Well... I guess I have to write a blog on the upcoming Royal Wedding as it would appear that it is all anyone can talk about at home. For fear of losing any blog readers that I already have I feel it needs to be included in order to retain interest!
Now, the wedding hype over in Thailand is basically non existant. When asked by a travel agent why we would like to keep the dates on the 29th and 30th free we looked at her baffled and said 'for the wedding of course', to which she replied 'what wedding?'. How anyone has not heard about it I don't know but apparently it is possible.
In fairness we have only heard from various relatives (the mothers and grandmothers) going mental for it, sad that we will be missing the most watched TV spectacle since Diana's funeral in 97. But never fear.... T Mobile is here with another gem...
I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE their adverts so much... they at Saatchi and Saatchi are going to be down for some big prizes this year.
So, if for some unknown reason the wedding fails to be beemed into an Irish Pub near us, all will be OK in the world because I will have seen this beauty.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Friday, 22 April 2011
Paying a visit to the clinic
Next stop was Singapore home of the Clinic Bar. The strangest place I have ever had a drink (and possibly the most expensive). You can purchase a range of syringes, drips and Petrie dishes all containing your favorite beverages. I know that hannah and I have developed a slight alcohol problem but this takes addiction to a whole new level, I now know why the traditional drink is called the Singapore sling.
Obviously this wasn't the only highlight of singapore but it was definitely among them.
We also managed to pack in a fair few slights with the assistance of the lovely bus tours that run all round the city and the handy hints from the lovely lauren who let us stay with her for the duration.
The best bits were going to visit china town and little India where we got to sample the local cuisine. Amazing fresh noodles cooked in the wok straight infront of you to fresh India curry that you eat with your left hand- no cutlery involved! I don't really know how I'm going to cope with moving back home to he world of the knife and fork instead of the chopsticks or paw.
We also paid a trip to the night safari which was amazing. They design the whole park so that there are no fences and you are up close and personal with all the animals. We saw lions, tigers, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, wolves and elephants all without the horrible wire fences that normally ruins all the piccies!
Obviously this wasn't the only highlight of singapore but it was definitely among them.
We also managed to pack in a fair few slights with the assistance of the lovely bus tours that run all round the city and the handy hints from the lovely lauren who let us stay with her for the duration.
The best bits were going to visit china town and little India where we got to sample the local cuisine. Amazing fresh noodles cooked in the wok straight infront of you to fresh India curry that you eat with your left hand- no cutlery involved! I don't really know how I'm going to cope with moving back home to he world of the knife and fork instead of the chopsticks or paw.
We also paid a trip to the night safari which was amazing. They design the whole park so that there are no fences and you are up close and personal with all the animals. We saw lions, tigers, hippos, rhinos, hyenas, wolves and elephants all without the horrible wire fences that normally ruins all the piccies!
Saturday, 16 April 2011
She Jumped from 14000 feet.
I did a sky dive
and it was amazing
end of.
Ok so I probably have to tell you about it a little bit, as everyone knows its rare that I can shut up!! Pretty scary but not as scary as you might think. The instructors are amazing and don't really give you a chance to realise what your doing before your plummeting towards the ground with them strapped to your back, screaming your head off as your face does that weird flappy thing and they start spiraling you towards the floor.
Next thing you know parachute is up and your floating back down to the ground. I even got to steer the parachute in some pretty circles before coming in to land.
Best experience ever. EVERYONE should do it. Even if your scared of heights its worth it. And you get a cool certificate and tshirt to prove it.
and it was amazing
end of.
Ok so I probably have to tell you about it a little bit, as everyone knows its rare that I can shut up!! Pretty scary but not as scary as you might think. The instructors are amazing and don't really give you a chance to realise what your doing before your plummeting towards the ground with them strapped to your back, screaming your head off as your face does that weird flappy thing and they start spiraling you towards the floor.
Next thing you know parachute is up and your floating back down to the ground. I even got to steer the parachute in some pretty circles before coming in to land.
Best experience ever. EVERYONE should do it. Even if your scared of heights its worth it. And you get a cool certificate and tshirt to prove it.
