Australia . . Rain . . Nah . . .

It seems hope was not on our side . .

The bad weather decided to follow us all the way down the East Coast, at times I thought I was back in England! When we arrived in Arlie Beach the sun had decided to come out and we thought this was a safe sign to book our boat trip to the Whitsunday Islands.

Whoa could we have been more wrong? What appeared to be a nice day turned into the worst day, weather wise, Arlie Beach has seen all year! Well . . you may as well do it properly!
This resulted in all four of us clinging to the raft as we flew threw the air and smashed down on the water with as much force as hitting a brick wall . . Although this didn’t stop us appreciating the amazing sights we got to see!

One of which was the Whitehaven Beach, one of the most famous spots in Oz and the fourth most photographed place! With the sand 99.8% pure it is the purest beach in the World and as you can imagine, is quite a sight! Unfortunately, we saw it hiding under a tree as we already felt like we had pneumonia and didn’t fancy sitting on another beach in the rain.

By the time we arrived back to shore the man driving felt so sorry for me (most probably because I looked worse than a drowned rat or was worried he would actually get sued for giving me pneumonia) that he sorted me out a hot shower in the hotel we docked into . . .

That definitely made it worthwhile, after using any shower I could find for the last few weeks the enjoyment of a hot shower in a real bathroom was indescribable! Especially as I got to dry myself outside of a tiny shower cubicle and without my flip flops on! Ah, the things I have learnt to appreciate!

Next up Hervey Bay . .

x

We're all together . . .

I must start this entry by telling you about the new additions to my travelling experience . . They have been around for a while but I keep forgetting to update you!

My four boys and my fellow couple . . Together we make the usual mishap of a family. There is the occasional bickering, the non-stop banter and in turn a hell of a lot of laughing! Some of my best experiences have involved them and like any family you wouldn’t change a single second.

One of these happened to be our time in Townsville . . what seemed to be the start of our bad luck . . Hmmm maybe it’s karma . . .

We headed over to magnetic island and our first afternoon there was fab, the boys played football, we all sat down for dinner and then spent the evening playing drinking games and finished it off by attending a full moon party.
However, the next day we all arose with a hangover and thought we would go and enjoy the island . . What we thought would be a short enjoyable walk turned into an hours hike uphill in the pouring rain! The beach turned out to be an unofficial nudist beach which pleased the boys no end yet it didn’t seem to make up for the fact that we were all shivering and soaked on a beach in Australia with it pouring of rain and an hours hike back ahead of us . . Not to forget we were all hanging!

We made up for it by drinking through the pain once we had arrived safely back to our resort . . Who’d have known travelling would make an alcoholic out of me eh!

After this trip the two couples parted way with our boys for a couple of weeks, planning to re-unite back in Brisbane.

We made our way down to Arlie Beach for Whitsunday’s . .

Let’s hope the weather holds out for us there . . .

x

Harry the hippy . . .

Surprisingly I am coping relatively well as a hippy camper and the only downfall we’ve had recently is that the security guards from our fave spot have decided they no longer want to tolerate us. After having a 20 minute conversation which I can remember all of two minutes due to being intoxicated we have decided to begin our journey down South.

Therefore I am currently writing this as I am travelling down the East Coast in Harry the camper. The freedom that having one allows you is brilliant and although I miss my air-conditioned room a great deal I am glad that we chose this option. (Well most of the time!)

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I have cursed this little beast, particularly when I wake up with a hangover and the thing is like a sweatbox! I’m not quite sure I have ever slept somewhere that has been so hot that I think I might throw up! (Yes I’m aware that might also be due to the alcohol) but it’s even worse than my favourite girlfriends house who thinks that it’s criminal if you don’t have the central heating hitting 25!

Yet the advantage of driving wherever you fancy and knowing you have your accommodation and supply of food with you is just brilliant. We spent two days just driving all around the far North of Queensland and discovering waterfalls, lakes and spectacular views we would never had got to experience had it not been for Harry.

Next stop is Townsville, lets hope we manage to find a spot to park that isn’t illegal!

x

I can cry if I want to . . .

I was slightly disappointed as I left Malaysia as I would have liked to have stayed and seen more of the country so when I sat down on the aeroplane and it was minus 10 degrees and I had to pay to watch the television in front of me you can say I was less than impressed.

To add insult to injury when we arrived in what was meant to be Brisbane it turns out we’re at the Gold Coast . . we had to travel all the way up to Brisbane and sit in an airport for fourteen hours to wait for our next flight!

After what felt like a lifetime we were on the plane and en-route to Cairns, Australia. Unfortunately by the time of landing I was crying like a baby as my ears were playing up, I couldn’t breathe through my blocked nose and I smelt so bad. It was 1am when we had collected our baggage so we had to choose the first hostel we came across and deal with my issues in the morning.

We awoke to a gorgeous day with the temperature hitting 32 degrees and after I dosed up we spent the morning strolling along the port and admiring the beautiful boats before getting down to the important business of our campervan.

