A Little Person's Big Adventure
In and around World
When I tell people that I've quit my job in London to effectively become unemployed and homeless so I can travel aimlessly for 7 months, there are pretty much two kinds of reactions. The first is the jaw dropping 'you are crazy' reaction usually given by 1) relatives of the older generation, 2) ridiculously ambitious, career driven, 'I love the rat race' individuals and 3) those who are perfectly happy with the life they already have and feel no particular need to venture outside their familiar bubble. From relatives, this reaction usually comes with 'horror' stories of how 'backpackers get kidnapped, mugged and even to the point where they get looted for organs in China! Yep, I'm already looking forward to my South East Asia trip!
The second reaction is by far the better one. Friends and especially those who have travelled have told me what an amazing experience this will be for me. Yeah sure, no one knows what will happen on the trip but do you know what will happen tomorrow? And come on, it's me....this trip will be the most adventurous thing I've done in my life so far....it's not like I will act totally reckless is it???
So why am I doing this whole travelling thing? Well, it's something that I've wanted to do for a long time. As much as I love my life in London, it just came to a point in my life where I felt that there had to be more to life than just being part of the rat race. The world is so vast and interesting and I knew nothing about it than the few places I had been to visit family or to sun myself on a beach. I wanted to see more of the world, to experience it a little, to find out more about other people's culture, traditions and their way of life. Come on, I've hardly been that adventurous in my life so far so while I'm disillusioned with my life, my work and mending a still pretty bruised heart, why not take the time out to do something I've wanted to do in a long time and hopefully at the same time, have a little fun and find myself along the way......If I don't do it now, I may never have another opportunity to and by then I will probably be too old to kick myself up the backside for not doing it while I can. And so with that my journey begins.........
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Ivy
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1
The City of Old and New
There's two completely different worlds to Beijing. There's new Beijing with it's futuristic and funky shaped high rises and skyscrapers and then t... Continue reading »
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2
Manic Panic
So we got the 12 hour sleeper train from Beijing to Shanghai and it was abit manic to say the least.
Beijing Railway station is huge and ver... Continue reading »
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3
Shanghai Baby
Paris of the East, Pearl of the Orient.....whatever people want to call it, Shanghai is pretty much just one big financial hub and if it weren't fo... Continue reading »
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4
Paradise on Earth?
"In Heaven, there is paradise; on earth Suzhou and Hangzhou'.
For the Chinese, Hangzhou (along with Guilin) is the country's most famous tour... Continue reading »
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5
How I Imagined China To Be
Guilin is beautiful - absolutely stunning - whereas I was slightly disappointed by Hangzhou, Guilin more than lived up to expectations. After Shang... Continue reading »
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6
Backpacker's Legend
Ok, so I just wanted another pin on my map of places I've been too.
Our boat ride from Guilin up the Li River ended in Yangshuo which has bec... Continue reading »
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7
Where it never stops
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, where do I even begin?
Hong Kong is the place which never stops - you can have dim sum at 7am in the morning at the res... Continue reading »
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8
The City of Pickpockets
Shenzhen is known for it's pickpockets. Thus, I didn't really go there especially as it was only a stoppover point on the way to Hong Kong but the... Continue reading »
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9
The Vegas of the Orient
Macau is like a mini Vegas with a gazillion number of casinos - Wynn is already there (with it's rip off Belagio dancing water display - Bella... Continue reading »
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10
The Land of Smiles and One Fit Italian!
The Land of Smiles........yep, people are definitely alot friendlier here than in China....and everyone speaks English (that's terrible isn't it???... Continue reading »
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11
Bridge Over the River Kwai
For those who don't know, Kanchanaburi is famous for it's bridge over the River Kwai and it is this that most tourists come to see. For me, it... Continue reading »
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12
Wat Wat Wat
Chiang Mai has over 300 temples (wat wat wat - get it???!). Now I'm not the biggest fan of temples and although we had intended to go to Ayutt... Continue reading »
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13
All for Good Will
As my friend Will was going to be in Bangkok and we were in dire need of some relaxation (I may be travelling but a girl still has to take things e... Continue reading »
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14
Pitstop in Phuket
So Phuket was our stoppover for a day before taking the boat to the Koh Phi Phi Islands.