Its the sailing life for me.
It may be a couple of weeks later (yes I know I have been very slow on the blog recently) but I feel like I'm still rocking from our idyllic boat... Spank Me.
Yes that's right, where normally boats have beautiful girls names conjuring images of sailing through calm crystal clear waters, we were changed from 'The Matador' which sounds quite exciting - speed and sophistication coming to mind to Spank Me. Not quite the same connotations there.
Spank Me did somehow suit the boat as it was far from luxury with its tiny leaking beds and very strange smelling below deck toilets. I felt like I'd stepped back several years and was aboard a merchant sailors ship or something. I think this was particularly helped by the gale force winds and rain that we ended up having on our first day. Lots of boats going out on the same day as ours had been cancelled so we boarded not too optimistic about the beautiful weather that we had been hoping for on the Whitsunday Islands. Instead we thought it was more likely that we would be experiencing the Wetsunday Islands as lots of backpackers have affectionately named this set of islands by the Great Barrier Reef in North East Aus.
However, after a rocky nights sleep we woke to glorious sunshine, which made shots like these possible...
Yep, I reckon we probably jumped for that photo about 15 - 20 times and its still not great. But jumping on white sand in wet suits apparently is how pretty much every backpacker on that route rolls judging by the many photo shoots that took place on White Haven Beach, some guides even take props... plastic ducks, beach balls, beer cans, you get the picture.
You may recognise those two ladies in the photos too from the Fraser blog... we managed to meet up with Caroline and Sarah again having already been on Fraser with them. Most people take the same route up the coast, so on one stretch of beach we were reunited with 3 different sets of people that we had met on our way.
We got to open the boat up to full sail and bounce along the waves through the islands before stopping off at various snorkeling points, donning our highly attractive 'stinger suits' apparently its high season for these little treasures about now so we had to rock the not so Baywatch look before going in the water at all.
The fish that we saw were beautiful and we were even lucky enough to see a turtle popping up to take a look before diving back down and hiding away from us as we all launched off the side of the boat to chase it.
As the sun came down and the goon came out everyone was in high spirits... especially when Steph our hostie performed an amazing feet... Roast dinner on a boat, it was impressive! No idea how she did it, but it was the first roast I have had in a very very long time and it was preeettty good.
So that was our taste of boat life. I was pretty pleased to be back on dry land again, even if it was to shower outside by the public pools as we were hopping back on the Greyhound that night. We thought our fellow bus riders would probably appreciate O' du Chlorine rather than O' du Salt Water.
Yes that's right, where normally boats have beautiful girls names conjuring images of sailing through calm crystal clear waters, we were changed from 'The Matador' which sounds quite exciting - speed and sophistication coming to mind to Spank Me. Not quite the same connotations there.
Spank Me did somehow suit the boat as it was far from luxury with its tiny leaking beds and very strange smelling below deck toilets. I felt like I'd stepped back several years and was aboard a merchant sailors ship or something. I think this was particularly helped by the gale force winds and rain that we ended up having on our first day. Lots of boats going out on the same day as ours had been cancelled so we boarded not too optimistic about the beautiful weather that we had been hoping for on the Whitsunday Islands. Instead we thought it was more likely that we would be experiencing the Wetsunday Islands as lots of backpackers have affectionately named this set of islands by the Great Barrier Reef in North East Aus.
However, after a rocky nights sleep we woke to glorious sunshine, which made shots like these possible...
Yep, I reckon we probably jumped for that photo about 15 - 20 times and its still not great. But jumping on white sand in wet suits apparently is how pretty much every backpacker on that route rolls judging by the many photo shoots that took place on White Haven Beach, some guides even take props... plastic ducks, beach balls, beer cans, you get the picture.
You may recognise those two ladies in the photos too from the Fraser blog... we managed to meet up with Caroline and Sarah again having already been on Fraser with them. Most people take the same route up the coast, so on one stretch of beach we were reunited with 3 different sets of people that we had met on our way.