We spent the afternoon looking into buying one but this was not a possibility as it is very expensive in Oz and what with them asking ridiculous amounts our best option was to hire. This still cost us an arm and a leg and I sadly have to report back that it’s not the VW bus we were hoping for, however it does have purple flowers printed all over it and is aptly named a Hippy Camper.

You will just have to wait and see how I cope as a hippy camper . . .

x

But it's Chanel . . .

Never think that it is clever to go out drinking when you have to be out at 6am, particularly when you decide to stumble into bed at half four and not bother packing or booking a taxi!
So, the trip to Malaysia started well what with the pair of us still drunk and then gradually very hung-over.
Plus to add to my already sore head when we checked in at the airport Air Asia decided to charge me £40 for my godforsaken overweight suitcase . . That extra pair of shoes must have really made a difference!

Needless to say when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur I took in nothing apart from how comfortable my bed at the hotel felt.
Eight hours later I arose and appreciated the view from my window, up on the 7th floor we had an amazing perspective of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Kuala Lumpur is a fantastic part of Malaysia to explore from the Aquaria Centre to the tour up the Twin Towers, the tallest building in the World for seven years and now home to a gorgeous shopping mall. Although, it took all my will power not to buy myself a new handbag when it was home to some of my favourite shops. All I can say is thank god the classic Chanel was £1000 dearer than at home! Well, had it been a lot cheaper it would have been rude not to!

However, not to let that fool you . . Malaysia is ridiculously cheap . . We ate in the Yo Sushi equivilent and not one dish was more than a £1 sterling and of course it was much better quality and watched a film at the cinema costing us only £2 to get in and £4 for a large popcorn and two drinks.

Malaysia is up there as one of my favourite countries and I will definitely be returning for a holiday . . .

Well as long as I have enough money to actually enjoy the shopping malls . . .

x

Oz here we come . . .

Wow, so much has happened since we last conversed!

The Full Moon Party (AMAZING), snorkelling with a whale shark (SCARY), visiting Maya beach where the ‘The Beach’ was filmed (LIFE-THREATENING), getting burnt to within an inch of my life (PAINFUL), drinking our bodyweight in alcohol (also PAINFUL) . . . and the list goes on!

We are currently at a total of 8 islands that we have visited and have mapped out our next movements. . . to complete Thailand we are finishing with Phuket, although I’ve heard it is similar to Costa del Sol so that should be charming. We have booked our flight to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and our flight to Australia . . . After we have made our way up to Cairns and the partner manages to make it back from diving the Great Barrier Reef we will start our exciting drive down the coast.

Other than looking like Patchy Sue with my god-awful peeling and buying too many shoes that I have to squeeze into my suitcase that seems to be bursting at the seams (luckily I haven’t had to drag it once) I am very excited for the next stage of our adventure.

Well, apart from missing two birthdays this month . . .

x

Mum says I can be whatever I want to be . .

I must start by saying that feeding the baby tigers was not as pleasurable as I had imagined. In fact, I am now considering changing my career from journalist to humanitarian (well, mainly the animal kind). Particularly after I spent today watching a baby elephant being forced to dance.

However, what is more upsetting is the recent storms to have attacked Asia and the more threatening ones to follow. I wanted to kick start my career by still travelling to these countires and help re-build the towns that have been devastated but was not met with much enthusiasm. Apparently, I would not be much use with a hammer (I have no idea why not) and re-designing and styling the village is not what they need right now. Whatevs.

Therefore we have decided to change our route and will be heading up to Australia after we have completed Thailand. This journey will involve touring the country in a campervan, a very retro VW bus which I adore the idea of! Although, the reality is a lot less appealing and I am still coming to the terms with the fact that it won't contain a shower. Unbeknown to me service stations have showers . . . oh brilliant . . NAHHHT!

Oh and before I rush off I must tell you about the dress that I have had made . . a black chiffon backless number . . . the perfect LBD.

Hmm perhaps I should become a fashion designer . . .

x

Get me out of here . . NOW!

My time: 00:30
Your time: 18:30

Yesterday we arrived in Bangkok with very mixed feelings.
After convincing my travelling partner not to upgrade to Business Class, resisited spending all my funds in Chanel, walked away from the fabulous Kurt Geiger tassled boots and ate my last Yo Sushi the journey began.
The flight was good, I watched two films, ate dinner and then cried as I watched everyone around me sleep whilst I gained about forty five minutes of shut eye.
Following this we stopped in Mumbai airport where I was gawped at for obviously being the only blonde they had seen in a long while and I therefore had to prevent my other half from being aressted for assualt.

After another four hours and we finally landed in Bangkok and made our way to the hotel. We were met with pouring rain . . we were underdstandably tired . . and in all honesty Bangkok is not a very nice place.
Our first evening consisted of checking into our hotel and approximately five minutes later checking out again. I might be travelling but my god it would have been wrong to have even left my luggage in that room!

However, do not fret as I am now a happy camper. After moving hotels last night we awoke to a beautiful hot day and spent it touring the city in a Tuk Tuk for 20p . . well 40p as we felt bad only giving him 20 pence!
Tomorrow our adventure continues with a trip to Tiger Temple . .

I will be back to tell you about feeding my baby tigers . .

x

My heart belongs to Daddy . .

