Siem Reap

Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th September 2017

Friday

Luckily I started to feel a tad better by the afternoon, and as I skipped lunch I was starving! We went to the hotel restaurant and grabbed pad Thai and then got ready to go to Phare, the Cambodian circus. It was incredible! And it feels so much better knowing I'm going to support a great cause! They fund an arts school which give heaps of Cambodians a chance to learn theatrical and circus arts and also opens up career opportunities at the end. After this we checked out the night markets, we all had to buy white I love Cambodia tops as we are all going to sign them tomorrow night - mostly everyone's last night!

Saturday

Unfortunately it was Emma's turn to feel unwell today! I think we might be starting to have overstayed our welcome in Asia! Nevertheless we had a busy day ahead of us! We had a 4am start as we went to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat - something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember! We also saw a couple other temples as well - Bayon and Ta Prohm (tomb raider temple) and they were all awesome! We then went back, I ordered room service and then had an hours nap before we went quad biking! Emma ended up covered in mud because Jason kept doing his best to 'fishtail' in the puddles! We then headed out for our last meal and night out with the group, emma, Kelsey, Amy and I headed back fairly early none of us were feeling all that great! 

Sunday

So today was the sad day we had to say goodbye to this Contiki fam and move on to Vietnam! It was only Emma, Lou and Amy and I who are on the big indo so we went with Chamani to the airport leaving the others behind! It's been so much fun with everyone, I'll miss them a lot but I'm very excited for Vietnam and meeting the new fam!

Phnom Penh

Thursday 21st - Friday 22nd September 2017

Thursday

Cambodia is finally here! The country I have been most excited to visit due to its history - both recent and not. As soon as we were out of the airport we went straight to the killing fields. It's crazy how many innocent people were slaughtered there and how 30 years later the rainy seasons bring up more bones and teeth from the mass graves. We didn't stay too long here unfortunately as monsoon season had finally lived up to its name and the heavens opened before us! Luckily we had time to look around the memorial, where they have hundreds of skulls all sorted by age, gender and how they think they were killed. It's powerful stuff. We then managed to borrow some umbrellas from the people who worked there and made our way to the coach and then onto the genocide museum. Here our guide gave us a brief talk - block a is for the more powerful prisoners, block b for the guards, block c for most of the prisoners and block d where they tortured the victims. Out of the thousands of people that were here, only a few managed to survive and we were lucky enough to meet Chum Mey and he described some of the ways in which he was tortured. I bought his book and I'm excited to read that when I'm home! We had free time to walk round all the blocks, it's such an incredible experience to be able to see what a horrific time the Cambodians had first hand through pictures and from being in the place where it happened. After this we checked in to our hotel and headed out to a 'family style' dinner at a restaurant called the titanic. It was pretty good! A few of us went back to the hotel and chilled out in the jacuzzis with prosecco. It was a perfect evening!

Friday

I woke up feeling very ill this morning, like I'd been feeling a bit worse for wear recently but after breakfast this morning I had the worst stomach cramps and just stayed in bed until we checked out at 12 and caught our flight to Siem Reap. 

Vientiane

Wednesday 20th - Thursday 21st September 2017

Wednesday 

We had about a 4 hour drive to Vientiane and   Emma and I were very happy to see that Chamani put on Pitch perfect on the bus! We also watched a documentary about the secret war on Laos - where the Americans bombed Laos despite signing a treaty saying they wouldn't. To this day there are still between 10-30 million unexplored bombs all over Laos and the villagers risk their lives everyday to get food for themselves. It's so sad but a real eye opener. We had a little tour round Vientiane, stopping at Wat That Luang, the victory monument and finally at COPE centre, a charity that supports victims of the bombies previously mentioned. Our group raised over $600 usd which is amazing!! When we got back to the hotel I felt a bit rough so went for a half an hour nap - which led me to waking up feeling worse annoyingly! Emma and I walked down to the night markets and grabbed some pad Thai from a street vendor and did a bit of shopping before heading in for an early night. I'm so annoyed that I've felt rubbish for at least 75% of the trip so far, although I don't have enough money to drink all the time like everyone else anyway so I guess is a blessing in disguise! 

Thursday 

Leaving Laos today! Had a nice leisurely morning as our flight wasn't until 12ish and then headed to the airport. Had another surprise in flight meal which is always good! I've really enjoyed Laos and I really think it's important for more people to come and visit the country to see first hand how the wars have affected totally innocent people. The more people that see it hopefully the less likely it will be that it will happen again!

Vang Vieng

Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th September 2017

Monday

It took about 6 hours in total to get to Vang Vieng, and we stopped off at a cute restaurant with gorgeous views for lunch on the way. We checked into our hotel and went for a wander around, mainly to go and grab suncream as the sun is much stronger here than in Thailand! We all met at 7 to take part in a baci ceremony before heading out for dinner. 

