Back to Bangkok

So glad to have our last overnight bus and 5am arrival (and last time watching Diehad 4, swear I can quote that film now). Saturday morning we went back to our favourite breakfast cafe then spent the day at the weekend markets, shopped till our feet hurt then went and did it all again on Sunday, we set our alarm early to get in a full day there and we were absolutely exhausted last night... so we treated ourselves to manicures, pedicures and facials. hehe. Today we have spent all morning at a rooftop hotel pool and are now waiting to pickup all the photos of Thailand and India we getting developed. Tonight we may do some more shopping on Khao San, have a lovely dinner out (even though we do this every night) and get some oil massages. Totally relax and pamper at the end of our holiday. Tomorrow is a 4am start back to Oz. We cant believe its almost over!

Koh Phi Phi

What a beautiful island! We got here on Monday and met up with Amie and Jamie. The island is long but very skinny so there are no roads, no cars or bikes, everyone gets around either by walking or long-boats. We have to get the boat to longbeach where we are staying in a tiny shack but is cheapest we could find. First day we did some snorkelling and dinner with the girls. Second day Em, Jamie and I got a boat out to Bamboo island (about 40minutes away) this was a beautiful island, whitest sand and bluest water I have ever seen. The boatman then took us to an awesome snorkelling spot near the island, we jumped off the boat into so much coral and hundreds of fish, I kept getting stuck in whole schools of fish, the brightest colours, I loved it (except these little yellow and black ones kept biting me)! That was our party night which was fun too.
Third day was really hot, we said bye to the girls and then just moved between sand and water (and restaurant) all day on Long beach. Today Em and I got a long boat out to Phi Phi Lay island, again absolutely beautiful, in the middle is Maya bay which is where they filmed the movie 'The Beach', it was just as pretty as the movie but had so so many tourists there. There is a fee to go to The Beach so our boatman stopped boat on the other side and we swam to a cave and walked through jungle to enter for free- alot better- but no pics, we did a bit more snorkelling then back to our beach, its got cloudy now so we have come into town for the evening.
Tomorrow we plan to so some more beaching before get overnight ferry-bus to Bangkok where we will stay for 3 days before we fly back. I will put up the pics then, the photos show just how pretty it is! Hope everyone getting in the Christmas spirit!! xoxo

Kok Lanta Thailand

We had only planned to stay a couple of days in Koh Phangan but ended up staying 7, it was just so good. After the first 3 nights of party we followed it with another beach party and another pool party. We made good friends with some english boys and NZ girls, it was a bit sad when we all had to say goodbye. The weather was perfect all but one day when we watched movies and went out for dinner with everyone. Laying in sun, swimming, eating, drinking and watching DVDs- with good people- really was the perfect week.
We eventually left Phangan on thursday night, an awful overnight ferry- bus- ferry trip from East to West side of Thailand, we hate these and are glad we now only have one left. Koh Lanta is a very pretty island, we arrived as a storm whipped up and we were drenched getting off the ferry, but this cleared to some perfect blue skies. We spent first day by pool watching ocean, at night there was a blackout so we had a candlelight dinner (we are constantly landing ourselves in romantic settings) by the beach, they play really relaxing music and again cheap cocktails. Yesterday we finally got some snorkels and went out for the day, we didnt pick the best spot so most of coral dead but saw some really pretty fish (but our backs got pretty burnt), we watched 'Father of the Bride' (this was extra funny now that Nicki is engaged I was thinking of Dad the whole time), then had another night on buckets with some Swedes and Auzzies. Today been cloudy so been hanging around town and catchin up on sleep. Tomorrow we are heading to Phi Phi island to meet up with Amie again, this meant to be beatiful island, so very excited (as always).
p.s. we only 9 nights left of our trip but I couldnt have picked a better way to end it

Koh Phangan Thailand

How quickly things can change in one week! We are in paradise. This is the sort of place I will hold in my mind when back working and dream about. We found an awesome resort right on the beach with big pool overlooking the ocean, the room is big and nice and there are heaps of young people here. The first night there was a pool party here, they set up lights and had a dj, music so good we danced till day, second night a quiet night with some english guys turned into many buckets when we saw the beach party- they had fire limbo and I made the top 3 (my thighs are sore from it but). Last night we went to the half moon party which is a big party in the jungle- again very fun! We have spent the days lying in the beautiful sun and swimming, weather is great. We like it so much here that we dont want to leave, everyone is just friendly and here to enjoy themselves. Its really pretty this time of night, the sun in setting on the beach and we just stuffed ourselves with cheap food, hehe. Only problem is the buckets (whisky & red bull) are giving us unpleasant hangovers, oh well worth it! We are getting through some books too, ah this is the life.

Jaipur India

Many travellers recommended seeing Jaipur and the lonely planet described it as a beautilful city, altough we must admit the 'fantastic shopping' was the pull. First night I didnt get much sleep being sick, but still ventured out to see the city. The old city is surrounded by walls and every building is painted pink, ie 'the pink city', it has a very desert feel with dry hills surrounding and loads of camels and elephants in the main streets. This might sound nice, i dont know but we were pretty disappointed. We kept waiting for a street to open to a huge bazaar where we could buy loads of cheap jewellry/ bags/ shoes etc but there were just scattered shops with owners shouting at us to buy buy buy! We did do a little shopping but it is so frustrating to be white girls in crowds, after we were both grabbed we had just had enough and left the city for a nice dinner (glad to be out). Next morning we got a bus to Dehli.
We only passed through Dehli but it looked a lot more modern than the cities we had seen and sort of hoped we had left time to look around here, oh well. We went to get our 26 hr train back to Kolkata to find we had been upgraded to first class (woohoo!)) which usually double cost, this meant A/C, sheets and pillows and a better class of people to be stuck with.
I know I sound negative, but it is just a full on place. I try to understand that many are in poverty and we have money, but overall I was very happy to be on the plane out. We still feel a little sick, but have got life back in us now we back in Thailand, a beautiful place!!!!! Tonight we are getting a bus and ferry to Koh Phangan island, where we will relax- snorkel swim and bake!!!!! and also be there for a half moon beach party. So happy again :)

