Places to Find Replacements For

Sure, I'm going to miss people when we're travelling, but riding along the seafront yesterday made me realise there'll be places too. I'm certain I'll find better hotspots, but they definitely won't have the nostalgia of home. In no particular order...

Shoebury East Beach 

It's increased in popularity since I first started going to Shoebury, so now it's usually got a few people milling about and making noise even in the evening; but three or four years ago, this was my happy place. I used to finish work, in a job I detested, go home to a messy house with all my friends squeezed into it, who would all be drinking and smoking, playing games and laughing. Sometimes this was just too much for me - I don't like people, remember? - so instead of hanging around, I'd grab my kite bag and catch the train to East Beach; I'd kite for half hour or so, swooping over the odd dog walker, grab some chips from the Chinese chip shop, then go and sit on the stairs as the tide came in, eating whilst the spray splashed on my feet. Sometimes I'd take one of those flammable logs and hot chocolate and stay for a bit longer, just camping out on the beach. It was serene, and peaceful, and I didn't have to answer to anyone. There was an abandoned boat about 600 yards out to sea, and the tide goes out for miles, quite literally, so as long as you caught it at the right time, you could squelch along the sand and walk out to the boats. I kept saying that I'd do this little boat up - I loved it to pieces - but after the summer, I think they had a boat clear out because one day it just wasn't there. I stopped going so much around that time, but mainly because I'd found another escape - I found Nick, and his bike, which leads us nicely onto the next place.

Southend Seafront

Ok, so I know this may seem the same as the previous one, but it's not. Two totally different places, sets of memories and people. My favourite way of seeing Southend is in passing - on the back of the bike with Nick, with the sun setting pink or the moon reflecting in the water, all the lights flashing, and the smell of doughnuts mixing with the smell of the sea. On late summer nights, you can hear all the rides and screaming from Adventure Island, and just the energy surrounding you is immense. It always makes me want to hold my hands out and close my eyes so I can feel the breeze and hear it all and just soak everything up (if you're going to read my blog, get used to cheesey descriptions, thanks). I'm lucky enough to have only visited  Southend when the weather's been lovely; a scorching day with Powers and Jess, where she wanted to walk along this wave breaker thing that went right out, then decided it was too slippery so jumped down and ended up walking thigh deep in wet sand. She was the only one of us that didn't make it to the flag at the end. Then there's taking my little brother for a day out and both of us (he was 11 at the time) being disgusted at Adventure Island prices - it costs the same amount for entry into Thorpe Park! Admittedly on a 2-4-1 ticket, but you can always get one of those for Thorpe Park. We just scoffed doughnuts and messed around in the arcades and that was so much more fun. Then there's nights out at Chameleon and Mayhem, and the time me, Jody and Tobias left Nick with his friend in the club and walked along the seafront to the casino. We were dancing in the road and playing in the sand and left the casino with the same amount as when we started, and even though we were broke and sober, it was still amazing because we were just high on happiness (I told you to get used to it).

Thorpe Park

I only just realised that this is one of my favourite places whilst writing the last bit. I get the feeling this is going to be a long post.

I go to this place at least once every year! It's a must! If Alton Towers was closer and possible to do in one day, then I'm sure that would be included too and I'd have an annual Merlin pass. We're going to Alton Towers in September, I seriously can't wait, I'm ridiculously excited. I think I love this place because I've been here with so many people, so for me it's like a huge group memory; Siobhan and Jess where we had to go on the log flume more than necessary because we kept getting arms in the way of peoples faces in the picture; Jody, Aimee and Sam, where we couldn't save Aimee from falling head first into the soggy bottom of a rubber ring because we were laughing so much - it was a kids ride too, and I'd spent the whole five minutes of queuing telling everyone that it wasn't exciting, but it was cute; with Nick, Paul and Ange when Nick first passed his driving test - for some reason him and Paul decided it would be better to avoid the bridge and went around the Enfield way (Enfield is the birthplace of M25 traffic) so it took us ages, but it was so quiet when we got there that it didn't matter. Oh, and Paul hung his feet out of the window on the way home because he was hot - eww. Then with my Aunty Caroline, when the Saw ride first opened and I felt the need to get every picture because it was the first time I'd gone in years; with Nick's aunty and cousins, and we convinced his Aunt to go on Rush and she hated it so, so bad; with Jess and Powers when the Saw maze first opened and we absolutely shit our pants and I've been disappointed that it's not been open since. I really need to go here with my Mum and brother. Soon.

