What price you pay?

Khaosan rd is crazy, loud and very alive. This is my first real chance to try to barter. I must admit that at this point I'm not great at it. I'm hoping to get better though. I never imagined that I'd own some of the knock off clothes that I now own.

The sleezy suit makers are the people the freak me out the most. They just never take no as an answer. They try and try and they might remember you from your last pass 2 mins earlier but they'll try again, picking up from the last part of the conversation you've had with them.

Almost everything and anything is available to buy in the markets in Bangkok, well touristy stuff is anyway. I had to tell Drew "No" at least a dozen times as we passed stalls full of Ninja Stars, butterfly knives, tasers and high powered laser pointers, all for sale for less than a dollart or two. Customs must have a field day with people bringing this stuff back in to Australia, not just the weapons but the ornante carvings made out of elephant tusks, or face masks made from tiger skins...

When I got back to the hotel I figured out that I'd only spent about $10 au. That's a pretty cheap shopping spree. We're currently eating dinner on khaosan rd. I'm in a bar but there's still a dog lying at my feet and it's a well fed one if I do say so. After abandoning the craziness of Khaosan rd we wandered back to our local bar (rolling r bar) and listened to a great lounge trio play song after song, some in English and some in Thai. Very chilled end to a great second day.

This was yesterday, sorry but our wireless was down this morning, have had a great day again today at the zoo but that post will have to wait awhile, photos may come later too.

Thailand, More like Tuk-Tuk land. (And cats)

Today we woke up and we became immediately impressed by our hotel when we were reminded that our $50 per night rate includes a full buffet breakfast... I had three different kinds of eggs and Banana Pancakes!!!

Leaving the hotel we set out to explore the local streets but at the very first corner we were approached by a guy who asked us where we were from, upon hearing us say "Australia" he quickly said "Aaagh, SYDNEY!" and hopped around like a Kangaroo, this exact experience happened to us no less than three more times later the same day. The man then gave us a list of all of the places needed to go and then hailed a Tuk-Tuk for us and told the driver not to charge us anymore than 20 Baht (About 66 cents AU).

I was proud of Prue as she threw caution to the wind and rolled with it as we jumped in the Tuk-Tuk on a whirlwind tour of Bangkok. Firstly, everything they say about the crazy traffic is completely true, as we found ourselves regularly travelling on the wrong side of the road and even on the footpath at one point. Secondly everything they say about Tuk-Tuk drivers taking tourists to local sales traps is true. But one thing must be said, the Tuk-Tuk driver gets given fuel for taking tourists to the local sales places, so long as we were able to say "No Thank you" it was absolutely no harm and we got a fantastic tour of some of the local sites, while the driver waited patiently for us.

After a couple of hours of roaring though the streets of Bangkok visiting attractions, temples, tailors, statues, travel agents, more temples, more tailors, more attractions and a jewelery store (at which Prue ALMOST bought a $150 ring) we finally said goodbye to our Tuk-Tuk driver as he dropped us off at the King's Palace, we even gave him an extra 20 Baht as we felt bad after doing the currency conversion.

At the kings palace we found out two things, the first was that (like some Bendigo nightclubs) you can't get in wearing shorts, this led to me being lent a pair of ugly Pants to wear over the top of my shorts, adding to the amount of sweatiness and tripling my ugliness. Secondly the King is fully pimped out. The palace is.. umm... well... Palatial. An absolutely amazing place which can not be described in words (So I wont). After the Palace we hit our first market stalls and passing through stalls full of unrecognisable meats skewered on sticks, we settled down for food that was cooked while we waited and was reasonable recognisably, very yummy and even had a unsecured wireless internet connection nearby.

Getting back to the hotel we had a swim in the pool and have been relaxing with a drink ever since. Probably a long winded post today, but it really was a truly epic day, a wonderful experience that has been possibly the best way to start our epic journey. You can see some of the photos from our day Here.

Chapter 1: Long ass plane ride and a Crazy Taxi...

After 8 hours and three shit movies on our Thai Airways flight we finally made it to Bangkok. The airport is a concrete and steel labyrinth which seemed to stretch on forever but we made out into the Bangkok air without any hiccups, customs didn't even bother scanning our bags, we just got pushed right through the door. And my god was the air a blast to the senses, similar to walking out the aircon doors at Darwin airport but we were hit by a very warm thick air. No poo and flowers smell though...

Got a Taxi to the hotel and quickly realised why everyone remarks about the chaotic traffic in Bangkok as the taxi driver sped us along at full pace (Averaging about 120km/hr) while making left hand turns from the right hand lane. The taxi driver managed to rip us off 200 Baht, but his driving was a bit of an experience and he was a very friendly guy so we didn't mind as we parted ways without actually knowing that whether or not we were in the right place.

But after walking around the next corner we found our sanctuary of the hotel, settled in then we have grabbed a quick drink why we write this, and now off to bed... In THAILAND??!!

A whole new world!!

Wow, that couldn't have been easier. After a mountain of running and screaming and trying to pack for two years and get it into a backpack we're through the magic gates and into the international world. Thanks to everyone for the sms's and missed phone calls. We've had no phone credit to call anyone back for days and there's no point in getting a $20 recharge when you're leaving your sim in Australia.

