The 'Credit Crunch' - It's effect on me...

I figured i should Blog about the effect of the current financial situation on myself, as it's likely going to be the biggest financial crisis I'll experience in my lifetime.

So everyone is feeling the wrath of 'The Credit Crunch'. Everyone but me it would seem....

I have some English Credit Card debt at the moment and it would have cost me about AU$8,400 to pay it off before the financial markets went downhill. However, due to the £ crashing to it's lowest levels for a very long time, I now only have to pay back AU$6,500. That means that 'The Credit Crunch' has in fact saved me AU$1,900 (£880).

I hope some other people have benefited from the current financial disaster as much as I have.

Here's to a poorer world-wide economy, that is making me richer!

Danny's done a 'Brad'...

That's right! He's gone and done a runner back to England!

But not for too long...

While Danny makes his epic travels across Asia and Europe to get back to England in time for Christmas, I'm still here in the great city of Brisbane. You can catch Danny's adventures at www.dannyhontour.blogspot.com (promised I'd plug your blog at some point). He should be back here come the end of January.

As I was saying, I'm grinding out a few months here. Working lots and saving more. Other than the occasional night out to watch a big match, I'm saving pretty hardcore.

Too much work and no play will make Brad a rich boy, hopefully.

I've agreed with my boss to work over the entire holiday period on x2 pay, which is pretty fantastic. Although I'll miss out on Christmas celebrations, I'll be earning mega-bucks. With these funds Dan and I have many a plan, of which we will update you with as they come into practice, so not to disappoint. Some sneak previews include a potential Road Trip from Brisbane to Perth via all the major cities and a trip to The Cook Islands to catch up with Sam (see the Nepal blogs if you forgot who 'The Legend, Sam' is), who is now living there. To mention a few...

As you know, the idea of 'saving' is pretty difficult for me to comprehend, but I'm doing really well with sticking to my budget and I'm in for an additional massive lump sum once I leave employment (I get all that Tax and Superannuation back remember!).

So for now, that's pretty much it.

I'll be sure to update if anything exciting happens!

Australian Weather

Although much better than ours, it does have it's days...

This is a photo of Brisbane City, where I live and work, during Sundays storm.

Home Sweet Home

So! Dan and I have a home!

We've moved to the suburb of Moorooka in the South of Brisbane. The set-up of our home is as follows: Upstairs Dexter and Teresa, the owners of the property, live. Their level of the house consists of 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, lounge, study, dinning room and laundry room. Yup, it's pretty big!

Then on the ground floor of the house (by the way, there are no stairs connecting the upstairs to the downstairs) Dan and I live with our housemate Dave. Each of us have our own room in the downstairs home which consists of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge and kitchen.

The house is great and a real bargain at $135 (£57 OUCH, what's happening to the £ guys?!) a week. That's inclusive of all utility bills and such.

So now I'm settled and have a permanent home, I actually have a daily routine:

5am: Wake up and get ready for work (no, seriously, I really do get up at 5)

6:15am: Leave home to catch the train into work

7am: Arrive in the Central Business District of Brisbane and grab a fruit-shake

7:30am: Start work

.....

4:30pm: Work over! Head back home on the train

5:30ish pm: Arrive home and promptly settle on one of the sofas and play on the newly acquired X-Box 360 that Dan and I have bought!

10pmish: Collapse in bed and start over!

Can't say I can complain about my weekdays.

Weekends however, well... weekends... I'm not sure I could guess what is going to happen during a weekend even if my life depended on it!

I.E. This week, whilst watching Arsenal whoop Man Utd, a guy we met in a bar in Bangkok, Thailand (Paddy, you may recall him from previous blogs) turned up in the same bar as us! Seriously, these nights are so spontaneous, I really look forward to the weekend just to see what I'm going to end up doing.

So as you can see, I'm really settled here. Work is great. I'm getting exposure to all sorts of systems on a huge international scale and all of the people I work with are great. However, there's a sour edge to work at the moment, as out department is being outsourced to Infosys... Yup, one of those awful call centers based in India. So at present, many Infosys employees are roaming our office, dropping in on our work, trying to figure out what the hell we are doing. The contract was sold for $70 Million dollars for 3 years*... (pretty sure the majority of that was just for me). The transition will occur at the end of February, so as of 27th February I will be un-employed, but not seeking employment, as I am able to claim back all of my tax (30% of my earnings) and my super-annuation (9% of my earnings paid into an account by my employer, additional to my salary) back. It should amount to quite a bit, so I'll no doubt head out on a new adventure come the new year.

Well, Dan and I are off to Woolworths to get the groceries in (Woolworths is like Asda here!). Catch up soon!

