(I'm in pieces) Bits and Pieces

So I have a few blogular bits and pieces to tie up... some that have come to me and I wanna get down before they slip out of my head... this blog is as much for me as it is for you guys, so I wanna get this stuff down... also, it's one of the cheapest activities in Sydney (my other plans are to eat a pot noodle in the park, ride the monorail (like in The Simpsons), and watch the sun set over the opera house... how bloody romantic)... as this is merely a bits and pieces blog, the recommended listening while reading is 'Bits and Pieces' by the Dave Clarke Five... here they are on Top of the Pops in 1964:

... Incidentally I remember having an almost heated debated about Top of the Pops recently and how I thought it was a load of crap but others thought it had a place on our screens... feel free to discuss this in your own leisure (pronounced how the Americans pronounce Leeeeiisurrre)... Anyway...

... first of all I forgot to mention the lovely Cambodian woman who bought my last meal in Cambodia (unfortunately I neglected to ask her name)... I was on a food break during my trip from Battabang to Bangkok (N.B. My favorite station on the Bangkok metro was 'Bang Sue' tee hee hee) and was munching on some vegetable fried rice when this Cambodian woman sat opposite and started chatting... she had an Asian cockney accent and it turned out she was married to a guy from Croydon (the classy part of London... I'm such a snob) and was off to Battabang to spend Chinese new year with her family... it was funny chatting with her and listening to her punctuate her Asian accented English with the obligatory 'Innit' at the end of each sentence... She offered to pay for my rice and coke and wouldn't take no for an answer... she was really nice and left me with a great final impression of Cambodia... so much for all the scare stories on the Internet... ... interestingly she told me that when ever she's in Thailand she says she is Chinese, because if she says she is Cambodian people won't talk to her... weird...

... Second on my order of business is my wonderings around Sydney... I didn't realise the city had such a big gay district... it's massive... I stumblled upon it (honestly!) and only realised when I saw all the rainbow flags and well groomed fellow... I started to feel a bit uncomfortable as I walked past what must be the sex shop street (one was wittily named 'The Tool Box') and then I noticed to my dismay that I was wearing my pink t-shirt... the only thing that identified me as heterosexual was my shabby, uncombed hair (sorry, I'm really laying on the stereotypes here)... I made a hasty retreat... I've nothing wrong with homosexuality, I just don't wanna get too mixed up in it and have some lad come on to me... I've already had that effeminate lad from Bangkok get all touchy with me... I'm not risking it again... ... ... (Goddamit, I feel I've come across all homophobic here... sorry if that's the case! ... I don't want to offend, just have a little laugh at my uncomfortable moment:)

... and third on the menu is the little matter of my watch... It's sods law (why do sods get their own laws?) that the day after I left the land of cheap merchandise (Thailand) that my watch should break... it's still kind of functional, just the first minute digit is broken... so now when I look at the digital screen I see the time is 12:(blank)7... it makes telling the time a little bit of a mystery... keeps me on my toes... ... ... it reminds me of the time in my first year at uni, when slightly drunk, I lost the buttons to my phone... there was still the case, just no rubbery buttons to press... I had to use a pencil to stick through the button holes and press the electronicy guts underneath... anyway...

... so yeah, this post wasn't much, I just wanted to get a few things down before I forgot them... tomorrow I fly to Melbourne at 7:10am... booked into a hostel for the first night and then I'll visit Nikki who I met in Koh Chang... I'm looking forward to sleeping on the floor of her flat... it will feel all the more comfortable knowing that it isn't costing $30 a night!

... Keep well people... live long and prosper...

Love

Matt

Bondi beach

My view of Bondi beach as I sat under a tree reading Steppenwolf yesterday... It reminds me of Bournemouth at it's optimum:)


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Location:Sydney, Australia

A Japanese TV star... :)

... So I'm still here in Sydney... still a bit cynical but getting into the spirit a little bit... I'm still maintaining my cheap life style... luck today was a Cup Noodles in the park with hot water in my flask and tap water from the hostel as a beverage... very classy... I'm quite annoyed to be back in the world of money in coins... In Bangkok I'd purchased a money clip (always a bit of a weird dream of mine) which through my 3 months had proved so useful... especially in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia where coins are (all but) non-existent... I loved slipping out a wad of cash and flicking through it to find the equivalent of 40p I needed to buy what ever it was I was buying... a bit gangster, a bit Mad Men... let's be fair, whenever you think of me you instantly think 1950s gangster... original G;)

... but my life here has been cheap and void of tours, just had to spend a pretty penny on flights to Melbourne (cheaper then the bus) so I'm going into stingy overdrive... good job it's a very sporty weekend to keep me distracted and to help me get into the Australian spirit... yesterday was the final of the Asian cup (the Asian equivalent of the European championships... it's football if you don't realise, and soccer if you're a Neanderthal;) ... the final was Japan vs Australia (yes, Australian are Asian these days)... the 'Blue Samurai' V the 'Socceroos'... a clash of the shit nicknames... .... to add further spice it was in Qatar (the country who controversially just beat them to the rights to host the 2022 world cup... hence lots of debate in the bar I was in about the corruption and a hell of a lot of boos for Sepp Blatter... head of FIFA... scumbag)... the biggest game in Australian football history and I was there, in a sports bar on George Street, 'Cheers' (A Canadian lad, Eric, made me feel so old when he said he didn't know there was a Sit Com called Cheers... when I told him it was massive in the late 80s, early 90s I felt old... then I heard that he liked Death Metal and I began to lament about the youth of today... it's not like in my day...)... there's quite a big Asia population in Sydney so the bar was packed, about 2/3rds Australian against 1/3rd Japan... so a good atmosphere and a bit of banter between the groups... the Japanese fans constantly chanted 'Nippon, Nippon' (Japanese for Japan) and shrieked uncontrollably when their team got in the Australian penalty area... like some pop star had walked into the bar... ... the Aussies had there own chants, many too English to mention but they did have some good banter for the Japanese... ... To the tune of 'You only sing when you're winning' they chanted both 'You only sing when you're whaling' and 'You only sing karaoke'... to the rhythm of 'Come on City' they started chanting 'Hello kitty, Hello kitty'... I was loving it... the lad behind me know a good phrase when it hit him... When Australia gave possession away he shouted, 'Don't give it to them you silly bugger' and when the Japanese chanted 'Nippon' he mumbled, "Nip on this" without offering anything tangible for them to nip on... ... the atmosphere was good and it was a tense game... and there was further spice, there was a Japanese TV crew there filming live reaction from Sydney for Japanese national television... and guess where he stood, directly in front of me and my two mates, Andy (from Liverpool) and Barry (from Ireland)... So when it constantly switched to him during the game he was stood in front of 3 grinning Europeans as he wanted to show the tension in Australia during the final... ... but during the final something came over me (maybe it was the beer, who knows) but I got more and more sucked in to supporting Australia and chanting for them... during extra time I put on my best tension face as the Japanese camera began to focus on me and Andy... When Japan scored their extra time winner and the Japanese presenter jumped up and down and started pointing at an Aussie guy who's started crying I began to fill with sadness, pity and rage... ... but then when the game finished and it was all over, I reverted to classic English and disassociated myself from the loss, critical of the quality of football... and I reassured myself that I was English, not Australian... I know it's quite a bad thing to do but it helps me enjoy the game... ... ... and no the subject of flakey loyalty, tonight Murray is in the final of the Australian open... As Andy said to me (not Andy Murray, the guy Andy I met here!), "If he wins he's British, if he loses he's Scottish." ;) ... So that was a good night last night... but as the game didn't kick off 'till 2am here, it was quite a late one... yawn!