Tuesday

Most of us went kayaking this morning and it was so much fun! As it is monsoon season, the river was high and flowing fast, but we were only going downstream so wasn't too bad at all. All along the river you can see the old bars, tubing systems and zip lines - most of them abandoned but still there as a reminder of the days when Vang Vieng was the place to go to to party. Half way down the river we stopped off at a cave and had a wee taster of tubing before going caving.  It wasn't anywhere near as scary as I thought it would be and there was only really one part that we looked at and were like you seriously want us to go through that! But all good in the end! We kayaked back down to a landing place near to our hotel then went and grabbed a spot of lunch. After lunch emma and I went to the sister hotel to chill out by the pool and catch up on some tanning time as I have not got anymore tanned since Indonesia! While we were there, I did my good deed for the day by helping a wee Korean girl when she starting panicking in the pool out of her depth - her family were on the other side of the pool so I picked her up and helped her to the side. Later on her Mum came over to say thank you, tried to get her to say thank you but she was too shy! So cute. Emma, Amy, Kelsey and I fully planned to go out this evening after dinner, but some of the others came and joined our table and we ended just chilling at the hotel! On the bright side at least I didn't spend any money! 

Wednesday 

Time to leave Vang Vieng today, and is also our last full day in Laos! I know I say it a lot but I honestly can't believe how quickly time is going! 

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang

Saturday 16th - Monday 18th September 2017

Saturday

We arrived in Laos at around 4:30ish, sorted out currency then made our way to the hotel. As the hotels are pretty small in Luang Prabang and they can't accommodate such big groups, a few of us were moved over to their sister hotel just around the corner. We all had an included meal together, trying traditional Laos food. It was much simpler than Thai food, as Laos is a much poorer country, but on the whole still delicious! I miss my Pad Thais though! We then had a browse around the night market, and then Emma, Kelsey, Amy and I made our way to the pool in the sister hotel. I totally stacked it up the stairs which became the topic of conversation for the evening! Oh and I nearly forgot! At one point today, I was sitting on my bed and emma said 'I like your scarf, when did you get that?' And I was like wtf? I haven't bought a scarf?? Anyway long story short it was the bed runner so we died laughing at that too! 

Sunday

We had another bike tour today, but it wasn't as long as the one in Atutthaya thank goodness! It was raining so made it more bearable in the heat. We went to a big temple and had our fortunes read. We had to look at the buddhas, pick one and internally introduce ourselves before shaking a pot full of chopsticks and then pulling one at random from behind our backs. Each chopstick had a number on it to which corresponded to a number on a sheet of paper. Doua (our new local guide) translated them for us, and mine was along the lines of you life could be positive but also negative if your not careful, you haven't got a family (husband) yet and your stressing about something you haven't told anyone amongst a few other hinge I've forgotten. Not the most positive fortune! We then went and stopped at a local whiskey shop where we tried a shot made from sticky rice and fermented with dead snakes, insect and birds amongst other things. Actually wasn't that bad! We then made our way back to the hotel and had a few hours free time so we went to a place called Utopia for lunch, it was so pretty! We then went to Kuang Si waterfall and bear sanctuary. The floor was ridiculously sloppy and after my fall up the stairs yesterday I had no confidence in myself whatsoever - especially as it was raining! However I made it through (with a little help from Doua!). The big waterfall was spectacular, its monsoon season so the water levels were at their highest. It was really cool seeing the bear sanctuary too, they rescue bears that get taken into China for their bile, a few of them were injured and one had to have his arm amputated. When we got back, Nicole, Kelsey, Amy and I - and later Jason - went to big brother Mouse, which is a charity that was set up to help local young people practice their English with people who speak English as a first language. It was so cool! Kinda reminded me of China. We grabbed food at a buffet for the equivalent of £1.50! Mental! Street food is my favourite. 

Monday

The alarm went off at 4:45am as we were off to the arms giving for the monks. This happens every morning and it's basically where the local people give food and other necessities to the monks, as they have no possessions of their own and thus rely on the locals for everything. We were lucky enough to actually give food to them - normally only local people are allowed to participate! It was really cool, and definitely a unique experience I am very grateful to have been able to be a part of. 

Return to Chiangmai

Friday 15th - Saturday 16th September 2017

Friday

We awoke to another knock on the door this morning to which I went into full panic mode! Luckily it was 5:50am and was for everyone to get up and get ready as we were leaving before 7 to go to the elephant sanctuary! It took about 3 hours to get there and it was honestly the best! We fed the elephants first before having a wander around and taking a few pictures with them, went for the most amazing buffet vegetarian lunch, watched a short film about the elephants and why they need to be rescued and lastly bathing the elephants in the river. It was absolutely incredible! When we got back, Emma and I went to get our laundry done and then had a wander around the night markets, I made a start on getting a few souvenirs. As the Northern Thai Highlights people were leaving us in the morning, we all met for drinks just before 10. We did the classic how many people can you fit in a tuk tuk and hat left Codie and Kerry hanging on to the outside. They were messing around (shock) and one minute Kerry was there, the next minute he was sucked into the streets of Chiangmai! Luckily he was fine but it was the funniest thing! Emma and I didn't stay out too long as we are permanently exhausted at the moment, but I still managed to get a free drink from some rando who knocked my beer (that had like a sip left) out my hand! Win win! 

