Bangkok has me now

Nick and I had a great time in Bangkok. We went out every night for the first few nights to different bars and watched some live music.

We met Joe, my college friend I had traveled with in New Zealand and spent the day shopping before Nick and I went to a night club inside a sky scraper to watch DJ Jazzy Jeff, of Fresh Prince fame.

Every drink in the club was the same price so we lived it up with some fancy cocktails. We knocked through an 'old fashioned', a 'viper' (of James Bond fame) and a few berry coolers.

The following day I we went to a wrap party for a tv show called strike back. Starring that bloke from hotel Babylon, the manager one. with Nicks work mates and bosses. There was Hennessy on tap so we had more than a few.

On another day I went to work with Nick, I watched him doing a hydro session with the Thai Leicester academy.

 

Then off to a polo game he was covering

We also spent one morning at the worlds biggest market then off to see his Thai Leicester team play in the afternoon.

After the game we went for dinner with the team. We went to a place where four people are given a BBQ and a weird humped hot plate surrounded by water. It was a bit of a nightmare really. My meat kept flopping into the water. That was until I built my broccoli buffer. Revolutionary. 

Surprisingly neither of us got ill.

On my last night we went and played touch rugby before ordering and subsequently eating way too much at a really nice outside restraunt. There was even a tone deaf Thai singer singing Hero, by Enrique Englasias. 

It was really good fun, and a perfect end to my big trip.

The plane race

I enjoyed my ferry trip around the Sydney opera house and then train up to the airport. I had plenty of time and everything ran smoothly.

Unfortunately I had miscalculated my flight times. I was expecting a short two hour flight. Eight hours later, I was shitting myself as my next flight, kuala lumper to Bangkok was due to take off twenty minuets after my current flight landed. I was flustered to say the least.

As soon as the planes wheels touched Tarmac I was up and waiting by the door, and woe betide the poor air stewardess' that want to tell me to wait in my seat.

I finally got off the plane and ran to security where I zipped through and off to baggage reclaim. KL is, by the way, the biggest airport in the universe so I was part way through a marathon distance sprint with 35kg of baggage. The bag came through eventually leaving me 8.5 minuets before my next flight left.

I gassed it to check in and ran at the unattended first class check in lady. I begged and pleaded. She agreed to put my bag on the flight although she couldn't promise it would make it. I may have to wait for the next flight for my bag. If I ran I should get my flight though.

I sprinted so hard that not even security had the corage to stop me. I went straight passed bag scans etc as the staff laughed and waved me through. I essentially ran onto the plane, into my seat and we took off. Absoloutle madness. 

I still feel sorry for the guys sitting next to such a stinky sweaty mess.

I arrived at Bangkok airport with baited breath and was very releaved when my bag gloriously emerged through the flaps onto the belt.

I scooped up my bag and went to meet Nick who had bribed airport security the princely sum of £5 to park and wait right by the terminal door. I gave him a very stinky hug and we went back to his, with strict instructions to shower as soon as possible.

Visiting Jasmine

I got the ferry over to Sydney city centre this evening to meet up with Jasmine. I have only met Jasmine three times and always fleetingly but whenever we are together we get on so well. We're very similar in personality and interests so even though I really hardly know her we never have any trouble chatting or finding things to do.

I owed Jasmine big time as I stayed with her for three days last time I was in Sydney, just after I cut my foot open in the shipwreck. I must have been such a pain as Jasmine had planned a few days of trail running, paddle boarding and cycling. I, unfortunately was only fit to sit on the sofa. But Jasmine and her family made me feel so at home and I had a wonderful time with them all.

I started of repaying her by being half hour late and soaked with sweat.

I didn't realise the CBD bus only ran until 3pm so I sat at the bus stop for half hour before setting off on foot. I also didn't realise how vast Sydney is. After 40 minuets of brisk walking I was only half way there so I jumped on a train then still had a twenty minuet walk the other side. Ten minuets if I hadn't have gone the wrong way out of the station.

Luckily she hadn't left and was still pleased to see me. We went for dinner and some drinks and were joined by her friend who was visiting home during her working holiday in London. 

I gave Jasmine her, rather tenuous present. She had mentioned in passing last time we met -over a year ago- that she really wanted a Swiss Army knife. So I picked one up for her. It was well received but I don't think she actually remembered actually wanting one.

We had a really great catch up and I worked hard on trying to persuade her to come to the UK for a working holiday.

Wish park re-united

After bidding farewell to Charlie and her housemates (both conveniently named Sam). They dropped me at the airport for my flight to Sydney.

