SupandNic
After a crazy last month in the UK, hustling at car boot sales and on ebay, spreading joy to charity shops all over Reading and squeezing every last possession into any place we could find, we...

New York Baby Yeah!!!
New York, United States
After a 7 hour flight which seemed to fly by (excuse the pun!), we arrived in the Big Apple 2pm US time, very excited, a little anxious and a tad merry (thank you BA for providing the free alcohol and for giving me an extra dinner :-) !) We collected our bags and headed straight for the subway to downtown!
We arrived at the hostel and waited at the empty reception for about 20 mins before a spanish guy came up to us and asked if we were here for the hostel, we told him we were and he responded by telling us we were in the wrong building and that the hostel was next door... d'oh! So close yet so far! We dumped our bags at the right hostel and headed out to explore.
Wanting to get things rolling we went to check out Times Square. We got our bearings and went on our way. After an hour of walking appreciating the sights (yellow taxis, beautiful buildings and hotdog vendors), things started to get a little more sparse which was not what we were expecting. After re consulting our good friend Mr Map we realised we had a slight situational issue... we should have taken the left and not the right, we were in Harlem! We had wanted to go there, just not at that precise time. We had a great time walking around & now feeling the jet lag we decided to head back to the hostel.
Next day we bought some lunch (a good old Subway!) and went and had lunch in a place we have both always wanted to visit... Central Park! It is a huge, beautiful park (843 acres!) that has 150 years of history, and certainly lives up to expectations, it's right in the centre of the City. It is a completely man made park built in the center of the city and is surrounded by the high rise landscape.
We also saw the famous streets Madison Avenue & Fifth Avenue. We went & took a quick visit to the Museum of Sex & had a good giggle while doing so!
Next stop was Grand Central Station which was awesome, a very impressive building to say the least which is almost 100 years old now.
Final stop of the night (2nd attempt!) was Times Square which was crazy, so many lights, advertising, camera flashes and hustlers. Despite what a lot of people have said we both felt it was much bigger than we anticipated.
We went to the famous red steps & took some photos. Not sure if it was in the British News but 2 days later a CD scam artist hustler was shot dead in Times Square. Plain clothes police approached the vendor, he ran off and open fired letting off 3 rounds, he was then shot dead by the police. Gun crime is a big problem in the States and this hit home the reality of it.
On the third day we thought it was about time we tried some New York pizza, and damn, why hadn't we tried it sooner! Naturally we had just eaten a baguette before ordering our 2 extra large slices!
We then went to visit the Ground Zero & the World Trade Center pre-memorial exhibit, it was a sad experience but a significant experience that will stay with us. They are in the process of developing a memorial with two reflection pools in the foundations where the towers once stood, which is planned to be finished for the 10th year anniversary and looks to be a very moving and respectful memorial for all those who lost their lives.
We took a walk through Wall Street & the New York Stock Exchange. Walking through those streets was like a scene out of Batman, very impressive buildings.
In the evening we took a ferry over to Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline which was incredible.
We both enjoyed the views so much we arranged to see them again the following day in the daylight.
Brooklyn Bridge, the world's first steel suspension bridge, was next on our itinerary and we had a lovely walk across the bridge to Brooklyn Heights & Dumbo.The bridge gave us great views of the City.
After a short subway ride back to downtown we went to visit the Empire State Building, one of New York's most famous buildings that was built in just 410 days. We travelled up 102 floors to see the views over the whole city, the views were amazing, even if the wind did seem as thought it might blow us away! Nic did appreciate the views from inside for half the time because she was a little scared, or 'a little cold' depending on who you believe!
(note from Nic - I was freeeeeezing!)
It had been a long day, we headed to our hostel but not before stopping in to get some more of that New York pizza!
What better way to start our Thursday than with some Dunkin Donuts! We went back to Central Park, went on the ferry again, visited Madison Square Gardens, Macy's and the Rockerfeller Center.
We couldn't believe how friendly, and also trustworthy the locals were to us. We were buying some chocolate from one of the many side stalls when I asked the vendor where the nearest pay phone was, a man in the queue overheard the conversation and asked who I needed to call. I was a little concerned about this New Yorkers entrance to the conversation as he was about 7ft tall and quite militant in appearence, I proceeded to explain I needed to call the Opticians down the road when he pulled out his phone and handed it to me and said I could use his phone. Experiences like this were not uncommon, when trying to find a bank near to our bus terminal we asked a lady for directions, she instantly pulled out her iphone and then called the local bank to get the full address for us. People seemed to really go the extra mile to help us out and very nice it was indeed.
New York was loved by both us, we felt like we had just the right amount of time to experience the city. The rest of the US cities have got a lot to live up to, roll on our next stop.... we're off to say hello to Mr Obama! Hopefully our jetlag will have worn off & we'll get it right first time!
written by  SupandNic on December 16, 2009 from New York, United States
from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

The Wonders of Washington DC
Washington, United States
Washington DC was an amazing surprise for us - a city that we had wanted to experience, but we really had no idea how wonderful it would be. We were blessed with the most beautiful winter day, with the bluest sky and the brightest sun, the perfect backdrop for the sights we were to see.
Although we did start on a slightly different note at the hotel the night before (in the brilliantly named area of DC known as Foggy Bottom, home to The George Washington University!)
...They double charged us for our booking fee (Sup kicked ass!) and then put us first in a room with a seriously dangerous hissing heater and then in a room below freezing. They paid the price though as they made the mistake of having breakfast included, so my sneaky robbing of bagels, muffins, bananas, bread, jam (including our first try of delicious grape jelly!) and Philadelphia pots subsidised our lunch and dinner for the next few days! No one messes with Nic and Sup!
We started our whirlwind tour of Washington with the White House of course, and were very impressed by the sight of such a prestigious building, particularly with the 2 agents on the roof carrying AK47s...
backing slowly away, we headed for our next destination - The Washington Monument, a giant memorial to the 1st President of the United States and his military leadership.
But not before admiring the lovely Christmas tree and toy trains around the grounds facing the house.
After marvelling at the sheer size of the monument,
we made our way through the National Mall area to see the World War 2 memorial and the frozen solid reflective pool.
It was a lovely area and an impressive memorial to the men who lost their lives fighting.
The Lincoln Memorial was next and we got some great photos of the giant statue of Lincoln, as well as standing on the same steps as Martin Luther King where he had delivered his famous and influential 'I have a dream' speech.
We also stood on the 14th Street Bridge with a fantastic view of the Pentagon across the water.
Walking back through the National Mall area, we stopped to admire the memorials for both the Korean and Vietnam wars, with tributes both to the soldiers who fought for their country
and to the women who made such a significant contribution.
We learned that a staggering majority of the men who were injured who received care from the women working in hospitals survived - over 90%, which is incredible considering the injuries they would have sustained.
Another lovely walk through the park area brought us back to the waterside and into the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. This place was mindblowing - completely devastating and yet utterly compelling. After spending a couple of hours walking through the vast museum and learning the terrible details of the evil Nazi regime and their frighteningly ingenius propaganda, the museum was closing, so we agreed that we would return the next day before we left Washington to finish the tour.
A long walk through the town brought us to a destination I had been very excited about - the museum for Crime and Punishment. Unfortunately, we learned that the price was more than we had anticipated and it also appeared to be perhaps a little more suited for children. The good news was that the gift shop had more than enough for us to play around with,
and the ticket office had lots of information that kept us entertained for free for about an hour!! We had watched a brilliant film with Johnny Depp in called Public Enemies some time ago, based on the life and death of the notorious criminal John Dillinger - in the ticket office for the museum they had the actual car that Dillinger drove so that was pretty cool!
Discussions soon started resulting in the eternal argument between me and Sup about capital punishment, but I'll leave it at that, as it would dominate a whole blog just by itself!!
The rest of the evening was spent walking back through Washington towards our hotel and vising some Christmas stalls, having a look outside the Spy museum, taking a shortcut through a bizarre sculpture garden, taking pictures of The Capitol building
and walking through the beautiful Law Enforcement Officers memorial garden. The sheer number of names on the memorial were a testament to the dangers in America and the risk the Police take on a daily basis to keep the public safe.
On a more positive note, I did manage to get a photo of Sup with his nose up against a brass lion statue and kept him there for a whole 3 minutes in the freezing cold while I got a good photo..!! Cheeky!
That night our room was so cold that we both went to bed fully clothed - and I mean jumper, jeans, socks, and I even wore my hat..!
The next day we woke up to a more soggy, foggy day, but with plenty of time to spare we completed our tour of the US Holocaust museum as promised, before one last wave at the White House and the Washington memorial, both of which looked very different in the rain. I came across a real Sorority building
which was awesome coz I was always fascinated with the idea of them when I was younger and wanted to be 'American' when I grew up..!!!
We then packed up our belongings once more, and headed out on our journey to the land of Philadelphia to see what other adventures were in store!
written by  SupandNic on December 26, 2009 from Washington, United States
from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

Philly Cheesesteak!
Philadelphia, United States
We turned up to our hostel at roughly 8pm, and boy were we in for a surprise...
Nic's reactions explain it all!
It was actually a great hostel with friendly knowledgeable staff and really good facilitlies. (The photos above are actually from The Eastern State Penitentiary which we visited the following day) We made some food and chilled for the evening.
Up nice and early there was now only one thing on my mind... time for some food, a Philly cheesesteak was in order! The staff recommended a local place called 'Jim's', claiming they serve the best traditional cheeesesteaks in town, a combination of thinly chopped beef steak, fried onions and melted cheese... and they were not wrong!
Both having an interest in crime we took a visit to the Eastern State Penitentiary passing the famous Rocky steps along the way!
There were a lot of people running up the steps emulating the scene out of Rocky, I thought I would do the same (the photos just look like i'm posing but of course I was running... cough cough!)
Next up was the Eastern State Penitentiary which was the 1st penitentiary in the world built in roughly 1850. I broke in...
I think Nic must have clearly edited this photo because as you can see above the wall was definitely bigger than this!!!
The idea was to change the way of the prison system that existed at the time as it was failing - too crowded, riots, disease etc and the fact that once they prisoners were actually released they often offended again and went straight back to prison.
The Eastern State Penitentiary however, was attempting an innovative idea, that was the idea of penitence and true remorse.
The new system believed that everyone had the capacity to change and they believed this was achieved through non violent methods and solitary confinement 23 1/2 hours a day. The whole principle was built on silence... if the prisoners could not communicate with each other then they would have time to reflect and hopefully find remorse.
The prison itself at the time was very modern, it had electricity and even a full flushing toilet system when people in the White House were using Chamber pots! The reason for the modern technologies was to enable the prisoners to remain in solitary confinement, however the work being undertaken by the prisoners was far behind its time because of this solitary confinement. A combination of problems resulted in the idea being scrapped. Many of the prisoners went mad, spending years without having any human contact. Many people believed the system to be in humane (children as young as 12 were spending years here) and it didn't actually survive that long.
Al Capnones cell......
We walked back through town taking in all the sights of the city.
That night the hostel had a movie and free beer night so we chilled out had some drinks and played a little pool.
Next we were up early to go and visit the Liberty Bell, a bell which has a different meaning to different people. The bell became a symbol for the independance of America, a symbol for the abolition of slavery and a symbol for women's rights and equality.
Philadelphia was again an awesome place to visit, we learnt a lot about the history of the city and really enjoyed our time there. There was no time to get attached however, on to Toronto!
written by  SupandNic on January 2, 2010 from Philadelphia, United States
from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

Maple Canadian Delights!
Toronto, Canada
Toronto, Canada, was an interesting experience for us both as it was nothing at all like what we had expected. The weather was intensely cold (THAT we had expected!)
but the long walk to our hostel took us through a fairly run down part of town, passing XXX shop after strip club and at first glance at the street our hostel was on I was ready to turn & run! On closer inspection we found we were in a very large double room and with a very nice hostel owner which improved our first impression. After settling in & turning the room upside down with our masses of bags and belongings, we set off to inspect the town, coming across loads of jet black squirrels along the way which neither of us had ever seen before - SO cute!
We spent a bit of time window shopping and eskimo Sup found me a very nice £3 hoody to add to the 4 layers of clothes under my coat as the cold was unbearable (as was my whining!) In fact I didn't part with my leg warmers, tights, jeans, hat, gloves, scarf, coat & 5 layers of clothes until Miami...it felt very strange indeed, expecially as I think we would all agree that is so the opposite of my usual choice of clothing!! All whinging aside, it was really lovely to spend time in the snow, especially so close to Christmas as it really set the scene.
We then found a brilliant cafe called Tim Horton's and we ate the most amazing Canadian maple frosted icing donuts with vanilla cream filling.They were seriously the best donuts you could imagine and I was hooked!!
The next day took us further into Toronto town and we spent the whole day sightseeing, stopping of course for another of Tim's finest. One of Sup's new favourite things to do by now was to visit food courts and look around, sneaking lots of samples of yummy food, so we had a great time in Toronto's St Lawrence market causing trouble. We also saw some wicked street art and stopped to take some snaps, and found a 2nd hand camera store that was maybe pushing it a bit far....!
We covered a couple of lovely decorated malls and department stores such as Sears in the more upmarket part of town, and then headed to the CN tower to see what all the fuss was about...
As I had spent all our money on donuts, we didn't climb the tower, but took lots of photos of the impressive building and then moved on to the harbour to admire the boats.
With our Toronto experience complete, and having had a bit of a rest after the hectic last 3 US states, we were ready and excited to move on to the next stop - the magical Niagara Falls!
written by  SupandNic on January 4, 2010 from Toronto, Canada

Enchanting Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Canada
I could just say nothing on this blog and the photos would speak for themselves...Niagara Falls is absolutely amazing. Even with prior knowledge of what to expect, we were not prepared for how the sights of the falls would take our breath away.
We got to our hostel early in the evening and discovered a gem of a place with a lush kitchen with free breakfast, and a basement area with a free pool table and a flat screen TV - nice! We got ourselves sorted then made some food and set off around 7pm to catch the weekly firework display and Winter illuminations at Niagara Falls.
The long walk along Niagara River led us to the Falls via some really beautiful houses as well as a view over the bridge that connects Ontario with New York which was a strange experience - seeing right across the river to another country!
Before we got to the Falls we found a Planet Hollywood with the Bonnie & Clyde replica car outside which was very exciting as I fancied us as the notorious partners in crime off on our adventures!
We then came across a Hershey's store - Sup is the number one fan of Hershey's Reeces Pieces, so we had to get a photo of him with his hero!
We reached the main strip of the town of Niagara Falls, Canada side, and it was really exciting to see the neon lights and be part of the lively atmosphere. With an hour to spare before the fireworks started, we explored the Vegas-style strip and then headed to the main area where we were to be greeted with the first of the falls - the American Falls.
The illuminations dyed the foamy white falls a deep purple, red, green and blue alternately and the fireworks were brilliant. I have never seen Sup take so many photos, and after 10 minutes he was still happily snapping away, seemingly oblivious that his fingers were turning blue from the icy mist!
We also leapt on many unsuspecting passersby to take photos of us by the falls, so we got some great shots. The next stop was the second part of the falls - the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Again, a beautiful sight, and as the horseshoe falls were closer to the light beams, the colours were so much brighter on them and really showed up the eerily beautiful mist that gathers at the bottom and sprays up to the top.
Playing around with the ice was a lot of fun too!!
On the verge of frostbite and at risk of being locked out of the hostel, we headed back, frozen solid but happy as can be, occasionally stopping to admire the romantic horse & carriages on the way.
The next day we went back to the Falls to experience them in the daylight and they did not disappoint.
Another thousand or so shots later, we stumbled across another Tim Horton's cafe (must be mega popular in Canada) and had our very last Canadian Maple donut - a bittersweet goodbye...!!!
Back at the hostel we met 2 really nice guys from Manchester while they were watching Trainspotting - they were travelling home that night and taking the same Greyhound as us as far as Buffalo, so we all made our way there together. At customs on the Canada/USA border a girl on our bus was detained by customs and the bus went without her as the entire bus load of us craned our necks to see what was going on - I only hope she got back home safely eventually...
The sunshine of Miami was on the horizon, but before that, the layers would need to stay on as Chicago was next on the agenda!
written by  SupandNic on January 5, 2010 from Niagara Falls, Canada

The windy city... Chicago!
Chicago, United States
The old gangster city.... we were looking forward to Chicago!
We arrived a little later than anticipated - due the amount of snow that the east coast had received a lot of bus journeys were delayed or worse still cancelled. We counted ourselves very lucky to have escaped in time!
The photo below is one of the first we took of the city and it shows Chicago just as I had imagined, with soft brown lighting like in the old gangster movies...
After dropping our bags off at the hostel we had a walk around the city, visiting Grant Park Fountain and Millenium Park along the way. The fountain is actually one of the largest in the world!
We walked past the Sears Tower, the Tribune Tower, an impressive Gothic style building, Magnificant Mile and a number of statues on our journey.
We heard there were some impressive Christmas celebrations happening on the Navy Pier so we went to check them out. It turned out to be a cool place, a big inside winter wonderland. There was also a little museum where we learnt about the history of the Chicago police force and the city's drug problems which was very informative. I was hoping to learn more about Chicago's gangster history however the city does seem to carry on pretending it didn't happen, with no tours of notorious gangster spots or anything much to our surprise.
On the way back we went to visit the theatre where the notorious gangster John Dillinger was shot dead by the FBI. The recent film 'Public Enemies' was based on John Dillinger so Nic was also very excited that she was in the same street where Johnny Depp had recently been!
On our way to the Zoo the following day we found a frozen lake, however, Nic thought it was snow covered grass and went and jumped on!!! Luckily she was okay!
We saw some amzing animals and some of them even came over to pose for the camera like Mr Lion below! He was one chilled out big cat!
The zoo also had some awesome ice sculptures and below are my 2 favourites...
We also saw this crazy hippo, he seemed to think he was swimming away but the little fella didn't realise there was a big pane of glass in front of him. He kept going up for air every now and then and looking like he should be in a different place! The fish looked like they were having a good feast on him!
The zoo was a great day out and as it was free it was that much better!!
Final stop was Lake Michigan and it was quality, the photo below is my favourite from Chicago, very atmospheric.
Chicago was a great place, it wasn't as windy as expected but it was still super cold! Atlanta is up next on our flying tour of America and Nic has told me that i'm in for a treat!
written by  SupandNic on January 6, 2010 from Chicago, United States

The ATL - Hotlanta!
Atlanta, United States
I visited Atlanta 8 years ago with my family - I loved it then and I love it now. It is an awesome city that just seems to have an amazing vibe about it and I was excited about the prospect of introducing Sup to the place and of rediscovering the city ourselves.
The journey from Chicago to Atlanta on the trusty Greyhound was incredibly long, but we both got a good night's sleep on the bus (on and off!) as the stops were all about 3/4 hours inbetween. Arriving in ATL was a wonderful experience - we had both been freezing our tushies off for the last few weeks, so the warm Atlanta sunshine was extremely welcome!
Once we had found our hostel we were told that we couldn't check in til 5pm. Determined not to waste any of the precious time we had, we threw our bags into storage lockers and headed out for a walk around Piedmont Park, just a few blocks up the road.
Piedmont Park was beautiful...
We walked all around the central lake and found some great spots to take photos, as well as taking some time out to climb a tree in the middle of the park, monkey-style!
Obviously Sup managed to scale the tree a lot quicker and with much more dignity than me, but I got there in the end and was proud of the achievement! Our stomachs were soon rumbling from all the effort, so we headed to Downtown Atlanta on the hunt for some Southern Fried Chicken, something I had assumed was an obvious speciality in the city, but was soon proved wrong by the complete lack of fried chicken, much to Sup's disappointment. We grabbed a chicken wrap from a gas station instead - not so authentic, but yummy all the same!
Walking through Downtown Atlanta we admired all the sights of the city, lit up with a thousand Christmas lights and alive with friendly locals and tourists alike. Underground Atlanta was our next stop - an area of shops and restaurants and a local hangout according to the Lonely Planet. We were soon rewarded with a giant food court where everyone was enticing us in to buy their food with delicious tasters of Hawaiian chicken and all sorts of Chinese delicacies. Being in the USA though,
we decided it would be far more cultured to try something more local and settled on the biggest pizza I have ever seen - a 17inch giant cheese-fest loaded with a whole pig's worth of pepperoni! Hell yeah! Halfway through our feast, a guy came over and asked if he could have some - the look on Sup's face was priceless!! NO-ONE takes food from Sup, that's a serious offence and he was soon sent on his way!
After our bellies were more than full, we carried on our journey, passing the Capitol on the way through - very similar to the Capitol in Washington and a lovely sight in the moonlight. I really wanted to show Sup the interior of the Georgia Dome as I had watched a baseball game there previously and loved it.
Hoping it would still be open we made our way to the Dome, but were disappointed to find that the doors were closed. At this point we realised we were in a deserted parking lot quite far from civilisation, so in the name of safety and good sense, we hastily made a retreat back into the heart of Atlanta, past the CNN center, Coca Cola HQ the Georgia Aquarium and through the impressive Centennial Olympic Park and fountains.
Back at the hostel after a very successful day in ATL, we celebrated with some Hershey's chocolate and M&Ms and Sup thrashed me at pool (I'm better trained at snooker!) before retreating to our room to catch some well earned rest.
The next day we set off for Sweet Auburn, the birthplace of Martin Luther King and the site of his memorial and center for Non-Violent Social change commissioned by Coretta Scott King in her husband's honour as she continued with his legacy after his assassination. On the way we spotted some more impressive street art and took some snaps.
We first stopped to eat our left over pizza slices for lunch in the rosebush-lined grounds and a well dressed middle aged woman came over and asked if she could have some...bewildered as to why no-one would leave us with our pizza in peace, again the scavenger was shooed away!
The exhibit was fascinating and we both came away having learned an awful lot about the incredible hardship suffered by African Americans and in awe of the strength and sacrifice showed by so many in the name of ending this prejudice and discrimination. The center also highlighted how Martin Luther King drew inspiration from Gandhi in relation to striving for social change using non violent methods and we were both left inspired by Gandhi's belief that 'an eye for an eye leaves the world blind'.
The walk back was an opportunity to discuss and contemplate our new found knowledge with lots of philosophical thoughts, before heading to the Greyhound once more for our final American State - Bienvenido a Miami!!!
written by  SupandNic on January 7, 2010 from Atlanta, United States

Bienvenido a Miami!
Miami, United States
We arrived in Miami to some awesome weather and we did look a little silly stepping off the greyhound bus dressed in all our layers! We had to take two more local buses to get to South Beach where we were staying. We saw downtown Miami and famous areas such as Little Haiti which did look a little sketchy to say the least!
We did well securing our hostel over the Christmas period, it had a full size outside swimming pool and a nice little outside kitchen. It was a good spot to chill and enjoy the great weather. We were just off Lincoln Road which is a pedestrianised street full of shops, boutiques, restaurants and bars which was a lively area that had a good vibe.
We visited a photography studio showcasing the work of Peter Lik. His photography was awesome and if you are a fan of natural landscape photography check out his website http://www.peterlik.com/photography. Lincoln Road was close to Espanola Way which was a great little latino street that also had some cool art galleries.
Christmas day was very different to anything we had experienced before, no Christmas roast or freezing cold temperatures but instead we had Mcdonald's on South Beach in Miami, oh yeah!
All the bars, restaurants and shops stayed open which we were surprised about. In the evening we went to the cinema to watch Sherlock Holmes but we hadn't anticipated how busy it was going to be and unfortunately it had sold out. Instead we went back to the beach and had a few drinks. It was a great evening.
The following day we took a visit to the Art Deco district. The area represents Miami's classic architecture with buildings dating back to the early 1900s. It is a pretty impressive place, awesome colourful buildings with palm fringed streets looking out to the ocean... not bad!!
We took a little walk down the famous 'Ocean Drive' to see some of the sights. Ocean Drive has been shot in a number of films and for all the film buffs out there the buildings in the two photos below were used in Scarface (the brutal chainsaw scene), Bad Boys 2 and a number of other films....
There were many well known buildings within the Art Deco District including Al Capone's office and Versace's house below where he was shot dead on his doorstep...
I went to see an eye specialist in Miami as I was having a few problems with my right eye. He was great and has suggested I try some new lenses which would be better suited to my eyes. I am just speaking with my specialist in the UK but it looks like we may be returning to Miami after Mexico to get fitted with these new lenses.
We would have liked to visit the Everglades but unfortunately our budget dictates that we cannot do everything. We'll save that for next time!
A bird also crapped on my head. Apparently this is supposed to be lucky. I'm not quite sure how but I will accept this. Big things for me in 2010!
Miami was a great place, we chilled on the beach in the day and by the pool at night, it was a good place to recuperate! I think however, we were both expecting something a little different, probably due to TV and films. One thing that did stick out was the amount of homeless women, we have seen quite a bit of homelessness on our travels but the majority have been men. I was also not aware of how large a majority of Miami were Spanish speaking, more Spanish appeared to be spoken than English. This was all good as it was preparing us for our next stop... Costa Rica!!
written by  SupandNic on January 8, 2010 from Miami, United States

