; Serenity in the Southern Alps type thing.

As you can see we had perfect weather for it so it was more than a little bit strange to turn the corner after two hours of walking in blazing sunlight, over swing bridges and through streams, to find icebergs floating calmly in a lake. Ice ages really are incredible things.

Coming up here to the mountains is a bit of a detour, but with time on hands and walking boots firmly on feet it is easily one of the most brilliant detours your likely ever to make.

Day 261: “This is going to be the best day of the trip, isn't it?”

2011-01-11T22:38:00.010Z

If 365 were writing an all-star menu based on the locations of the food rather than the food itself, it would read pretty much as a diary of 9 January 2011. We rose early to drive to Lake Tekapo where we had been told the weather was “perfect” for spectacular sights.

Before even reaching the lake a bend in the road gave us this ridiculous panoramic view of Mount Cook and the surrounding ranges. We parked up and, sitting on top of a sundial as clouds swept over the mountaintops in front of us, we enjoyed a breathtaking breakfast.

Close up, as we found when we arrived in the small village at Tekapo, the scenery is even more incredible. The lake itself is the colour of peppermint creams, milky and almost opaque in appearance thanks to the glacier that formed NZ's second largest lake around 15,000 years ago. On the edge of the lake sits a church that provides perfect views of the sweeping southern edge.

And perching 1,029m above the tiny church on a mountain of the same name is the Mount John Observatory that, by night, offers an internationally almost unrivalled view of the night sky and, by day, is a perfect spot for a bit of lunch. And so there we were; egg-mayo sandwiches in hand, looking at thousands of years worth of mother nature at her finest. Next to Lake Tekapo itself lies Lake Alexandrina – a spring-sourced lake which means it has a “normal” deep blue colour. Seeing the two shades of lake so close to each other – almost the only features in the otherwise baron landscape - is bizarre. It's beautiful.

What could possibly be better than looking out over the lake and seeing the snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance? How about looking out over the lake and seeing the snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance from the comfort of not one but three hot spring pools? That's right my friends, the afternoon was spent lounging, reading and trying to get the best angle on the under-water massage jets of Tekapo's Hot Springs. They're not naturally occurring springs but my! are they relaxing.

We dragged ourselves away only briefly to whip up some Indonesian-inspired noodles on a sandy bank of the lake. Here the sun stays high in the sky until around 10pm (madness) so we found a shady spot where the lake mirrored the mountains and completed a day of obscenely scenic dining.

Then it was back to the springs for another dip, a warm shower, and a quick coffee because though it had been a wonderful day it was not going to end there. Oh no! We'd earlier secured two of the last places on the Night Tour of St John's Observatory which started at 23:30.

Now, we've been listening to Bill Bryson's wonderful A short history of nearly everything as an audiobook for a while now so we were already, I would say, more interested in space and cosmology than the average non-astrologer. We are by no means experts or even (what a wonderful term) amateur astrologers but science is fun and we were going up a mountain to get closer to it.

As I mentioned earlier, the weather forecast was “perfect” - no clouds and no wind. This doesn't just make for beautiful days, it means sensational nights. By midnight the moon had disappeared and the milky way (the milky way!) was clearly visible, swirling like a luminescent cloud in the sky above us. In fact most of the sky was alight with starts – I've never seen so many. It was bright, actually bright because all the billions of stars were so visible.

Our guide pointed out a number of stars and constellations and we were able to look at specific constellations and galaxies (that's plural galaxies, not just one, galaxies made of billions of stars that are millions of light years away and we were looking at them!) through a few telescopes. We even got to look through a huge 16inch telescope that sits in it's own 'dome' and view the famous Orion constellation. Through the lens you could clearly see the hydrogen and helium cloud that surrounds the 'belt' part of the constellation that branched out like an icy purple glow from the brightest stars. Even faint starts could be clearly seen and this was very unusual. In the 3 years that our guide had worked there he'd never seen Orion so clearly – the perfect conditions were making for some once-in-a-lifetime viewing.

Our timing was spot-on on another front too – the even bigger 24inch telescope that is used by real scientists to search for new planets with (they've found 5 so far...5 new planets from where we were standing!) had just that very day become available and we were the first tour group to be allowed to look through it! There is literally no other way to see stars clearer than we did at around 2am. Unbelievable.

It had been a long and insanely special day when we made it back to our lake-side camp site and Rob said to me “this is going to be the best day of the trip, isn't it?” Well...it's certainly going to take some beating.

257-260: Road trippin' with my two favourite allies

2011-01-10T05:18:00.004Z

After seven glorious days of sunshine in Christchurch (which is a very odd thing to say about that usually awfully dreary span of time between Christmas and the first few hungover days of January) and with all the bits and pieces we thought we needed for Emilio the Van, we set off in a southward direction and what did it do? It rained.

Not even proper rain, not instantly-drenching all-consuming rain...just English rain. That kind of ever-present drizzle that brings just enough cloud to obscure fantastic vistas and just enough dampness to make you not want to be outside. Which was a shame. Nevertheless we continued on to idyllic Akaroa.

Akaroa is, supposedly, a “French heritage village” but, much like Pondicherry in India before it, the only French thing about it is the street signs. Luckily the quiet bay that it sits on, wrapped around the green mountains bring more than enough je nais se qua to the small settlement. It also boasts the first, of what we hope will become many, free camping sites where we passed the evening with views of the bay from the shelter of our beloved Emilio.

From Akaroa we continued south passing through a number of small towns, each the same. Wide roads, stretching farmland, a small high street of shops and an unnerving general lack of people. Now I know, I know, that New Zealand is famously full of sheep not people but we weren't even seeing many sheep! My concern abated – slightly - when we reached Ashburton; big town, many people, and we parked up by Lake Hood for another rainy night in. But where were the sheep...?

Ah yes! Day 3 on the road didn't bring us much in the way of sunshine but the Peel Forest sure showed us where some of the sheep were hiding. The Peel Forest is an immaculately preserved nature reserve with plenty of walks and a fantastic camp site ran by the DOC (Department of Conservation) who, I'm sure, you'll be hearing more of in the future.

Here there were lots of families on their summer holidays and we managed to pick up some local recommendations from regulars to the area. So after a few walks and a number of gloriously hot showers (gotta get it while you can) we made our way the short distance to the Waihi Gorge.

As we drove down the gravel path to the DOC camp site at Waihi Gorge we knew it was going to be special; huge mountains in every shade of green dotted with white clumps of sheep rose up next to the shallow but perfectly clear Waihi River. Though the water was freezing the skies had cleared and at last! we were blessed with brilliantly blue skies.

From our spot we could hear the farmers whistling to their sheepdogs and the merry bleating of sheep just over the steady flow of the river as it wound through rapids and onwards to the coast. This is the life.

Day 249 - 256: Hello from New Zealand!

2011-01-08T01:42:00.007Z

Right. First things first – happy new year to you all, now this may seem like a redundant statement on 8 January but things have been pretty busy in the bubble that 365 occupy and I haven't had to chance to wish you well yet. God. First post of the year, and wildly overdue – better make it a good'un. I do have very exciting news on my side, but more on that later...

We arrived safe and sound in recently shook-up Chrsitchurch to find that the earthquake had indeed closed the hostel we'd reserved but the friendly bus shuttle bus driver (we'd found him via the friendly guy at the airport info counter) advised us of another. None of this “my brother has hostel, he make you good price” malarkey – oh no! We were definitely, and somewhat strangely after the best part of 2010, not in Asia any more. There was a short but pleasant walk [note: we were not hotter than the sun itself or drenched in sweat/rain at the end of it] and we were there! Stonehurst Hostel was to be our home for the next few days and the base from which the hunt for 4-wheels to call home was to operate.

Chrsitchurch is a lovely city; there's a beautiful art gallery, cute shopping streets, a vintage tram system and a well-maintained botanic gardens. It's kind of like Bournemouth meets Cambridge, but 100 years ago. It's quaint [all the pics are here.]

We began searching for a campervan by heading to the 'car markets' – basically show grounds for cars and vans that other travellers have driven around and are now selling on, and by checking hostel notice boards for posters that crowd each one. There is something for every taste and budget available here and, apart from knowing we wanted a fixed bed i.e. not an airbed/mattress sitting on the floor or on the folded down seats of a people-carrier, we weren't sure what we were looking for - until we met Emilio.

When Emilio showed us his '87 Toyota Townace I think we both knew it was the one. He and his girlfriend had ingeniously fixed up the then-empty space so that it was possible to have a full bed, a sofa and a table, two bench-like sofas with a table in the middle, all sorts of diagonal table fixtures going in and out of the van, or just have the table free-standing outside. It's difficult to explain, but hopefully it'll show in photos in time. IT also came with all the bedding and cooking necessaries, fold-down chairs and maps too.

Now you might be wondering what I'm getting all excited about table/bed formations for so I'll try to explain. In all the other campervans we saw there is really one two positions you can be in; sitting in the driver or passenger seat or lying in the back. And if it's raining outside you're cooking on your lap or your pillow – which isn't safe or fun, I imagine. So we're hoping that Emilio [we decided to name the van after the man, so our vehicle's full name is in fact Emilio Jose Garcia Rodriguez] will be a more functional and sociable option.

We had to wait until the mechanics re-opened the other side of NYE to get a full service done (passed with no problems) and, despite Nationwide & Santander's combined best efforts and ridiculous practices, we bought the van, signed the papers and became full owners.

It is all terribly exciting. NZ is (like Pai before it) one of those places that everybody we know that has been there has loved. We have not heard a bad word said and now we were here, in 2011, to see it for ourselves. The open road was ours to explore, so we set off...