The O2 Arena

I've only been here four or five times ever, including when it was the Millennium Dome, but every time has been immense. I can't really remember it as the Dome (it was 14 years ago - I'm so old) but I do remember the Body that was in it; it was huge and I just recall being so fascinated with it. Then my first proper concert was here - Stereophonics with my Aunt - and they were brilliant. The supporting act were a bit angry, as all I could understand from their lyrics was a string of swearing, but Phonics were brilliant. Then there's John Mayer, twice. He was good the first time, but I'll be honest, not as great as I thought he would be. But he'd recently recovered from something to do with his throat so he probably wasn't feeling his usual self either. The second time was mind blowing! There was a bizarre collection of us too; Josh and his girlfriend who are into proper heavy, goth, screamo music, Ant who loves a bit of Taylor Swift, James and his Abba, me and my mainstream and indie rock, and then Nick with his rainbow of music taste, all in absolute awe of John Mayer with his mix of blues/rock. I think I welled up a bit when he played Gravity and Wildfire. I've climbed this beast twice too - 52 metres high, 365m in diameter and 12 steel masts... noticing something here? Yeah, turns out they didn't just plonk a big dome on the corner of the Thames, this shiz was planned. It's definitely worth doing, and I'd recommend it at night too - cities are so much prettier all lit up. Me and Jody did it at night, just randomly, straight after she'd had an interview so she was all pretty in a dress. I booked it up for me and Nick on Christmas Eve and they had a little snow machine going. Magical.

Nanna's House

Because it's full of memories of family; of quiet days having tea, of loud days with all the cousins crammed in, of parties and gatherings and family I don't know. It's somewhere with plenty of food, and it doesn't matter if I turn up uninvited because I needed a wee and was stuck in A12 traffic. It's where I'm always reminded I need to drink more water, and 'do you have sun cream on'. It's staying over with bacon sandwiches in the morning, and Chinese takeaways, or spag bol that my Nan seems to have an accident with every time. It's a meeting place before a Florida holiday. It's where I'm bombarded with photos of family or past holidays, and hiding in corners at parties with Dean and Haydn, discussing how much we hate people, particularly Londoners. 

Maybe it's not so much the places I'm going to miss after all. Maybe it's all the people that made the places what they are.

Excitable

This is going to be a tough post, because I don't think I can put down how excited I am into words.


So yesterday I gave myself square eyes and a numb bum by being sat on the laptop all day, researching places to stay, how to get there, what there is to do once we arrive etc. And that's just for Thailand - we've not even started our Australian and European plans yet.

We booked our flights out of Thailand on Monday, to leave on the 11th May and arrive in Sydney on the 12th May, giving us a total of 8 days in Thailand; I really wish we'd done more now. There's so much to do over there!