Agra India

Of course we cant go to India and not see the Taj Mahal! From Varanasi we got a 16hour bus... the trip from hell. This was a simple local bus, squashes 5 seats across, very hard seats and windows so grubby cannot see out. I was stuck next to 2 Indians who kept trying to talk to me (yes, 'ricky ponting'!), the driver honks the horn at every intersection, the roads so bumpy, the window wouldnt shut so cold air, and no bathroom unless wanna squat side of road. SO glad to get off.
But the Taj Mahal was worth it, the most amazing building. Its beauty blew us away, it looks 2D against the sky, will put up photos later, cannot describe how amazing. It was one place totally clean, everyone there was dressed in their best sarees and happy. The gardens were pretty with monkeys and chipmunks and we could have spent all day admiring the view of the Taj- a perfect building. In the evening we got a bus (deluxe) to Jaipur in Rajasthan, where we are now, unfortunaly I have been pretty sick, we have been so cautious with being clean but I think its unavoidable here, hopefully it doesnt get much worse. OK, all for now xoxoxoxo

Varanasi India

Varansi claims to be one of the oldest living cities in the world, and it is the main Hindi city with the holy Gange river passing through it. We started with a rickshaw (man cycle with two seat carriage) us from station to river, again the traffic crazy and streets incredibly filthy and noisy. We found a guesthouse overlooking the river and walked around the tiny alleys filled with people and many animals from goats and cows to monkeys. For those who can afford it cremation in the Ganges is considered very sacred. Through the streets there are people carrying bodies that are wrapped in cloth and flowers, they drench them in the river and put them on fires which are constantly burning next to the river, we watched this for a while, which was a very weird experience seeing the bodies quickly burn, they then throw the ashes into the river, hundreds of bodies are burned daily. In the evening we watched a ceremony on the main Ghat, men performing rituals with smoke, singing and bells next to the river, for their loved ones. We went to a restuarant with live indian music with was really nice.
We woke at 5am to get a man to row us along the river, at this time pilgrims come to bathe in the river to perform rituals to the rising sun. This was amazing. They all bathe in their sarees in the freezing and incredibly polluted river doing many rituals, all along the river. As the sun rose and we watched the hundreds bathing it really was one of the best experiences of this trip.
We spent day hanging around. The people really piss you off. Every person we have dealt with has tried their hardest to rip us off which gets tiring and disheartening. Walking anywhere is an effort with people constantly at us. But we got to the bus station in the evening. We found out the next day there were fatal bombings in Varansi just after we left, so lucky we werent in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Kolkata India

What a crazy place to live. We arrived yesterday morning at Kolkata on the Eastern border of India. India is one of the poorest countries in the world, and Kolkata is one of the poorest with the highest population in India, so we got the shock we'd been warned about. We got a taxi from the airport, instead of using the meter he set a price (to rip us off a bit) but then the traffic was so horrendous we ended up saving money. We drove for almost 2 hours through the city and so much to see! The roads are dirt and bumpy, the traffic is psycho and there are people and animals everywhere. It was sad to see people live like this, bathing and washing in the streets and sleeping in small huts, we have seen many people with deformities that we have only seen on our disease textbooks. And boy do they STARE! Every single person stares at us like they have never seen white skin before, we try to blend in with baggy covered clothes but everyone still will not stop staring and trying to touch us. The beggars wont leave us alone either.
We decided to brave the city and walked the streets, crossing the roads was scary we always used locals as human shields and just ran, horns are constantly bleering. We went out for lunch- chicken curry rice and naan bread- yum. We accidentley got caught in some protest twice too which we tried to rush through. A few hours later we saw a tv with news headlines 'Kolkata burns' 'a protest turns to riot' 'army sent in to Kolkata' etc, so looks like it turned ugly when we left- lucky us. Last night we got an overnight train to Varanasi. This was ok, but the manners of Indians is disgusting, they constantly spit, fart, burp and suck in phlegm- men and women- so our carriage bit gross. But what amazes me is how beautiful the women look, they all wear sarees with gorgeous colours and jewellery and makeup- and they keep so clean despite their living conditions. Anyway, yea, this is another world. In Varanasi now, holy city of India on the Ganges, we going to watch cremations in the river this evening. Till next time xo