Food for Thought

2010-12-30T05:23:00.003Z

After a good few months of mostly surviving on fried noodles and rice it was a pleasant surprise to find that though, yes, there was still a lot of noodles and rice about the Indonesians really did something different with theirs. Menu's here are also spiced up with the frequent inclusion of repetitions; who'd want to order 'Tempe'? Not I - but 'Tempe-Tempe'? Hell yeah.
Our days of cheap eating-out came to a close here in Indo so we got stuck in good and roper and here's the best of the best;

Rob's Menu

BREAKFAST

Scrambled Eggs on Toast, Fruit Salad & Cup of Tea (Pondok Lita, Gili Trawangan)

ELEVENSES

Corn on the Cob (Lombok)

LUNCH

Nasi Goreng - spicy rice with vegetable & chicken (Gili Trawangan)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Fish Satay (Lombok)

DINNER
Grilled Red Snapper & free Salad bar with Vegetable Curry
(Gili Trawangan, Mount Bromo)

Dessert

*sometimes dinner is too good to have a dessert*

Drink

Bintang Beer (everywhere)

Kat's Menu

BREAKFAST

Banana Pancake with a fresh Fruit Salad & a cup of Coffee (Sonjas Lombok)

ELEVENSES

LUNCH

Mee Goreng - spicy fried noodles with veg (Lombok)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Corn on The Cob (Lombok)

DINNER

Gado-Gado, steamed veg in a peanut sauce, with
Tempe-Tempe, puréed potato and egg in spicy little croquette-type pieces of joy
(Kuta & Gili Air)

Dessert

Banana Pancake (yes it was breakfast too, but they are that good)

Drink

Vanilla Milkshake (Gili Trawangan)

Day 241-245:Paradise Islands

2010-12-27T07:16:00.008Z

Good afternoon all! Hope you had a fantastic white Christmas. Well with the festive feasting over (apart from the turkey sandwiches that'll be good 'til they become the turkey curry around Wednesday) and the return to normal working life imminent, thoughts will no doubt stray to 'getting away from it all soon' so I thought I'd get in there with a quick post about the Gili Islands.

They got a little shout-out on our Chrsitmas-day post but, to be honest, they're so so bloody amazing I think they deserve some more cyberspace.

We took the short boat ride from Lombok to Gili Air, the nearest of the 3 Gili Islands, and took up residence in a small hut on the beach on the "quieter" Western side of the Island. 'Quiet' is a relative term here since the island only has a total population of 1,800 and there are NO vehicles. At all. No engines. No car-horns. No motorbikes. The favoured modes of transport are walking, cycling or the Gili Ferrari which is, when it comes down to it, a horse and cart.

We were told that you could walk around the entire island in under 2 hours; whoever was conducting this experiment had not hired a snorkel and fins for the day. We spent the best part of a day burning our shoulder blades and that bit you always miss behind your knees in various spots around the island and seeing all sorts of beautiful fish and coral but, unfortunately, none of the turtles that were rumoured to be "over populated" in the general Gili area.

After a couple of days of pure relaxation and some fantastic food we jumped on the Island Hopper boat over to Gili "the party island" Trawangan. No doubt avid Ibiza-lovers or even, closer to home, Bali-fans, may turn their beach-party noses up at this suggestion, but Gili 'T (see? it even has a cool abbreviation) is definitely the busiest of the Gili Islands.

Here the water is crystal clear ("I can actually see better through the water than I can though the air here", thanks Rob) and the beaches a made of the purest white sands. There is everything from the most luxurious of resorts and restaurants to the cheapest of food shacks that opened their wagons and set out their plastic chairs for dinner every evening. And every night one of the bars is the bar to go to tonight. There's always something going on.

We met up again with Brian, of Lombok bike-day fame, and invested in some more snorkelling which resulted in out first spot of the thus-far elusive hawksbill turtle (hurrah!) and some more incredible fishes that I couldn't even begin to describe.

Diving is big business on the island, and we did indulge in our Christmas-Day-dive, but snorkellers are by no means unable to really enjoy the marine life that surrounds the island. Even those that prefer to just lie on the beach have been known to catch a glimpse of a turtle surfacing for air.

Despite big plans to do so, we didn't make it to Gili Meno, the middle and most rural of the three islands, for a day of - you've guessed it - snorkelling off beautiful beaches. We hear it's incredible and, given its two neighbours, I can certainly believe it.

The Gili Islands really are a perfect holiday destination and I would strongly recommend it to anyone with a couple of weeks that wants to relax, eat well, drink too much, see some turtles and/or be in some of the most spectacular scenery on this side of the globe.

Day 244: Merry Chrsitmas!

2010-12-25T12:30:00.003Z

Massive hellos and lots of festive love from the Gili Islands!

Though no-one can accuse Team 365 of having a traditional Christmas, we are certainly having a very special one indeed...I'll keep this short because there is Bintang to drink and Nasi Goreng to eat and you probably have presents to unwrap and a turkey to baste.
This morning we started the day with a scuba dive through gorgeous coral and even swam with - not one but two - turtles, I even stroked one. I don't think any Christmas will ever be the same again.

We're thinking of you all and as our Christmas day come to a close and we know back in England it's just getting started, so have a wonderful day and a mince pie for us xx

Day 238-239: Motorcycle Diaries; Greens and Blues

2010-12-23T05:46:00.006Z

I was not sure what to expect when I arrived in Lombok after a rolling ferry journey and a bus ride that lasted 5 hours instead of the promised 2; but I was happy to be here and back with Rob. He'd even, ever so kindly, put in the ground-work and made some new friends as well as bumped into an awesome couple that we'd met in KL who had promptly checked into the same guest house.

After a few days of private refection this was exactly what I needed and after a quick ride around Singgigi, on the western coast, and a delicious barbecued corn-on-the-cob (there are dozens of little stands on the road side where diligent fanning of coals and a hot chilli sauce produce amazing cob-based snacks) we all headed out for dinner and a few Bintangs..

The following morning began, as all days should, with a banana pancake and a hot cup of java before Rob, Brian and I set off on motorbikes in a northward direction to see what we would see. And there were some spectacular sights; a smooth road drew you into generously curving bays before sweeping you out again to the edge of the blue ocean like the curves on a never-ending jigsaw piece. Literally every bend in the road presented a picture-perfect view of another bay, endless ocean and even – because it was a incredibly clear day – the Gili Islands sitting like green smudges on the blue horizon.

Needless to say we stopped in a few of these coves for a dip in the clear sea before the smooth road gave way to a more familiar bumpy track, beach views became luminescent green paddy fields and mountains loomed large and grey in the distant, surrounded by heavy clouds. Quite without trying we even found a waterfall, a host of over-excited waving school children (the kind of which we hadn't seen since India) and an enthusiastic guardian of the magnificent falls who showed us around.

It was another fantastic day on two wheels, but our last for a while since we were heading for a strictly no-motor corner of the world.

***Apologies for lack of photos, the internet is tooooo slow***

Day 237: Yoga for the inspired but achey

2010-12-19T05:32:00.001Z

Ooooh it was an achey morning indeed! Was it my over-zealous approach to yesterday or does it only hurt if it's working? I don't know but hopefully the later...either way this mornings' class felt much harder than yesterdays. This time it was taken by a guy and instead of moving through postures in a flowing kind of way like yesterdays sun salutations, today there was much more of finding a relatively easy pose and then holding it for so long it became uncomfortable (see below - she's making it look good) There were again easier and harder variations given and I felt a little bit sad that I sometimes had to do the easy ones.

It just goes to show that Yoga is a wide and varied field and no two practices will be the same – in a way that's probably one of the best things about it, apart from when you can't feel your left ankle any more :)

Obviously 3 sessions was never going to be enough to 'get good' or even scrape the surface of Yoga but The Yoga Barn has given me a fantastic introduction to something I am (at least at the moment) keen to keep up. I haven't always looked after my body in the most diligent manner and this feels like a good way to try and reverse some of the damage already done and keep it functioning smoothly in the future. Maybe I'm just getting old?

Anyway, since I did only have 3 classes under my belt and what I was also seeking was some instant relief in the neck and shoulder region, I decided to invest in an Ayurvedic Crown massage. Ayurveda is – and I'm quoting from the pamphlet here – 'the sister science to Yoga', it's a 'traditional system of natural medicine practised by Indians for over 5,000 years.'

We had heard all about it during our time in India but never actually tried it and so, with the window of cheap Asian massages closing in front of me, I delved in. And it was incredible.

Oils were rubbed into my scalp, face and neck in soothing strokes and vigorous vibrations before water was added to the mix to create a paste that sounded like squelching through mud and smelled like heaven all over my hair. Warm towels were placed over my shoulders and my head was wrapped in some kind of stiffened material that no doubt looked ridiculous but felt great.

Then the real neck and shoulder massage kicked in – I can't even describe how good this felt. It even extended to my fingertips before a hot wet towel was introduced to rub the excess oil off my skin.

My hair was washed through and I emerged an hour later feeling all shiny and new and enjoyed the carefully selected tea on the balcony overlooking the paddy fields.

And all this before 10AM.

These two days, just me and the ancient arts, have been exactly what I needed. Though it may sound crazy to the average 9-to-5er; travelling can be tiring, both physically and mentally. 8 months of constant moving, battling with language barriers and the ever-present quest to not get ripped-off or robbed can wear you down. So a little bit of "me time" was perfect in the run-up to Christmas.