Our destination is a little island, about 10 hours away from Bangkok, called Koh Phayam. For a sense of perspective, and so you know what the actual fuck I'm talking about:

So Ranong is the town highlighted in red, and Koh Phayam is the tiny little square bit to the left of it - Bangkok is right at the top. It's an 8/9 hour night bus from Bangkok's Southern Terminal Bus Station (it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, but I really don't), arriving in Ranong about 6am, when nothing's open. So we have 3 hours to wander around, find the pier, sit on the beach, and watch the sun come up - it's lucky May is the hottest month (highs of 32C and lows of 25C) or I would not be impressed. At 9am, you catch a slow boat - 2 hours - that takes you direct to the island. For God's sake do not miss that boat! After that one, you've got one at 2pm and that's your lot. Once you're on the island, there's no actual roads to speak of, only ones that are suitable for motorbikes. You can either hire one, or get a taxi bike, but with our humongous backpacks, there is absolutely no way we'd both fit on one bike. I think our best bet is if Nick hires one and I get a taxi (oh, help!), OR, I'm just gonna have to walk. I'd be a wobbly mess on a push bike with that thing on my back. Sounds like a lot of effort, doesn't it? It's worth it though:

We're getting these little beach bungalows with no hot water, electricity for all of 3 hours a night, and no air con - I seriously can't wait! The resort has all these boogie boards and snorkelling equipment to use, and just look at that water! I'll be getting in there with my little blue swim shoes on!! What? I'm not letting any crab, fish or jellyfish touch my tootsies!

Because there's so much to do on the mainland, we'll probably only stay here for a few days, although we're not sure of the order yet; whether we'll go there first, or stay in Ranong first, do all the bits we want to and then relax on the island before we head back up to Bangkok. There's about 5 different waterfalls in Ranong alone, and I'm not sure how many national parks there are because they've all mushed in my mind, but I think there's about three. They've got hot springs and spas near a place called Raksawarin Arboretum that are supposed to be absolutely beautiful; it'll definitely be a big difference from the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland - it won't be snowing whilst we're in the water. Oh, and it's all free! Thailand is ridiculously cheap. Also not far from this Arboretum is the thing I'm most excited about - elephant rides!!! How incredible will that be? I'll be sat on an elephant. A freaking elephant!! With a trunk and big ears and everything! I'm a little dubious about these though, as they don't seem to be very heavily advertised and I can't find any blogs or reviews or anything from someone who's actually done it. I'll be quite upset if there's no Nellyphants!

The day before we fly out, we'll be working our way back up to Bangkok, so we're not miles away from the airport, otherwise I'll be hyperventilating about missing our flight. We said that because we would've spent a lot of time in cities around Europe, that we didn't want a long stay in a Thai city, so we'll literally spend just the one night. I've spotted a hotel only about an hour away from the airport called the Sky Hotel (I think), where the rooms are a ridiculous amount of stories up, and you can see the whole of Bangkok - and they're only £60 a room! That's like normal Premier Inn prices over here! It'll be nice to have fresh towels and air con after slumming it, and before we get on our 12 hour flight. 

I realised yesterday that the start of our trip is only 9 months away - do you know how scary that is? It's not even double digits any more. I have absolutely no idea what I'll be doing this time next year - will I have a job? Will we still be moving around in a little van through Australia? Will we be living somewhere? Not the foggiest! Fingers crossed.

Carried Away

'Don't let yourself get carried away and book flights as soon as they're available.'

'Don't let yourself get carried away and buy everything you want for our trip at once.'

'Don't let yourself get carried away and apply for your visas with barely any extra time.'

'When we get back from Spain, let's start looking at flights so we know what's a good price at a later date.'


We fly out to Thailand on the 2nd May, and move on to Sydney on the 11th. Our visas are granted, and I have very few items left to get for our trip. 

'I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.'

And, We're In!

Just a super quick post to say that our visas have been granted!!!!!! Well, mine has at least, I'm waiting on Nick to check his, but there's no reason his shouldn't. Yippee!!

Travelling Companion

I think it's important, when you're travelling, to either be with someone you know you can stand for long, isolated amounts of time, or just go by yourself. This may sound mushy and sentimental, but words can't describe how happy I am to have Nick by my side.