Trekking Day 3, 4 & 5- Chiang Mai

Day three we woke again to the very loud roosters, but then also by the many dogs fighting, pigs scoffing, kids playing and tea boiling from fire in hut. Today we had to say goodbye to the other 4 trekkers and guide we became very close to and met our new guide Khan. We ate brekkie watching a mother nit-pick her daughters hair like a monkey which was different, but we also got to play more with the kids here, they were a little naughty but so sweet. From now on it was only Em and I. The day was full of trekking, stopped for lunch and then arrived at village for night quite early so had a quick nap... to be woken by the most repulsive man we have ever met...
We joined another trek group that night, 6 boys, we hated the two Irish from getgo. First thing Carl says to me is how hard their trek was and that there was no way Em and I could have handled what they did... we did the same trek! But he wouldnt hear it, the 3 girls in their group all dropped out, he called one the 'f**in princess', we felt for her! He also called his guide a 'f**in animal', made the locals go get more beer (because he is Irish, he needs lots of beer!), says he constantly offends because he is Irish, dominated every conversation about himself, and kept trying to talk to me and Em, eewwww, he was absolutely repulsive!!!
Besides this the night was really good, the kids from a school put on a show for us, singing and dancing, and we stayed up talking to the rest of their group (trying to block out Carl). Next day we were happy to be back on our own! Trekking most of day to a village with a waterfall, went to swim and Em and I had early night.
Day five woke for another trek down to the river Dang. Went whitewater rafting- so much fun!!! Then bamboo rafting which was nice and relaxing, before getting ute back to city in evening. Overall, a FANTASTIC experience. Very challenging at times, but so rewarding and so amazing to see how these tribes live out in the mountains, so incredibly different to how we live in Oz. Im now tired just writing it all up!!! SO much more to say, but gets boring, so thats the basics... we heading back to Bangkok tonight then to India on Wednesday, hope all well, xoxoxoxoxoxox

Trekking Day 1 and 2- Chiang Mai

We left our luggage in the city and packed small bags with the essentials for 5 days, and we jumped in the back of a ute which drove us to the Chiang Mai mountians. We started with lunch (Pad Thai) and met our group of 11 tourists and 2 guides. Straight up was elephant riding which was so much fun! Em and I sat on a seat which we felt was going to topple sideways and we had to use alot of strength to hold on when the elephant went down very steep hills, I dont think the guy sitting on the neck really liked it, but Em and I had a ball. We then started our trek. It started on flat through farmland but soon got uphill. Within an hour we were drenched through we sweat, it was very humid and so many mosquitos! It really was one of the most challenging experiences to just keep moving constantly uphill, lucky I think gym classes put me in a good frame of mind- I can do it! We reached a bat cave at the top of a mountain, my hands were secretly shaking from exhaustion and was glad to see the bat cave more for the rest! We then continued walking through more jungle and head high grasses then through some farmland and more jungle to a hill tribe village on a mountain side where we stayed the night.
We all graciously showered in a waterfall and scoffed the Thai meal cooked by the tribe and our guides from local foods- soup, rice and veges. We slept well in a bamboo hut with a great feeling of satisfaction for making it through the day.
Next day was more trekking, easier than the first, we walked to a waterfall where we had a break, then said goodbye to half our group (who chose 2 day trek). We went on to another village for lunch, trekked to another waterfall (absolutely beautiful scenery) and back to village for night two. Again ate local Thai food, they also bought in snake soup which we ate. It had chunks of snake floating, I put a whole one in mouth, full of tiny bones and very chewy, also ate a snake egg, a powdery white oval covered in a cooked membrane probably full of nutrients-tasted ok. Stayed up talking with group- great people fall asleep night two...

Chiang Mai City

We got the overnight bus and arrived in Chiang Mai on Tuesday morning, it is hard to believe this is the second largest city in Thailand because it is alot smaller than Bangkok. We spent the day looking around, there are heaps of temples in the city centre, but it was quite humid. We then spent the evening at the night bazaar, clothing here was much cheaper that in Bangkok, and there was a traditional Thai dance show which we sat and watched, their dress is so intricate and beautiful (we think the one on the left is a ladyboy). We had a bit of trouble finding somewhere that offered a 5 day trek, they all offer 2-3 day saying that was enough, but we found a guesthouse that organised it for us, so got some good sleep Tuesday night before we head to the mountains.

Update

We have just ducked into an internet cafe waiting for our VISA photos to develop... then we are going to book and pay for India! We are flying to Calcutta on Tuesday 20th then will get train up to Dehli and to Agra for Taj Mahal... it very cheap from Bangkok so looks like we definately heading there!!
Oh, quickly, last night we all ate fried grasshoppers, so gross, very crunchy tasted like eating prawn shell with a curry seasoning, not quite the delicacy. We also went for more massages. Today we going to spend day in a hotel pool, it way too hot to hang around. Off to Chaing Mai tonight.

Bangkok Thailand

So far I am loving Thailand. Bangkok is a crazy city, although it is quite dirty and polluted the people are so sweet, the weather is warm and everything is incredibly cheap! We arrived on Friday morning, they forgot Emmas bag at Heathrow but luckily fixed it up, it was very weird loosing so much time and gettin no sleep so we arrived a little tired.
We met Amie at Khao San Rd which is a busy touristy area with lots of shops and bars and she had a guesthouse booked for us. We looked around Khao San, rested, ate and had great Thai massages. A planned quite night turned into a big one when we saw people we had met earlier, we joined them drinking in a street bar and ordered buckets (whisky/ coke/ redbull). Turned out to be fun night.
Yesterday we scammed our way into a hotel roof-top pool which was great cos of heat, later we got a tuk-tuk to some night markets. The tuk-tuk driver was a maniac, he sped through the traffic and we thought we were going to tip, but it was fun. Today we went to Chatuchat which are weekend markets that are HUGE, over 8000 stalls, we stayed for ages. It was extremly humid and very crowded but we managed some barter some nice things and absolutly exhausted ourselves shopping!
I cannot believe how cheap it is here, nice and healthy meals for practically nothing and although the streets are chaotic and people constantly hassle you to buy things it is also very laid back lifestyle. The fruit stalls are the best, tropical fruits and shakes, yum yum.
Tomorrow Emma and I are getting an overnight bus to Chiang Mai in the North so we can do some trekking!! They have guides take small groups through the mountains and live basic. They usually pass through remote villages and have elephant riding and bamboo rafting, so we are so so excited about it!!
Ok, we are off to end the day with cheap Thai food and oil massages, hehe, xoxox

Off to Bangkok

We have recovered in London and are packing our bags now for Asia, we fly out very early tomorrow morning, transfer at Doha and arrive 24 hours later in Bangkok. It is very cold here and it will be interesting to suddenly be thrown into heat, but I am looking foward to it. We will meet Amie straight away and spend the weekend with her... so very excited!