Saturday

Today it was time to say goodbye to Thailand, so we had to catch two short flights - one from Chiangmai to Bangkok and then another from Bangkok to Luang Prabang. Thailand it's been amazing! I will definitely be returning! 

Pai

Thursday 14th - Friday 15th September 2017

Thursday

Much to our embarrassment, Emma and I woke to the sounds of housekeeping knocking on our door an hour after I had set my alarm, my phone hadn't been charging properly so it kept dying and we didn't hear the alarm! We got ready in 2 minutes and raced downstairs to get the bus - although I pulled a classic me and left my iPad in the room. Luckily we're going back to that hotel tomorrow so it could've been a lot worse! We then had a 3 hour coach ride to Pai along the windiest, bumpiest roads and it's safe to say nobody was feeling fresh! But we all made it (just about) and went for lunch (well most of us bought food and then pushed it around the plate) before checking into our next hotel. I went for a quick swim to wake myself up a bit before heading to Muay Thai boxing with most of the others. Emma wasn't doing it so she went to bed! Boxing was so much fun, even if I was completely terrible at it! Chamani then took us to a beautiful lookout point so see the sunset, before heading to Pai's night market. The plan was to get the free shuttle home but Laura and I got hair wraps that took longer than expected so we went to go and see who was getting tattooed. Courtney had just finished so we went to get the shuttle back with her, but the guide didn't speak English overly well so we ended up having to wait an extra 2 hours for Codie to finish getting his done so it was nearly 1am by the time we got back... so much for an early night!

Chiangmai

Wednesday 13th September 2017

I awoke (well I say awoke I didn't really sleep all that much) to the lifts being switched on at 5:20am and then some rando song being played later so no more sleep for me! We got to Chiangmai at around 7am and headed straight to the hotel for breakfast, and what a spread it was! They even had heaps of waffles which made me so happy. After finishing, a few of us went to do the flight of the gibbons, a zip lining course. It was pretty cool, and we even saw a few Gibbons in the trees, although they were quite far away. We had an included lunch there (always a winner) before heading back to the hotel, checking in and having a quick shower etc before going to the Thai cooking class. We went to the market first and were told about all the different ingredients and what we will be using them for. We then went to the farm where the school is, about a half an hour drive from the city. It was so beautiful there! We made Tom Yum soup, Pad Thai, Padang curry and cashew chicken stir fry and I'm very proud to say that mine tasted amazing! I even did the fire bit when making the stir fry! Everyone decided to then go to a lady boy show, and look around the night markets. I genuinely planned to only go for one drink and then do a bit of shopping, but that one drink led to me having a full blown night out oops! 

Ayutthaya

Monday 11th - Tuesday 12th September 2017

Monday

Following on from the waterfalls, we had about a 3 and a half hour drive to Ayutthaya so we ended up checking in at around 7 in the evening. We hadn't eaten in a while and were borderline starving to death so a heap of us got tuk tuks down to the night market for food. One of the tuk tuks had multicoloured lights and played the same bassy song over and over... super lit! 😂 When we arrived I asked Nutty what she would recommend, and so Emma and I ended up sharing a Pad Thai and Tom Yum soup, everything was so delicious and cost us the equivalent of about £2 each... crazy cheap! 

Tuesday

It was an early rise this morning as we were off on our morning bike tour around the city. We saw some pretty cool temples, learning about the history of the place. I believe this was the second (could be the third I can't quite remember now!) capital of Thailand, and the royal palace used to be here during the reign of 33 Thai kings. When they moved on, they burnt the palace for 7 days so that no one could steal anything for themselves or something along the lines of that! It was pretty hard to hear the guy as there's so many of us and he had a quiet voice! The bike ride was actually a lot better than I thought it would be, that was until my back brakes stopped working properly and my chain came off too... luckily all the rubbish bikes at centerparcs have taught me how to sort that out quickly!  We then had free time until 7 so I literally just lazed in the pool with some of the others, grabbing food from 711 as I ate so much at the buffet lunch! We then climbed aboard the overnight train, and it was actually much nicer than I anticipated it to be! We were all in one carriage, so it wasn't as private as the one we went on in China, but it didn't seem like it was going to be that bad, other than the fact they leave a few lights on in the carriage which is going to be super annoying! Played cards against humanity for a bit, but wasn't anywhere nearly as funny as when I play it with the girls from uni, so I went and chatted with a few of the others for a bit before heading to bed. 