Sure, he has his faults, like we all do; sometimes he smells, he has a lot of gas, he needs business cards that say 'Sorry for the harsh words I spoke out of hunger.' and he has this disgusting bone on the back of his foot that sticks out, like a velociraptor with it's hind claw chopped off. I'm not delusional either, I know we're going to argue; we're going to be tired, hungry and cranky, fed up of being cramped up on trains and spending hours in transit. We're going to get lost (especially if I'm navigating), and miss a train or two, and more than likely have something delayed. So, no, it won't be blissfully perfect, but at the end of the day I know he's always got my back, and I've got his.

In amongst all of the flights, trains, buses, motorcycle taxis (yep, that's our modes of transport so far) we're going to experience some amazing things. I'm only aware of a few of them - a Norwegian water park, the Austrian mountains, snorkelling in Thailand, landing in Sydney - but I have literally no expectations for each country, and it makes the whole thing so much more exciting knowing I have Nick next to me. It makes me feel safer, knowing he'd be there to hold my hand, or roll our eyes at each other over something silly, or avoiding making friends. I know he'd follow me somewhere adventurous, and lead me to a few places I'd be scared to go; he'll get me moving when I'm feeling lazy, and we'll keep each other going when all we want to do is give up and go home. 

So, no, I don't think travelling is going to be one, big, romantic walk in the park (you don't take 80kg backpacks to the park, for one), but I do know that I couldn't find anyone better, including myself, to be travelling with.

'So You're Actually Going, Then?'

We took a big step yesterday, and set our date for leaving. And applied for our visas. And (eep!)... booked our flights! So guess what? We're actually going!

Well, worst comes to the worst, we're going to Thailand at least, on the 2nd May 2015 - here's hoping their little civil war has simmered down a bit by then. We could either have a flight from London to Sydney, or to Bangkok and a weeks stop on a beautiful Thai island for the same amount. The only thing we haven't booked yet is our flight from Bangkok to Sydney as the dates aren't available yet, and our accommodation as we don't know when the cheapest flight out will be. 

Our accommodation is stunning though - a bamboo bungalow right on the beach of the secluded Koh Phayam island. It's got snorkels and surfboards to use whenever you like in the crystal waters, proper showers, lovely beds all kitted out with mosquito nets - and electricity! But only between 6pm-10pm. And we had to upgrade for that, as the basic hut didn't come with power sockets. How can we afford such luxury when we're supposed to be backpacking? Well, we're just pushing the boat out a bit at a whole £13 a night! Seriously?! The basic hut was like, £8! The bus from Bangkok is £10, and taxi transfers are going to cost us all of £5. The whole lot will probably cost less than one of our air fares. Crazy.

We're just waiting to hear back from Australian Immigration, which should be in the next day or two (hopefully) about our visas. The whole process was a bit daunting though - I was first to apply for my visa and get the flights all together, and there's just this little wiggling in your stomach of excitement and nerves all at once.

I've got a bit carried away this month in general really - I bought my walking boots, some Converse instead of Toms, a mini first aid kit, a travel towel (it's genius!) and a sleeping bag. I'll put a picture up soon, when I've collected more.

It's More Difficult Than It Seems

Today has been tough for me in general - hell, this week has been tough. We've got sale starting, a new area manager to get used to, and I feel like I'm drowning in things to do, but today was hard.

It's this poxy song from Nickleback, I think it's called 'Photograph'? It's the Friends one, that they play for the last episode? I'm using it as the background song for a little farewell montage, but if it shuffles on my iPod... well, that's it. I burst into tears along the A13 this morning. Then, when I got into work, I saw someone's resignation taped to the noticeboard and phoned the solus store's manager - and cried down the phone to her too. It's hard being a manager sometimes.