We arrived on a day when it was grey, glo... Continue reading »
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15
The Beach The Sequel
After The Beach was filmed here, Ko Phi Phi became the island paradise that everyone had always dreamed about. Strikingly beautiful lagoons, scenic... Continue reading »
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16
Hello - Goodbye
Apparently, in 1971 two tourists arrived on Thailand's third largest island via a coconut boat from Bangkok and stumbled upon the paradise that is... Continue reading »
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17
Pitstop 2 in Phuket
So we did another pitstop in Phuket - for our flight to Koh Samui for the boat to Koh Pha Ngan.
We were only back here for half a day but we... Continue reading »
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18
Full Moon Party
Ko Pha Ngan is approximately 20km from Ko Somui. Coconut farming is the no. 1 business in Ko Pha Ngan - did you know that every month, Ko Pha Ngan... Continue reading »
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19
Sabai dee Vientiane - Lao - Jewel of the Mekong
Vientiane was chosen as the capital city of Laos after it became a French protectorate in the late 19th Century. Situated on a bend of the Mekong R... Continue reading »
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20
Beauty and the Tiny Beasts
After seeing Guilin, I didn't think that anywhere else could have scenery as beautiful....that is until I set foot in Laos and in particular Vang Vien... Continue reading » -
21
A Wat Overdose and one Scary Tuk Tuk Driver
The Lonely Planet states that the pictures do not lie - Luang Prabang is simply stunning. Luang Prabang has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site sinc... Continue reading » -
22
The Middle of Nowhere
So from Luang Prabang, we decided to take a short trip to the middle of nowhere whilst waiting for our Vietnamese visas.
Muang Ngoi Neua&nbs... Continue reading »
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23
To live in fear of being run over by a million gazillion mopeds!
My ears are still ringing, my head is still dizzy and my heart rate still hasn't returned to normal, all I can remember is that Hanoi is utte... Continue reading »
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24
Beautiful Halong Bay
Right, just a little factual information to begin this entry just so everyone knows that I'm here to learn on this trip and twas not jus... Continue reading »
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25
Angkor Wow
Words cannot describe the temples of Angkok....spectacular, amazing.....none of these words do Angkor justice......the temples are breath taking an... Continue reading »
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26
Full Moon Round 2 - The Proposition
Haha...no, you're not reading the same blog entry twice....I am being totally serious...silly as it may be....we really did come back to Koh Pha Ng... Continue reading »
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27
Eating My Way Through Singapore!
You would have thought that after a couple of months in places like Cambodia and Vietnam I would be craving for the normal 'civilisation' of Singap... Continue reading »
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28
The End of A Great South East Asian Adventure
So Singapore marked the end of my South East Asia adventure and what an adventure it has been......China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Lao, Vietnam, C... Continue reading »
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29
G' Day Cairns - The Travellers Gateway to Everywhere!
Now how many people know someone who went to Australia, loved it so much that they decided to move out there permanently?
I'm guessing that'... Continue reading »
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30
Whitsunday Heaven and Hell
Now the one thing I wanted to do the most in the land of Oz was to sail around the Whitsunday Islands.
The Whitsundays are 74 islands o... Continue reading »
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31
Airlie Beach Party
So Airlie Beach is the stop on the mainland for the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. It's this little town which is exclusively catered for tourists a... Continue reading »
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32
Building Sandcastles in the Sky
Fraser Island (named after Eliza Fraser who along with her husband James Fraser was shipwrecked on the island in 1836) is the world's largest... Continue reading »
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33
Definitely Not Paradise For Me
It may be paradise for surfers but Surfer's Paradise was definitely not paradise for me.
Ok so there's a lovely beach with waves for all the... Continue reading »
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34
Everybody's Favourite Place.....And A Flasher
Another recommendation by fellow travellers and local Aussies, Byron Bay definitely gets the thumbs up from me. After the disappointment of Su... Continue reading » -
35
Just Flies And Pies And No Fit Guys!
So arriving into Sydney at 6:30am in the morning after having spent 12 hours on the overnight Greyhound bus is not usually... Continue reading »
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36
Forget the Grand Canyon!