Kanchanaburi

Sunday 10th - Monday 12th September 2017

Sunday 

It took a couple of hours on the bus to get to Kanchanaburi, and our tour guide, Nutty, was telling us heaps of stuff about Thailand. She liked to tell us which fruit was 'alkaline' and 'good for your body' and also tried to fob us off with how delicious durian fruit is but it smells like sick so I don't believe her! Our first stop was at a cemetery for some of the poisoners of war that died when the railway from Thailand - Burma was being built during the Second World War. I went round the museum with a few others and it was really interesting. It's so crazy how the war effected literally the whole world and we only learn about a fraction of it at school. It's really made me want to look into it even more! After that we headed to check out the bridge over the river Kwai which was pretty cool apart from being bitten by thousands of mozzies! I swear they can sniff me out miles away! Afterward we went down to a wee port that reminded me of the one we went to to get to Robinson Crusoe Island. It was about a ten minute boat ride down to our resort and it is honestly the coolest place I have ever stayed in in my life! It's called Jungle Rafts hotel and it is literally that - a hotel on rafts on the river in the jungle. We didn't have long until dinner so we chilled out a bit - there's no electricity here so we had little oil lamps and led candles which was super cute. Dinner was amaaaazing (and included so win win!) and was served 'family style'. After dinner most of us chilled out on the deck with a few drinks, I still had a huge headache so only had the one and then went to bed at 10ish - not that there was much point! I didn't get much sleep as even after the others went to bed the river and insects were so noisy! 

Monday

Woke up at 6am but I didn't actually get up until 7ish. The local village that looks after he resort has an elephant that they brought by to feed. I've got such mixed feelings about it as it isn't looked after in the best way, but it seemed happy and was very keen to have the food! After breakfast Nutty took us to the local village, and we saw the wee temple and school, as well as the elephant again! It was so hot so when we got back I went for a swim in the river with a few others. It was so refreshing! I was a tad worried about the current but it was manageable thank god! We had 'brunch' at 11 which was basically a huge meal and super delicious again. We then grabbed the boat back to the bus before setting off to the national park to see the Erawan waterfalls. It was so pretty! There were seven levels in total, I only went to the fourth one as the plan was just to have a swim and relax there for a bit before going back to the coach. This was not the case, there were so many fish in there that eat dead skin so they wouldn't stop biting you unless you were moving around! So after about fifteen minutes I decided I'd had enough, got out and went back to level one as there were less fish there! 

Bangkok

Bangkok

Friday 

The flight wasn't so bad, my extreme lack of sleep over the past few days helped me to have a wee nap on the plane which made time go by quicker! After landing and finding my luggage (thank goodness!) I went to go and check Emma's arrival time. Her flight wasn't on the board. She was at a different airport... bloody typical!!! Not the sort of thing we thought to check when we presumed Emily at STA travel was going to give us as similar flights as she could! So then I pottered around a bit trying to make sense of where to go, realised I needed help and so asked at the info desk and they told me to get on the a4 bus. I honestly have no idea where I'm going to get off but I'm just going to hope for the best! Life is a lot harder without data on my phone! Although luckily google maps was working offline (thank god) so I managed to work out where to get off and it was only a 5 minute walk from the 'bus stop' which was good! I checked in, the receptionist told me that Emma had already been here but I have no idea where she has gone! I went for a wee wander around the immediate area but I don't understand the currency yet so there's not all that much point in me buying anything yet! I then just chilled out in the lobby for 15 mins hoping emma would come back anytime soon! It wasn't long before I checked in and omg he room was soooo nice compared to all the hostels we have been in! The shower was honest to God the best shower I have had for a very long time and I got out feeling fresh as! I was just wondering what Emma was doing when there was a knock at the door and in came Emma rocking her new mani- pedi! We decided to get some washing done and then grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant.  I then decided to have a Thai massage, as it was the equivalent of about a fiver (absolute bargain). I was expecting a nice relaxing massage to prepare me for the nap I was going to take afterwards, however this couldn't have been further from the truth! I think I should've read up about Thai massages before

getting one as it says that they combine acupuncture and helping into yoga poses. Anyone that knows me know show extremely inflexible I am and I honestly could not stop laughing about it... shit out to the masseuse though she got my legs in places I never thought they would go! And I think she cracked just about every bone in my body including my whole spine a fair few times! She was the cutest and even asked me if I felt ok at the end of it! Afterwards I went back to the hotel room, I thought at that point I didn't need a nap but after reading a massive 2 pages I fell asleep for a couple of hours. Unfortunately it was a bad nap and I woke up feeling sicky but I ignored it and went for a swim in the rooftop pool before coming back, ordering room service and watching greys anatomy until going to sleep! All in all a great first day! Very excited to start the Contiki tomorrow and meet the people we will be travelling with! 

Saturday 

We had planned to have a nice long lie in today, which went to pot when we were both wide awake at 7am again! Honestly I can't believe my body clock is still so messed up! We went to grab breakfast and on the way asked about our room for Contiki, luckily they said we could stay in the room we were already in which is amazing!! After breakfast we had a wander around, and then for a bikini wax which was an... interesting experience! Feeling fresh now though! We went back to the hotel and chilled out by the pool, and also bumped into a couple of girls on our Contiki so we went and got lunch with them later on in the day. After lunch, we went back to the pool for a bit before chilling in the room before our meeting at 6. We went through all the classic bits of information and stuff we needed to know, also had to decide what extra activities we want to do... I decided to do most of them as a mostly everyone else was and in total it came to around £260 which is less than a quarter of the amount I spent on extras on the Big Tiki! I'm super excited for the elephant park.. especially as it's an actual legit one that treats the elephants well. We then all went out for dinner and I really wanted to try mango sticky rice but unfortunately they had sold out! So I panic ordered fries and regretted it as usual! I felt like crap so Emma and I and a few others headed back but I believe mostly everyone else stayed out! 