Drew is in awe of the $50 cartons of PJ's, but was strong and didn't buy any. I'm in awe of the fact that they still make those shitty colourful woolen jumpers. Eat your heart out 80's fans, that's the real 80's for Australia!!!

Hugs all, chat soon.

Inside 48 hours, two sleeps left...

We are done. The bags are packed, we are ready to go. Time to relax and say goodbye to our friends and loved ones. The weight of the world has been lifted from our shoulders since finishing our work and moving out of our home in Melbourne. Prue has unpacked and repacked her backpack for (what she says is..) the last time. There are no more last minute must have purchases to be made and no more boxes of crap to be discreetly hidden in our parents wardrobes. We finalised all of our affairs, and set the mobile phone voicemail to deliver a message of our absence. Even the cat has settled into its new home.

I cant emphasise enough how much of a relief it is to finally switch over to "holiday mode", sure we still have a healthy dose of anxiety when faced with so much uncertainty ahead, but a strong sense of freedom and adventure has started to pump in our blood, and a slightly larger than expected payout from our work has added a bit of excitement about the endless possibilities ahead.

But for the moment we are just going to enjoy our last 48 hours in Australia with our friends, our family and maybe a few of our favorite beverages.

The Final Seven Days.

Today marks another milestone as we approach our departure in one week's time. We have finally moved out of our tiny caretaker apartment and shoe horned our remaining "shit" into an even tinier apartment upstairs. The computer is gone, the Xbox is back in its box, the internet is disconnected, we've watched all the recorded TV, thrown away all the stuff we couldn't give away and the apartment had been scrubbed 'till it shines like new. Our lists are looking a lot smaller now, as we only have a few last minute affairs to settle and then pack one last load into the car and get the fuck outta Melbourne...Well at least until our flight leaves next Thursday.

We have taken advantage of the good exchange rates (although slightly prematurely) and locked in some flights and accommodation for the European leg of our trip. At this stage we leave the tropics of Bangkok just after midnight on the 22nd of December and arrive in Mid-Winter-London at about 6am. We have booked 5 nights in a double room at Astor backpacker hostel near Hyde Park in Kensington, where we will spend a cold and lonely orphans Christmas. From London we travel by Train to Edinburgh in Scotland Where we have booked a package deal for a tour of the Highlands of Scotland, plus accommodation and passes to the Hogmanay festival at New Years Eve.

On the 4th of January we have booked a flight from Edinburgh to Munich in Germania, the locals call it Munchen... lol, Zose cwazy Germans! Then after three nights in Munchen we take a 6Euro flight to Vienna (Wein) in Austria where we will attend Laura and Headley's Wedding and hopefully someone will take me skiing despite the fact my insurance won't cover it... Sorry Prue, you'll have to watch. Then I guess we'll find our way back to the UK and begin looking for somewhere to live and someone to pay us.

Seven days to go.... OH FUCK!

Introduction: One month till GO!

Today marks the one month milestone. A combination of emotions overwhelm us, excitement at the thought of the adventure that lays before us, nervousness about the possibilities of everything ending up seriously FUBAR (an emotion that is spurned on by every single horror story we have heard over the previous months) and stress, layers and layers of thick and meaty stress. But above all of these emotions is also a great feeling of finality and closure. I guess I kinda feel like a prison inmate who has only one month left to go until they are released back into the wild. For the three years we have worked as the caretakers for DT's there has always been a slight sense of entrapment about our position. But we can see the end in sight now and with just over three weeks left in the DT's Cell Block I think our holidays, no matter how epic they may be, are well deserved.

Which I guess brings us to the plan (or at least Plan A). One month from today we fly to Bangkok in Thailand, exactly two months later we fly to London where we have organised a two year working visa. That's pretty much all that is set in stone at this point. Upon landing at Bangkok we have booked ourselves 5 nights in a very nice looking hotel called Lampu Tree House and we will use the days in Bangkok (I'd like to call it Bangers from now on, but I won't) to do some shopping and integrate with the asian cultures and odours.

From Bangkok we intend to travel east into Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat and Phom Phen, then Head south east to Vietnam and Ho Chi Mihn. From Old Saigon we will hop on and off the train up the east coast to the north via Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An until we eventually reach Hanoi and Halong Bay. (BTW Please exuse any and all spelling mistakes)

At about this point we'll have to do a bit of backtracking south through Vietnam to find a border crossing into Laos that won't cause death or impoverishment, to eventually reach Vientienne. Heading north through a paddock with some old arse jars in it we will reach Luang Prabang and from there we hope to hop on a slow boat up the Mekong to reach an isolated border crossing at the Northern tip of Thailand.

Returning to Thailand we'll have to go south to get north into the mountains and visit the hill tribes around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, then we will make our way back to BANGERS (sorry) to organise ourselves for the European leg. Or at least that is the plan.

So here we are one month before we leave sitting in a baking tray ladling ourselves with sweetly rich amounts of stress. We have managed to clear out most of our house, pretty much everything we own has now been packed into boxes and shipped to friends and family or turfed out into black garbage bags. But by god do we have a lot of shit. We are on track to get everything organised before we need to move out of our apartment, but the stress involved has been a little uncomfortable, and it is quite common to sit here for a few minutes making lists in our minds of all the things we still need to do until blood starts pouring from our ears.

But the lists are getting smaller...