I think some people assume that because it's us doing the leaving, that it must be easy; that we don't care, or can't love people enough to stay. That's not true. It's difficult beyond words, and here I go welling up again. I have to stop myself clinging on to family or friends longer than necessary, or crying uncontrollably every time I see them, because I know these casual moments can only last so long and there'll come a time where seeing my family will be a huge deal. I know that everyone will want to come to the airport and that's going to be incredibly hard. There'll be my Mamma, doing her best not to cry and getting a little red nose anyway, and my Nanna just blubbering away in the corner, and my Aunty Egg trying to hide the fact that she's leaking tears. Then there's everyone else giving death-grip hugs and I'll actually be an emotional wreck. On one hand, I don't want people to come to the airport so their lasting memory isn't of me balling my eyes out, but then I don't want to deny anyone, or myself, of that last hug. I do wish Australia wasn't quite such a long or expensive flight away.

I really want to write a little family post, so that when we go and I give them the link, they have a nice little thing to read, but I think I need to work up some courage for that one. 

On the plus side, the goodbyes will be behind us this time next year and the hardest bit will be over.

Travelling Wish List

The past few days I have quite literally made myself go all cross eyed, searching the web for some quirky gadgets and essentials for our trip. Below is a list (that I'm certain will keep growing - so keep checking back!) of want/need items.

Scrubba - Portable Washing Machine

This cool little dude is the reason I started this list. I saw it on Firebox.com - if you've never been there, check it out. It's like a site for people with too much money and a sense of humour, but every now and then there's a product of genuine good use. Basically, this is like a washboard in a bag and folds up super tiny after use. Chuck some water in there (and preferably some sort of cleaning agent) and you won't have to turn your pants inside out! 

Desirable accessories:

Soap Leaves - exactly what it says on it's very small tin, and won't leak into your luggage.

Travel clothes line - comes with little pegs so you don't have to tie it/hold it for hours.

LifeStraw Go/Water To Go

Is this water sanitary? It looks questionable to me! So you may have seen the original LifeStraw? It makes Bear Grylls look a little bit silly; stick it in an algae and bug infested pond, lake, puddle or just dodgy restaurant tap water and voilà! It's like Brita filtered water without the waiting. Although this won the Saatchi and Saatchi award in 2008 for 'World Changing Idea' it needs to be used then and there at the water source - not always convenient. Then came the LifeStraw Go and every other filtering water bottle on the market, i.e. the Water To Go. 

So what's the difference between the two? Price, essentially. LifeStraw comes in around £40 per bottle, WTG at around £25. They both claim to have patented filtering technology, so I can only assume they have different ways of getting rid of bugs - on one hand LifeStraw was first, on the other, WTG claims it came from technology used by NASA. Have you heard the story about NASA investing millions creating a pen that can be used in ANY environment, including zero gravity? The Russians used a pencil. Just because it's NASA doesn't mean it's the best. As you can probably tell, I'm steering my preference toward the LifeStraw, and the deciding factor was this: WTG cleans 200 litres per filter - additional filters can be bought of course. LifeStraw can filter 1000 litres before it gives in. By the time you factor in this cost, are you really saving money? And what about when WTG reaches the end of it's 200 litres? Am I going to start getting little bits come through? What if I don't change the filter properly? But most importantly - I have to carry extra filters. We don't have that kind of space. Also, the LifeStraw is more aesthetically pleasing, and that's more important to me than I'd like to admit! Which is also a problem that continues to the next product...

Timberlands - Classic Yellow Boots

I wanted something that come up a little bit higher than your average walking boot, and this is what popped up. We're going to be on trains and walking around city centres so as far as I was concerned, these would be perfect; sturdy, well made, normal looking (goes with jeans!), comfortable, waterproof, and, oh yeah, normal looking! So I don't look like a really old tourist who favours comfort above all else! But they'd still get the job done perfectly fine, right? Right? Apparently wrong! Nick summed them up as chavvy builder footwear and I'd look like a bloke. I asked a close friend who does plenty of hiking and walking thinking she might say 'Well they're not the best, but they'll do the job.' - she didn't even entertain the idea. Put blankly, don't be stupid, get a decent pair or you'll sorely regret it. So, here's my sensible choice....

