Sydney - City and Seaside (The first two months in Oz)!

Updated by Paul

Of course I already knew what Sydney looked like; everyone has seen the iconic images on the television – crystal clear blue skies, the arching gleaming harbour bridge, the imposing, white curvaceous opera house, yachts weaving in and out and bobbing on the water – yet I was still knocked-out to see it all as the plane circled over these stunning landmarks, there they all were shouting a big Sydney welcome – definitely the best “G’day mate!” arrival into any country so far on the travels!

As we made our way from the airport through the suburbs towards the city centre, I noticed how dressed up everyone was – men wearing top-hat and tails, ladies wearing posh frocks and big hats – I was going to have to rush out and get a whole new wardrobe if this was how people just walked around the streets! Thankfully before I had a chance to spend way too money at the nearest department store a friendly local explained to me it was Melbourne Cup Day – a horse racing event that the whole country stops for and goes to the big screens set up in the city to watch. Trust me to have arrived too late and not even had a chance to put a bet on – I would definitely have backed the winner. Definitely.

We were staying in the suburb of Glebe – an area about 20 minutes walk west from the centre of the city – it’s known as a very trendy and cool suburb with a bohemian, hippyish vibe – lots of cool restaurants, bookshops and independent stores. It certainly had a nice chilled out vibe and it was good to relax for a bit after so much hectic travelling but I couldn’t get too relaxed as job hunt had to begin in earnest!

After spending most of our second day in Australia dealing with the tedious tasks necessary to become an Australian job hunter; opening an Aussie bank account, applying for a tax file number, obtaining an Aussie mobile phone and number and registering various details with numerous agencies; we were able to start looking around the city. First impressions were that although this was a large and sprawling metropolis, the city centre was small and compact enough to explore easily on foot. The main roads of George and Pitt streets connect the university and Chinatown areas with Circular Quay where you will find the Opera House, Botanical Gardens and great views out across the harbour and to the bridge. It was a clean city and people were friendly and helpful – things were looking good! On the job front I hit the jackpot – a sales job at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) – I would be able to get in and watch all games – including the Ashes test match for free – result!!

After a couple of weeks in the city, Anna and I were enjoying ourselves (particularly enjoying the rooftop barbeques!) but we decided that we had not left London just to stay in another city suburb. We therefore decided to move from the central area to one of the beach suburbs. The great thing about Sydney is that you can be at the beach and still get into the city centre in less than 30 minutes – how brilliant is that?! We headed to the Northern Beaches area as these beaches seemed to be a bit classier than the likes of Bondi or Coogee. After a week long stay in Collaroy we moved to the suburb of Manly where the commute into the city involved a scenic 30 min ferry across the harbour and around the Opera house – I soon got used to the sight of tourists boarding the boat, hanging over the edge and taking photos on what is just your normal commute into work!

On a rare day off from work (I have even taken a second job as the cricket job was only when there was a game being played at the ground) Anna and I decided to jump on a bus and head up to Palm Beach – known to you and I as Summer Bay! This is a beach area about 90 minutes north of the city on a public bus. It is an area home to many of the rich and famous Sydneysiders as well as been the filming location of the Home and Away soap opera. We called into Alf Robert’s surf shack to buy a coffee and ice cream – unfortunately Alf himself was not there – what a flaming galahh!

There’s an area just to the west of Sydney called the Blue Mountains. Since arriving in Oz, everyone has told us we should head out there for some spectacular scenery. I was a bit dubious after having spent four months in New Zealand and was thinking it would just be more of the same and there was no way it could live up to the splendour of the NZ South Island - but I was very, very wrong! We took the train out west one weekend and arrived in the mountain town of Katoomba. Straight away it was like being transported back to the 1930’s as every building still maintains the classical art deco style of the era - progress was slow in rural Australia! We checked in to our accommodation and headed straight out for a hike along the mountains. The term ‘mountains’ is a bit misleading – it’s more of a large valley or canyon. If you imagined the Grand Canyon in the USA but covered in trees and bush you are on the way to what the area looks like. The mountains get their name from the fine mist that evaporates off the trees and produces a shimmering blue haze. Hopefully this shows on some of the photos you can see by clicking the link below! The predominant rock formation of the area is called The Three Sisters. Aboriginal legend has it that a wizard turned three sisters into pillars of rock to protect them from the unwanted advances of an amorous young man from a rival tribe. Unfortunately the wizard died before he could turn them back to human sop they still stand there to this day. Bummer!!

After a hike along the valley ridges we headed back into town for some tucker. At this point there was only one thing on the menu that I wanted to eat - yep a good bit of kangaroo steak! It was delicious - cooked nicely, medium rare, it tasted halfway as a cross between beef and lamb - delicious!! The next day saw a thick fog roll in which obliterated any views for the planned hike that day so we reluctantly returned to the city. Despite the trip being cut short, I would recommend a visit to the Blue Mountains to anyone in the Sydney area - at a cost of only around eight pounds return on the train from the city we will definitely be coming back here soon - especially as we didn’t even get a chance to ride the cable car down from the top of the mountain to the valley floor!

After a couple of weeks staying in Manly we started trying to find an apartment or flat to call our own. The Sydney rental market is a competitive beast – you can phone a letting agent or landlord to arrange a viewing and they will tell you about an open viewing session at a set time on a set date. This constitutes a 15 minute viewing period in which you are herded in, marched around the house and shoved back out again – all along with at least 20 other people. One tiny flat we viewed must have broken all rules of time and space by somehow squeezing 40 people in to a room the size of a shoebox! The upshot of this viewing system is that everyone at the viewing session applies for the tenancy and it is then a lottery if you get it or not - frustrating to say the least!

We decided that we would rent a room in a house-share for the time being and found a decent property in Mosman – another upmarket location on the north shore – not that we are snobbish or anything! This worked out well as we were only a ten minute walk to Balmoral Beach, Anna could get a bus to Mona Vale where she worked and I could travel easily to Chatswood where I was working. We would try again on the apartment front after the Christmas break.

All in all the first few months in Sydney have been great – the lifestyle is relaxed, the contrast between beach and city life is blurred into one laid-back attitude and it is no wonder that the Aussies constantly tell you “No worries mate!” It was easy to find work and once we have our own place, the journey from Hanwell to Oz will be complete!

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The Kiwi Experience - Round The South

Updated by Anna

After a great night out in Wellington everyone had to get up early and catch the ferry over to South Island and resist being sea sick. We jumped on the Kiwibus again and headed for an early session of wine tasting at Prenzel where me and Paul had been before. It was a glorious sunny day and we were sitting in a luscious garden, everyone debating whether we should pay a lot of money or not for the Abel Tasman Track which is a hike that takes a couple of days to complete. Everyone decided it was over-rated and we would be covering similar terrain on our journey down the west coast anyway therefore we only stayed one night in Nelson. A group of us went for a relaxed walk along a nice beach that was full of jelly fish!