We got to open the boat up to full sail and bounce along the waves through the islands before stopping off at various snorkeling points, donning our highly attractive 'stinger suits' apparently its high season for these little treasures about now so we had to rock the not so Baywatch look before going in the water at all.
The fish that we saw were beautiful and we were even lucky enough to see a turtle popping up to take a look before diving back down and hiding away from us as we all launched off the side of the boat to chase it.
As the sun came down and the goon came out everyone was in high spirits... especially when Steph our hostie performed an amazing feet... Roast dinner on a boat, it was impressive! No idea how she did it, but it was the first roast I have had in a very very long time and it was preeettty good.
So that was our taste of boat life. I was pretty pleased to be back on dry land again, even if it was to shower outside by the public pools as we were hopping back on the Greyhound that night. We thought our fellow bus riders would probably appreciate O' du Chlorine rather than O' du Salt Water.
The Stats...
As we've reached the half way mark - well over it now anyway, we thought it was time to update on some of the stats from our trip. So our combined totals are.....
Countries visited - 9
Time spent sober - 27 days out of 98
Time spent on buses - 166 hours
Ice cream consumed - 52 scoops
Time spent away from each other - 21 hours
People kissed - 19
New foods tried - 57
Alcohol consumed - 100000 (recurring)
Foreign swear words learnt - 8
Botanical gardens visited - 5
China Towns visited - 4
Hours spent lost - too many
Number of showers - not enough
Loads of washing done - 8
Cultural landmarks visited - 25
Bars danced on - 2
Items of fancy dress purchased - 22
Tshirts purchased - 21
Items we have stolen - 6
Items lost - 8
Drunken journeys - 6
Number of bank cards cloned - 4
Number of shampoo explosions - 9
Postcards sent - 41
Items donated to charity - 6
Museum/Gallery/Zoo excursions - 6
Hours spent underwater - 12
Drinking/card games learnt - 11
Dares completed - 4
Number of raps created - 2
Obviously this will be updated upon arrival in the UK.
Countries visited - 9
Time spent sober - 27 days out of 98
Time spent on buses - 166 hours
Ice cream consumed - 52 scoops
Time spent away from each other - 21 hours
People kissed - 19
New foods tried - 57
Alcohol consumed - 100000 (recurring)
Foreign swear words learnt - 8
Botanical gardens visited - 5
China Towns visited - 4
Hours spent lost - too many
Number of showers - not enough
Loads of washing done - 8
Cultural landmarks visited - 25
Bars danced on - 2
Items of fancy dress purchased - 22
Tshirts purchased - 21
Items we have stolen - 6
Items lost - 8
Drunken journeys - 6
Number of bank cards cloned - 4
Number of shampoo explosions - 9
Postcards sent - 41
Items donated to charity - 6
Museum/Gallery/Zoo excursions - 6
Hours spent underwater - 12
Drinking/card games learnt - 11
Dares completed - 4
Number of raps created - 2
Obviously this will be updated upon arrival in the UK.
Friday, 15 April 2011
The Fraser Crew Brrrraaap
Yo yo brrap brrap,
Car 2 is where it's at,
Thats because it's where we are sat,
You in Car 1,
You are crap,
We are so cool how about that.
Peeeaace out.... RRRReeeewind.
Was the blissful tune that accompanied those lucky enough to be in a car with Hannah and I throughout the Fraser Island trip. We were not supplied with a radio in our 4wd and therefore had to improvise. Obviously Hannah and I provided the thumping beats and the tuneful renditions of 'We're all going on a summer holiday' while our Swedish members of the crew cranked out a bit of Shakiras popular 'Whacka whacka'. We were definitely part of a particularly hard core crew of individuals it has to be said.
There are a few locals that actually inhabit this tiny island made entirely of sand permanently. But, in general its main purpose is as a four wheel drive race course for the tourists. The majority population being the 18 year old 'Nomad Tribe'. These are nocturnal creatures that spend their days chundering and their nights battling relatively small amounts of alcohol with socially destructive effects.
