TravelStream™ news feed for member matt_roberts on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/matt_roberts en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:23:09 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1119281400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1119281400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1119281400/tpod.html Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:23:09 -0500 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane has got all kinds to offer. But once again, the weather and lack of money will dictate any traveller's plans. The day we arrived, it was still raining and so we were unable to get much done. The following day however we were able to get out and about as the sun was trying hard to stay out in front of the clouds. We took a walk down the South Bank, the weather still not appealing enough to see anybody making use of the beached lagoon and so we visited the museums and art galleries further on before crossing over one of the many bridges to the city centre. Here we visited the student art galleries on campus and the Botanical Gardens, trying to make the most of the limited sun. It was then decided we should visit the cinema again, this time to see Mr and Mrs Smith. Trisha and I opted to walk home so we could grab some photos from the lagoon of the city lit up from the southern river bank.

Rob and Ash had already done Brisbane and so headed straight on to Byron Bay and everyone was heading off to catch up with them, everyone except me, I was off to Surfer's Paradise to catch up with a friend from home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1120568400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1120568400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1120568400/tpod.html Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:14:06 -0500 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Te Anau, New Zealand

We woke up not really knowing where we'd parked up the night before. It turns out we were less than a stone's throw away from a stream on some dirt track. We headed back into the town to view Lake Te Anau. The huge mountains that stood looming over the lake pierced the heavy cloud cover only briefly.

We soon left for the road up to Milford Sound, one of New Zealand's most spectacular scenery (and they have plenty). This area receives an average of 6 metres of rainfall per year and so we were dubious as to whether or not the road would be closed when we reached it due to severe weather conditions. Fortunately the weather broke, the clouds passed on by and blue sky and sunshine revealed fantastic mountain ranges and incredible panaromic landscapes, we really couldn't have had a better day for it. Our beast of a campervan trundled up the steep inclines until we were right up in the mountains. There were lay-bys and view points all the way up that offered some stunning views, it took hours for us to reach Homer Tunnel, an incredible engineering feat situated close to Milford Sound. The tunnel, which is 1240m long, was started in 1935 by 5 men using shovels and wheelbarrows. The extreme conditions cost lives during construction and because of World War II, the tunnel took until 1954 fot the first private car to pass through.

Eventually we made it up to Milford Sound. It is a glacially overdeepened valley, narrow and steep-sided, extending below sea level and filled with salt water. The depth of the fiord is estimated to range between 100-450m. Milford Sound is home to dolphins, seals and Fiordland crested penguins. We had a scout around the area and try and book a cruise around the fiord for the following day but found it all very much closed so we needed to address our next problem and find somewhere to camp. We were still very much unsure of a legal rights with roadside camping, even somewhere as remote as Milford. Anyway, we drove back down the road to a bridge we had passed. There was a larger-than-normal lay-by that we thought would be ideal and so camped up for the night. At 7o'clock the morning we all awoke frantically to the sound of a helicopter hovering over our heads. I've never seen the four of us jump from our beds quicker, least of all me who is quite partial to a lie-in!! We drew back the curtains (to see for certain), and the heilcopter had landed on the road right beside us. We were convinced that it was the ranger come to issue us with fines or arrest us! It turned out though that a woman who had been trekking the 4-day hike from Te Anau had completed it and was meeting at her rendezvous point. Nonetheless, it still took is a while to calm down!!

Mel made us porridge to warm us up and then we headed back into the little town to sort out our cruise. The temperature was anything but warm despite the sunshine yet we still insisted on staying on the top deck embracing the elements!! The boat toured the fiord, skirting the south cliff-face where Mitre Peak stands. Mitre Peak is argued to be the most photographed mountain in New Zealand, which is unsurprising as the reflection on the water is simply incredible. As we cruised, the heritage of the area was explained to us and the major features pointed out. The waterfall there is claimed to be 4 times larger than Niagra Falls!! We saw a small colony of seals relaxing on the rocks but didn't manage to spot any dolphins. During the trip, Mel's memory card mal-functioned and unfortunately, all her previous photos were irretrievable, this clearly put a massive dampner on her day.

After the cruise, we headed straight off to Queenstown from some adrenaline full activities!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1121445000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1121445000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1121445000/tpod.html Mon, 07 Nov 2005 08:18:38 -0500 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Kaikoura, New Zealand

Potentially the best experience of my life!!

The storm clouds of the night before ruled out the possibility of going out for the whale watching expedition and so we were left up in the air whether or not we would be able to go out looking for the dolphins.

Eventually by 12.30pm, the all clear was sent through from the skipper on his boat. The swell was dying down and the sun was by now out in full force, a hell of a transition from earlier that morning. We headed off to the changing rooms to get kitted out, a full wet suit, including a hood, socks and gloves. After a briefing video which bored us all to tears, we boarded the bus and were driven to South Bay where two boats were waiting for us.

