When in Rome...

It had been 2.5 months in south east Asia and we had finally come back west to spend the whole summer in Italy. We arrived as the sun was setting on the eternal city and still had to find our accommodation: a spare room in an apartment of a local who we found on the website "air bnb". Luckily we had been given good instructions and it was only 10 minutes ride away from the main station termini. It was nice to stay in a home and our host made us feel instantly welcome, plus she had a gorgeous Persian cat who was also very pleased to make our acquaintance!

Me, Claire, Rome and the Trevi fountain - a history

The beautiful Trevi fountain

This is our 3rd time in Rome, having fallen in love with it the first time round and to understand why it's so special to us I'll need to digress... We got engaged at the trevi fountain on the first day of our first trip to Rome, where despite being 11pm it was just as busy as ever and to this day I still don't know how I managed to pluck up the courage to pop the question in front of hundreds of people.

I had made Claire take part in the tradition of the fountain where you throw coins over your shoulder into the fountain - throw 1 coin and you guarantee your return to Rome, throw 2 and you'll find a new love, throw 3 and you'll guarantee marriage. I gave her 3 coins, told her to close her eyes and throw them, when she opened her eyes again I was there on one knee with a ring on display. I still remember all the details despite the cheeky 2 shot of booze I'd done minutes before to build my dutch courage. As I got on one knee and got the ring from my pocket, I could hear the usually bustling location take a noticeable drop in terms of noise level and my cheeks felt like they were burning with embarrassment and nerves. Her first words after the question were "are you joking?!", to which I replied "do I look like I'm joking?!!!", but she said yes and from there on out the trevi fountain was forever entwined in the fabric of our lives.

The 3rd visit

When we've visited previously, we'd always only come for just a couple of days whereas this time we had a whole week. We'd been looking forward to our return so much already but the cherry on top was knowing that one of our friends was also due to be there at the same time and we were both glad of another English speaker to talk to, let alone a friend from back home!
The first day we set off to amble around, knowing the place quite well by now due to previous visits. We knew that of you head in the right directions you can see many famous sights just by casually walking by.

The ancient Roman forum

The Colosseum from the side - the part everyone usually sees first is having a face lift right now!

In that day we revisited the Colosseum, the Roman forum, the trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, piazza navona, the pantheon and villa Borghese. Just seeing all these places again stirred up a host of memories and emotions in the both of us - not least romance due to my proposal here nearly exactly 4 years ago - but mixed into those emotions was the feeling that although we've seen these sights countless times already, they never fail to leave us awestruck at their beauty, their majesty and at the history that lay behind each one of them. Safe to say that as we sat and observed our surroundings, we held each other's hand that little bit tighter.

Get off me!! (Fountain at piazza Navona)

In the evening we'd arranged to meet our friend Chloe - who had just landed - at a bar overlooking the Colosseum before heading to dinner at a place by the pantheon that had tempted us back by earlier promising us a free glass of prosecco. We caught up over prosecco, wine and pasta and experienced that phenomenon where an evening can skip by in a heartbeat due to having such a good time. The evening was very nearly soured for me because as we got the underground metro on the way home I was very nearly pickpocketed; in a space where you often feel a little bump against another person I was off guard due to the wine but I felt something as I was boarding the train and looked down to see a small hand creeping into my pocket. I grabbed it and gave a it a crush before turning around and seeing it was just a little girl trying to pickpocket me, I left it there along with some choice words she wouldn't have understood, but if it hadn't been a little girl when I turned around I don't like to think what my reaction would've been.

The next day we met up with Chloe again and decided to head to the Vatican - I warned her and Claire that being Sunday before 12pm it was going to be busy due to him giving his weekly address to the masses but we decided it would be worth seeing so headed with the crowds (being very alert on the metro this time!). Claire and I had been at this time on a Sunday on our first visit but we didn't realise what was going on during our first visit 4 years earlier and it was only when we were at the very top of St. Peter's that we saw a modest crowd and realised what was going on. This time was different however, the new pope "Papa Francesco" was clearly more of a crowd puller and the whole of St. Peter's square was packed to the rafters.

