Adventures in Indochina, Part 1

Huayxai was my first glimpse of Laos. A huge difference from Thailand just over the river. My hotel was amazing with TV and en suite bathroom, all for about $6. The town was less appealing, except for the temple on the hill with a grand stair case, it seemed very poor with not even a bar on the main street.

The next day I was on the slow boat down the Mekong river, a two day trip to city of Louang Prabang. Packed with about 80 other backpackers it was not as romantic as it sounds. The mighty Mekong River starts its life in China and flows out to the sea in the south of Vietnam. Through Laos its way through though jungle, with dangerous rocks and rapids along the way. Being the dry season the river was low and the banks were planted with vegetables by the locals who were also fishing with nets from tiny boats.

The boat stopped at Pakbeng for the night. Very basic, the electricity generator was switched off by 10.30pm and candles handed out. Misty Mekong morning, cloud hanging in the trees the boat chugs off with it's passengers dreaming of ancient temples and mystic lands. Yeah and maybe a BeerLao or two. Possibly the best beer in the world, somebody needs to get an export licence for that.

I was amazed when the boat arrived at Louang Prabang. It really is a city in the jungle. Gold guilt temples and palm trees all around. Yeah and half the western tourist world. The secret has got out that this is THE place to visit in SE Asia. Never mind it's a fantastic city, I say no more.

So Indochina, what's that I thought? The Union of Indochina comprised of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and was created by the French (colonialists) in something like the 1870's. Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world per capita. A secret war waged by the USA during the Vietnam war. Now independent - The Laos Democratic Republic, ruled by a dictatorship is peaceful now. It is amazing how happy, gentle and laid back the people of Laos are, always smiling, no matter how poor some of their lives looked. That's my perception from the western world. I even got invited to eat with the the family that owned the guest house I stayed in, very nice people.

I decided to head North by boat to Nong Khiaw, a small town up the Nam Ou river. The Mekong trip had been a lazy river journey, this was full blown adventure. Shooting up rapids with rocks only inches from the side of the boat, than slowing right down the boatman avoiding the shallows.

The temperature dropped, I found my woolly hat and gloves in my bag, and put all my clothes on. It may only have been 12 Deg C but after tropical weather it felt 'baltic'.

Arriving in Nong Khiaw, the air was damp and cold, groups of people huddled round small fires in the street to keep warm. China was having it's coldest winter in 50 years. I was right next door. My plan had been to go in a loop over the mountains and down to Vang Viang. In the back of an open truck, I thought I'd save that for another time. The next day before noon walking along the street I get invited into a house where a party was going on. Traditional Laos food and Lao Lao rice wine was a plenty, I supplied the Beerlao. My new friends and I drink for the rest of the day to the sound of ghastly Thai pop music. Their friend had died 1 month ago in a motorcycle accident. They mourn for one month then party for a few days. The friends bother who survived the accident was there with the scars to show. Laos is not a country to get ill in, with only very basic health care. If you get ill, you die.

Vang Viang, set amongst Karst limestone mountains and lush green paddy fields. No it's horrible don't come to Laos, leave it all for me!!!! Seriously though this is a nice place to chill out go trekking and explore the many caves. Make sure you have a good torch or two sweet Dutch girls to rescue you when your torch fails 400m into the cave. This is Laos there's no lights in the caves. And no running water except in the guest houses. Many local people going to wash in the river.

Watching the sun set over the Mekong river looking across to the bright lights of Thailand, drinking Beerlao all in an late afternoons work in Vientiane, the capitol of Laos. The low rise city had a relaxed feel to it, I liked it a lot. Their crazy town planing, they built a copy of the Arc de Triomphe and a road like the Champs-Elysee's. The arc was built from concrete the US had given them to built an airport. The Arc was never finished and a sign inside describes it as a concrete monster. It really is!

Vientiane to Hanoi.