Returned back and some lovely girls had made us some tasty chilli con carne which we finished off with free chocolate pudding that the hostel had made.

Next morning it was off to the west coast town of Westport stopping off on the way at the Nelson lakes where we saw giant eels under the jetty. In Westport we luckily got a cosy room for ten people with our own kitchen, fireplace and bathroom. I stayed in that night and enjoyed the nice, warm and cosy fireplace whilst Paul went and enjoyed the small town pub. Westport was small but the next day we were going to an even smaller place called Lake Mahinapua. The drive on the west coast of the south island was spectacular and we saw green rain forest, deserted goldfields and the snow capped Southern Alps.

On the way there we went for a walk around Cape Foulwind which was the windiest walk of my life. The trail was along the cliffs and you could spot a seal colony. Here I fed a Weka bird which had such a big beak but was so gentle when it ate from my hand. The wind was so strong that I could hardly stand straight let alone try to walk normally, it was all a bit exciting! We passed through Hokitika (an old gold town) where they make the famous New Zealand jade (green stone) jewellery. We arrived in the unique accommodation in a hotel and we were met by 85-year old Les who runs the hotel and has a very dirty mouth! It was a hotel that has not had any TLC the last 30 years. Yep it was unique.

Les is an eccentric so his theme for the night’s dressing up party was plastic bin bags. The pub area had lots of hats and old dressing up stuff hanging from the ceiling which made it all a bit smelly! He did cook a mean BBQ meal and venison stew though after which we watched the sunset over the beach with pink skies.

Time to dress up and in our room we decided to dress up as the fabulous Swedish music group ABBA. We were the tribute band basically! Had a hilarious time trying to get it all together sticking and cutting plastic bags and trying to be creative! We looked absolutely nothing like them but had the capital letters of ABBA on our backs so everyone would know who we were. It was a fun evening full of games and I did admire some peoples’ costumes - they were brilliant!

The nice evening would turn nasty when I woke up in the middle of the night and heard the trickling sound of a dorm-mate urinating in the corner of the room all over my open suitcase. I could not believe it. Paul was great and washed all my clothes in the middle of the night. Fortunately it did not ruin the next day though because we booked our full day glacier-hike in Franz Josef which was something to look forward to.

Arrived in Franz Josef and checked in to our new hostel. This is the place where we would walk on the glacier the following day. Glacier movement has been recorded since 1893 and since then the glacier has advanced and retreated several times. The glacier is 12 km long it can move up to 5 metres daily and that is why the trained guides have to cut out new ways of climbing it every day.

As the big day arrived, we had to get fitted with the right equipment: proper walking boots, rainproof trousers/jacket, gloves and hat and special spikes (called crampons) to put on our boots when we walked on the ice. We walked through a challenging and spectacular terrain. There where ice tunnels, falls and cracks all along the way. Our guide was foolish enough to tie himself by the feet to go down head first through a massive but narrow crack to try and retrieve a lost ice-pick. He failed to retrieve it and was covered in blood! It didn’t bother him though so we all continued climbing up steep walls with the help of ropes and the steps made by our guide.

We stopped for packed lunch and could admire the view down the glacier and valley. We started to crawl through really narrow ice tunnels so there was no time for claustrophobia. Everyone had had a fantastic day but we were all pumped out and really looked forward to a hot shower! It was one of the best days ever!

Up early next morning in order to catch the perfect mirror reflection of Mount Cook on Lake Matheson near the town of Fox Glacier. It was an hour walk around it and then we travelled up Haast River/Pass where you can see huge cracks in the mountains and several waterfalls comes out of it.

We arrive at Wanaka around lunch time and everyone was stunned at this beautiful place. This is a town where you can spend a couple of days and we decide to do just that. Our hostel called Mountain View had a lovely garden and nice atmosphere. On the edge of a pristine alpine lake surrounded by the spectacular scenery of Mount Aspiring National Park, Lake Wanaka is a place where you can chill out and relax or be adventurous and do a skydive which some of our fellow Kiwibus travellers decided to do. They say Wanaka is the little Queenstown - a lot less touristy or over-developed but still lots of fun. This is certainly true.

First evening we strolled along the beach in the sunshine and then watched a DVD back in the hostel at night. Next morning we were up and away ready for a days hiking along the lake and a very steep climb up Mount Iron, but it was all worth it as the views over Wanaka were sensational! We enjoyed a packed lunch by the river where we were brave enough to dip our bare feet in the cold water.

In the evening it was time for an old fashioned cinema at Paradisio where they had soft sofas and even a Volkswagon Beetle car to sit in. There was an interval where they served freshly baked cookies and they were still warm.

The Wanaka Fest was on whilst we were there with a food and wine market, a parade for all the kids, mountain biking and even a “perfect woman” competition. The competitors had to drive around cones on a quad bike with a big stack of beer as well as skin a goat and fix a car engine. Apparently this makes up the perfect woman in New Zealand! J

That evening we enjoyed a meal together outside in the garden and went out for a few beers and a quick boogie in the town’s hippest local bar. After a good nights sleep we headed of to party in Queenstown! One of the stops on our way there was at Puzzling World with a massive wooden maze and illusion house and annoying puzzles and other hard mind games. It was too early for all - I had not even had coffee yet!

Next stop there was a few people on our bus who were brave enough to go bungy jumping over Kawarau Bungy Bridge. The surrounding scenery is rugged rocky terrain. Built in 1880 this structure assisted miners trying to reach Queenstown. It is now celebrated as the first commercially operated bungy site in the world. So after all the crazy people had jumped we spent an hour in the picturesque village of Arrow Town and listened to jazz in the park whilst the jazz festival was on.

Finally we arrived in busy Queenstown which was beaming at us but we had no time to lose as we had to prepare for our car hire the next day. Six of us hired a car with Paul driving out to Milford Sound the following morning. But we had to do Queenstown by night first. In one bar you could order tea pots of cocktails and drink it from shot glasses or straight from the teapot! It was a bit different but fun. After a dinner at Fergburgers - where you could buy a burger the size of your head! - we went to bed ready to go and see the gorgeous fiords the next day after saying good-bye to friends who were travelling elsewhere.

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The Kiwi Experience - Going Forth in the North

Updated by Paul



Back in Auckland for the third and final time on this trip and I was keen to say goodbye to the big smoke in the best way possible - a final visit to the QPR kebab shop on K’ Road - God I’ll miss this place!!


Having previously stayed in the city centre, we decided that we would spend our final night stay in the upmarket area of Ponsonby - a trendy suburb to the west of the city centre. After a final walk along the harbour, a quick glance back at the imposing Skytower and gazing at the imposing volcanic cones of Mount Eden and Rangitoto Island all helped to remind me why I felt this was a city I could stay in a lot longer. However the next week travelling down the spine of the North Island would remind me why I left London - let’s see some of Momma Nature’s finest creations!!