*Infosys Deal: http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24561078-5013040,00.html

Settled

So I'm employed and on Sunday Dan and I are moving into our new home in Moorooka!

My new place of employment is actually really cool. I work as an 'IT Service Delivery Officer', supporting around 45,000 users world wide with their IT requirements. Pretty insane.

I'll update you when we've moved into our new home.

Viva Las ... Brisbane?

Not quite Las Vegas, but on my last night before starting employment...

Yup, I got the job!

...Dan and I hit the Casino.

After several hours of Roulette, I find myself AU$370 richer.

Things are so good right now.

Becoming a Local

So after returning from Byron, now equipped with my Tax File Number, I went about becoming more settled and saving some money. The Hostel was costing a fortune, so we headed out to 'Kangaroo Point', a suburb, just outside of the CBD, where we found a cheap Motel to stay in. This would have been a good temporary residence, if it wasn't for 'Johnny Irish Builder' smashing away with his hammer every morning at 6am...

I have however secured myself an interview at Rio Tinto (riotinto.com) for an 'IT Service Delivery Officer' position. I'll let you know how it goes.

Byron Bay

Just Google search 'Cheeky Monkeys'...

Dan was escorted out

Great times!

Matt and the French Guy

Now that I'm settled here in Brisbane, it was time for Dan to show me some of the local pubs and such. The Pig and Whistle being our first stop.

After finding a table a waitress headed our way and took our order for Fish and Chips and a beer. Upon hearing this, the two guys sat next to us decided that it was time to interrupt our night and mock us for being so 'typically English'. Matt and 'The French Guy', locals to Brisbane, told us all about some great places to go and such.

Matt is heading to Byron Bay in a few days for a holiday. He's offered us a lift. We obliged. Apparently I'm going to Byron Bay...

Brisbane (Home?)

So I've landed in Australia.

It's only taken me 6 months, a trip to England, a Voluntary Severance payment and 9 flights, but I'm here! Credit where credit is due I say...

Upon landing in Brisbane I got my passport stamped (actually I'm slightly concerned about this. The immigration guy just stamped my passport with a date stamp, even though I'm here on a working visa. Surely this can't be right?!) and headed to the nearest pay-phone to call Dan and find out what to do!

Dan was alive, not drunk and actually pretty useful in assisting me get to 'The Transit Centre' where he was headed to meet me. After a dirty McDonalds breakfast (oh, things don't change) and a quick catch up, we headed to 'Chill Backpackers'. A hostel for backpackers in Brisbane.

I've become quite accustomed to having my own space, so a 10 share room wasn't my idea of a good place to stay. So we got a twin room @ AU$80 per night and proceeded to get me set up to the same position Dan is in (employable).

After visiting ANZ bank and an internet cafe, I now have a bank account and a Tax File Number is being processed for me. These two thing are all I need to undertake employment here in Australia.

My tax file number will take 7 days to process and arrive, so I may as well go on holiday...right?

Byron Bay, here we come!

Formula One Fever

Vrrrrrrooom!

This has to be the greatest sporting event I have ever attended. The outer trackside is buzzing with people who don't have track-side tickets, all eagerly anticipating the opportunity to see the worlds greatest drivers on the first ever night race.

Marina Bay has undergone a years worth of asphalt relaying to produce the perfect track for the night. And what a great site it is (sorry, please excuse the pun).

The cars were lined up on the starting blocks, engines were roaring and as soon as the cars took off, everybody who had turned up roared and cheered their favourite teams as they battled it out on the Marina Bay night circuit.

The noise is the most intense sound I have ever heard. When the cars break from 300 kmph to 120 kmph for the corner i was stood on the crashing of the break pads is deafening. Then the cars speeds off back down the straight. All of this was taking place in a matter of 5 seconds. I have videos of the cars flying past and I'll be sure to link them. It really is incredible.

A huge night in Grand Prix, with Massa driving off with his fuel pump still attached and Hamilton looking to have guaranteed himself the championship, it really was a historic night. And I was there to experience it, completely by chance.

Super!

Tomorrow i fly to Brisbane! Can't wait...

Orchard Road

How can life get any better?

A road of shopping malls, the size of the Bullring! I think I'm in heaven. How have i never been here before?

But really, this road is the greatest shopping centre I have ever seen and you know how I love my shopping. So a pretty intense day sees me stocking up on some 'much needed' purchases. Firstly I've gone and bought one of the great new Sony Compacts (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665495060). This device is so advanced, it's photo editing suite that is installed on the camera allows you to manipulate images to make people appear as though they are smiling, even if they weren't!

Like i said...a much needed purchase.

Another thing I noticed I seem to have a lack of is shoes. At a mere 4 pairs, it was definatley time to buy some more. So some ultra rare Converse were added to todays shopping basket.