Back to London...

Last night we arrived back in London. What should have been an easy enough trip Amsterdam- Brussels- Paris- Calais- Dover-London went terribly wrong all because one train woman tried to overcharge us on the first train, we refused to pay (did not have the money anyway) so she made the train emergency stop and kicked us off in some random station in Netherlands, it actually would have been entertaining for the rest of the train, us in our pjs getting kicked off the train yelling obscenities at the stupid woman, BUT, for us it made us miss all connections and arrived here at 1am instead of 8.30pm, what a lovely end to our trip.
We are staying with Ems aunty again. Whenever we had a bad night sleep/ were hungry/ lost, etc we would say "Juuulllliiieeeeee!" (ems aunt) as though she is our God, so we finally have all those luxuries back- a bed and pillow, internet, a kettle and toaster, power points, a washing machine, warmth and other people to talk to who we trust and understand us- and love us even though we are smelly backpackers. Oh, and we will feel so beautiful after we borrow some nailpolish.
We are staying here 4 more nights. On Thursday morning we fly to Bangkok to start our adventure in Asia. We really want to go to India and trekking in Thailand. Hopefully we can do some booking in the next few days. YAY. We are so excited. xoxoxo

Amsterdam Holland

We got our last overnight train from Berlin to Amsterdam, the final "must-see" backpackers destination, we decided to brave the cold and finish our Europe trip in our old faithful tent at camping Zeeburg. Amsterdam is unique in that prostituion and soft drugs are legal so the campsite was basically full of pot-smoking deros so we stuck to ourselves. In the day the city is very pretty, its a bit like a big Venice, situated on the Amstel River so that there are canals, bridges and small streets with lots to explore. But at night the city comes alive. The first night we went through the Red Light district, which was pretty full on- prostitutes were on display in all the windows, live sex shows and brown coffee houses; but it was also packed with curious tourists so not a seedy secret. We both have nightmares remembering one woman (the size of two) in a string bikini flauting it like she was hot stuff. After some chocolate cake we had a whole other view of the city, and left very giggly, hehe...
The city is also known for its bicycles- everyone uses them, the old school ones with little baskets on the front. There are a few cars in the city, but the traffic flow is mainly for the bikes and trams. So on Friday we hired some bikes and rode around the city. Actually pretty scary, Em and I dont even have our car licence so to be suddenly in traffic with lights and other bikes, cars and trams it was all a bit scary. Every so often Id turn around and Em would be in a different lane and ride off in another direction to me, all pretty funny. We saw Anne Franks house which is still the same as in WWII. Overall we survived our Amsterdam bike experience.
There are no photos, my card was full and couldnt burn to CD, so can just imagine. Our last night camping pretty horrible, cold and raining, and u had to pay for a (cold) shower, bbrrr.

Berlin Germany

We arrived in Berlin yesterday, although it was only 4.30pm it was dark so it felt much later, again it is very cold here but we found a hostel ok. Once again the mixed dorm had a snorer, seriously the most annoying thing in the world, he was above Ems bed so she kept punching the bed and yelling shut up, but that was only temporary... stupid hostels.
Today we have had a good look around Berlin. Arriving at the main station I felt like I was in the Jetsons, it is the most modern station I have seen. The city is an odd mixture of old buildings and futuristic looking buildings. Mostly it is well organised and advanced but then the Eastern side of the city is a plain old city- the effects of the wall.
We have seen the tourist sites in the city- Reichstag, Branderburger Tor (wall gate), Potsdamer Platz. Tiergarten was a pretty autumn garden. We went and saw where some of the wall remains standing. There was a big outdoor exhibition there about the Nazi regime and holocaust, it was really in depth and we stood for ages reading and looking at photos, standing in the area where such horrific decisions were made was really sad and an experience I wont forget. There is a red pipe running down the city to signify where the wall was. So although the city is modern, you cannot forget its horrible history.
Tonight we are going to Amsterdam where we will stay until we head back to London. Hope everyone well xoxox

Prague Czech Republic

So many travellers have raved about Prague so we decided to add it to our 'to-see' list, and now that we have seen the city we agree that it is beautiful. There are so many old buildings, it wasnt bombed in WWII so heaps of buildings are still standing and although it has become a tourist destination the city still seems very authentic unlike other major cities we have visited. The buildings are very flat and square- to deal with the snow, again the streets are cobbled with heaps of trams. Up high on a hill overlooking the city is Prague castle- can see in photo- this also very impressive. Although it is very cold here, the colours of autumn are very powerful too, the parks all look so sweet. Yesterday we stumbled across a park with native birds- owls and HUGE eagles- whose keepers were giving small displays. The owls were so so cute. We also saw red squirells in the park. Emma wore thongs and everyone kept pointing at her feet- yeah pretty crazy move- she couldnt feel them all day.
The hostel we are staying in is absolutely amazing. We have spent both mornings and nights jumping between the sauna and indoor swimming pool. A great big room, and heaps of other travellers. On Sunday we met some fun auzzies and last night we met two American triplets who were really interesting. Oh, and the free breakfast is very good. We have decided to stop sneaking on trams in the cities- yesterday we were caught by inspectors, would have been hit with big fine but we pleaded ignorance and whinged about out wallets being stolen- lucky.
Well, today we are off to Berlin. We only have ONE week left with Eurail! We are going to Berlin and Amsterdam, and maybe a day to Copenhagen. We have had to cross off Krakow and Budapest from our list... oh well. Ok, thats all for now... off to 'Ah Berlin'.