The Kiwi Experience tour so far had been a bit of a mishmash of busses with groups that were not our own but as you leave Auckland pretty much everyone on the bus is new so you start a new group from scratch. Twenty of us rocked out of Auckland and we had clearly got lucky as everyone in the group was really friendly and up for fun.


The trip started in a North Eastern direction towards the Coramandel Penninsula but only after a quick stop for a breakfast pie - Steve, our driver guide, assured us this was a tradition in NZ and a pie was more nutritiously beneficial than a bowl of cornflakes. Pretty sure this was the first of the many dubious facts he would tell us as we travelled around!


We stopped at Hot Water Beach where the sea is freezing cold but by digging into the sand you can jump into a pool of steaming hot water that will quickly warm you up. As the boys dug deep and the girls stood idly by (typical!) the water filled up from the thermally heated earth below and made a nice cosy place to sit and chat with our new group mates.


After a short walk to Cathedral Cove we jumped back on the bus and headed to Whitianga where we would stay the night. We spent the evening in the bar of the hostel playing Killer pool and darts - I did win one of the pool competitions (more a case of everyone else being not very good rather than me being brilliant!) but had to do press-ups for losing darts. Not the last punishment I’ll have to do on this trip!!!


The next morning we headed down to Rotorua - The Maori Cultural Capital of NZ and also the volcanic heart of the country. Before arriving in Rotorua though we stopped and explored the Karangahake Scenic Reserve including a disused gold-mine - even going down old tunnels now covered in glow-worms! As we approached Rotorua the sulphuric smell crept on to the bus to tell you that you had arrived. We ditched our bags into our large king-size room (that cost less than everyone else’s dorm beds at the Base hostel haha!) and headed out to Kuirau Thermal Park to see some pretty spectacular steaming hot springs and bubbling mud pools - I never thought you could stare so long at some bubbling mud but it really is truly spectacular - checkout the photo’s to see some weird shapes!! After staring at the pools and puddles for far too long we headed over to the lake and explored a Maori village complete with scary looking statues - I swear the eyes on those thing follow you round. Back at the hostel we relaxed in our private spa pool - well you’ve gotta have some luxury when you’re backpacking around!


The next morning started with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday from the bus group as it was October the 11th - my birthday! To start this momentous day we stopped in to a farm for a Sheep Show - yep that’s right - only in New Zealand (and maybe Wales!) could you have such a phenomenon. Had it been a peep show I would have paid to go in but as it was a sheep show we opted to sit in the café and have a good coffee! The trip then continued down to Waitomo offering the possibility of exploring the caves or kicking back with a game of volleyball followed by some serious drinking games in the local pub. Having opted for the second option I can report that I had a great birthday!!


The next morning (with slightly heavy heads!) we headed out to see some rabbits get sheared! I kid you not - this country does some strange things to its animals! After witnessing this bizarre rural spectacle (and managing to avoid buying any of the over-priced rabbit woollen products) we headed towards Lake Taupo, an inland lake formed in the crater of a volcano several thousand years ago - now the size of Singapore. The last time this volcano erupted two thousand years ago it was reported as far as Rome and China as turning the entire sky red for three years! Last month it started steaming - people got worried.


After a quick walk down by the lake we headed to a pub quiz in. Did my team win? Of course we did!! Our group from the bus was getting on with each other so well that we didn’t really need the fifty dollars worth of free drink to ease the socialising but it did help! For some reason though, I see to remember wearing a bizarre amount of hats this evening!!


The plan for Taupo was to complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing - an all day hike, ranked as one of the top ten walks in the world, across some of the most spectacular volcanic terrain. Typical of our luck it was snowing in the mountains and the walk was cancelled due to being unsafe. Big boo to snow! We went for a walk up to a lower level volcanic area called the ‘Craters Of The Moon’ due to the lunar looking landscape created by volcanic activity. It was quite cool but couldn’t make up for the disappointment of not doing the crossing. Oh well - at least it gives me an excuse to come back to New Zealand at some point in the future!


On the walk back to town we passed the Huka falls (a powerful waterfall that could fill an Olympic sized swimming pool in three seconds flat!) and some natural hot springs that just called for me to roll my trousers up and wade into. Unfortunately the place emptied pretty quickly when a local guy (who clearly wasn’t afraid of eating a few pies) waded in with some shampoo for his daily bath!! Back in town we headed out for a kick-ass curry with some new friends, a couple of drinks then off to bed.


The next morning we headed through the National Park to a town called Whakapapa. Bear in mind that in the Maori language ‘Wh’ is pronounced as a ‘F’ and you can see it is a very interestingly named town! Most of the team went off for a walk through the bush to see some waterfalls however I stayed behind to get 9 holes of golf in with a couple of others. It was a nice links style course that came with a couple of penalties for poor play. Unfortunately this caught me out and suffice to say that as peer standard golf rules of not hitting a tee shot past the ladies tee I had to run a lap around the bus in a manner that left me feeling slightly cold! Fortunately though I wasn’t the worst as Steve-o the driver had to do two laps! All good fun!!


Our destination for the night was River Valley lodge - a retreat in the middle of nowhere specialising in grade 5 white water rafting - I signed up for this straight away and planned to complete the raft in the morning. After a sedate night (for a change) we all went to bed in a 32 person bunk bed (I kid you not - it was cosy!!) Awoke the next morning to find that it had rained so heavily during the night that the river had risen dangerously high and the rafting had to be cancelled. Boo to mother nature and her rain!


The next morning after a scenic drive down the Kapiti Coast we arrived in Wellington. As we had already come through the city on the way up the North Island, Anna and I decided not to stay on for a few days here although some of the team would be staying. Its sad to leave people behind but the best way to do it was to hit the bars of Wellington for a great night out! As it was a Friday there was certainly no shortage of fun to be had and I can say for definite now that Wellington nightlife rocks!


The early morning ferry received a very bleary-eyed bunch of travellers headed to the South. We wont return to the North Island on this trip but I know that at some time in the future this mix of Maori and European cultures on a steaming, hissing volcanic island will see me come back. Besides - I still need to get my revenge on Mother Nature and complete that Tongariro Crossing!

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Wines, Vines and Worktimes in Marlborough

Updated by Paul

Having been accused by some people of ‘gallivanting round the world’ and ‘having too much fun’ (you know who you are!) it was time to get some work and top up the all important cash reserves as all this gallivanting certainly takes it toll on the wallet! New Zealand is famous for producing some world class wines and as we quite like wine we thought it would be a nice idea to head to the main wine region and get some work in the vineyards!