... as I've been cheap and spent most of my time just wondering the city... yesterday I went to Bondi

... and in that vein, I'm now looking at booking up the Inca Trail tour... to see Peru and old Machu Picchu... should be lovely stuff:)

... Keep well people, I'm off to Melbourne on Tuesday for a week so I'll write to you (and probably complain again;) from there...

Love you all,

Matt:)

Yes, that's right, I'm in Sydney!

... So now here I am in Sydney Australia, it's my first day after the 9 hour plane journey landed here at 6am (2am in the Asia time I was so accustomed to)... my room wasn't ready 'till 2pm so I wondered the city and saw many of the postcard places (as you can see from the pictures below...

... I was/am terribly sad to leave Asia... I'll miss her so much... my last night was drinks and a meal with Kate and Anna (from the transiberian) and Kush and James (first met while hiking in Northern Laos and then again at various points including Xmas and New Years in Vietnam)... it was really great to spend my last night in Thailand with some of the friends I'd met along the way... we shared drinks and jokes and it was nice and felt like we'd all known each other for years... ... a nice end... :)

... but now I'm in Australia, and well... I'm cynical... I don't get it... After 4 months in which the most western country I visited was Russia/Thailand (geographically/culturally (maybe that's debatable thought)) Australia just seems like home... like I'm back in England... the Queen is on the coins... it's over cast with light drizzle... it could be summer in Southampton or somewhere else not entirely inspiring... ... There are obviously differences but the only ones I've managed to take in is that the average soft drink can is like 440mls and along with pigeons and seagulls they have a large, curly billed bird to join those two scavengers in the streets fighting for chips and trying desperately in vein to eat a bone discarded from KFC (if anyone could comment the name of these birds I'd appreciate it)... ... obviously my judgment is clouded by the superb last 4 months I've had and how similar Australia is to home but it just doesn't feel right being here... ... and as for "travelling in Australia" I believe it's a kind of myth... I don't really get it... ... ... I've spoken to one guy in the hostel and he's been in Sydney for 5 weeks and is now looking at finding a job and an apartment... ... the hostel is big and clean with a large kitchen... fridges filled with peoples food and milk all haphazardly labeled on shelves that are falling down, it feels more like a university halls of residence... ... I can see why this is necessary, it's bloody expensive here (regardless of the fact that I'm used to Asian prices)... I can see me living on a diet of pot noodles and beer from 7-11 while I'm in Oz (don't worry, it's only two weeks)... it's almost the diet I enjoyed on the transiberian! ... Of course I'm just in a generic western city... Australia has beauty in its nature and its wildlife... most of which I probably won't see because I'm saving money for South America... so my cynical outlook might be misplaced... but I have heard stories of people coming to Australia and spending a whole year just in one city... ... and I think this comes to the essence of my opinion about travelling in Australia... my first impression is that it is a chance to live the uni dream once again... working won't feel so bad as your the other side of the world and can surf on weekends... there are no parents... it's a party place... people speak English... it's easy... ... ... but in my (pompous) opinion, it's not travelling... It's just not cricket (N.B. I wanted to watch some sport this weekend while I'm in Sydney but their is only a cricket match on so I think I'll give it a miss... a shame as I fancied watching a bit of football and seeing what has attracted luminaries such as Robbie Fowler and Francis Jeffers)... travelling to Australia seems to be taking the chance to re-live (or experience for the first time) an extreme version of the student lifestyle... ... I think your horizons won't come back broadened... your world not changed in any big way (I know I've denounced the idea of finding yourself while travelling but it is a good chance to find the world around you... if Australia proves a culture shock then... I'm shocked)... ... ... I need to put in the aside that obviously I'm a bit tired from my flight, shocked by the prices (even though I tried to prepare for the increase), and sad that I've left Asia... I don't feel like a traveller free to the call of the wind at the moment... I feel like I've taken a megabus weekend break somewhere... ... ... but maybe tonight when I watch Murrey's Australian open Semi-final in the hostel bar tonight I'll meet some nice people who will help me warm to Australia... ... you never know... :)

... But it is good to be here in some ways... it gives me a chance to get my house in order and plan a bit about what I'm going to do in South America... I've been to STA (a travel agents) and looked at prices to do the Inca trail in Peru... that's led me to roughly plan my ascent from Chile to Peru via the salt planes of Bolivia... ... and therefore my excitement for travelling is renewed:))) ... I'll book the Inca trail for the end of March on Monday... then I'll fly to Melbourne on Tuesday for a week to meet David (also got attacked in St.Petersburg like Joe) and Nikki (met on Koh Chang... from Yeovil... well exotic! ;) for a bit... ... ... it's a good chance to get my head together for the next big assault of my travels... South America is a beast of a continent and like Asia, it has a big reputation... now I can psych myself up and get ready, get excited... for the "real" travelling ;)

Bondi beach... I'll take a flask of hot tea, my camera, my note book, and 'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse... watch the inspiration flood into me like... ... ... Brisbane (is that a bit tasteless?)...