Once on board, the boats were then lowered down the ramp and into the water and we were on our way. The swell was still having an effect and the ride over was somewhat turbulent. Eventually we saw them, just a couple, diving in and out of the water. The excitement intensified and the eagerness to enter the water diminished any apprehension previously built up with regards the water's freezing temperature. We were given the all clear as loads more of the Dusky dolphins emerged to ride the waves produces by the boat. The water was ice cold on my face and I was beginning to wish I opted for the watching only ticket. As instructed, we all were making ridiculous noises to attract the dolphins inquisitive attentions. The first time we entered the water, the dolphins took a wide berth around us and on southwards, we scrambled back on board and headed after them. The second time we were met with a much friendlier welcome, within minutes, there were loads of them swimming just centimetres away from me, I managed to get one to circle around me in the way a dog would chase its tail. It was an increbile feeling to have eye contact with these beautiful creatures only half a metre away from me and knowing that they wanted to be there on their own curious terms. The pod in general was heading southwards and so we were in and out of the water another 3 times after that before getting out of our gear and into warm clothes to view them from the deck. Rob was suffering sea sickness by the last time in the water and so stayed out of the water nursing a bucket!! On my last entrance to the water, I was still adjusting my mask and snorkel when 2 dolphins came from nowhere right at me and at the very last second, dived beneath me. At suface level, you can only see maybe a quarter or a third of the entire pod which is an incredible fact seeing as there were easily 150 dolphins swimming around and beneath our boat and that of the others. I saw a mother and calf swimming side by side and many acrobatic dolphins summersaulting out of the water. But before we knew it, we were back on dry land having had the best experience of my life!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1116342000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1116342000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1116342000/tpod.html Mon, 07 Nov 2005 08:07:31 -0500 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Melbourne, Australia

Welcome to Oz, land of Surfing, Kangaroos and the British!!

We arrived into Melbourne International airport after a 7 hour flight from Singapore. The sun was shining and the temperature warm. We were taken off to Base, a chain of backpackers accommodation, a trendy unit with very clean ensuite bunk rooms. The accommodation was something we were going to have to get used to having been used to having proper beds throughout Asia, the next 6 weeks will be bunk beds the whole way and for nearly 10 times the price!!

The shock of returning to a Western Culture knocked me for six, hearing the Australian accent instead of a broken Asian-English one was something that took me over a week to adjust to. Catering for ourselves now was another issue we all had problems with, having eaten out every night in Asia for about 70pence a meal, Australia was already looking to be 2nd best in the popularity contest. But everyone deserves a second chance and in doing so, Australia does not disappoint!!!

Melbourne, one of the country's most vibrant and happening cities, it is extremely cosmopolitan. The Arts are celebrated here fanatically and Federation Square is testimony to this devotion. Art galleries grace the city along with huge parks, sculptures and architecture. Sport is another hugely followed aspect of the city's charisma. Aussie Rules is massive throughout the country, Melbourne is no exception with many teams including Melbourne Demons, Kangaroos and St Kilda Saints, all playing in the AFL (Australia Football League). Other sports are also played with both rugby codes being represented and they even have their own 'soccer' team.

However, Melbourne is a place that requires money and money is something that we dont have, so we moved on out of there as soon as we felt we had seen all we wanted to. Next port of call: The Great Ocean Road.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1124069460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1124069460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1124069460/tpod.html Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:48:26 -0400 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Nadi, Fiji

So for the second time this trip, Rob and I crossed the International Date Line from being 9 hours behind to 11 hours ahead. It was starting to confuse the hell out of us. Anyway, we racked up at the Travellers Beach Resort at 5a.m. where Ash had booked us in. Rob's mood had picked up a lot with the prospect of seeing Ash again and I was looking forward to relaxing and sunbathing on the beaches. I managed to get about an hour and half's sleep before being woken to get a bus to the marina at Denarau where we caught the morning catamaran up to Nacula island in the north of the Yasawas. I checked into a dorm hut with 2 English dudes, Spike and Andy aswell as a Chilean, Cesar. The weather was awesome, the water a dazzling turqouise and the staff of Nabua Lodge were on the beach with guitars and their welcome song greeted us. This was going to be paradise. Cesar, not quite understanding the accommodation situation, tried to follow Rob and Ash into their room, raising a few eyebrows with the locals!!!