Finally, impulsive buying had well and truly settled in and I bought myself a watch. At S$600 (£256) I'm now the proud owner of a great Swiss watch, sure to last me a while.

All that shopping has exhausted me, so this is going to be brief.

Update on the Grand Prix soon!

In Love!

Yup. It’s true. I really, really do love… Singapore!

Today I headed out of the hotel, on foot, equipped with my iPod touch and a cached Google Map, to help me find my way around. However, 2 minutes into wandering away from my hotel I found ‘Location Services’ on my iPod had kicked in and I was being tracked along my journey! Incredible! I basically had a GPS system in my hand, for free!

I headed down to ‘Little India’ a place set up during a time when a lot of people from India started to migrate to Singapore. The idea was to give immigrants their own areas of the city to live in. ‘Little India’ is a really great place with 3 large Temples, great Indian restraunts and more jewellery stores than I have ever seen before!

After getting some food in a restraunt, I jumped on the ‘MRT (Mass Rapid Transport (The Tube))’ and headed for City Hall. The area was full of F1 enthusiasts all anxiously awaiting race night.

I managed to get some great photos of the track (i'll be sure to post them). I've decided to head down to trackside for Qualifying and the Race...

Tomorrow... Shopping...

SINGAPORE (capitals intended)

There couldn’t have been a better time to come to Singapore; the weekend of the first ever F1 Night Race!

The city is alive 24 hours a day with anxious F1 fans, all sporting their team’s logo on T-Shirts and caps. Every bus, shop and billboard is covered in promotional material for the event. Ticket sales sold out within hours of the telephone lines opening, however I will still head down to the track for the race. The opportunity to see Hamilton, Massa, Kovalainen and all of the other great F1 drivers on the track is just too good an opportunity to miss out on.

 

So, upon landing in the fantastic Changi airport (this airport has a cinema in it!) I headed to immigration, where my passport crashed the computer systems for 10 minutes, a rather nerve racking 10 minutes I might add as I was given no reassurance that there wasn’t a problem with my entering the country. I was however granted my tourist visa and I headed to the information desk to book myself a hotel and a taxi. Yup, no more hostels for Brad, I have decided to spend my time here in Singapore enjoying some luxury.

 

A minivan arrived outside of the arrivals lounge and I jumped on board with my ‘suitcase’. That’s right, I’m no longer a ‘backpacker’, I’ve got myself a suitcase with wheels and a handle. Very posh. I’m staying in ‘Quality Hotel Singapore’, and it’s just that. A great room with Sky TV, air-conditioning, room service, free wi-fi etc. Not bad for £80 a night.

 

Tomorrow I’m going to head out for a wander around. I’ll let you know what I find.

Koh Samui Airport

Is beautiful.

An airport, complete with Check-in, Immigration and a departures lounge, all outdoors!

I have no reason to doubt that this may be THE best airport in the world.

I'm just sitting in the Singha Sports Bar, in the outdoor shopping complex here, enjoying an ice cold...coke! That's right, I seem to have stopped drinking alcohol, but for how long...

During my whole time in Thailand I've had 1 beer and that was because it was bought for me. However i can imagine this alcohol free Brad will expire once i meet up with Danny in Australia.

I'll let you know how Singapore goes!

Leaving Thailand

Well I'm leaving...again.

This time however, not back to England. I'm heading to Singapore!

And I couldn't have chosen a better time to head to Singapore, the weekend of the first ever Formula 1 Night Race. My flight leaves from Koh Samui this afternoon so I'm off to say my goodbyes and get packed ready for the trip.

I also have the pleasure of flying from Koh Samui airport, which the Thai Ministry of Tourism have dubbed 'The Most Beautiful Airport in The World'. I'll let you know if it lives up to the suggestion...

No Deviations

That's right! I'm not deviating from my itinerary!

I have my flight booked from Koh Samui, Thailand to Singapore on the 25th September and my onward flight to Brisbane Australia is also in place. So this time there will be no return trip to England.

I've spent most of my time here in Thailand in Koh Phangan again. A day in Bangkok when i landed saw me check into hotel, make some new Thai friends who i then went to see a movie with and book my gruelling trip from Bangkok to Surat Thani in the south. An 18 hour trip via Bus and Boat which sees me back, in what has become 'home' this year, Phangan.

Whilst here I've done absolutely...nothing...

Relaxing on beaches, eating good food and catching up with friends has been a great break. However, I'm really looking forward to heading down to Singapore to continue my original plans and then onto Oz, where I'll meet up with Dan.

My plan is as follows, but I wouldn't rely on my abiding by it in anyway, as when i meet up with Dan, only god knows what will happen:

25th Sep - Fly to Singapore

28th Sep - Fly to Brisbane, Australia

29th Sep - Land, meet Danny and ...?