... anyway, sorry I bet I'm pissing people off with all my negativity recently... I know it's lucky to be here... I'm a lucky person... but when you have had 3 months in South East Asia and you have the prospect of 2 months in South America... well... Australia just doesn't cut the mustard... oh yeah, and I've been here before when I was 15... so it's not entirely unfamiliar (maybe I should have mentioned that)...

... to my Ozzie friends... sorry if I offend you with my nay saying about your country... I hope you understand I only mean it's not an adventure to be here compared to some of the places I've already been lucky enough to frequent...

... anyway, I'll write soon when maybe my slight jet lag has worn off, I've made some friends, and I'm ready to look at this massive country in a fair light... rather then by comparison to home and my Asia adventures...

... keep well, everyone... I miss you all (to varying degrees from 'intensly missing you' all the way down to 'I miss you, but what's your name again?')

Lots of love,

Matt:)

Can you tell what it is yet? (sorry, I mean can you guess where I am yet?;)

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Location:??????

Guess where I am (part 1)... There's a clue in the picture

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Location:????

The Khadijan Era.... Continuing Cambodian Chronicals... (blah blah blah;)

... So last time I left you where I left David and Martin, in Siem Reap... the next phase of travel was about to commence, me and Khadija exploring the nether reaches of the Cambodian frontier... going where few tourists have gone before... well that's not totally true but I was starting the next phase of this journey... ... but first, in the words of Maud Flaunders, let's think of the children...

... In Cambodia you can't avoid seeing and noticing the children... you'll hover between wanting to cry and thinking they are the cutest little fellows this side of a Panda nursery... around the big temple place the kiddies are there selling you bracelets, postcards, flutes and statues... trying to get you into their parents restaurant or t-shirt shop... they learn some awesome patter which occasionally made me succumb and give them a few bob... a girl selling postcards got me as she followed me for about 200 yards... "10 postcards one dollar", "How much for one?" "One dollar"... she then proceeded to count out the ten postcards over and over... I had to succumb... When I went round the temples with David and Martin the kids could sense I was new blood, the weak antelope, they went for the kill and I occasionally had 3 kids around me selling stuff... and in Cambodia they seem to sell souvenirs wholesale... 10 postcards one dollar, 3-5 Buddha statues one dollar, 10 bracelets one dollar... "flute one dollar", "No thank you", "three flutes for two dollar" (obviously I look like the type who needs three flutes)... They ask where you are from and then reel of their list of facts... "England, Capital city London, Priminister David Cameron, before that Gordon Brown, Tony Blair..." etc etc ad infinium.. these little rascals know more about England then me... when they tried to sell David stuff they even started talking to him in Gaelic... it's ashame they have to work but I guess working for the family is better then working for Primark so we can get cheap shit we'll only wear once...

... So David and Martin moved on to Bangkok to go their separate ways... our Vietnam travelling group was finally breaking up like a biscuit dropped and abandoned in a cup of tea... me and Khadija decided to go to Battenbang, a bit north from Siem Reap... it was an interesting place to go and we went for 5ish days before I headed back to Bangkok to fly to Sydney (tomorrow (27th)) and she travels to Phnom Penn to fly on to Indonesia... it is Cambodia's second most populous city (apparently) and it was really interesting to see a Cambodian city which was not so touristy as Siem Reap... ... ... I remember two years ago when I was in Thailand I met a couple (a Belgian man and a Luxembourgian woman (the first and only Luxembourgian I've ever met)) ... they were working in Cambodia on some charity thing and were just on holiday in Thailand... I was fascinated that they were in Cambodia as it sounds like one of those truly exotic places and really off the beaten track... they told me that Cambodia was nice and the people were nice but there is really nothing to do... no theater, no cinema, just bars... and you know what.. they weren't lying! ... In Battenbang (we stayed in the optimistically named 'royal hotel':) we did some touristy stuff like visit temples and ride the bamboo train (basically a bamboo pallet on some wheels on a single train line... if someone is coming the opposite direction you literally dismantle the train and take it off the tracks to allow them past) ... but then there was little else to do aside from drink (50 cent beer... as in the price, not a brand endorsed by the rapper), eat and be merry... there are almost literally 3 places to eat in Battenbang... I'd recommend Smoking Pot with it's delicious Chicken Lok lak (some kind of traditional dish you'd be forgiven for identifying as a generic Asian dish with an egg on top) and passable wine (oh yes, I'm becoming a cultured little bugger;)... there was also Gecko bar which did an incredible chicken quasidillas... I became addicted... I still yearn for the delicious taste, the stretchy mozzarella, the bean and salsa dips... holy moley it was nice:)) ... Me and Khadija had a great time in Battenbang despite the activity vacuum... it was nice to visit a relatively normal Cambodian city... and Cambodia is a lovely place people, don't be scared... it is just a bit quiet and has some scars from it's harsh past (which I really need to read about)... the only even slightly dangerous things I saw was a homeless man in the middle of the day doing a dance as he sniffed glue and a car crash followed by the driver at fault jumping out of the window and doing a runner (probably knicking the car)... but in truth, despite all the scams and stuff I read on the net... I felt safe in Cambodia... I think Khadija did too although she's really afraid of dogs and they have so many strays there...

... I spoke to an American guy and he said that Cambodia has the most NGOs (Non-government organisations... basically charity places) in the world (maybe he said south east Asia, I can't remember)... but there are so many opportunities to volunteer in Cambodia, even me and Khadija helped teach English to some 9-13 year old kids (which was more of an achievement for her because English isn't her first language)... we were on our way home from the bamboo train and the tuk-tuk driver asked if we wanted to teach English at an NGOKhadija in to chat with the class as I started to struggle for words... when I said that I like to play football and then asked the class what they liked to do in their free time a suspicious number of the girls said, "I like to play with my doll"... it was hard to tell which of them were good at English and which were copying those who went before them... but they were all trying and most of them understood far more then you'd think a 12 year old would be able to... lots of the kids were from local families but there were also 22 or 23 orphans among the students... it felt good to give them a couple of hours of our time... ... but it was also quite exhausting... :)