Marlborough prides itself on being the sunniest region of New Zealand and producing some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. (That last sentence is copyright of the Marlborough tourism guide!) We headed for the main town in this region, Blenheim, and immediately found work with a local contractor carrying out winter pruning of the vines. The pleasant image of working in warm sunshine and drinking bottles amongst the vines was soon shattered as 5am starts, lashing rain and cold Antarctic winds became the reality! This part of the world is currently experiencing some of the wettest winter conditions in decades - just our luck! Each day it rains heavily you can’t actually go to work. Whilst it’s always nice to have unexpected days off; you don’t get paid for them which kind of defeats the object of working to save money!

The work itself involves two main jobs - stripping the old canes off the vine and then selecting, trimming and wrapping the best canes to grow this years grapes. Generally only the guys carry out the stripping (sorry ladies, this doesn’t involve taking any clothes off!) It is physically hard and demanding work - one Kiwi guy even said it was like playing ten rugby matches in one day! Anna gave it a go for one day but was so shattered she stuck to trimming and wrapping for the rest of the time!

As the weeks have gone by the weather has got much nicer and its actually quite pleasant working in the Wairau Valley with the sun shining and some stunning scenic snow-capped mountains all around. We get paid based on the amount of vines we work on each day and we’ve managed to get this up to a decent rate - enough to be able to afford a good bottle of wine for the end of the working day!

The town of Blenheim is pleasant enough if not all that lively. The first place we stayed was pretty awful - had to put a token in the shower to get four minutes of hot water! - but we left there quickly and arrived at a great place called Leeways; a small backpackers hostel but more like a friendly house-share full of people working in the vineyards. I’ve even managed to get in some golf with a few other guys staying here - after several months of not picking up a golf club the swing was a bit rusty; and it wasn’t even that great to begin with in the first place!

Having done a few walks in the Wither Hills and toured the local museum we have definitely learned that the best way to spend our days off is to tour the local wineries. With over 70 to choose from and most offering free samples it beats walking up another damn hill! Using a couple of bicycles to get around it’s easy to get to a good selection in one afternoon but I swear the wobbling on the way home the other day was due to the gale force head-wind and not the five wineries and one brewery we’d just been to!!

The winter pruning season is coming to an end now and we will finish work this week. After a weekend spent watching the Ryder Cup, getting another round in myself and one more winery tour day we will head off to spend three weeks on the road travelling the rest of NZ and spend some of our very hard earned money. Bring on the gallivanting!!

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The Bay of Islands and The Far North

Updated by Paul

The bay of Islands is a bit like Bournemouth. No - not a place where old people go to see out there final days and moan about the young people having fun; it’s the place where New Zealanders go for a beach holiday in their own country.

A two hour coach journey northwards from Whangarei (remember in NZ the further north you go the warmer it gets!) and we arrived in Pahia on the wettest day of our trip so far - yep it was just like going to Bournemouth! We chilled out with a few beers and a barbeque (indoors) and took part in a pub quiz. Except instead of just answering questions in this quiz you also got points for swapping clothes with people of the opposite sex. Proving what good strippers we were our team came second!

The next morning we moved to a place called Peppertree Lodge where we hired a cheap car for a couple of days from a great company called Rent-a-Dent! On the first day we drove up to Kerikeri (so good they named it twice) and visited the old Stonestore - one of the oldest buildings in New Zealand. We then drove out to Whangaroa for some spectacular views - particularly after climbing St Paul’s Rock where we encountered a farmer who had lost a couple of his cows (how the hell do cows climb mountains?!). As we looked out at the huge bay full of 144 islands you could see why Captain Cook so imaginatively called this area…The…errrr… Bay of Islands!! On the way back home we drove through a Kauri rainforest then on to Ngawha Springs (pronounced Naffa!) where we soaked in some sulphurous water to heal our aching bones (and certainly clear the nasal passages). As this place was in the middle of nowhere and had walls made of old tyres and stacking crates we did think we had arrived at the wrong place - perhaps it was the local rubbish tip!

The next day we headed up to Cape Reinga. This is a place spiritually important to the Maori people as they believe it is where the deceased spirits jump off the earth back to their mythical homeland. I believe it is a remote place reached by three hours of driving on the twistiest, bumpiest roads possible. The view when you get there is worth it though as you look out from the lighthouse to where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet in a colossal, wave forming clash. On the way back we drove to Ninety Mile Beach - a stretch of beach 54 miles long on the western coast (nope - I don’t know why either). This is a long and straight stretch of beach so suitable for driving on it even has a speed limit. Just don’t get stuck there when the tide comes in!

On the drive back home we stopped at the Gum Diggers park where they used to dig for Amber. Last stop then was to eat some of the best fish and chips in the world in Mangonui - right next to the boat that caught the fish that morning. Mangonui is on Doubtless Bay - so called because Captain Cook had no doubts he could sail his boat into this bay. There is another place in NZ called Doubtful Bay…. A Great one for names was this Captain Cookie! Back in Pahia we gave the car back to Rent-a-Dent - the 1994 Nissan Bluebird had certainly done its job!

The next morning we took a ferry ride across to Russell. This small community used to be called the ‘hell hole of the Pacific’ in the 19th century when all the British Sailors stopped there and it was filled with bars and brothels. Now it is a quaint little fishing village with restaurants and coffee shops. Mind you though there are still bullet holes in the church walls from the muskets in the battle of 1844!

A trip out to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds meant we were able to see the place where the British and Maori people signed the treaty that brought New Zealand into the British Empire in 1840. This treaty is still being debated to this day as the English and Maori language versions say different things. Who would have thought the Victorian British were trying to pull the wool over the eyes of some local inhabitants in a far off country eh?!!

We headed back to Pahia and caught the coach that afternoon back to the big smoke of Auckland where we would spend the next few days job and apartment hunting only to give it all up and fly down to the Marlborough wine-growing region to chase the dream of working in the vineyards!

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Who Let The Cows Out, Who, Who Who....?

Updated by Anna.

No more holiday it was time for some hard work on a small farm. They call it WWOOFING( Willing Workers On Organic Farms) and it means you work a few hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation. We met up with Janet who was a lady in her early 60s and a owner of three cows, ten sheep, fifteen ducks and hens and one rabbit. She is an artist with a whole separate house for her pottery school. There were several plastic houses with lilies and lots of weeds we had to remove on rainy days. The farm also had avocado, lime and mandarin trees.

We also met Janet’s friendly lodger Alex who was a young apprentice working in town. He lived in the garage(!) but always had dinner with us in the evening. There was a lovely fireplace in the living room that kept us warm on chilly nights.

Up with the rooster in the morning and off to collect big tamarillo trees and branches to build a massive bonfire. Paul was given the job as a driver of the worlds smallest truck to transport it to and from different places in the paddocks. The cows were there to wreck everything we built up by eating and pulling the branches down from the bonfire. It didn’t help that the truck would get stuck in the mud all the time and Anna had to push it.

