We arrived in Brazil on 'el tren de la muerte' (the death train). The guidebook had warned us to expect a journey from hell with long delays in mosquito ridden swampy areas, uncomfortable seats and an aisle crammed with contraband. There are many theories about how the train got its name. A common one is that it was named after the numerous deaths of passengers who decided to sit on the roof because the carriage was overflowing with contraband, people fell asleep and slipped off, or were flung from their perch when the train derailed (which happened quite frequently). After all [View Full Entry]

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We arrived into Copacabana, a Bolivian pilgrimage town on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Twice a day and especially at weekends the central plaza fills up with vehicles for the Blessing of Automobiles. The cars, buses and trucks are generally new or about to undertake a long and hazardous journey (not that there's any other kind in Bolivia). The vehicles line up outside the church, decked out in garlands, ribbons and bows and a priest blesses one vehicle at a time, splashing holy water on it, covering it with white rose petals and reciting blessings. Then the car owner goes [View Full Entry]

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We clacked and clanged our way across the Peruvian border on an ancient one-carriage train. We set off from Arica (Chile) clearing immigration at the tiny station and arrived into Tacna (Peru) where the train proceeded through the center of town behaving more like a bus than a train, navigating a roundabout and braking for a truck that wasn't planning on stopping. The train seemed ill-equipped to have 'international' status and that's because it was. It only became international by chance, when Chile claimed Arica and all of a sudden that little train was a big deal. The new responsibility [View Full Entry]

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At 2p.m. we were having lunch in Auckland and riding the subway in Santiago. We suffered the consequences of jumping back in time (17 hours) and felt exhausted and wide awake at all the wrong times. It seems that there are few South American cities that are deemed a good place to start your travels on the continent and Santiago is classed among them due to it being relatively safe and developed. Unfortunately it´s also pretty boring place to start. There isn't a great deal to do in Santiago but we spent two days in the city addressing the jet lag [View Full Entry]

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It is a well known fact that backpackers in New Zealand are expected to do some truly terrifying things during their stay. So with a very short time in New Zealand we got straight in there and found an activity that is possible on even the shortest of timeframes. Our decision to go sky-diving over the Bay of Islands was made even easier because of a promotional rate making it the cheapest place in the country (NZ$199). When in NZ the combination of an adrenalin sport and a discounted price means you have no option if your have any self-respect. I've [View Full Entry]

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The biggest hassle I encountered on the Thai-Malay border was the frequent offer of cake. We walked across at Sungai Kolok and found the usual assortment of over-eager taxi drivers and an unusual Malaysian cake / sweet stand. The cake-stand man gave us the impartial kind of advice that the taxi drivers wouldn't; the location of an ATM and how to get a bus to Kota Bharu. We were with a Swiss guy called Patrick at this point and he and Paul went off in search of the ATM while I stayed with the bags. Cake-stand man (let's call him Edmund, [View Full Entry]

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Fantasies of a Thai beach holiday have no doubt sustained countless people through months of mind-numbing workplace drudgery. Mine got me through a long Korean winter spent shivering in unheated classrooms. Admittedly I felt slightly less deserving of a holiday after being more or less entirely hammock bound during our time in Laos but landlocked Laos is no substitute for the idyllic Thai islands. So we had a little holiday. Infact it was quite a large holiday where the rigours of travel were replaced by lazing on the beach, relaxing by the pool, swimming, snorkeling, and long lie-ins. T [View Full Entry]

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A 100% guaranteed way to eradicate stress and re-vitalise; go to Laos. Doctors should forgo prescribing medicine and give out Laos visas instead. If you've just been in neighbouring Vietnam you will find Laos is the perfect tonic of peace and tranquility to your hawker headache. Everything slows down and nothing seems to matter. Life revolves around simple pleasures; a breeze as you swing in a hammock, a sunset Beer Lao, a meal down by the mighty Mekong.....and yes please, I would like a job for the Lao Tourist Board. We crossed at the Lao Bao border and continued on to [View Full Entry]

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Just a short walk across the Chinese-Vietnam border and I went from 'Miss' to 'Madame' with the occasional 'OY!' to keep me grounded. Six years on from my first visit to Vietnam and the motorcycle is still king. Not just a motorcycle they also function - amongst other things - as sofas, tables, family saloons, taxis and removal lorries. 'Xe om' (motorcycle taxi) guys have the ability to make a motorcycle look as comfortable as a sofa; leaning back with their feet up whilst awaiting their next fare. Families make motorcycles look as spacious as saloons with families of four (and [View Full Entry]

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We were ditched unceremoniously on the outskirts of Dali new town with no idea as to where we were. A girl on the bus made some effort to help us by talking at us in Chinese and pointing at Chinese signs. The bus driver revved his engine and eventually shouted at her to get back on the bus. We spent some time on a couple of local buses and finally made it into the old town with the help of a bus driver gifted in sign language and guesswork. We walked in the wrong direction, staggering under the weight of hiking [View Full Entry]

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