Christmas trees of the United States & Canada!
Miami, United States
As we spent the Christmas period in the United States and Canada, we thought it would be great to capture the most beautiful and interesting Christmas trees from our travels. The decorations and lights illuminated every city we visited and made them seem all the more magical.
New York - We didnt find the one we were expecting to see in Times Square (!!) but the Natural History museum and Rockefeller Center trees more than made up for it, along with the magnificent Swarovski crystal star.
Washington DC - The White House tree was of course magnificent, and the tree outside the Capitol wasn't half bad either!
Philadelphia - Some beautiful examples of USA Christmas decorations, one in the park and one in the mall
Toronto - This spectacular bell-shaped hanging Christmas tree stole the show in Canada, followed closely by the Ferrerro Rocher delicious looking tree!
Niagara Falls didnt have the best trees, in fact the little town had only one we could find. The decorations at the Falls most certainly won our hearts though - who needs a tree when you can illuminate 2 giant cascading waterfalls?!!!
Chicago -
Without a doubt the best and most extensive collection of trees, with a huge collection in the Navy Pier, a true Winter Wonderland.
They gave us some real inspiration for next year's tree, with feather and flower decorations for a modern twist.
Atlanta - And presenting to you the Atlanta Ritz Christmas tree, although captured through the window I must add, and not as we dined on oysters & caviar! Small, understated, and fabulous!
Miami - The last State in our Christmas tour, and the one where we celebrated the big day.
All of the above Christmas trees were wonderful to admire, but there were two very special ones that stood out for us...
For me, it had to be the Miami Christmas palm trees, sprinkled with gold lights & stars, truly capturing the Christmas vibe in the sunshine by the sea.
For Sup, the Washington DC sense of humour won his vote - a skyscraping crane adorned with a Christmas star!!!!!!!!!
written by  SupandNic on January 27, 2010 from Miami, United States

Costa Rica Part 1 - San Jose, Puerto Viejo & Cahuita!!!
San Jose, Costa Rica
After some seriously long greyhound journeys in the States our 2 1/2 hour plane flight to San Jose seemed very short indeed. The first port of call was San Jose downtown which acts as a main hub for public travel throughout the country. The cheeky bus driver thought he could get away with short changing Nic by about £10 so I stepped up with my 'extensive' Spanish vocabulary.....'No, Amigo' while pointing to the measly 5 cents he had given us as change. His blank face told me I needed to do better. I went off to consult the Spanish phrase book and it paid off as we got the result we deserved...our money! Nic had found the arrival to Costa Rica a little over whelming and was fairly quiet for about an hour!
Some further shenanigans later and we finally arrived at our hostel. Once we had dumped our bags in our room the friendly owner Carlos helped us with our travel plans for our adventures soon to come (and also a little Spanish!) We chilled around the pool that evening and prepared our journey to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca the following day.
The bus journey was a crazy experience. Our driver was super nuts, over taking on blind corners and over taking just about anything he could - the record for the journey was 3 arctic lorries in a row! A little nerve racking to say the least, especially with steep drops either side of the road.
It was all worth it once we arrived... Puerto Viejo, what a town!! Coconut palm fringed black sand beaches, tasty food and friendly locals! By this time Nic had begun to settle in to Costa Rican life just fine!
The area is predominantly an Afro Caribbean community and Jamaicans were originally brought over to work on the banana plantations. For over 50 years these communities lived in racial segregation, forced to live independantly from the rest of the country. Infrastructure: roads, electricity and telelphone communications were not built until some time after 1949 when the racial borders fell. The result is a community and culture different and independant to that of the rest of Costa Rica.
We stayed in a lovely cabina with it's very own tropical garden, a great place to view hummingbirds as they shot from one flower to another. The cabinas had a resident cat, a species which I have now seen in a new light... they are not quite as lame as I once thought they were. We were lucky to secure the cabina as the area was very busy with people coming to enjoy the New Year on the coast, just like us.
We spent the day admiring the town and stocking up on our goodies for New Years Eve....namely a bottle of Nicaraguan rum! And what better way to spend New Years Eve than on Playa Negra, the spectacular black sand beach of Puerto Viejo?! The celebrations were awesome. We went to a reggae bar that backed on to the beach and got involved with the locals and tourists alike. The locals were lighting some pretty big fireworks from their hands...whilst drunk on rum of course! We woke up in the early hours of the morning after passing out in our hammocks to find that Nic had been bitten a total of 28 times by mosquitoes!! That'll teach us! We spent New Years Day recovering and enjoying some hammock and beach time.
With only 1 day left in Puerto Viejo we decided to go on a little adventure. We hired 2 rickety bikes and rode 12km to a small town called Manzanillo, passing a number of beautiful beaches along the way.
The heavens opened along the way and it rained so hard we were drenched in minutes. It was surprisingly refreshing though! We treated ourselves with an ice cold drink in Manzanillo at Max's, one of the popular local bars on the beach. Nic fell off her bike on the way back as she decided to veer off into the hedge...!! (note from Nic - it was actually because Sup stopped dead in front of me to look at a dog across the road!!) We did have a good giggle about that!!
Puerto Viejo had a decent range of snack food and drinks, my favourite being the following: Mashed yucca plant stuffed with mince inside and fried in a thin layer of batter. I have also become a fan of meat sticks, Empanadas (meat or cheese wrapped in corn bread), Costa Rican pizza (which has about 10 times more cheese than pizzas in England!) and a drink called Heil made from sugar cane and ginger which as I have found is the perfect blend of ingredients.
The local nickname for the drink is the less tasty sounding 'Frog Water', due to the murky colour! These tasty treats are always accompanied by a bottle of piccante (hot sauce), as you know I love my hot sauce and have finished quite a few bottles along the way!
Cannabis was smoked openly in Puerto Viejo despite being illegal in the whole country. It did seem to be a way of life for many of the locals and I think it will always be for them.
We did get approached by a number of dealers who make a living selling to tourists. We were also approached by this fella... he was the biggest crab we have ever seen!
Next up on our itinerary was a town just North of Puerto Viejo called Cahuita.The National Park in the area was the main reason to visit and the amount of monkeys we saw just at the park entrance (as well as this crazy parrot
that spoke English, Spanish and a little Spanglish as well as having the most insane laugh) promised to be the start of good things to come.
Walking through the slim trail with the crashing coastline to the left and the jungle backdrop to our right, we found many secluded beaches and at times it felt like we were a million miles away from civilisation.
We saw this cheeky White Faced Capuchin monkey who almost succeeded in taking someone's food! People have been feeding the monkeys which over time has taught them some very bad habits and they have learnt not to fear humans, but rather to scam them in order to steal whatever they can in the way of food!....speaking of which...Racoons.
We did see a cute family of racoons and naively we put our lunch bag down on the floor to take a photo and within seconds it was gone! Now we had been walking for 8km and at the time we were actually looking for a place to eat lunch. I had built up quite an appetite and while Nic found it hilarious that racoons stole our food, it did take me a little while to see the funny side!
We were also lucky to spot a sloth hanging out in the tree....that is one animal which is well suited to the laid back vibe of the Caribbean coast!
Cahuita had a great bar and few little Sodas (family run restaurants, usually their home) although we did find that not all grocery stores were as welcoming to tourists as Puerto Viejo. More of an excuse to eat out!
However, the dogs did give us a big welcome and they were particularly attracted to Nic. She would give them a little affection and then they would follow us around all night (and she named them too!). Our very own pets abroad!
I'll leave you with one of my favourite photos. It has occurred to us that it would have been useful to take a short spanish course before we left, however, we are still attempting to speak spanish and it's the trying that counts, right?! My initial impression of Costa Rica was that it appeared to be an amazing country, it felt like one big adventure playground waiting to be explored. The hardest decision was where exactly to start, which i'm sure you will agree was definitely not a bad situation to be in.
written by  SupandNic on February 8, 2010 from San Jose, Costa Rica

Panamania!
Bocas del Toro, Panama
As we headed down the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, the close proximity of the archipelago of Bocas del Toro was far too tempting to resist. The series Prison Break had given us a brilliant preview of the beauty of Panama (!) and we were excited to be able to experience it first hand, especially as it completely contradicted our original vision of the country with its overgrown jungle and paradise beaches.
But first we had to survive the border. We headed on a coach from Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica to the border town of Sixaola and walked across the most rickety, anti-health and safety bridge, high over the river towards Guabito in Panama. Our giant bags did not make the journey any easier and there were people on the bridge following us with their hands out asking for money, which made it all the more difficult to manouvre.
At the border we were being hounded and barked at to get into an expensive minibus in order to get to the boat dock and by that time I had had enough. Grabbing hold of Sup, I barked back at the hustlers and marched across the border to find our own cheaper taxi, with success!
One taxi ride, a local bus ride and a few directions from some very helpful friendly locals later and we were on a water taxi heading to Bocas del Toro town, an exhilarating journey by speedboat with views of the Panamanian jungle and brilliant blue water, costing about a pound. As the boat pulled into the harbour we were met with sparkling light blue clear waters and an array of starfish, which was really special.
We arrived in Bocas town without any plans for accommodation and our search can only be described as a complete mission! Eventually, once the blazing sun had gone down, we settled on a hostel owned by 'crazy lady' - an insane old crone living in a mansion which proved to actually be a great place with a grand old kitchen and
veranda. Once we were settled in, we headed out to explore the town, admiring the central park, tourist shops and restaurants, as well as the impressive big black vultures, and then came home to make our own food and chill for the night. We checked out the next morning after finding better accommodation and then took another water taxi to a nearby island to explore.
Isla Caranero took our breath away. It was a stunning example of Caribbean paradise and on first glance looked like a deserted tropical island. We spent the day walking, (tentatively) exploring the jungle (until a rather large exotic spider
and suspicious dark swampland sent us back to the beach) and swimming, and in the late afternoon we were treated to an outrageous sunset and the view of pelicans on the water as we sat drinking Cokes in a waterside beach hut.
After playing around swinging in hammocks in huts by the harbour, we caught a water taxi home and went out to try some local food by the park. Delicious! One pretty serious thing did happen earlier in the day - I was picking up some shells by the water and heard an almighty crash and then looked up to see Sup's face
turn somewhat pale...2 coconuts had fallen from a very high palm tree, just centimetres in front of him. A coconut to the head from that height would not just hurt like hell, but would likely be fatal, so we thanked our guardian angels for the near miss and continued on our way.
Cockroaches and a small, unknown animal that had eaten half our bread drove us out of our hostel the next day and into a wonderful little place on the other side of the town with a fantastic view of the harbour. It was especially good for Sup as the lady who owned the hostel took a shine to him and gave him some of her lunch - fried plantains and pigs trotters! Mmmmm mmmmm!
We once again started our day with a water taxi trip, this time to Red Frog Beach, which we were promised was one of the best. As soon as we got to the beach, 2 cute little Panamanian boys came up to us and showed us a red frog they had captured in a leaf, which was great as I didnt think we would actually get to see one. We later spoke to a guy in a hostel who ruined our illusion by explaining that it was a trick the kids played on tourists to get money and the red frog was actually most likely a plastic toy...!! You have to hand it to them, they're true hustlers! After a relaxing day soaking up the sun and playing in the waves, we made our way back to Bocas town to sample more delicious local food by the park, after Sup had spent about an hour capturing photos of an awesome sunset.
The last day in Bocas was dedicated to continuing our blog, catching up on our correspondence and planning for future destinations. Sitting out on the deck in the sunshine overlooking the harbour made the job a pleasure and we managed to get lots done as well as enjoying the peace and tranquility, watching the boats sail by.
As it was our last night, we again went out for local food and explored the town for the last time before heading back over the border, but not before sticking 2 fingers up to a certain travel agent who said, and I quote, "Why on earth would you want to go to Panama? It's THE most dangerous place in the world"...."More dangerous than Afghanistan??"......"Yes." What a joke!
written by  SupandNic on February 15, 2010 from Bocas del Toro, Panama

Costa Rica Part 2 - Quepos, Montezuma & Tamarindo!
Quepos, Costa Rica
After the fabulous 5 day break in Panama, we were ready to return to Costa Rica to continue our jungle journey. Our first stop, after striding through the border bridge with a tad more confidence than before, was San Jose. Following a one night nondescript stopover in the city, we hopped on a bus to Quepos to experience life on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
The accommodation we found was great, complete with swimming pool and a number of extremely 'well' fed dogs. Unfortunately we had to stay in a dorm that night in order to secure the private room for the next night, so it was kind of like being 12 years old at some holiday camp, sleeping across from each other on the top bunk in a room full of people, but it was a giggle!
That night we went out into the little town and had the most fabulous homemade burgers and chips - they were delicious, best ever! We then chilled in the hostel, playing table football until late. As I went to brush my teeth in the communal bathroom in the dark, a 2 ton Rottweiler came charging at me & I very nearly ended up in the pool....! Luckily my 'dog whisperer' skills came in handy (that, or my rather loud shrieking!) and the dog got bored, or rather ran out of breath & collapsed in a pile on the floor instead!
The next day we moved to our new private room to escape the snoring drunks & then went out to Manuel Antonio National Park, a short bus journey from Quepos.
The beach we were dropped at was lovely and we entered the park in beaming sunshine to be greeted by huge lizards basking in the heat. We took a little hike round the park and found a spot with an incredible view of the ocean, absolutely stunning.
We climbed down to a rocky beach for more photo opportunities and then made our way to the main beach in the park to stop for lunch.
This time we had learned our lesson, and we ate our food very fast, with our eyes peeled for hairy little bandits, which were appearing everywhere in the form of naughty raccoons and cheeky little monkeys. While we were in the sea, a family from the US saved our bag from getting soaked when the tide came in which we were very grateful for.
We had a little chat with them and then as they weren't looking, a particularly brave white faced capuchin shot down from a tree & snatched their massive bag of crisps right out of the lady's hands!! The terrors strike again, the cheek of it! They also discovered later a load of crabs in their bags because the monkeys had pulled the zip open searching for more food - unbelievable!!
A blue footed booby bird was on the shoreline which I was very excited about - they are brilliant birds with their amazing blue feet, but we didn't take any photos as the poor little thing was really hurt with a savagely broken wing. Some people had gone off to get a ranger and one little girl sat with the bird talking to it, just like I used to do if there was an animal hurt, which was very sweet.
Further exploration of the park brought us to a clearing guarded by two crazy looking monkeys, who decided to let us pass, but had a seriously wild look in their eyes - it was a real reminder that we were in their territory. Once out of the park we were faced with the most brilliant sunset that lit up the whole sky as the sun sunk into the sea. It was incredible.
That night we couldn't resist the cheap, delicious homemade burgers and chips once more! We then chilled in a bar with a Coke to plan the rest of our travel in Costa Rica - a watertight itinerary of all the amazing things we wanted to make sure we didn't miss out on, before returning to the hostel to relax in the luxury of the private pool.
The next journey led us to Puntarenas to catch a ferry onwards to Montezuma. The ferry ride was wonderful in itself, but incredibly hot. As my see-through skin was still aclimatising, Captain Sup ordered me under the deck in the shade
to hide from the blazing rays!! Once in Montezuma, it took some time to find available accommodation but we finally found a beachside surf-shack style place and settled in.
Finding a cockroach in the first 5 minutes, we quickly changed rooms and after a thorough check of our new room, we were satisfied that there were no unwanted visitors and headed out to the town.
Some yummy toffee chocolate icecreams gave us some energy in the heat and after stumbling across the pools leading to a waterfall, we decided to go for a climb, complete with my handbag...u can take a girly girl travelling,
but you will never take her makeup, hair straighteners or handbag away!! As it was starting to get a bit dark, we decided to leave the best part til the next day when we could really enjoy it, so we went to have a drink and dinner.
Our hostel was having a Reggae beach party, so we bought baguettes and tortilla chips and had a picnic on the beach with some of our rum left over from New Years Eve, enjoying the music until we realised lots of tiny little crabs were running over us on the dark beach and we scuttled inside!
The next day we decided to have a change of scenery and switched to a different hostel. We then went to explore the waterfalls properly and we were certainly not disappointed. We climbed all the way and were greeted with an incredible, beautiful waterfall in a clearing. Sup had his lenses in, so it was up to me to man up to the challenge of jumping off the big rock into the waterfall pool below. And I did it! Twice I might add. I started with the smaller jump which was easy enough, but must admit for the higher jump it took about 10 minutes of mathematical workings out to decide whether I would be able to jump far enough out to land in the water rather than the rocks below. Of course, I was nowhere near and just being a big chicken!
We then both swam in the waterfall pool with a school of fish swimming around us. The water felt incredibly fresh and cool, completely different to the feeling of sea water.
Later that day we tried to make it to an animal sanctuary, but the bus left 45 minutes late and by the time we were dropped off, we were told there was only one bus coming back into the town in 5 minutes, otherwise we'd have to hitchhike home! Deciding against this option, we jumped straight on the next bus and went back, heading into town instead for a drink and dinner.
Our whirlwind tour continued the next day as we travelled once again by bus onwards to Tamarindo, known locally as 'Tamagringo' due to the touristy nature of the place. Refusing to be put off by what some felt did not represent the true Costa Rican life, we wanted to see for ourselves. We ended up in another surf-shack style place, but this one had charm, and hammock chairs to chill in, so we were happy.
We made dinner in the hostel that night, then headed to the beach the next day, having lunch in the roasting sunshine and playing in the waves with the gorgeous Pelicans and Terns divebombing in the water for fish.
We were again blessed with a luscious sunset before we left for the day. Unfortunately once we got home, the full extent of the powerful sun became painfully obvious as my face puffed out like a blowfish and my skin turned boiling lobster red.....! The rest of the night involved an immense amount of aftersun to soothe my burning flesh.
We returned to the beach the following day, but I was relegated to the shade for the day - Sup found a lovely spot under a tree where he could enjoy the sun with his superior skin and I could hide sheepishly in the shadows..! We both loved the beach and were surprised by the fact that we pretty much had the whole stretch to ourselves. Tamarindo may not have a National Park and the town is certainly designed for tourists, but we really liked it and were glad we had experienced another side of the country.
The next day, we took a local bus to Liberia, stopping to have a cheeky McDonalds before catching the Tica bus to cross the border to our 5th country of our trip so far...Nicaragua!
written by  SupandNic on February 27, 2010 from Quepos, Costa Rica

Nicaragua!!
Granada, Nicaragua
From Liberia in Costa Rica to Granada in Nicaragua – it's not actually that far in distance but as we were to find out they do like to take their time at the border crossing point. Nicaragua is a very poor country especially when compared with Costa Rica. There is political tension between the 2 countries and things don't look like they will improve too soon. Nicaraguan immigrants are sneaking into Costa Rica for the chance of a better quality of life, and just the same as the immigration issues occurring in England, tensions begin to rise. Getting our passports back from border control was quite amusing. The guy stood on a barrel with a pile of passports and begun shouting out people's names and then throwing them to us in the crowd!
We arrived into Granada in the late evening, and jumped in a taxi heading straight for our hostel. It was an upgrade from the last few we had been staying in Costa Rica, with a swimming pool, hammock strung chill out area and a lush tropical plant garden. As we were soon to find out costs in Nicaragua were roughly half that of Costa Rica... nice! Granada is a beautifully restored colonial town, from the grand Cathedrals to the brightly coloured humble homes and I can't forget the fine plaza (Parque Central).
Our first activity on our itinerary was to visit Volcano Mombachu, and en route to the bus station we stopped off to visit the local markets which were full of fresh fruit and food that was cheap to produce, usually rice or flour based.
We saw a number of women carrying all their goods on their head... super strong muscles! This little guy also approached us and swung out a machete from behind his back. We froze and tried to figure out if the cheeky little fella was attempting to rob us in broad day light before realising what he actually wanted was his picture taken.
The young hustler kids had a good sense of humour and we were soon approached by another who was trying to sell me a shoe shine... we both began laughing because as he knew full well I was wearing flip flops! (I gave in and purchased some in Costa Rica. This was a big move for me as many of you know my dislike of these foot thongs). All jokes aside though they were children not privileged enough to go to school. Instead they were forced to hustle and make a living any way they could. It does remind us how lucky we are.
After finding the bus station we took a rickety bus heading in the direction of the volcano. The public bus was actually an old American school bus painted with flames down the side, I think it is the Nicaraguan equivalent of nitrous :-) The driver can't have been older than 15 as well! We arrived at the volcano entrance and we met a great San Diego couple. We had to take another rickety truck up to the information centre from where you can take a number of hiking trails. We stopped off at a coffee farm on the way up and Nic had a little taster.
Volcano soil is apparently really good for growing coffee plants. We took the trail that gave us views of Granada, Managua (the capital), Lago de Nicaragua, Laguna de Apoyo and Las Isletas.
As it was an active volcano we saw some fumaroles as well - small hot steaming openings in the ground. Mombachu is an active volcano although the last major activity was recorded in 1570. We also saw this butterfly and I was chuffed to get close enough to capture this photo.
The photo below shows the views from the top of Mombachu. The town on the left is Granada and the little islands on the right are Las Isletas. There 350 islands were formed when Mombachu erupted 10,000 years ago. Many of them are now inhabited by traditional fishing families and more recently the super wealthy.
On our second day we went to visit Laguna de Apoyo along with some friends we had met at the hostel. The Apoyo crater lake was created when a volcano imploded many years ago.
The smell of sulphur as we approached was very strong. The Laguna supposedly has the lowest point in Central America. Nic and I took out some canoes and paddled to the other side which was MUCH further than we initially thought. We did well getting to the other side but then realised we had to paddle back!
The views from the middle of the Laguna were immense. We were surrounded 360 degrees by a vast crater wall consisting of dry tropical rainforest. Arriving back we thought some relaxation time was in order so we went and lazed in some big inflatable tubes.
That evening after playing cards and drinking games we all went into town. There was a good atmosphere in the air, and lots of people were about having come back from watching the final big baseball game of the season. Nic and I were gutted as we would have gone to see it if we had found out about it sooner. There was a live latino band and people dancing in the street in and around all the bars. It definitely had that latino vibe that I always imagined the place to have. We had a great night!
Early start the next day - we were off to visit Leon and Cerro Negro in northwestern Nicaragua which happens to be the most volcanic region in Central America. Leon (once Nicaragua's capital) was a beautiful place and we spent the morning walking around the town appreciating the sights. We made our way to visit the Cathedral... the oldest and largest Cathedral in Central America. We went off to explore. The decorations were very lavish as we expected and there was a lot of gold! The Cathedral symbolises hope for thousands of Nicaraguan people.
We walked around the whole Cathedral taking photos along the way of the intricate detail. We were both very impressed! Construction of the Cathedral began in 1747 and took over 100 years to complete.
The views from the top of the Cathedral were amazing. We could see all of Leon with the faint outline of volcanoes on the horizon.
Cerro Negro was next up - Nicaragua's most active volcano! We were first introduced to some of the local creatures. Nic was brave enough to have this photo taken. Cerro Negro (meaning black hill - which I think is a well suited name!) appeared in 1850 making it the newest volcano in Central America. It has erupted over 20 times since then and last erupted in 1999. Our guide kindly pointed out that they were expecting an eruption any time soon! So naturally we began our climb to the top, stopping along the way to take some awesome photos. Below is one of my favourite photos - the contrast of the colours makes it a little eerie.
We saw a number of fumaroles at the top and the rocks were pretty hot (which I found out when I lost my footing when I landed this jump, cutting my leg, arm and body. Our tour guide asked who wanted to jump into the crater to get a wicked photo, no-one was putting themselves forward so I stepped up to the challenge).
Nic and I boarded down the volcano at the same time, I was in the lead until about half way down. I was shouting over banter at Nic calling her sloooooooow, when I started to have technical difficulties... I stopped still.
I have no idea how this happened. Can you believe that? It's not like it was a little mound, it was a 720m high bloody volcano with a 45 degree incline! That defies the laws of physics. Nic found this hilarious and when I finally made it to the bottom she was rolling round the ground in stitches! It was an amazing experience nonetheless and something I won't be forgetting in a hurry. Below is the view from the bottom of the volcano looking up.
That evening we took a horse drawn carriage ride around Granada taking photos of all the great views along the way. Although in some areas there was quite a bit of litter and it appeared to be the locals throwing litter not tourists as we originally thought.
We stopped off afterwards to sample some local food in the main plaza. We tried the local dish of yucca plant,
mixed salad and deep fried pork rind, topped off with a generous helping of hot sauce and served in a banana leaf. We also tried a very bitter type of mango served with salt and chilli sauce. Nic's face explains it all! We didn't end up finishing all of it as it was just too bitter! The locals were pretty hardcore though, they were walking round munching it all day.
Below is a photo of one of the streets near our hostel with Volcano Mombachu in the background.
We thought Nicaragua was an awesome place. Our time there seemed to fly by (again!) and I felt that we only briefly touched the country, but from what we saw we thought it was beautiful. I am also now a big fan of volcanoes, they are so impressive (and some a little confusing!). Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to visit Isla de Ometepe which is an isalnd formed by two volcanoes rising out of a lake... there was just so much to see! The country exceeded our expectations. We were so glad it had that Central American vibe that we had pictured in our minds. It had more of a gritty feel to it, not a dangerous feel just a little bit of an edge and we liked that a lot. Nicaragua you and me have become good friends and to say goodbye is going to be a little emotional.
written by  SupandNic on March 23, 2010 from Granada, Nicaragua