It was sunny most days and this so called winter was really pleasant with temperatures of 17C. We fed the animals in the morning and all the ducks and hens came running towards me and I would throw the food out in panic scared of them to attack me the first time. After that though it became good fun to see them every morning. One day we decided to go for a walk to the village for some coffee. It took us an hour to get there, and by the time we got there café was closed. Typical.

One day Paul decided to move the cows to another paddock so we could work in peace. What he did not know was that the electric fence he thought was there was gone. What followed is a scene from a Benny Hill film. First the cows came running then Paul and then Anna. I could see myself in slow motion saying “Nooo there is no fence up” and Paul said “Oh shit“…..after chasing cows for 10 minutes we got them back into the original paddock and we could breath again and laugh J

Janet lent us her little truck and we went to see Whangarei waterfalls, an impressive waterfall with a gorgeous walk along the river. We also travelled up the east coast to walk along some beautiful beaches named Tutukaka, Matapouri and Ngunguru, to climb some rocks and cliffs that looked inviting.

Janet had a memorial evening for her ex-husband who died recently and invited friends and family to her house and we both got to meet them all. The house was full of children, grandchildren and old friends from all over New Zealand. Its true that New Zealand people give a lot of themselves and are really friendly. It was a nice evening full of food and wine and Janet planted a tree for her ex. We all tried to light up lanterns in the night but the wind was against us. We met some really nice people and we were invited to a table-tennis tournament the next day. 10 people played and it was sad to say Anna came last L

Our time at the farm had come to an end and we said good-bye to the lovely Janet and it was time to go further north to Pahia for more adventures…….

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New Zealand - JAFA's and Skytowers in Auckland

Updated by Paul

To the local Maori people, New Zealand is known as ‘Aotearoa’ which means The Land of The Long White Cloud. It’s no surprise they are referencing the weather as this is the country where you will be applying sunblock whilst lying on a pristine, unspoilt, golden-sand beach one minute then half an hour later scrambling around for your woolly hat, scarf and gloves as it starts to snow!

The three and a half hour flight from Fiji arrived into Auckland late afternoon and as we took the bus into the city to our hostel we though this might be a good time to consult the guide book to find out a few facts. Auckland is a city twice the size of London - in fact it’s the fifth biggest city in the world by physical size - yet has a population of only 1.4 million people. Pretty sure this was not going to be city of crowds and congestion!

Having got a list of all the things we were going to spend the next few days doing we arrived at our hostel on Karangahape Road (thankfully known locally as K Road!) This area of central Auckland has shaken off a reputation of being the seedy part of town and is now more a place full of cool clubs, bars and coffee shops.

After a 10 minute walk into the Centre we had a look around the harbour. They say that one in five Aucklanders owns a boat - it’s a bloody big harbour! Although it’s the middle of winter in New Zealand, the sun was shining and the temperature hitting nearly 20 degrees. This didn‘t last long though as the heavens opened and a torrential downpour came down. You can bet your bottom Kiwi dollar you’re never going to be wearing the right clothes in this country!

We took a free day tour around Auckland with a company called Kiwi-Experience and it certainly was an experience as we completed the Auckland Harbour Bridge walk in the lashing rain! Great views, but we were still not talked into doing the bungy jump off the bridge into the harbour below. They’re all idiots I tell you!

Next on the tour was a drive up an old volcanic cone now converted into a military bunker. It overlooked a part of the harbour where we could see the whole New Zealand navy fleet. I say whole fleet - they only have two boats. And I think the captains are called Bruce and Shane.

Picked up a huge portion of fish and chips for lunch in an upmarket part of Auckland called Devenport then headed back to the city centre. We liked the Kiwi Experience bus tour so much we decide to ditch the idea of hiring a campervan and booked the tour bus experience for the rest of the country with these guys!

The next morning a brisk ten minute walk to the Auckland Museum enabled us to see the largest collection of Maori artefacts in the world. Impressive weapons but I did expect more scary looking blokes with tattooed faces jumping out to greet us in a traditional way. Or maybe that’s just in Greenford.

One of the dominating features of Auckland is the Sky Tower. Built in 1997, it’s twice the height of Seattle’s Space Needle and on a clear day you can see up to 55 miles away. Given the changeable nature of the Auckland weather system we grabbed the opportunity of a rare clear morning to get up the top.

The views were as stunning as you would expect and you can have a walking-on-air moment by standing on the glass floor. Pretty sure you’re not meant to jump up and down on it but we had to test the claim it was as strong as concrete!

We decided to check out some local comedy talent at a late night comedy club after grabbing a few pints of Stella Artois in an authentic Belgian Bar. In the middle of Auckland! Not much to write home about on Kiwi comedy - other than to say big jugs of beer still can’t make female comedians talking about how badly men deal with the ‘flu funny! I think they’re still at least ten years behind on the comedy front.

Walking down K’ road back to the hostel I discovered the best Kebab shop in the world. The shop was called QPR and yep it was a Queens Park Rangers themed kebab shop! Does life get any better?!

People throughout the rest of New Zealand refer to people from Auckland as JAFA’s - Just Another F*****g Aucklander! Although the city isn’t as pretty or scenic as the rest of the country it is a decent place to visit. We certainly enjoyed our week in the city but it might be nice to try something different. Next up then we’re headed north in search of warmer weather. Oh yeah, and we’ll be working on a farm!!

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Fiji - Island Hopping and Lazy Days On The Beach

Updated by Anna

After the long 10 hour flight to Nadi airport from Los Angeles we were ready for some lazy beach life. Arrived at 6.30am and felt knackered but we were welcomed by the Fijian people (the friendliest people in the world!) at the airport who approached us and arranged all our transport to our hostel. For free! I think we’re going to like this country!

Our hostel - The Sky lodge - was situated 10 minutes from the airport We had a basic but clean room and an inviting swimming pool. We had a dead cheap breakfast which was a change from expensive USA. Baked in the sun for a couple of hours and looked at palm trees and realised this was gonna be a good 12 days!

We paid 5 Fiji dollars (approximately £1.50) for a trip into town with a bloke who was a shop owner at Skylodge also. He dropped us off right outside his friends souvenir shop and we politely had a quick look around it. Then it was Paul’s turn to try and haggle himself a snorkel set for a decent price. He left the shop a few times and finally got the price he was prepared to pay. Paul was desperate for a haircut and got a thorough one in a small hairdressers. The lady spent a good 15 minutes cutting his hair and another 15 minutes brushing it!

Next day we travelled on an open bus, a bus with windows ripped out for natural air conditioning. The tears flooded down my cheeks because of the strong winds but we were headed to Port Denaru to start our island hopping. From the bus we saw kids playing football on the fields, some walking barefoot to school and lots of sugarcane fields.