I mentioned in my previous post about Ubud that this would be an excellent place to holiday, to this I would now add that it would also be an excellent place to escape to and unwind.

Day 236: Yoga for the curious and uncoordinated

2010-12-18T05:12:00.001Z

I'd been talking about this since Day 1, actually probably before Day 1, but after 8 months of hauling my body around Asia fuelled largely on noodles and cheap beer it was about time to show it that I still cared.

After some research and much deliberation, Rob packed his bag and departed to Lombok, and I committed to a 3-class package with The Yoga Barn. My first lesson was not called an Early Bird session for nothing, leaving my room at a sleepy 6am I made my way across town and down a small path to the beautiful grounds. The Yoga Barn is so-called because the room in which all the stretching happens was once a barn. Today the barn has 2 floors and only 2 walls, leaving a panoramic view of green rice paddies and allowing in all the sounds of nature. So far, so blissful.

Now as a total Yoga-virgin I had brought with me a series of concerns, these were;

What if everyone else in the class were proper yoga-pros, you know the type, tiny shorts, impossibly stretchy limbs and that infuriatingly calm look of someone whose found 'inner peace' and wants to convey this through dead-eyes and slow nods
I really hope the teacher doesn't speak in slooooow and reelaaaaaaxing huuuuussky tones about reeeeaaaallly feeeeling yoooouur iiiinner chiiiild aaaalllign with the myyyyyystical pooooowers of the moooooon
What the hell do I do if I fart?

I needn't have worried. The class had about 20 very normal people in, spaciously spread over the wooden floor facing a stone statue of Ganesh and Uma, a pettite and beautiful Indian woman who was taking the class and spoke with an endearing rolling Indian accent and often made jokes. I did – you'll be happy to read - maintain bowel-silence throughout.

The 90-minute session was great. We began with breathing exercises and moved onto sun salutations which, I think I'm right in saying, is a series of stretches and postures that should be repeated each morning to awaken the body and the soul. Then we attempted some more strenuous stretches that included moves called Warrior 1, 2 & 3 and a head-stand. I cannot do a head-stand, but I do a mean Warrior 2. (for reasons mostly centred around my own dignity, there are no photos of me doing Yoga but here's someone else doing the Warrior 2 properly)

There was some “release all your pain and anxiety to mother earth” talk in a move that involved stretching upwards and then dropping your hands and head towards the ground with an impassioned “heurgh” sound . But it came with the explanation that we all have pain, we're human, and if we have pain we shouldn't give it to someone else by moaning at them because they already have their own pain. If we take our pain and give it to the earth through Yoga we'll all feel less pain/anxiety/anger – which kind of makes sense when you think about it.

I wasn't here on a spiritual mission so when the session was over I checked the time table and, since all the sessions are drop-in, decided to go for Restorative Yoga which promised to “bring about gentle release focusing particularly on shoulders hips and spine.” After 8 months of lugging 13kg of my worldly possessions around on my back I thought this was not only necessary but could help in the months to come.

Feeling suitably invigorated and awake I made it back to the room in time for breakfast, I'll confess the Gurus probably didn't have a banana pancake in mind as the most complimentary meal to a Yoga sesh but I am a big believer in the golden hour that exists after exercise in which a moment on the lips does not mean a lifetime on the hips.

Safe in the knowledge that my newly-enlivened metabolism was working overtime and my soul was at least a little bit cleaner, I put on some relaxing music and lay down.

I awoke to a clap of thunder at almost half 2 in the afternoon. Had I mistake 'invigorated' for 'knackered'? Maybe. But it felt good.

Right! Here I am writing from the other side of the Restorative Yoga class. It's about half past 8 and I figured I'd better write this now before I grab some dinner because if it's anything like last time, I'll be asleep in 10 minutes.

Again I really enjoyed the class though it was very different from this morning. It was much more about stretching particular parts of the body and relaxing the whole body in general. The session was run by a different teacher this time (but still no sloooow yoga-voice thankfully), an English lady called Bex, who stressed the importance of listening to your own body. In that sense she asked if anyone was carrying any injuries at the beginning of the class and tailored the postures to these. She also demonstrated each posture with a slight adjustment that made it easier and a slight adjustment “for the more flexible” that made it more strenuous. I was pretty pleased that despite this being only session 2 of my Yoga career I was able to do the standard position each time (here's another pic of someone else doing a posture we did in class)

I wish I could remember all of the moves and techniques that I've done (I'd like to say 'learnt' here but that's not really true) today so that I can continue to practice them on this trip. I feel like I can really see the physical benefits to this kind of exercise. To be fair, I haven't done any sort of exercise at all in the last 8 months (does messing around in the sea count?) and it feels really good to feel physically tired from actually doing something not just from being lazy or being on a bus for a day.

My limbs do feel looser right now, though whether this will turn into aches in the morning we'll have to wait and see...

Part II now here

Day 233-235: Motorbikes and Monkeys (not at the same time)

2010-12-17T04:43:00.007Z

Leaving Lovina wasn't easy – and not only because heavy rain fall had left main roads looking pretty water-logged and the small side road that we were staying on was completely flooded. Water lapped onto the high pavements where failing drains kept water-levels at about ankle height. In the morning the sun was shining and the roads, caked with rippling mud, were being diligently swept by shop owners and restaurateurs alike.

We had loved the relaxed feel and beautiful scenery of North Bali but now we were heading south – not quite to the afore mentioned white beaches – but to Ubud.

Ubud sits surrounded by rice paddy fields and filled, I mean filled to the brim with artists. It has a similar feel to Pai in northern Thailand, where musicians were out-numbered only by tourists and even a fair share of them could play something... Here the artists are equalled by tourists and touts, walking 10m of undulating pavement here is equal to, I would say, 2 offers of taxi services and, after dusk, the same number for dance shows.

So we decided to escape the hubbub and hired our favourite mode of transport to explore the magical and ancient hillside. After an early breakfast (pancakes, fruit salad and coffee are included in our room rate, hurrah!) we set off on what would turn out to be a 60km ride to a sacred site near Pasar Siring, which lies just 18km north of Ubud.

Our detour did afford us this spectacular view and when we did arrive at Tirta Empul the sun had emerged and was bathing the temple and the crystal -clear waters of the surrounding baths – said to contain magical and healing properties – in a warm and hazy glow.

Naked men and women wrapped in full-length sarongs prayed and washed in segregated baths that sat between a huge and beautifully ornate temple. School children rushed excitedly around the grounds, either soaking wet or grouped in formal dress ready for lunch.

Exiting Tirta Empul was the only less than magical experience; visitors are shepherded through what must be at least 2km of winding path lined with souvenir shops. There must be 100 shops all selling exactly the same 12 items that seems to go on and on forever until you emerge no thankyou-ed out into the car park. Surely this must dirty even the most cleansed beings...?

Our other port of call in Ubud was Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana, most commonly known as The Sacred Monkey Forest Temple. Unfortunately apart from the sign at the gate that asks visitors to respect those that worship there I couldn't really see any thriving trace of religious importance; it's just a really good place to go to see extremely cheeky monkeys up close.

The many primates that call this home are not the kind that will shy away from delving into someone's bag in search of bananas or, as Rob found out, making a leap for your bottle of water mid-sip. Sitting down here is not really an option, constant movement is really the only way to avoid coming under a fairly rigorous stop-and-search. It's an excellent hour-or-so entertainment.

Ubud is a very varied town. A (genuine, not fake) Dolce & Gabana shop sits on the same road as a sprawling market where every type of clothing or souvenir can be bought for next to nothing. Ancient temples sit along side swanky restaurants. You can by a meal for 15,000 Rupiah (just over 1GBP) 200m from a place where a mojito costs 10 times that much – during Happy Hour. No prizes for guessing which side of the divide we're on.

Ubud would be a great place to come on holiday; when you've got less time and more money. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Day 228-229: Under the Sea

2010-12-12T08:59:00.012Z

Upon leaving Java, we had decided to shun the white-sanded and (so we'd heard) horrendously touristy beaches of south Bali and headed to the northern stretch of quieter, greyish-sanded (volcanic, not dirty) beaches of Lovina. Though the beaches weren't our main motivation, as the title of this post may suggest, we were here for the diving and oh were we in for a treat.

We found ourselves a cheap room that allowed us access to it's fancy sister-hotel's pool (ace) and also gave us suitable lee-way for some bargaining with the sister-dive shop. We opted for a 2-dive trip to Menjangan Island that left the following morning. We spent a very sunny and very rainy afternoon in the pool in excited anticipation.

We left bright and early for the drive NW towards the island, also diving with us was Jo – a wonderful English girl who had recently completed her Dive Masters in Koh Tao and had been diving all over the world [hereafter for 'Jo' read 'hero']. As well as being a font of information about the DM course, and having an awesome underwater camera the best thing about diving with her was that she could identify almost all of the fish we saw...and there was lots to see.

The 2 dives were based around the 'wall' of coral that surrounds this tiny island; after rolling off the boat in our gear we were greeted with fantastic visibility (10-15m) and an abundance of brightly coloured coral and a thriving metropolis of fishes in all shapes and sizes. Without just listing a bunch of names that won't mean much to most, the highlight spots of the dive were; a massive barracuda, 3 bat fish, clown fish (nemo) playing in an anemone, a scorpion fish and a very friendly sucker fish that swam with us for ages, rubbing itself against us with particular attention to Rob's crotch.

All in all, with a break for lunch in between, we were under the water for 2 hours. Did we still love diving? Of course we did...so much so that after further price-negotiations we signed up for a further 2 dives the following day.