... So now I'm in Bangkok and today is my last day in this beautiful and incredible continent which has been my home for the last 3 months... I will miss it and the people I've met here so much... I'm so sad to leave and when I arrived in Bangkok yesterday I felt really low and alone (hence the feeling sorry for my self status some of you saw on facebook)... I miss awesome people I've met along the way like Khadija, David, Martin ... (actually I'm not going to start that game, the list would be too long... I hope you will all accept being included in an 'ect'... you were all lovely people, but this blog is long enough as it is without exhaustive credits at the end;)... I'm extremely sad to be leaving and I hope I will meet some of my cool new friends again one day (if you're ever in Bristol, give me a shout:)... but as one door closes another door opens, I'm off to Australia tomorrow... 2 weeks in Oz and 3 in New Zealand... extremely fleeting but I need to save money for South America... I'm booking a hostel for the first night it Sydney and I've bought the lonely planet book I will inevitably not read... ... ... ... The Khadijan Era was a fantastic one and a great one to end my South East Asia adventures with... and in fact this Continent ended in a beautifully rounded way... Kate and Anna, the girls I took the transiberian train with at the very start of this trip are in Bangkok now:) ... I met them for food and drinks last night and they saved me from slipping into a bit of a lonely depression as we eat and caught up and watched Japan beat South Korea on pens in the Asian cup semi-final... I'll meet them again tonight for one last meal... ... ... So you see, I've gone full circle in these 4 months (tomorrow will be exactly 4 months since I landed in St.Petersburg from London)... I made good friends at the start and they are here now... we'll have a drink, a chat and some incredible cheap and delicious food... and then I move on to the next stage... ... ... What will it bring? ... ... ... I'll let you know when I know:)

Love you all beautiful people:))))) 

Fancy hotel in Hui Hin (Thanks again Pin and her family:)

Angkor Wat for sunrise (bloody clouds ruined it... gerrrr!)

... Cambodia... the final frontier of my South East Asian adventure:)

... So I've been a long time gone but now I'm back to blog your socks off... I'm in Cambodia, I'm well... I'd been nervous to come to Cambodia, to come on my own... I read things about Tuk-Tuk drivers not taking you to the hotel you ask for, of border officials screwing you out of your hard borrowed dollars, I'd heard the people were too serious and I'd noticed the absence of popular acclaim which accompanies the big boys of this area (Thailand, Vietnam)... this is a minnow with seemingly only a bad reputation, a terrible history, and one absolutely massive array of temples in the sprawling Angkor Wat... I was relieved of my fear, of impending asthmatic, hyperventalatory panic while writing my last post... David and Martin (my German friends, once moustached but now with a naked lip) were in Siem Reap (my planned destination from Bangkok... my base camp from which I would attack Angkor Wat)... So off I trumped with my trumpety trump, trump, trump, trump, all the way to Siem Reap... I got screwed a little bit at the border but I can live without $10... ... ... It can be a bit hit and miss meeting people on the bus somewhere... I know travellers are meant to be a bit open minded, ready to talk to anyone, but I'm a bit more reserved... sometimes you get into a cool conversation, sometimes you just get talked at for 5 hours with no gap where you can subtly put your ear phones in and escape... I had that a bit on the way to Siem Reap... and when the guy asked me, "But what can you really do with a Biochemistry degree in the real world?" I had to resist the temptation to reply, "Stick it up your ass side ways"... instead I replied, "lots" and slipped away into my own world (I know I shouldn't get assey, I probably won't even use my PhD directly... but I hate being looked down at by these 'Real world' enthusiasts)...

... but anyway, Siem Reap (I did get there eventually without losing my degree anywhere)... I got there, the Tuk-Tuk drivers were helpful and if they screwed me then it was only for 50 cents... fair play to them, that's a beer over here... I met Martin and David again... we had a joyful reunion where we cryed, hugged, reminisced and I whispered in there ears, "Never leave me again dear" (N.B. That isn't exactly what happened... in truth, it was, 'Hey Mate, How's it going? Fancy a beer?")... They'd been busy during their time in Cambodia and acquired a new member for our ever evolving group, Khadija (She's Moroccan but studies in France but is taking a study year in Korea (South Korea... I think the education in the North might be somewhat compromised by political objectives... When me and Joe were planning this trip he wanted to visit North Korea... I was scared!) ... So I joined them for a day touring the sprawling temples of Angkor Wat (I neglected to read the history or get a guide... so for me they were just a bunch of like well old temples... they need a bit of doing up though... would make an epic episode of 'DIY SOS' with that smug stubbly bastered) ... we visited a cool temple where they shot some of Tomb Raider and we watched the sun set over the temples (it was OK but I felt like I was intruding in a romantic moment between David and Martin... ... and people applauded the sun set... applauded a sunset!!... why? ... it's like when people applaud a pilot for landing a plane... don't applaud him, it's literally 'áll in a days work'... if he doesn't land it that's a pretty shit day at the office!) ... I got up the next day and cycled to the big daddy temple at Angkor Wat (that's not it's actual name) to see the sun rise... People told me they lasted to 11am or even 1pm after getting up to see sunrise before they needed to go back for a kip (see Phil's comment a couple of posts ago)... I lasted 45 minutes... sunrise done, temple done... time for sleep... don't mess around people...

We seemed to drink an inordinate amount of 50 cent beer in three days that the four of us were together... Them David and Martin moved on to Thailand and I am now still travelling with Khadija before I need to pop back to Bangkok and fly to a little know place called Australia (I'm hoping it's untouched by tourism... a virgin land for me to explore... hummm...)...

... My fingers are becoming tired and my mind sore... I'll leave you with the image of me in Siem Reap... it's the 19th of January and me and Khdisha are trying to decide where to visit next... the next era of my travelling has started... as natural history had the Neolithic period, when people study my life in years from now maybe they will call this the Khadijan-period, the post-David Renaissance, the reversion to traveling just with girls established long ago in this travelling odyssey... ... ... tune in next week to read the next installment in this history...