Sometime around Christmas/New Year - Head back to Thailand (probabaly Koh Phangan)

After that - I don't know

I have been looking into the idea of attending a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foregin Language) course in Australia and then trying to get a job in Bangkok when I return to Thailand. However a friend of mine may also be able to assist with me acquiring a job in Thailand, as his brother is the manager of a Travel Agents in Bangkok and he has informed me there's a good chance he can get me a job there.

If so, I may spend some time in Bangkok working and such, before deciding where to go next. If not, then I guess it will be back to Australia, where I have the required visa to work and earn without having to return to England.

It's a tough life eh?

Well I'll update you with my Singapore adventures in a couple of days.

Back on track

Back on track
So, again I'm off on my travels to Eastern Asia (and this time the
Pacific, I promise). After a rather uneventful coach ride from
Birmingham to London, I found my first spot of adventure onbaord my
flight to Bangkok.
After waiting in the departures lounge for several hours, I boarded my
Boeing 747. Just as the pilot charged the engines and prepared to take
off, he disengaged the engines and informed us that a fuel pump had
failed. We had to head back to the Terminal to take onboard another 10
tonnes of fuel. We were additionally informed however, that this isn't
a major problem, as this aeroplane has 20 fuel pumps in total and the
extra fuel was just precautionary.
So the time is 00:30 in England and the storm clouds that have been
hovering above our country for the last few days have given our plane
a very, very good shake.
We seem to have weathered the storm however and are now cruising, en
route to Bangkok.
The flight is expected to arrive at 17:30 Bangkok time (11:30 GMT),
so I'll be staying the night in Thailand's great capital again.
Here's a brief summary of my proposed itinerary, which will no doubt
be altered sooner than later:
6/9/08 - Flight to Bangkok
7/9/08 - Arrive in BKK and stay the night
8/9/09 - Head to the south on the Songserm coach and boat service (a
grueling 17 hour trip)
9/9/08 - Arrive in Koh Phangan
23/9/08 - Head to Kuala Lumpur, Malsysia, on some (yet to be booked)
form of transport
24/9/08 - Arrive in KL and stay the night
25/9/08 - Head to Singapore; again, on some (yet to be booked) form of
transport
26/9/08 - Arrive in Singapore and stay the night
27/9/08 - Board an aeroplane to Brisbane, Australia
28/9/08 - Arrive in Brisbane, find Danny and then...
Some time near X-Mas - Head back to KP, Thailand for celebrations
Some time after X-Mas - Head back to Australia

Expect some serious deviations from this, especially surrounding the
Christmas plans, as they are subject to ample financial backing from
working in Brisbane, Australia.

A good start so far. Our national football team won 2-0, I'm back on
track with my trip and dinner is about to be served.

Sent from my iPod Touch

Heathrow

Heathrow

I've just landed. I have no idea how to get to anywhere from here and
this is MY country haha.
Should be an entertaining afternoon trying to get back to Birmingham!

Brad

Bangkok - Round 2

Bangkok - Round 2

Well I'm back here and this time I've discovered a whole other side to
Thailand. The non-tourist, Thai version of Bangkok.
I'm staying in an apartment block that's maticulously clean, there's a
cleaner sweeping the tiled floors, wiping banisters and walls and
ensuring there is no litter all day, everyday. For this I'd pay ...
140 baht (£2.30) a day, which includes air conditioning and a spotless
apartment big enough for a couple to live comfortably.
I've learnt that 100 baht for a taxi (which I previously had believed
was a good deal for a 5 minute journey) is a complete ripoff! 35baht
(50p) will get you 2KM on a taxi meter. I guess you live and learn.
I've been eating at roadside noodle bars, which at first some may find
visually unapealling (a glass booth with a stove and plastic garden
furniture to eat off), but if ever you get the chance, eat at one of
these! The food is incredible. And there's an added bonus, the most
I've paid for one of these great meals is ... 75baht (£1.25).
I've also experienced every form of public transport Bangkok has to
offer! Bus, Underground (London could learn a LOT from the Thai tube
system), BTS Skytrain which is basically a citywide monorail, very
fast and the maximum fare is 50p and finally van buses, which are
basically open back vans that you flag down, jump in and pay 15baht to
the driver once you reach your destination.
Staying in the non tourist region of Bangkok was at first a little
intimidating. For the 15 days I stayed on Soi 77 of Ram Intra, I
didn't see another foreigner. A refreshing change after I aclimatised
to being the minority.
Thai people, from my experience here, are the friendliest people I
have ever met. The lady who owns our apartment block brought me a
basket full of treats to my apartment for my Birthday, people always
have time to assist with directions or help finding a place and the
general attitude Thai's adopt is one of 'mai-bpen-rai. No problem'.
Lets say you go to McDonalds and your food takes more than a couple of
minutes, in England there'd be an almighty fuss (I witnessed this only
the other day when an English woman got all stressed that the guy
behind her got his food first). Here people refrain from getting
annoyed over petty things such as this, after all your not starving
and when your food's ready, you'll get it. 'Mai-bpen-rai'!
After enjoying Bangkok it was time for me to head home.
I'll definately be coming back here, Thailand is a great place.
Whether you want a chilled out holiday on the beach, a part packed
break or a city vacation, Thailand really is the place to go.