Sunday

Still didn't feel to good this morning, and woke up with no appetite which was worrying! (Luckily it came back by lunch time!) I forced myself to eat, I wish I was hungry as there was a whole spread of food for breakfast! The pineapple was super yummy and very sweet, just like the pineapple in Fiji which makes me so happy. Afterwards we headed out to the Grand Palace which is absolutely beautiful! We also fed fish outside of another temple on the river before heading back to the hotel to pack, sort out money for the excursions and get ready to leave Bangkok! 

Singapore

Monday 4th - Friday 8th September 2017

Monday
So my flights went super smoothly, that is until I arrived in Singapore and waited for my bag for a particularly long time... the last bags were out and, along with a dozen or so other people, my bag was nowhere to be seen. I waited around the airport for a bit and filled in some forms before heading out into the city to find the hostel. It was actually a blessing in disguise as I didn't have to lug it around on the train! Eventually I got to the hostel and then went out to find a maccys for dinner a si wasn't all that hungry and that was the only thing I fancied! I had an iced milo and I can't believe I haven't had one before! So delicious! I then finished rereading 'the girl with the dragon tattoo' whilst I waited for Emma to get here at around 1am.

Tuesday
Luckily I had a spare outfit in my bag so I had something different to wear today and fresh underwear thank god! Emma and I grabbed breakfast as the free breakfast at the hostel was literally just toast and marmalade and didn't look overly appetisingly. I got a maccys breakfast again (supersize me hehe) and then we had a wander around the shops before meeting Jillian. It was so good to see her, I haven't seen her since she graduated a couple of years ago! She gave us a guided tour of Singapore, pointing out different buildings and taking us to a couple of cool places for lunch and dinner. We also went to the gardens and checkout out the cloud forest and flower gardens which was pretty cool! When we got back to the hostel my bag was waiting for me which was such a relief!

Wednesday

We had a wander around a few more of the shopping malls today but the weather was pretty rubbish so we ended up coming back to the hostel and chilling there in the afternoon. We went back to Zam Zams for dinner as it was so good... Indian noodles are delicious! 

Thursday

We went back down to the gardens at the bay this morning but it was super ridiculously hot and neither of us had slept much as there is one stupid girl in the dorm who leaves her lights on all flipping night and everyone was just so noisy... can't wait to be living in hotels for the next month! Due to this, we decided to go back to the hostel chill out and pack our bags before going out this evening to grab dinner and go back to see the gardens at night. 

Friday

Honestly had the worst nights sleep, tried to get an eary night but a guy kept talking to us about how we seem to be asleep all the time haha! Eventually Emma stopped the conversation (by that point I was pretending to be asleep) and I slowly drifted off... except he girl underneath me kept turning her light on and off and chatting away to her friend who was quite clearly asleep! Eventually at 2am I decided to not bother trying to go back to sleep as my alarm was going off at 2:50am to catch out early flight! I was not happy haha!

Ubud & Kuta Beach

Thursday 31st August - Monday 4th September

Thursday

So the boat ride from Gili T to Bali was horrific. I have never been so scared in my life, my life actually flashed before my eyes. I had visions of us sinking like the titanic every single time the boat rocked enough to make my heart plummet to my stomach. Thank god for my iPad... if I hadn't been watching greys anatomy I would've had to actively think about that for the whole journey... and fast boat my ass that took 3 hours and it sucked the whole time, I'd rather make a day of it on the slow boat... actually scrap that I'd rather fork out they extra dollar and fly! Never again I swear!! Although we had a better time than the family in front of us, one of their kids puked the whole way and the window started leaking on the dad! Their mum was sitting next to us though and she was pretty smug as the Dad had refused to swap seats with her! Next it was time for our long shuttle bus journey back to Kuta beach. It was so nice to get back to pop hotel and just chill out, all I had to eat for dinner was a pot noodle and Oreos we grabbed on the way to the hotel. We just crashed we were so tired!

Friday

Check out wasn't until 12, so we had a nice leisurely morning (even though I still woke up before 7) and grabbed breakfast at the same place we had breakfast on our first morning in Bali. Afterwards, we got a private car to go to Ubud. It took longer than first thought as the traffic was super bad! We got there at around lunch time, so, after checking in, we grabbed a bite to eat and did a bit of shopping before grabbing a taxi to the Teggalalang rice terraces. They are so cool! So much better in real life than in the photos, although it was super hot and there was a lot of walking so we got mega sweaty! It took us a while to realise there were no bluebird taxis allowed in this area, so we grabbed a drink and then got a private taxi back to ubud town. It was a classic pot noodle for dinner again today and we just had another night in to save money before the Contiki. 