Monteverde, La Fortuna & Tortuguero!!
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
We made our way back over the boarder for our final section of Costa Rica. As we had learnt bus timetables are few and far between in Costa Rica so we went for the lucky option and just hoped for the best! It all worked out fine and with 3 easy bus transfers we made it to Monteverde early evening. We were treated to some fantastic scenery along the way and the views were looking very picturesque indeed.
As we had been so busy in Nicaragua we decided to recuperate for a day and slowed down our pace... not for too long though as there were adventures to be had! First up on our list was a hanging bridges tour, delving into the world of Indiana Jones. I booked us on a tour for the following day. It was a great experience being so high up in the cloud forest. I also had a little fun wobbling the bridges and watching Nic grasp on for dear life (I know i'm mean!)! It was difficult to appreciate how high we were because when looking down we could only see the cloud forest canopy.
Later that afternoon we booked ourselves on to a canopy tour. I was very excited and had been waiting a long time for the experience. A canopy tour is a series of zip wires that let you fly through the rainforest reaching speeds up to 40mph!
There was a choice of tours so naturally I picked us the highest, fastest and adrenaline inducing one I could find.
We started off on a selection of short but speedy cables which progressed on to longer ones throughout the tour. One girl in our group gave up after her first cable – she did look in a bad way.
Nic got stuck in the middle on one of the cables and had to be rescued by the guide! We also experienced a rapel and tarzan swing which were a little nerve racking but damn good fun!
I also have Nic's terror screams caught on camcorder which are well worth viewing when we return! The final cable was the one I had been waiting for … 'The Superman'! This was a 1km cable with a difference...
the harness was attached to our back so we were facing the ground flying through the air! How good is that?! The further along the line we went the lower the valley beneath us became and the views were spectacular.
Having completed our Monteverde missions we began our 8 hour journey to La Fortuna. It wasn't actually that far in terms of birds eye distance, however there are about 7 rivers in between the 2 towns. We went to La Fortuna to visit one of the country's most famous attractions... Volcan Arenal. It was a little surreal to see the volcano from where ever we were in town and we captured some great photos. We weren't lucky enough to see a glimpse of the lava as it was very cloudy for the majority of our stay.
The following day we took a visit to Baldi Hot Springs which was a resort situated on the base of Arenal. What a way to relax! There were a number of hot and cool springs (some as hot as 68 degrees!).
In the evening we were treated to a 5 course buffet dinner which we took full advantage of! Below you can see a photo of Nic before and after the buffet! We enjoyed it so much we were there from midday to 10pm, and the whole day only cost us £12 each!
The final day we spent exploring. We stumbled across this lush stream. On our travels Nic found yet another little friend! This one she suitably named 'Boo', short for Boomerang. Boo was indeed a friend for life and she followed us everywhere. She even waited for us outside when we went in to the supermarket!
Our final stop in Costa Rica was Tortuguero, we needed to catch an early bus from the city centre so we spent a night in San Jose. Tortuguero is a little village on the north Caribbean Coast. It was a magical place, you could only get there by boat or plane and there were no cars in the village which added to the tranquil vibe. You had to make a real effort to get there, it wasn't a place you just stumbled across like some of the other places we had visited, and I liked that. It had a certain charm.
From San Jose we had to catch 2 buses and a boat. The boat journey was about an hour long and we lucky enough to have a tour guide on board who was travelling back to the village so he was kindly pointing out all the wildlife, some of which were camouflaged very well although he made spotting them seem much easier than it actually was. We saw crocodiles basking in the sun, caimans, turtles, jesus christ lizard (a little lizard which runs on water.. what a legend!)
We checked in to a cheap place and went off to explore. We found a sweet little hostel on the coast and decided to check in there the following day both agreeing that the place we were in was a bit of a hole. It was so nice to have the wild crashing Caribbean Coast on one side of the village and then have the calm waters of the river less than a 5 minute walk on the other side of the village. We spent each evening watching the sunset over the river, it was so peaceful. Just as the sun went down these crazy big frogs would appear and start jumping all over the place, they were huge! Walking through the town we found a local restaurant serving a Nicaraguan barbeque and we couldn't refuse... spicy chicken, fried plantain, yucca and salad!
After a few chilled out days we signed up for paddle boat tour of Toruguero National Park. It required a 5am start to get out on the river in time for the waking wildlife,
so it was early to bed for us! We had a great guide who was able to spot so many animals, we were spoilt with choice.
We were lucky enough to see a red frog and it was real this time unlike the one we were shown in Panama! He also taught us about some of the drug problems Costa Rica is facing involving the Mexican and Columbian gangs.
The drug cartels want to use the country as a shipping route to transport cocaine up from South America, through Central America and into North America. Fisherman in the port town of Limon on the Caribbean Coast have now turned their attention to Cocaine. Many of the locals are aware of the drug problems, and it seems some have seen the money they can make from fishing for drug packages that have been deposited in the sea for later collection by other cartel members. He was a fascinating guy with a wealth of knowledge.
Later that afternoon we went on a hike along the local trail. Not long after setting off we came across Mr Evil. You can't really capture the size of him in the photo but he was approximtaely the size of my hand.
After grabbing a bite to eat we took a walk down by the coast and then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammocks. Nic fed her little friend 'Crabby' who had kindly introduced himself on our first night. We spent the evening playing card games with Kingsley, a top guy we had previously met a few nights before from San Fran. Of course I won every game... although he might say different! We stayed up chatting until the early hours. It was a great night.
Stocking up with supplies for the journey back we came across this cat in the store! It kind of symbolises the whole Tortuguero vibe. He was relaxed. On our boat journey back to reality we spotted a Toucan which was an awesome animal to end our wildlife sight seeing on.
Costa Rica was amazing. We were so happy to start and end our trip on the Caribbean Coast as they happened to be our favourite places. Tortuguero was the one! Costa Rica was so much fun and I feel a great sense of achievement knowing we have travelled the country from corner to corner, seeing so much along the way and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone at times. I will miss the country but at the same I am ready to move on. This was no time to get sentimental anyhow, as Mexico was on the horizon... would we make it through alive?...
written by  SupandNic on May 18, 2010 from Tortuguero, Costa Rica

Me-hee-co!!
Mexico, Mexico
Our trip to Mexico was surprising in many different ways. We both seemed to have an idea in our heads of Mexico that seems closer to a 1920s Western than to the modern day reality. Sombreros only existed in souvenir shops, tacos were strangely hard to find among the fast food joints, and far from the un-PC picture we are often painted in the UK of gun slinging bandits, the people of Mexico were on the whole absolutely lovely, helpful & fun! The sheer size of the city really blew us away at first sight as we flew over at night to a spectacular show of lights that would make Las Vegas look dull...no picture through an aeroplane window could capture the immense expanse of land glittering with starry lights and it was a sight we will never forget.
Mexico City was beautiful and we enjoyed a 5 day explosion of culture and most importantly of all....FOOD!! The Tacos, once we had tracked them down,
were amazing and the free food at our hostel gave us a chance to sample some of the local Mexican delights, which made a certain young man very happy indeed...! A trip to the local food markets turned into a major taste testing of 3 different stalls selling super hot Tacos, and Sup was in his element - I, however, tried desperately to keep up while tears were streaming down my face from the heat and all the locals were laughing at me!
Every day the newspapers splashed horrifying pictures of slain gang members and the effects of the drug wars going on in the North of the country, but in the Centro Historico in Mexico City we felt very far from this reality. (although the occasional gun shop did remind us at times of a more sinister side.)
It really was one of the most beautiful cities we have been to. We spent time in the Zocalo where dancers, artists and musicians entertained us in the artisan's market - people with fantastic talents that really seemed to capture the energetic, colourful and lively Mexican vibe.
During the day we delved into the rich culture and experienced the iconic Palacio Nacional with the beautiful murals of Diego Rivera painted on the walls depicting images of Mexico through the ages, the dramatic Cathedral (which if you look closely is sinking into the ground!) and the impressive Aztec ruins along with the Templo Mayor museum filled with weird and wonderful ancient artifacts.
Next stop on our tour was Veracruz - a modest little town in itself, but thanks to some wonderful timing, we arrived right in the middle of the Carnival which made our stay unforgettable. We found the perfect little place to stay right opposite the main street procession and happily chugged down cans of
Tequila & Lime mix while dancing to the raucous music and watching the extravagant floats go by, pulled by tractors and laden with dancing girls. We even joined in with a little face painting and fun to make sure we fitted right into the Mexican spirit of celebration - Arrrriba!!! We also spent a fantastic and romantic Valentines Day walking through the pretty little town, eating lunch by the harbour and we even found time to climb a fort!
Once the Tequila had worn off it was time to continue our journey by bus onto Campeche, a pretty, breezy little place on the Gulf Coast. For a quiet, sweet little town, it had a big explosive past revealed by the considerable forts and huge walls remaining from defence against pirate invasions.
We enjoyed walking down the streets lined with colourful houses and watching the sun set over the choppy coastal water, and just generally had a chilled out time in the sun.
Merida was next, the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula. We enjoyed our nights in the zocalo, or main square, eating meaty Tostadas with the locals and searching for yet more Tacos in the markets.
The days were spent exploring a local art and history museum, and then taking a tour to learn all about the Mayan and Toltec people at Chichen Itza - a sight that you will see speaks for itself and should definitely be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Spectacular! During the same tour we were treated to a sightseeing bonus - a beautiful natural cenote, or well. As this was unexpected we did not have our swimming clothes with us or we would have gladly dived right in to cool off from the scorching heat!
With such a rich overdose of culture and history, our next stop seemed the perfect antidote - the infamous Cancun, which in fact was not quite the place we were expecting. Something seemed to be missing - the authentic Mexican vibe was gone and replaced with young American tourists and tacky souvenirs. The high rise hotels overshadowing the beach really changed the landscape and reminded us of how beautiful the Costa Rican natural beaches had been. But we certainly enjoyed our time on the beach and exploring the tourist friendly town. The cat in our hostel also provided some excellent entertainment as he seemed to have hit the Tequila too hard that night...!!
Playa del Carmen was similar to Cancun but with a nicer vibe and a Walmart that allowed us to eat like Kings! The town itself was far more appealing than Cancun and the beach was great. Unfortunately Sup was experiencing a lot of eye pain at this time, so we took it easy and started planning for what we needed to do to sort out the situation. The rain in Mexico was also surprising - and they say England is bad!
Tulum was the last stop on our trip to Mexico - we decided that we would fly early to LA in order for Sup to get the medical treatment he badly needed for his poorly eyes. Lucky for us, Tulum turned out to be a beautiful place to end our Mexican experience, and a near perfect beach with waters so blue it was impossible to do them justice with the limitations of our camera.
Our hostel provided bikes for free to rent so we cycled every day to the beach nearby and chilled in the sun. Sup was feeling a little under the weather one day so I went exploring, finding some performers in a square with some impressive moves. I came back to find that Sup was the one this time who had made a little friend... there was a little cat fast asleep on his lap!
Our adventures in Mexico were fantastic, and although not what we expected at times, it was full of surprises and wonderful experiences. LA was up next, a land full of promise and, after a 2 1/2 month battle with Central American Spanish, a welcome return to the English language!!
written by  SupandNic on May 23, 2010 from Mexico, Mexico

LA LA land & Hollywood - the land of dreams!
Los Angeles, United States
For all Romeo and Juliet fans, (the real Leo DiCaprio film version guys, not that soppy Shakespeare stuff!!), Venice Beach was our first stop after landing down at LAX, sunglasses on & acting like celebrities before we walked out the doors! I was in trouble immediately for the catastrophic mistake of forgetting that I had an orange in my bag from Mexico, but after batting my eyelids and 'feigning' ignorance, which believe me isn't too difficult, we escaped without a fine - hooray!
Sorting Sup's eye treatment out took some time so we spent 5 days in Venice inbetween appointments, visiting Muscle Beach for a giggle on the monkey rings, walking down to Santa Monica Boulevard and celebrity spotting on Santa Monica Pier. I was pretty excited to be back in the USA and Maroon 5 were having a photo shoot at the end of the pier which was pretty cool!
We then found out that we would need to stay in the area for about 2-3 months in order to be successful with Sup's eye treatment. This was a big worry initially in terms of finances, but our decision soon turned our 3 days planned travel in Los Angeles to a wonderful and unforgettable 2 months of adventures.
We had also discovered the world's most amazing dessert - a Diddy Riese double chocolate cookie peanut butter icecream sandwich so we weren't going anywhere - a spectacular $1.50 treat that ruined my figure and was totally worth it! Sup then decided that he hated Venice Beach and it was "the worst place he'd been in the world"(!) Downtown LA held the same kind of feeling for me, although I had to agree that Venice Beach and its faux hippy slash homeless 'vibe' wasn't our kind of place, and there was a certain famous ceremony starting in just a couple of days, so we searched and found the perfect opportunity - to stay and work in a hostel in Hollywood, right by the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, within sight of the Hollywood sign. 24 hours a week of work in exchange for free accommodation, pancake and maple syrup breakfast, laundry and BBQs - USA hostels changed our travels!
Although travelling itself has been an incredible dream and a journey that seems too good to be true, Hollywood was a place that surpassed all feelings of reality and threw us into the realm of the surreal.
Having the Oscars on our doorstep at the Kodak Theatre, along with the film premieres of The Losers and Nightmare on Elm Street at the Chinese Theatre and Iron Man 2 at El Capitan,was amazing and gave us our best ever celebrity sighting - the man himself Samuel L Jackson, who turned and personally gave us the biggest grin which left us gobsmacked and lost for words! Sup also had the pleasure of meeting the infamous Ron Jeremy and walking along Sunset Boulevard one night we met Paul, the hitman from Prison Break, who was such a nice down to earth kind of guy - a great sighting considering we were both obsessed with the series back in the UK!
Aside from the celebrities, we met some awesome people while working at the hostel and had some fabulous and glamorous nights out, including a real American house party complete with a rock band set up in the backyard and a Police shutdown due to the noise!
We also went to a US club for a dubstep night, watched friends performing live on stage, experienced some funny and some cringeworthy moments at the hostel
comedy nights and went on a Limo ride around the city with free champagne and vodka - ahhhh, the LA lifestyle! Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park was a real highlight of the trip and together with friends from the hostel we braved about 11 of the scariest, fastest, tallest rides of our lives - an exhilarating day!
On a more laidback note, there was a beautiful canyon just 15 minutes walk away from our house and we enjoyed a long walk around it, with incredible views of the city from up high. I also took an outside Yoga class at the canyon which was a fantastic experience in the California sunshine. No trip to LA would be complete without looking at some really rich people's homes and walking down a street where you can't even afford to window shop, so we took the Beverly Hills , Bel Air and Rodeo Drive tour which was a lot of fun - taking a rickety bus to a multi million dollar mansion was pretty surreal and trying to find a bus stop between Gucci and Armani is pretty demeaning - the Bugatti would have been a much nicer ride!
At first sight Hollywood is a strange place, nothing like what you would expect, with a lot of homelessness and more tack than Cancun. It's a place where people come to dream, some make it, loads don't, but once you see past its flaws and facade you realise that it is essentially a city filled with hope, never giving up on the dream and this is one of the reasons I fell a little bit in love with it's childlike optimistic charm.
And just when we thought things were as crazy as they could get in our little Hollywood bubble, we came across an amazing plan that would give us one of the best experiences to date... watch this space..!!!
written by  SupandNic on May 24, 2010 from Los Angeles, United States

Hollyweird Boulevard!
Los Angeles, United States
So there we were, in Hollywood working for free accommodation and living it up while continuing with Sup's eye treatment and we started to wonder if there was anything we could do to subsidise the rest of our stay to prevent the cost of living & medical bills eating in to our funds...
Every day we would pass by Grauman's Chinese Theatre and see the hustlers dressed up as film characters having pictures taken with the tourists on Hollywood Boulevard. We assumed that they were hired by someone but then Zorro himself came and stayed in our hostel and after a while myself and our friend Carina got talking to him and discovered to the contrary. As long as you had a decent costume and followed the unwritten rules of the street, it was fair game. We got so excited and started planning immediately, half expecting to not go through with it, and we had a fantastic day window shopping in Hollywood, trying on wigs and planning characters like Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit and Playboy Bunnies. That night I told Sup our hilarious plan, and while I expected him to think I was crazy, instead he was delighted and set about planning his own character – we were in business!
A lot of research and strategic planning later and our ideas were sorted – Carina was to be Alice in Wonderland (although she later changed to Supergirl and enjoyed far more success), Sup was to be the brooding X-Men superhero Wolverine, and myself – the cheeky Disney favourite Tinkerbell!
Our costumes cost about $200 each to put together, approximately £150. Sup ordered the best Wolverine costume on the market with amazing realistic claws and paid for express delivery. It was definitely worth the money as he had people coming up to him all the time concerned about whether the claws were made from real metal and were dangerous! I looked all over and decided that the best Tinkerbell outfit would have to be made to order. In true Hollywood style I approached the owner of an exotic dancer shop and had him make me the most dazzling green sparkling fairy dress, complete with Tinkerbell zigzag hem, The wings, wig and wand were from an upmarket Hollywood fancy dress shop and I cut a fringe into the wig to look more like Disney's naughty little pixie. The shoes were more Blue Peter unfortunately – little slippers from a TK Maxx type shop with sponges glued on as pompoms!!
The first day on the job was overwhelming and exciting. I went out on my own as I was ready but Sup's costume was due the next day. I came back with tips spilling out of my purse. It was a great start! When Sup joined me, for a while we stayed out of each other's way, assuming that we were in direct competition for each other's 'targets', although we later learned that we earned far much more working together, with families coming to us for their sons to have photos with Wolverine and daughters with Tinkerbell. We were a rock solid, if a little unconventional, team!
The month we worked on Hollywood Boulevard was a surreal whirlwind of madness and I will forever look back on it as one of the most amazing times of my life. From 9am to 5pm we were hustling on the Walk of Fame, then we would dash back to our flat, count our tips, change in a micro second and run to the hostel to work our shifts there – Sup would do 6-12 most
days working as the host and I would do housekeeping til 10, then make dinner. Three times a week we ate the hostel BBQ so our diet was pretty poor, but our morning bananas without fail kept our guts from completely rotting from fast food overload. We often rewarded ourselves during a busy day at our favourite shopping place Fresh & Easy with our best ice cream ever - toffee crème Haagen Dazs, and we were there every day buying water on our breaks and sampling the free tasters of food.
It's hard to explain what an incredible experience it was to have children shouting our names across the street and to watch them scream and jump in the air when we turned and waved. Sup had grown men, some with gang tattoos, walk past and high five him telling him he's their hero, and several women ran excitedly over to me, one whispering in my ear she had a tattoo of me on her butt.....!! Of course there were some rude people, but far less than I expected, and I even got a proposition from a guy who said he had a room at the Roosevelt and we could 'make some things happen'...Hmmm, tempting but no! Unbelievable! The answer I gave him – 'sorry, I'm with Wolverine' was almost as absurd as the words that came out of his arrogant mouth!
There was a certain learning curve with the job and after a while we learned that 'snipers' were our enemies – people who sneakily snapped photos of us without paying tips. We spent a lot of the day avoiding people who would craftily walk near us so that their partner or friend could take a photo when we weren't looking. There were also tour operators who hated our guts, quite possibly because we had more business than they did, and were incredibly rude to us. The biggest joke of all was a certain arachnid comic book character working the boulevard who referred to us all as 'f*@#ing beggars', although what he was doing that was so different from us was beyond me! It was later we discovered that certain characters had alcohol or substance misuse problems, and some were even homeless, and we started to see a very different side to the Boulevard.
We talked to many of the other characters, and had some great laughs with cheeky Guatemalan Nacho Libre, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Sponge Bob, the Joker, Minnie Mouse (who was a guy!), Shrek, Goofy, the Predator, Freddie Kruegar, Mario and Luigi, Catwoman, Wonderwoman, Arial, Cinderella, Bugs Bunny, Michael Jackson (there were about 5 of them),
Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Superman and Elvis. The guy dressed as Bumblebee from Transformers reportedly spent $2000 on the impressive costume and it was totally worth it. Every weekend half way through the day he would suddenly appear, a tall guy in a giant machine suit, making a big entrance by striding down the road alongside all the cars, and all the other characters would scuttle away to another place as crowds of people gathered to take photos with him.
Sup's favourites were Mexican Scooby Doo, a lovely sweet guy, Bruce Lee – a film student and martial arts expert, and Mr Incredible from Turkey, who taught us some valuable tricks of the trade.
Rumours about all the characters spread around like we were in the school playground and it was actually fascinating to learn about the lives of these people – some who had been doing the job for over a decade. There were some aspiring actors, some students, a composer, up and coming movie producers, and then there were some people at a very low point in their lives, often aggressive, confrontational and unpredictable, scary men you wouldn't willingly let your children anywhere near, dressed in a full disguise so that parents were delighted to have their kids hug them for a photo.
There were times that I had never been colder in my life and times when Sup was so hot he could hardly bear it. The job could make you feel on top of the world one minute, and then a bad day could make you feel like you'd hit rock bottom. It was an emotional rollercoaster for many different reasons, but it was the chance of a lifetime, it saved us financially and on a more personal level, it fulfilled my 10 year old self's dream of being famous, if only for a little while. Being adored every day was magical and the sense of achievement we both got from the experience was priceless. A true Hollywood story!
written by  SupandNic on May 25, 2010 from Los Angeles, United States

Frisco!!
San Francisco, United States
Our Hollywood time was over we were back on the road travelling. The hostel chain we were working for in Hollywood gave us 2 nights accommodation free at their other hostels across America.
We were first able to take advantage of this in San Francisco. Having not had a curry in some time, I was having withdrawal symptoms. These pains needed to be cured so off we went in search of the local curry house. We found one not far from the hostel and the food hit the spot. It didn't compare to a curry house in England but the food was good nonetheless.
San Francisco city was an instant winner with us both. We spent some time shopping in the downtown area and after agreeing we were both in need of some new trainers we went on the hunt. Nic fell in love with a pair of Adidas trainers that had wings (gangsta!) although they were a bit pricey. As we had been unable to make it to a Lakers game in 'hometown' LA we thought we would show our support in another way...
There were some strange people in San Francisco and I think the photo below justifies my comment... He didn't appear to be standing on his head for any particular reason (not even for money) and no one seemed phased by him except for us. As long as he was having a good time it's all good.
San Francisco had been a city we were both very much looking forward to, our initial attraction of course being Alcatraz! Our visit to Alcatraz via the iconic San Francisco tram and ferry was awesome and very informative. Alcatraz operated between 1934 and 1963 housing notorious criminals. It was interesting to learn that the area is now home to rare plants,
marine wildlife and sea birds. This was the second residency we had visited of Al Capone's (the first being the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia) so by now we were getting to know him a little better! We took an audio tour around the prison learning about the different sections, the living conditions, the high profile convicts, the running of the prison and the best bit... the escapes and the attempted escapes.
There were some great views of San Francisco city and you can imagine the torture the prisoners experienced on a daily basis. They could see the city (and even hear the city) but that normal everyday life was just out of reach.
That afternoon we took a stroll along the waterfront visiting Pier 33, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. This was supposedly a great place to see sea lions although we were very unlucky as we didn't see even one. We had also heard of Lombard Street – its claim to fame being that it is the most windiest road in San Francisco!
Our final sight seeing for the day was to be Golden Gate Bridge. On completion in 1937 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world so of course we took this as a challenge to walk it. We stopped along the bridge appreciating the beautiful views of the city and of Alcatraz.
Nic challengened me to a bridge lifting contest and put me to shame! It was a lovely evening and we decided to walk back to the city along the coast.
On our journey back we were lucky enough to witness an awesome sunset and the bridge certainly lived up to its name. At the harbour we also had a friendly sea lion come up and say hello – he had clearly felt our disappointment earlier in the day.
San Francisco was a great city, it was on par with New York. It seemed like an easy place to live, not just to visit. It was also much more down to earth than Hollywood (obviously!) and we both enjoyed being back in normality. That was not to last for long though, on to Las Vegas!
written by  SupandNic on May 26, 2010 from San Francisco, United States

Viva Las Vegas!!
Las Vegas, United States
What a crazy place!
Our flight was a little delayed so we arrived in Vegas later than we would have liked. After checking into Circus Circus we went to drop off our luggage in our room, getting lost along the way (It's easily the biggest hotel we've ever stayed at - it has 3,770 rooms!). The hotel has its own restaurants, shops, circus and even a theme park, oh and of course the casinos! The hotel was offering a promotion during the period we were staying so it was cheaper than staying in a hostel. Feeling tired from the travelling we decided to take a risky power nap. Game over. We woke up the next day!
In need of some new clothes we spent the next day visiting some of the outlet stores and a successful day that was indeed! We did get some great bargains. I ended up sending a few things back to England. With the low prices it would have been rude not to.
Having fallen asleep the night before we were up for a large one that evening! We went to check out the casino in our hotel. Neither of us are big time gamblers so we eased ourselves in gently on the 1 cent slot machines (big risk takers!).
Now the real fun began – all drinks are complimentary when you are gambling in the casinos! After consuming numerous cocktails and winning a whole whopping 3 bucks we decided to check out some of the other casinos on the strip.
We eventually stopped off at Treasure Island (the casinos are much further away than they appear) and continued with our tipsy antics. It was a great night, we both had a lot of fun and as a result ended up returning home at 8:30am!
We had planned to fit in quite a few things the following day so set the alarm for an optimistic 11:30 am.... we woke up at 4:30pm! Feeling a little worse for wear we were in need of some food, I had previously seen a sign for an all you can eat steak dinner
and we both agreed that would hit the spot. They went down a treat! Nic managed 2 and I had a full 3... good times! After we took a walk down the strip, stopping to check out the other big hotels and casinos. New York New York was very impressive, as was Paris, but the Bellaggio stole the show. We spent some time walking around the casinos checking out the high rollers. There were some seriously rich people in there laying down some big money.
On our final night in Vegas we planned to go and see one of the famous shows. We were toying between Blue Man Group and Cirque De Soleil's Mystere and decided to roll with Mystere (agreeing that we would see Blue Man Group on our return to England). It was a great show with a mixture of acrobatic stunts and live percussion.
We had always wanted to see a Cirque De Soleil show and this lived up to all expectations. The performers had some serious strength and made all the acts look so easy. Understandably we were not allowed to take any photos during the show but Nic did sneak one in just as the show finished.
Our whirlwind tour of the west coast was to continue. Las Vegas was awesome/crazy/surreal... a party playground for adults. We definitely made the most of our time there – what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas ;-) We were now in need of some chilled vibes... onto to San Diego.
written by  SupandNic on May 27, 2010 from Las Vegas, United States