... until next time, good night my people:)

Cambodia

Hey guys, sorry for the absence. Am in Cambodia having a lovely little time... New post will be up in a few days... Here is a picture of me on a mountain for all those who crave their regular fix of me ( it's been a week, you guys must be going crazy without me;)


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Location:Battenbang, Cambodia

Hui Hin... my posh holiday provided by VERY generous people:)

... So here I am, alone again... I'm in Bangkok after my holiday from a holiday from a holiday (you see I'm on a gap year holiday, but had a holiday from that staying with my uni friend Pin in Bangkok, but then had a holiday from that as she took us to the beach resort of Hui Hin)... I was really spoilt by Pin and her family... We stayed in a five and a half star resort (yes, five and a half!) in a pretty acceptable level of luxary... it's amazing how quickly you adapt, how quickly a person can fling away the thriftyness and dirtyness of the backpack and begin to revel in the world of the posh and the people who have a bit of money... I'm reading a book about the Vietnam war and both that and my stay in the posh hotel bring to my mind the idea that a person can get used to anything, just in Vietnam it seems to be how a human can get sucked to the edge of humanity and forget compassion and for me I got used to eating well and being clean... I became one of those species I never thought I would become, a poolside tourist! ... I sat by the pool reading, they had a slide I'd use approx 15 times a day, then I'd swim about in the big loop of a pool, I'd get a bit bored and play hacksac on my own... basically I reverted to old holiday Matt... like being a 11 year old in Tenerife... All I need is a copy of Where's Wally and a kid's club to frequent and I'd be back to the old times... ... ... but to underline how I've been treated and spoilt I'll just list some of the foods I've enjoyed during a mere week with Pin:

Steak
King Prawn (Various)
Lamb chops
Spagetthi (Various)
Pizza (Various)
Tangliatelli
Korean BBQ
Whole white fish (Various)
Waffel
Rulard
Brownie
Ice cream and honey on toast
Ice cream (Various)
Japanese food (Various, I can't spell any of them!)
Roast potatoes and broccoli (my old friends)
scollops
shrimp
Assorted Thai food (sweet and savoury)
Cornflakes and rice crispies (I miss 'em)
squid
(I didn't eat them in that order)

... and last night... for the fanalie (and Pin's brother was returning to uni in England so I guess a bit of a family treat) we went to the poshest buffet I've ever been to (not really saying much) in a very grand hotel... lamb chops and pasta cooked to order, lots and lots of choice... I was a king, and the plate was my kingdom... food came from far and wide... ... 4 mains and two deserts (cricky!)... ... ... so today when I left them... I went to the Cinema to watch Gullivers' Travels (hummmm.... hit and miss... the princess reminds me a bit of Chloe... I'll go for the word 'unique' to describe them both;) and then I had KFC... ... ... Forgive me father for I have sinned... ... hail Marys for me... if I was Catholic... I'll just make sure I have a lovley evening meal to make up for my earlier disgressions (is that a word? and if so, is it the right word? ... I want to be a writer, I should really know these things!)...

... A sign of just how accomidating Pin's family have been came with Champ, her cousin (I love his name because I like calling people names like Skipper:)... we shared a room and he had bought me some ear plugs because he, 'Sometimes snores when he drinks'... how considerate... incredibly so... I put them and feel to an apocaliptic level of sleep... lovley stuff:)

Tomorrow I go to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see the temples of Ankor Wat... Meant to be bloody lovley, where they filmed some of Tomb Raider... I'll fill you in once I've actually seen it... It would be mere speculation to write about it now... but I've heard it's lovley:) ... My level of organisation is summarised by the fact that I actually leave for OZ a day earlier then I thought (now I leave 27th Jan)... this has come as a mini shock... I really don't want to leave South East Asia... it's such a beautiful place and has provided me with great times and given me the oppertunity to meet some cool people... but I guess as one door closes another door opens, and so to OZ... moving into the world of big bucks and hostels that cost about 20 quid a night concerns me but I'll adapt, I'm only going for 2 weeks before New Zealand... ... it's weird how your mind set changes when travelling... Today Chloe (an old PhD friend who was also visiting Pin... such a patient host to deal with us both at the same time... anyone who knows both me and Chloe will sympathise with Pin;) flew back to England after a week here... and there I am worrying that I only have 2 weeks left in South East Asia... I've adapted to the scale of months... it'll be hard to go back to another mindset...

... good news (my parents will like this), I'm traveling to Cambodia alone tomorrow but I'll meet me old Irish friend David in Siem Reap... yay:) ... This is hot off the press... he is booking me a dorm bed at this very moment... this is news in action people...

... another aside... I've learnt how to order two lots of Singha beer in Thai... Singha beer is pronounced 'Sing'... and two is 'Song'... they say the object before the number... so you just order a 'sing song'... class dismissed...

... OK, I've been thinking... I'm roughly at half way in this trip, so have I 'found myself'... in a word 'no'... I'm not sure that is how it works really, I just think people use it as a phrase to justify travelling... they might not exactly say that but it is often implied... I have the feeling (although not massive experience) that you learn about yourself through adversity... not through drinking beer and looking at temples and laying on beaches... Some things I've seen in my own character during this trip had always been there or I'd seen hints of them before (I guess the only moment that really stretched me was in St.Petersburg with the Joe incident... but that could have ended so much worse... hope all's well mate)... things that I didn't know about myself I still don't know (I assume... but how would I know)... I have my moods, can be a bit of a funny bugger (not necessarily ha ha funny) and I think I'm made for the lone traveller game (that doesn't mean you're not missed Joe! ... Christ, this post is turning out to be a bit Joe-heavy;)... My Nan once told me that living on your own makes you more selfish just because you control what you do and when you do it, you're used to setting your own agenda... that is kind of the way for me I think during this trip... It has been great when I've shared time travelling with people, but an equilibrium needs to be established... I need to run off and do my loner thing once in a while, sit in a coffee shop, drinking and reading, pretending I'm contemplating deep worldly problems while taking a sly look at some of the ladies walking by... then when I get bored of myself, it's off to do a tour or have a drink with some people... it's a good balance once set up... The last week me, Pin and Chloe have been in some ways living together... this is quite weird really because we had only seen each other before in the lab or for the occasional drink... both those activities mark the agony and exstacy of a PhD... working like a monkey in a lab and then meeting together to bitch about the work and the supervisor (sorry APH, you know it happens... who am I kidding, you ain't reading this)... so this week together was something new and I think it worked pretty well... Pin was a fantastic host and her family, like her brother Pitoon, were awesome and made me feel at home... and me and Chloe didn't drive each other or Pin insane... so it was a successful experiment... but as I said, I'm a loner at heart and so it's quite nice to be a free bird now (I don't mean that in a bad way... I had a great time... Pin, Chloe, I'm sure you know what I mean)... ... ... It's time to fly like the beautiful bird I am... off to Cambodia... ... ... (Jesus Christ, that was a bit of a weird passage... if I was wise enough I'd proof read these posts and erase this paragraph... but I'm not, so I won't... I really should spell check these things more often as well... I'm sure I'm pissing off the spelling police... that actually make me feel good, annoying the spelling police... flight the machine people... spell things really teribbly:)