Saturday

It was banana pancakes for breakfast again this morning, but this time we had watermelon on the side and chocolate sauce! Super delish! We then headed down to the monkey forest, Emma still pretty nervous after the monkeys attacked her in China! I reassured her and forced her into going... and it worked! She was a bit nervy at first... but to be fair so was I when they came a bit too close for comfort! We paid 10,000 rupiah extra to have a photo taken with one and afterwards Emma said she was so happy I made her do it as she feels a lot more at ease than before which is awesome! It was a pretty cool forest too, not as big as the one in GuiYang though. We were in and out within an hour so we then had the rest of the day to fill up. We dropped in at a cafe where they gave me a sour coconut and tried to fob me off saying they were supposed to be like that. There was no way they were gonna swap it so I just paid for it (ok it was all of £2 but it's the principal!) despite not really touching it... I feel like I'll stay away from coconuts as I never seem to get the tasty ones! We then shopped around a bit and I finally got some grey elephant pants!! I've been after some for so long and these cost me the equivalent of just under £4 so win win! After lunch we went back to the hostel and chilled out by the pool. The people who work here brought us out some traditional Indonesian snacks, and I pretty much liked all of them but the others weren't too keen on a few! 

Sunday

Had the delicious pancakes again this morning, and then emma and I headed to a cafe (Kafe)-for some chill out time before needing to check out from our hostel... I will miss this hostel it's been so good! It was hen time to part with Emma as her flight was a few hours after mine so I hopped in the taxi, went to the airport and got all checked in ready for my journey to Singapore! 

Gili Trawangan

Tuesday 29th - Thursday 31st August 2017

Tuesday
After the somewhat stressful boat journey over, a lady took us to our hostel, La Boheme Sister. The set up is so cool! It's almost like staying in a treehouse. It was too early to check in, so we headed out to check out the island, and have a browse around the shops for a wee bit. We headed back at around 10, and our room was ready for us. I was very excited to see air conditioning! It makes a huge difference! We then got changed and headed down to the beach to get some sunbathing and swimming time in. We were going to walk around to where the swings are, but decided we would do that later. After a couple of hours of not really doing a whole lot we went and grabbed chicken burgers from the nearest bar then returned to repeat the morning! However, this afternoon we managed to pick a spot next to a devil fish that kept swimming into us and biting us as we were getting out the water! It was very annoying but also quite amusing. We went back to the hostel as he sun was going down to get changed and hen we grabbed dinner at the closest place. The plan was to meet Emma's friend Tyler, but we didn't hear back from him so after a bit we decided to head back to the hostel. I don't really have the money to go out drinking and we were both super tired as well... we seem to have got into a sleep pattern of waking up early and going to bed early! Typically after we had gotten changed into pjs he messaged emma but she didn't fancy going out either so we just watched greys anatomy.



Wednesday
As Emma wanted to catch Tyler after his morning dive, before he left Gili T, we went to the beach closest to our hostel this morning. The beach is much nicer as there's less coral, but the current in the sea is so strong it just drags you away... doesn't really make for a relaxing dip in the sea! Just before lunch we bumped into him and Emma said her goodbyes. Then we headed back down to the beach we were at yesterday before grabbing a beer at the sunset beach and having a little photo shoot haha!

Thursday
We checked out the hostel this morning and chilled on the beach before lunchtime. We had to get our boat at 3, but had to check in at 2 so spent an hour sitting around in the stifling heat before grabbing the boat back to padangbai!

Lombok

Saturday 26th - Tuesday 29th August

Saturday
It was an early wake up call this morning to wait for our transfer at 6:30am! We had the craziest driver and, not gonna lie, I'm genuinely surprised we didn't crash a few times! The boat was sweltering, we stupidly sat downstairs for the first bit to Gili T Island, and there was no fresh air at all. Luckily heaps of people got off on Gili T so we carried on to Lombok in style at the top with all the fresh air! Gili T looks so lush, pretty similar to the mamanuca islands! We'll be heading there in a few days so excited for that.

After arriving in Lombok, we grabbed a taxi and headed towards our backpackers. It's a pretty cute wee place called La Boheme Lombok. We're in a 4 bed en suite, although the shower is a bit questionable! But fuck the food here is super cheap! My accommodation and meals combined cost less than £12... that's mental! We wandered down to the beach nearby and, after hopping over about a million ropes mooring the boats, we found a little spot to chill in. Or so we thought. We were in the sea for a bit before emma noticed she felt like she was getting stung repeatedly.i had a look and we both had little sea kites all over us! So there went our afternoon at the beach! To be fair it was pretty cloudy today anyway so tanning time was not an option, plus we need to get beach towels and stuff anyway!

The rest of the afternoon consisted of us attempting to go out, but the scooters we're all hired out and there's nothing really in the local area which was a shame! So we ended up chilling in the 'cinema' area watching greys anatomy! And I have to say I've been loving it! It's so nice to chill out and not feel guilty about it!