Zeograb Croatia

Yay for Croatia. After 4 days on a train we wanted to kiss the floor of the youth hostel. Actually we wanted to have a drink- or two. It was the best hostel weve stayed in. We met some Brazillians there and drank with them and other travellers. We went out and it turned out to be one of my favourite nights of the trip. The nightclub we went to was so much fun and we just danced till 4am, the photos give u an idea. Haha. But we accidently raided someones pizza in the hostel fridge when got back- but lets keep that secret. Today we enjoyed scrambled eggs and some Oprah- good day. Hah, no we also have been exploring the streets. It is a beautiful city. Everyone seems happy. Small streets and cosy cafes. It was top of 10 degrees today- COLD! Tonight we are getting train to Prague... hopefully we wake up in Prague! Love jess xoxo p.s. heard my postcards from Spain finally arrived

Bulgaria

We left Athens on Tuesday getting the overnight train to the top of Greece. The plan was 2 day trains through Bulgaria and Serbia then another night train to Croatia. BUT the Bulgarians held us at border for ages checking passports so we were over an hour late and missed second train. 8 hour for the next.
Bulgaria is obviously a very poor country, it is colourless and barren and everything is rundown- makes me appreciate Oz. They still use donkey and carts and the small villages look very self sufficent- so many goats and donkeys. We didnt want to be in Sofia (capital)as the country seemed very scary- cold and dark- even the police scare us! BUT 8 hours is a long time to wait so we risked our bags in lockers and got a tram around the city. Not much too see. One good thing is we bought lunch, went bowling and got loads of groceries for only 5€ very cheap.
Finally at 10pm we got the nighttrain to Beograd in Serbia. So we thought. We woke in the morning at Bulgas... this is on the other side of Bulgaria on the very eastern border of Europe! We got on wrong train in opposite direction! So after another wait we got a day train back to Sofia and night train to Beograd and finally day train to Zeograb in Croatia. It was pretty scary going pass borders at night, the police fully raided train- crawl through roof and everything.
We didnt know the language, and cannot understand their signs, there is no English people, and everyone was rude- so we were so glad to be out of the Bulg- 4 days later! Pretty funny but we admit.

Athens Greece

Athens really is amazing. We have just spent a full day sightseeing and are both exhausted. I have always been excited about seeing Rome and one day the Ancient Egyptian and Mayan temples but Athens really blew us away!
In the centre of the extremely populated Athens is the Acropolis, this is a huge plateau above the city that was the heart of ancient Greece and (although under some reconstruction) still has original temples standing. We hiked up the hill from East, passing two remains of huge theatres and entered through the Beule Gate as the ancient Greeks did. There were amazing temples and a 360 view of Athens and the coast. We then went to Agora museum; the statues, pottery, jewellery and coins were all so detailed and I cannot believe they had the ability to create these hundreds of years BC, they were amazing people.
We then walked through ancient Agora with more temples and ruins, and on to the Plaka area for some window shopping and a browse through the flea markets.
I am in awe at the world they created for themselves so long ago, you cant help but imagine life as it was for them and I am very glad to have seen it!
Tomorrow we head to Croatia, this will take almost 2 days, we will pass up Greece and through Bulgaria and Serbia, which will be cool so see. Today it was a top of 4 degrees in Croatia... so will be pulling out our thermals!! Till then

Update

So we ended up spending a full week in Kalamata. Basically just laying on the chairs in the sun and swimming in the sea (and eating more Greek salads). On Friday night we went out in town, we went to the opening of a new nightclub and met some locals who showed us some other clubs, turned out to be such a crazy fun night, and even in Greece we ended it at the local kebab shop- oh dear.
We woke on Saturday to rain, we were happy to sleep all day in the tent (not feeling the best) then the campsite lady offered us a van (seedy rat infested but waterproof) for the night and we happily accepted. Sunday we planned to move on but a perfect sunny morning tempted us to stay one more day. After baking in morning sun, the afternoon brought more clouds and we spent evening in town- drinking hot chocolate watching people in the rain. Actually so heavy the streets were flooding and we were SO lucky to have the van that night our poor tent would not have washed away (with us in it).
Monday morning we set off, it was cloudy but as we walked to the bus stop a storm whipped up that I would liken to a cylone, it was like someone tipping buckets of water on you, the ocean was crazy, trees were horizontal and I was lucky I had my pack on my back to stop me blowing away! It stopped when we reached the bus top, but it was so crazy we couldnt stop laughing.
We arrived in Athens last night- we are in a hostel- its pretty cloudy today but will do some sightseeing anyway, so till next time xo

Kalamata Greece

We have found PARADISE!!!!!
Ill start from the beginning; Sunday we went to Bari to find that the 8pm ferry to Greece was NOT running that day and had to wait till next day, there was no camping or hostels in bari, only expensive hotels so we got on an overnight train for some free sleep, we went to the top of Italy and back to coast in a compartment with an fat old man that wouldnt stop snoring- so annoying! But hey free sleep.
Next day we went to Ancona and jumped on the 'Olympia Palace' ferry to Greece. But with restaurants, bars, a cinema and shopping centre it really is what i would call a cruise ship! We indulged in some old shool Bruce Willis movie and BBC world news, oh and the beatiful views. Being a 22hour trip we also indulged in the free sleep (on the floor of a tv room- carpeted- what luxury!). We arrived in Patra and got another train to Kalamata on the very south of Greece.
And we love what we see!! We are camping opposite the beach. The weather is PERFECT. The people are the friendliest yet. We have spent our days laying on deck chairs on the beach, although there are pebbles on the beach the water is so clear that u can see your toes and the ocean floor when swimming. Look at some pics- heaven. The sunsets are also beautiful, the sun turns a bright red just before it disappears for the night. There are loads of resturants on the beach, today I had the best Greek salad ever, mmm!!
This afternoon these guys taught us how to play Raquette which is like tennis/ ping pong on the beach which was fun. We also will desperately look for some snorkels tonight so we can spend tomoz exploring ocean... this really is part of our holiday that we love!!
I better shut up now... till next time! xoxo