I had a few options for this journey, take local transport, take the direct tourist bus or fly. In the true spirit of traveling the first option was really the only one. The route I was to take crossed from Laos to Vietnam at Nam Phou border high up in the mountains at the Kaew Nua Pass. Described in my guidebook as a difficult border to cross I new this would be a bit of an adventure. I mentioned my plans to fellow travelers I met in Laos but nobody was keen to join me on this trip. I had no problem going by myself I now had a good idea of how things work in SE Asia. I had to test my theory that wherever you are in SE Asia somebody will want to provide you with transport, accommodation or food.

I woke early, 5.30am, pulled on my clothes and made it outside to the dark streets. The Tuk tuk driver looked happy at a run to the bus station, 10km out of town. We agreed a 'reasonable' price. The bus journey to the border town Lak Xao took roughly 7 hours along remarkably good roads. The bus was probably 40 years old but rumbled along at an alarmingly quick pace. I was expecting chickens and goats on the bus but only a few sacks of rice in the aisle. Amazing scenery along the way, jungle and karst limestone mountains, very sparsely populated. There were 3 other westerners on the bus, they all got off along the way.

Lak Xao had that frontier border town feel. Rough around the edges. I appeared to be the only westerner in town which turned out to my benefit . Eating lunch in the 'Only One' Restaurant, I got speaking to the owner and she asked if I could help out in the English school later that afternoon. The school had two Laos teachers and they are always very keen to have a native English speaker to help the kids with their pronunciation. The kids were aged 5 to 16 and were very happy to have a Scots man teach them. I must say it was quite a stressful experience but rewarding at the same time, I'd never done anything like that before. Later that day a coach tour arrived in town. How lucky was I, they were all girls on it.

Day 2, this would be the day I'd test my theory. This would be the day to test my resolve and worthiness as a traveler.

Early start 8.30am, walk along the road and pick-up style taxi stops, the price agreed and I was on my way to the border 35km from Lak Xao. I shared the taxi with two old wrinkled women who never stopped yapping and supplies for shops and homes along the way. With frequent stops it was over an hour to the border. the landscape became wilder along with the weather. At the border it was raining and the visibility was down to about 30ft. Stamped out of Laos I walked for 10 minutes through no mans land to the Vietnamese side. A dollar please said the immigration man. Pardon me I said. He repeated himself, I paid him and got my passport back.

I walked into Vietnam, onward transport from the border? My guidebook said it would be sparse, it was nonexistent. I walk further down the road expecting to see a car park with taxis and buses, but there was nothing. Slightly further I find a restaurant beside the road. I needed to get to Vinh City but not that badly that I was going to pay $50. He pointed at the weather and shrugged his shoulders I knew I could get a bus from Trung Tram 35km away, he said $20 to there and was not open to bargaining. There was much hilarity amongst his friends as I handed over the $20 bill. Yes as it happens I take pleasure in distributing wealth and joy where ever I go, the bunch of low life.....

So I was on my way again down the winding road shrouded by dense jungle, the weather clearing as we got lower. Lush green trees, paddy fields and very basic villages and then Trung Tram. Hello, where you go? Vinh City I replied and they point me to the battered old red bus along the road. Another rip off, he wasn't interested in the offer of Marlboro Reds to offset the fare either. $10 for a 60km bus journey. Bus fare, there's nothing fair about that. Yeah, $3 would have been about right. From the grim streets of Trung Tram past the gray landscape of paddy fields, piles of rubbish and end of the world towns to Vinh City. Vinh City, sin city, long streets of deep seated urban decay. Vinh City was not the kind of place to spend much (any) time. Still a very depressed area due to the American war and being just North of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). I was making good time though, it was only 1pm. The train to Hanoi left at 3pm, my ass was on the seat in the carriage before I knew it and it was time for an afternoon nap. I try not to arrive late at night in cities, no worries my new 'friend' takes me to his hotel from the station on his scooter though the crazy traffic of the streets of Hanoi.