Sandy Aygo
San Diego, United States
Our trip to San Diego was a wonderfully chilled alternative to the hectic Las Vegas lifestyle. We hopped on a plane from Vegas in order to save time and arrived in the city with plenty of time to explore our surroundings.
The Gaslamp District where we were staying was a trendy area, with loads of nice restaurants, shops and bars, and had a very lively atmosphere after dark with a Londonesque feel. We spent some time shopping and admiring the city before catching up on some grocery shopping to save some money and get some healthy food down us after the countless burgers of the last few months. We also went to pick some flash cars with our Vegas winnings. ;-)
Much of the evening after our pasta dinner was then spent catching up on our blog, sitting on lazy leather sofas at the top of the stairs in the hostel and chatting intermittently with various guests as they passed by.
We woke up early for a pancake and maple syrup breakfast then headed out to Balboa Park, the USA’s largest urban cultural park. We started to eat our picnic lunch, and then got bombarded by over-tame squirrels much to my amusement. Sup, however, was still suffering from post traumatic stress due to the Racoon mugging incident in Costa Rica, so we made a hasty retreat to a different part of the park free from rodent robbers so that we could eat our food in peace…!!
We walked a fair way around the park, admiring the numerous museums, fountains and landscape, and then headed back for pizza.
On our final day in San Diego we decided to be productive and spent a considerable amount of time in the local internet café transferring our photos onto CDs to send home. After this, and sorting out the Amtrak train, we decided to get the bus to Pacific Beach. The weather wasn’t great and turned the skyline
quite grey, but it was a nice little place with a cool boardwalk lined with presumably rented apartments. Many surfers were braving the freezing cold waves and we watched them and the fishermen practice their skills for a bit before heading back home.
San Diego was a great way to end our mini tour of the west coast and gave us a chance to catch up on things that had been neglected. From San Diego Sup went back to Hollywood to chill and meet with friends and I caught the plane to London for a 4 day return home as a surprise for my sister Anna’s wedding, an elaborate plan conducted over a 2 month period by myself, my sister Cathy, my Dad, my Uncles and my brothers in law. A little break in the middle of our travels with so many adventures still to come!!
written by  SupandNic on May 28, 2010 from San Diego, United States

Aloha Hawaii!
Honolulu, United States
Zooming back over the Atlantic after 2 days in England, I was reunited with my partner in crime at LAX and we hopped straight onto a plane to our last US destination, the beautiful island of Hawaii.
It most certainly lived up to its reputation, and although we only had a short time to explore, we made the most of our time on the main island of O'ahu. The hostel we stayed in was in a lively part of town, minutes from Waikiki Beach and the tropical surroundings were really impressive. We were surprised at how picturesque the high rise hotels looked as they bordered the sandy beach,
especially as we had been spoilt with idyllic Costa Rican beach hideaways, but Hawaii seems to work very well as an island city paradise. We had arrived into Hawaii late on the first night, and as Sup had been living it up in LA and I had a serious case of jetlag, we decided to get some proper rest to maximise the enjoyment for the rest of our stay – sensible creatures that we are now!
Our first adventure started with Diamond Head, a large crater that we climbed for the promise of incredible views of the island. It was a steep old climb, and every time we thought we had made it, there seemed to be another level to conquer! At last, at the very top we were rewarded with a vast expanse of ocean along with a birds eye view of the island (photo above). The water appeared to be a shimmering silver in colour and was unlike any water we had seen before, almost like a pool of mercury – very impressive indeed. We spent some time on Waikiki Beach later that day soaking up the sun and enjoying a performance of Hula dancers in true Hawaiian style. I later attempted my own version but decided perhaps I needed more practice!
Any visit to Hawaii would of course be incomplete without taking some time to discover more about the history of Pearl Harbour. Naturally, I was a fountain of knowledge already thanks to a certain epic film of the same name, so I knew it all (!), but we also took the audio tour to gain deeper insight into the tragic day. After spending some time looking at the battleships and torpedoes displayed on the shore, we took a tour boat out to the Arizona Memorial. Interestingly we learned that many of the ships that were hit by the attack on Pearl Harbour
were recovered and back in action soon after, however sadly the Arizona was not among them. The ship remains under the water where it fell, along with so many of its men who did not make it out. The Arizona Memorial, a giant bright white monument built above the sunken ship, was built to mark the loss of the fallen men, and to represent the crushing defeat and the subsequent triumph of World War II. Standing in such amazing surroundings, it was hard to imagine the devastation brought on by the savage surprise attack on the harbour.
We decided to stop by Chinatown on our way home from Pearl Harbour, and we were very glad that we did. Our rumbling bellies were filled with a giant portion of cuisine from the Philippines and it was so delicious that we contemplated adding the country to our list of places still to travel!
Our final experience in Hawaii was an exciting road trip in a loop around the island, all the more exciting because I finally got to get behind the wheel of a car again – hooray! Sup was exceptionally brave sitting beside me navigating as I manoeuvred the streets and tried hard to remember which side of the road I should be driving on...!
There were so many wonderful sights to see along the way, and we were hopping in and out so often that we were worried we wouldn't return the car in time. We had a lovely picnic on one of the fabulous beaches we passed and played with the Aerobie (frisbee) in the water before continuing our journey as the sky started to darken with the threat of rain. A real highlight was seeing some huge turtles swimming up to the shoreline at the beach – they were too fast for our camera, but we managed to capture some great images on video.
After returning the car we enjoyed our last night in Waikiki, walking through the town and admiring some art galleries with beautiful images of Hawaii which we would have loved to buy, had we a spare couple of thousand pounds or so!
Our experience in Hawaii was fantastic and we would have loved to have had more time (and money) to enjoy it for longer. We promised ourselves that we would return one day with more money to burn and travel the islands of Maui and Big Island for the volcanic parks and stunning scenery. It is always a good thing to leave wanting more though, and with Fiji as our next destination, we had a feeling we would be just fine...
written by  SupandNic on May 30, 2010 from Honolulu, United States

Fun Filled Friendly Fiji
Nadi, Solomon Islands
We packed in so much during our short time in Fiji!
We spent 1 night in Nadi on the mainland organising our trip to one of the islands. We secured an awesome deal... Not only did we get '2 for 1' but we also got upgraded to our own beach front bure which is a traditional Fijian hut. It was nestled away far from the main building providing us with our own private beach. Good times!
We stayed at a resort so Fiji felt very much like a holiday. It was the first time we had stayed at a place like this during our travels. It gave us a chance to slow down our pace which we enjoyed.
The resort where we stayed was paradise - it had a gorgeous palmed fringed beach with warm clear water. It was picture perfect straight out of a brochure.
What better way to start the day than with some tropical fish feeding! We were introduced to a number of different fish including, neon, mullet, zebra and the sergeant majors (named for their stripes) which were my favourite. We enjoyed feeding the fish each morning and they clearly enjoyed it too. A couple we met told us how one evening they had seen a deadly lion fish, unfortunately we were not lucky enough to spot one. Lion fish mean business.
The resort gave us free use of their kayaks so each day we would go out for a paddle. The waters were crystal clear. There were areas of coral around the resort which we would go and explore. It was at this time I regretted not buying the water proof casing for our camera... d'oh! You could see all the way down to the sea bed. We spotted blue star fish, ray, sea cucumbers and a number of tropical fish. I have never seen sea water that clear before, it was awesome. Nic jumped out of her canoe and enjoyed having a snorkel.
On one of our days we travelled to visit a local village on the island. We visited the local school and met the headmaster who showed us around. He was one militant man. We learnt how he was bought in from the mainland to improve the school (it wasn't doing so well at the time) and he has completely turned it around. We were very impressed by him and we were surprised to see that the main principles were not too dissimilar to those in England. His philosophy involved teaching the kids to think globally while at the same time teaching them about their culture and not letting them forget about their roots. He was a good man,
After we went and had a walk around the village stopping off at the little market area where Nic bought a bracelet. It was clear to see the local people lived such simple lives. It was such a different way of life. The boatsman invited us into his home to try some Kava which is a drink made from a root, powdered down and then soaked in water. Kava is a very important part of Fijian's culture and was drunk on a daily basis. The locals claim that Kava gives them a calm and relaxed feeling. Nic felt quite chilled after drinking a few cups but I didn't really feel any different. The boatsman definitely felt relaxed – after dropping us back to the resort he passed out on the pier. He had a good chuckle about it when he saw us the next day.
The staff were all very friendly and welcoming and we got to know them all throughout our stay. Nic and I were interested in going on a little trek to see some of the views from up high. One of the staff Luby had told us how to get to one of the look outs. We set of on our way and I soon discovered I was a little unprepared (I was wearing my flip flops despite Nic's advice... oops) but I climbed on anyway. We were treated to some beautiful views at the top but in the distance we could see a much higher point and I wanted more! We asked Luby how to get there when we returned down. He agreed to take us up the next day as there was not a clear pathway. It was the highest point on the island and as a result it was hard work at times but we made it. The views from the top were breath taking and we could see many of the paradise Fijian islands in the distance. On the top was also the remains of the gun tower that was used by the American army in the second world war. The high point allowed the army to see all boats entering and leaving the island. Luby told us on the way back that not all of the staff had made it to the top so we did feel a good sense of achievement.
The food was absolutely amazing! It varied from a full on Fijian BBQ, Fijian curry (which was of course my favourite) and Nic's favourite – stir fry. The stir fry was pretty special.
We picked all the fresh ingredients from a huge selection and passed it on to the chef who cooked it front of us. I took full advantage of the 'all you can eat' each meal and caught up on my meat and fish, which made a great change from pasta which by now we have eaten far too much of (mainly because it is cheap, quick and easy). We also tried some new fish 'Mahi Mahi' which was very tasty.
Each night the resort ran a number different activities which were good fun. Crab racing was a particular highlight. Unfortunately our crab 'George' gave up half way through the race. The final night was kava drinking which will stay a very memorable night. Nic was setting the pace for the girls drinking a
high tide cup each time (full to the top) and the locals were impressed with her stamina, and you can see from the photo on the left that she was going strong. Things however took a turn for the worst on the walk back to our bure. The kava had not made Nic feel chilled and relaxed this time round, instead she felt a little ill and required some tlc!
The following day we caught our boat back to Nadi. We spent our final day in Nadi town visiting the local temple, visiting some of the shops and experiencing some of the local food. Our time in Fiji had come to an end. It was an amazing place with such warm friendly people and they will be missed.
Our plane flight was very early the following morning so we were lucky enough to capture a beautiful sunrise. I made the most of my shorts one last time because we were moving on to New Zealand in their winter... bring it on Mr Cold!
written by  SupandNic on June 1, 2010 from Nadi, Solomon Islands

Nic's Natural & Inspiring North Island!
Auckland, New Zealand
Plunging head first into winter after the scorching sunshine of Fiji was a real test of character...luckily, we passed! In Auckland I made it my life's mission to find a cosy coat and hat and succeeded without destroying our budget – in the month that followed I was surgically attached to both items, along with 3 layers of clothes as standard!
New Zealand held mixed emotions for me. I was excited about experiencing the country, especially as so many people we know have recommended it with high praise, but I was also somewhat apprehensive about the living conditions that I felt Sup would be 'subjecting' me to – the dreaded campervan. The idea was to tour both North and South island and to stay mainly in holiday parks, with the potential to stay in the occasional cheap Department of Conservation (DOC) sites if they were decent enough. I was sceptical but trusted in Sup and he did not let me down.
It turns out that touring New Zealand in our campervan was one of the best experiences we have ever had. And Sup had known it would be all along, the cheeky devil!
Sup secured a fantastic deal on our campervan with some serious negotiation which included a discount on our daily rate, snow chains, picnic chairs and our very own travel angel, Barbara the Sat Nav. As a reward, we celebrated at Nandos, the first one we had come across during our world tour, and the reunion was emotional.
We named the campervan Manaia, after the Maori name for Guardian – I felt that we needed some protection and after driving in some incredibly tricky situations and scary conditions, we were extremely pleased that our 'Manny' lived up to his name. Barbara once took us up a mountain with a sheer drop in the pitch black on an icy night, but we won't hold that against her..!
After a few days sorting everything out in Auckland, including stocking up on snacks and 7 huge bags of pasta for a
starch filled month of gas cooking in our van, we headed off to our first destination – the delightfully fragrant Rotorua. For those not familiar with the place, it is famous for its thermal pools and distinctive sulphur, or 'rotten egg' smell...!! We visited an area of natural thermal pools in the town with bubbling mud puddles and steaming sulphur lakes and it was incredibly atmospheric.
Having missed out on the opportunity in California, we decided that a walk through a Redwood tree forest would be a great experience and we enjoyed a long, and at times steep, walk through the tallest trees I have ever seen - truly magnificent. At the very top we were also treated to views of steaming geysers which was quite a show.
Of course we were in a place famous for thrills and adrenaline so it would have been rude not to have indulged a little...
The Swoop was a sky high bungy sort of thing – we were strapped together and hoisted up 40 meters into the air, and Sup was responsible for pulling the cord that plummeted us down to the ground. Had I been responsible, we would still be up there now. After taking my hand and making sure I wasn't hyperventilating from the sheer drop (OK, I was a little) Sup bravely counted down to our doom and suddenly our hearts were above our heads and we were rushing towards the ground and then swinging majestically like a pendulum. Was it worth it? Ahh, hell yeah!
Needing a little peace to recover from the excitement of the day, we took a walk after the sun went down by Lake Rototua and took in the almost ethereal view.
The holiday parks were nice little places to stay, and although the nights were cold, we were toasty warm snuggled up in our little mobile home.
The next stop on our journey was the town of Taupo situated like Rotorua on a beautiful lake. We visited a site called 'Craters of the Moon' and walked around a large field of steaming fumeroles and giant craters burping with gloopy mud. With no other person around, it looked as though we were the only survivors of Earth's destruction, or a nuclear holocaust – spooky, atmospheric and pretty cool. Sup continued on with his vast collection of leaflets, which seemed to take over the whole of our van – New Zealand certainly knows how to promote, that's for sure.
The next day we had a spectacular walk along the Huka River, with its crystal clear water and beautiful surroundings, up to the Huka Falls. The falls were impressive, but it was the rush of violent water leading to the falls that really caught our eye – thousands of gallons gushing down the river, foaming and frothing, resembling nothing of the calm clear river it came from. It was raw nature and a testament to its beauty and its danger.
As I was becoming a natural at driving our monster campervan, we decided to take the scenic route on to the next town, known as The Forgotten Highway. It was winter so we barely saw a soul and we loved the isolated surroundings, feeling as though New Zealand belonged to the two of us. The drive took hours and hours, but chocolate chip cookies kept us going, and the views were wonderful. Rolling pyramid-shaped hills and steep valleys dominated the scenery, and as the weather was still wet the deep green and yellow colours really stood out, at times being very similar to that of the English countryside. Driving from one place to another by this time had become as much an experience as each new destination and we loved the freedom of cruising around, stopping for photos whenever we wanted (often in the middle of the road!) and watching the background change around us.
The Forgotten Highway brought us finally to Tongariro National Park. Sup had his heart set on a day long guided alpine crossing through the park, but unfortunately no trips were running due to the weather.
That didn't stop us though! We drove to the start of the crossing and then walked the beginning ourselves, taking in awesome views and feeling like the only people on earth in the deserted vast expanse of mountains and valleys. After a steep and rocky climb, we decided that we should turn back as the crossing had promised in the leaflets to be tricky. Right on cue the clouds erupted on us, showering us with cold rain as we sheepishly walked 45 minutes back to the van, soaked through to our bones and glad that we had been smart enough not to continue.
By this time we had figured out a way to save money – free camping. We decided that every third night we would stay in a holiday park for decent showers and to power up the camera, and the other two nights we would find a suitable place to park ourselves up without being disturbed. It worked very well and we were proud to be hardcore! We were also rewarded with waking up to some of the most amazing natural views.
After our antics in Tongariro National Park, we continued on to Wanganui where we were met by the gorgeous Lake Virginia. We spent some time walking around the lake, feeding a few of the thousands of ducks and visiting the bird sanctuary, as well as the indoor botanical gardens, before an over zealous goose chased us back into our van! We spent the night by the lake and then took a scenic drive the next day on the Wanganui River Road.
The Wanganui River Road was a scenic loop following, you guessed it, the river. Much like The Forgotten Highway, it gave us impressive scenery and we enjoyed cruising around at our leisure, pleased to have visited NZ in winter. We were told by locals that in summer the road becomes one giant traffic jam.
Our final stay in the North Island brought us to Wellington, ready to catch the ferry with our van onto South Island. We spent the day strolling through a museum and admiring the town and the picturesque harbour. We had to take a bit of time out to get a garage to fix our windscreen wipers as they were near useless in the driving rain, and then we were free again to enjoy the rest of our day, stopping in a park for some childlike fun in the playground and on the Flying Fox!
The following day we went for a walk at Charles Plimmer Park and had a lot of fun on the swings that someone had constructed high up in the trees overlooking a view of the whole town. We then climbed further to enjoy a gorgeous panoramic view before coming back down to earth to make our way to the ferry.
North Island was filled with wonderful surprises and was a real chance to let go, to experience nature and the simple life, and to learn more about ourselves and each other. It allowed me to conquer my fear of camping (!) and opened our eyes to a beautiful world. But for everything North Island had been to us, South Island was about to blow us away...
written by  SupandNic on July 16, 2010 from Auckland, New Zealand

Sup's Reflective South Island
Christchurch, New Zealand
Arriving in to Picton in the late evening we were keen to find a close place to camp for the night. It wasn't until daylight the following day that we could appreciate the scenery we had unknowingly slept besides. We both knew that South Island was going to be special. The reflective waters of the South Island were a big winner with me, hence the number of reflective photos in this entry!
First up on our itinerary was Abel Tasman National Park. We set off on our journey, stopping along the way of course for photo opportunities and a picnic. I did get trigger happy with the camera and as a result we didn't make great time (but who can blame me when we were surrounded by such beautiful scenery?!).When we finally did make it to Abel Tasman the heavens decided to open (and not stop) so I donned my waterproofs and set off on a stomp feeling confident in my new waterproofs ability to live up to the challenge of keeping me dry. How wrong I could have been. I was drenched by the end of it but I enjoyed my coastal trek nonetheless.
Next up was a beast of a road trip travelling down to the west coast glaciers – Franz Joseph and Fox. We stopped off at the icy cold clear water Blue Pools along the way. The water is so clear the fish appear to be suspended in mid air.
New Zealand is famous for its clear water that reflects light, making a crystal clear mirror image, ie providing me with hours of photo fun. The weather was kinder to us on our visit to Fox glacier so we managed to capture better photos on that day. The glaciers were both as equally impressive although with Fox we climbed further up so we were able to see more of the ice formations. There were also some pools that allowed for some more reflective opportunities.
Moving on with no time to waste we made our way to Wanaka to get our biggest adrenaline fix yet... jumping out of a plane at 15,000ft attached to a complete stranger! The scenery in Wanaka was breath taking, gorgeous lakes surrounded by snow covered mountains. We were very lucky with the weather on our jump day, a little fog on our landing but otherwise perfect clear skies (We put our trust in the weather forecast and went down to Queenstown whilst we waited for the weather to clear).
The jump itself was crazy, the freefall was the most intense experience ever, very surreal indeed. If you haven't done a skydive and you are wandering what it feels like, it feels like what it looks like... like you are falling out the sky very fast! There is a complete contrast of calmness once the parachute opens and you begin to float through the air. I was of course very proud of Nic as she had always said it was something she would never do. We were recommended Wanaka by a number of people to do our skydive and I have to agree I don't think there was a better place to jump.
We also took a visit to Puzzling World which left our brains baffled. There were a number of illusion rooms, puzzle rooms and a monster maze. The tilted house room was a particular favourite of mine. The actual room was tilted at 15 degrees and when you step inside your brain is convinced the room cannot be sloped. As a result it straightens up the room making the displays appear as though they are hanging at impossible angles. The Ames Forced Perspective room was also pretty cool. The principle was used in Lord of the Rings to create the illusion of tall and short people in one setting.
Later that evening we found a place to park up and spend the night. We may have accidentally missed the 'no campervans allowed' sign on entry to the car park, however paid the price at about 4am when we were woken up by a security man banging on our van shouting 'I know you're in there'! Nic was apparently panicking, although she had to inform me later of her panic as I naturally slept through the whole escapade. The intruder announced that the police would be on their way and as he drove off, Nic finally managed to shake me into consciousness. Before I had a chance to fully wake up, she had dived into the front of our van, shoeless and wrapped in half our bedding, and the next thing I knew we were on our way to the nearest official campsite we could find. Eventful to say the least.
Queenstown was a cool little town surrounded by more magical scenery. Queenstown is close to some big ski resorts and although we are both keen to try out the slopes one day, we felt it would be better to save it for another trip when we have more time. Instead we thought we would give the tubing a try (basically sliding down the snow in a big rubber ring).
We set off on our 13km drive up the mountain to the ski resort which was pretty scary at some points (eg our van sliding on the ice towards the mountain edge with no barriers). Having made it up in one piece we found out that the tubing area was not opening for another month (after more snowfall). We were a little gutted but instead enjoyed some childlike fun in the knee deep snow. Making our way back down was just as eventful as going up, only this time we slid into the side of the mountain getting wedged in the snow. We had to get pulled out by the rescue truck. I think the moral of the story is don't go up ski resort mountains in the middle of winter in your campervan. They don't like it.
We stopped off for a walk around Lake Matheson, a lake famous for its crystal clear reflective waters. On clear days you can see the reflections of Mount Cook, although we could only see the bottom part of the mountain as it was a little cloudy higher up. Again it provided us with some great photo opportunities.
Continuing our journey we made our way down to Milford Sound, a beautiful area created by glacial geology many years ago. The area is actually a fiord as opposed to a Sound (Sounds are created by rivers and fiords by glacial geology). Rather than renaming the Sounds in the area they titled the whole area Fiordland.
The drive to Milford Sound was one of our greatest drives. The snow really gave a magical vibe to the whole area and again I was jumping out the van to take photos so it took us a while to get to our destination. It was worth it though! We booked ourselves onto a cruise of the Sound (with a 2 for 1 voucher we received with our campervan rental... back of the net!). We were lucky enough to see some fur seals and also a group of dolphins that came up and swam along side the boat, a dream come true for Nic!
Next up on our itinerary was a visit to Mount Cook – the highest mountain in all of Australasia. The park had so much snow covering the mountain landscape surrounding us. We embarked on a trek to the Mount Cook lookout point having numerous snow fights along the way (all of which I won!) The whole area was beautiful and we were very happy to have detoured off our original route to pay a visit. We had seen the mountain region on our skydive but to see it from below was a completely different experience.
With little time left in New Zealand we still had some distance to cover in order to fit everything in. A mega drive up to Hanmer Springs was in order, complete with a ton of chocolate to keep the driver happy(!) We had enjoyed the hot pools so much in Costa Rica we thought it was time for round two to see what New Zealand had to offer. Arriving late at night we followed directions to the local DOC campsite, much to our surprise we somehow ended up on an icy mountain again, only this time we didn't have our snow chains on, it was pitch black, there were no barriers at all and the road was only a little wider than our van. Brilliant. I directed Nic with her 7 point mountain turn and we made our way back down to find somewhere else to spend the night. It was both eventful and emotional. The next days relaxation at the springs was very much enjoyed and appreciated.
Our final stop before Christchurch was Kaikoura, a lovely little town on the coast. We were there to see the seal colony and we found a walking trail that would pass through a number of scenic points
along the way. It was a beautiful trail passing the coast, the seals, cliffs and farmland. As we were approaching the seal colony peninsular we saw a sign that suggested it was best not to try and move the seals and as we walked around the corner all became clear.
New Zealand was absolutely stunning. Both Nic and I agree that it is one of the best countries we have visited so far. I knew it was going to be awesome and it by far surpassed all of Nic's expectations. Winter was a perfect time to visit, not only was the scenery one magical wonderland, but there were also fewer tourists and cheaper rates throughout. New Zealand pat yourself on the back brother land, I take off my hat and raise a glass to you. Now it's time to raise the temperature, on to the last leg of our journey and the place I have most been looking forward to... Asia!!
written by  SupandNic on July 25, 2010 from Christchurch, New Zealand