Sorrento Italy

We finished up in Rome, the Vatican museum was amazing and the Sistene chapel with Michelangelos Last Judgement was so fantastic to see. On Saturday we got a train to Sorrento we saved money by not reserving seats but had to stand for over two hours between carraiages with other riff raff, it was very crowded and hot. When we arrived in Naples we made our way through the city to the wrong destination. We arrived at Naples hostel but wanted Sorrento camping, so had to backtrack, get another train and arrive late at night. We ended up getting a lift with a midget policeman to camping, so so random.
Anyway, Sorrento is beautiful. It looks down on the Bay of Naples, a huge bay half way down the boot of Italy, you can see Mt Vesuvius and the islands Capri and Ischa and I have never seen water so clear before, like a picturesque movie set.
Yesterday we went for a walk along the cliffs and were disappointed to find that to them a beach means cliffs and ocean not sand, so (after baking on some Roman ruins on cliffs with too many flies) we ended up laying by our pool at campsite which was nice anyway.
Today is very warm again, we are back in Naples and waiting for a train to Bari which has a port on the other side of Italy, tonight we getting overnight ferry to Greece. I cant stand the internet place I am in, guy next to me smoking into my face, it so crowded and smeels like baby poo, so ready to get back to station...lol
Fingers crossed the beautiful weather stays strong and we find some treasure places in Greece... xo

Rome

Well after a bit of drama we have made it to Rome. On Monday we left Florence but as we didnt account for the insane traffic in the city we had to catch a later train to Pisa which meant we only had a short time there before our train left for Rome. Although the leaning tower was smaller than I expected it was very cool to see!
On arrival in Rome we found that Emmas wallet was missing (prob pickpocketer from bus in Pisa). AND because my wallet was stolen in Spain she is the bank for both of us. AND because we were about to get money out for me I only had 15 cents... between the two of us. We got there just as all the banks shut and the Australian embassy shut. Damn, two girls in Rome with big bags and no money. Anyway, we went to Police station to report wallet and we there for ages, they were so nice and gave us 35€ so we could eat and get to our campsite. We just got some emergency money wired through too, and now waiting in Rome for our cards to be sent through... all works out in the end.
ANYWAY... Rome is everything I expected, yesterday was nice weather and we walked through the ancient ruins of Rome, including the Colosseum, Circo Massimo, Arco de Tito, etc. It so weird that these ruins are all smack bang in the middle of a bustling city. There is a metro stop at Colosseum and you walk out and its just there. It is really cool to think about how they used to live, right here, so long ago.
Today we we did lots more walking and saw more sites around Rome, I loved the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon (both in slideshow), but it is now raining so have come indoors. The city is so amazing because everywhere you look there is something great to see... so so much history.
Tonight we will hang at the bar in our campsite seeing as it is dismal weather, and tomorrow we will go the Vatican city, I have wanted to go to the Sistene Chapel for as long as I can remember! Anyway, hope everyone well.

Florence Italy

We arrived in Florence yesterday and it is such a beautiful city! This is up there with Paris. Our campsite is very close, we are under olive trees and the view down on the city is amazing. Last night we ate olives cheese and sundried tomatoes with panini and drank wine, quite romantic haha. We ended up going through a few bottles and talked all night to other travellers.
Today after a sleep in we woke to superb weather and have spent day walking through city. It is very classy with heaps of expensive dress stores but also has heaps of history with great old buildings and statues throughout the city piazzas. We wanted to see Michealangelos David but the line was huge for the museum, so we will save it for Sistene chapel.
Tomorrow we are goin to Pisa to see the leaning tower then on to ROME! No doubt will be a highlight of our trip!
I am sorry but i am yet to meet a travelling American that I like. Yesterday this 60yr old on the train said to us that we speak real good English for Australians. He also said that "there was this war we fought about 40 yrs ago, u girls may have heard about it, it was in Vietnam...". Oh dear.
Today we are a bit stupid and acting like weird tourists, pretending we think we are on the River Thames and looking at Big Ben, people look at us funny, haha. Maybe we are going crazy or have run out of conversation with each other...hmm.
Anyway, thats all for now, very much enjoying Italy. xoxo

Venice Italy

Venice is such an interesting city... although it seems run down and old it is so amazing that it is all on the water- we have spent all day getting lost in the tiny random streets. I had lasagne for dinner last night on a canal (mum real italian lasagne still not as good as yours!) and we looked around all the shops, very arty place. No time left. To Florence tomorrow. Amazing city. xo

Salzburg Austria

So we finished our time at Oktoberfest, ended up going 4 days, was so much fun, but I still feel a bit gross n am craving a gym class!!
Yesterday we arrrived in Salzburg in Austria, although we had to hike up a hill to our campsite it has really nice views of mountains, this is where the Sound of Music was filmed. Today we have done the touristy things in town, walked up to the Hohensalzburg fortress which overlooks the city, went into St. Peters abbey, cemetery and catacombs (tunnels and burial sites carved into the rocks in the mountains), saw Mirabell gardens, Kapitalplaz markets and where Mozart lived- all very touristy but good to see. We sat by the Zentrum river for lunch and turned out sunny so very nice.
Last time we used our tent in Switzerland we folded it up wet so when we got it out last night it stank of dead animal, so gross to sleep in. Tomorrow we up very early to make our way to Venice. Hope all well!