... OK, It's quitting time... the sun has set while I've been in here... it's Friday night on Ko San Road... the boozers will be out with there bottles of Chang (the hard stuff (upwards of 6.2%) ... I heard a guy buy one at 10.30 this morning... ouch!)... a river of puke will fill the streets... the bass will blow on the speakers and the buckets will be spilled... tattoos will be scratched upon the back of a regretful pissheads (I heard a guy in Lao (an English guy) got a tattoo of a quote from a book on his ankle but can't remember getting it done... don't worry, he was a tosser!)... guys will sleep in gutters and girls will stumble home at 9am searching for keys in bottomless handbags... and I'll be tucked in bed like a good little boy as my bus leave at 7am tomorrow... (I haven't seen all those things happen on Kao San, just some of them... I let my imagination go with the rest)

... anyway, it's quitting time... keep well people and I'll upload photos when I can from Cambodia... Miss you all (well, except from anybody reading who I've never met before;)

From,

Matt:))

Holiday in a holiday:)

Well, well, well... Here we are again, back to the old blogging game... I'd kind of lost touch with this whole thing because I've been on a little holiday from my holiday... I'm staying with Pin, a friend who lives in Bangkok... We worked in the same lab when doing out PhDs (both recently passed... horray for us;)... another fellow PhDer is here as well, Chloe (she hasn't passed yet... don't worry young one, your time will come... you just need to conquer the maze of temptation and the dreaded Bishops pass (both relatively unknown elements of the PhD process) and you will be part of the club... your soul forever branded with the stench of science)... she's here for a week so we've all met up... what makes it a holiday from my holiday for me is the fact that I'm staying at Pin's gorgeous house in the 'burbs of Bangkok... I'm currently sat at the make up table (3 mirrors all with unique angles of my beautiful face:) writing the blog in my massive guest bedroom with en suit and all that... it's a lovely big room (you could fit approximately 20 cows in this room at a push)... her family have been amazing and so generous and friendly and with Pins help we have seen more of this city and experienced many things that I would never have visited otherwise... I'm a luckily little devil:) ... with Pin and her family I've seen a part of Thailand that I didn't know existed... it's been really cool... she is Thai but of Chinese descent, so we saw her family make offerings to a god they respected and throw a Chinese opera for the community... it was a cool thing to see (see me with one of the actors in the previous post)... and then we went to a superb restaurant in China town to have some dim sum and sum other stuff... and then me, Pin and Chloe went to Kao San Road... the backpacker district... back to my travelling home... they had a bucket (strawberry daiquiri... classy girls;) and I had beer... the consequence was a bit of a Changover (Chang is a deadly beer... drink at your own peril)... the Changover abated while I had a 2 hour Thai massage the next morning (fricking lovely for the morning after... but I had a guy massuse, slightly disappointed... but I guess it isn't one of those massage parlours!... still a good hangover cure... well, that was what I thought until the afternoon in the apocaliptically big and ridiculously hot weekend market... following everyone around as they looked at puppies or dresses... I had to have a plastic bag ready in case I disgraced myself (luckily I didn't need it!)... then home for a two hour nap (thus I had the lovely nap-day multiplier effect which I can't be bothered to explain here) and I was ready for another gargantuan meal... ... I think finally I am going to start putting on weight:)

We've been little culture vultures flying around picking at the carcasses of this massive city... I've actually learnt some things as well... for example, King Rama the 5th was the first to study abroad and did some pretty cool things for Thailand... I've had it reinforced that the current King Rama 9 is really adored and is a great man by all accounts (you listening Charles... get prepared old boy)... and I learnt that Bangkok is actually a touristy name for the city... often known to locals as Krung Thep (City of Angels)... but that is actually just a shortening of what is apparently the longest city name in the world (consult Guinness... not the drink)... the full name is:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit
... yes you heard me, it's:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit
... The guide who took us around the City said the name and it sounded like she was rapping (makes about as much sense as a Ja Rule lyric... I'm not up with which cats are hot rappers these days)... one of the most superb things about this time with Pin has been the food... by crikey I've never had the opportunity to be hungry... every meal is a mix and match of dishes which we share... I can literally see my horizons broadening as I'm eating things as exotic as fish and crab (which is a big thing for me!)... The food has been superb... In one restaurant I even had steak... it was the first steak I'd had since leaving home... as I adore my Nan's steak I'd been saving myself... like a girl who saves herself for the right man, I saved myself for the right steak... and Jesus wept that was the right steak... we had it as part of Italian tapas (... I know what you're thinking, but it actually worked... even tagliatelle can be tapas-ified)... The food has been superb... yum yum, bring on dinner... did someone say squid tempura... bring it on...

... I realise I've developed an addiction while travelling (or an addiction has increased in severity)... I can't stop buying football shirts... In the last 5 days I've bought both a Thai national shirt and a Barcelona shirt (Mes que un club... read some football history:)... I'd already bought an AC Milan shirt, an Inter Milan shirt and an Everton

... Sometimes I feel that I should have some plot to this blog... some story of how I meet a girl on a beach and we talk... her eyes sparkle against the blue and green of the ocean... I tell her her eyes strike me and remind me of something I can't quite remember... I should write about how I woo her with tales of wonder about how I commit my life to helping sick orphans (... a little white lie won't hurt anyone... what's really the difference between helping orphans and just earning money to gallivant around the world anyway?)... I should write about how I saved her from some skirmish with an angry tuk-tuk driver... I whisked her off heroically on a motorbike and after we made it away from the tuk-tuk after a thrilling chase she swooned (girls don't swoon enough these days) into my arms and quietly whispered, 'Hold me you crazy handsome man'... I'd hold her and say, 'You know kid, you're all right'... and then the sun would set while music flowed across the street... ... ... unfortunately I'm scared of motorbikes, I don't help sick orphans, and I don't like in a 1950s romance film... .... ... but apart from that...