As we observed, we couldn't obviously understand what was being said but we fed off the great energy and feeling that was in the air. Being from Argentina, this pope draws a lot of South Americans here and they were here to pay homage to him in their numbers.Afterwards we all strolled along the Tiber chatting the day away before leaving Chloe at capitolini to discover Rome in her own way.

A day after we arrived, we saw that more people we knew - my friend Dave and his fiancee Sarah - were also in Rome! So strange that everyone seemed to be converging on this beautiful place. We managed to catch Dave and Sarah for a coffee just before they headed to the airport - as they had obviously been busy seeing all the sights - and it was great to see them again, especially as Claire and I hadn't had much in the form of company other than each other over the last few months.

Getting ready to get match fit again

One thing we did during our time was we bought new running gear. We'd shed our old gear when we hit the road in Vietnam but we felt we couldn't fight the urge to run any longer - and knowing we would be living in one place soon means that we should have the chance to run more often. It was actually quite hard to find gear for a reasonable price in Rome - basically unless you can get out of the city to an outlet, you're looking at much higher prices - but we did manage it eventually.

There was a park near where we were staying and we went for morning runs there on two of the days, which was a liberating feeling to be back out running again. The park was full of fellow fitness fanatics - most in the senior category - and I could feel the spark of enjoying running being reignited once more. I doubt I'll ever again go so long without having fitness in my life - barring injury of course.

The end of the week

After our 2nd day of running we met Chloe for her last day in Rome and headed to villa borghese for a picnic. We feasted on salad and deli meats we bought at a Carrefour, as well as downing wine. The day went in instant as we were having so much fun and before we knew it we were saying goodbye again. Afterwards we went for an early dinner and more wine before heading back to collapse on the bed, with Claire feeling the effects of wine a bit more than me!

One thing I've felt here is a calming sense of familiarity. I left wanting to absorb countless new things and I've had that in abundance, yet being in familiar Rome and even just the comfort of Europe was a feeling I wasn't expecting to encounter. Having spent the previous months in Asia, being here in a place we long for whenever we aren't here felt like being in a dream. The feeling I get here is such a sense of happiness, a feeling that arises in me from so many methods here: from sauntering down the beautiful streets, feeling the effects of the local wine, staring in bewilderment at a piece of history or even just from incredible gelato.

On our penultimate day however, we decided to do something new - we'd seen on a tv show once a beautiful villa just outside Rome called Villa d'Este which had stunning gardens and fountains, so we decided to check it out. All I can say is, if like us you've seen all of Rome, then you MUST go to this villa! About an hour away by train (only about 5 euros each I must add) in the picturesque village of Tivoli, you are suddenly far from the madding crowd and in a hillside village bursting with charm. The villa is the main attraction here, even though we hadn't heard of it much before.

The breathtakingly beautiful fountain at Villa d'Este

The villa itself is a walk through history of the Renaissance walls and fashions of the eras, but when you step into the garden out back you see what you're here for. You're suddenly catapulted into something that looks like it belongs in Alice in wonderland as fountains emerge from every corner and flowers and greenery adorn everything but the pathways.

Row of fountains - all different animal faces

For over half an hour we walked around admiring before coming to the centrepiece - a giant fountain surrounded by long mirrored ponds pumping out more water than a waterfall. If the trevi fountain wasn't so important to us it might have competition as the best fountain we've ever seen but either way this certainly takes a firm second place!

Cornetti - When you can have this for breakfast why have anything else?

On our last day we repeated what we'd done so many times before to ensure we left having lived the way we always dream about when visiting: got a cappuccino and cornetti in the morning, sauntered around more world famous sights, got some lunch, saw more sights, got gelato, got some dinner, had wine and returned home exhausted.