London here I come... Great...

Brad

Back To Bangkok

Back To Bangkok
Yup! It seems my funds have come to an end and it's time to head back
to BKK. However, my holiday isn't quite over. I've got some free
accomodation for a week or two and enough money to see more of Bangkok
than Khao San.
Today I have a 16 hour journey from Phangan to the Capital.
Time to pack.

Brad

Motorbike Accident!

Motorbike Accident!
That's right!
I fell off.
Dan and I were discussing the day previous how amazing it was that
neither of us had fallen off.
I guess it was inevitable...
Anyway it was nothing serious just minor scrapes and such, nothing to
worry about.
As for the incident it was rather funny. I was driving behind a taxi
van full of people, I braked and the bike decided it wasn't keen on
slowing down so instead it went all wobbly and I fell off, infront of
all those people.
Doh!

Brad

Visa Run

Visa Run
Urgh!!!!
A night boat for 6 hours, with no air conditioning, a sweaty mini-bus
ride with a bunch of hippies for 5 hours and a long-boat ride to
Myanmar sees me good until July 17th!
The return journey was just as disgusting, only the boat trip was
during the day and guess what, tomorrow is Full-Moon, so the boat was
full of drunken 'travellers'. Just what I didn't need after my mission.
Once I got back home to Koh Phangan I was met at the peer by some Thai
friends and I then attempted to drive a moped back to my bungalow. A
silly idea. After 22 hours without food or sleep my body gave in and
my eyes closed whilst driving! Fortunately, only for the briefest of
moments. It was then I decided that having a backy on a moped from a
girl was better than dying, so that's what I did. Looking rather
exhausted (and camp (only whilst on the back of the bike I might add))
I arrived home and slept!
Visa run over.

Brad

New Found Home

New Found Home
Well Dan and I have cancelled our tour of the other islands here in
favour of staying in Koh Phangan. The beach raves, chilled out mood
and the fact that Harvey's bar is located on this island means that
we're staying!
I've also found out that the 800baht a day we're paying for our
bungalow is extortionate in comparison with some of the homes that are
available for rent here, from as little as 5000baht/pcm or 10000baht/
pcm (which is what I opted for) which got me a brand new bungalow with
air conditioning, a TV and DVD, electric shower (a rare thing out
here) and a kitchen! That's right, I can cook my own bacon sandwiches
and such in the comfort of my own home. Brill!
Now, I'm sure you all think we're crazy for not continuing to travel
the south islands and for staying here, but I'd be more dissapointed
to leave Koh Phangan than excited to see yet more beaches and
snorkelling spots.
So it looks like were going to be here up until June 18th or so.
Stay tuned...

Brad

Koh Panang continued...

Koh Panang continued...
After a few days recovering from Half Moon, I was finally well enough
to brave the outside of the bungalow.
So we rented mopeds again, which I must say I'm becoming quite the
expert on, and headed north to Haad Yao to see what the beaches in the
north had to offer. The craziest moped journey so far, riding across
unfinished or unstarted roads and 20% downhills, got us to our
destination. The beaches, in comparison with Koh Samui left a lot to
be desired. Gravelly sand, dirty water and tourists everywhere are
what's on offer. It's just aswell that this leg of the trip isn't a
beach holiday.

Brad

Offline Blogs

Offline Blogs

Here they are, the blogs I promised...

Brad

I'm Alive!

WOW!

It's been wayyyy too long since i last blogged, sorry!

Well, where to start?

Last time i blogged i had just been to my first Half Moon Party, what a Thailand freshman i was!

Well to cut a long story short, Dan and I are still in Koh Phangan! We fell in love with the place after the insane parties, chilled out mood and great people we met and decided this was the place for us to spend our time in Thailand.

So I moved out of the resort (which was costing a fortune) and moved into a Bungalow in the North of the Island (a place semi-immune to the invasion of foreigners ever full moon party). My bungalow is...well it's gorgeous, a brand new build and i love it. And i get this paradise home for the shocking price of......200 GBP a month, bills included (Photo's to follow).