Hi-Gear Snowdon Women's Walking Boots.

They're built for walking, waterproof, and they don't look that bad. I'm going to try them on today probably so I'll let you know the outcome - they're also a quarter of the price of Timberlands, which means I could get these, two LifeStraw Go's and a Scrubba for the same price! Maybe I'll just have to get over looks, at least until we've dropped our bags off at camp and I get to wear these babies...

TOMS

I've never worn a pair of these before, I probably wouldn't usually wear them because it's not a ballerina pump, but different countries call for different measures! A lot of people rave about how comfortable these are, and they can pack down nice and flat into my rucksack; they're light and they won't make my feet horribly hot. They'll be a welcome change from the boots, that's for sure. I'm going to ask the girls on one of our other concessions if they get many back as faulty to see if they'll last. It doesn't have to be this design either, they do some lovely lace ones, but I am partial to a little travel design - it's appropriate! And they'll go with anything. Total justification.

Biolite - Portable Stove

At no point on our travels will this be of any use to us. Probably. But it's so cool! Again, another item found on Firebox (the site for people with too much money). You fill the little thing up with twigs and off it goes! It'll even use the energy to charge devices through a USB port. The downside? You can hardly fit pots and pans on there, even if you wanted to carry all that around. It's probably just big enough to heat cans, like a hipster tramp, which will keep Nick happy as he can just eat beans forever. Not really essential around Europe, but maybe good for the outback. Maybe worth the £150 investment, I've not decided yet.

Wait a minute, just realised, we can filter some water using our LifeStraw and heat up Pot Noodles on this thing. Hmm....

GoPro

Pretty sure these little things are the smallest, most rugged, waterproof, high definition cameras in the world. Used by professionals for high resolution, fast paced sports footage, whether that be scuba diving, snowboarding, or motorcycle racing, and also by the average person to create pretty cool time lapse videos and fish-eye stills. You want a picture of you at the Grand Canyon, but want the whole Grand Canyon in it? This'll do it. Again, not an essential (Nick has one, and I own about five cameras) but Nick gets really protective of his one, and he likes to delete practically everything, so it would be nice, I guess.

Travel Towel

I had no idea these things existed! If I did, I probably would have bought one a long time ago; they come in any size, ranging from face towel to bath towel and fold up really, really, tiny! They'll feel funny at first, as they're microfibre, but we'll get over it. Really cheap too - you can get most for under £10, and they come with some sort of coating to stop it getting mildewy and mouldy, and a bag so your stuff doesn't get wet. Genius.

She-Wee

Because I think they're so weird! But in all seriousness though - what if we're trekking through somewhere in Oz? I do't want to have to be squatting in some dense bush of some sort and have venomous bugs crawling on my bum. This way, I can pee like a man and keep an eye out for anything trying to eat me. Cue Argus Filch and his creepy 'Got to 'ave ya wits about ya!'

Some Essentials:

-Waterless Wash Kit - for those days when you can't get to a shower.

- First Aid Kit - because we're bound to get a few bumps and scrapes, and I'm first aid trained, don't you know!

-Mosquito Repellant - because the little fuckers love me!

- Compact Sleeping Bag - for hostel nights, where you don't have a clue what's manifesting in that bed sheet! But definitely not one of those ridiculous sleeping-suit things that make you look like the marshmallow man. I'd just roll away in that, and I can't imagine getting comfortable without some knowledge of sleeping space. Or one of those sleeping bags that come with a silly tent for your head. Why?

This time next year, I'll be able to give you the low-down on how well it all worked for us, and how much I wish we'd bought a BioLite and Pot Noodles.

Responsibility

I don't have a particularly high pressure job; I'm not a doctor or a teacher, you don't need any specific qualifications or skills - but I can't wait to not be a manager any more.