The day trip to the Blue Mountains started out as a miserable affair.....it was wet, windy. grey and gloomy. When we arrived at our first stop to s... Continue reading »
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37
"Neighbours, Everybody Needs Good Neighbours....."
All together now! Sing!
"N-E-I-G-H-B-O-U-R-S!!!!! Everybody needs good neighhhhhbours with a little understanding, you can find the perfect b... Continue reading »
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38
Hands Down, It Really Is A Great Ocean Road
So the Great Ocean Road is technically not part of the East Coast since it is on the wrong side of Melbourne but no East Coast trip would be compl... Continue reading »
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39
Penguin Piss-take!
And so we all came ....hundreds of spectators... from all different nations.... gathered here on this deserted stretch of beach as night fell ... Continue reading »
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40
G'Bye the Land of Oz
So Melbourne marked the end of my Oz adventure and what an absolute blast it has been down the East Coast!
I now know why everyone rave... Continue reading »
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41
Ye Olde England
Christchurch is known for being the 'most English' of all the towns in New Zealand.
Strolling down the streets, I felt I was som... Continue reading » -
42
Counting Sheep
Kaikoura is this pretty little town on the East Coast of the South Island surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains. Kaikoura is a Maori name w... Continue reading »
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43
The Sunshine Capital at the Centre of NZ
Nelson is known as the sunshine capital of NZ....it apparently receives the most hours of sunshine than anywhere else in NZ....so when our Magic dr... Continue reading »
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44
Back To My Beer Swigging Ways!
Greymouth was another one of those compulsory overnight stops on the Magic Tour Bus which we didn't really care for but since we were there we thou... Continue reading »
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45
Ice Ice Baby - 4 happenings, 3 admirers, 2 easy girls and 1 fit bloke!
Now Franz Josef...puh ha-haha!!!!...where do I even begin with this one! The fact that I am sitting here giggling to myself as I write this ..... Continue reading »
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46
Winning the "Beauty" Contest
Don't laugh but I won a......"funny face" competition in a bar in Queenstown.....so officially I am now a champion of face pulling!!! Continue reading »
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47
Sound Asleep
Like many other travellers and tourists, Queenstown was our base for the beautiful Milford Sound. Both the Sounds (Milford and Doubtful) were must... Continue reading »
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48
The World's Steepest Street
Dunedin was another stop on the Magic Bus tour that we could have done without. No Scottie, a new driver whose taste in music is even worse than mine.... Continue reading » -
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No More Sunday Roast Dinners For Me
Wahhhhh!!! I am so missing Scottie!!!!! Greg our new magic driver not only has bad taste in music (another journey with my headphones on!!!) but he... Continue reading »
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50
Back to Blighty
It's amazing how abit of sun can make everything appear so much better than when you see it in the wet and windy doom and gloom.
So our Magi... Continue reading »
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51
To Eat Crayfish....Again
So back to Kaikoura again. (To eat crayfish...again. Haha...get it???? If not, read the entry for Kaikoura the first time round!) Believe me, I wouldn... Continue reading » -
52
Becks in Wellywood
Now I knew David Beckham had taken over Hollywood but what I didn't know was that Beckham mania would be sweeping through Wellington for the few da... Continue reading »
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53
Ross and Russ
Do you ever wonder whether there is someone out there who looks exactly like you and even more freakier, maybe even have characteristics exactly li... Continue reading »
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54
City of Sails......or the City of Gloom for me!
Auckland or the City of Sails as it is known is the largest city in New Zealand and more people live here than on the whole of the South Island. Th... Continue reading »
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55
The Invisible Cape
So the Bay of Islands is meant to be the most beautiful place on the North Island and seeing that Michelle had already left for Santiago a few days... Continue reading »
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56
Lam Leaving the Shores of NZ
The end of NZ marked another milestone on my travels...2 continents done...only one left to go....already it felt like my travels were almost comin... Continue reading »
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57
It Was Certainly Not The Case of 5 Men And A Little Lady!
