It was a complete shock to the system but surprisingly, we slotted into the life here quite easily and quickly. The main thing which, to some, may be the biggest thing to become accustomed to, was the absence of Wi-Fi on the...
Tag: backpacking
New Zealand
Living on an orchard – the highs and lows of apple picking
So we had chosen the orchard! We arrived on our big old coach into the eastern coastal city of Napier. Having suffered a really bad earthquake in 1931 the city’s architectural landscape is made up of a large number of...
New Zealand
Northland – Loss and gain on 90 Mile Beach
The Welsh guy had a job hiring out canoes along the beach. At first when I heard this I was jealous at both how easy it had been for him to find work as well as the thought that hiring...
New Zealand
Northland – Paihia and attempting to be a real backpacker
Before we got to Paihia, we had a weird confused part of the trip where we had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. It mainly consisted of "oh nice beach, shall we stop there? but there...
New Zealand
Acclimatising to New Zealand – The First Week in Auckland
So, we’d had the fun, relaxed, extended holiday part of the trip where, in a nutshell, we walked around with backpacks behaving like we were about to climb Everest before heading to the 4-star hotel we’d booked on Expedia a...
Singapore
Singapore – New Year’s Eve abroad
It’s safe to say that the short journey to Singapore from Phuket, felt like a long one. Jet2, the Ryanair of the Southern Hemisphere, actually that’s not fair - the EasyJet of the Southern Hemisphere, wasn’t the best place to...
Thailand
Koh Phi Phi – How not to do it!
Koh Phi Phi, the little smudge of an island made famous by the film The Beach (the one where there’s a beach and Leonardo DiCaprio is cute as hell) sits in the Andaman sea next to Phuket and is where...
Thailand
Phuket, Patong Beach – Ping pong and Christmas abroad
Okay so I’m not proud of it but I am one of I’m sure very few people able to claim, not one but two, visits to the infamous ping pong shows. I know once is more than enough and shameful...
Thailand
Koh Samui – viewpionts, booze and wanky Australians
And on to Koh Phangan's more commercial and therefore generally more expensive sister island, Koh Samui. We couldn't afford anywhere as central here so stayed in a complex of huts up on a hill just outside of Cheweng Beach. Not...
Thailand
Seshing in Koh Phangan
It was time for the party part of the trip, which being the organised person I am, had been carefully planned and scheduled into the itinerary. Time dedicated to doing nothing. No tourism and 'cultural experiences' just pure sesh time....