Germany- Oktoberfest!!!!!

Friday we made our way to Munich for a big weekend at the world famous Oktoberfest!!!! We are with Top Deck tour group at a campsite, so they have tents set up (hundreds- no room for grass to even grow!), have buses to the beer halls and cook hot brekkies, there are mostly auzzies and kiwis but also some ppl from UK.
Friday evening we went in...there are heaps of humungous beer halls set up for different sorts of beer then there are beer gardens around them, and all stores and theme park rides around, pretty massive. And yes, everyone is very drunk and rowdy. With so many ppl it very hard to get into a hall but with huge luck em n I scammed our way into a good one, u have to be seated to be served beer but everyone is friendly so we easily moved around tables, we ate pretzels, wore stupid hats and had quite the few stiens... the band kept playing classic American songs... YMCA, Guns and Roses, Bryan Adams, Grease... it so weird because people here dont really know what the songs are saying but hum along to the tune and love them, Em n i were carving it up dancing on the tables... very fun night!
Yesterday (saturday) we went back in early but at 930am the halls were already all full, again we were lucky to sit with some Germans in a beer garden, we sat there for ages and they taught us German beer songs and drinking games, when we say we from Australia everyones first response is 'kangaroo'... yes kangaroo. We were drunk bw 11am but slogged throught till about 4pm, I went to sleep but Em got up to keep drinking at campsite later last night. Today we having morning off so hopefully I can last into the night, haha. We may stay here a bit longer than planned, very very fun!

Switzerland

We finished our last night in Barelona, because it had been raining and we'd hung our clothes over the tent we came home to a pool of water inside our tent, we had to wipe it up with tiolet paper and forego my wet sleeping bag for the night, n pretty cold next to beach, oh well, woke very early Wednesday for long trip to Geneve in Switzerland.
Switzerland is a very clean and well organised country and the people here are so friendly and helpful (unlike the Spanish). We didnt realise how cold it would be! We set up our tent again in the rain, had chocolate for dinner and had to put on all our clothes and cocoon oursleves in our (now dry) sleeping bags, bbbrrr!
On Thursday we went back down to France for a scenic trip through the French and Swiss Alps... the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Went from Chamonix to Martigney in a small slow train that wound through the hugest mountains covered in alpines with snow on their peaks and tiny villages down below, we went through tunnels, along creeks (with greeny milky water) and past sheer drops that got a bit scary... its hard to describe how stunning it was and how small it made me feel, ive only ever seen little snow in Armidale so was just blown away. We also did trip from Interlaken to Luzern, also beautiful, mountain meets lake, wow! We may come back for some more time in Switzerland later, it is so pretty.

Barcelona Spain

Barcelona has been great. We arrived here on Friday to find it a long weekend and huge party for something not sure what! That Friday we checked into a youth hostel on La Rambla which is the main party street, and had a very big night, there were big concert stages set up with bands and everyone was dancing and all talking, think Sydney NYE but bigger! It also handy for us cos there were so many foreigners who spoke English! Anyway, we stayed out late and enjoyed just crashing in our hostel close by.
Although we enjoyed the bed and pillow we dont really like the hostels, they pack so many ppl into tiny rooms, we are paranoid our belongings will get stolen, the bathrooms are gross and they are still quite expensive, so we decided to find campsite next day. Found the best canpsite yet and have now stayed there 4 nights tonight.
On Sunday we came in to do some sightseeing, we climbed the stairs to the Museu Nacional which was a huge building with the most stunning views of Barcelona city and came to some markets on La Rambla but it was too hot so we bailed for the pool at our campsite. We had meet a load of aussies at our campsite so that night we drank and hung out with them, the contiki bus also pulled into our campsite so it was a pretty big night.
Yesterday (monday) we layed on the beach ALL day, it was best weather, very perfect day!! Today it is overcast so we have done more sightseeing...La Pedrera, some other buildings and the FAMOUS Sagrada Fanilia, took forever for us to find it, and to be honest what a let down! It is under construction and nothing like all the postcards and images ive seen! Oh well, least ive seen it now!
Tonight we are going to see a flamenco dancing show, which we are very excited about! Then we leave early tomorrow to Switzerland, heading towards Munuch for beefest this weekend... time is going too fast!!!!
Thats all, hope everyone at home is well!!! xoxo

Update

Well looks like Valencia is quite the party town. On Wednesday we woke to rain again so after a full day in our tent going quite crazy we decided to go into town, we went to an irish bar which was great to talk to other English speakers, and ended up having a great night when we had a group english/spaniards show us around (wed is foreign student night). We spent yesterday recovering on the beach.
Today we jumped on the train to Barceloña for the weekend... to our suprise it is a long weekend here and HUGE fiesta all weekend that ppl worlwide travel to, we are staying in a youth hostel to make it easier and are excited about another good night out tonight. GOOD LUCK to Mel and (if dad got through semis) soccer grand finals- am thinking of you both!!!