Singa-definitely not Poor!
Singapore, Singapore
One final emotional farewell to our beloved campervan and we zoomed across the ocean to the final continent of our travels – Asia. The flight involved a few stressful moments, the first being that our round the world trip ticket didn't provide us with adequate proof that we would be leaving our first stop in the time allocated by immigration. It was decided after much deliberation that we could book a 'dummy' flight out and then cancel, which we agreed to do, although we were both sceptical about the legality of this. We left New Zealand with no further problems, but arrived in Australia to change flights to be faced with one of THE most unhelpful people we have ever had the misfortune to meet! She kept repeating that the people in New Zealand should have printed us a copy of the new itinerary and we needed to go back and tell them that it was wrong (!) and it wasn't up to her to fix the problem, but didn't seem to comprehend that all she needed to do was simply print out a copy for us. After a long and frustrating struggle where we were both desperately trying not to blow a fuse, she met our demands and we leapt onto the connecting flight with seconds to spare.
The spectacular city of Singapore was to be our first destination. We flew in late, so had time to catch a taxi out of the airport and see the city lights sparkle in the dark, before finding our hostel and settling in for the night...well, settling in after we found that our door didn't lock and the owner had to improvise with a screwdriver!
Our hostel was in the region of Little India which was a fantastic experience. At 5am we awoke to the eerily beautiful sounds of chanting music and later that morning we discovered the origin of these songs as we were greeted with the sight of a spectacular and elaborate mosque.
Our first stop was of course to sample the long awaited food of the East, and Sup had a craving for something spicy. The anticipation was tangible, especially after a full month of eating nothing but eggs, beans and pasta, and the Tekka Centre in Singapore's Little India was about to become Sup's spiritual home. The food was absolutely amazing. We searched every stall within the indoor marquee-style market and indulged in a giant Chicken Biryani served on a banana leaf, with sweet Lassi for Sup and a refreshing Iced Milo for me. It goes without saying that the next day we came back for more and the next stall we chose managed to exceed all expectations – it was an awesome start to our Asian adventures, and we stocked up on Indian sweets too just to seal the deal.
Bellies full, we embarked on our major task for the day, which was to obtain Malaria tablets for the rest of our travels, in particular the high risk regions of Borneo, North Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and areas of Vietnam. What we hadn't noticed was the full to bursting dark clouds overhead, and we were delayed as we waited in a nearby mall as the sky erupted into a full on storm and rain showered down by the gallon with no end in sight.
A rather soggy run to 3 different bus stops finally led us to the right one and we travelled to Orchard Road, the shopping Mecca of Singapore, with more malls in one road than I had seen in my lifetime. It was to become MY spiritual home! We soon forgot all about our dripping wet clothes as we gazed on at the sheer size and magnificence of the malls, and the wealth on display that seemed to rival our Western cities, with powerful
giants like Armani, Gucci and Prada coexisting peacefully with the humble stalls of the Asian street vendors. There was even a full band and singer playing on the ground floor to entertain shoppers! We again sampled more Asian delights and I tried my first Laksa, a coconut curry-based soup with noodles, chicken and prawns that was pure heaven in a bowl.
Buying Malaria tablets turned out to be quite a mission, and involved an impromptu visit to the local Doctor's clinic in order to obtain a written prescription, We then had to find a company who were able to spare an obscene amount of pills as they must be taken every day, and for one whole week after leaving a high risk area. To celebrate successfully completing our task, we decided to go and have some fun so we took a trip on the monorail to Sentosa Island. The island was a cute little tourist resort, and as we arrived early evening the place was illuminated with coloured lights, rather like DisneyWorld. We felt like two kids as we rushed to the Luge to race down a steep track on small toboggan style cars.
To reach the top we rode on a Skylift, similar to a ski lift, and the views across the horizon were immense, while the views below were scarily far below us. Even though we had braved Skydiving just weeks before, I felt my heart and stomach flutter wildly at the sheer height, so the ride turned out to be quite a thrill even before the race! At the top we threw on some helmets and then set off with a group of others – I started to tell Sup not to worry about waiting for me, but he was already gone...careering off down the hill at breakneck speed, overtaking every person in sight with a 'woooohooooo!!' He won the race and by the time I made an appearance at the bottom he had a huge proud grin on his face! I found my success however on the Segway – Sup was a little reluctant, but I was in my element, zooming around the track leaning forwards and backwards as my Segway propelled me along. It was a lot of fun!
On our final day in Singapore we decided to go to the zoo, as we had heard a lot of good things about the conditions of the animals habitats. We were certainly impressed and we both felt it was the best zoo we had ever visited. It felt like we were walking through the rainforest and it was clear that a lot of attention had been made to the overall look of the zoo grounds. All the usual suspects were there,
including Sup's favourite cheeky chimps and my favourite stunning white tigers. The chimps were hilarious and we sat on a bench opposite the pen watching them playfully tease each other and scamper around. We also made feeding time at the giraffe pen and watched these unfeasibly tall graceful creatures reach out for carrots with tongues as long as our arms.
Singapore was an incredible city, a real fusion of Chinese, Indian and Malay culture, with the swagger of Western wealth. Hungry for more Asian delights, we decided to leave the city and all its wonders behind to plunge in at the deep end and fly straight out to Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo for some jungle adventures!
written by  SupandNic on July 28, 2010 from Singapore, Singapore

Sarawak Surprises!
Kuching, Malaysia
Sarawak in Borneo was a subject of great excitement for Sup...and a secret fear for me. We both had images in our head of a the wild jungle – Malaysia at its most feral, untamed, tribal even – Sup couldn't wait and I...well, I was anxious, but open minded.
We couldn't have been more wrong!
All our previous ideas were blown out the window when we travelled to the small town of Kuching. It was a pretty little place on the waterfront with no jungle in sight and the price of a room took us a little by surprise. We then learned that the Rainforest World Festival of Music was being held that weekend, which was financially a curse, but musically a blessing, and Sup bought his ticket in a flash.
The festivities ran all day and gave Sup the opportunity to see some music tutorials on percussion and have a beer and some chicken (of course!) in the sunshine before celebrating in the evening along with 10,000 other people from all corners of the world with an array of music, from India, Indonesia, Iran and so many more.
During the day, while visiting Sarawak Cultural Village, he also saw some impressive longhouses and learned a lot about the history of the many Malaysian tribes such as the mighty Penan, unchallenged masters in the use of the jungle's silent weapon, the blowpipe, and the controversially macho Iban, who considered a head trophy to be a badge of honour.
Newly inspired, we soon went on the hunt for souvenirs and found the perfect travel sized tribal drum to accompany Sup on the rest of our journey, especially good as he was suffering withdrawal from his beloved decks! That evening we sat by the waterfront before dinner and the locals were treated to some brilliant tribal drumming for free.
The food in Kuching was pretty great – Winnie's Cafe was a clear winner and we went back so many times for their Malaysian curry that the owner took a photo of us
grinning with our food and made it their Facebook business profile picture! Milo was our drink of choice while sunning ourselves by the water and, on the last day, the Laksa at a nearby restaurant almost made us stay another day. Sup also strangely found a fantastic Chicken Biriyani – in a Chinese Restaurant!
The rest of our time in Kuching involved travelling to various destinations, one of which was a crocodile farm, literally swamped with over 1000 deathly still, prehistoric looking reptilian carnivores.
Let's just say that the safety of the place could definitely be called into question, and I most certainly wouldn't have brought any curious children there...! Sup and I naturally had no fear at all and befriended them immediately...! The highlight of the visit was of course feeding time, and the display by the amazing crocodiles can be captured far better by pictures than words.
From devilish beady eyed reptiles, to gentle ginger giants – we went to visit the wonderful Sarawak Orangutan sanctuary. While we were prepped for potential disappointment and warned that the creatures are not always forthcoming, we were very lucky and the beautiful apes made our day. A massive group of us stood in the forest watching as a mother swung delicately through the trees, a tiny baby wrapped around her waist holding on tight,
while another orangutan swung in the other direction looking for food. We then couldn't believe our luck when an almighty crash announced that 'Richie' was joining us for dinner. 'Richie' was a gigantic male, a real 'man of the forest' (the meaning of the Malaysian name Orangutan).We stayed observing these fascinating creatures until a huge gust of wind shook through the forest, and the locals announced that rain was on the way. We made our way quickly back to the bus but the showers caught up with us faster and we were soon soaked through. It was totally worth it though! We caught on fast with the weather prediction throughout the rest of our stay in Malaysia with much more success.
Our last adventure from our base in Kuching was a trip to Bako National Park. The park was reached via a gorgeous boat ride and the views were breathtaking. Due to high and low tides, we couldn't stay too long on the island, but we managed to fit in a brisk 3-4 hour stomp around, covering a multitude of different landscapes in a relatively small space and testing our muscles for future ventures.
We were learning fast that Borneo was going to be a mission with regards to some of the activities we still wanted to do, so we next travelled to Miri hoping to be able to find a way to secure a visit to Gunung Mulu for the caves and for walking. This was not to be, mainly due to cost, but we quickly found a fantastic alternative and took a day trip to the Niah caves. The car journey was precarious to say the least, and after a pretty hairy ride, we were later informed by the driver that the reason he was not working as a guide for a period of time was due to a car accident whereby he had rolled the car and broken his leg....brilliant!
The caves were thankfully a much safer experience and we loved it. We trekked through the jungle and by the time we found the awesome caves we felt like we were Indiana Jones and Lara Croft! The caves were once fully submerged under the sea and remnants of the green algae remained on the walls. Millions of bats were shrieking from high above and at one point, the trail led to a pitch black long corridor where we made full use of our trusty torches (although we also kept switching them off again to freak each other out!) Out the other side, we were met with another cave, the Painted Cave, that was home to a series of caveman drawings, thousands of years old. We also learned that the oldest South East Asian human remains were found in that very cave, placed in the region of 40,000 years ago.
Sarawak was a fantastic place, even with the constant staring and laughing at me and my lily white face...! Although the start to our jungle adventure turned out to be very different from our expectations, we had a wonderful time in Sarawak and were eager to experience the wonders of Sabah, including the biggest damn challenge of our journey so far...!
written by  SupandNic on July 30, 2010 from Kuching, Malaysia

High on Kinabalu!!
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
The 9 hour coach journey up to Sabah was one we had underestimated in terms of ease. Due to the borders of Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah we were required to disembark the bus a total of 6 times! First the bus exited Sarawak and then we entered Brunei. Then we left Brunei and entered back into Sarawak. We couldn't get settled for long however, as we then left Sarawak to enter Brunei again. After a short time we were leaving Brunei to enter Sarawak for one last time. Finally we left Sarwak to reach our destination... Sabah (check the map borders and all will become clear).
The eventful journey to Sabah had been undertaken with one goal in mind... to secure us a place on the Mount Kinabalu climb. Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea standing at 4095m tall (half the size of Everest). This was something I had wanted to conquer since we first began thinking of travelling to Borneo. Nic originally was not so keen on the idea as she didn't think she would be able to climb it. She soon realised this was of course not true and she bravely stepped up to the challenge and decided to accompany me on our ascent to the summit.
Kota Kinabalu (Sabah's capital) was to be our first point of call, mainly because all bookings for the climb could be handled by the office in town. Whilst in Sarawak we had phoned to try and secure a a place only to be told that you have to book at least 6 months in advance to guarantee a spot. Staying 6 months in Borneo was clearly not an option so we decided to go down to the office in Kota Kinabalu to speak face to face. What a result that turned out to be... we secured 2 cancellation places for the following Monday! The lady asked us if we wanted to climb up the standard route or the newer, longer more challenging route... which of course it was to be! It seems things have changed in the last 6 years or so when Nic's sister visited. There is now no cheap way to climb to the summit. All of the limited accommodation on the mountain is owned by one private company and I think they have lately realised how much tourists will actually pay. It was something I really wanted to do so we had to part with the cash.
Later that evening we went out for a celebratory meal which turned out to be a little traumatic. We found a busy little chinese restuarant and both (not feeling too adventurous) ordered the beef noodles. When the food arrived on our table the bowls both appeared full of ingredients we had not seen before. (Now suddenly feeling adventurous) Nic dived straight in while I hesitantly gave mine a stir. Turns out Nic ate beef ball and beef lung... tasty! Fortunately the beef ball wasn't actually the ball (it was a processed beef made into a ball) but the lung clearly was lung. We both lost our appetite soon after finding out this key ingredient. Both feeling ill we made our way home and I had good fun winding Nic up about her bronchiole adventures!
On the Sunday we made our way up to the base of the mountain. We had an early start the following morning so it allowed us to get a good nights sleep. We stayed at a lodge just outside of the National Park giving us beautiful views of the mountain we were soon to climb. It's a good job the views were so good as it made up for the general shabbiness of the cockroach infested lodge and the rudeness of the staff. They soon realised they were no match for us when we fogged the room with an entire can of the bug spray they threw at us and deposited the giant dead cockroach in a glass on their reception desk for all to see the following day...!
Up early the next day we made our way to the start of the trail picking up our packed lunch, registering at the park office and meeting our guide Hani. Hani spoke little English and was more of a safety man than a guide. He was a good bloke. Time for a quick photo then we were off!
We turned the corner for what seemed like an endless set of steps (and as we were soon to find out there were over 2500 steps just on the way to our mountain hut alone). Nic's face said it all ;-) I did think we had bitten off more than we could chew. Nic was distressed and ready to turn back. This called for drastic measures, we needed to regroup, change tactics and flip this on the B side (should we have just climbed the standard route?!). Off came the clothes, out came the water and it was time to live life like a tortoise for a while as we slowed down the pace. Things improved immensely and we were soon making good progress.
Nic was snapping photos of me calling me a cocky little bugger as I raced up the mountain! Here is a selection of the best few...
Climbing the alternative trail definitely paid off as we very rarely saw any other climbers so the whole place was ours! Hani showed no sign of being out of breath at any point of the climb,
in fact he was smoking most of the way up. He guides people up and down the mountain every 2 days with only 4 days off per month. Hani was a hard worker. We also saw a number of porters carrying people's luggage and also supplies (food etc) up to the huts. Men and women of all ages, packed like donkeys, climbing up in flimsy shoes with makeshift carrying bags crippling their small frames. They looked like they were in severe pain at times and I honestly do not know how they made it. It was a little distressing to see at times to be honest.
It was unrelentingly steep in parts and I don't think I have ever sweat so much in my life. The muscles in the top of your thighs really begin to ache as a result of the repetitive motion. We had 8.2km to climb to reach our hut for the night. 8.2km doesn't sound that far but when it is uphill it is a different story. There were markers every 500m showing our progress. In some sections the markers did seem to take a long long time to come round. Our guide said we should be aiming for 1km per hour in order to make it before nightfall. We made it to the hut in 5 and a half hours so naturally we were pretty chuffed with our first day's effort. We ate some dinner and rested our aching muscles before getting an early night's sleep (our mountain hut pictured below). It rained solidily that evening and I was a little worried it wasn't going to stop - if it is raining in the morning you cannot climb to the summit :-(
1:30am the alarm went off. It felt like we had only literally just fallen asleep. We forced ourselves out of bed, got ready and went to get breakfast. The weather had cleared up just for me! We left at 3am in order to reach the summit by 6 in time for sunrise. This part of the climb differed greatly from the previous day. It was pitch black on the mountain and the only light available was from our head torches. The first section involved crossing the sheer Panar Laban rock face. There were ropes fixed in place to help haul us up the thick slippery steep granite sheets. It was nice to give the leg muscles a rest!
The last section of the ascent involved climbing from the Sayat-Sayat hut to the summit. It was again becoming steeper yet and our determination and stamina were keeping us going. 750m from the summit (so close yet so far!) Nic was finding it increasingly difficult, feeling breathless, nauseous and a little frustrated. Hani and I helped by propping Nic up (over each shoulder) and I took her bag. Sunlight was fast approaching and my motivational speak with Nic appeared to have worked as she had a new lease of life. Reaching the final section we scrambled up the last few boulders... we had done it!! The views from the summit were amazing - in every direction. The weather was very cold at the summit so all of the warm clothing we had packed and lugged up the mountain paid off (the temperature changed drastically throughout the climb which explains why we have more clothing changes in our photos than a Bollywood movie). It was such a great experience to be up that high and see the sun come up over all of Borneo and also to see exactly what we had been climbing up over the last 3 hours.
After enjoying our time at the top we were ready to head back down and I am happy to say that it took a lot less energy than on the way up. It did start to ache on the knee joints however, as a result of the constant jolting. Nic made light work of the downhill trek and set the pace for me and Hani.
Below are some of the photos taken on our trek back down the mountain. The ropes that we used for support on the climb...
The steepness of some areas we crossed. The photo below (left) is actually the same section that you can see Nic holding on to the rope in the photo above...
You can see the excitement on Nic's face when we reached the 1.5km to go marker!
Climbing Mount Kinabalu was a great achievement for us both and it was my favourite activity of travelling to date. The views were beautiful throughout and it was amazing to see such a diverse range of terrain on one hike. I recommend it to everyone. It has made me want to hike Machu Picchu even more now... but that will have to wait for another trip! Back to the city for us, next up is Kuala Lumpur....
written by  SupandNic on August 2, 2010 from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

K L City sights
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, or rather 'Muddy Convergence' as the name translates, is actually a rather awesome little city. We flew into the airport and went straight outside after picking up our bags with no pesky customs to slow us down for once as we were still on Malaysian soil. We hopped on the sky monorail, one of the many different modes of transport available to get around the city, and immediately took the wrong turn to our hostel, ending up a long way away dragging our heavy bags with our poor legs still aching from Mount Kinabalu – not a good start! When we eventually arrived at our hostel we were greeted with the most chilled out cat on the planet, and the relaxed mood was luckily contagious...
The Chow Kit night market was right outside our hostel, so we ventured out to see what they had to offer. We were surprised at how safe the city felt. After spending some time laughing at the various 'genuine' Ray Bans and Nikes for sale, the Indian eateries were too much for Sup to resist and we stopped for a giant mountain of Roti Canais before heading off home.
A very early start the next day led us to another trip on the monorail and our destination was the famous Petronas Towers, a must-see landmark in Kuala Lumpur, the headquarters for the mighty Petronas empire, and subsequently a great source of National pride. The recommended early start became clear when we joined a queue of hundreds of people waiting for the distribution of free tickets, but the wait wasn't toooo long, and by the time our turn came, our eyes had become fully accustomed to the daylight.(!)
The Petronas Twin Towers tour began with a promotional video in a mini theatre explaining the influence of the Petronas petrol and gas company both in Malaysia and internationally (you may recognise these guys from somewhere?...!) and listed the various good causes they were involved with, as well as providing information about the design and creation of the impressive towers. During our time in Malaysia we learned that the country is moving forward with determination and real spirit, and the iconic Petronas Towers are seen to be a nationwide symbol for the Malaysian people's growing power and ambition to compete with global players, as well as a monument to their continuing success.
From the theatre we were guided in a small group to a lift that transported us from level 1 to 42 in a matter of seconds and we were allowed free reign to admire the panoramic views from the skybridge. The building is really something. 88 steel-clad storeys reaching a height of about 450 metres, designed by an Argentinian architect with Islamic influence in the tower's 5 tiers, representing the 5 pillars of Islam. (See, I do listen sometimes in class!)
After playing around for a while and getting some good shots of the city below us, we made our way back down into the puzzle room, where we ended up staying a little longer than intended.
Sup was completely flummoxed over one of the mind boggling puzzles ( I was having nothing to do with something that required so much brain power) and spent a good half hour pondering patterns, refusing to give up, until a guy working at the towers came over and put him out of his misery by revealing the secret combination. Once the guy had walked away, Sup decided he would now be able to do it himself, and lets just say a lot more time passed before I finally managed to drag him out back into the sunshine to admire the fountains and courtyard in front of the towers.
Lunch was in the food court of the nearby mall, Suria KLCC, a mammoth shopping mecca where we spent quite a bit of the day due to an impulsive almighty thunderstorm and torrential downpour. No problem for us – more window shopping for me, and more yummy food for Sup! We decided to top up our laksa and chicken biryani lunch a bit later by sharing a snack size pepperoni pizza in the food court as the western culinary temptation was just too much to resist! We then admired the view outside as we waited for the weather to start behaving itself.
As always, we had to be thinking and planning one step ahead which led us on a big mission to locate bus tickets for our onward travel to the Cameron Highlands for the following day. This involved much travel, a lot of questions to locals, blank expressions, wild gesturing, and a bit of a headache until we tracked down the required bus station – miles from the original that was apparently being renovated. Within the giant marquee there were about a hundred independent stalls and we managed to locate a trustworthy private company among the barrage of touts trying to bully us into submission (no chance!), buy our tickets and escape unscathed to enjoy the rest of our stay in Kuala Lumpur in peace.
The night market in Little India was a great place to end our KL experience. After Sup's puzzle saga at the towers, I took my revenge by dragging him to a total of 8 make up stalls on the hunt for blue and green metallic eye shadows. To my surprise and delight, he turned out to be quite the shopping partner and we found exactly what we were looking for, with lots of yummy Indian treats as a reward, including more of Sup's favourite Roti Canai, and some delicious authentic samosas. The walk back home later that night took us past the Petronas Towers once more, with the added bonus of the Kuala Lumpur tower, both glowing proudly as they pierced the night sky.
Our time in the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur was fantastic – again, like Singapore, the fusion of Asian culture and Western influence made for a great combination. It was also fantastic to learn of the real drive for success evident in the Malay culture, and to experience so many cultures existing so peacefully together as we only wish could be the case worldwide. There are many places that could learn a lot from the modern '1 Malaysia' ethos and its 8 values of Acceptance, Perseverance, Education, Integrity, Meritocracy, Humility, Loyalty and Culture of Excellence.
Thirsty for more, we continued on in search of the famous and wonderful tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands, along with some cool and fresh highland air...
written by  SupandNic on August 2, 2010 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysia Peninsular... tea, snakes, mopeds & chicken!
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
After our short sweaty time in Kuala Lumper we made our way up north to be welcomed by the cool air of the Cameron Highlands. It turned out to be a great place to spend a few days. An area full of tea plantations, jungle and rolling green hills. We checked into an old army barrack style accommodation costing us just under £4 a night for a room. The architecture of the town gave it a rather English feel and it was like no place we had visited on our travels.
Many of the Malaysian tea plantations are based in the Cameron Highlands and we arranged a tour for the following day. Taking a drive to the tea fields we saw where the tea is grown, how it is picked and learnt about the different parts of the leaves that are used in different quality teas. The young leaves closest to the top of the plant are considered to be the best and therefore are the ones sold as the premium quality teas. It was interesting to learn that if the plants were not constantly maintained they would grow into full sized trees. Also all teas eg green, black etc all come from the same plant and it is the process the leaves go through which determine the type of tea.
Many of the original tea pickers were south Indians who were bought over to undertake the work that the Malays were not prepared to do. The Indians soon realised, however, that they could earn a far better income selling cuisine from their home country. This explained the many South Indian restaurants that lined the town along with the general Indian influence of the area.. It clearly took off very well (and I am very thankful the South Indians decided to look further afield as the tandoori chicken was immense... chicken cooked in a modern day tandoor oven = amazing!). Today the tea leaves are picked by mainly Nepalese and Indonesian workers.
Later in the day we stopped off at an area of forest known as Mossy Forest (for a pretty obvious reason). Our guide taught us about the plants around us and their medicinal purposes. Also present were some crazy flesh eating plants. I feel I can now give good old Bear Gyrylls a run for his money!
Moving on we made our way to Gunung Brinchang, the highest point in the area. When we arrived we were surprised to see that a statue of me had been erected! Climbing the tower we were rewarded with superb views that were surrounding us. We were able to see as far as the town of Ipoh in one direction, and in the other direction we could see as far as Taman Negara National Park.
Making our way back we stopped off at B'oh tea estate to see the processes of turning the picked leaves into drinking tea leaves – a process of withering, rolling, fermenting, drying and sorting the leaves. We also sampled a fine cupper overlooking the very impressive Sungei Palas plantation. The Sungei tea plantation is one of the smallest in Malaysia producing 600,000 kg a year. As Nic is now a huge fan of both tea AND coffee, she picked the Teacino - an interesting combo but apparently pretty damn good!
Our final stop of the day brought us to a butterfly farm (which also housed a number of reptiles and other animals). Nic enjoyed the number of colourful butterflies. I on the other hand think they are merely moths with
a splash of colour. They can't fool me! The health of the animals was questionable, there were quite a few dead butterflies on the floor that appear to have been squished and the other animals looked a bit too docile for my liking.
There are a number of hiking trails around the highlands and Nic and I decided to go and explore later that afternoon. We were treated yet again to beautiful scenery and at times it felt like we
were in our own little world. On our journey we passed a lush waterfall. The water did look very inviting but we had distance to cover so we just stopped for a quick photo. Nic was still recovering from Kinabalu...!!
On our final day I decided to tackle one of the other hiking trails. Nic's leg was playing up a little so she chilled at the hostel. I saw more of the lush surroundings. In some parts it got a little tricky and the trail became hard to follow. The end result = I got lost! I stumbled upon 3 kids who didn't speak 1 word of English but understood I was a little lost, and they walked me back to the trail. The kids were very 'jungle wise', snapping big branches downwards (but leaving them attached) every few hundred metres. They appeared to be leaving obvious markers – I assume so they could backtrack on their trail if thy got lost and/or so other people stumbling upon the branches would know that people have recently been along the route.
After enjoying a few days of cooling off we next made our way over to the Perhentian islands. We had heard promising things about the Pernhentians and we were looking forward to the trip. The island did indeed turn out to be beautiful, a little different to what we were expecting but beautiful nonetheless. Both Nic and I can't put our finger on it exactly but we both agree it didn't have 'the vibe'. We didn't get very lucky with the weather (except on the morning we were leaving!). Much of the day was overcast
and we did get a few big downpours. This was no big deal though as I came down with a 24hr bug so spent a bit of time in our bungalow recuperating. In the evenings we enjoyed candle lit meals inches from the sea for less than £2 each!. The evenings turned out to be our favourite time on the island.
Leaving the beach behind, we began our journey to Penang, the oldest British settlement in Malaysia. We were big fans of Penang by the end of our stay there. The majority of our time was spent in the bright, lively bustling area of Little India. Sari shops, temples, restaurants and Indian sweet sellers lined the streets, along with Bollywood movie shops attempting to out do each other by seeing who could play the loudest bhangra. It was here that I ate the best Tandoori chicken of my life! We were beginning to think that we should have included India in our itinerary... that will also have to wait for next time!
We checked out Fort Cornwallis and learnt some interesting information on how it came to be. Captain Light arrived on the island in 1786 and developed a free trade port hoping to lure trade from Britain's Dutch rivals. Surrounding the fort we passed a number of Penang's grand Colonial buildings.
The shopping malls of Penang also allowed us to stock up on our supplies. I also thought I should get another hair cut and see if anyone could save the carnage that had been done to it in Costa Rica, Hollywood AND Kuching (!) Nic convinced me to go to a proper salon. I agreed. The lady was able to sort it out a little although I think I am going to have to shave it all off and start again. Savage.
Our last place left to visit in Malaysia was the island of Pulau Langkawi. We decided that the best was to properly see the main island was to hire a moped. Although Nic was a little hesitant at first, she agreed it was the only thing that made sense. She turned out to be a quality little rider. With exception to the starting and stopping (when things got a bit wobbly) I felt safe on the back ;-) Nic really enjoyed the freedom of our ped and wasn't long before we were zooming along with confidence.
We did have to watch out for the locals who drive super crazy. We stopped off at various points along the way, including rice fields, coastline and harbours, taking photos as we went. Langkawi has an impressive cable car system so we decided to go and explore. The cash points were temporarily not working which was a little frustrating but no big thing as we decided to return th next morning. We took a detour to see one of the close by waterfalls where we were greeted by a number of cheeky Macaques.
The weather the following day was overcast but we decided to ride the cable car anyhow as we thought the experience would be cool even if the views from the top were going to be obscured. The incline of the cable car ascent was quite steep, 45 degrees in places! Our ride took us to the top of Gunung Machinchang, 708m above sea level. On the way out we saw this guy with a BIG sack trying to sell a photo with the beasty 14ft python and Nic stepped up with no fear while I kept my distance!
We decided that we would invest some time going back to Penang to save time overall with visa runs (as we were enetering Thailand via bus or boat we would only have been given a 15 day visa). We had tried to sort the visa beofe leaving for Langkawi but as it was the weekend we would have had to wait for the following week.
Plus we thought we would be able to arrange it in Langkawi. We were wrong. Back to Penang. It was no big thing, we enjoyed Penang. It was an easy place to be for a few more days and it meant I would be able to eat more tandoori chicken and stock up on more Indian sweets from Little India. It was definitely worth it. The visa cost us £8 each and gave us up to 2 months travel in Thailand... value! Visas sorted... onto Koh Lanta, our fist stop of our island hopping tour in Thailand!
written by  SupandNic on August 20, 2010 from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Ko Lanta The Diamond Island!
Ko Lanta, Thailand
First stop on our Thailand tour - Koh Lanta. We had arrived in low season. This was great for us as not only was the island deserted, the resorts had drastically slashed their prices (the hardcore ones that were still open). Add a negotiating Sup to the mix and you get a bargain ;-)
Below are some of the photos taken from the resort we were staying at. It was a great place for little money so it was a winner!
I had of course been very much looking forward to the food of Thailand and I am very glad to say that Koh Lanta sure did deliver! Red and green Thai curries became my staple diet. This was awesome news.
The island itself is fairly small and as Nic had perfected her moped skills back in Langkawi we decided to hire a scooter to check out the coastline of the island.
The further South we travelled the quieter and more beautiful the beaches became. At times it felt like we were the first to discover the island. It's such a great feeling to find deserted beach after beach, to be the only ones on these vast stretches of sand surrounded by tropical sea, cliffs and lush green vegetation.
We had one last beach left to visit and as the sun began to drop we hurried ourselves on to make it in time for the sunset. It was definitely worth it! We decided to engage on a sunset tour stopping at various beaches we had passed along the way! Below are my favourite photos from the journey.
As some of you know I have been planning to ask Nic to marry me for some time. I have always wanted to ask for Nic's hand in marriage abroad and I had originally intended to ask her when we were thinking of going travelling a few years back. Then came the issues with my eyes which halted my plans.
I bought the ring back when we were in Hollywood. It is a token ring that was fit for the purpose. We are going to pick the real one together on our return. I didn't want to devise a plan, instead I wanted it to be completely natural. Well... after a perfect day and a lovely time chilling on the beach with just the two of us, I knew that this was the right time. My adrenaline was pumping and I had butterflies in my stomach. It was very romantic, we had the beach to ourselves along with a full star filled sky. I took Nic's hand and asked her the question. She responded with silence, and then some giggles as she thought I was joking before telling me.... YES!!!!!
written by  SupandNic on August 31, 2010 from Ko Lanta, Thailand