I hate the petty questions I'm asked, where I think, if you actually took the time to use your brain for all of two minutes, you could've figured that out yourself. I'm not talking about genuine I-don't-get/know-how-to-do-this questions. I'm talking about people who have been there more than three months and ask me 'Where does this go?' Well, it's broken, so it goes in the box to be sent off. But that's not the end of it - I have to make sure they follow procedure and put the right sticker on it, save the barcode and log it. Thing is, it's all things I've been though before and you've only got to use your noggin and look around you to get your answers half the time. Just listen to me the first time I tell you, or have a go and then ask me if you got it right. 

I hate that no-one wants to work, whether that be their scheduled shift or to come in and cover a sickness. That's a lie actually, there are a select few that always will, and I love them for it, but it's not fair on them. Why should a few people work twice as hard to help others out, yet never get the same back? I worked a thirteen hour shift the other day because someone phoned in sick and no one would cover because they had something going on. I then asked the person who phoned in sick if the could help me out and do a shift in a few days time. They agreed, then text me later saying they couldn't do it because of a family thing. How many family things do these kids have going on?! More like, it's a Sunday morning shift, you want to go out Saturday night but don't want to worry about work the next day. How about you face up to your responsibilities, stop complaining that you never have money, and help some people out for a change.


In Oz, I'll stick to the simple life, thanks.

Unsociable

I don't like people. 

Not in a every-now-and-then kind of way. Not when someone's been mean or I witness or hear something that's not very nice. I generally just find human beings irritating.

I used to describe myself as a people person. Pfft. You would think that working in retail, you know, where I have to recruit and manage people; where I have to communicate to all levels of the company as well as cater to the needs of customers non stop on a daily basis, that I'd have gotten over this. In actual fact, I think it's working in customer focused roles for so long that's made me this way - oh yeah, and being with Nick. I'm so glad I found a fellow hermit.

If you saw me at work, or how easily I make friends, you wouldn't guess that I feel this way at all. I think I hide it quite well, but sometimes I'm simply tired of talking to people, and not just strangers either, it could also be my best friends or family. Which is awful because I should be spending as much time as possible with them. I still love them all to pieces though, and I've got a lot better in this aspect.

You would see it most if you were out in a public place with me, or stuck with the same people in the same environment for a long time. When people get comfortable with you, they can get a little spiteful with words - silly digs and comments, along with a poor attitude will get you nowhere in life. 

I seem to attract strangers (I must have an approachable face! Ha!) so, for example; me, Nick, his sister and sister in law were all on a little Spanish bus the other day going into the pueblo, where the roads are really narrow and hilly. The bus driver stops on this massive steep hill (I thought we were all going to be chucked off because he couldn't go further), opens the door, and chats to his friend sitting at a cafe. We obviously found this amusing, and a woman sat in front of us turned around and said, 'You wouldn't get that in England, ay?' I think Nick's sister answered her, but all we offered was a tight lipped smile, and I shit you not, Nick actually moved closer to me in his seat. Rule number one when we travel - we don't make friends.

Nick's dad, when coming out the airport, found a friend to chat to before we even reached passport control. We had to wait for him whilst they pulled their suitcases, ambling along like they couldn't bear for their friendship to end. I don't think he takes 'Stranger Danger' seriously enough.

On the other hand though, you could probably use all the friends you can get whilst travelling. Think of all the things they could lead you to - a cheap place to stay, a party, a secret little cove on the beach, a soup kitchen when you've run out of food and money. It's definitely worth making friends, but I'm not sure I can muster the effort.

I think I'll make a promise to myself; every time we make a friend whilst travelling, I will write down the story of how we meet and why we became travel buddies. They will be very special people.

This day next year - I keep thinking that we'll be in Europe this time next year, so I think I got my last past wrong; we'll be in Oz by now! We've been looking at flights but they're not quite up for this time of year, although it looks pretty certain that it'll be cheaper to fly to Thailand first, so we might have an additional stop (and more friends) to make.