With a little help from my friends

Bangkok didn't disappoint! Hectic, mad, busy what can I say. The crazy river traffic, the bustling backpacker ghetto of Khosan Road, the tuk tuks (in photo), Chinatown so busy packed full of markets selling everything from cigarette lighters that give you an electric shock to AK47 air rifles and full police riot gear. It's a crazy place, where else can you meet an elephant walking down the street. Did I mention the lady boys, ha ha. Easy to spot for a dedicated lover of the female form like me, but I'm sure there's a lot of men out there whose eye is not so keen after a Singha beer or ten.

My friends were arriving from Scotland. I was to meet them in Ko Samet. An island not too far from Bangkok. Eight months had passed since we'd last met, with faint promises that we'd meet up somewhere on my travels. Incredibly this happened. Walking along the beach there was Maff, then Jase, Gayle and Claire with Jolly appearing later from the sea pulling off a James Bond like movie scene, OK maybe not so sure about that, he he.

We chill in Ko Samet, drink beer, lie in the sun go snorkeling and then head to Kanchanaburi with a brief stop in Bangkok on the way. Bangkok may have a seedy reputation, lets just say we observed some of this and it's reputation is intact.

Kanchanaburi, the 'Death Railway' and the Bridge over the river Kwae. A peaceful area now, not so in the past. A visit to the war cemeteries was a moving experience. I was surprised at the feeling of grief I experienced seeing all the graves of the soldiers who died so young, to give us all the freedom we have. Only packs of angry stray dogs break the peace at night now.

I didn't know how things quite would be but there were no worries. I'd been traveling on a shoe string budget and my friends were on holiday for two weeks. I was happy that they were to experience my way of traveling, taking buses and trains and staying in budget accommodation (sorry Maff). The night train from Bangkok to Chang Mai has to be one of the best journeys so far. Leaving at 10pm and arriving at 1pm the next day there was plenty of scenery to see in the morning. The carriage doors open sitting on the foot plates, wind in my hair, train slowly winding though forested hilly countryside, is a memory I'll not forget in a hurry .

Traveling for so long, nearly 9 months, constantly meeting new people, making new friends every day or week than moving on again, always having to put me across is tiring! It had taken it's toll. At last with my friends I can just speak and be myself for they know who I am. Two weeks of this and I was feeling more like me again. My previously flagging enthusiasm had returned and I was excited to be on my travels again. I booked my flight across the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver. I book my flight to Mexico. I have so much to look forward to.

Chaing Mai was a lot more relaxed than Bangkok. Many temples some amazing especially the ruined Wat Chedi Luang. Some good nights out, watching Thai boxing, drinking and enjoying the friendly atmosphere of the city.

It was goodbye to my friends and on with my travels to Laos. Crossing into Laos from Chang Khong in Thailand felt like a proper border. Get stamped out of Thailand then the ferry boat across the Mekong River to the Laos immigration. My visa secured, the fee paid and I enter the town of Houoxsie. Immediately I get the feeling of traveling I've not experienced since I was in China. The feeling of entering the unknown.

A Passage to Bangkok

Yeah back to reality, the alarm was going off, time to get up and get the flight to Singapore. 'I'm sorry you can't board the flight' is a common thing to hear on those terrible airport reality TV shows. When it has Mr Munro added to the end it's really not good. I needed an onward flight to land in Singapore to keep immigration happy. I didn't have one. Sack the travel agent.... hold on I am the travel agent. Didn't do enough research into entry requirements when I bought the ticket. To get on the plane I had to buy a ticket back to my country of residence!!! Ridiculous but no way round it. So I bought a fully refundable ticket to the UK with the intention of canceling it in Singapore. At a cost of 1700 pounds this in hind sight was rather a large gamble. Anyway it was the right thing to do, my credit card account was eventually credited a month later without me actually having to pay anything.

With all that behind me I thought I'd better stay a few days in Singapore to see the sights. A gentle introduction into Asia. Many Chinese temples, Hindu shrines and mosques. An interesting place, even an area of primary rain forest surrounded by the city. One of two places on earth where this occurs, the other is in Brazil. It rained quite a lot too. It was the rainy season.

