JAB

Day 4 in Sydney and it's time for my final Hep B jab, we had aimed to only be in Sydney for 2 nights but on finding out oz experience wouldn't have availability on the buses until Monday morning so we decided to stay another two nights rather than go on the Greyhound buses. This wasn't much of an issue as the people we met in the hostel were really friendly and the facilities were great. It did mean however that I had to find somewhere in Sydney over the weekend to have my final injection, however most of the clinics that were available for travellers are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately there was one open Sunday mornings in Bondi and seeing as we wanted to see the beach this tied in well, we headed there early in the morning, having my jab and bex being checked by the doctor and then off to the beach, although not before being informed all about the Australian sun and which sun cream I should be using.

Bondi Beach was nice although it was the middle of the day so we didn't stick around for long and hoped on a bus back to the central quays and then on a boat to Manly. As we left we passed the Opera house and most of the City which now in the bright sun looked like all the photo's I had seen before.

 

On arriving at Manly it was nice, very busy but a great beach. Unfortunately the sea was extremely rough and so they had closed the beach except if you were surfing and the doc had told me not to do exercise, so it was just watching and hoping it would still be around the next day.

(This looked like a cool club to be a member of)

As the sun started retreating we decided it was time to return to the hotel so back to the hostel but not before a few quick pics from the front of the boat.

Back on the Free 555 bus and then chilling with the others in the hostel, discussing music and singing along to Josselin and his guitar, before saying our goodbyes and getting ready for a super early start.

Sydney day 3

It's sunny!!

We had been told that most of the area around Sydney had been raining for the last 5 weeks and now it's finally clear. We went back to central quays near many of the famous landmarks which we thought might look a little nicer in the sun.

After seeing a street artist do a quick show including a 14ft unicycle we went for a wander across the bridge and checked out some of the markets around there. The food stalls looked great although I had been avoiding food for a couple of days so it was only bex who was able to have one of the lamb and rosemary hot dogs available. On leaving her to eat I stumbled upon the Sydney tourist centre which was nice however didn't provide much more information than the bookings and info desk in the hostel. Back in the hostel after another day wandering the streets and it was time for 2 litres of Cokeawola and some films while chilling with the other travellers, realising that everybody was in a going out mood and a few wanting to check out kings cross area of the city we set a time to meet in Side Bar – The larger version of ride bar without the dub-step all the way downstairs in the basement. Most turned up on time and with out new German room mate joining the rest of us to try and ward off his jet lag it was time for drinks and some pool games. Once everyone had seen away some beers and I had polished of yet more coke we worked out details for the night and made a plan, unfortunately we found out that the entrance for all the bars in kings cross would be $15 as it was a Saturday and on our budget that didn't sound good, everyone else had similar thoughts and Johanson's jet lad had finally taken him to bed. We decided to stay in the bar, for those that go to ride bar - all we did was go downstairs for one drink, finally I brought myself to have some cider before heading to bed for an early start.

Sydney

Hostel found and still just about awake after a few days without much sleep at all, finally some time to catch up on everything. The hostel is called Wake Up, it's across the road from the central station and great, huge too, we have had a rough guess and think that there must be about 250 people here.

Over the speakers they tell details of events and the superb weather that we are having, in the evening there was a pool competition with the winner having a $100 bar gift, we have met some great people here making a lot of friends, many of which are heading on the same route that we are, so we might meet again further north.

Friday morning and awake pretty early, room mates changing a lot throughout the night/morning, some plain toast for breakfast and down in the lobby for a free walking tour of the city organised by the hostel.

We were taken around the city to all of the big sites, the harbour bridge, the opera house, the botanical gardens where we got to see some bats hanging up in the trees then finally back to the hostel for the free beer for completing the walk.

The walk gave us time to speak to more and more of the others staying in the hostel so we planned dinner with some of the others, a spaghetti bolognaise later and then all chilling out in the TV room watching films, all ready for another day of seeing the city.

Flight number 2

On arrival to the airport we checked in and were asked if we had some trousers to wear, I know we were a little scruffy but didn't think we looked that unkept. We then found out that we were being upgraded to world traveller plus but only if we had smart clothes to wear, quickly changed and back at checking smartened up but now extremely hot in jeans and a shirt. Note to self remember to arrive really early for flights again and try to look smart then maybe another upgrade next time.