We checked our bags in and stepped on the big bright yellow Yasawa Flyer boat which was going to transport us between the islands. After a couple of hours we saw the beautiful Tawewa Island and the Coral View resort. We jumped on a smaller motor boat where the men threw everyone’s suitcases in the air over the water to each other, obviously used to it. As we approached the beach a handful of natives were singing, clapping and waving at us. Both men and women had flowers in their hair, Hawaiian shirts and the traditional sulu skirt . We got a BIG welcome with hugs and handshakes and a lovely ice cold drink.

We stayed one or two nights at four different islands where each one had different choices of day trips and activities you could do. We went swimming with sharks - imagine yourself in a small motorboat in the middle of the sea with rough waves and every time the boat hits a wave everybody onboard screams out loud with fear! The boat finally stops and the divers tell you to jump out of it. You take a deep breath and do it and its amazing underwater! Incredible colourful tropical fish in all shapes and sizes swim right next to you. Then its time for the diving men to feed the sharks who where about a metre and a half long. There were three of them and all I could think about was the soundtrack of Jaws……nana nana nana nana!

We went swimming in underwater caves, ocean kayaking and climbed some really steep hills and mountains. One of these hills hosted an absolute massive spider and phobic Anna ran up the hill in nanoseconds! Paid a visit to the beautiful Blue Lagoon (where Brooke Shields was swimming in the same film) and did some snorkelling. Paul did a scuba dive and was very excited when he surfaced!

There was time for just laying in the hammock between the coconut trees as well. One could stretch ones hand out and get hold of papaya, bananas or pineapple! When you heard the bongo drums everyone on the island ran to the dining area to have breakfast, lunch or dinner like their life depended on it which it kind of was - it was the only place where you could eat on the island!

One evening there was a traditional Kava (slightly narcotic juice from a root) ceremony which we participated in. The Kava tasted like dirty water but the mood was on top and everyone was singing English and Fiji songs all together aahh…

Sailed on the big “Seaspray” boat out on the Mamanuca Islands and visited the “Castaway Island” where Tom Hanks was stranded in the film. Took the obligatory picture there but I also really hurt my back on the coral reef whilst snorkelling. Paid a visit to a really poor village and saw some gorgeous children drumming and singing with wooden sticks and plastic boxes. That’s all you need.

Then it was off to the coral coast and the ride of a lifetime. This is the moment I thought I would die…really. It was pitch dark and we sat with seven other people in a minibus. The driver started the journey by pulling out tools from under his feet to screw the wheels on -promising!! He then sped off really fast but we can’t tell how much because the Speedometer was broken. I prayed all the way to our next accommodation, the Beachhouse.

The Beach House was used as the scene for the reality show “Love Island”. I enjoyed an hour-long massage for £8. It was a dream and so good! But enough of lazing around - we were off on a jungle trek with our guide Tshuta who told us all about the Fijian history and what to live on in the jungle. The long walk led us up to a beautiful waterfall where we had a really cold swim.

All in all the time spent in Fiji was a paradise on earth. It was so sad to leave it! :-( Next stop New Zealand……:-)

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Roadtrip USA - No Sleep 'Till Hollywood!

Updated by Paul

The wide open spaces of America awaited us and after a 22 hour train journey we could not wait to get out on the great highways of California!

A short coach journey and ride on the subway got us to San Fran airport where our companion for the next week and a half waited - the Dodge Journey 4WD SUV rental car! This Beast could certainly handle all the mountainous terrain that we were about to encounter but at only 24 miles per gallon I don’t think I’ll be recommending this to Tactical Solutions (my old company) as the new company car!

Driving on the right hand side of the road proved to be quite easy and we soon got used to jumping all the red lights (it’s allowed in America!). We headed South out of San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway. This road is a combination of Route 1 and Route 101. It hugs the coast pretty much the whole way and you cannot be afraid of heights when driving along the winding cliff top stretches. It does however offer the most spectacular views! If any of you remember an Irish indie band called The Thrills; virtually every song they sing about is on this stretch of road. First stop for us was Santa Cruz - you’re not that faaarrrrr!!!

At one scenic stop where we pulled over for photographs we were approached by a woman who was lost -she was looking for directions. I’m not making this next bit up by she looked at us and asked with a serious face - “do you know the way to San Jose?” Honestly - this is true.

Santa Cruz is a small surf town and although it was nice we were in town the weekend of the US Open golf tournament. This meant we probably paid over the odds for our motel room but the people were friendly as ever. We went down to the beach where a free music concert was taking place. We went all the way to Santa Cruz and saw Herman’s Hermits play live on the beach! (Kids - ask your Dad, he’ll know who they are).

Next stop on the drive was all the way down to Oxnard (just outside of Los Angeles) - eight hours in total of driving but you don’t complain when the scenery includes the Cliffs of Big Sur, The town of Santa Barbara and roads where if you are taking the cliff edge hairpin-bends at 20mph you’re driving way to fast!

We continued the next morning down to San Diego where we would stay for two nights. Along the way we stopped in Malibu for some beach-time. We looked for the home of Charlie Harper - my all time hero - but it was no where to be found.

We arrived in San Diego in time to park the trusty Dodge at the Travel-lodge and head into the Gas Lamp Quarter for some of the best Mexican burritos you can find. Chicqito’s in Park Royal has got nothing on this place!!

The next morning we headed to San Diego Zoo - very cool to see the recently born baby panda and the human-like gorillas loved the attention and mooning at the crowds. We thought we had grown out of getting excited about going to the zoo but clearly not!

We toyed with the idea of crossing the border to visit Tijuana in Mexico as it was so close but decided against it in the end and settled for a visit to san Diego Old Town which the locals told us was far more Mexican than Tijuana could ever be. After some more great food and watching the festival dancing we headed back for a night to recover ready for a drive through Death
Valley the next day!

The wide open space of Death valley was astounding - never driven on a road that just endlessly goes on like this one! We arrived late afternoon and just headed straight on the road (there is no other direction you can go). We stopped off at a scenic point in time to capture the sun-set over the desert mountains - very nice and romantic! One problem though - after sunset it gets dark! We can now tell you from experience that death valley is not the place to be in the darkness. After the car made a 10,000ft climb we then had to get down the mountain on the other side - not easy on hairpin bends and cliff edges in the pitch back. No wonder we didn’t see another vehicle for nearly three hours- no other idiot is foolish enough to attempt this drive in the dark!

After a night spent in a motel in Bishop we headed out to Yosemite National Park early the next morning. After the searing heat of Death Valley it was nice to climb into the mountains via a scenic drive around June lake and see snow on the ground. Where else in the world can you go from 42 degree heat one day to snowball fights the next?!

The scenery in Yosemite is truly breathtaking but beware - you better keep your eye’s on the road or you WILL hit a bear!