With trepidation, I set off on the bus from Singapore to Melaka in Malaysia. With memories of entering Singapore still fresh in my memory, to say I was a little nervous crossing into Malaysia would have been an understatement. Again still not satisfying entry requirements with that

pesky onward flight, but this time no problem. When traveling overland all the checks are not made.

Melaka was a really nice town. A relaxed and chilled out atmosphere prevailed. It is steeped in European history with the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British all having ruled here.




Some trivia: A scene from the film Entrapment, starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones was filmed on the river in Melaka.

Malaysia, I discovered, is a multicultural society, on one street in Melaka there is a Buddhist Temple, a Hindu temple and a Mosque. The street is nick named 'Harmony Street'. They must be more tolerant than me, I wasn't amused at being awoken at 5am with the call to prayer from the mosque next door to my hostel. The country takes pride in religious tolerance and ensures integration of the people by pursuing a 3 month national service for all 18 year olds. Military training takes only a small proportion of the time. The emphasis is on team based activities of mixed groups of Chinese, Indian and Malay to forge friendship between the religions. Malaysia isn't without problems but surely this would be an excellent path for Britain to follow.

Kuala Lumpur (KL) was the next stop up the peninsular. A city of contrasts, a city dominated by the Twin Petronas Towers. These are an incredible sight. Clad with stainless steel and glass and at night illuminated, they look like something out of a science fiction movie. The light radiates from them lighting up the sky. One night, just a little lost, walking along an unlit street with old wooden houses all around, the towers can be seen beyond. Walking down a street, crumbling two story 19th century Chinese town houses either side, the cities super modern mono rail flashes by high above the street. KL is a super modern city with towering building, huge shopping malls and again a booming economy (for how long....) but there is a an obvious gap between the rich and the poor.

Christmas day was spent in KL. Noodle soup and Tiger beer for Christmas dinner. Later in a local bar not far from where I was staying in Chow Kit, we had the pleasure of drinking with Malaysian guitar legend Osman Ghani. Long after the bar was closed we were still drinking and listening to his music sitting at the tables outside. Even the local vagrants stopped to see what was going on before carrying on there way, going though the rubbish bins for their late night snack.

The Cameron highlands were a welcome relief to the extreme heat and humidity of KL. Reached by a treacherous winding jungle road the high plateau of the Cameron highlands is home to tea plantation, fruit and veg growers and of course the the tourist resorts. Cream tea anyone, roaring log fire and tartan table cloths in the restaurant. All very strange in Asia. A popular area for hiking, through the jungle to the surrounding peaks. The area is unmapped and armed only with a 'not to scale' tourist map with corrections by the hostel owner, I was just a little apprehensive about going hiking. But I'm here to tell the tale so I must have done OK. Many people go missing, sometimes days before they are found. Bangkok based entrepreneur and silk tycoon, Jim Thomson, was never seen again after a pre-dinner stroll through the jungle there.

New Year was spent in Georgetown, Penang. An island of the west coast of Malaysia. An almost sober New Year's eve as well, you'd never believe it. Big open air concert with fire works but as this is a Muslim county no alcohol for sale at the concert. Georgetown had a seedy port town feel to it, hookers on the street and washed up characters in the bars. Again a big British influence here with some impressive colonial buildings. I even found a 'Downing Street' there.





Another border crossing, this time into Thailand. No problems here. First stop Hat Yai, described in Lonely Planet as 'a dodgy town'. Oh yeah, British foreign office advice for this area is essential travel only. It was essential that I made it to Thailand as far as I was concerned. The word on the street was that overland travel between Malaysia and Thailand was pretty safe now, but there have been bombs going off in this area in the past. British foreign office is quite alarmist in their advice on travel. Better taken with a pinch of salt I have found.