This time we were heading to the East of the island to dive in the sunken wreck of the USS Liberty at a dive site called Tulamben. This was our first wreck dive and Jo was diving with us again (hence, the amazing pics). Again the views were just incredible, over the 2 dives we were able to circumnavigate the broken pieces of the wreck (the Japanese bombed it some 50 years ago) and swim actually into parts of the ship.

Sometimes it was almost impossible to tell that it was a ship because the coral growth had all but completely covered each surface. There were places where parts of the structure remained, jutting out at awkward angles, and rooms with 2 or 3 walls still in place; swimming though these darker waters into the light was truly magical. It felt like being in The Little Mermaid.

Again the sea life was spectacular, with sightings of a tiny nudi branch, stingrays, flounder fish (unfortunately these are not like in The Little Mermaid, they are small, flat and exactly the same colour as sand though so the spot is still a good one), moorish idols, an octopus (only I saw it as it changed colour from purples to creams, pulled all it's legs in and disappeared into a hole in the sand), a leaf fish and many, many more.

It was incredible and we have to say a massive thanks to Jo for letting us steal her photos and for teaching us so much.

Day 224-225: This is when we were interviewed for Indonesian National television infront of an erupting volcano

2010-12-08T10:07:00.004Z

Oh! It's all in a days work for your intrepid Team 365... :)

Let me start at the beginning - which is in the dark and distant past before a 12-hour day in a number of minibuses from Yogyakarta to Ceromo Lewang, a small and sleepy village positioned in the Javanese mountains with a picture-perfect view of Mount Bromo. We had heard of lots of scams (faux break-downs conveniently next to high-charging hotels that were mates with the driver etc.) on this particular route but - apart from sever numb-bum experienced by all - our trip went without a hitch. We even managed to negotiate ourselves a discount for the drive to Mount Bromo in the morning.

And it was an early start; we left our wonderful guest house, Yoschis, at the un-godly hour of 4am and made the short and winding drive up to the view-point in the dark. From the viewpoint we got our first glimpse of Bromo; surrounded by soft white mist like an island in a cloudy ocean, the sight was spectacular. From the view-point we walked about 2km further up the mountain (4x4s can't go there but horses and feet can) for an even more panoramic view. By now the sun was rising and the golden and pinks in the sky were turning to blues.

Ash was billowing out of Mount Bromo at a fairly constant rate, with occasional bigger bursts and even a few puffs from the volcano behind it (apologies, I'm not sure of the name) - it was incredible. Now I've never seen a volcano before so I can't really compare but surely this is one of the most breath-taking views of tectonic activity that it is safe to see in person?

Which leads me on nicely to the interview. Was it our good looks and charm? Our obvious on-screen chemistry? Was it that they recognised us from those Bollywood roles that bagged us this slot on Indonesian TV? Who knows...though I would hazard a guess that just being English was what swung it. We shared our awe at Bromo and confirmed that we felt perfectly safe in its presence.

Little did we know that the safety-line of questioning was probably because Bromo has only done the ash-billowing thing 3 times in the last 10 years (last in 2006) and what we were watching and happily smiling-for-the-camera in front of was considered an eruption. A real eruption. A very unusual, real, volcano erupting - and us. Finally it seemed our luck with volcanoes was in!

Some people arrive in the evening, like we did, see Bromo in the morning, like we did, and jump straight onto a bus to Bali; we did not do this. Instead we decided to spend the day wandering around Ceromo Lewang - there's not much going on, but the locals are friendly and the cool climate was a welcome relief, I'd definitely recommend it. It's certainly better than back-to-back days on a minibus.

This was one of our shortest stays but it was certainly one of the most memorable.

Day 222: Hurrah! 365 hearts Indonesia again

2010-12-04T11:27:00.006Z

Team 365 is happy to report that since escaping Jakarta on a very cold train, Indonesia has been kind enough to gift us a beautiful town to call temporary-home.

I'm writing from Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) that boasts a daily market that goes on and on. And on. Even better, at around the stroke of 10pm it transforms into a food market that goes well, not so far, but further than any other straw-mat-and-low-table-street-stalls-serving-nasi I've ever seen before. It really is a fun place, you can't go far - and you certainly can't eat a meal - without a guy and his guitar serenading you with what I imagine is Indonesian hits or cheesy ballads from the 90's.

The town is also home to the Palace of the Sultan of Java; the grounds are a sprawling mini-city and the Sultan himself still employs around 25,000 people who live in the grounds and work for him, tax free. We met a few of the traditional puppet-makers and enjoyed a wander round the streets, which were indecipherable from the main town really, but beautiful in a small, meandering graffiti-splattered kind of way.

Now, Team 365 has not always had the greatest of track-records with volcanic eruptions and little did we know that as we made our way on a selection of buses to a particular beautiful temple, that we were within days of the whole thing being closed to us thanks to the another volcano. I'll explain, when Merapi erupted in November it caked the whole monument in volcanic ash and a specialist team in protective clothing (not monks praying, as I excitedly observed from a distance) were there to clear it up.
Unfortunately this meant that we couldn't climb up the structure but we had more access than those who'd come before us, and it was still stunning. Often compared to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, it was , for me, a much smaller more intimate experience. The stone carvings are similar but Borobudur, built around a hill in beautiful lush green lands is spectacular in its own way.

We spent a gloriously sunny afternoon exploring the temple and the strange selection of Museums the Indonesians deemed worthy of inclusion (a magic museum with walls of photos of bizarre world record holders such as lady with the longest tongue/a 2-headed horse/child that could bounce balls...why??)

It has been great here and tomorrow we embark upon a long journey to the edge of an active volcano. Brave or stupid? You decide...and I'll confirm back with you in a day or so :)

Day 221: Hello Indonesia / Goodbye Jakarta

2010-12-02T09:15:00.005Z

Not many complimentary things have been written about Jakarta and, though I do not wish to begin our Indo-blogs on a low note, this blog post is not going to change that.

Determined though I was to visit Jakarta and file it under Vientiane in the list of 'Places with a bad rep for no apparent reason' it has to be said; the place is, as reported, dirty, polluted and over-crowded. Not that I have anything in particular against places with which these adjectives could be used; India is currently sitting pretty at the top of my list of 'Favourite places we've been so far'. Maybe it was coming from the super-shiney Singapore that made it seem that little bit worse.

Now, enough of this negativity. Must say something complimentary...hmm...I will say that the food around the Jalan Jaksa area, where we were staying, was cheap and delicious. Furthermore - another plus point for the city nick-named the 'Big Durian' - the Busway system does make travelling from one filthy part of this shithole to another both quick(er) and easy.

1 night here is more than enough...let's get outta here.

Food for Thought

2010-12-02T08:43:00.002Z

You know the drill by now...we've eaten our way around Malaysia and Singapore and now we compile a day-long set menu that is way beyond our eating capabilities but well within our dreaming. You may spot a few old favourites here but we haven't got lazy, honest, the populace here is a veritable mix of Indian, Chinese, British and native Malays and the cuisine reflects this perfectly. So here goes...

Rob's Menu

BREAKFAST

Egg Masala Thosai (Cameron Highlands)

ELEVENSES

Samosa & Chickpeas (Little India, Penang)

LUNCH

Spicy Vegetable Curry in a creamy Coconut Sauce (Mama Chops, Taman Negara)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Roti Dal (Little India, Singapore)

DINNER
All-vegie Chinese Buffet with Chicken Wings (KL & Qqafe, Singapore)

Dessert

*Rob claims to have never had a desert*

Drink

Peach Sofa (Going Om, Singapore)

Kat's Menu

BREAKFAST

Roti Chanai (this one's for Sarah...Cameron Highlands)

ELEVENSES

High Tea (Scones, Cream, Tea...the works, Cameron Highlands)

LUNCH

All-vegie Chinese Buffet (KL)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Samosa, Chickpeas & Onion Baji (Little India, Penang)

DINNER

Vegetable Murtabak with Rojak Salad (Cameron Highlands & Newton Food Hall, Singapore)

Dessert

Fruit Platter with Ice (CBD, Singapore)

Drink

Mango Mojito (Marina Bay Sands, Singapore)

Day 219: "Asia's favourite playground"

2010-11-26T04:03:00.009Z

Our monorail ticket told us we were headed for "Asia's favourite playground" and the friendly female voice on the monorail told us we were "...just moments away from Santosa Beach, alight here for white sandy beaches, exciting activities, relaxing resorts and Santosa's finest shopping and dining experiences." Just as the doors opened and a gust of warm salty air finally won the battle with the uber-aircon, we were all advised to "have fun!"

Santosa, a small island that lies south of Singapore and plays host to luxury apartments, a Universal Studios theme park, numerous hotels and a Casino and the auspicious title of "the southern most tip of continental Asia" - or so the same friendly voice on the free island tram told us.

We were there to have a look around and meet up with some friends. First we hit the beach, a thin strip of imported but, yes, white sand that is dotted with (not naturally-occurring) palm trees and a multitude of bars and cafes. The sea is surprisingly clean, considering that southern Singapore is basically one big port and, in fact, it's funny to look out to sea and see the looming shadows of ships docked not very far away at all instead of the usual endless blue line between the sea and the sky.

As with much else in Singapore; entertainment is at the forefront of commerce on Sentosa and apart from the theme parks and casino, the promenade is packed with fun ways to fill your day. We tried our hand (and our nerves) at Megazip; an outdoor-ropes-adventure type thing that had us stepping of a 5-storey building (spot Rob, above) and flying 450m across Sentosa on a zip-line. Which was fantastic. We also wheeled around on Segways (pictured) and sped down the awesome Luge track when it got dark. We need here to say a massive thank you to Mykel for woo-ing our way into all of the above.