Ko Phi Phi Time!
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
Ko Phi Phi was stunning. Phi Phi consists of 2 islands: Phi Phi Lee and Phi Phi Don, the latter one being the inhabited island where we were to stay. The tsunami hit Phi Phi in a devastating way, in terms of loss of life and damage to property. Standing on the beach it was hard to comprehend what actually happened on that disaster day.
My fiancee and I ;-) enjoyed the beautiful views of the beach, relaxing on the powder white sand and cooling off in the refreshing turquoise sea. The area was amazingly picturesque and I enjoyed snapping away on the camera. It was crazy how the weather changed so rapidly, in a matter of minutes to be precise. After a heavy and refreshing downpour the weather soon picked up again so it was never a big issue.
Near to the beach we took refuge in a little food shack. The lady was making some Thai salads which looked very appetising so we ordered two. She asked us how spicy we wanted them and I of course disclosed my love of the chilli pepper asking her to make it extra hot. Oh dear. She almost killed me. They were next level. The food was so hot but I couldn't stop eating it. It is like a kind of pleasure/pain addiction. I actually felt high off
of the chillis. My lips began to burn, my face went numb, my ears began to hurt intensely and I went very light headed. Looking back now knowing how hot the chillis were would I have asked for it less spicy?... Of course not! I realise that this is a situation I need to address. Eating something until you can't feel your face is definitely not a good look.
Later that evening I nursed my chilli overloaded body with some of the renowned Thailand buckets! We opted for vodka, lemonade and Thailand's famous red bull. There were a number of street stalls selling a variety of drink combinations. They were good value and did the job.
As some of you know I have a strong dislike of jellyfish. Walking back later that evening we noticed that the beach was littered with dead jellyfish that the tide had bought in. Not nice.
On one of the days we signed up for snorkelling tour of Ko Phi Phi Lee, a beautiful island surrounded by soaring cliffs. The long-tail boat trip over the high seas to the island was a little nerve racking, especially when the boatman had a look of anxiety on his face. It was all okay in the end as we arrived safely.
We stopped off at the first snorkelling area of the day and were treated to turquoise clear water and beautiful coral, home to a number of fish. Nic had mastered her snorkelling technique and was swimming about like a fish. The practise in Fiji had certainly paid of. This was my first time snorkelling and I did have a bit of trouble with the breathing. When I did get it right however, the experience of being surrounded by that many fish was amazing. I appreciate why so many people go diving.
The trip was centred around a visit to Maya Bay which is where the film 'The Beach' was set. The sea was so rough that half of our group decided to stay on the boat and not pay the visit. Not the rest of us though, we jumped straight in. Getting to the Bay was the best part as it involved swimming across choppy high seas and scrambling up a ladder to the entrance of the bay. Nic recognised parts from the film instantly and was excited to be on the set of the film. Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos of Maya Bay as we didn't have a waterproof bag for our camera ;-(
We stopped off at Monkey Bay on the return journey and captured the photo on the left. We arrived just as a tour group were feeding them monkey nuts. One cheeky monkey had found a cool refreshing drink! Monkeys have been the most common animal we have seen on our travels and they seem to get more cheeky every time.
Phi Phi was great fun. We were off to a brilliant start in Thailand and we knew it was only going to get better. We were really enjoying the ease of travel within the country. Thailand is so touristy that travelling around has currently involved little stress at all (once we had adjusted to Asia time of course i.e lateness!). There are so many different modes of transport and companies to get you from A to B and the hardest decision is merely chosing which one. Next up... it was time for me to make like a gecko in Railay...
written by  SupandNic on September 1, 2010 from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Railay Gecko Style!
Krabi, Thailand
Railay... what a magical place. This was the Thailand I had imaged in my head: beautiful beaches, long tail boats, and limestone cliffs jutting out of the sea. The long tail boat travel was again a little hairy but we kept good faith in our boat man. It was a good job we both loved the place on arrival as we were to be spending the next 4 days here.
The reason for our travel to Railay was primarily so I could take full advantage of the surrounding cliffs... so immediately I signed up for a 3 day intensive rock climbing course with one of
the many climbing schools. The course was designed to teach me the basics of climbing: rope knots, belaying, top roping, lead climbing and self rappelling. I met Jay my instructor and I knew I was in for a hard 3 days. Nic wasn't up for climbing as she had other plans for her big adventure although as you can see in the photo she could have tackled the rocks with ease!
Having secured my place on the course I left Nic with the bags and went searching for accommodation. I negotiated us another bargain! £6 for our bungalow equipped with fridge, TV and hot water. The resort also had a pool overlooking Diamond Cave (one of the climbing walls I learnt on) and was great for cooling off after a hard days climb.
The vibe on Railay East where we stayed was very relaxed and laid back. In the evenings we spent our time exploring. There were a few different beaches around Railay all
within walking distance of each other. We enjoyed eating dinner by the sea watching the tide come in. We also found a bamboo cafe which served great hot chocolate and I quickly became a big fan (although I think the taste was greatly enhanced by the awesome views).
The first day of climbing involved learning the skills of basic knots, belaying and top roping. Before we set off I was given a harness and a pair of climbing shoes to try on. Basic rule number 1 of climbing: if your shoes are not crippling your feet then they are too big. They should be so tight that they are forcing your toes to curl. This will ensure your grip when climbing on the rock face (as your toes are the main part of your foot that you use for climbing), as I was soon to find out.
It was vital I got to grips with the basic knots as these would be responsible for keeping me safe, especially on my descent. A good dose of repetition helped nail it home. Belaying involves keeping your partner safe while they are climbing on the rock face. It is a process of securing the climber by using a rope and belaying device to hold the climber's weight should they fall. Top Roping involves climbing up a rock face attached by a rope that has already been taken up the rock face by another climber I.e Jay my instructor. The rope will have been run through a fixed anchor at the summit of the climb. Once Jay was back on the ground I could then be attached to the rope so that I could climb safely. The photo below shows my view looking down.
For the first 2 days I climbed on the popular beginner walls of Diamond Cave and the 1,2,3 Wall. Pretty much as soon as we preparing to start we heard rustling from above followed by a great thud. A monkey had fallen over 30m and appeared to be dead. After a few minutes of discussing what to do the money came round and shot off into the trees. I have no idea how he survived (The photo isn't of the exact monkey but he was similar to this little guy we saw later on). The Local guides said that in all their time in Railay they have never seen a monkey fall. Maybe this was a bad sign?!
The hardest part I found was during the rappel: trusting a complete stranger with my life! It was crucial they had the rope taught and therefore I would be safe. I was surprised to learn that the majority of your strength should come from your legs and not your arms (whenever possible). Using your arms just tires you out very quickly. When resting on the rock face it is important to have your arms and legs spread far apart, otherwise again you will lose energy rapidly. The photo on the left shows me pleased with my effort after reaching the top.
Lead climbing involves the leader climbing up the rock face with a rope attached to their harness clipping it into to carabiners as they climb. When I was lead climbing Jay my be-layer fed me enough rope that allowed me to climb, making sure he didn't feed me too much slack. As I progressed up the
rock face I clipped one of my many quick-draw clips that were on my harness on to the titanium bolts in the rock face which were every 5 metres or so. I then fed the rope through the other section of my quick-draw clip. This then limited the length of my potential fall. It was a great feeling performing a lead climb and it gave me a good sense of achievement watching other people then climb on the rope I had taken up.
On my final day we went to a climbing site on Hat Phra Nang beach and the photo above shows the views from one of my climbs. This was a beautiful secluded area where I was treated to some spectacular views at the summit. Jay had taken me there to teach me the skills of self rappelling (which I am doing in the left photo). Rappelling or abseiling is the means by which you lower yourself off the rock face. Self rappelling is required when there is no metal anchor at the top of the climb to feed the rope through. Instead there may be some rope, in which case you have to use one of your quick-draw clips as an anchor.
It can also be used if you were lead climbing and you couldn't make it to the top (eg if the climb was too difficult to complete). In both cases self rappelling is used so that no quick-draw clips are left up on the rock face. It also means that you can rappel down without needing someone on the ground to perform the rope work. In order to self rappel I had to first secure myself at the summit with my safety clip. I then had to undo the rope from my harness and feed it through the belay device. I could then slide down the rope using the belay device to control my speed of descent.
Jay was happy with my practise runs so we moved on to one of the larger rappels in the area... which happened to also be out of a cave (above photo)! The only way down from the cave was by rappel so Nic was also going to have a taster (with Jay performing the rope work). The view from the cave was awesome! I went first and it was a great feeling knowing I was in full control of my descent as opposed to the previous day when Jay had been in control. Below is a photo of the cave and if you look carefully (in the second photo down) you can just see the back of Nic as she prepares for her descent.
At the start of my course I was climbing grade 5 climbs (based on the French system). By the end I was climbing grade 6A+ which I found very challenging (although probably relatively easy for an experienced climber). The start of these climbs usually involved a overhang that required you to just use your arms until you were high enough to position your feet. No-one else in the group was able to tackle the start of the climb which you can see in the photo below and I did feel a great sense of achievement tackling it on my first attempt ;-)
Further up though was a different story. The rock face became incredibly flat (to me anyhow, especially in comparison to those I had previously been climbing) as you can see in the photo left. My toes were perched on what felt like little nuggets of rock and I found it very hard to secure a good hand hold. The route I had to take all seemed very obvious to Jay down below as he was shouting up his words of encouragement.
My footing was all wrong and my arms were supporting my weight. I was tiring very quickly and I couldn't gather the energy I needed to make the last part. I was hanging on with every ounce of energy I had left and it wasn't long before I fell. You can see the frustration and disappointment on my face in the photo. I had a little rest before having another go but the same thing happened. Well... I don't give up and I wasn't going to be beaten and I am very happy to say that I conquered it on my third attempt :-) Below are some of the best photos...
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of my rock climbing course and would recommend it to everyone who likes to physically push themselves. It was such a great feeling being responsible for the lead climbs and also for rappelling myself back down. The views from the top were an added bonus and were an excellent way to appreciate the hard effort made to reach the summit. Being that high up a rock face and knowing it was only me that could get myself to the top was a challenge that seriously gave me a buzz. It is definitely an activity that I could really get into and I would like to pursue further once back in England.
written by  SupandNic on September 2, 2010 from Krabi, Thailand

Koh Samui Celebrations!
Ko Samui, Thailand
The island of Koh Samui was a great little place to celebrate Sup's 26th birthday and our 10 year anniversary!
Having travelled most of the big day on a ferry and bus combo we settled into our new home and then ventured out onto the beach in the evening to explore. Our anniversary dinner was to be an incredibly romantic candlelit Thai curryfest with a seafront view on luxury sunbeds on the beach. To make it even better we had free entertainment in the form of firework rockets and Thai 'good luck' lanterns that were repeatedly being launched into the sky – I of course tried to convince Sup that I had planned all of this for our special occasion!
To counter the disappointment of a young guy who eagerly wanted to sell drugs to us, we politely declined and instead agreed to buy a lantern from him so that we could bless our anniversary in true Thai style. As we lit the lantern, watching it burn brightly as it floated away into the starry night sky, we allowed the reality of our 10 year journey to sink in, and felt truly blessed. (note – this is exactly why Sup wouldn't let me write the Koh Lanta engagement blog, LOL!!). Before returning home we were treated to our 3rd fire display of the night – some martial arts masters showing off their impressive pyrotechnic skills with fire poi – a spectacular sight indeed.
On returning home to a throng of topless young Thai guys wearing pants and leather studded belts, we soon realised that we may well have inadvertently booked into the gay district of Koh Samui. I enjoyed a good old giggle as the cheeky guys tried to flirt with a horrified Sup and the 'Boyzone' club and men's massage suddenly seemed glaringly obvious...!
The next day I was up bright and early in order to get a delicious slab of brownie and some candles from the local deli and to sing Happy Birthday to my long suffering fiance! (Anyone who has had the misfortune to hear me sing will agree!). We had a lovely birthday meal and chilled on the beach with chilli chicken sticks while Sup came to terms with being nearer 30 than 20, although the sunshine, beach and glorious sea certainly seemed to take the edge off.
Another moped adventure took us on a tour of the island on our final day, and the sights in Koh Samui turned out to be interesting to say the least...the infamous 'granddad' rock brought quite a crowd of giggling tourists as you would expect.
By now we had lost count of the waterfalls we had encountered on our journeys, but we still raced on to see the sight, especially as it gave us a chance to see the elephants, although we agreed to save our elephant trek for later on in Chang Mai. Seeing a forest full of these gentle giants was a lovely experience, and then we were off again on our way back to enjoy the last of the sun on the beach.
Having been approached a total of 6 times in a space of 10 minutes by various sellers of food, clothing and general junk, we decided that perhaps Koh Samui was a little less chilled than our previous Thai destinations. The scores of Italian Stallions in their tight Speedos with their bronze, thong clad ladies trotting alongside them also gave the game away as to the package tour feel of the place and suddenly we realised we may well have been the only scruffy backpackers on the crowded beach for a change!
Our final meal in Koh Samui was of course Thai red curry for Sup, but for me – I mus apologise in advance for being such a Philistine, but the pizza craving was too strong for me to resist. And I didn't regret my choice one slice!
That night on the beach, a relaxing Thai massage was the perfect end to our 4th Thai destination. And when I say relaxing, I mean in the 'bone breaking' sense of the word...these little Thai women can bend steel! As we lay listening to the sounds of the sea, our legs and necks were pummeled and cracked and we had the entire weight of a human being concentrated on the small of our backs. At one point, I opened my eyes to come face to face with my torturer, a young Thai female grinning sadistically as she entwined her whole body with mine and turned, forcing me to bend ridiculously with her, vaguely reminiscent of a WWF move, I felt sure! It was actually a great experience and we felt refreshed and surprisingly relaxed afterwards, psyched and ready for our next big adventure in Turtle Island, the magnificent Koh Tao.
written by  SupandNic on September 21, 2010 from Ko Samui, Thailand

The Underworld of Koh Tao...
Ko Tao, Thailand
Koh Tao exceeded all expectations and gave me one of the best experiences of my whole life. Diving! But in addition than that, it became our home for 6 whole nights – a fantastic dive resort on a stunning beach, with a chilled out vibe, great people. incredible sunsets, delicious Thai curries and a lot of affectionate dogs.
The Padi Open Divers course was something I had been considering, but due to time, money and competency worries, I was at first reluctant. Sup, however, made me see sense and encouraged me to go for it as he knew that I would love it. And that is one of the million reasons I love my man!
Even the thought of going 'back to school' for 3 days was exciting to me and it felt good to be in front of a text book learning something new. The resort we chose for my course was beautiful, aptly named Coral Grand, and situated on a gorgeous stretch of white sand with turquoise waters that were perfect for swimming in even long after dark. I had the first night off to relax before getting started, so we explored the small town and soaked up the last rays of the setting sun. The sunsets on the beach were absolutely spectacular in Koh Tao and Sup was in his element.
The next day I was off to work and Sup finally got some well deserved peace and quiet, and time to relax
in the sunshine with his favourite treat of the moment - a stick of juicy pineapple from the friendly Burmese beach vendor. He later enjoyed a slightly less healthy snack in the form of a delicious Nutella pancake from the fastest pancake maker in the whole of South East Asia!
After a couple of hours watching videos about diving and answering quiz questions I was free to go so I tracked Sup down at the beach and we headed out for dinner. As my nerves was starting to get the better of me, my appetite dropped considerably – luckily Sup was on hand to ensure that nothing was wasted and he gladly tucked into his second curry of the night. Later on I did some heavy duty swatting in order to have a head start on the practical exercises the next day in the swimming pool.
I met with my group early in the morning - two German lads Markus and Sharon, Helen from Switzerland, who was to be my buddy for the duration of the course, and our German-Canadian instructor Dave. Although I was a little overwhelmed at first by the scuba equipment, I was surprised by how quickly it all seemed to make sense, and as Sup watched from a sun lounger by the pool, step by step I learned how to use the equipment properly, how to survive underwater in emergencies, and how to assist my buddy. As you can see, I felt very comfortable in my lovely wetsuit, although the flippers and incredibly heavy scuba tank took a bit more getting used to. After one minor incident in the pool when I pretty much drowned, died and was resurrected, I refined my technique and was raring to go.
With just a couple more theory sessions under my belt, I soon found myself on a dive boat sailing out on the open water ready for dive 1 and 2 of the program, with more than a few tingling nerves. Sup came along to master his snorkelling technique, and it was great to have my partner in crime there with me to share my first open water experience. And what an experience it was!!
I zipped up my wetsuit, attached my weight belt round my hips and eased on my buoyancy control device (BCD) with the scuba tank securely fastened to the back. With the respirator in my mouth and my mask over my eyes I took a giant stride off the boat and landed with an almighty splash, inflating my BCD right away so that I could float safely in the choppy water. As a group we then swam over to the buoy line and prepared for our descent, although nothing really could have prepared me for the incredible experience of sinking down into the ocean to discover the magic of the underwater world. It was truly spectacular.
Our 1st and 3rd dives were fun dives, with the 2nd and 4th dives being designed to test our skills and ensure that we were eligible for certification. Over a 2 day period I became more confident in the water and by the 4th dive, when we were clowning around underwater and being filmed for the DVD, I felt less like Tinkerbell of Hollywood Boulevard and more like The Little Mermaid!
When I received my Open Water Certification after passing the final exam, I immediately booked to do 2 fun dives the next day, along with renting an underwater camera so that I could capture the brilliant fish of the Gulf of Thailand. Taking photos while diving made the whole experience even more incredible, and while I ran out of air a little early on the first dive from getting overexcited chasing fish, I was smarter the second time round and conserved my energy to ensure a longer stay in the depths of the sea.
The Bannerfish were my personal favourite, along with the brilliantly coloured Butterflyfish. For one scary moment we came across a grumpy Triggerfish, which is a little bit daunting as these can actually cause fatalities if you catch them on a really bad day. I was brave for about a second in order to snap one photo, but then moved on swiftly before he decided to object to my presence. The Pink Anemone fish were adorable, bobbing in and out of their home to check us out, and I was ecstatic to see a family of Clownfish on a previous dive, better known as 'Nemo', circling their coral real estate, although I was unfortunately without a camera at that time.
Bannerfish...
Butterfly fish...
Trigger Fish...
Pink Anemone...
Being circled by gigantic schools of Barracudas and Trevellys was fantastic, and spotting Sup's favourite fish from Fiji, the Sergeant Major, was great, along with the colourful Parrotfish, the deadly Lionfish (from far away!) and lazy Groupers lying on the rocks on the ocean floor. The landscape of the sea bed was magnificent and sitting on the sand 18metres underwater watching the bubbles rise above resembling the inside of a lava lamp was a breathtaking experience.
Back on dry land the next day and reunited with Sup, we decided to explore the rest of the island, once again by trusty moped. Only this time, the journey was pretty close to a nightmare! Our starting point became a vertical pothole ridden one way route to danger, and we swiftly turned around before an inevitable accident happened. The route back down to safety required extreme care to the point that Sup had to get off and make his own way down while I straddled the moped and walked it down the steep incline, cursing dry land the whole way down and praising the virtues of the sea.
Not to be deterred, we continued our journey in another direction and were rewarded with some beautiful views and a rather impressive skeleton of a whale shark on display after being found stranded on the beach some years ago.
On our final night, we relaxed on the beach together and enjoyed the flaming displays of the fire poi performers as we reflected on the beauty of Koh Tao. Completing the Padi divers course was a real achievement for me and an experience of a lifetime on a paradise island. Watching the DVD of our diving antics with my underwater buddies also provided excellent entertainment! With both
our climbing and diving courses completed, and our confidence soaring, we were ready for new challenges – but first, the ultimate celebration of our successes in our final island destination, and just at the perfect time of the lunar cycle...!
written by  SupandNic on September 23, 2010 from Ko Tao, Thailand