For the first time in my trip, I had no plans for the weeks leading up to my friends arrival in Bangkok at the end of January. This was a refreshing feeling, I think a refreshing time was also needed after traveling all this time. Traveling alone can become tiring at times, always making the effort, always having to think where next. Just to put the feet up now and again is nice. Traveling, with a girl I met on the bus to Georgetown, I found myself at Hat Ton Sai.



A beach, only accessible by boat, near Krabi town. Surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and palm trees along the beach front. It had an island feel about it. The peace only shattered by the constant drone of the 'long tail' boats. It's a mecca for rock climbers there and it was no surprise I found myself on a 3 day intensive rock climbing course.


Pretty full on but no way near as full on as the crazy dudes that base jumped from the top of the cliffs each day. Many lazy days on the beach, some boozy times, met a couple of people from my 1st trip to New Zealand. A definite paradise, spent almost two weeks there. Get there fast though, the bamboo bungalows are cheap just now but the developers will move in fast, I'm sure.




Island hopping to Ko Lanta and then to Ko Phi Phi. Almost fully rebuilt after the Tsunami of 2004, Ko Phi Phi Don is a beautiful Island, and fun at night. We take an early morning boat to Ko Phi Phi Leh and Maya Beach, where scenes from The Beach are shot. Snorkeling in the crystal clear water a remarkable thing happened. I was surrounded by a school of fish that circled round me just at arms length. Thousands of fish everywhere I looked.

And so to the final leg of this part of my journey. I'd taken the bus all the way from Singapore to Krabi town. I needed to travel by train again. The train to Bangkok. This was an important part of my travels. So I was 'on the train to Bangkok aboard the Thailand express'.... I listened to these lyrics, by Canadian rock group Rush, when I was a teenager. It was never in my wildest dreams that I would actually be on the Thailand express one day!! Thailand was a far off mysterious land. I took great pleasure listening to the song on the train.



Bangkok is a city I've heard so much about from people I have met on my travels. I hoped I would not be disappointed.

A date with Kylie

Yes Australia. I get asked why I came to Australia. Still not sure. Do I need a reason? Maybe because I was in the area or so I have walked on every continent on the earth except Antarctica, or to take stock before the real adventure starts in SE Asia, or maybe the real reason was I was secretly hoping I would meet Kylie, we'd hit it off, get married and settle down in a little house by the sea.

So my route was from Sydney to Cairns by bus. At just short of 3000km this was a big distance in 4 weeks. The East coast of Australia is tourist central, maybe not my cup of tea. I'd have to try a little harder to find the good stuff. But it was definitely there to be found as I was to discover.

I arrived in Sydney and headed to the hostel in Kingscross. In the red light district but fairly tame. Kingscross had a bad reputation a few years ago for wild party's. Damn it, should have been there. Still, the smell of marijuana wafts though the hostel gardens most of the day and night.

Sydney's okay, big new city with opera house and big bridge behind it. Go to nearby Bondi beach on a Sunday afternoon, predictably very busy. Loose the hordes by walking along the cliffs to Coogee beach, more chilled out. The Coogee beach hotel has a big open terrace and we sit and drink beer soaking up the Australian culture.




Overnight on the bus to Byron bay. Let me say the similarity with Byron Square in Aberdeen ends with the name. This is a super cool surfer town / hippy hang out and just a little touristy. The town was established by Californian surfer dudes avoiding the Vietnam war. It's all low rise buildings and local people voted in the Green party to keep the big developers from coming in. The Arts Factory is one of the coolest places I've stayed in. Live in a tee pee, it's cool. Big lizards and spiders outside, I take a didgeridoo lesson and one night we go to a beach party. Big fire, and unlike the beach parties at home with the banging sound systems we were greeted by the sounds of the didgeridoo, bongo drums an amazing fire show by some Japanese dudes. All very cool and chilled out.