And what better way to end an action-packed day than to relax in a bar, with a pool, on the beach, drinking a beer?

Yeah, so everything there is nothing au natural about Sentosa, who cares? It's a 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, money-making machine. I don't mind. I can see where the ticket stub in my pocket is coming from; it is just one big playground...for everyone. There's no age limit or budget limit that couldn't mean a great day out. Which is, I think, what it's meant to be about. A trip to Singapore simply wouldn't be complete without a visit.

Day 214-217: I'm in love with Singapore

2010-11-23T04:30:00.006Z

Never had the saying about the best laid plans ever seemed more apt. Team 365 found itself with time to spare on Sarah's 2-week holiday since the darned cyclone had swept across northern Malaysia and Thailand, churning up the sea as it went, and rendered the planned scuba-diving excursion impossible. Never mind, we thought - let's go to Singapore. As you do.

We arrived through clean, organised and efficient customs, boarded the clean, organised and efficient SMRT tram system and found our clean and cosy hostel. We were, indeed, in Singapore.

After a quick shower and a change Team 365 was out again and on a trip to one of Singapore's newest attractions. In fact, the Marina Bay Sands hasn't completely finished being built yet - but one cannot be disappointed with the huge casino, numerous restaurants, museums, shopping malls and three 56-storey hotels that already exists on the 20-hectare plot of land right on Singapore's coast. Not to mentions the 340m-long Sky Park that sits on top of the 3 hotel towers and actually over-hangs the edge of Tower 1 by 67m; officially the worlds largest cantilevered platform (pictured above). I could go on; I have (as the long-suffering Rob and Sarah will no doubt happily confirm) become slightly more than obsessed with this structure since watching a program on it's construction.
So I was in my element; at the top of the building of my dreams while the sun set over a city/country I was already falling in love with. What could have possibly made this any better? Ah yes! Cocktails in one of the Marina Bay Sands numerous bars. Unfortunately we had to return to ground level to sip our Singapore Slings (only hotel guests can use the roof-top restaurant and pool...oh! the pool!) What a way to begin our time here!

The next day we were up bright and early and spent the day wandering around different parts of town. We visited Chinatown, Little India and the Muslim quarter, Kampong Cham which were all beautiful but notably more...well, how to describe this? They were just more Singaporean than other Chinatown's or Little India's that we'd previously seen. Everything just seemed like it had been more thought out; food stalls still sold cheap and local delicacies but the seating was under-cover (no more crouching on the curb or hiding under shop awnings) and there were staff who cleared the tables, fans were positioned to keep diners cool, one drink stand served drinks to all diners regardless of where they bought their food or sat. It was just so un-Indian.
Mosques and temples were beautifully maintained, sculptures gleamed on street corners where graffiti or drunks may have gathered, locals strolled past in designer sunglasses and sparkling flip flops. And every time you looked up you saw the tops of soaring skyscrapers along the horizon; a perfect synergy between old and new, traditional and modern. It was awe-inspiring.

Singapore likes to be the best. It's a country that likes to do things first, or be the biggest, or the newest and so we went to see what a country that is also slightly obsessed with cleanliness (eating or drinking on the rail system incurs a $5000 fine) would do with a load of exotic animals. And the results were incredible. Singapore Zoo is simply the most wonderfully designed space; animals are kept in enclosures - not cages - and regular token feedings and shows meant that we could easily see almost all of the animals up close and personal. There are reams and reams of photos that you can browse through here - but here's us hanging out with some parrots to get you started...

We literally spent all day at the Zoo. We could have stayed on longer to do the Night Safari (another new edition to Singapore's bulging entertainment offerings) but we were meeting up with a old school friend of Sarah's who lives here. We met Rosemary at her beautiful apartment near China Town and headed out for dinner with a few of her housemates in the CBD where a road is blocked off each night and hawker stalls serve every conceivable type of food and drink to groups of smartly dressed colleagues, families and incredibly stylish teenagers. It was a fantastic evening.

But that was unfortunately Sarah's last night with us and early the next morning we bid a sleepy and sad farewell to her. Sarah's Singaporean adventure was over but, it seems, ours had only really just began.

Day 210-212: Penang, sunshine and rain

2010-11-21T04:04:00.007Z

And so your motley crew of mostly-MDT's rolled out of the faux-English country side and onto some Island living. Specifically Penang Island, which lies just off the north-west coast of Malaysia and is easily accessible by a beautiful bridge from the mainland (does this diminish it's status as an island? discuss.)

Penang is very different from the Cameron Highlands in a number of ways but the first one that hit us was the heat; below the benefits of altitude we spend out days running from shop awning to shop awning almost melting into the pavement under the sun. It was great.

It's also much busier and it was a pleasure to explore the bustling pockets of the community. As with many other Asian towns and cities that we have visited, areas were here loosely sorted by origin and income; there was Little India (with all the culinary delights that you might imagine and more), China Town (billowing incense sticks, red lanterns and all), the super-rich (malls the size of villages) and the slightly more skanky (where we were staying.)

There isn't a beach per say - basically all available space has been used in the far more profitable business of building giant ports, which was a bit of a shame but a wander down the tiny strip of rocky coast to see locals fishing was well worth it.

We spent our days trying to stay cool and the nights trying to stay dry and as the rains came down we decided where our adventure would take us next, and it was a little further afield than even we had initially expected...

Day 203-209: Sarah in Malaysia

2010-11-13T10:52:00.009Z

Some people would have been forgiven for thinking that two people who packed their backpacks and said goodbye for a year didn't want to see their nearest and dearest for a good while. Well, if the wonderful liaison with friends wasn't enough to dispel these rumours, Team 365 is way overexcited to announce the arrival of Sarah, my best friend and big sis.

We spent our first days together exploring Kuala Lumpur, a city that is as beautiful and modern in parts as it is derelict and crowded in others. We were staying in China Town, where the largest and cheapest vegetarian buffet (look! it goes further than the camera can see!) kept us going between wanders through the park, ventures into Bangkok-style huge malls and speeding around town on the 'Rapid KL' sky-train (more transport geeking. Apologies.)

But Sarah had come from the big smoke and the weather hadn't really improved too much since our 'Samui days so we headed to, well, yes, a rain forest actually. But not just any old rainforest! A very old rain forest - 130 million years old to be precise. Taman Negara, which we travelled to by bus and a stunning 3-hour boat ride, has remained unchanged by ice ages or tectonic activity and we were going to trek through it...at night.

It was only a short night trek that we did but it was brilliant; by torchlight we saw snakes, huge spiders (pictured), moths and even 'fished' for scorpions which basically involves enticing them out of trees just long enough to blind them with a thousand camera flashes before they return to the safety of darkness.

We also undertook some less scary but definitely more strenuous walks, which lead us to some beautiful vistas and some murky waters. It was brilliant, but with the only 2 weeks to spend in Malaysia with Sarah we were keen to head on.

And onwards we headed to where strawberries, scones and tea are the order of the day, the weather was cool and the hills rolled in glorious shades of green; no, not England. I am writing from the Cameron Highlands (not to be mistaken for the Cameroon Islands...Sarah)

Here we have been happy to indulge in some cream teas (who needs Wimbledon to be on? So good!) and a great tour of a local tea plantation, strawberry farm, honey farm and a butterfly farm that also offered the opportunity to get close to some over-sized and very well camouflaged insects.
It has been so good having Sarah with us and, scarily, we are already half way through her holiday - but rest assured that there is plenty more fun to be had and we'll be telling you all about it.

Food for Thought

2010-11-11T10:26:00.007Z

Thailand is probably the country on our itinerary that is most famed for its delicious local cuisine - and it did not disappoint at all. We fell in love with sizzling curries, spicy soups and salads that sound like they are made of fruit. But best of all, with plenty to try and not that much to spend on the experimenting, there was also always a cheap place to get a good Thai meal - almost any day of the day or night. Long live the man with the tiny cooking station attached as a side-car to his motorbike! Anyway, here's our pick of Thailands finest bites.

Rob's Menu

BREAKFAST

Stir-fry beef (Pai)

ELEVENSES

One whole potato swirled on a stick (pictured...but how do they do it? - Chiang Mai)

LUNCH

Pineapple fried rice (J'Nee, Koh Tao)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Pad Thai (Koh San Road, Bangkok)

DINNER
Massaman Curry % Papaya Salad (Mr Phu's, Koh Samui)

Dessert

Mince pies & custard (massive thanks to Miri, Will & G-unit for
bringing an end to 6-months of cravings)

Drink

Jagermeister & Coke (also thanks to W, M & G)

Kat's Menu

BREAKFAST

Vegatble & Noodle Soup (J'Nee's, Koh Tao)

ELEVENSES

Samosa (Mr Samosa, Koh Tao)

LUNCH

Penang Curry with brown rice (Pai)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Free salted peanuts served by ladyboys in 'Miss World' outfits
(Mui Thai Fighting, Chiang Mai)

DINNER

Suki Yaki Soup and Massaman Curry (Mr Phu's, Koh Samui)

Dessert

Mango Sticky Rice (Cooking Course, Chiang Mai)

Drink

Twice as much Sangsom whiskey as was necessary & coke
(thanks Spooner & Rob, Pai)

Day 193-200: Friends reunited

2010-11-06T02:53:00.007Z

This was a week we were very excited about...in a relatively last minute decision and at great Koh Samui vs. Koh Phi Phi debate two of Team 365's very best friends were coming to visit.