This is my farewell to England, my last entry before I will be in the bright lights of Bangkok.

Sitting on my bed I feel a sense of sadness wash over me but a greater sense of love. Having been forced to say my goodbyes to the people I love the most has made me realise how very lucky I am. It is those brief moments that pass within seconds that I hold closest to my heart. The seconds of pure happiness that I would have otherwise ignored and taken for granted but instead have treasured in my remaining days.

Seeing Daddy drunk and making the table fall about in laughter as he always does, my brother telling stories that I later re-tell, the comfort of my family bickering around me, my girls making me laugh so hard no problem seems unsolvable, the drunken antics, the continual re-living of the night before. The passing moments of recognition that I hold a bond with certain people that not even time can break.

With me I will take a piece of each and everyone one of you, tucked away safely, to remind me that I am never truly alone.

Without those chosen people in our lives it would be very hard to create a life worth living.

The next time we converse I will be in Thailand . . .

Well if they actually let my very heavy, very over-packed suitcase on the aeroplane . .

BON VOYAGE

x

"I don't do fashion, I am fashion" Coco Chanel

Currently I am perched in the centre of my bed surrounded by mounds of clothes, underwear, shoes, swimwear . . even toiletries! Why is packing so difficult? Normally I quite happily overpack, the obligatory outfit for each night plus a couple spare, shoes to match each outfit and double the amount of underwear actually required.
Now, even I don't have 365 outfits (SIGH) but what continues to worry me is the fact that I will be hauling my choices along EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. My travelling partner has said on numerous occasions that he won't be doing it for me, why this is such a big issue I don't know but it is certainly making my life harder!
So, what is a girl to do?
A very unhelpful chap in the 'backpacking' store told me to pack as if I was going away for a week. I wanted to inform him that not all of us are into the 'I wear the same trousers for a week and change my top every couple of days' look that he was pulling off so well but thought better of it.

So instead I have narrowed it down to the following:

• 10 pairs shorts
• 30 tops
• 3 jumpers
• 20 dresses/skirts
• 5 pairs jeans/leggings
• 7 bikinis
• 8 pairs of shoes (I only sneaked in 1 pair of heels, I know impressive!)
• 7 bras and about 30 pairs of knickers

Phew, that was hard work and at present it has not all managed to fit into the case but it will even if it kills me!

The only thing that I could possibly find harder is saying goodbye to my loved ones . . .

My first attempt starts tonight . . .

(I have chosen a black dress to represent my state of mourning)

x

It comes in Pink . . Perfect!

Sa-wat-dee . . .

Hello in Thai, I have been getting so excited that I went to the library and picked up a load of books. On top of that I have two very achy arms from my injections and Daddy has a nice hole in his pocket in the form of my travel essentials. Ah the joys of travelling.

Now, I have always made it clear that I believe that a handbag is a womans best friend. It doesn't matter if you have put on weight, lost weight or are in general just having a bad day. Rain or shine that handbag will fit and it will look gorgeous . . invest in a classic handbag and it is seasonless, the transformation of any outfit. So, you can imagine how upset I feel when it dawns on me that my favourite handbags have to collect dust in the wardrobe . . but to add insult to injury my travelling partner suggests . . . wait for it . . "Just buy a fake one when we're there"! PFFT, no thank you, I would feel like a traitor to my precious Louis if I were to replace him with a second class citizen.

Rant over . . . I have more pleasant news. I went in search of a backpack, I wanted to inject a little designer into it so headed for North Face. What I learnt is that 1. Travel backpacks are hideous and 2. They are impossible to carry without falling over. For these reasons I opted for a holdal that I can pull (basically a suitcase YES!) and a very cute backpack for the day, yes I'm well aware I just used backack and cute in the same sentence but it's called Isobel! And just so that I could feel myself again . . A bright pink rain-mac, perfect!

Three hundred and fifty pounds later I feel travelling could still be a fashionable affair afterall!

(And perhaps I could sneak one handbag and a pair of heels in?)

x

Hi, I'm new around here . .

Okay, so I'm new to blogging, I recently decided that I was going to see the World before I gave in to the rat race we call working life in London town, and was told that this was the best way to keep a 'diary', so to speak.
Personally keeping diary entries seem so much more chic to me, yet the reality is that I will probably lose my diary so perhaps keeping an electronic memory is the best idea.

I assume that blogging is like a new relationship; at first you are a little shy, want to seem perfect and are unsure of what is acceptable but over time we will become like best friends and I will feel comfortable enough to share my deepest worries and secrets. I assume we are currently in the stage of getting to know one another so here goes:

I am a perfectionist, I am clumsy, I over analyse everything, my friends and family are my world, when I fall in love it is as far as you can fall, I cry at everything, I love to drink, I am incredibly indecisive.
I fell in love, I moved in with him, we fought I moved out, I graduated from University, I worked for free for a long time, I broke up with boyfriend, moved to London, still working for free, decided that I desperately want to go travelling, I leave on the 21st of September with ex-boyfriend. First stop, Bangkok.

.......

Well, after I've managed to pack up my life into a backpack (gross!)

x