Near Byron Bay is a little town called Nimbin. Wasn't really on the map until the legendary Aquarius festival of the early seventies. From then on it became Australia's Amsterdam. Smoking and dealing of marijuana is tolerated by the police. Now I can't say I condone this behavior, but when in Rome..... It's a bit odd though because there are no canals or shops selling diamonds? The coffee shops were good though. That day I was lucky enough to see two snakes and and koala in a tree and no I hadn't been eating the hallucinogenic mushrooms they also sell. They grow on the cow pats. Mmme fine!!






Before I arrived in Australia I'd thought I'd spend a fair bit of time on the Gold Coast. I'm so glad I didn't. Concrete jungle. I stay one night at Coolangatta at the southern point. After Byron Bay it's pretty disappointing. Up the coast the high rise buildings of Surfers Paradise stand like giant black chess peaces ready to advance at the nod of the developers head. Not my paradise and goes to show all that glitters is not gold.

Can't say much about Brisbane other than the Castlemaine XXXX brewery is there and it's an interesting tour and tasting of the beer after. The old joke is that they couldn't spell beer and hence the XXXX name. There was however a XXXXX beer and also XXX so maybe I believe them. Not sure if I gave a XXXX though. Brisbane is known as Bris-vegas.... Really not sure about that. Although the hostel was surrounded by a pub, a strip club and a church. Got it all sorted there.




At Byron Bay I'd won a 3 day Safari to Fraser Island. I was well pleased! Me and ten new friends in a big old Land Cruiser 4x4 camping and living it up on the largest sand island in the world. Complete with rain forest, dune lakes and those pesky dingoes for company. The beach stretches for 90km up the coast, we drive the whole way past a wrecked cruise liner, towering sand cliffs to Indian Head. We climb to the top and drink a beer. Possibly the most amazing view I've had to enjoy a beer with. We sit at the very edge of a 100 foot cliff surrounded by shark infested waters. The south pacific crashes onto the beaches either side with an alarming ferocity. The dingoes are pretty cool. There know it's their island and they are the boss round here. They sneak up so quietly, and all of a sudden they are right next to you trying to steal your bag.






Somewhere on the bus up the coast I cross back over the Tropic of Capricorn. It feels like someone has turned the thermostat up several notches.

I arrived at my final destination and Cairns. I go to Cape Tribulation. One of the few places where rain forest comes right down to the beach. Yeah yeah does that in New Zealand as well. It was a really beautiful place though. I think I found a little paradise there, the beach house I stayed in was so nice. A proper holiday from my traveling before the adventures of SE Asia begin. Trekking through the jungle to find a swimming hole. So good to cool off in the cool fresh river water. It's crocodile country here so no swimming in the sea.







A trip to the Great Barrier Reef was a must. Cool old pearl lugger sailing boat, snorkeling and seeing so many brightly coloured fish and coral. A definite high light of the trip. So far it had proved easier Finding Nimo than finding the elusive Kylie....

It was his last day in Cairns and he was walking along the boardwalk to the Marina. He sat on a bench and looked at all the amazing yachts, thinking to himself - if he hadn't spent all his money on fast women, bikes and drink he too could have had one of these. Sitting day dreaming he hears a familiar voice call out - Hey stranger come have a drink on my boat. He needed no further persuasion. The slender blond haired girl welcomed him aboard and they sat down to drink the newly opened bottle of Dom Perignon. She told him she was setting sail for Tahiti in the evening and she would like him to join her because his lovin' was all she could think about. He had a flight to catch the next day to Singapore, but to hell with it. If he didn't go he knew he just wouldn't get her out of his head.




Merry Christmas everybody, from Tahiti!!!!

North Island NZ

I arrived in the North Island expecting an anti-climax after the incredible time I had spent in the South Island . Surely I couldn't expect the high of traveling to continue forever? I needn't have worried, it was full steam ahead on the Brainzworld Express.

Wellington was the first city I had been to in three months. It was time to party! I checked into the Maple Leaf lodge which was like an old 1960's student house caught in a time warp. My new friends there were similarly not working and some pretty drunken nights resulted. We were all still drinking in the morning when everyone else was just getting up. Somethings never change! Wellington was my favourite city in NZ. It has character and is very cosmopolitan. Yeah and it's got some pretty cool pubs and clubs. A city I could definitely live in.