Another good flight with just a couple of big decisions, which movie to watch, so many good ones to choose from, eventually after In Time, Cowboys and Aliens, talking to the steward who seemed the only person awake at that time and eating as much as possible we arrived in Sydney.

The minivan ride to remember

A few hours, some toast and some electricity to charge the laptop and we ready to go, a little more wandering around the stools and shops littering Khaosan road with everything a tourist expects to purchase while in Thailand then off to the airport in our last but probably most exciting minivan on the trip. As we left there was one last passenger to jump in, an american with some McDonalds and we were hungry, fortunately he has a super hippy and quickly offered us most of the chips before going on to ask us about our trip and tell us all about his and his life and girlfriends. We found out many things about him including that he used to be a policeman in New York, he now worked as a spirtual leader in a retreat in Koh Samui and that he had a few adult children and a few very young ones all over the world. After showing us some pictures on his phone he then said why is was late and that his Chineese girlfriend living in Bangkok was now pregnant and that he had been meeting her to say congratualations but now might miss his flight so had to call his other girlfriend in Koh samui saying why he might be late. At this point things were getting a little crazy for us to then find out that one girlfriend was then going to call the other to congratulate here too and that she was also trying to get pregnant and that they might live together. David (fairly shocked to find he had such a usual name for such an extrovert character) then went on to told me he had a book and the easiest way to contact him if we wanted to staying touch was through the website for it, the books name – “Avoiding Capture” the book is all about relationships – Think this may be one of the best names I've heard for a book for a while, although he says he hasn't done so well at following this and has ended up being married 3 times.

Phuket to Bangkok

Arriving at the bus station on the other side of Phuket we soon realised thast is was as coordinated as many things here in the way that there are a few guys running it but with little communication between them and even less to you chaos isn't far off. Eventually we find a bus and pretty much play musical chairs until the conductor finally decides which ones are correct for us and the french couple that had been collected from Patong with us, it seems that although the tickets have numbers these don't correspond with the seat numbers.

The bus leaves and we head north and quite quickly too, especially when you look out side and realise how rough some of the roads are although the seats were quite comfy and you could lean them back quite far. After a few hours of some of the weirdest television known to man - some sort of a cross between “who's line is it anyway” and Xfactor and we arrived at their version of a service station. No burgers and old food here, just loads and loads of small fixed stools selling exactly the same, rice and omlette with your choice of meat of vegetables. After some pointing at signs I had some pork omlette, rice and chilli sauce, yummy unfortunately I hadn't taken into account that although Becky felt ill that wasn't enough to reduce her appetite and I wasn't able to have quite as much of the dinner as I may have hopped. Another 5 hours and we are back in Bangkok a whole 15minutes ahead of schedule. Now pretty much out of Baht it was time to see how readily US dollars were accepted, except for the official taxi drivers working on the meter it seemed all were perfectly happy having any money so some haggling later and back to the centre for some wandering and some breakfast.

Phuket

Another minivan later and we arrive at Patong beach, this accommodation was booked with STA at the start so is actually a hotel, About 10minutes walk from the beach and a little further to the area of down with all the shops and bars. Most our time spent here was spent on the beach although we did have to check out the pool and I think probably for the safer side of things, the sun had been having quite an effect on our pasty white skin, so escaping under an umbrella for the middle of the day gave us some well needed rest for our sunburnt shoulders.

We decided that we had to go and check out the night-life even if we wouldn't go for drinks or such to save some money for later in the trip. Most of the streets seem fariyl ordinary with the standard variation of sports bars at the time showing mostly Manchester United games who are quite well supported here or the tennis. However if you continue southerly along the beachfront road you quickly come to the busy area marked by the yellow lights above the road. Then the whole area and atmosphere starts to change into something else, the streets are lined with bars either side all of which have girls dancing on the tables or on poles. Then there are the black fronted strip clubs and sellers lining the seat trying to sell everything and anything from glowsticks and light up things you might find on fireworks night to lapdances and pingpong shows.
Another morning trying to fill up as much as possible on the breakfast and fill the lunchbox for later and then a few hours on the beach – a coconut for a drink and then back the the hotel to be picked up and taken off to the bus depot.