Eventually, after much staring at every passing taxi, Miri and Will arrived at our hostel in Koh Samui, a larger island south of Koh Tao. It was amazing to see them; after 6 months of only Skyping when Will was meant to be working, to actually be with them in person was incredible. There were hugs all round before we were told they'd brought us a gift and then Gunit (uni housemate, best friend and favourite favourite) stepped out from behind the waiting cab. Safe to say this trumped the pathetic pack of sweets that had "lets party" written on them which we had bought for the occasion.

Once we had recovered from the surprise (we still haven't really recovered from the joy) of all being together again we got down to the serious business of catching up. I shan't bore you with the details but I must say a massive thank you to those that sent cards, letters, gifts & teabags - I promise to reply soon.

Samui is a much bigger island than Koh Tao and so we were able to move from district-to-district and thus recreate the notion of travelling without having to waste precious days actually getting to another island/province. First we were in Chaweng, which was scarily touristy in parts but offered the best beach and (little did we know), weather-wise, also our best beaching opportunity.

Then the party moved onto Bo Phut, in the north of the island, which was lovely. The waves that we had frolicked in at Chaweng Beach now completely consumed the sand at Bo Phut so we hired motorbikes and after a few false starts (Team 365's first flat tyre!) we explored the whole of the island finding cool waterfalls, crowded markets and plenty of opportunities to try the local cuisine.

Finally we changed location again to Lamai; when we arrived it was raining and it basically proceeded to do so for the entirety of our intended 2 day stay and the unintentional 3rd day that we remained slightly marooned on the island.

We passed our days without electricity or water, which quickly changed from romantic to inconvenient, without knowledge of the full extent of the flooding in Thailand, eating lots and playing cards by candle light. Then we found that all the ferry's (Rob and I were booked to travel to Malaysia) had been canceled and flights (Will Miri & Gunit intended to fly to Bangkok) were not leaving either. In fact, W M & G had to go all the way through flooded roads to Samui airport to buy a ticket for the following day...we didn't mind; the rains had just bought us another evening with three of our favourite people.

Finally we did depart on our separate paths; W M & G made it to Bangkok (we hope) and we booked a flight to Kuala Lumpur (we didn't see them at the airport so we guess they made it.) Despite the slightly shoddy weather and the absolute lack of tanning (especially disappointing for Miri) we had a marvelous time. After 6 months away it's amazing that when your with such good friends it can really feel like no time at all; it was so good to see you guys, love love xx

Day 182: Half way!

2010-11-03T09:12:00.002Z

Another wonderful thing that happened in Koh Tao that I reckon deserves the prestige (?) of a blogpost is that Team 365 made it half way to the ultimate aim of 365 days away on this incredible trip! So we took a break from diving to surface for a quick cocktail.

It really has been the best six months of our lives and even more excitedly - there's still six more glorious months to come.

So thank you to everyone for sticking with us thus far. Lots of love, 365 xx

Day 186-191: Underwater adventures

2010-11-01T07:29:00.000Z

From the buzz of Bangkok we departed to tiny Koh Tao; covering about 20 square km it's famous for being one of the best - and cheapest - places to dive in the world. And that is exactly what we were there to do.

As proud holders of the PADI Open Water certificate, the first level of diving qualification, all we needed to do was get a refresher course to swim with the fishes but we weren't going to settle for that. Instead we opted for the next level; the Advanced Open Water certificate which meant five dives over two days including a deep dive (30m below sea level, baby!) and a night dive (here we are wetsuited and overexcited after the dive, below) as well as necessary navigation, buoyancy and fish identification skills.

We lived and dived with Coral Grand; a company that had not only an awesome team of divers but a beautiful pool (pictured) to learn in and a spectacular beach-side location.

The island itself is lovely; small enough to bike around in about half an hour, on the rare occassions that we were not diving, we explored the islands other beaches and snorkelling hot-spots.

But to the diving! Which was just incredible. We were so lucky to enjoy 6 days of clear blue skies and, most of the time, excellent visibility. We swam with beautifully bright fishes of all shapes and sizes and really got into trying to identify them and learn the hilariously-literal hand signs that are used to communicate under water e.g. angel fish = circle a finger above one's head like a halo, pipe fish = play an invisible pipe. All good fun.
We saw stingrays, hermit crabs and coral of every shape and size that you could imagine and more that you couldn't.
We also - most importantly - SWAM WITH A TURTLE; literally my dream experience. The gorgeous hawksbill turle was happy to swim with us near for a good 15 minutes, it was magical.

All in all we extended our five-dive stay by three extra days and 4 extra dives; we literally couldn't tear ourselves away and with every dive that passed Rob and I became more and more sure that diving is going to feature heavily not only in this trip, but in the future in general.

The next step in the dive-certification ladder is to become a Dive Master, and after hanging out with the guys at Coral Grand (thanks again Joe, Dave, Phillis, Nad & Co) it's become #1 on our ever-extending To Do list.

Koh Tao; we'll see you again soon.

Day 183-185: Bangkok in a day (almost)

2010-10-24T13:37:00.006+01:00

Team 365 arrived in Bangkok at just before 6 in the morning and after waking and gathering ourselves we made it to a taxi and, slightly worried about the unsocial hour and the likelihood of hostels being open, we were deposited on Koh San Road where bars where blaring music, street venders were selling pad thai and people where everywhere. We could have started a night out if we had been so inclined. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we weren't.

We had, however, managed to arrive on a Sunday which meant that we were just in time for the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market; our guidebook advised early arrival (that suited us) and promised sweat, tears, extreme claustrophobia and more bargains on more items than anyone could ever hope for. Since our hostel room was not available to us until midday we decided to check it out.
What we found was a pleasant out-of-town market that was just getting into the swing of things, friendly vendors, a systematic (if vast) expanse of stalls and a little rain. We were happy, but we were also desperate to sleep - so we headed back. The rest of the day was spent snoozing and investing in the afore-mentioned pad thais...tomorrow it would be all action.

Bangkok is full, and I mean full, of wonderful things - alot of things are not exactly as they seem (more on that later), some of them are exactly as they seem, and some of them are even better than they seem. The sky-train falls firmly into the last of these crudely-constructed pigeonholes. A trip across town that once upon a time took over 4 hours thanks to legendary traffic congestion can now be completed in beautifully air-conditioned carriages in 15 minutes, for 35 Baht (not even 1GBP)

We took this glorious mode of transport to China Town, of course, because yes we did come all the way to Thailand to get a better taste of China. The tiny alleys packed with market stalls were an absolute pleasure to get completely lost in.
After a bit of searching we did manage to locate Old Siam Plaza; home to a vast array of confectionery that falls into the 'wonderful things that are not as they seem' category. Here we ate shiny sweets that tasted sweet,were made from savory corn (we think), that were made to look like spicy chilis...it was bizarre. It was wonderful. It was Bangkok all over.

Our next mode of transport was a boat - actually two boats because the first time we got it in the wrong direction and, much like a normal bus service, we had to get off at the next stop and go the other way. At the risk of sounding like a total transport geek (if the sheer joy on my face in the pic above wasn't enough) - what a ridiculously enjoyable way to travel around a city notorious for awful transit! There was plenty of whistling and crew leaping on and off that every stop (see below). It was quick and it was cheap. It bore close resemblance to what we'd heard about other services available in Bangkok.

Then we enjoyed a good session of intense window-shopping in one of the uber-super-massive-everything-all-in-one-place malls; the one we were in had 5 floors of shops, restaurants, massage parlous, a marine park (bored of spending? fancy swimming with sharks?) and a hotel - and this is just what we saw before we eventually found the exit. Anything and everything is available to you in these malls - for the right price. They are like (not-so) mini versions of Bangkok as a whole.

That evening we had arranged to meet up with our good friend Steve (of previous 365 fame) and a Pai-acquired friend, Ryan, who was studying in Bangkok and recommended a bar on Koh San Road. Brick Bar, Ryan told us, usually had an awesome ska band playing. When we entered Brick Bar we were hit by a wave of funking fantastic tunes - the band were incredible. The place was packed with locals (not usually the case on the Koh San) and everyone was getting on down. Thailand was turning into quite the live-music connoisseur.

But the musical fun could not go on forever and we had one more Bangkok-based cliche to complete; that's right readers, after much popping sounds from tuk tuk drivers we made our way to a Ping Pong show. It was exactly as it seems; various items were lit, extinguished and removed from bored-looking Thai girls genitalia and Rob is now the proud owner of a vagina-written 'nice to see Rob' note. It had to be done. It was 5 in the morning and we had reached the epitome of Bangkok.

And on the third day, 365 was pleased with what it had done and so it rested.

Bangkok was a whirlwind, a sensory overload. It was amazing. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Day 175-182: The life of Pai

2010-10-19T07:49:00.007+01:00

Vast, vast amounts of blog-space could be used to describe, in detail, all the reasons that Rob and I fell in love with Pai. Pages could be written documenting each of the many, many factors that made it almost impossible to leave and absolutely necessary that we return again.

We knew before we got there that this town in the north of Thailand would be a good'un; almost everyone that we had met on this trip that had been to Thailand cited Pai as their favourite place. Officially an ex-hippie community (Thai authorities cleared out the thousands of farang that were living there with free spirits but without visas a number of years ago) the hippie spirit - we knew - was still going strong.