So I left Auckland (NZ) at 5:25pm and after an 11 hour flight arrived in Santiago (Chile) at 12:45pm....earlier than I had left on the same day!!!!... Continue reading »
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58
Steak and Wine and All Things Fine
So after deciding to head north through to Bolivia and Peru, our first stop in Argentina was Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina and a beautiful... Continue reading »
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59
The Best and the Worst of Tango
For anyone considering travelling, let me offer you some words of wisdom. Apart from take toilet paper with you if you´re travelling to South East... Continue reading »
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60
A Walk in the Clouds and One Very Sore Toosh
I think I will always remember Salta to be one of my favourite places in Argentina!
After the traumatic experience of our hostel in Cordoba,... Continue reading »
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61
Christmas Festive Fun in Buenos Aires
So erm, we were meant to be in Lima for Christmas.......but 4 days before Christmas, we were still in Salta and it kinda hit us that there was no... Continue reading »
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62
The Mother of All Waterfalls!
Eh....just another waterfall you might say but believe me.... forget Niagara..the Iguazu Falls is the mother of all waterfalls.
Unfortu... Continue reading »
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63
Return to Buenos Aires - Part 1
As usual...there is never any logic to our travelling route. Despite deciding again to try and head north on to Iguazu and up to Bolivia straight a... Continue reading »
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64
Wet N Wild But Feeling Blue
Mendoza....the wine and adventure capital of Argentina...situated on the west just next to the Andes......blah blah blah.....blah blah blah.....Continue reading »
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65
The Lake District, A Black Glacier.....and Me, Tarzan of the Jungle
Considering we have our very own Lake District back at home in good old Blighty which by the way I have never visited, I guess it´s rather a... Continue reading »
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66
The End of The World ..... Literally
Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world and takes as much advantage as possible to its "end of the world" status....particularly since this... Continue reading »
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67
Return to Buenos Aires Part 2: The Parting of Ways for Crampon and Larry
Our second return to Buenos Aires marked the end of Michelle and my travelling adventures together.....or Dora the Explorer and Boots!
(Haha... Continue reading »
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68
The Lynx Effect......(And a Looney Tune!)
Now if 2 Chinese girls drew attention in Santiago then can you imagine the amount of attention an Irish girl and a Chinese girl toge... Continue reading »
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69
A Fireman, a Sailor and Legoland - All in a Day´s Work in Chile´s Cultural Capital!
The city of Valparaiso (or "Valpo" as the local Chileans call it), 120Km northwest of Santiago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Considered the cult... Continue reading »
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70
As Napolean Dynamite would say ....."Vote for Pedro!"
San Pedro de Atacama.....this place is amazing in more ways than one..... Although just a small oasis town, San Pedro has significant importance as... Continue reading »
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71
Doing the Moon Walk
One of the recommended tours around San Pedro de Atacama is a visit to Valle de la Luna.....or Moon Valley as it is known to us English s... Continue reading »
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72
Hot and Cold
Apparently, the best time to view the El Tatio Geysers is bright and early in the morning when the geothermal activity is at its greatest magnitude... Continue reading »
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73
Board to Death? - Certainly Not! - Sandboarding in Death Valley!!!!
Do you know how incredibly excited I was when I found out that I could sandboard in San Pedro?!
My little face was beaming with excitement! I... Continue reading »
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74
Return In Sickness and In Health
As much as I loved Salta and couldn't wait to return there to show Annie around, if truth be told, I was upset that I was back there quite so soon.... Continue reading »
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75
Third Time Lucky....Not!
Before anyone says anything, yes, I know...I've spent most of my time in South America backtracking....revisiting places Id already been to before....... Continue reading » -
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The Perfect Argentine City
As hot, sweaty, tanned and topless men bounded towards me, you could almost forgive me for agreeing with Rosario's label as the 'perfect Argentine cit... Continue reading » -
77
Eaten Alive
Now I thought calling this blog entry "THE MASSACRE" would be abit grim considering that Buenos Aires was the last stop on my travels (and I wanted to... Continue reading » -
78
Ciao Ciao......for now
And so it ends in South America…..my great travelling adventure…. It’s hard to believe that this is it. Two and a half months in South America has... Continue reading » -
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