We arrived late into a town called Sonora - a place in California’s ‘gold rush country’. This was the town where 19th century pioneers headed out to the hills to make a claim mining for their fortunes in gold. After a nights sleep we took a 10 minute drive (as opposed to the 10 hours driving the previous few days!) into Columbia Town where all the buildings are preserved from the gold-rush era and the town-folk work in 19th century costumes. Bit of a tourist trap but good fun. We went panning for gold but didn’t strike it rich so still gonna have to find some work in Australia to fund the rest of the trip. Damn!

We stayed out drinking late in a nice bar where we met some Mexicans. Good people but they insisted that European football was rubbish, too slow and the players too stiff and a European team would never win the world cup again! As this blog is being written after the world cup has finished I can now laugh and say ha! The top three teams were European. However they were clearly right about the overpaid, over-rated England idiots.

The next day we drove back to San Francisco to drop the car back and catch the greyhound bus down to Los Angeles. Some time to kill in the afternoon though meant we could go to the Imax cinema and watch Toy Story 3 in full on 3D. Definitely our new favourite film of the year - tipping this for an Oscar!

After an eventful greyhound journey (never getting on one of these buses again) we arrived in Downtown L.A. around 6.30am. Didn’t fancy hanging around here for too long so jumped in a cab to our motel in Alhambra. It wasn’t too bad so we dumped our luggage and despite no sleep for at least 36 hours we headed out for the thrills, spills and rollercoaster excitement of Universal Studios!

After 8 hours of wrestling with King-Kong, evading Jurassic Dinosaurs and hanging with one Homer J. Simpson we headed back to finally get some shut-eye before a 6am start the next morning to head out to Vegas!

After misreading the timetable the day before and not realising it was a Sunday we nearly missed the bus! A phone call to hold the bus at the next stop and taxi-ride got us there eventually otherwise we would have missed Vegas. Disaster averted!!

The first thing that strikes you about Vegas is the sheer size of it. The hotels and Casino’s are clearly big but the distance between them stops you from hoping from one to another. Clearly a cunning ploy to keep you in them for as long as possible particularly when the heat outside is constantly over 40 degrees! We stayed in the Imperial Palace which was a decent hotel and good casino but wanted to venture out - particularly up to the old town to see the Freemont experience. We got the Monorail up to the end of the strip and walked the rest - past lots of little white chapels but resisted the urge to go in! There was one place that claimed to be the venue where Joan Collins and Michael Jordan got married - a strange wedding if ever there was one!!The Freemont experience is right the way along Freemont street and consists of a giant LCD screen over the street projecting images of rock concerts as well as interviews with the crowd. The atmosphere was good with live bands playing and the party was definitely fuelled by one dollar Margaritas and a dollar fifty for bottles of Corona! After a small bit of gambling it was off to bed - nope no big winnings to pay for the rest of the trip either.

The next morning we set off towards The Grand Canyon stopping off for brunch at an all you can eat Chinese Restaurant for only $10. We ate a lot! We arrived at our overnight accommodation around 3pm - the Hualapai cowboy ranch on the western rim of the grand Canyon. To say the views were amazing would be an understatement - can you get much better in the word than waking up in the morning to see the sunrise over one of the seven wonders of the world?!
After a short journey along the canyon, peering over the edge a few times and watching a Native American dance performance we headed back to the ranch for a campfire and sing-song. Off to bed then with some great memories and in good time to get up at 5am for that sunrise!

The next day we headed back to Los Angeles arriving late afternoon. After a drop off downtown in Chinatown we headed out on the subway to our hostel in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. We arrived in time to catch a burger in a diner with a jukebox at you table - each song only 5 cents!

On the morning of our final day in the USA we jumped on one of the Hollywood tours. First up was a quick journey up the hills for the obligatory tourist photo under the Hollywood sign. We then headed down to Hollywood Boulevard for a stop at Mann’s Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. After yet more photos we headed up to Beverley Hills and Bel Air for a tour around the homes of the rich and famous. Except you don’t actually see the homes. A few high fences, some hedges and the occasional mail box are pretty much all that marks out the home of someone you might know. Saying that though, Jennifer Aniston certainly has a swanky mailbox!

Anna, and the other Scandinavian girls we were touring with did get extremely excited about being so close to the film stars but not as excited as a shopping trip down Rodeo Drive! Getting close up with a Bugatti Veyron parked up on the street was a high point and goes to show there still some money to be made in Tinsel Town!
Back to pick up our luggage then head to LAX airport. 4 weeks in North America coming to an end. Five states of the US covered as well as Brtish Columbia in Canada. Travelled by plane, train and automobile (as well as bike, boat, coach and bus!) Time for a break from all this stressful travelling. Where’s next? Ahhh…… Fiji!!!

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Sleepless In Seattle

Updated by Paul

Seattle - The home of Starbucks, Microsoft and Frasier Crane - now home to Anna Barenfeld and Paul Clifford for the next few days!

Back in the early 90’s grunge music was formed in Seattle; a musical genre based around misery, moaning and wallowing in your own self pity. You would be forgiven therefore for thinking that the city would not hold too many charms for the visiting tourist but you would be sorely wrong! The people here are charming, amiable and downright friendly. It almost make me think the whole grunge thing was an ironic joke to the rest of the world. Except we all know Americans don’t do irony!

After arriving on the Amtrak Cascade service from Vancouver we took the free bus (all buses in Seattle are free!) to our hotel - a nice place with an art theme running through each room - You think we might get a room with nice Van Gogh or Leonardo works? No we got the room that looked like a graffiti’ed London Tube Station!

The Seattle Space Needle stands at 520ft high and dominates the Seattle skyline (remember the opening credits from Frasier?!) We had a good view of this from our hotel but felt like we had to go higher to see the real spectaculars. The price for a ride up to the top of the needle is $18 each. Thankfully we spoke to the friendly receptionist At the hotel who told us about the Columbia Centre - a downtown office block that stands at 1,050ft high - twice that of the space needle! The best part? It only costs $3 each to get to the top - rock on!!

The world famous Pike Place Public Market in Seattle was our next stop. This is the place where the cheeriest fishmongers in the world sing songs and throw fish to each other across huge distances whilst the public look on in amazement. We would have bought a side of Salmon but it probably would not have kept well in the backpack for a week!

This market is also where the first ever Starbucks coffee store opened and its still trading. The queue was too long (even longer than the Starbucks in Ealing Broadway!) so we decided to get our caffeine fix at a place cheekily called “Seattle’s Best Coffee Company” - having tasted a great up there they’re probably not wrong!

At the end of the day hunger got the better of us and we decided to head to a Moroccan restaurant so authentic you had to sit on the floor, eat with your fingers and wear a Fez. I felt like Tommy Cooper. Just like that!

The next morning we went for a tour of Seattle’s underground city. This came into existence over a hundred years ago when the town’s planners realised that hadn’t built the city high enough to cope with the population’s sewage needs so they built over the existing streets. Now a whole different world exists underground. I’m sure the guides who host this tour are part-time comedians because they will constantly take the p**s out of you and tease you about where you come from. At least we have bragging rights over the yanks for being better at football, right??