Another visit to Lower Hutt to catch up with my relatives and meet some more of the family. Feeling rested and having been well looked after, it was time to head North. Taupo was my first stop. Within 30 minutes of arrival I was heading towards the airfield to do a tandem sky dive. Feeling very confident with my previous (sky) dive I enjoyed the 20 minute flight to 15,000ft, with amazing views over Lake Taupo, the volcanic Mount Ruapehu and across to the Pacific Ocean. The sky dive was amazing, I want to go solo next time!!

The next day I was up at 5.30am to catch the bus to do the Tongariro Crossing. A one day walk through craters of an active volcano and past Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings). It was mid October and still winter conditions, it snowed for most of the way and was very cold. I thought I'd left the winter behind. This was in contrast to the ground which was warm. Digging stones up whose undersides were way too hot to touch. Sulphurous steam belching from the mountainside. It's wasn't just my egg sarnies smelling bad. Unfortunately the views were not great with the low clouds.

I had done crossing with a French skier who had also been in Queenstown during the winter. We decided we must get one more day on the mountain and that mountain had to be a volcano. It was the last day of the season at Turoa Skifield on Mount Ruapehu. Another early start and after a 2 hour drive we were greeted with bluebird sky and some very icy pistes. The snow softened up nicely and a great day was had. I'd love to do a season there, the terrain was amazing and it is possible to hike to the rim of the crater. During an eruption there, just 2 months ago, a hiker lost their leg after a huge rock landed on him. Brings a whole new meaning to the (snowboard) term 'death cookie'.

The earths crust is very thin in New Zealand and there are numerous thermal areas, the best of which is at Wai-o-tapu. It's on the front cover of the 'Rough Guide' so it must be good. Lots of multi coloured bubbling pools and a sickening smell of Sulphur.

Snowboarder dude turns surfer dude, after a 4 day surfing course at Raglan. Stood up the first time. My instructor said my balance is good because I can snowboard. Having now seen the beaches at Bondi and Byron Bay in Australia, these were some pretty serious waves I had been in. The force of the current across the beach was incredible, one moment the water would be at knee level the next over my head. Quite intimidating for the likes of me. Waves more scary than avalanches, not sure about that one. Raglan was a cool little surfer's town, the hostel I stayed in was deep in the bush and very laid back.

So in one week I'd been sky diving, snowboarding and surfing. That rates as a top week in my blog. So far this trip has really focused on me and my pursuit of pleasure. This, I consider, I have pretty much excelled at. Time to give something back to the world in thanks. I think I should do some voluntary work in the less developed countries I will be traveling though.

My time in New Zealand was nearly over and I had to sell my car in Auckland. Checked into the Uenuku Lodge, and got my car sold in a day. Four months of trouble free motoring for less than 400 quid, should have parked it up for my next visit, yeah come on Toyota some sponsorship wouldn't go a miss! Even made a small profit on the car! With that task complete it was time to kick back, put my feet up and relax. After all it had been a tough couple of weeks. Okay lets get this straight, drink beer and have a crazy time with the cool crowd of people that were staying there. After a hard weekend of drinking we were all sitting out in the sun on the Sunday afternoon drinking beer and waiting for the food to cook on the BBQ. Nice!!

I had 3 days until my flight so I hired a car and headed to Northland. I wanted to see the giant Kauri trees before I left. Walking through the forest past some big trees, Te Matua Ngahere the 'Father of the Forest ' comes into view. The trunk is 16.4m across, it's incredible. Close by is Tane Matua, the Lord of the Forest which is over 2000 years old. In this company I felt very young.

Cape Reinga is the most Northerly point of New Zealand. This is the point where the currents of the Pacific Ocean meet the swells of the Tasman Sea, the sea is like a cauldron of crashing waves. It's a very sacred Mauri place, it's where the spirits leave to go to another world.