Sunday
The day started out amazingly with an included breakfast of banana pancakes! I was super disappointed at first, but Abdul was so cute about it I couldn't not eat it and I actually fully enjoyed it! And it was super filling so win win! The plan was to hire out scooters and go explore the island, but, as we hadn't ridden before, we weren't allowed to hire them out as they were worried for our safety! (Fair enough really!) so we grabbed a taxi instead... had a bit of confusion with the currency but sorted t it in the end! We ended up going to Senggigi which is so much nicer than the beach near la boheme. We chilled out for the morning before grabbing food at cocoloco, I had the red Thai chicken  curry and it was to die for! So good. Unfortunately it had gotten pretty cloudy so we headed hack at around 3. We had a new girl from Toronto in our room and she was so lovely! We got to chatting and then went on a wee walk around the area and found a nicer bit of the beach to the one emma and I found yesterday! We then went to watch the sunset on the hill which was pretty cool just super sweaty! The plan was to then go down to watch the bonfire on the beach but we were all shattered so had another early night!

Monday
We decided to head back to senggigi this morning and this time I remembered it being a book so the day went much quicker as I powered through it pretty quickly! I decided against having a normal
Lunch and went for just a cake instead... i immediately felt so much better than I had for a while... guess I just needed a good chocolate boost! Emma and I were so happy this evening as we managed to stream the latest episode of Game of Thrones... j was so worried I wouldn't get to watch it by the wifi here is actually better than some of the places in New Zealand thank god!

Tuesday
It was time to say goodbye to Lombok this morning! We had an early wake up call at 6am, we were told to grab breakfast at 6:30am but no one was there sadly! So we headed down to the harbour to catch the free boat to Gili T, it reminded me of a few boats in Fiji as I felt like I was going to fall in at some pointa!

Bali - Kuta Beach

Thursday 24th August -

Thursday
I was on a pretty basic plane with no in flight meal sadly, but this was all a ok as I had a whole aisle to myself which meant I got some great napping time in! Unfortunately, it took frigging ages to get my bags and I was getting more and more hungry, tired and grumpy as the time ticked on. Eventually I got out and went to look for Emma, it proved difficult as I had about a trillion men shouting TAXI TAXI in my face haha! She had already got us a taxi driver so we hopped in and went to our hotel, pop hotel Kuta beach. It's a pretty cool hotel, reminds me of the one we stayed in on the Contiki in Christchurch! (Just no cool lights) it was pretty late by the time we got there so it was straight to bed for us!

                 
                                             

Friday
First I woke up at 2am, then 3:30, then 5, then 6 and finally I got up at 7am. Probably shouldn't have napped on the plane! I was absolutely starving as all I had to eat last night was a couple of tim tams. We went straight on out after getting dressed and, thinking we had an included breakfast, went to go and grab some but we were then told it was not included! (I mean we're paying £11 a night so can't really complain!) somwe decided to head down to the beach and grab something from somewhere. We found a cute little restaurant and got a delicious smashed avo on toast brekkie! After chilling out for a bit, we decided to hitch a cab to a local market to do a spot of shopping. It was a bit strange getting back into the swing of haggling but eventually I managed to pick up some cute shorts and an elephant singlet for about £3 each! Bargain! We spent a couple of hours wandering before heading back to the hotel to chill in the air con/ have a nap. After a while we decided we were too hungry so we went out for dinner. I had some delicious noodles, the best thing about the restaurant however was that they had a soingebob themed kids menu!

After dinner we had a lovely little beach walk before going back to the hotel for an early night. 

Sydney

Sunday 20th - Thursday 24th August 2017

Sunday
I'm not gonna lie... I shed a few tears on the plane! It has been a lot harder than I thought it would be leaving the Langton family and I really don't feel ready to leave New Zealand yet, especially as the weather is just starting to get nicer! However, the in flight meal cheered me up as it was delicious! I'll definitely fly emirates again, they're way fancier than Jetstar! I got through customs so quickly, e passport makes everything so much easier for sure! It was so good seeing Kirsten at arrivals, it's literally feels like years since we last saw each other even though it's only half a year! She dropped me off at Rachel and Kay's house, Wade and Mary's friends who have very kindly let me stay at their place in Redfern, but not before having a good catch up! Rachel and Kay seem awesome!

Monday
So I could say that I had the best day ever in Sydney seeing the sights, however that was definitely not the case! I facetimed Mary and Emily in the morning (don't think that helped the whole feeling homesick for New Zealand thing!) Mary said that the boys didn't have very good drop offs which of course made me feel even worse!

I didn't really have much of a plan for today, other than go and see Sydney Opera house, so I popped that in my maps and decided to walk into the city and then go to a few places I see on the way. Turns out there's not masses of touristy stuff to do in the city for free! I did grab the most delicious brunch though!

Following this I finally got to the Opera house and I have to say, I was mildly disappointed! I don't think the cloudy weather helped, but it actually looked pretty ugly up close! However, after a short stroll through the botanical gardens I saw it as it is in pictures and I have to say it looks so much better from further away.