The spirit of Pai reached us when we were still about an hour away. On a short break from the journey from Chiang Mai, we were musing at our total lack of preparation for our visit - none of us had even considered where we might be staying when we arrived. At this point we were approached by a Finish girl who told us of the guest house she had just left in Pai, insisting that we stay there and pass on her love to the owner and other guests. We called, they had rooms available and they'd pick us up from the bus station. Lovely.
When we arrived we were taken to Happy House in a tuk tuk and the owner, Fritz, introduced us by name to each of the other guests that were relaxing in the bar area. This has never happened before. Rarely have guest house owners known our names - let along us and everyone elses; we knew this was going to be a special place.
Then we were shown our rooms; Lukas took a dorm room and Rob and I were given our own bungalow - yes you read correctly. We had a front door, a porch, a bathroom, a fridge and within about 2 minutes of being there, Rob had set us up a bookshelf too. We were going nowhere fast.

Fritz took the time to tell us about the area and we sat and had a cuppa (free tea and coffee!) with one of the few long-term stayers, a British musician. It was early afternoon so we hired bikes and headed into the hillsides to a pool. Just look at it (above) We would spend a lot more time here - especially given that it cost just over 1GBP to stay as long as you liked.

That evening the Happy family (it was like a family) were going out and we joined everyone for dinner and drinks and delighted in choosing from an almighty array of live music. In fact every night of our stay we ate with our fellow guests and enjoyed awesome live bands; thai and farang musicians played covers/reggae/blues/funk...you name it; someone, somewhere in Pai was playing it. Muscian heaven on earth.

In Pai we lost Lukas (damn education to recommense in Germany!) but we were joined by Rob's friends from home - Spooner and Sean - and a number of messy nights out ensued (see below)
By day we rode through incredible vistas to waterfalls and viewpoints and hot water springs and sometimes to nowhere in particular because the riding itself was such a joy. And by night we wandered through the night market which stretched out over the towns small streets and gifted a number of beautiful vintage dresses to my already bulging backpack.

When the day finally arrived for us to depart; we didn't. Aside from being too hungover, we weren't ready to leave.
Pai has a relaxed vibe, a creative undertone, a diverse musical soundtrack - it makes you want to kick back, chill out and not worry about a thing - leaving included. And so we've changed our tickets, stayed another day and promised ourselves that when we leave we would not be seeing beautiful Pai for the last time.

Day 174: 100km of joy

2010-10-16T09:49:00.004+01:00

We loved Chaing Mai but after a few days mincing around the city we thought it was probably time to get out of town and - without opting for another jungle trek (too soon) - we of course decided to go by two wheels.

On leaving our lovely and super-friendly guesthouse, Diva, the owner broke the ice with a joke about me looking like I was having a baby after last night's cooking course and after much stomach-patting we met a German guy who heard we were planning to do a day of biking and asked to come along. This German guy turned out to be Lukas; a wonderful bare-footed man, all-round hero and soon-to-be adopted 365er.

Today we were doing 'The Samoeng Loop'; around 100km of breath-taking scenery, small villages, alusive waterfalls and - luckily - at least one mechanic. We had been going all of 30 minutes when, on easily some of the smoothest tarmac we'd seen in SE Asia, Lukas' back tyre got a puncture and, in an instant, was as flat as a pancake. A local guy informed us a mechanic was just around the corner and after a squeky 5 minute drive at 2mph a mechanic had a new inner tube fitted in no time at all.

We were off again! We climbed up to a beautiful view-point and stopped for lunch in Samoeng - which we estimated to be about half way round the loop. We knew the second half would be higher and even more winding, but we didn't expect to be literally driving through clouds. Watching them roll in over the green mountains and into blue skies was really something special.

We'd decided to do the loop with a bit of an added extension to avoid all the 'big' tourist attractions, by which I mean monkey shows, snake shows, elephant dance show - honestly, it was like Animal Cruelty Avenue; we were not up for it. But in SE Asia when you take the scenic route you really do take the scenic route and, though we managed to drive straight past most of the waterfalls we were looking for, really the driving was the main attraction.

We watched the sun set over a beautiful lake and drove home in the dark to the infamous Saturday Night market in Chiang Mai; by then we'd persuaded Lukas to some north with us to Pai and there was plenty more biking to be done.

Day 173: You make SUPER flame, na?

2010-10-13T05:11:00.006+01:00

And so the culinary trail of 365 continues; we had entered a new country and therefore we just had to learn how to cook like a local.

On this occasion we opted for an evening lesson with the lovely Meow (yes, she had the Thai version of my name and it meant that we could say things like 'shall I put the chilis in now, meow?' etc. great fun)

The evening began with a trip to the market and then we got stuck in with our first of six dishes; the infamous Pad Thai...after conducting an almost-fast for the day we were ravenous and the stir-fried noodles with green veg topped with peanuts and lime went down a storm.

Then we made a dish that I really didn't think that I would like; a spicy soup called Tam Yam. Preparing it involves boiling various spices and chilis and herbs with mushrooms, tomatoes and tofu and then removing all the herbs and spices before serving with fresh lime. The result is a thin-looking soup that really packs a punch - it was delicious!

Our next dish was a Papaya Salad; which is a lovely light cold salad that involves tangy veg in, traditionally, a shrimp paste, but for us we went veggie...I was beginning to feel full but there was no time to spare and we cooked on!

Our next two dishes were a Thai Green Curry and a Chicken/tofu & Cashew Nut Fry; the first was spicy and fresh, served with steamed rice and the second allowed us to have a go at "the super flame" - check out Rob, and his apron (above)

For our final dish we made Mango Sticky Rice, which I already knew was my sisters' favourite Thai dish but I hadn't yet tried it. The sticky rice was fried with coconut cream and milk and served with a fresh ripe mango and then more coconut cream was warmed up and drizzled over the top. The end result was a sweet and incredibly scrummy desert and two very full Brits.

Meow gave us two recipe books and certificates confirming we were indeed "master chefs" of Thai cuisine...again, Team 365 would like to warn that friends and family may have recreations of these dishes forced upon them on our return.

Day 167-171: How not to enter Thailand (visa fiasco II)

2010-10-08T07:15:00.004+01:00

What's that you say? Surely after the resolutions made back in July regarding the Vietnamese visa fiasco Team 365 would not be so stupid as to make a visa-based mistake again...erm...well...we did.

SO what we were sure of when entering Thailand is that when you cross the border by land you are given 15 days gratis (thank you very much you lovely Thais) and then one must extend this visa while remaining on Thai soil. What we thought was that this extension would be easy to do and fairly priced; this is where we went wrong.

Once you have received your free 15-day pass you can extend your visa ONLY by 7 days and ONLY once and all for the outrageous fee of 47USD. There are loopholes, though these loopholes involve doing "border runs" i.e. traveling into Burma for about half an hour just so you can turn around and get another 15 days for free on re-entry. Unfortunately this can only be done at 2 specific borders (one in the south and one in the north) and you, of course, have to pay to get to and from the borders.

So we were left with a few options;
1) Numerous border runs around a carefully-planned itinerary to make sure we were indeed near enough to the borders at the right time.
2) Fly out of and then back into the country (those entering by air, as apposed to land, are given 30 days free)
3) Go back to Vientiane (Laos) and visit the Thai embassy there where we can get a 2-month visa for free

We opted for #3 - of course this is more than mildly annoying since it involves 2 night buses and takes 4 days in total and we have already been to Vientiane, stayed right around the corner from the embassy, and could have saved all this hassle if we had - as we resolved to - been more visa-efficient the first time round.

But we're back on Thai soil now and after what I have been trying to dub "a city break", our trip to Vientiane wasn't all that bad. We love the city and we met some fantastic people - a special thanks to Daniel (of frequent border-run experience) here for making everything so easy :)

Now...may the Thailand adventure continue!

Day 163-166: Welcome to the jungle

2010-10-05T04:58:00.007+01:00

Is there a better way to relieve almost 48 hours of sitting in various modes of transport than to sign up to an all-action 3-day trek into the jungle surrounding Chiang Mai? No, we didn't think so either so we signed up (managing to wangle a free massage on return) and set off!

The morning of the first day was filled with all the usual sorts of crap that no-one really wants to do on a tour but always get thrown in so that the tour operator can display a long list of bullet points and charge that little bit more and make their mate down at the market an easy bob or two. We visited a highly average Orchid & Butterfly Farm then went to a local market under the guise of buying water and insect repellent. It was a good chance to get to know our companions for the trip; a lovely selection of Americans, a kiwi, a Swiss guy and our joke-loving tour guide Tonny.

Then we drove into the jungle, stopped for lunch and the real trekking began! And the scenery here really is something else, by this time the sun was high in the sky and as is evident in the pictures there was much sweating to be done all round - this became something of a hallmark of the trip. We stopped to eat local fruit that Tonny picked on the way (delicious) and eat chilis that he told us were "Thai sweet chilis" - please see Rob's face (left) for evidence of their non-sweetness.

On our first night we spent the night in the village of a local tribe that are known as 'long-necks' because the women of the tribe, beginning at 5 years old, add a metal ring around their necks every 3 years (we think) for as long as they live. The result is that by adulthood their necks, now completely covered by rings, are much longer than your average neck.
I got the feeling that the 'village' was a bit of a tourist spot and the tribal people that were there probably didn't live their full-time but it was interesting to get a taste of the tradition and we whiled away the evening around a bonfire.

Rising early on the second morning we took again to the jungle paths to reach the centre of the all-action part of the trip. Rob, Jeff and I had opted to fly through the jungle on 19 zip-wires which was so so much fun! It took about an hour to get all the way round the wires and vertical drops and ended in a magnificent swoop over the river.