Koh Phangan – Full Moon Par-tay!!!
Ko Phangan, Thailand
The spirit of Koh Phangan of course lies in the wonders of the Full Moon Party – a gratuitous night of dancing on the beach, drinking buckets of dubious alcohol and generally having an awesome night of fun. There is, however, also an incredibly beautiful island to discover in the light of day.
We made our home in Haad Yao, a stunning stretch of beach that captured our hearts. Our first night's accommodation was nothing special, purely functional while we dumped our bags to look
for somewhere better, and when we found it, it was most definitely worth the wait. For the rest of our time in Koh Phangan our home was an amazing little hut right on the beach, with a beautiful garden of flowers, rows of tall palm trees and an awesome view of the sea. We had our own balcony with table, chairs and our favourite of all things – a hammock!
On our first night, we had enjoyed dinner in a lovely little restaurant on the beach inches from the sea, however after sampling the food made by our guesthouse, we were soon living the high life and ordering dinner to be sent to our room so that we could eat on our private balcony overlooking the beach!
When the day of the Full Moon came, we sunned ourselves on the glorious beach and then set about getting ready for the big night, with Tiger beer for Sup and Red Bull for me as a starting point. A long and bumpy taxi van ride then took us to the infamous beach on Hat Rin and we were greeted with a massive row of colourful stalls selling body paint, neon t-shirts and shorts, and above all buckets! Well, it would have been rude not to indulge in local custom so we got our hands on a rum, coke and red bull combo and went off to blend in with the thousands of happy faces dancing on the sand. One bucket quickly turned into two, and then three, and I just managed to drag Sup away from a potential bucket number four with the promise of pizza to ensure that we would be able to actually find our way back home.
We had a lot of fun on the beach, there was definitely more commercial dance and chart music than underground to our surprise. The drum and bass tent, however, was pretty lively and we spent most of our time there until I demanded that we dance to some of my tunes for a while and pulled Sup through the crowds. It was here I found the fire slide...what a crazy idea, to climb up army style netting and slide through fire into a crowd of drunken tourists while tipsy – it was too good to be true and before Sup could say a word, I was already on my way! He got a photo of the slide itself, but I shot down so fast there was no time to capture me in action! After noticing that I had my eye on the flaming fire hoop, I was soon dragged back through the crowd before I got any more ideas, which on reflection was undoubtedly a very good move.
Following the loony antics Full Moon Party, we slowed our pace for the next few days and relaxed on the beach, sometimes with new found friends. Thailand seems to have so many friendly dogs full of character, and one cheeky guy took a shine to me and took Sup's place on his sunbathing towel next to me when he got up to take a photo!
Once we were fully recovered we rented a moped for the last time so that we could see a bit more of the beautiful island of Koh Phangan, so often missed in the shadow of the Full Moon frenzy. Once again, the views did not disappoint and the journey was wonderfully smooth compared with the drama of Koh Tao. It was fantastic to be able to enjoy both the hedonistic spirit of the Full Moon Party and the chilled out paradise of the rest of the island and we both felt it was the perfect place to end our Thai island adventures.
On our last night, we soaked up every last second of the brilliantly colourful beach sunset, although after far too much time paying attention to the sky I started to demand Sup's attention back onto me and rightly so!
The islands of Thailand will always be special to us and the experiences unforgettable. We emerged from our wonderful month by the sea a confident rock climber and diver, masters of the moped, fully fledged members of the Full Moon Party crew and above all, engaged! With so many wonderful memories behind us, we couldn't wait to see what else South East Asia had in store for us!
written by  SupandNic on September 24, 2010 from Ko Phangan, Thailand

Chiang Mai & the Dismal Dengue
Chiang Mai, Thailand
After passing through Bangkok for one night only, our final Thai destination was to be a short stopover in Chiang Mai, before our adventures began in Laos. Unfortunately, a rogue mosquito in Koh Phangan changed our plans considerably when it went beyond the normal pesky bite, and a 5 hour wait at the local hospital followed by a blood test confirmed that I had been infected with Dengue Fever.
I had started to feel pretty poorly during the long journey, but once in Chiang Mai the savage fever took hold and I was sick, weak as a 140 year old woman and confined to my bed for about a week. Meanwhile, inbetween making sure I had everything I needed, Sup had to entertain himself in the town with temple visits, admiring the intricate golden decorations and impressive structures, and a gallon of...you guessed it, Thai curry!
With a lot of pills, TLC and mini bananas, I finally dragged my frail little body out of bed and began the road to recovery – pizza and iced coffee were two of my cravings and they soon brought me back to life!
Sup had found that although the town had a lot of lovely places, it was not a lovely place in itself. The nightlife was seedy throughout and it was hard to escape this, even in seemingly ordinary restaurants. The gentle Thai vibe seemed to have been lost here and seeing a young guy parading a scared baby elephant around the busy town on a chain for money further added to the general dubious atmosphere we felt here.
One of the lovely places he had discovered, however, was the town park, so we hired a picnic mat and chilled by the park lake for the day in the sun, feeding the big Koi fish, thousands of which lunged to the surface as we sprinkled pellets for them to eat.
In the evening we indulged in a little entertainment in the form of Thai boxing – Muay Thai! It was a really fun night, starting with feisty 15 year old boxers with surprising potential, followed by 17 year olds with high spirits and impressive coordination, before the 18 year olds burst into the ring with the fire, determination and ass-kicking moves of future champs. During a break, a group of thai boxers were blindfolded and sent into the ring to cause mayhem with each other, which they certainly did...arms and legs were flailing everywhere, and at one point a boxer pounded the ref by mistake, which resulted in an almighty flying kick of retaliation that sent the boxer soaring across the length of the ring.
Then came the final fight of the night, and the one we had been waiting for – a tough looking Thai facing off against one hulking great beast of a man from England. We had watched him prepare throughout the night, being spurred on by his little Thai lady, smearing Tiger Balm all over his muscles and generally strutting like a true boxing champ. And that he was. Within a couple of rounds the brave Thai was pulverised into a heap on the floor and the crowd went wild.
The excitement of the Thai boxing had finally re-energised me and by our 9th day I was well enough to take on a challenge of a tour. We began with a visit to a beautiful orchid farm filled with an array of colourful flowers. Sup was keen to move on after about 2 minutes, one flower looking pretty much like the next to him! We continued our journey by minibus which brought us close to our next destination, and then a 15 minute trek (my favourite kind!) took us through luscious rolling green hills and rice fields to come face to trunk with 7 almighty elephants...
We spotted the biggest most impressive bull and lingered at the back so that we could ride on the star of the show, but we were about to find out that this was a flawed plan indeed. In short, our elephant was crazy! Worse even, a combination of crazy, rebellious, incredibly strong, and above all – hungry!
The ride consisted mainly of climbing for an hour through wet mud up a steep incline through forest and back down again. With me and Sup perched precariously on a wooden seat on his back and the 'Mahout', or elephant handler, sat snugly on the neck with one foot behind each ear to steer (!) we took just a few steps before our 'graceful' beast snorted about a gallon of liquid mud and shot a steady spray all over us in an effort to cool himself down. He then made it his sole mission to search, eat and destroy every bamboo tree in sight, snapping whole trees as easily as if they were flower stems and devouring everything in sight.
It was a hilarious experience, as were the tricks we were shown by another mahout and his elephant. Using her trunk as a lift, she hoisted her master up onto her almighty back, and then scooped his flip flop up from the ground and passed it up to him without even being asked!
There were times when our awesome ride became a little scary – the mud made the elephant slip occasionally and we had to duck from the heavy branches that came crashing towards us as he wrenched down the trees, all the while clinging on for dear life.
Incredibly, we escaped with all limbs intact and we waved goodbye to our crazy friend and headed out to a waterfall for lunch – some lovely flavoured chicken rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Sup had forgotten to bring his contact lens case, but he could swim around in the cool shallow water. I, however, had other ideas...my eye was on the rock slide! (that's me at the top of the slide in blue, with an audience at the bottom!)
After shooting down a vertical rock face at 100 miles an hour into a freezing waterfall pool, I was ready for more and we set off for a double rafting session. Our first rafting experience was in an inflatable dinghy on a rapid river – kind of a tame version of white water rafting that left us wanting more. After bouncing over a few gushing waves, we then transferred to a traditional bamboo raft for a lazy float down the river, with Sup as the captain. No waterproof camera = no photos unfortunately, but we were left with some fun memories.
We visited a local village on the way home and gained some insight into the simple life, meeting some of the residents and admiring their homemade crafts. Further on down the road we stopped by a huge swing made by the villagers and we both jumped on for some good old-fashioned fun!
The next day we finally moved on from Chiang Mai on an overnight bus crossing the border to the land of Laos. Thailand was officially done - the islands had introduced us to the stunning beauty of Asia, the town had suggested something darker lurking underneath, and we were about to enter the emerald realm of luscious Laos, an Asian backdrop of epic proportions...
written by  SupandNic on October 2, 2010 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Laid Back Laos...
Luang Prabang, Laos
With Thailand successfully completed we embarked on an overnight bus journey from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang in Laos. We were lucky to stop near the border for one last Thai temple exploration. The white temple was the king daddy of all temples and our mission through the rain was indeed worth it. The temple design was one of the most diverse I have seen. In the photo below you can see the walkway leading to the temple and the eerie section of hand sculptures reaching up from the ground.
Arriving into Luang Prabang in the early morning with severe lack of sleep meant that bed was in order. After catching up on a few hours sleep we went off to explore. We were impressed. The town had a great mix of Asian and European influence. The beautiful temples, French architecture and the former grand palace provided us with some excellent photo opportunities.
Monks could be seen all around, walking down the lush tree lined streets which were surrounded by both the Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers. The food was also some of the best and we both enjoyed our daily chicken and Mekong River fish from the laid back night markets and riverside food stalls. What's more the locals were so friendly and genuine. This was one relaxed town and we sunk into the lifestyle just fine ;-)
We spent some time visiting the various temples situated around the town. The Phu Si temple was positioned high up on the hill providing us with great views over Luang Prabang.
Wat Xieng Thong was the most famous temple in the town and dates back to 1560. At one of the other temples we were lucky to speak with a couple of young 15 year old monks. It was interesting to learn about their culture and dedication they put in. Nic couldn't get too close as they are not allowed to have any contact with females! They had only been learning English for a short time and their interaction with tourists is a great way for them to boost their vocabulary and for us to also learn about their lifestyle. Later that evening Nic went to see a Laos dance theatre performance which she enjoyed, while I spent some more time looking around the town.
Pak Ou Caves was next up on our list. The cave was accessed by a 1 and a half hour boat ride upstream a beautiful stretch of the Mekong River. There are 2 caves within the cliff both full with a variety of Buddha statues. Whilst the cave was a good visit,
the scenery during the boat trip was the highlight of the morning. Our boat made a stop at the Ban Xang Hai village, otherwise known as 'Whisky Village'. We met the locals who showed us a range of bottled whiskey they had made, each containing a different creature, including snakes, scorpions and geckos. The whiskeys are made for a variety of purposes including joint pain and building strength. We each tried a shot of 60% proof whiskey which was potent to say the least.
We took a trip to see the Kung Si Waterfall in the afternoon. We were greeted at the Park entrance by a big happy sun bear! The reserve has a conservation scheme for bears rescued from poachers. He looked in good shape and we were both impressed with the size of the bears enclosure.
Kung Si Waterfall is one the most stunning waterfalls I have seen on our travels to date. The water runs from the main pool throughout the jungle, passing over a number of smaller falls which were equally as beautiful as the main fall itself.
We set on a trek to the top and half way up realised we should have made our way up the other side. The route was so muddy and it was only a matter of time before we took off our flip flops and continued bare foot. The views from the top were awesome. We were a little anxious standing at the top, seeing the water rushing over the edge. One false move and we would have been falling a long way down.
On the way home we predictably stopped at a local village where the women and children were selling all sorts of handmade crafts. Nic made the gigantic mistake of buying a wristband from a woman outside her house and within seconds she was surrounded by a gaggle of children chanting “You buy from me, You buy from me”, much to my amusement. I, however, managed to escape. Afraid that she may never make it out of the village, Nic leapt into the van thinking she was safe, however, the 'Children of the Damned' still circled like vultures.
Later that evening we met up with Rich, an Australian guy we had met on the way to Laos and went for some drinks. It was a great evening, although as I have been drinking less since coming away travelling I have turned into a bit of a lightweight. It's all good, it made for a cheap evening!
Vang Vieng was to be our next destination and we enjoyed the scenic bus route which passed through the beautiful Laos mountains. Vang Vieng was a great little town and the surrounding scenery was simply stunning. 'Friends' was shown in just about every restaurant and bar. It seemed to do the job of getting people through the door. We did get a few sneaky surprises on occasions, mainly getting passed the opium menu while waiting for our food. Crazy. When the French invaded back in the day they permitted opium production to flourish and Laos became a big producer of the crop. In 1998 Laos was the third largest illicit opium producer in the world. As a result of the government's commitment to address the issue, during the period of 1998 and 2005 the country's opium cultivation was reduced by 94% and addiction dropped by 80%. Pretty impressive. I contemplated having an opium spliff starter but after giving it some thought I felt it wouldn't have complimented my Laos chicken curry. (!!!)
Tubing is of course the main activity that people come to Vang Vieng for. This is basically where you float down the river in a big old tractor inner tube, stopping along the way at make shift bars before jumping back in the river via rope swings! We were a little disappointed to learn that the tubing operators weren't due to open because of the high waters the previous few days rain had bought. After grabbing a bite to eat we were pleased to see that with no sign of any further rain in sight the tubing operators had in fact opened so we picked up our tubes and took a tuk tuk to the launch site. We were informed of how 3 people have died tubing already this summer through a combination of high river conditions, back flips, drink and mushroom shakes. We were beginning to wonder if we would make it through alive!
The launch point involved sliding down a big metal slide straight into the river... great fun! The river was flowing pretty fast so as soon as I hit the water I was off. Nic was up next and the strong current had made her veer off to the wrong side. She ended up getting stuck under a bridge because the water was so high. It was a little scary to be honest but me and another lad nearby got her free. We re-energised with a big hug (after the obligatory screaming in my ear for 10 minutes from the shock!) and then jumped back in our tubes and made our way to the first bar, which by now was rammed with travellers. The rope swing had to be done so I stepped up first. It looks pretty damn high when you climb up (especially when you are just on some rickety old bits of wood). I reached for the swing and took a big jump which felt like I was plummeting for eternity before I was plunged deep in the river. You then get thrown a rope so you don't end up floating off for miles. Nic stepped up next and seeing her face was priceless! The photos aren't the best (no waterproof camera) but you get the idea! Floating down the river surrounded by such amazing views was epic.
Our Kayak tour turned out to be one our Laos highlights. We kayaked 18km downstream and there was no better way to see the stunning surroundings of Vang Vieng.
There was definitely something wrong with our kayak (or Nic?!) though as we managed to capsize a total of 3 times. Things were getting a bit silly. I think our guide just thought we were both positively rubbish at kayaking until he had switched to the kayak with me. We set off on our challenge to paddle up the rapid... without success... we capsized. This was only the second capsize in our guides 10 year kayaking history. He couldn't believe it.
This was a good time to re-fuel and we stopped for our barbeque lunch which of course
was delicious. Laos food is big in the game. They know how to feast well. After lunch we were back on the river. We stopped off along route to visit one of the nearby caves. The water was unfortunately too high for us to enter the cave but the short hike to get there was worth it nonetheless, as we passed through lush green rice fields. I have recently become a fan of rice fields and when you see the photos it is easy to see why.
Next up was a stop at an organic tea farm for a fine cuppa before continuing kayaking further downstream to visit one of the other nearby caves called Tham Non, also known as 'sleeping cave'. In order to enter the cave we had to pass through a cool spring which was very refreshing. We had to swim upstream through the cave clinging on to bits of rock and forming a human rope line. It was great fun and such an experience to explore an undeveloped cave with nothing more than candlelight. Awesome! Once we made it to the end we able to explore the the main cave room. It was an impressive room that was home to hundreds of locals that took refuge from the bombs during the war. It was hard to imagine people living in the cave day and night.
Having found a rock climbing operator in the area I signed up and enjoyed a days climbing over the amazing scenery below me. First we had to hike a short distance to get to the rock face crossing farmland, streams and a rocky incline towards the end.
The limestone cliff provided us with some great climbs although the midday sun made it hard work at times. It appears that Laos climbing safety equipment is not quite up to the same standard as Thailand , however. The woman who was also climbing with me was an experienced climber from Australia and after she inspected the anchor at the top she was looking rather anxious. There were also no bolts on route to the top, but instead there were slings (loops of rope attached to the rock) so when our guide asked if I wanted to lead the climb (climb with the rope and attach it to the top) she strongly advised me against it. I thought it was best to listen to her as she seemed to know what she was on about.
Despite the slight safety issues we had a great days climb and it did give me more determination not to fall off. I also completed a 6b+ climb which is my toughest climb yet so I was chuffed. We had another tasty barbeque lunch which our guide cooked up... top stuff.
On our final day we went to explore the most well known cave of the area, Tham Jang. This cave was used as a bunker in defence from the Chinese in the early 19th century. Once in the cave grounds we were greeted by a welcoming blue spring so naturally we jumped in to cool off. After having a little swim we made our climb to the top of the steps to visit the cave. This was a developed cave and was good fun to explore. Again we were treated to some awesome views.
Last stop on our itinerary was the capital city Vientiane. After checking into the hotel we went into town to see the sights. Vientiane again had a mix of predominantly French and Asian influence, a result of the French rebuilding much of the city in the early 20th century, after the destruction that had been left by the Siamese invasion. We enjoyed some donuts from one of the French bakeries on route to the museum. Although there was only a small amount of English in the museum it was an hour well spent. Further research helped us to understand the missing links. During the 60's and early 70's Laos was effected by an unacknowledged conflict known as the 'Secret War'. Northern Vietnam used eastern Laos to move huge quantities of war material down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The USA responded with the largest bombing campaign in history. 2 million tons of bombs were dropped by the USA between 1964 and 1973. Approximately a third of these bombs didn't explode. These are disasters waiting to happen, especially for children and farmers. Understandably then Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is a serious killer today in Laos. The British organisation MAG (Mines Advisory Group) has been helping to clear UXO in conjunction with UXO Laos since 1994 so slowly things are improving. Cleared land can then be used for long term development including agriculture, schools and irrigation canals. Check out http://www.maginternational.org/laopdr/ for more info. They are doing a good job. There is a long way to go, however, the reality is there are still over 200 casualties per year, almost half of which result in death. These are the consequences of a bombing campaign that finished almost 40 years ago. Absolutely shocking.
We continued on our journey through the town stopping off at some of the temples, the city fountain and the palace, although we did get hurried out of the grounds very quickly by the guard. Ooops, I don't think we were supposed to be in there. We had a fantastic curry on route too. Nic noticed the sun beginning to set over the river in the distance so we set off in the direction of the sun. I am very glad we did as we witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets of our whole trip.
The next morning we hired some push bikes costing a whole $1 each for the day. Value. The purpose for hiring the bikes was to visit the Pha That Luang, the most important national monument in Laos. It symbolises Buddhist religion and Laos sovereignty. When the sun shines on it it looks very impressive and can be seen from afar. Nic's bike had some crazy stand device that she had trouble using. It was very funny watching!
Laos has blown us away. The country has matched up to the old style South East Asia I had pictured in my head. It was a part of Asia that I had not yet come across. The country is beautiful and we both enjoyed being surrounded by the natural beauty rather than travelling far to find it. There appears to be a positive future for Laos and the local people seem to recognise that too. The issues surrounding Laos have made me think about communist and capitalist politics and the future that lies a head for the country. It has sparked an interest and I look forward to learning more. It is great to see the country benefiting from tourism and rising out of poverty, but this comes at a price. With a growing number of tourists the country will no doubt change at an alarming rate just like it's Asian neighbours have done over the years. Will it manage to retain its soul? Now that is the question.
written by  SupandNic on October 5, 2010 from Luang Prabang, Laos

