Jungle Boogie

Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your replies to my first diary entry. It’s fun reading about what’s going on in your lives. Please keep writing, as I miss you all. Farah.. you win the prize for sending me a reply that was actually longer than my original ramblings! And to all of you who asked if I’m taking photos, don’t worry, I’ve been taking heaps. Though I do promise not to bore you when I get them organised. I’m burning them to CD as I travel as I will not have too many opportunities to upload them whilst travelling . more »

Greetings From Sabah

Selemat Malam! Greetings from Sabah! I’ve finally found a place with internet access, though it’s a pretty crazy place. I’m being deafened by the sound of `counter strike` from the other machines, and the computer keyboard is knackered. Evidently, the keys A, S, D and F are used while gaming, so apologies for any spelling mistakes. Still, there’s an internet connection which is a first. Electricity has been a luxury at times.

It’s been a week since the trip commenced, and it has been awesome. The group I’m with are a really nice bunch and we all get on well. The highlight so far has been climbing Mount Kinabalu, at over 4,000m; half the height of Everest. Before commencing the climb, we stayed with a local Dusun village. The villagers act as our guides and rely on Intrepid to provide such income. The villagers are lovely, friendly people, who insist on you drinking their rice wine. Unfortunately, their brewing skills are lacking, but they make up for it with their warmth. By the end of the evening, we were joining them in karaoke… in Malay. more »

Howie Does Asia

This time tomorrow, I’ll be boarding a plane and heading towards Asia, and I’m getting pretty excited. Tomorrow I fly to Malaysian Borneo and spend three weeks visiting the States of Sabah and Sarawak. This is followed by one week scuba-diving off the coast of Borneo at the islands of Sipidan, Mabul and Kapalai. After Borneo, I fly to Bangkok and commence a one month circular tour through North Thailand, Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Things I’m most looking forward to:

  • Climbing Mt Kinabalu (4,000m)
  • Trecking through the Borneo jungle
  • Visiting some of the indigenous tribes of Borneo
  • Diving in Sipidan
  • Visiting Halong Bay
  • Travelling down the Mekong Delta
  • Visiting Angkor Wat

Things I’m most looking to avoid:

  • Malaria
  • Dengue Fever
  • Avian Bird Flu
  • Kidnapping
  • Land mines
  • False accusations of drug trafficking
  • Earthquakes
  • American backpackers
  • Israeli backpackers

I’m so excited… I just can’t hide it!

Postcard From Vanuatu

Greetings from Vanuatu! ok. I’m actually back in Australia. Updating my site from Vanuatu was just not an option. You were lucky if you could get a phone connection, never mind internet access. And anyway, I was on holiday; didn’t even go near a computer.
The holiday was awesome. The Ni-Vanu people are really lovely, friendly people, and being the quiet/wet season, I got to know a few of them at the resort I was staying at.

It’s lovely to go snorkeling and diving in warm water. The tropical fish, soft and hard corals are spectacular. Though I did manage to get head-butted by a Clownfish, stung by a jellyfish, and experience a minor earth tremor whilst scuba diving. It’s also quite evident how devastating a cyclone can be to the coral, though thankfully there is plenty of regrowth occurring.

Everything happens on vanuatu time i.e. s l o w l y. I can see why. It’s so flamin’ hot , you can’t do that much. Best off just kicking back, having a coconut shell of Kava, listen to the geckos and watch the hermit crabs move mountains (well, shells).

The second part of my trip was spent on the island of Santo, getting into wreck diving on the famous SS President Coolidge. I wasn’t too sure beforehand if wreck diving would excite me. Well, now I know what all fuss is about. It’s great! Actually penetrating the wreck, exploring the vessel from section to section is fun in itself. Looking at the remaining fixtures - chandeliers, statues, swimming pool, and the untouched contents - military jeeps, ammunition, rifles is spooky. It’s like walking into a deserted house. Can’t wait to do it again, though the thought of diving stony cove doesn’t quite appeal to me.

Of course the purpose of my trip to Vanuatu was to organise my Permanent Residents visa for Australia. All went well, so now I’m actually an Aussie… though I still support England of course!

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