Then, from the same spot, we were able to enjoy a short elephant ride. Obviously Rob is already semi-professional in this department but for me it was my first time on an elephant and felt really lucky to be able to sit on her neck, as well as in the carriage on her back.

After a hearty lunch we were taken for a relaxing trip down the same river we'd just done our best superman impressions over on bamboo rafts, which was rather pleasant. But the relaxing was not to continue and in the afternoon we undertook what was the hardest bit of trekking in the trip. It was hard but so rewarding; the views were spectacular and it made scrambling up and down steep slopes and thick greenery more than worth it.

On this evening we camped in a small village and after bathing in the nearby waterfall (really, there was no shower) we again settled in for a night of great food, star-gazing and games around the campfire.

All too soon it was day 3 and our final day was a wet one! We trekked to a beautiful waterfall that cascaded into various small pools that were perfect for swimming in and you could even sit behind the largest waterfall in an air pocket, which was really fun - you can see me emerging in the most graceful way possible, above.

Then we went white water rafting! For obvious reasons the camera did not join us on this part of the adventure but it was brilliant. Paddling full speed into the rapids, hanging on while getting bounced about and soaking wet - we were even able to jump out of our raft in quiet spots. It was just the getting back in that was challenging. Prepare to read again of Team 365 flying down rapids in a dingy; we're officially hooked.

And that was it! Our 3-day jaunt was over; we were bitten, scratched, sweaty and soaking wet when we departed again for Chiang Mai. Here we washed, got a foot massage (looks of all-round disgust from staff at the state of me feet; all blisters and bites) which was amazing nonetheless and scrubbed ourselves up as best we could for a night out.

Even our wonderful guide came along to show us the hot spots in town and generally oversee the carnage that ensued (above). For those interested in seeing the affects of drinking cheap whiskey after walking for 3 days the full album is here but be warned; it's not pretty.

What a fantastic three days - a special massive thanks to Tonny, Jess, Yvone, Silvio and Nick for making the hard bits fun and the fun bits even better.

Day 159-161: The afore mentioned ordeal

2010-10-04T05:25:00.002+01:00

Apologies again for ow long it has taken me to write this post - much has happened in the mean time, but first let us deal with the afore mentioned ordeal that was our entry into Thailand. It was a series of bus-based disasters that is probably best explained in diary form, so here goes;

Mon 27th September
18:00 - a very luxurious people carrier collects us from our guest house in Luang Probang and takes us to the north bus stand
19:00 - we have switched onto a bigger night bus now and it departs bang on 7pm, as scheduled, we recline our chairs as much as possible and brace ourselves for the 13 hours to the Laos/Thai border
20:00 - 00:00 - the bus rumbles over potholed roads and frequently stops for 15-20 minutes at a time. Loud banging can be heard from the rear of the vehicle during these unscheduled stops. Sleep is impossible.
Tues 28th September
01:00 - the bus stops again and this time does not depart for over 45 minutes, on exiting the bus the driver is crouching behind the bus looking at the engine and other passengers are standing and smoking. I establish that the bus is indeed broken and we're waiting for another bus.
02:00 - The replacement bus, which resembles an over-sized school bus with stiff seats, rusty windows and no air-con arrives and we all pile on, clambering over bags that fill the central aisle
04:30 - For no apparent reason bus #2 pulls over on the side of a road
05:30 - with the assistance of wild hand waving from every male Thai aboard, our bus tries to maneuver itself around a large truck that has got stuck in mud in the middle of the road ahead (presumably the reason for the stop on the first place?) Driving perilously close to the ditch that edge the roads on one side and actually brushing past the canvas cover of the truck on the other side we make it past! Hurrah! freedom! Now let's get to the border!
05:45 - the bus stops just past the broken down-truck
06:00 - it seems that on the way past the truck, our bus actually ripped the canvas cover of the truck. We are now waiting for "insurance man" to come to the scene to resolve the dispute.
07:00 - The insurance issue has been sorted and we head off again at full speed through the mountains
08:00 - this is the time we were meant to have arrived at Hua Xai [the Laos side of the border] we are told we are "around 5 hours away"
10:00 - we stop for breakfast, this is when we were meant to have crossed the border and be boarding our next bus to Chang Mai
14:30 - arrive in Hua Xai, obviously we've missed our connection and we try to contact the right people to figure out what our next step should be; questions are asked and phone calls are made but with no sleep and a phone that ran out of battery and then credit on consecutive calls, it's not looking good
16:30 - we get through and a tuk tuk takes us to the river bank
16:55 - we are sailing accross the Mekong into Thailand!
17:00 - we're in Thailand!
17:30 - the company we bought our tickets with recommends a hotel in Chang Xai [the Thai side of the border] which we check into, we will catch the 10am bus to Chang Mai the following day
18:30 - we are showered and eating our first genuine Thai meal in the hotel restaurant
20:00 - we go to bed
20:01 - everyone is fast asleep
Wed 29th September
10:00 - we are rested and packed and ready to go
11:00 - the minibus departs on Thailands beautiful smooth tarmac roads, compared to the beginning of this trip, it's like driving on a dream
16:00 - arrive in Chang Mai! just shy of 48 hours after departing and almost exactly a day late we make it to our final destination!
18:00 - Chang beers all round

Day 159: Hello! from Thailand

2010-09-30T02:48:00.004+01:00

Hello indeed -apologies for the rushed nature of this post - after quite the ordeal (I promise to explain this at a later date) we have made it into Thailand! Hurrah!

Now the reason I cannot stay and chat longer is that Team 365 is taking itself on a 3-day action-packed trek into Chang Mai's glorious hillsides - as ever, we will endeavor to keep you informed of all that ensues.

Must dash! x

Food For Thought

2010-09-28T11:30:00.004+01:00

Well Laos has been, as predicted, a culinary delight to say the least; and so with the help of 365's honorary member - here are our all-star menus for Laos.

Rob's Menu

BREAKFAST

3 fried eggs and a loaf of bread (Ban Na Him)

ELEVENSES

Chocolate &banana doughnut (Si Phan Don)

LUNCH

Fried noodles with pork (Mama Pap's Si Phan Don)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Omlette & bacon baguette (Vang Vieng)

DINNER

Elephant Camp Dinner: Cucumber soup with fried mixed veg,chicken curry with steamed rice & fried spring rolls (Elephant Camp &Si Phan Don)

Dessert

Banana pancake (Jasmin's Pakse)

Drink

Lemon juice (Buddha park, Vien Tien)

Kat's Menu

BREAKFAST

Mixay Guesthouse buffet; fried egg, toast, coffee, unlimited salad buffet (Vien Tien)

ELEVENSES

Cinnamon whirl (Si Phan Don)

LUNCH

Creamy coconut curry with potato & veg (Si Phan Don)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Cappuccino shake with haribo-sweets in (Tha Kaek)

DINNER

Khua maak kheua gap moo (aubergine fry with tofu) & a Luang Probang Salad (Cooking course, Luang Probang)

Dessert

Banana Pancake (Jasmin's Pakse)

Drink

Glass of Red Wine (I know, I know...yes it was Chilian but as my first in 5 months it was indeed my favourite drink)

Jeff's Menu

BREAKFAST

MixayGuesthouse Buffet (as above)

ELEVENSES

Cashew nuts (before the ants got to them) with an Oreo Shake (Vien Tien & Tha Kaek)

LUNCH

Feu Khua (deep fried noodles with egg and veg) with a Luang Probang Salad (Cooking course, Luang Probang)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Duck & Vegetable kebab (Vang Vien)

DINNER

Po's Dinner; Vegetable curry with grilled fish, pork cutlets, chips, sticky rice & fresh spring rolls (Tat Lo)

Dessert

Lemon & sugar crepe (Luang Probang)

Drink

Mint & Lemon Shake (Vien Tien)

Day 153 - 155: The Elephant Whisperer

2010-09-26T09:42:00.005+01:00

For the last three days I have been staying at the Elephant Lodge, just outside Luang Prubang, learning what it is to be a mahout. I have succesfully learnt that a mahout is someone who keeps, trains and looks after elephants, and my three days mostly consisted of walking, washing and feeding elephants. Sounds like a short list to fill three days out with, but I had an unforgetable time and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

On my first day I spent a short amount of time learning how to 'drive' an elephant with my other trainee-mahouts. We got the chance to put into practice what we had just learnt almost instantly by taking the elephants out for a walk. We yelled (or at least not whispered) commands - walk, turn left, turn right, spray water etc - to our elephant from atop their neck with mixed results.

My elephant was named Thong Khun, which loosely translates into diamond or precious stone, but was known as TK as there was no way I could properly pronounce it.

Riding the elephants through thick jungle was incredible, and although TK did show some response to the commands I gave, I felt pretty sure that she knew the route well enough to not have to rely on me. Probably for the best.

Our walk was nearly constantly interrupted by at least one elephant wanting to snack on a tasty looking tree or two before we moved on. Considering that the mahouts give each elephant 250kg of food a day, and that elephants spend most of the night eating more food on top of that (they only sleep 2-3 hours a night) it did seem extravagant. Still, it added even more excitement to the journey and I was surprised and amazed to see how dexterous elephants are. They're able to snap trees and bamboo into bite sized chunks with their feet and trunk, and can strip a branch of its leaves and bark.

As well as walking and feeding the elephants twice a day, every morning the elephants were collected from where they sleep - about 2km from the lodge in dense jungle with plenty of food and space - and taken down to the river to be washed; which is probably even more fun than the pictures would have you believe - check them out here.

It was altogether an amazing experience and we're all looking forward for more elephant based adventures in northern Thailand.