Vivacious and Volatile Vietnam
Hanoi, Vietnam
With the luscious beauty of Laos behind us, we were now ready to face the hustle and bustle of the city once more. Unfortunately for us, to get there would require a 26 hour journey across the border on a sleeper bus...on my birthday!! The bus arrived late and by the time we had sorted our accommodation in Hanoi it was about 9.30pm and my birthday was fast running out.
The hunt for a nice place to eat didn't go quite as planned, mainly as most places were closed, and I ended up with a squished mush of a 'burger' in a cafe while the waitress forgot Sup's dinner altogether! We left in a huff, but were luckily saved on the way home by a group of
teens who kept us topped up with free Sangria-style punch while making spare ribs and chicken curry for us to take out. We had inadvertently arrived on the night of a street party full moon celebration, so the city was full to the max with colourful lights, overexcited locals and a million gazillion mopeds. Overwhelming to say the least!
The following day we were still becoming accustomed to the insanity that is Hanoi, and we took a walk down by the river before escaping to view the mayhem from a distance, chilling on the roof terrace of the local KFC!! Hanoi was to be revisited twice more after our initial stay as it is the hub from where we ventured North-West and East. In our subsequent trips, we found better food, were still harassed beyond belief by tuk tuks and taxi drivers and managed to fit in a visit to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, aka the 'Hanoi Hilton'.
We walked around the prison learning of the brutal treatment of prisoners and seeing the disturbing remains of history, as well as reading about the bold escapes, and later of the captured American fighters who were kept at the prison during the Vietnam War, one of which was US Senator and former Presidential candidate John McCain.
Hanoi was most definitely defined by its chaotic nature, so it seemed fitting that our last moments before we moved on were spent on a hair raising moped ride through the town. We were rather taken by surprise when we were picked up from our guesthouse by a couple of guys on mopeds as we were expecting a minibus to take us to our sleeper bus.
I have to admit I was pretty reluctant and not in the most positive frame of mind. Sup, however, leapt at the experience, and in the end we both enjoyed one hell of a ride, despite almost getting our arms and legs ripped off as the bikes weaved in and out and around oncoming traffic. They certainly turned out to be preferable to the taxi drivers, who tried their very best to rip us off at every opportunity, as well as the women of the ticket counter at the train station who would be likely to spit in outrage at the very idea of customer service! We also had a lot of fun spotting the most insane moped drivers, carrying up to 6 passengers at a time, including babies and small children, and the more ambitious ones loaded with boxes and crates of beer – nothing fazes these guys at all. Complete and utter Moped Mania!
From our first stop in Hanoi, we headed to Sapa, in the North highlands of Vietnam. The sleeper train journey there was actually pretty cool and we shared our carriage with a nice couple who didn't steal our bags which was a bonus! Arriving in Sapa at 5am was an experience, and the hour minibus ride took us higher and higher through incredible black and white views before the sun came up and brought the land back to colour. The mysterious and beautiful mist that settled on the mountains, however, was there to stay, and when we later explored the town, barely able to see our hands in front of our faces, we were concerned that the promised spectacular landscape would remain hidden from view. The town was very sweet, with a European feel to it, and drinking super strong Vietnamese coffee and eating brownies at the French-style bakery was an excellent way to spend some time the next day while we waited for the sky to clear.
Our peaceful chill out time was unfortunately destroyed at other times by the persistent pestering of the village women who came to the town to sell their wares. They were charming, spoke fantastic English, and were very amusing at times, but being interrupted and approached constantly to buy the same things over and over again soon lost its novelty, and we began to long for the less intense vibe of Laos. Spending some time with the villagers outside of the town and on their own territory, however, proved to be a far better experience as we found the next day when we took the village tour to trek through the famous Sapa rice fields.
In a small group we were accompanied by a gaggle of villagers who practised their English with us eagerly and kept a tight grip on me as we waded through slippery mud on steep slopes. They made it look far too easy, while I was trying hard to keep my grip, and people were falling over left, right and centre. They even refrained from persuading us to part with our money in exchange for their handicrafts until the very last moment, so the trip was nice and stress-free! Walking through their village, we came across some interesting sights, from kids riding a water buffalo in the rice field, to a man sitting by a small fire looking suspiciously like he was about to start cooking a rather rigid looking dog... at that point I walked quickly on, afraid of being traumatised and of losing my lunch. The scenery backdrop to our little trek with the beauty of the lush green fields and mountains was outstanding.
After spending the afternoon admiring the lake nearby, we set off back to Hanoi once again on the sleeper train and spent far too long that night interviewing tour operators to establish which one we could actually trust, before embarking on our very first mini cruise – to the hauntingly beautiful Halong Bay.
We had selected a more upmarket tour in order to ensure that our experience was the best, so in true cruise style we began our journey with an amazing culinary feast on board our boat.
We had a great group of people sharing the experience with us, 18 of us in total, and we enjoyed sharing travel stories with two other couples from Brazil, America and Israel over lunch before we transferred to a smaller boat to take us to the 'Amazing Cave'. Having seen quite a few during our travels, we agreed that it was definitely a great cave, although the given name was perhaps a little ambitious...!
A sunset kayaking trip was the perfect end to the day and our guide took us to a stunning lagoon, where we were surrounded 360 degrees by looming limestone rocks.
Following another delicious feast, with seafood as the main attraction much to my delight, we tried our hand at squid fishing from the end of our boat. A lively 12 year old English boy provided the best entertainment of the night in the form of Vietnamese rock karaoke, a performance that had us in stitches and we were sorry not to have filmed it for the world to enjoy on YouTube!
The real excitement, however, started at bedtime. Relaxing in our rustic little boat cabin, the lights down low, we were congratulating each other for selecting the best cruise for our Halong Bay experience, when a surprise midnight visitor made themselves known to us. Lying under the air conditioning unit, I watched a rat with a body the size of a man's hand stomp across the slats in the unit and begin scratching away at something in the corner.
We stormed back up onto the deck to complain, but there was nothing that could be done. Thank goodness for Ipods to drown out the noise so we could forget about our furry little intruder and get some sleep. The feedback form they later gave us, however, was a delightful opportunity to vent!;-) Fortunately this was still an upgrade from the army of bed bugs that had attacked Sup in our hotel in Hanoi, leaving him with red itching lumps all over his back – curiously, they had absolutely no interest in me...evidently my blood is not up to bedbug standards!
The transfer from the boat to Cat Ba island for one day and night gave us the opportunity to experience the last National Park of our travels. A hike through mud in a cool little forest brought us to a tower with a sensational view of Cat Ba's finest greenery, although the view required a test of nerves. Only five people were supposed to be on the structure at one time, so naturally about twenty people surged forward at once to make the rusty climb
When our jelly legs finally got to the top, we were greeted with precariously placed wooden floorboards
with considerable gaps, and a corrugated iron roof, most of which looked like it had been ripped off in a strong wind – yikes! The remainder of our time on Cat Ba was spent together on a wonderful cliff-side walk to a beautiful beach, followed by a romantic stroll back to the hotel at sunset by the harbour.
The famous Fishing Village of Halong Bay, made known to the world through Top Gear (!)
was the last destination of our cruise adventure before we embarked on our journey back to Hanoi and straight on to our next destination Hoi An, with a short stop in Hue in the pouring train to make a connection.
The bus driver transporting us from Hue seemed like a sweet older man, until a car wouldn't move in his path and he began cursing in Vietnamese before pulling out a wrench from behind his seat and wielding it with conviction. At that point, we ceased complaining to each other about his questionable driving skills and kept our mouths firmly shut!
Hoi An was a nice bite-sized colonial town, so the one day we had allowed for exploration was perfect.
We walked along the pretty riverside, stopping for a relaxing drink on the way, and took some photos of the 500 year old Japanese bridge.
That night another long sleeper bus journey took us on to our last Vietnamese destination of Ho Chi Minh City, but not before throwing us out at 5.30am in Nha Trang while we waited for another transfer. We didn't mind too much though, as the couple of hours off the bus allowed us to enjoy sunrise on the beach and a nice breakfast. Many locals were up early engaging in Tai Chi, running and all manner of exercises in the park by the beach which put us to shame. Visiting Nha Trang also gave us the opportunity to see our first Vietnamese beach, although we both later agreed that the beach of Muni that we glimpsed out the window during our travels looked even better.
Ho Chi Minh City, previously known as Saigon, was a really nice surprise for us. Although still a hectic Vietnamese city, we felt it had a far better vibe than Hanoi and a real charm to it. Our accommodation was great and the street where we were staying had fantastic souvenirs, food and awesome donuts! Apart from eating and shopping though, our main aim was to learn more about the Vietnam War. This meant a trip to the War Remnants Museum. Twice. The museum was fascinating and gave us considerable insight into the complexities of the war, the involvement of the USA and the horrific consequences that still continue to this day.
Sup provided a quick background history for those who don't already know (including me!)...The French colonial domination in Vietnam lasted for nearly 100 years, until they surrendered to Ho Chi Minh's communist Viet Minh forces in 1954 and independence was granted to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Shortly after, Diem, the anticommunist leader of the southern zone, rejected the agreement for a unified government, questionning how 'free elections' could be expected to take place in the communist north. Vietnam was officially divided into North and South. The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam (supported by its communist allies) and the government of South Vietnam (supported by the anti-communist US who claimed to be helping the whole of South East Asia from communist takeover.). The Viet Cong, a Vietnamese communist guerilla group was founded to fight against Diem.
They had an impressive collection of aeroplanes, helicopters and tanks outside and we overheard an American family in high spirits loudly and proudly discussing which plane the father had flown in the war. Later walking through the gallery filled with photographic evidence of the devastation caused, we watched the same family leaving the room in quiet distress, holding their father up as he visibly struggled with the demons of his past.
A haunting photograph captured the moment when an ex-guard of the prison years later met with a man he had tortured daily for several years. The strength of the victim in facing his torturer, compared with the weakness of the man who was forced to face the horrors of what he had done was a moving image.
The barbed wire tiger cage was just one of the shocking torments prisoners were subjected to. Of particular interest was the use of chemical warfare, Agent Orange and Napalm, and many will recall the famous photograph of the young children running screaming as the planes soak them and their land in deadly chemicals. Many children of both Vietnamese and Americans who were exposed to these chemicals were born with severe deformities and unexploded land mines from the war still remain a serious threat. The photographs in the museum documented the chilling legacy of the war, including the Mai Lai massacre where an entire village of men, women and children were brutally murdered by soldiers. Most images were far too graphic to post.
In contrast, and in true Vietnamese spirit, there was also a whole area dedicated to presenting with pride the progress that Vietnam has made in the post-war period. It is amazing to see how the country has picked itself up in relatively little time and transformed its war torn landscape back to life. We certainly came away from the museum understanding a little more about the Vietnamese people's fierce pride and determination.
In between our museum visits, we took a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels, stopping off at a fantastic little factory along the way where people with various disabilities made the most beautiful souvenirs, creating pictures using crushed eggshells and seashells.
The Cu Chi Tunnels were very informative, as well as interactive, and we had great fun experiencing the tight squeeze and marvelling at the genius of the villagers who created an entire habitation underground for protection. Their counter attack was savage and successful – using an advanced and deadly form of recycling, they turned the materials from the destroyed enemy war planes to make their own bombs and weapons, and set horrifying traps.
Our final day in Vietnam was spent at the Independence Palace, the site that marked the end of the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese tanks rolled into the grounds and Saigon surrendered to the North.
It was a beautiful building, very grand and richly decorated and we enjoyed the sweeping views from the roof terrace while drinking our favourite drinks – Sup is Team Pepsi while I am a Coke girl for life! On the way to the souvenir market later on, the traffic started to build up on the roads and, hearing a loud noise a little bit closer than we would have liked, we turned to see a line of mopeds mounting the pavement without breaking speed and heading straight for us...!
We dodged the crazy locals as best we could, but once the rain came down, everyone was in a hurry and the pavement became the overtaking lane, at which point we were forced to leap into a nearby flowerbed for safety and let the insanity die down!
The market was as hectic as expected, filled with fantastic souvenirs and hardcore sellers noticeably less willing than the Thai marketeers to do favourable business. We had practised our technique well in Thailand and Malaysia however, so we were prepared for their games and came away with some nice surprises. We passed an outside stage on the walk home and stopped to watch the children rehearsing dance routines which was very sweet, before continuing our journey through the lovely local park.
Vietnam was without a doubt the most challenging country of our travels. We were exhausted at times by the effort we had to make to dodge the con artists and find legitimate travel and tour operators, exasperated by the attitude of some of the more defensive hostile natives, and exhilarated by the beauty and rich history and culture of the country. Vietnam was an eclectic mix of amazing highs and frustrating lows, a real rollercoaster ride that pushed us to the limits and delivered rich rewards. We had to work to get what we wanted out of Vietnam and we learned some valuable lessons along the way. If I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing.
written by  SupandNic on October 6, 2010 from Hanoi, Vietnam

The Horror and Hope of Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Cambodia was the last country left to visit. I have to warn you that some of you may find this entry difficult reading/viewing. We travelled by bus from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh arriving in the afternoon. We opted to stay in the cheap backpacker district by the lake. The accommodation was great value, the staff were friendly, the food was awesome and the hammock decking out the back was suitably chilled. Some of the houses were in need of urgent repair!
The following day we hired a tuk-tuk for the day in order to learn about Cambodia's devastating past.
A brief intro to the history....
The French withdrew from Cambodia in 1953. US supporter General Lon Nol and his Cambodian party Khmer Republic overthrew King Norodom in 1970. With support from the new government the US bombed the Cambodian countryside in an attempt to destroy the Viet Cong. A bitter peasant army soon developed, fronted by a man named Pol Pot. King Norodom Sihanouk named this army the Khmer Rouge and called upon them to fight against Lon Nol.
In April 1975 the peasant army soldiers of the Khmer Rouge stormed government buildings, offices and houses in Phnom Penh. Those that weren’t executed immediately were marched to the countryside where they were forced into slave labour for the next 4 years, to meet Pol Pot’s dream of creating his ideal and perfect country. Approximately 1.7 million people died in total.
First stop was a visit to the Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly the Tuol Svay Prey High School that was taken over by Pol Pot and his army and transformed into the S-21 prison. At the time it was the largest incarceration centre in the country.
After taking power the Khmer Rouge set out to completely change Cambodian society. Khmer Rouge ideology was influenced by 4 interrelated principles of: total independence and self-reliance, preservation of the dictatorship, total and immediate economic revolution and complete transformation of Khmer social values. The first step involved reforming the urban classes through hard labour so they could contribute to the new agrarian economy which fundamentally focussed on a huge increase in rice production. They transformed the country into a rural and classless society by abolishing money, transportation, private property, religious practice, non-revolution entertainment and traditional Khmer culture. Buildings such as hospitals, schools and places of worship were either shut or turned into prisons. The Khmer Rouge believed that only the “pure” were qualified to build the revolution and anyone they did not regard as “pure” was arrested and executed, which included intellectuals, city residents and minority people.
The prisoners were expected to adhere to evil, rigid and extreme rules at the S-21 prison.
In mid 1976 the Khmer Rouge felt threatened by the possibility of revolt by the general population and internally within its own ranks. The Khmer Rouge leaders believed that “hidden enemies were burrowing from within”. They conducted a second wave of arrests against anyone they deemed to be “suspicious”, killing people immediately or imprisoning them where they were interrogated and tortured into making “confessions”. Many of their own soldiers and party members were accused of being traitors.
The classrooms were transformed into torture chambers where the prisoners were held captive and subjected to extreme forms of suffering and/or death. Blood stains were still visible.
Barbed wire was used to prevent the prisoners from jumping and committing suicide.
The interrogators utilised the gallows for their interrogation. They would tie the prisoners hands behind their back and hang them upside down until they lost consciousness, then submerge their head in water where the prisoner regained consciousness.
One of the rooms housed an exhibition displaying interviews with former members of the Khmer Rouge. Many stated to have joined the regime for fear that Khmer Rouge would kill them and their family if they resisted. Ex members appeared to have dampened their role, claiming that they did not partake directly in the actual torture or killings. In my opinion a certain degree of denial and diffusion of responsibility was present throughout.
Photographs of the victims were displayed in a number of rooms.
Profound statements had been written on the wall of another room.
Former chief of the S-21 prison known as Duch, ordered for his subordinates to take the survivors of the prisons, including the S-21 prison, to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek for execution. Choeung Ek was the largest genocidal camp in the country, approximately 14km from the centre of Phnom Penh. 86 of the 129 mass graves found were excavated and approximately 8,985 corpses exhumed. It was hard to imagine the horrors that took place so recently. Remains of clothing, bones and teeth had surfaced. A disturbing experience.
The tree Pol Pot's men used to kill babies as their mothers were forced to watch before they themselves were brutally murdered. Duch ordered for babies and children to be killed to avoid revenge in later life.
The memorial on the grounds comprises a towering glass stupa displaying the skulls of 8000 victims and their remaining clothing. The stupa was erected to preserve the remains and commemorate the death of the Kampuchea people under the Pol Pot regime. The 17 tiers of the memorial house different types of bones. We lit incense at the entrance as a mark of respect.
The Vietnamese invaded on 25 December 1978 and Cambodia was liberated from Khmer Rouge rule on January 7th 1979. Faced with severe famine, 625,000 people died from starvation the following 2 years. Although Pol Pot is now dead there are still a number of Khmer Rouge leaders alive. Duch is the first (and highest ranking) Khmer Rouge official to stand trial for the mass genocide that took place. He has admitted to being responsible for the execution of 15,000 people that passed through the S-21 prison. The remaining 4 senior leaders awaiting trial deny all knowledge of the atrocities that took place. Some younger Cambodian's argue that the costs associated with bringing all those responsible to justice would actually be better spent on the development of their economy. Controversial.
Just as we were leaving I was about to take a photo of Nic in our tuk-tuk when this little lad ran across and wanted to pose for the picture. The day had been hard going and by the end we felt emotionally drained and sickened by the extent of what people can do to each other. It is scary how history repeats itself and people do not learn.
The next day we went to explore the centre, enjoying a walk along the river and running into KFC for a quick ice cream when the heavens decided to open.
We waited for the rain to stop then went on our way to visit the Royal Palace. Just as we were about to enter the rain started again ridiculously heavy and showed no signs of stopping. We ran across the road to buy some ponchos and then went to check out the grounds. The buildings and the grounds were beautiful and truly reflected the image I had of Cambodian architecture.
Arriving back at the hostel we were greeted by little fish as the water level of the lake had risen above the decking. Although at first it did seem pretty cool having fish literally swimming in our hostel, we didn't quite realise the extent of the situation.
The water level had risen excessively high, people’s rooms were flooded (up to the level of the mattress of the bed in some cases) and the whole area out the back was submerged by water from the lake. Luckily for us our room was in a section of the building that was raised although water was just starting to seep in. I went to check on the situation of the bathroom and almost vomited as raw sewage was coming up through the drainage system. By this time I think it is fair to say that Nic started to panic a little. The hostel made the most amazing curry so I was up for moving to a room upstairs. The response I got from Nic when communicating my idea to her is probably not appropriate for this blog so I went outside and called a tuk-tuk with the intention to stay somewhere on higher ground. Carrying the bags above our heads we evacuated our hostel and thanks to our tuk-tuk driver we found another place. The floods will have no doubt severely affected a number of locals as all the hostels on the lake appeared to be flooded. It is not as easy for them to simply remove themselves from the situation.
We took a bus the next day to Siem Reap passing some beautiful landscape along the way. Seeing some of the begging children during our rest stop was a little emotional.
Arriving into Siem Reap it was clear to see they had been affected by the heavy rainfall too, so much so that the river had burst its banks in places. Hostels, hotels, homes and livelihoods were flooded. It didn’t ruin the spirits of all though, I did see a Cambodian child literally swimming in the flooded road!
Child sellers were a common scene in Siem Reap. They appear very confident, approaching you and asking where you are from and then proceeding to reel of a list of factual information about your home country like a robot. Child slavery is a big problem in Cambodia and while buying from the children can appear to be supporting them, it is damaging for the long term as it is only encouraging others to exploit them further.
The town had lots of restaurants, bars, cafes and a great ice cream parlour that we visited regularly! There were also some night markets that sold some awesome pictures. I saw one guy painting some beautiful sunset pictures that I wanted but thought I would not be able to transport them due to the size. I was happily surprised to find that they simply removed the canvas from the frame,
rolled them up and gave them to me in a bamboo carry tube... awesome! I decided on 2. I also bought some Cambodian percussion instruments to sample in my music when I get back to England.
The food stalls served up cheap and tasty noodles = good times!
On one of the evenings we were treated to some traditional Apsara dancing and live music. We stepped up on stage for a quick photo...
We arranged a tuk-tuk to see the temples of Angkor for the following day.
The temples were as expected, very impressive and the site was far bigger than I anticipated. The main temples situated in a circuit so our tuk-tuk took us from one to the next. It was like we had travelled back through time as we explored some of the ruins. Below are some of our favourite ruins.
The Banteay Kdei ruins....
Many of the temples had intricate carvings and the locals made rubbings on rice paper to sell to tourists.
The Ta Prohm temple was our favourite and you may recognise it from the Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider films.
The tree roots were crazy! They have literally grown though the ruins... very cool indeed!
I thought there would be more restrictions as to where you could go (as there were at Chichen Itza in Mexico) although I am sure it won’t stay this way forever.
A local man was selling some crafts and I purchased a wooden cow bell instrument from him.
Below is my impression of people that like to get in the way of my photos!
Nic climbing up high.....
The view from the top...
There were many sellers all around the ruins, most of them situated just as you approach each temple. Although we were successful in our gaunlet run we found this little girl on top of top of the temple trying her best to sell a postcard to Nic. She was very sweet but I was king of the castle!
Our driver had a pet parrot that chilled on the front of his bike as he drove us about! Nic must have scared him when she held him though, as he crapped himself all over her leg! That makes it 1-1, as I was unfortunate in Miami if you remember?!
We prepared for another downpour...
The final temple of the day was a visit to the famous grandaddy of all temples, the national symbol Angkor Wat. We captured some great photos, but unfortunately there was some restoration work taking place so we didn’t get to climb the steps. It was only when we walked around the main level that we truly appreciated its size.
The approach to Angkor Wat...
Just before we left I went off to take my last photos of Angkor Wat leaving Nic to defend herself against the kids!
We had a great day but by the end I think it is fair to say we were both fully templed out. You would have to be a serious temple enthusiast to buy anything other than the 1 day pass, although there were a fair few people in the multiple day ticket line at the ticket booths.... nutters!
The Cambodian people were an inspiration. They have been though such a horrific time and come though the other side with great hope for the future. The people have such pride for their country and love that tourists want to visit. They are some of the friendliest and genuine people we have met on our travels, similar to the people of Laos in that respect.
Final stop... Bangkok. We had heard quite a few savage stories about the journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok so we set off on our way open minded. I am happy to say that other than a 2 hour wait at the border the journey was not actually that bad. Time for my belly to begin its preparation to eat as much Thai curry as humanly possible... bring on the stomach ulcer... off to Bangkok for the last stop of our world tour... Woohoo!!
written by  SupandNic on October 11, 2010 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Bustling and Booty-Full Bangkok!
Bangkok, Thailand
Ariving in the bustling city of Bangkok, we felt a real sense of having achieved something, like two characters reaching the last level of a computer game - energy depleted and yet exhilarated by the obstacles we had overcome and the incredible things we had seen. The serious tones of Vietnam and Cambodia with their heartbreaking histories had left us with many thoughts and feelings, and entering Bangkok reawakened feelings of pride, in ourselves and each other, and a sudden awareness of the immense journey we had travelled together.
Having already seen a vast amount of temples and sights throughout Asia, we were happy to take the pace down a notch while preparing for our impending trip home. This meant enjoying the wonders of Khao San Road entertainment and souvenir shopping, and binging on our final feast of spicy and satisfying Thai red and green curries. I have to admit that many months in Asia caused me to start craving three specific things - pizza, sandwiches and pasta. Don't get me wrong, I have eaten some of the best food in my entire life while travelling, and Vietnamese, Malaysian, Laos, Cambodian and Thai curries are absolutely amazing, all in their own special and delicious ways. The thing is, I'm an English girl through and through, and my body would periodically scream out for some bland ordinary down to earth nosh, so at various points I literally had to give myself a little rest and go Western.
Sup was horrified that one of these times was a couple of days before we were due to leave for home! In my defence I have not been trained in the same way he has and I marvelled at his relentless hunger for curry, twice a day every day without a second thought. Sup had a favourite food stall that he had first discovered during our stop over in Bangkok before Chiang Mai, and he returned many times for his 60p dish of red curry and rice!
We drank freshly squeezed orange juice from little bottles sold on the street, ate chunks of freshly cut pineapple and braved a few meat sticks, while veering well away from the locust and scorpion stand - we would both need a big pay packet to attempt a bushtucker trial thank you very much! Speaking of pests, we busted this little guy desecrating a street shrine munching away on whatever offerings had been left by Buddhist worshippers!
As well as scouring Khao San Road for souvenir treasures, which of course included the obligatory DVDs, CDs, jewellery and printed t-shirts, we travelled to one of the large local markets and spent the day perusing the stalls, although we were aware that a lot of the goods were actually more for people living in Bangkok, rather than tourists. We found incredible wooden carved furniture that we would have loved to take home, as well as beautiful paintings and some of the cutest puppies you could find, along with whole stalls dedicated to dressing your pup like a diva! We found a few things that took our fancy (none of the above!), and walked to see the local park before returning home after a tricky time bargaining with taxi drivers.
On one of the rainier days, we took off for a trip around the MBK Mall in Bangkok, a big indoor mall with prices that were maybe a little too Western for our budget. I bought some cute high heeled shoes for £4 though after we rifled through a shoe shop for hidden gems and we ended the trip with a cheeky McDonalds while we waited for a sudden burst of torrential rain to clear. After hailing a taxi after what seemed like a long time, we were then stuck in horrendous traffic, so much so that after 15 minutes complete stand still, we paid the driver, got out and went back to into the mall to sit out the jam! We then later hopped on a bus that we had to run up and then down the street for as we were on the wrong side of the road, no doubt a source of amusement for the locals!
Bangkok is a vibrant city and a fantastic place to have ended our incredible adventures. The spirit is palpable in the streets, and it is pure modern Thai culture at its finest, badgering tourists for food, souvenirs, Tuk Tuks, drinking, and the inevitable ping pong show, your attention taken by the various popping noises the guys made to spark your curiosity. We had reached the final destination of Sup and Nic's World Tour 2010 and we were finally ready to return, a stronger team than ever before, for the next adventures of our lives; to begin our chosen careers, to find a new home, to get married, and to take on all the new challenges that were waiting for us back home in beautiful England.
written by  SupandNic on October 31, 2010 from Bangkok, Thailand

Sup and Nic's World Tour 2010 Grand Finale!
London, United Kingdom
On our incredible adventures, Sup and Nic's World Tour 2010, we travelled over 50,000 miles to a total of 99 different places, on 41 different modes of transport, making our home in 85 hostels and trying over 115 new food and drink from around the world. We met wonderful locals and travellers from all over the world, far too many to count, but all remembered. During our amazing travels, we saw around 92 animal species in their natural habitat, enjoyed 39 separate beach experiences and braved 28 extreme activities, taking on both personal and joint achievements, one of which was a 30 metre high rock climb for Sup, and an 18 metre dive below the sea for me. We both also plunged magnificently 15000 feet through the air.
We broke a number of flip flops and cheap sunglasses through overuse, but our trusty camera, video camera and laptop were guarded viciously and were with us to the end. Our two gigantic travelling bags Black Thunder and Silver Lightning survived being thrown carelessly onto aeroplanes, ferries, longboats, mopeds, taxis, Tuk Tuks, trains and subways, tearing at the edges, zips busting at the seams, caked with sand and mud from around the world, wheels worn down with the mileage, but still standing at their final collection at London Heathrow airport. We discarded around 31 items of clothing as we moved from Winter to Summer to Winter to Summer, and replaced suntan lotion-stained tops with brand new clothing from our shopping extravaganza in the States.
We had encountered Dengue Fever, bedbugs, rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, raccoon and monkey thieves, and endured extreme weather in the form of the Cambodian floods & flood evacuation, an earthquake tremor in LA, and torrential rain, thunder and lightning throughout Costa Rica, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Our most expensive accommodation was the horrendous hotel in Washington DC at $90 (£60) a night, an astonishing contrast to the least expensive accommodation which was a lovely little place in Luang Prabang, Laos for £2.50, and the longest journey we travelled was the 26 hour seemingly endless sleeper bus from Laos to Vietnam.
Throughout the most intense and unforgettable year of our lives we experienced an array of manmade wonders including casinos, palaces, temples, ruins, monuments, bridges, towers, cathedrals, museums, harbours, zoos, prisons, shopping malls, forts, markets, a theme park and a sports stadium. In addition to these, the superb natural beauties we encountered included waterfalls, lakes, rivers, mountains, oceans, thermal pools, forests, beaches, glaciers, snow covered mountains, fjordlands and Sounds, seal colonies, flowers, trees, volcanoes, sunsets, sunrises, stars, caves, bays, and tea, coffee, pineapple and banana plantations
Our food cravings at various points were pizza, pasta and sandwiches for me, and Indian curry, chilli and roast dinner for Sup. We spent almost an entire month eating pasta in New Zealand, and almost an entire three months in South East Asia eating curry. We have consumed more fast food than we will ever eat again, and to counteract this damage, we have eaten a vast amount of fresh local fruit and drunk gallons and gallons of bottled water.
The highlights of a trip filled with a million memories are hard to decide, but being famous for a month in Hollywood was a childhood dream come true for me, and for Sup seeing the world in itself was a huge dream fulfilled.
We calculated our own countdown on our return as a stunning summary of our experiences:
20 kilos Nic's average weight of bag (Sup's was 22kg)
19 longest hours on Greyhound bus, USA
18 metres dived under the sea
17 main places of worship
16 waterfalls
15 airports
14 currencies
13 countries
12 Lonely Planet books
11 exceptional sunsets
10 National Parks
9 yucky food
8 big event celebrations around the world
7 pesties pesting us
6 archaeological ruin sites
5 celebrities
4 exceptional sunrises
3 continents
2 jobs worked and
1 engagement proposal & acceptance
We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone for following our blog and we hope that we have entertained and informed you throughout our account of our world travels. We have loved being able to connect so many people to our experiences and the feedback and support has been amazing.
Our blog is now successfully completed. It has been hard work at times but a source of great pride and pleasure for us both, and an incredible documentation of a year in our lives where Sup and I have taken on the world together and returned happier and healthier and closer than ever.
We would like to leave you on a fantastic note with some silly giggles from around the world...! But before we do, a disclaimer is in order...The following signs are in no way intended to cause offence of any kind, they are simply signs we have noticed in various places around the world with unfortunate translations and double meanings. Sup and Nic in no way endorse any offensive or derogatory words towards any person and hope that our audience will appreciate that the giggle is on the signmakers only and not on the meaning behind any of the words printed. Some of the exhibits below will appeal to individuals more than others, some might not make any sense, some are a little bit silly, some are downright immature, and some are quite naughty in nature, so please do not continue if you are easily offended. And if not, Enjoy!!!
Random silliness...
Confused translations...
The Rudies...
Sup & Nic's 2010 World Tour... DONE!!!
written by  SupandNic on January 4, 2011 from London, United Kingdom