Now, Dan and I are quite the Phangan resident's. We have friends both foreign and Thai, it's irregular for us to go into town without seeing atleast one person we know.

However, i have a predicament.

My Australian Visa states that i have to have 2000 UK pounds in the bank to enter the coutnry and my arrangements to take care of this have fallen through...soooo it looks like i'm going to spend the rest of my holiday here in Thailand, perhaps travelling down to some of the other islands to see what they have to offer before returning back home.

My flights booked from Bangkok back to London Heathrow on August 14th (sad face), so I'll be seeing you all sooner than expected!

Afetr making a decision to stay here in Thailand for the remainder of the trip, i had to commence a Visa Run to Burma. Urgh! What a trip. 23hours of non stop travelling got me from Phangan to Surrtiani, Surritani to Ranong, Ranong to Myanmar and then back. A sweaty trip with no food or sleep see's me good for another month here.

I'll update you all with more information on what i'm up to when i have it/when i have decided, but for now I'm heading home August 14th!

I haven't got too much time to update with too many tales as i have very little money on me and i need to go and eat, but i'll be sure to upload my offline blogs as soon as i get chance so you can see what's been going on here.

Speak soon!

Half Moon Party

Half Moon Party
A combination of alcohol induced memory loss and selective memory loss
means this blog won't be too long...

Wow.

...that's all.

Brad

Koh Panang

Koh Panang
So we're here! The highlight of our Southern Thailand adventure. And
after less than a week it's lived up to all of my expectations.
On our first night here we decided to upgrade our room from the
cheapest bungalow to the most expensive. A whopping £5 a night extra
gets us air conditioning, a flushing toilet (that's right, the other
room didn't have one), a hot shower, satellite television and plug
sockets. Not a bad deal at all.
After unloading our packs we decided to head to Had Drin, party
central, to see what we had in store. A town made up of bars and only
bars saw us top up our depleting alcohol levels and decide that it
would be a good idea to ask a stranger if we could hitch-hike in the
back of his pickup truck. A great decision on my part, as the guy
lived opposite our hotel and we were back home in no time.
The next day we took a wonder up and down our street to find 'Harvey's
Bar', a brand new bar Dan had found, owned by a Scotish chap. This
time we really have found the greatest bar in the world.
This place is so new that the pool table had never been used, we order
food from a menu that hasn't even been written and after one nights
drinking, that sees us dust off a box and a half of Heineken, we're
now the barmans best friends.
So far, we've helped write the food menu; suggested, collected and
installed a Playststion 2 from the owners house into the bar and when
Harvey needs to pop out for a bit, we run the bar, serving drinks and
choosing what music to play. In exchange we often get the keys to the
pool table, I got to update my iPod from his HUGE music collection and
when we're the last customers he closes up, turns off the music and we
watch Family Guy until it's time to sleep or until it's time for
breakfast. It's like being back home in a mates house, who's
girlfriend cooks the food and you have a few beers whilst playing the
Playststion.
Half Moon tomorrow...

Brad

Paradise Found

When I said perfect beaches, clear waters and easy living I thought it was wishful thinking. But that's exactly what we've got. Koh Samui is paradise. White sand and crystl water beaches with so few people on them it's incredible. The sea is warm and refreshing and the weather is fantastic. 35 degrees on average.
I live in a bungalow that looks out onto the sea. We have plug sockets and room service! Water costs 15p a bottle and a bottle of Heineken is about a pound.
The food is excellent, usually a toasted sanwich, burger and fries or a salad wrap.
This really is living the dream. I was up at 5:30am yesterday and went for a jog along the beach, sea splashing against my ankles as i ran. That Everest trek really paid off. Half an hour running in 30degree heat was only halted by my body's need for water, oh and the fast that 3 (rabid looking) dogs gave chase to me. However the resort owner reassured me that I'd be safe to continue "jus' thro' stone" she advised me. I decided against pelting dogs with pebbles and went for a shower.
Tomorrow we're going to rent some mopeds and book ourselves a game of golf at the local course. Because apparently I can ride a moped and play golf? I love Thailand.
Infact I'm quite the expert on the old Suzuki moped. Just 2 days ago I overtook an American guy, who was acting ultra cool, on a Harley Davidson...
We've got 7 more days of lounging around on the Koh Samui beaches until we leave for Koh Pang Nang, the paradise island with beach parties every night. Alcohol is bought by the BUCKET not bottle or glass and the government tourist adviser showed us a great photograph of a sign outside the Half Moon Party that read:
No Drink
No Drugs
No Weapons
from outside...

I think I'll be going to the SevenEleven to stock up on Paracetamol tomorrow.
Just had my 1st beer, hmm I wonder where this is heading?