The drama wasn't quite over as we woke up ready to get on a 7:25am train to Naples and thought we should leave early in case of a delay. Upon leaving we thought we might get a coffee and cornetti downstairs and although it should've been open it wasn't. As we saw that, our tram approached so we dashed and just made it. On the tram we thought we would "triple check" our pre-booked train tickets and good thing we did - we were headed for the wrong station! Adrenaline and panic took over at 6:30am so we quickly regrouped, ran to the metro and got to the correct station in time and even had just enough time to get a cornetti the other side before boarding our train - I can't help but feel either fate or karma played a part in the coffee place being closed!

We left not quite believing it had been a week here, time flies when you're having fun and here the speed is cranked up several notches in that respect. To us this is our favourite city and the most romantic in the world and the fact that I now write this in Naples exhausted beyond belief should tell you that I think I've just had one of the best weeks in my entire life.
Now for Naples, exploring Pompeii, climbing mount Vesuvius, eating the supposedly best pizza in the world and the small matter of our first wedding anniversary! I bet you're exhausted just reading this...

Riding the waves & slides in Kuta, Bali

We arrived in Kuta knowing it would effectively be the last leg of our tour of Asia (bar a day stopover in China en route to Europe) and we had 10 days here to chill out as well as take in my birthday!

Before we came, the place had been described to us as "an Australian ghetto not located in Australia" - it's reputation due to the beach for good waves for surfing and cheap bars which together with the fact it's pretty close to Australia all mean that this is a pretty popular destination for them. Much in the same way Ibiza and Malaga are for us Brits due to proximity and cost.
Having spent the previous week in tranquil Ubud, Kuta seemed a world away despite being only an hours drive. The streets were jam packed, hawkers hassling you at every moment selling anything from clothes, sunglasses, jewellery, crossbows (doubt I'll get that through customs) and sometimes other banned items...in Kuta you've also so many branded shops and fast food restaurants around that you certainly don't feel as if you're removed from your normal culture to come to 'paradise'.

Kuta beach

Aside from that however, it has a great, long and sweeping beach with shallow clear waters and good waves that appeal to all types from your wave jumpers, bodyboarders and of course the surfers. Plus with all the commercialism you can at least rest assured that you can get anything you need!

We spent the first few days lazing on the beach, jumping in the waves before hiring out a body board for the day - I had only surfed once as a kid so wanted to build up to a full surf board - and we both had a great time with the body board. I got a real buzz out of it, especially when you discover that sensation of catching a wave just right and gliding along with it effortlessly. Come the end of the day I'd enjoyed it so much that I had rashes all over my torso, arms and even my chin! So that's what those t shirts are for....

Beginner coming through!

Wipeout!

My birthday

May 10th was my birthday and I started the day with my birthday tradition: every year I wake up and do a ninja flip (where you lie on your back and flip to standing), the reason being that as long as I can still do it, I'll still feel young. This was yet another successful year I'm glad to say - the day I fail I think I'll descend into a life crisis!

Having researched what there was to do here, nothing piqued my interest like the local waterpark called Waterbom. It boasted it was the best in all of Asia too, so despite a less than reasonable entrance fee I was in no doubt where I wanted to go.

The park itself was immaculately clean and well run, I really was surprised. There were all sorts of things to do such as different sized slides, a lazy river, swim up bars and more. I went on all rides at least twice, as did Claire for all but one - the scariest called climax where you stand upright in a booth before having the floor fall away from your feet after a fear inducing countdown, after that you proceed to fly around in the tube at high speed. Our overall favourite was called boomerang where you both got onto a double inflatable sled, went down a steep drop, up a large wall and then backwards on yourself to the finish. I don't have any pictures of all this yet as we took our water camera and haven't developed it yet so this stock image of boomerang will have to do:

Later on we headed out to a place called Havana club that had tempted me to come the night before with it's "spicy chicken wing challenge" where you win a t shirt and a place on their wall of fame for finishing all the wings and sauce. I'm someone who loves his spice - despite having IBS - and I had actually failed to be blown away by spice so far in south east Asia, which really surprised me, so I thought this "challenge" would be nothing. I was wrong. Boy was I wrong! I've had spicy curries, Mexican and the like, I've even withstood phall (hottest curry you can usually get in the UK), but this bowl of chicken wings was a different level! They were nearly pure chilli and I needed a constant beer supply to help me through it. What didn't help was the waitress bringing them over, pouring a shot of tequila over them, then setting the lot on fire! I wasn't sure if I could finish them as I had tears running down my face and my tears felt like they were on fire too! With the coaching of Claire though I did it and claimed my prize as well as my place on their wall of fame; challenge complete. Although I did fear repercussions the next day...

The spiciest wings I think I'll ever have, fully underestimated them

Feeling the burn...

Following our meal we headed to one of the big clubs where we'd been offered free entry and free drinks for an hour, although when we got there the blue drinks put us right off as Claire had heard not to trust the local vodka. After all this we decided to head home as the chicken wing challenge had taken a lot out of me.

The rest of our time in Kuta

The remainder was spent mostly sunbathing on the beach or by the pool. Knowing the rest of our trip in Italy would be lacking beach time we took the chance to top up our tans while we still could. We wanted to surf as well, but the waves became too volatile for the rest of the week for beginners to dare try surfing, which was a shame but I've resolved to try my hand at it more upon our return to Bournemouth!

The sunsets here are stunning. Perfect to sit and watch with a cold one!

At this point we were both very much looking forward to reaching Italy and Rome in particular as it is our favourite city in the world, plus we both felt we'd had enough of Asia for now.
The last few nights of our stay we would wander down to the beach at sunset before dinner as the view was incredible down there. Half the population did the same thing however which made it busy, but it also meant there was no shortage of popup beach bars to get a bintang (fantastic local beer) and enjoy the view.

The other main highlights of our stay was some of the food we ate, we found two particularly great places; an authentic pizzeria with a wood fired oven called pronto pizza (on poppies 1 and ran by an Italian too, so you know it's good) and a hip, Asian restaurant called fat chows that did Vietnamese, Thai as well as Balinese cuisine. At fat chows (on poppies lane 2) we had amazing lumpia (local spring rolls) and had better Thai curries than we did in 2.5 weeks in Thailand itself!

In all, I'd return to Kuta for the surf, that's for sure but we were told that better spots can be found further south at Uluwatu etc. It may be that we've done our time here, but there's still plenty in Bali we didn't do as well as the rest of Indonesia. Of all the places we've visited, Bali is definitely the one we'd most likely return to, we would revisit Ubud plus we would go to the volcano and head to the gili islands.

Our stay here showed us the different sides of Bali, the old cultural part in Ubud that has done remarkably well to retain it's character and identity, and then Kuta which was only built for tourism anyway - and it shows.

I read somewhere that people think Bali has declined due to too much tourism since the film 'Eat, pray, love" was released and inspired the world to visit Bali and if that's true then that is a shame as it would've been nice to see it beforehand. That said, the trick is to head off the beaten track here and you'll find that it still can be that place over the rainbow.

We left Bali on a 8am flight to Shanghai, stayed there for a night and then flew 14 hours to Rome on a plane watching movie after movie to keep us entertained whilst being surrounded by Chinese in matching tracksuits doing exercises up and down the plane. So now we get to spend the rest of our time away in Italy feasting on pizza, pasta, gelato and wine!

Asia has been a real experience, one that pushed us to our limits at times, but it also gave us unforgettable memories too, so it's goodbye for now and ciao Italia!!

2nd month in review and a wanderlust being satisfied

This month started at the same pace as the last, but soon we were able to take our foot off the gas and achieve the beach bum status everyone dreams of on a rainy day.

Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to in the last month:

1. Stood in awe amongst ancient temples in Cambodia
2. Ate a scorpion 
3. Observed silence in a beautiful Buddhist temple 
4. Took part in an epic country-wide water fight
5. Celebrated new year with the locals 
6. Spent a fortnight lazing on a beach 
7. Spent over 3 days of my life on transport
8. Visited 4 countries
9. Slept in shipping containers 
10. Saw the formerly tallest buildings in the world.
11. Hung out with monkeys for a day and let them swing on my ears 
12. Rode bikes around rice fields and terraces 
13. Took to the waves bodyboarding in Kuta (building up to a surf board)

The stunning temples around Angkor Wat

Giant water fight in Thailand during songkran

Getting friendly with the locals

Beautiful rice fields around Ubud

We've had such an incredible month, Songkran in Thailand was one of the most interesting and fun days I've had in my entire life. Close behind was seeing the monkeys in the forest temple in Ubud (see previous posts for more detail) as they were so funny to be around in such a breathtaking setting.

So as I've entered month 3 of our travels and seen my 28th birthday come and go, it's dawned on the both of us that with all we've been through and experienced so far that the hunger to see more and more that we've always had has actually started to wane.

We're only actually at the halfway point in our travels as our future travels are all planned out and our return flight to the UK booked in August. Next week we finish the whole Asia section of our travels and return to Europe to spend the remainder of our time away in Italy. There we will travel for 3.5 weeks before heading to a town near Turin to stay with a family and be au pairs for the rest of the summer.

It's crazy to think we are only half way through as the last two months have given us so many memories that it feels like we've been gone for 6 months! So many times I lost track of what day it was. It's clear that of all things about travelling, one is clearer to me than anything: it's a way to cram several months or years of life experience into a short period. At the end of it you may be a bit frazzled, but you definitely emerge with a smile on your bronzed face and a host of new memories that you'll never forget.

Before we managed to chill out in Thailand, we were starting to get very weary of the non-stop travelling and were glad to be able to stay in one place for more than just a couple of days.
With all we've seen and done we've both felt that our wanderlust is being satisfied surprisingly earlier than we'd anticipated. It's almost like we've gone through phases and once at the end of each one we've felt like we've ticked that off the list of things we wanted to experience/achieve. We've done the constant movement, we've done off the beaten path, we've slummed it in some grotty places, we've hung out with locals and fellow travellers, we had our "do nothing" phase, we even had our short and disastrous teaching phase!

Coming out the other side of all of those phases has done something else we didn't quite expect to happen so quickly either - it's made us more prepared to go home. Some periods made us really homesick, some made us ready to return simply by fulfilling an ambition. Either way we've realised that when we do come back at the end of summer we will be more than ready to settle back into life in the UK once again, ready to face the challenges that life has ahead of us.

Italy was always the icing on the cake for us, we wanted just to spend a month there before returning, so for things to pan out to spend a summer and half our time away there is beyond our wildest dreams. For us, the history, the food, the wine, the culture and the people are nearly unbeatable in our eyes so we are getting all that we want and more.

There's plenty more in store ahead of us and our excitement is one thing that hasn't waivered, so soon it's goodbye Asia, ciao Italia and the beginning of a whole new chapter.

Monkeying around in Ubud, Bali

After our incredibly long journey from Thailand via Malaysia we landed in Bali, after another 2 hours we were at our accommodation in Ubud - which is just over an hour away from the airport and the main town of Kuta.

We awoke the day after our journey ready to see what this town had to offer. Ubud is regarded as the cultural capital of Bali and you can see that in every aspect of life here, from the beautiful homestay accommodation we were in (ours was called Suparsa), to the beautiful shops that make up the town. Our homestay was just a typical design of a house here, but it was absolutely gorgeous, which just goes to show how lovely the place is.

The view outside our door at the homestay 

As we wandered around we could see many homestays like ours, with beautiful designs on doors and they were all authentic, which means it wasn't just all built for tourism - so you really get a sense of what it's like to live here as a homestay is what it says on the tin; you stay at someones house. So in essence it's a B&B, but you won't ever find anything like this at one of those. The staff (all family) were beyond attentive and friendly and just enhance the good feeling the place already gives you.