There is another form of backpacker that is a slightly rarer breed that manages to keep the contents of their stomach down during the day despite the adverse conditions of rough terrain and outlast so called Nomads at night. Luckily this was the type that was to be found in Car 2, and possible Car 1 although we don't like to tell them that.
The Nomad tribe have an ability to make the rarer breeds feel a little bit old but with their failure to embrace simple drinking games and other social communications face the risk of extinction upon arrival at Fraser island, and on other continents outside their natural habitats.
They unfortunately have a tendancy to attempt procreation which often results in the spread of disease and can lead to fatalities as their chosen breeding ground is the pitch dark, dingo infested beach without use of a safety torch, dingo stick and dingo song to ward off enemies.
The more sophisticated breed chose to leave procreation until finding the appropriate partner and sensibly ward off the threat of predator attacks with their useful dingo song..
Lets have some fun this beat is sick,
I wanna take a ride on your dingo stick.
Pkkkkkkaaar is a cry that you will hear between the group as a means of communication and bonding ritual. Unfortunately the Nomads have not grasped this yet and therefore have missed out on large amounts of banter. Shame.
Car 1 and 2 also showcase such skills as
Human Pyramids
Spinning on Elbows
BBQ raving
Beat Boxing
Acting
These are all requirements that must be tested before entering the group. Failure to present any of the above skills or any additional skills in performance will result in relegation to the Nomad tribe.
As you can tell we formed quite a tight crew on the beautiful islands of Fraser and had a pretty awesome time. What more could you want? Sun, sea, sand, goon, dingoes and a massive truck to roam around in.
Car 2 is where it's at,
Thats because it's where we are sat,
You in Car 1,
You are crap,
We are so cool how about that.
Peeeaace out.... RRRReeeewind.
Was the blissful tune that accompanied those lucky enough to be in a car with Hannah and I throughout the Fraser Island trip. We were not supplied with a radio in our 4wd and therefore had to improvise. Obviously Hannah and I provided the thumping beats and the tuneful renditions of 'We're all going on a summer holiday' while our Swedish members of the crew cranked out a bit of Shakiras popular 'Whacka whacka'. We were definitely part of a particularly hard core crew of individuals it has to be said.
There are a few locals that actually inhabit this tiny island made entirely of sand permanently. But, in general its main purpose is as a four wheel drive race course for the tourists. The majority population being the 18 year old 'Nomad Tribe'. These are nocturnal creatures that spend their days chundering and their nights battling relatively small amounts of alcohol with socially destructive effects.
There is another form of backpacker that is a slightly rarer breed that manages to keep the contents of their stomach down during the day despite the adverse conditions of rough terrain and outlast so called Nomads at night. Luckily this was the type that was to be found in Car 2, and possible Car 1 although we don't like to tell them that.
The Nomad tribe have an ability to make the rarer breeds feel a little bit old but with their failure to embrace simple drinking games and other social communications face the risk of extinction upon arrival at Fraser island, and on other continents outside their natural habitats.
They unfortunately have a tendancy to attempt procreation which often results in the spread of disease and can lead to fatalities as their chosen breeding ground is the pitch dark, dingo infested beach without use of a safety torch, dingo stick and dingo song to ward off enemies.
The more sophisticated breed chose to leave procreation until finding the appropriate partner and sensibly ward off the threat of predator attacks with their useful dingo song..
Lets have some fun this beat is sick,
I wanna take a ride on your dingo stick.
Pkkkkkkaaar is a cry that you will hear between the group as a means of communication and bonding ritual. Unfortunately the Nomads have not grasped this yet and therefore have missed out on large amounts of banter. Shame.
Car 1 and 2 also showcase such skills as
Human Pyramids
Spinning on Elbows
BBQ raving
Beat Boxing
Acting
These are all requirements that must be tested before entering the group. Failure to present any of the above skills or any additional skills in performance will result in relegation to the Nomad tribe.
As you can tell we formed quite a tight crew on the beautiful islands of Fraser and had a pretty awesome time. What more could you want? Sun, sea, sand, goon, dingoes and a massive truck to roam around in.
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