Our brief tour of Seattle had to come to an end on day three and we boarded the Amtrak Coast Starlight train service for a 22 hour train journey back down to California. This is where we could catch up on the lost sleep after being sleepless in Seattle.




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Canada - eh?!

Updated by Paul

Arrived in Vancouver to find our hostel tucked away somewhere nice and peaceful just behind the red light district. You know you’re always in an interesting part of town when you need to ask a hooker for directions!

After a quick dinner and drink we headed to bed for an early start tomorrow - heading up the Sea to Sky highway to Whistler mountain.

After a scenic stop to go and chase some waterfalls (despite advice to the contrary from TLC) and lunch by a lake (a Lumberjack sandwich!) we arrived at Whistler in time to plan some hiking, biking and climbing. First on the agenda for me was a ride up the Peak-2-Peak gondola across two mountains - great views and spotted two bears running up the side of the mountain. The snow at the top of the mountain was great fun - building snowmen in June is a new experience! Anna stayed down in the village to have a drink and wander around.

We headed out to the lakes by the hostel where the rest of our group was staying for a campfire singsong and barbeque. As much as we would have loved to stay there the night, we had a luxury ski lodge waiting for us back in the village - who said backpacking around the world had to be roughing it?! The rooftop hot-tub was soon to become my new favourite place in the world!

The next morning saw us go our separate ways - I’d somehow managed to sign up to go Zip-lining through the mountain forests, off the top of Giant Redwoods, 200ft in the air - whilst Anna went for a gentle hike across Garibaldi Park! The zipline was fun and by the end of it I was going off the platforms upside down. Anna on the other hand turned her stroll in the park into a close encounter with a bear just 10ft away. See the pictures of this by clicking the link below.

We originally planned to be in Whistler for 2 days but extended it to 5 as it just seemed so much nicer than Vancouver. All the Ski tracks used in the winter for the Olympic games were turned into bike tracks for the summer - this suited us just fine - possibly the first time I’ve ridden a Mountain bike actually on a Mountain!

Back in Vancouver we decided to eat out and grab a few drinks in the historic Gas Town quarter of the city. Discovered a restaurant called The Spaghetti Factory - four courses plus unlimited drinks for only 12 dollars - the place was packed! Here’s a business idea that needs to be exploited back in the UK!

After a day spent cycling around Stanley Park we decided to go to play some pitch and putt. Turned up to find that 40 Japanese tourists had just got there before us and were waiting on the first tee! I don’t think the maximum 4 players per group rule was in force here!

After another night spent in Vancouver it was time to head to the station and catch the Amtrak train down to Seattle. My advice to anyone thinking about going to the West Coast of Canada? Spend as little time in Vancouver as possible and get out to Whistler ASAP!

As they say in Canada - You’ll have a great time - eh?!

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I Left My Heart..... In San Francisco!

Updated By Paul

Ten hours of flying still doesn't prepare you for this city!



Day 1 - A short shuttle journey from the airport to our hotel - The Mosser - a hotel with its own recording studio! Was tempted to lay down a track but the jet lag kicked in in time to knock me out cold after a quick beer in the Fourth Street bar. Some strange game was on the TV - big lads chucking orange balls into baskets - looked a bit like Netball! Roll on the world cup when we teach these yanks how to play a real sport. I refuse to call it Soccer though!


Day 2 - Jesus Christ, waking up at 5.30am - we're supposed to be on holiday here! After a quick jaunt round the Museum of Modern Art we jumped on a boat round the bay. Cold, Foggy, Wet - this ain't the California the Beach Boys Sung about.


Sailed round the Golden Gate Bridge and sighted Alcatraz. thinking of planning a jail break from there for tomorrow. What??! - gotta pay $26 dollars each for the privilage? I bet Clint Eastwood never had that problem....


Day 3 - Up at 5am again - damn you jet lag. Off to the Golden Gate Park on the tram system. We cut through San Fran's China Town - A place so massive it made London's China Town look like the China Kitchen restaurant in Greenford Avenue!!

Still have not figured out whether this is the most friendly country in the world or the most annoying. I sneezed on the tram and someone shouted out "bless you" from half way down the carriage. Of course this meant I had to shout back "thank-you" - how inconsiderate of that person!! Just wouldn't happen in London.

Academy of science was fun - where else in the world other than America can you visit an indoor rainforest littered with hotdog stands?


Caught the boat to Alcatraz - took the tour round the cell block. Didn't think much of the decor - don't think I'll give the estate agent a call back about this one! Was interesting though to see where Al Capone and others were locked up in solitary isolation along with the blood and grenade marks from previous jail breaks. Was tempted to make the swim back to the mainland but the wind was against us today!



Caught a cable car back from Fisherman's Wharf to downtown. These things are lethal.. 90 degree hills (well nearly) and these old victorian things hurtling down them in between the traffic. Great stuff - didn't stop me hanging out the side though snapping away on the camera.... better than the big dipper at Blackpool anyday!


Day 4 - Now this is what I've been waiting for - Wine tasting around Sonoma and Napa....!! Picked up at 8.30am - never too early to start boozing!! Our tour guide had other ideas though and insisted we do the nature visit first around Muir woods first. Boooo!!


To be fair, the giant redwoods were "awesome" - damn I'm even talking like a yank now!!


Drank more wine than was good for us but enjoyed every bit of it. Still desperate for a beer when back at the hotel later on though. Spent 25 dollars on a nice bottle from the Jacuzzi vineyard - yep run by the same family that invented the hot tub. expecting this to be a nice bottle of bubbly!!!


Drove back over the Golden Gate Bridge, a rare clear day in the bay. Probably added another 50 photo's to the world's most photograped bridge.


Off to bed slightly sozzled - off to Vancouver, Canada next. Its got a lot to live up to after San Fran!!

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Two Day Countdown.....

Only two days until departure now.....!

The route we're taking is as follows:

London to USA (San Francisco) - Flight

USA to Canada (Vancouver) - Flight

Vancouver to Los Angeles - Overland

Los Angeles to Fiji - Flight

Fiji to New Zealand (Auckland) - Flight

New Zealand (Christchurch) to Australia (Sydney) - Flight

Australia (Cairns) to Singapore - Flight

Singapore to Thailand - Overland through Malaysia

Thailand (Bangkok) to Laos to Vietnam to Cambodia back to Thailand - Overland

Thailand to China (Beijing) - Flight

Beijing to London - Flight

Updates and photos will be shared on this blog and it will be great to hear updates and comments from everyone about life back home. Keep any news about QPR positive though and only tell me about a successful promotion campaign! I don't think I could cope with the details on another battling relegation season!

Thanks everyone and speak to you all soon.