In the town itself there are so many shops that sell great art pieces ranging from canvases to ornaments to masks as well as your bog standard tourist items like beer t shirts and fridge magnets.

Some of the traditional masks for sale

We spent a fair amount of time during our stay just roaming the shops and markets (in the markets you can expect to be hassled a bit more, but you can also haggle to your hearts content!) and we certainly found this was a good way to spend a lazy day or two as there were so many good items there that catch your eye that you'd buy them all if you could!

During our week long stay the best highlights were the scenery around Ubud and the monkey forest temple.

Monkey forest temple

Big ears like mine must look like a jungle gym for this guy!

Situated right near the town centre, this is probably the biggest draw for Ubud and rightly so. When we read about it we thought there would just be one temple with a couple of monkeys there and it'd be just for show, but it turned out to be made up of a few small temples in a beautiful forest where the monkeys roamed free in their natural habitat - and boy were they there in numbers!

The second you spot the gate you'll spot a monkey either licking a rock, looking nonchalant or probably harassing a tourist, which is just the way to describe them really. Some of them are chilled, some are docile, some are hilarious and some are annoying (although to some they might seem aggressive too).
Women sell bananas at the main gate to feed them with, how they don't have those stolen I'll never know, they must be on high alert all day. I always thought monkeys eating bananas was a stereotype but these went mad for them.

We bought a small bunch and seconds later one sprinted up to Claire and snatched it from her, she then nicely gave one to another monkey and finally a much bigger one pretty much assaulted her for the remainder. The bananas lasted about 2 minutes! They are on you from the second you get your ticket as they clearly know the entrance is the best chance to get a banana and as soon as they can't smell one on you they don't want to know!

Claire's t shirt after being mugged 'your banana or your life?'

I did laugh as some tourists tried to hide the bananas in their bags, but their plan failed as the monkeys are pretty good at getting into bags and as soon as you think you've fended off one, another is behind you pilfering while you're unaware!

Saw him steal this bottle of water and thought "gutted, the lid's on". He got it off in no time though!

It isn't scary though and it's certainly a lot of fun to watch. We spent most of the day interacting with them, watching them steal from people (we took nothing with us they'd want to steal) and watching them play with each other (one even went beyond playing with another if you know what I mean).

Claire was loving have them climb on her after getting used to it but she did get too close to a baby at one point and for quite a hiss - so that was a lesson learnt.

Everywhere you go they are in the trees, lying on the path and generally owning the place, which serves as great entertainment however the scenery itself is also absolutely stunning with giant trees, old temples and rivers that would easily make the front page of national geographic.

Other than the monkeys there's stunning scenery to behold

Cycling around Ubud

We rented some bicycles for 2 days to enable us to get out and see the countryside that surrounds the town - which is just as much an experience as anything here. We haggled down to a price of just 80,000 rupiah for 2 days  for 2 bikes (about £3.50) so couldn't complain about the price! Here in Bali you need an international driving license to ride a motorcycle and I forgot to bring mine.

Being on a bike was good though, even if it has been years since I last rode (I've a childhood history of bike accidents so I steer clear these days) and being able to explore the town and surroundings with freedom was amazing. We did have a map and a general heading but somehow kept ending up on the same road!

Cycling by one of the many rice fields that surround Ubud

Over the two days we had them we rode for quite a bit and our routes took us through rice fields, past rice terraces, over jungly bridges and down big hills in the pouring rain. So much of the fun was being able to just explore by ourselves, which gives you even more joy when you turn a corner and find an incredible view. We enjoyed this so much that I'd recommend the same to anyone visiting as you get to see it all this way, the arty town, the lovely houses around and the fields outside. That said though, having not done it in years, I certainly felt the pain of our exploits the next day thanks to the saddle!