Photos!

I've spent the last 2 hours uploading photos, naming them, organising them into 'Sets' and I'm still only half way through!

I've set up a Flickr account and here's the link to my Photostream show: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47916421@N00/show/

My Yahoo ID is:
bradley_w_2003

so that you can search for me on Flickr, if the above link doesn't work.

Enjoy!

Danny's Running a Blog!

Check out Dan's tales @ www.dannyhontour.blogspot.com

Southern Thailand, here we come!

Khao San

Khao San
It seems to be whatever you want it to be. A place to watch every
Premier League game live, a bunch of night clubs, a place to sleep, a
place to eat and a place to go shopping. A hub for Thailands
backpacking population. A start point for any Thai adventure and for
some unlucky soles, the duration and end of their adventure.
Clubbing every night and sleeping every day seems like great fun for a
while but for me, it's not enough. I want beaches, clear water with
white sands and bungalows along the beach. So that's exactly what
we've gone and got.
Six weeks of travelling the southern isles of Thailand. Full moon
parties on the beach and a half moon party in the jungle. That's how
it should be!
So i bound myself to keeping you up to date with my tales of Khao San
Road.
An average night out sees Dan and I in Gulliver's sports bar, which
until 10pm is infact a sports bar. Come 10pm it becomes and Electro/
Hardcore/RnB/Dance and Trance club. The pool tables are pushed aside
in favour of a podium and the place fills with Europeans and Americans
and hundreds of Thai girls. Quite the transformation.
At 2am, now extremely drunk on Smirnoff and Amareto, we grab a tuk-tuk
and head for some random night club. 7am usually sees us stumble back
into our room for a day of recovery.
Some very strange things have occurred during these nights out
including me purchasing a Thai policemans coat, a tailor made suit
fitting and just last night we were hosts, in our £3 a night room, to
2 German lads, a Thai lad and 2 American girls. Very surreal, but funny.
Bangkok is a great place. The Khao San Road is incredible and a must
see, but I'm tired of it already and I can't wait for our Southern
Thailand retreat. Paradise islands, beach parties and air conditioned
beach bungalows.
Tomorrow we have a 14 hour coach journey to Koh Samui.
Maybe I'll get to catch up on some sleep.

Brad

Bangkok

Bangkok
McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Cinema, Bowling, Shopping Mall and Khao San Road!
Back to civillization, but with a terrible overtone to the first
day...the Blues lost 5-1 to the villa!
After running around Bangkok airport for half an hour trying to find a
shop, so that we could get the football score, and failing to do so,
we left the airport in a taxi for Bangkok city centre. 900Baht we paid
to jump the queue, which was a good mile long.
The heat is overwhelming here. It's humidity like I have never
experienced. Even being in the clouds can't compare to the damp air
here.
We found an English bar and the barman broke the football news to us.
Dan wasn't overly sympathetic...
At 11pm we ate McDonalds followed by another taxi, this time to the
Khao San Road. Backpackers heaven. Bars, clubs and £1.50 a night rooms.
I'll update you with more Khao San Road tales as they develop.

Brad

The Morning After

The Morning After
Me: Shall we get him some water?
Dan: We're not his mom!
Me: He rode a motorbike...
Dan: Get the water!

Brad

Let The Fun Begin

Let The Fun Begin
13 days of walking. 70 kilometres trekked in 78 hours. 9 days uphill,
4 days down. 8 suspension bridges and 10,000 Yaks.
Apettite loss, headaches, fatigue, sunburn, sleepless nights at -12
degrees, 42% less oxygen and a week without a shower.
Worth it?
Without a doubt.
My Intrepid Encounters trek to Mount. Everest Base Camp was something
I'll never forget.
We trekked for an average of 7 hours a day, staying on guest houses
and tea houses along the way. Considering we were 3 days away from the
nearest road the variety of food was pretty good. Eggs, chips, pizza
and the odd local dish or too were all on offer. The higher we went
however, the more expensive things got. A 13Rs. bottle of water
(that's about 11p) ended up costing 350Rs. (that's about £2.90!).
The last day of ascention was the hardest. A 9 hour day to base camp
and then back to Gurak Shep was the most physically demanding day. It
was however totally worth it. We saw an Everest expedition descend and
I enjoyed an ice cold beer and cigar on the rocks overlooking the base
camp tents.
The descent was fast and easy. We took less than half the time to get
down than we took to get up to 5400m.
Our guides: Santosh, Jhanbo, Rham and their leader Durje were
incredible. After a days walking we were ready to collapse. These guys
turned into waiters once we entered a guest house, taking orders,
serving food and making sure everyone was in good health.
Our first step back into civilization was Namche! A night of showers,
pool and a few too many drinks marked the end of the hard work. An
easy day followed and then the final sprint to the end.
Lulkla awaited us. The airport. The closet we had been to sea level
for 12 days. A night of extremely heavy drinking resulted in 3 hours
sleep and me getting on an aeroplane, hungover, wearing a sleeping
bag. That's right! I boarded the plane IN a sleeping bag.
After landing I struggled back to the Katmandu Guest House for food
and sleep.
A few hours later, hangover now cured, it was time to celebrate the
achievement again. A night out in Khatmandu consisted of several
'dance bars', 2 casinos and one of our pals riding a random strangers
motorbike! A quite surreal; but unforgettable night.
The evening after we went to yet another casino and lady luck was on
my side. 3000Rs. became 12000Rs. Win!
Our flight to Thailand is this afternoon. A new adventure awaits.