I arrived in sunny Sydney and got back into my normal traveling routine... Making poor decisions and taking ages to get anywhere! I missed my bus as I was trying to be a cheap ass and get one from outside the airport before realising that would mean I had to walk down a three lane motorway for an hour with my full pack on. So I waited half hour got the right bus (on the third attempt as I just kept getting on every bus that showed up. Then met an Indian guy named Sebastian who was also transferring at the local train station to get to circular quay. Due to me facing about getting a ticket at the wrong terminal I missed my ferry too. So I sat and listened to a busking swing band under the Sydney harbour bridge for half hour. Eventually I got on the ferry and sailed around the well lit opera house to Manly.

After grabbing a cheeky pie I met JJ my old school friend on the corso. It was great to see him again. He's got a pretty cool job coaching Sydney FC youngsters and is contracted to AS Roma for scouting purposes.

We went to a huge open air pub. It was a massive culture shock for me after being in New Zealand for nearly a year. Going from no young people and dancing on a Friday night with a crowd of four people to a Sunday night with a good few hundred 18-30 in this pub alone!

We had a good catch up that evening and the next morning I went surfing at Manly Beach.

JJ's board was pretty huge but I still did pretty well. I managed to catch a couple of green waves and rode them all the way in to shore. The unfortunate thing was I didn't put any suncream on the backs of my thighs. So my arse was to be red raw for the rest of my trip!

That evening, when JJ got back from work, we went to get some food from the big open air pub again. JJ and I split a burger and salmon making ourselves a very unusual surf n turf!

We then played a couple of games of pool at the harbour side before heading home.

On my final day in Manly I wanted to go surfing again, but my thighs just wouldn't take it! So I decided to go for the scene walk way. After walking only about 20 minuets I found a nice tree and had a nap until it was time to go into Sydney and meet my friend Jasmine.

Charlie Brown

Today I caught the ferry across Auckland harbour to meet Charlie. Charlie and I met in Thailand and traveled together two weeks there before a month or so in New Zealand.

We had a really great few days together. We went on a hike up the island volcano of Rangitoto. Just like every other time Charlie and I have traveled together it was grey wet and miserable weather. We still had a lot of fun scrambling up past the lava fields and enjoying the limited view from the volcanoes summit.

We also had a really fun evening game of glo-put. An indoor crazy golf course all under only black lights with balls, clubs and scenery all done up in uv. It was really cool and a lot of fun. We then had some Thai food for dinner at a local restraunt.

Surfing NZ

Today I went over to Muriwai beach in west Auckland for a surfing lesson. I got the bus over and paid extra for a pick up from the bus stop to the beach.

After a heavily unsuccessful surf clas where I was relegated to the baby board and couldn't stand up for shit I arranged my ride back to the bus stop for 3:30 for the last bus.

After the class I joined a couple of air New Zealand pilots for a sandwich and a beer before returning to the beach for a little hike and a visit to a huge blue gannet colony. One of the bastards managed to shit inside my book!

I then returned to the surf shop where the owner ignored me then went on the phone until ten minuets before my bus left. He then came out with a stream of crap excuses why he couldn't take me. His noble solution was to make me a sign and let me hitchhike back to the city.

Luckily I approached some other surfers who had rented from his shop and they kindly gave me a ride to a shopping complex where I could get another bus into town.

I got back just in time to pick up some fish from the harbour market for dinner.

On the road again

So Liv dropped me on highway six. I didn't have to wait too long before a nice family picked me up and took me to Blenhiem. From there I hitched another ride to the port town of Picton.

I dropped off my bags and went for my last trail run in the Marlborough sounds, and in New Zealand. It was a good run. Pretty steep and challenging in places, with some great views too.

That night I realised I have become the weird guy in the hostel. I was knackered so I went to bed pretty early. I was woken in the middle of the night by my dorm mates. It transpired, however, that I had been woken in rem sleep. I was completely paralysed. They could see my eyes open when they turned on the light. But I physically couldn't move! They kept talking to me and I wanted to join in. Eventually I managed to get out a long pained groan. They stopped talking to me after that. I'm not sure why. 

The next day I hiked over to the ferry and got my ship over to Wellington. I met a nice lady on the ferry off to visit her son in London.

As soon as I got to Wellington I joined up with a young girl also toteing a large backpack and we got the bus to the airport. She was a Canadian, studying in oz and was back off over the Tasman. I flew up to auckland. After a long bus journey I arrived at my friend from uni Chris' place where I was to stay for four nights. 

We went to a pub quiz on Tuesday and I cooked us a fish supper on Wednesday. Apart from that I spent most of my time getting free trials at Auckland gyms doing exercise classes.