Valencia Spain

Yes we are happily back on the coast. There is no camping in Valencia so we are staying a bit further south in a very Spanish little town called Mareny. Although it is a small town we love just hanging around watching the locals, the buildings are all white or colourful with big archways and vines and window shutters, it is very hot here so has a misty and sandy feel too. Our camping site is right near the beach so we spent all day yesterday sunbaking n swimming in the Mediterranean (some jelly monster scared me off a bit but). All the shops close for siesta, such different lifesytle- last night went for dinner at 7pm but restuarants dont even open until 9.30pm. Nonone speaks any English and everyone STARES at us, although we try to fit in we must look foreign!
Today we spent day in Valencia looking around, just had a HUGE meal; seafood paella (apperenly entree but so filling) n something else i randomly pointed to on the menu- was steak n chips- damn- now we feel like a siesta too.
We are going to stay here until Friday, the relaxing by the sea is too good to leave too soon. Also being hot we can lay on our sleeping bags with just sheets so have had the most comfortable sleeps yet! Love you all!
p.s. have eaten the yummiest stone fruits- so many orchards

Madrid

I knew San Sebastion was too perfect to be true!!! That night we slept very happy with ourselves and excited about our week of sunbaking on the beach...BUT woke up to rain which is not fun while u r camping and the weather forecast- 3 days of rain! So we decided to move onto Madrid on our way south.
We set off and arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning. By midday it boiling hot, too hot to go into town (which we had decided was a dump the night before) so were excited about the huge resort style pool at the campsite. BUT to our disgust the pool is only opened in summer so even though it is sweltering hot and we paying high season prices it is the "Spanish Law" to not open pools after september, so we layed our towels in the dirt outside the pool gate and baked- not exactly dream Spain. The campsite was like a trailer park, really noisy but also very expensive (only good thing was the ground fairly soft on our backs). This morning we eargerly set off to coast with evil thoughts of the hellhole Madrid, when i went to pay for my ticket out i realised some seedy spanish has stolen my wallet out of my bag on the metro!! So i called home to get help cancelling my cards n luckily keep everything seperate from wallet so everything safe except missin bit of cash n now dont have any bank access- i knew i was with Em for a reason! Anyway, hopefully we find a nice campsite here in Valencia on the Medditterean where we will stay for a good week rain hail or shine!! xo

San Sebastion Spain

We have hit Spain and we are loving it!!!!! Yesterday we left La Rochelle (after having an great night out going to a Jazz bar- but again waking up NOT feeling like travelling)n arrived in Irun last night, this was a hole so we came a bit further West to San Sebastion...and dont want to leave! We have spent all day laying on the beach and now intend to do it for a while. The beach is so different to oz, it more of a big bay and at low tide it is HUGE with lots and lots of people, the sun is also very different, we stayed in it all day and are not lobsters, so we planning on a gradual golden tan, haha. Our campsite is a bit out of town, the bus drives along tiny roads along the coastline but it is so cliffy and green, ill have to get some pics, very stunning. Well we are going to stay here for a few more days, tomorrow meant to be very hot, loving life, adios!!

La Rochelle

Yesterday we packed up our tent and made our way to the Westcoast town of La Rochelle, because we didnt reserve seats on the train we were put on kiddy seats between carriages- very uncomfortable; but we munched on camembert n bagettes to keep us happy- by high speed they really mean high speed trains too!! We set up our tent and had a little bake. The town is really nice, basically ports for the yachts (rich French) u can see in pics. Today has been very relaxing, strolling the town and more baking... everyone here is so golden brown we are obviously tourists!! There isnt a great deal more to do here so tomorrow we are off to Spain!! Will be 8hr train to the north border city of Irun; then hopefully to Madrid asap depending on trains. So we are saying goodbye to France for a while and moving on to a whole new experience... xoxo

Rugby World Cup Fever

The city of Paris (and our campsite) has Rugby World Cup fever; even the Eiffel Tower has a huge tacky blow up ball in its centre... They have big TVs in parks set up and the pubs are covered in flags. On friday we wanted to get involved but bailed for the free Louvre (which is an amazing building and we got to see the famous Mona Lisa), so yesterday afternoon (saturday) we found an Oz pub to watch the Auzzies smash Japan- bit pathetic really! But Em n i had a blast- we made most of happy hour and ended up in the busy nightlife of Champs Elyeese. The French are all suddenly so friendly when they realise we are auzzies and not Americans (or English); but some dont believe us because we are so blanc (white)! The weather is really warm here which makes camping nice and it hasnt rained yet- touch wood. Tomorrow we are heading to La Rochelle which is a tres beau town on West coast; after this we will head down to Madrid in Spain then further south along Spanish coast, so looking forward to some lazy days on the beaches. I forgot my camera cord today but will post some Paris photos when I can. Thats all for now, love you all!!!!

I love Paris

Well we have settled in to Paris, it is such a beautiful city, everyone is so well dressed and actually friendly (unlike what i have heard), the city has so many trees and gardens (so pretty) it is arranged in circular blocks which is weird and i do not understand traffic system but beside that i love it here. On Tuesday we took train from Calais to Paris where we found a hostel in Bastille; well it was more of a cleaning closet that we paid loads for, it was full of dirty sheets & a cook burst in at 9am for butter from the huge fridge in room (ew); anyway Wed night we had some wine and went to Oberkamp which was apparently party town but beside meeting heaps of 'unique' people we never actually found anywhere good so went back to hostel to wake with shocking headaches and having to lug our 20kg bags through metro to camping ground.
Yesterday we bought a tent and set up camp; we went to La Defence to do this and saw the biggest shopping centre. Today we woke up sore not sure if from lugging our backpacks or sleeping on rock hard floor! We have spent day exploring Paris saw Arc de Triomphe in Champs de Ellyese, Eiffel Tower and are now just up the road from Moulin Rouge. Soon we going to Notre Dame and Friday nights is free at the Louve so we heading there too. I cannot get over how EVERYONE here is either eating a bagette or carrying a bagette; i have never eaten so many breads and pastries in my life! And Mel there are heaps of dogs they are allowed in shopping centres and on trains and buses- you would love it. I was so nervous about talking French at start but have picked up enough for polite conversation. Anyway will put up pics soon; the time about to run out on computer, so au reviour!!!!! xo