Our week in Ubud is now at an end and we've really enjoyed it. Bali was always supposed to be the most beautiful of places we were visiting this side of the world and I'm so glad it hasn't failed to disappoint so far. There's things in and around Ubud we couldn't do due to our budget but we leave knowing that we are already getting the feeling that of all places we've visited on our travels so far, Bali is looking the most tempting to return to one day. Tomorrow we head to Kuta for 10 days where I'll attempt to learn to surf and during which I'll spend my birthday!

Koh Phangan and the pilgrimage to Bali

Koh phangan

Haad salad beach

We spent our second full week in Thailand on Koh Phangan, which was the neighbouring island to where we'd been staying: Koh Samui. We took a ferry there (once again waiting longer than we were being transported) and arrived at our accommodation during a heavy downpour.

The place we stayed at was a proper resort hotel, which was a whole different feeling to the beach bungalows we'd had the week before. Beach bungalows are great because they have a great vibe - especially if there's a hammock - but there are some things they lack which is why we were glad to be at the hotel. A pool being one: whilst I love the sea, I think Claire's fear of being bitten etc by anything I'm the sea has rubbed off on me down the years and as a result I too now freak out if something even brushes past me, meaning that being in an empty pool is a lot more reassuring! Also regular cleaning of rooms is another commodity you don't realise you miss until it's absent.

The week on Koh Phangan itself was actually pretty uneventful - which I didn't care about in the slightest! We mostly lazed by or near the pool, jumped/bombed into it and splashed everyone else in it. We also frequently walked to the village nearby to take advantage of cheap prices at the 7-11 to keep costs low (theory being, spend less in Asia, spend more in Italy!)

Pool life

Haad yao beach

We were on the beach of Haad Yao, which was absolutely gorgeous - especially at low tide and during sunsets. We did often get bombarded by insects just before sunset a few times which meant we often had either very early or late dinners!
We also visited the nearby beach of Haad Salad after we found out Claire's brother stayed there when he visited a few years ago - so we replicated the photo he took there! There were loads of sea cucumbers at the beach there, which while isn't threatening is weird simply as to their numbers, but the beach is really good there too.

Beers at sunset

I spent one day dreaming about running the London marathon again (as it'd just happened that week and all the Facebook posts were making me very inspired to do it again) - and I was so motivated I went for my first run in months even though I had no proper running gear. I did 4 laps of the beach in about 25 minutes (no idea on length), which wasn't bad as I've never ran in 36 degree heat before and I'm out of shape! Plus my trek shoes gave me blisters so I felt my running urge might be satisfied until we return to Europe (where I plan to run regularly when we stay with our host family).

Come the end of the week we had both really unwound, but that was soon to end: ahead of us was an energy sapping, sleep deprived journey via planes, trains, automobiles and ferries to Bali.

The long, long journey

We went there via Kuala Lumpur as the flight from there (air Asia) was the cheapest option by far even with the costs of getting from the Thai islands to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

The shipping container accommodation in Surat Thani

To get there we took a ferry to mainland Thailand and stayed overnight in converted storage containers in Surat Thani, then got the 8am train to hat yai, where we had to wait and switch trains (and worry if they'd accept our e ticket as it is clear as mud whether they do - but they do thankfully), we were then on another train at 4pm from there and rode that until 5:30am the next morning when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur sentral station after only about 3 hours completely interrupted sleep (you have to get off and get back on the train at the border). Then we had a Macdonalds for breakfast as nothing else was open, we got to the airport by coach to wait quite a few hours for our 3:45pm flight (having a SECOND Macdonalds for lunch - none for months then two in one day!), we then finally realised an ambition in crossing the equator on that flight before touching down in Bali. We then got picked up and taken to our place in Ubud by car and finally arrived at 9pm local time.

Safe to say the journey was exhausting, but we've finally hit Bali - a place we've both long heard stories of and dreamt of and the last major leg of our south east Asia tour before we head back west (via a one day stopover in China). We've got 17 days here and we can't wait to see if it really is the paradise we've always heard of.