... anyway, back to reality... so I decided to treat myself to some new music off itunes for my itouch... So I made a playlist... I feel I need to educate you good people on music... so, here is my new poptastic play list:

*Rock Island line by Lonnie Doneghan
*Gravel Pit by Wu Tang Clan
*Moon River by Andy Williams
*You have killed me by Morrisey
*Singing in the Rain by Mint Royal
*Barbra Streisand by Duck Sauce
*We'll meet again by Vera Lynn
*Moonlight Serenade by The Glenn Miller band
*Panamericano by MC Lagrot
*Bongo Bong by Robbie Williams
*Those were the Days by Mary Hopkin
*I'm throwing my arms around Paris by Morrisey
*Superstition by Stevie Wonder
*I heard it through the grapevine by Marvyn Gaye


... you have been educated... good night:)

P.S. Please enjoy the photographic highlights of my travels so far... one pic per country, so only 8 lovelies to enjoy (see below and enjoy:)

Thailand (Visit 2)

Vietnam

Laos

Thailand (Visit 1)

Hong Kong

China

Mongolia

Russia

Culture vultures

Me, Pin and Chloe (the Halestrap group) taking in some fancy old palace... Lovely stuff:)


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Location:Bangkok, Thailand

Back in Bangkok:)

So I'm back where it all began... well not exactly (I'm not in St.Petersburg... or back in the womb) but I'm back to where the South East Asian phase of this odyssey began, on the mean (not really mean) streets of Bangkok... it's nice to be back even though I was a little tired of this place when I last left... it almost feels like I'm returning home... I've already seen the lady who sells cheap football shirts and enquired about a Barca home shirt in small with Messi on the back... I've already seen the little gay fella who came on to me (of course he recognises me!)... it's like I've never been away... the theme tune of Cheers flows through my mind... Where everybody knows your naaaaame dum dum dum, and they're always glad you caaaaame dum dum dum... Coming back brings back all those feelings of excitement when I came here last time... all the potential and possibilities which came with South East Asia and then more well trodden back packer route... it has had it's negatives this region but I've really enjoyed myself so far... as I arrived here I thought to myself, 'I really don't want to leave South East Asia'... it's such a cool and interesting place... ... ... so good news, I don't leave 'till 28th Jan:)) ... almost a whole month more here... tomorrow I meet Pin and Chloe (they were doing PhDs in the same lab as me at Bristol) and will spend some time with them which is well exciting... seeing old faces... good times (please remind me to punish myself for ever repeating a catch phrase of Justin Lee Collins... I'm ashamed of myself)... then I'll get a splash of Cambodia before I'm off to OZ... I'm really buzzing at the prospect of what is coming up... ... it was the correct time to leave Vietnam, defo... It's a difficult but cool country, but as I often said, there is something about the place which I can't figure out... for some reason I can't make my mind up about the place... it has many of the same pitfalls as Thailand and Laos (people trying to sell you stuff all the time etc) but there is something different that I can't put my finger on... I guess you could say, same same but different (Christ, I'm Mr.Catchphrase today)...

... Saigon was an interesting place but it lacked some kind of charm that other similar cities have (maybe that's the thing that Vietnam is missing... a little charm...) ... the women who ran the guesthouse I stayed at (Nga Hoang) had a kind of Basil Faulty way about her... eccentric, nothings ever her fault, she's like a time bomb ready to go off at any guest who has an issue (however polite they are about it)... also she had this tendency of slipping into German ('Whatever you do, don't mention the war!';) ... she knew German better then English, so if you're white, she'll talk to you in German... or a hybrid of the two... she came into our room because there was a mix up in the number of people staying in there (strangely enough it was her fault as she put someones passport in the wrong folder) and she burst into the room repeating 'ess ist nicht fair, ess ist nict fair'... stupid tart, it's your fault... she got stressy with one guy because she had put his passport in the wrong folder... he was the one who should be allowed to be stressy as she had misplaced his documents... ... Lucky I never had a major issue with Fraulein Basil Vietnam... ... lucky me:)

... don't worry guys, I'm not gonna put up any more photos of my leg... it's starting too heal and so isn't really of interest anymore...

... OK, I've burnt myself clean down the wick... I'm done and ready to hibernate after an autumn supper of beer only to awake when nature decides to call me from my bed... this'll be the first day since about Saturday where I haven't had to get up at 7am... I'm going to enjoy it:))

Oh yeah, a little mention for Bristol City's great 4 points against Cardiff and QPR... come on you reds:))

Now it's time to go... keep well people:)


... that's all folks (last catchphrase of the day;)

The Leg Puss Chronicals - day 2 healing begins

This blog's getting out of hand... And into leg... Boom boom (I'm ashamed of myself for that poor excuse of a pun!)



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Location:Left Calf

By public demand I bring you, 'The Leg Puss Chronicals'

You asked for it... Well 3 people said they wanted to see it!


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Location:Left Calf

Boat on the Mekong

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Me and Khush wearing local hats on the Mekong:)

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Sleeping through Mr Bean

So today I visited the Chu Ci tunnels, a serise of small tunnels the Viet Kong used during the fighting with the US... I'd been recommended a specific tour by David (who's now abandoned me after almost a month of traveling together... how could you David? Well at least you lasted longer then Joe;)... He said the guide is a legend with many stories from first hand experience of the war... me started talking as we took the bus to the tunnels, I sat enthralled... Then I fell asleep and missed all the wisdom... I woke up and we were at a disabled-handicrafts factory shop (to clarify: the handicrafts we're perfect, just made by some disabled people... I slept through the gist but I guess they might be people disabled via some connection with the war) ... then we drove some more, he spoke some more, I slept some more... my eyes had tonne weights attached to the lids... the annoying irony is that I've been experiencing a bit of insomnia recently and was looking forward to the tour...

... anyway, when we walked around the site of the tunnels I had to stand up so I didn't sleep and I heard some of his amazing story... his name is Bean, Mr Bean, and he was Vietnamese but emigrated to the US before the war... he returned as an intellegence officer for the US side of the fighting working with people like Oliver Stone (film director) and Senator Kerry (presidential candidate about 6 years ago)... after the war he's spent 5 years having "re-education" in a Vietnamese prison learning about Lenin and Mao and the rest of the lads... and now he's got rid of the US passport and is a Vietnamese... he described the war to us and the nature of the Viet Kongs fighting describing it as Tom and Jerry stuff with the little Viet Kong using all their intellegence and resourcefulness to wage a truly effective gorilla war against the US troops and there man-to-man might... he told of one story where the Viet Kong invaded the US base came through the underground tunnels to steal arms at night... as they ran away they wore their sandals (they didn't have sophisticated war equipment) on backwards, so they left foot prints which only ran toward the US base... Mr Bean said they made him feel less and intellegence officer and for a stupidity officer... the guy was a great guide and it was refreshing to hear him speak candidly and from the US angle... It is clear from some stuff I've seen that the US did some terrible things in this war... but everything has two sides and it was nice to see that this guy wasn't afraid to be more open and talking about a war with no real winners... I've only just started reading about the war so I can't really say my view too well yet... but it's interesting to think that Vietnam was never on the map as a single country before the war with the US (I think I'm right with that fact)... If you want to read Mr Bean's work he actually has a book out apparently called, 'Three moons of Vietnam'... maybe it will be good, who knows...