Intrepid Brochure: 'What is it they say about only living once? And
boy is this living!'

Dan (whilst in the Indian casino): It's like taking Ghandi from a baby

Brad

Wi-Fi

Just waiting for some WiFi access so that i can upload a few new blogs.

Stay tuned!

The Monkeys and Temples

The Monkeys and Temples
Today was the most rewarding day so far. The day began with breakfast
at the khatmandu guest house. The food here is outstanding and
ridiculously cheap.
We had previously discussed the idea of paying a local taxi driver to
drive us around for the day to see what khatmandu has to offer. Best
idea ever.
The trip began with a visit to the 'Monkey Temple'. This place was
insane. 326 steps take you to the top of this amazing structure where
the various temples are located. Three local children accompanied me
throughout the visit, all no older than 13. One of them was born as a
monk, living in a monastery, and provided me with an insight into the
local beliefs. Even out here where his parents couldn't afford milk to
feed their new born child, this boy aspired to be a doctor and live
life as a monk.
He explained how the monkeys inhabit the temples land, as their
natural homes were destroyed as a result of the citys development.
After a good hour we departed and headed for Durbar Square. Another
area filled with religious sancturys. The area was home to the old
royal palace, constructed in the 17th century. It was also home to
'kumari', a ten year old child that is worshiped as living goddess. We
were allowed to enter the courtyard of her home, but foreigners may
not enter the home of this child. Remarkable.
After a day of intense cultural surroundings we headed back to our
hotel to backup our photos and to eat.
I'm now sitting in Shisha Terrace cafe and bar. The heavens have
opened and I doubt we'll be leaving in a hurry. I'm lying down on
cushions, in a bar, listening to the rain batter the sheet metal roof
and thunder cracking in the sky.
Tomorrow afternoon, Everest meeting.

Brad

Did I say a drink or two?

Did I say a drink or two?
I meant a drink or twenty!

Brad

Chilling Out

Chilling Out
Day 2 in katmandhu and things are feeling more normal. We ventured out
of the security of the guest house to a new hotel and spent the day
seeing what this place is all about.
A day spent wondering the busy streets of the metropolitan area that
we are staying in resulted in us finding cadburys chocolate. Result!
We also found the hugest Carlsberg sign I have ever seem. Don't worry,
there's a photo coming soon! Beer is served over here in 650ml
bottles, costing about £2.50. Not bad eh?
There's obviously a lot more to this city, but photographs will do a
significantly better job of explaining it than I ever could. I'll let
you know my Flikr account once I have it set up.
Off for a drink or two now.

Brad

Culture Shock!

Culture Shock!
So, after a 7hour flight to Doha, a 4hour wait for the next flight and
then another 4 hours on a plane, we've made it!
Initially everything looked pretty normal. The airport was small, as I
had expected and there were a lot of european travellers in goretex
and trekking boots, all buying visas.
Then we walked out of the airport and into a mob of locals offering us
places to stay and asking us for UK pounds! We finally found a guy who
was just a taxi driver. 6USD for a 7km journey.
The taxi journey was the point where it all became very real. I'm not
sure what I expected of khatmandu, but this is a whole other world.
There seems to be no rules on the road, it's every man for himself;
car,lorry,motorbike or cycle! We saw livestock wondering the streets,
children digging through litter, monkeys running around, roads that
look like allyways and buildings that were only just standing.
We opted to stay in one of the more fancy hotels, the khatmandu guest
house.

At 30 dollars a night for a double room this place has beds,
power and a hot shower.
It's different, its rather intimidating, but so far I love it.
4 days to go until Everest!

Brad

2 hours into the flight!

2 hours into the flight!
My bum Is numb, I'm tired but i've just been fed so it's all good.
I've played about 20 games of solitare and still haven't managed to
get it out once! Time for a sleep I think.

Brad

Test

Test
This is a test from my iPod touch!!!!

Brad