My time to go to another country. Come back soon for the next installment 'A date with Kylie'.

On the road in New Zealand

The last month in Queenstown was so much fun. There were road trips to Ohau, Treble Cone and Cardrona skifields with the Deco crowd. Deco Backpackers was definitely the place to stay, I met so many cool people and had lots of fun and crazy times.




Spring had arrived though, the snow was melting fast and it was time to be moving on. A sad farewell to Queenstown, again. I hope it is not long until my next visit.

Back up to Methven for a few days to catch up with my friends at the Mt Hutt Bunkhouse. Two bluebird sky days with great snow conditions followed, oh yeah and some party times too... not fit to be written about here. I was lucky that the South Face chutes had reopened. Probably the best area of Mt Hutt skifield.

I later discovered this was a double black diamond run. I am well stoked with my progress on the mountain this season, having been confidently riding these very steep slopes in good and not so good conditions. Another sad farewell to Methven and the Bunkhouse crowd.

So I was on the road again, over Arthur's Pass to the West Coast. A fantastic drive through the mountain pass with fresh snow down to the road and bluebird skies again.

Such amazing scenery, the road winds it's way down through the mountains to Greymouth where the Tasman Sea relentlessly smashes onto the pebble beach, and the sun was setting on the horizon.

I had to meet my friend Till in Motueka, so we could walk the Abel Tasman Track. So the next day I was on the move again. I arrived at 4pm and neither of us had the right gear for a 5 day expedition. With my friends German efficiency, we had everything sorted by 7pm, and were in the water taxi at Marahau by 9am the next day for the trip up the coast to Toteranui. I later discover on his last trek he got lost in a forest at night with no torch....... The track is one of the Great walks in New Zealand but not too long at 51km. Loaded up with tent, sleeping bag, stove and food for 5 days this was another story.

Without having done a season of snowboarding and hiking every day up the mountain, I think I'd have struggled with this track however as it turned out we made good time every day. The coastal track crosses golden beaches with emerald seas and then up over the hills covered with lush green forest and towering fern trees.

It had a real South Pacific island feel, a real South Pacific island adventure with only a little bit of imagination required. The only time constraint were the tides, we could only cross the river estuaries at low tide. Four days of sunshine, one of rain and an amazing thunder storm. At night listening to huge gusts of wind as they traveled through the trees and then almost flattening the tent as they past. The camp sites and beaches were deserted with it 'being out of season'. This gave it an extra wilderness feel to this already amazing area. A great success, the food even lasted the 5 days!

After a day to recover I headed to Takaka and Golden Bay. This is an incredibly beautiful and isolated area. Snow capped mountains, peaceful rural farmland and desolate windswept beaches. The only road in is over Takaka hill. At 800m this would be called a mountain in Scotland, and it's a treacherous road of hairpin bends winding it's way from sea level to the top and then down again, to get there.

Golden bay was the first anchorage and landing point of the Dutch sea fairer Abel Tasman, in 1742, after an incredible journey around the south of Australia. The calm and tranquil Pohara beach, the constant sand storm at Wharariki beach, the shear cliffs at Farewell point, and the endless sands of Farewell spit. After 3 months of travel in New Zealand I am still amazed at the diversity of the landscapes within the South Island.

Driving back over Takaka Hill I take the diversion for Harwoods hole. An 11km gravel road leads to the edge of the forest and to the path onwards. This mature beech forest reminded me so much of Lord of the Rings. It had a primeval, almost enchanted feel, I really expected to see little hobbits watching me from behind the trees. The hole itself is 50m wide by 176m deep, down to the cave system below. Carefully does it scrambling on the rocks to look down, there's no guard rail.



After a brief visit to Nelson, my time in the South Island was nearly over. I realised what a chilled out life I had been leading, it was two weeks since I had been in a bar! That was remedied by a chance meeting in Nelson with a friend from Aberdeen. Then along the winding road to Picton to take the ferry to Wellington and the North Island.