... So now the next age of my travelling begins... the New Years crowed is filtering out of town to be replaced by new faces and new croweds... As Vietnam is so thin and has such a clear and well trodden path, it's almost enivatable you will see the same people as you make your way down and you won't be alone... in the end we had a cool group here with people like David, Andrew, Martin (a German with a moustache... who would have guessed they really exist), Lucinda (she wanted a name check on my blog and here it is:), Lauren, Kush, James... and many more who I only know by face;) ... Many people have already left for Cambodia, but I'm gonna save that little sweetie 'till later... a quick thanks to David, I enjoyed traveling down Vietnam with you... we met on the bus from Laos to Vietnam and my first impression was that I hated him because I was grumpy because he didn't tell me that food was avaliable when our bus was delayed 9 hours so I missed out on food... later I got over that and we traveled the cities together... keep well mate:)

OK I'm gonna run now as I've worn my Chu Chi tunnel stimulated inspiration down to a fine nub and now am ready to retire to a cafe for a nice cup of tea and a read... :) ... don't forget to register your vote on whether you want to see my puss wound or not;) ... the nation waits!

Keep well my friends and family:)

Do you want to see more?

So there has been a call from Dave to see my puss leg... So, like X-factor, I'll let the public decide! Here is my sexy leg after cleaning and dressing by the doctor... Here is your chance to vote... Do you want to see the puss below the bandage? Comment Y or N to this post... I've taken the puss picture, now do you want me to post it?



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The lazy age of puss

... So a new year and a new post... it's a whole new world, but not a whole new blog... it's pretty much the same old crap actually... same same but different (the south east asian catchphrase!)... How was all your new yearses? I hope they were lovley and messy... Mine was pretty good and only reasonably heavy... a group of us just found a random bar which sold cheap drinks and where we could pick the tunes (via youtube... my only pick was 'Gravel pit' by Wu Tang Clan)... The area I'm in is pretty much backpackery (District 1) so there were lots of us western folk (not like Clint Eastwood) and the locals were more like peripheral figures trying to make money or just gwaking at the crazy big nosed people... all through the night the constant schools of scooters and bikes never finished, like a collective whole with the gloopy viscosity of custerd... they would even stop to film the dancing western ladies on their mobile phones... it seemed like spray snow was the sale item of choice this new year (like the item of choice at Koh San Road is the wooden musical frogs (if you don't know what I mean then I'd prefer to leave you in the dark rather then re-live their existence in an explanationary digression)... but once the clock struck 12 (which I missed... apparently my watch is slow... oh well) they thought the sales window had passed and set upon spraying their long lost customers with their remaining stock... it was a mini foam party (but Christ that foam stinks... or was that just me?)... I employed the one-on-one-off method of control of alcohol consumption, one beer one water... it served me well and I floated in the goldilocks-zone of good inebriation... but when I went to bed I felt a bit sick as I was bloated with so much liquid in me... I guess all victories are relative...

Then yesterday and today I've had what I'd call, 'home days'... lazy days where I did what I would do on any random lazy Saturday... I've eaten KFC, watched united beat WBA 2-1 (lucky devils), and watched both 'the tourist' (good but rediculous) and 'Tron 3D' (didn't really get it)... it was great to get sucked into the movies and the game and be fully immersed... so much so that when the first film ended I was shocked to realise that I was in an Asian cinema and not down Longwell Green... a nice surprise to leave the cinema and say, 'Christ it's humid outside' :) ... Now I'm not all that lazy or a cinema head really... I didn't plan two films... today I booked a tour to visit the tunnels around Saigon where people hid during the Vietnam war (or as the locals call it, the 'American war') but I woke up to find that a rash on my leg had gone all pussy (I mean full of the yellow/green puss... nothing to do with cats)... I got an infected lesion (you can tell I visited the doctor today with a fancy word like lesion) and so wanted to get the drugs and the thing clean up asap so I skipped the tour and visited the doctor... an adventure in itself, I didn't find a hospital 'till I reached the 3rd one down in the Lonely Planet book... but all will be fixed by some mystical ointment (why oh why did I forget the mystical ointment... I also forgot my magic sponge and divine flannel)

... I've changed my plans a bit now and so will stay here and then fly to Bangkok... I'll then visit Pin and Chloe who will be there (it'll be nice to see some old faces:) and then I'll go back to Cambodia for a little bit before scooting off to Australia to see my funds drift away like water evaporating in the rediculous heat... ... ... I'm already thinking about my time in South America, does anyone know any good companies or causes I could voluenteer with over there (preferably wildlife based)? I only ask because the travelling around Asia is only one way to do this travelling malark... it might be nice to settle somewhere for a month and help out with something more important then my own culture vulture based hunting...

... tonight we're having a 'last supper' as many people who've travelled together on and off down Vietnam will be splitting up and going their own ways onwards... so a final supper to celebrate... I'll say good by to my Vietnam companion David tonight (you'll be missed mate)... ... ... ... psst! Don't tell David but he'll be settled in working in Auckland for a year by the time I get here... he can literally put my name on his sofa already 'cos I'll be sleeping there (as long as his landlord (or lady) doesn't mind him writing on the furnature)....

... OK I'm off now to read my new book '10000 day war' about the Vietnam (American) war... need to learn about it because it really seemes to be of massive significance in modern history and it's something I no nothing more then the hollywood portrails you see in films like 'Full Metal Jacket' and 'Good Morning Vietnam' (both great films)...

... Then tomorrow a tour I think... maybe I'll actually do that tunnel tour tomorrow as long as my leg doesn't decide to leak puss from some new wound in the meantime!

... I hope you all are well... although my lazy days might seem a bit of a waste I can feel myself becoming re-energised, ready for my onward travels... ... ... mush my huskies mush... you've been refulled now take me forward boys... ... ...

(bye bye for now people:)