I then wandered round the city aimlessly, as I had no idea where to go or what to do! Travelling by

yourself does get a bit boring some times, especially after 7 months of pretty much always being with someone else!

Tuesday

Today was heaps better as I chilled with Kirsten all day! Although, saying that, I almost didn't as I panic got on the wrong train! But it was all good I got the express train from the next station! Even though I had leftover dominoes for breakfast, I couldn't resist Kirsten's offer of a free maccas from where she works! After that it was time for the hour and a half drive to the blue mountains. We went to the 'scenic world' where they have a cable car and cliff train and things which was pretty cool! The cliff train is the steepest in the world! It was such a fun day and lovely spending time with Kirsten - even if we did get stuck in peak hour traffic for ages on the way home!

Wednesday 

Had a leisurely day today, made my way down to Bondi beach but then realised I never put my bikini on or brought it with me so that was silly! I was gonna do the bondi to coogee  walk but i just decided I didn't want to in the end! To be honst everywhere kinda looks he same as the Jurassic coast back home, just better weather! I sat and watched the surfers for a while before a lady asked me to film a Facebook live video for her. I thought why the hell not, I'm not doing anything really! So I did it for her, she's a dancer/ self help person or something and yeah it was definitely interesting! 

After this unusual occurrence, I headed back to redfern to FaceTime my favourite boys! Cillian orettt much spent the whole time crying and telling me to come back  and Darragh keeps saying how much he missed me! Not gonna lie made my heart break a wee bit! They're just too cute! I then headed back out and had a wander around before deciding to just go back and chill for a bit. When rachel and Kay came hom, we went straight out to happy d's which is the most amazing dumplings place! Nothing better than dumplings and beer! We then went to another pub and got chicken wings too for a second dinner!

Thursday

Thursday has come around all too soon and it was time to leave Sydney! If anything it's made me even more excited to come back and travel around Australia more thoroughly, especially if I can meet up with friends! However, I was very excited today as I got a message from Emma saying she managed to get her visa sorted and she was headed to Sydney eh opera house! So after picking my bag and doing a wash I met up with her in Hyde Park for a wee bit, before quickly heading back to pack my washing. Mitch came and dropped us off at the airport which was so lovely of him, we didn't really see all that much of him! It took ages for my check in to open, and then finally I got through and I got pulled over for a full body scan and my bag was pulled over! Honestly he first time this has ever happened. I chilled with Emma in the airport before her flight left, and then I was on my own for an hour and a bit! So I decided to bug my fav family again and forced them to stay on FaceTime with me until my flight was boarding... they love it! 

Last Week in New Zealand :(

Monday 14th - Sunday 20th August 2017

Monday
We packed up after a lazy morning and headed home to Timaru! On the way we stopped off at Puzzling World which was honestly so much fun! They have a huge maze and you have to get to all four towers before finding the exit. Wade got to the first tower first and then Darragh, Cillian and I caught up, leaving Mary lost! After a while she found got to us but then we all kind of split up! Darragh, Cillian and I managed to get to all four towers first so we helped out Mary and Wade... but that's where I went wrong! Wade was the last to get to all four towers but then first out! Darragh and Cillian started to get grumpy so we let them out the emergency exit, but Mary and I refused to give up and spent a while trying to find the exit (mostly ended up going round in circles!) We finally  made it out and then went to the illusion rooms. The worst room was the tilted room - I just felt pretty drunk! They had a few cool things but the maze was definitely the most fun!

Tuesday
Today pretty much consisted of me getting things organised, with both stuff I need and presents for the family!

Wednesday
River and Karla brought Hazel and Tori round for a play date this afternoon. I painted heir faces and didn't do a terrible job... think I might be getting better?

Thursday
As it was my last morning this morning, I had to frantically rush around Timaru trying to organise everything I've left until the last minute. I can tell I don't want to leave as normally I'm super organised! I had my last visit with Cushla today and then all the au pairs went out for dinner at zest.... the pizzas there are to die for!

Friday
Last working day! I honestly can't believe how quickly those 5 months have gone and I have loved watching Darragh and Cillian grow and learn over that time. Today we had the wedding of the century... Spider-Man (Cillian) and Elsa (Hazel)! It was honestly one of the cutest things in the world... these kiddies melt my heart! We then decided to go to chipmunks for the honeymoon which was definitely a great shout... it's heaps of fun there! After picking Darragh up from school, and then waiting for wade to get home, I gave them all their presents from me (mainly because I was too excited to wait until Sunday!). It was then that Mary and I started drinking and I would love to tell you what happened on the night out but I honestly have no recollection of about 90% of the night!

Saturday
Last full day in New Zealand today, and I wasted it being severely hungover in bed with Mary. I even puked in a bowl in her bed because I'm that classy.

Sunday
That's it! My time in New Zealand is over... and what a 7 months it has been! I am honestly gutted I'm not staying here until January, I have gotten so attached to the family I work for and I will miss them more than I can even imagine. Saying goodbye was hard but I'm too excited about the next few months so luckily I didn't cry!