Included within the price of the accommodation were 3 meals a day. We were given lunch on arrival and we all introduced ourselves. Andy, Spike, Cesar, myself, Rob, Ash, an Irish guy, Mike, and his girlfriend, Delphine. An Irish couple, Keane and Jane, had already been there a few days and Keane had been made chief of the Lodge. After each meal he would stand up and introduce himself and everyone would take it in turns to follow suit so we all became very well acquainted as we all stayed for the best part of 5 days. After that, those who had been there for a few days joined in singing the Bula Song to the new comers, a song that I'll never get out of my head!! The place is so small that you spend every minute of every day in each other's company sunbathing, eating, swimming, drinking so you really get to know each other... It's hard at the top!!

It turned out that both Spike and Andy were keen rugby fans with both of them managing to get to some if not all of the Lions tour. Some of the Lions fans had been through Fiji on their way home and had fortunately left behind a rugby ball. So I'm on a paradise beach with awesome weather and a rugby ball - that's perfection! It was the first time in ages I'd been able to sling one around and I had 2 people there who were just as keen. Couldn't have asked for more.

The locals played 1 touch rugby in the local village and we were invited to join them for a game. It is Fijian custom to be welcomed into the village by its chief. We brought him some Kava (root of a plant made into a very popoular Fijian drink) and he invited us to look around. The houses were primitive at best, all very rustic. the church on the beach front was a quaint little place too yet it all came together to create a lot of character.

At 5pm, roughly 30 Fijians turned up to play. Every day they turn up and I'd done very little in physical exercise in the past 6 months so it wasn't long before they were running circles around the Europeans. It was one crazy game, played at a ridiculously fast pace. The ball was launched everywhere and they lacked any kind of structure but their agility and handling ability was incredible for the most part. We soon retired and left them to it. It was time for a cold shower and a beer!

The night life on Nacula Island was far from happening. Electricity shut off around 10pm so there really wasn't too much to do. By now though a few more people had turned up and the group had become a lot bigger. Joining us were a couple from Wales and Scotland, Sarah and Russell, an American, Katie and her friend from New Zealand, Brenwyn. One night we had a bonfire down on the beach and typically it started to rain. We'd invited a few people we'd met from the neighbouring accommodation to join us, we'd bought in bottles of rum at extorionate costs, had a CD player plugged in blasting Bob Marley out and then it rained, which in my opinion, was just damn right rude!!

As the final night approached and the weather was yet to clear up, we moved back down the islands towards the port to cut down the 4 hour journey. So we decided to head to Naviti and stay at Korovou beach side resort. Here we were welcomed again by locals singing and playing guitars. There was a pool and bar here with a decent eating area, this was more like it. That night we ate dinner and were treated to an awesome dance which included the now infamous Bula Song as well as many others. It was a great show to watch and everyone watching had massive smiles on their faces. Afterwards, as it was my last night travelling after nearly 7 months on the road, we (Rob, Ash, Spike and Andy) played some drinkning games. The Irish games we had learnt in Fraser Island came into play and Spike was soon on his way to the land of the inebriated. Later we played 'Arrogance', using a pack of cards, you top up a pint glass with however much drink you want depending on whether you think the next card will be higher or lower than the one before. I'd gone to the toilet and returned to discover they'd all fixed the game to screw me over, and despite knowing this, there was nothing I could do about it!!

The next day we packed up and Rob, Ash and myself left the island to head back to Nadi. Later that night, Rob and I flew out to Los Angeles after another emotional goodbye with Ash.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117433040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117433040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117433040/tpod.html Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:27:55 -0400 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Cairns, Australia

We landed in Cairns after abusing the Quantas facilities. Feeling rough from the night before, we were given lunch of a sandwhich, O.J. and crackers, clearly an anorexic eats more than this so we wiped them out of all there left over food that was onboard!

We pitched up in a hostel a little way out of town called Tropic Days. It was a converted house and had a very attractive garden but was a pain being so far out. Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef but the weather turned sour and made doing anything pointless. So we decided to hire another car and head north up to Cape Tribulation. We managed to get a free upgrade from a 1.8litre Mitsubishi Lancer (like we had on the Great Ocean Road) to a 3.5litre V6 Mitsubishi Magna - not bad!! The space in the car was huge so we had no problems carting our gear and groceries. The car was automatic again and had cruise control so driving was stupidly easy and quite boring at times but the scenery around Cairns is beautiful. Rolling hills, winding dales and lush green fields were visible as far as the horizon. As we headed north though we entered into the rainforest. We slept right in the heart of it that first night with the forest backing onto an expansive beach. The scenery here was quite unbelievable.

We were on the hunt for Cassawaries, having spotted a decent number of Australia's indigenous animals but the Cassawary is extremely endangered and very rarely spotted yet road signs occur every kilometer so we were hopeful. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful despite chasing every location we had heard they inhabited.

We took a river train on the Daintree River in search of freh water crocodiles and this time we were not disappointed. There were crocs of all sizes scattered along the river banks and in the water. Happy with our wildlife spotting, we headed for other indigenous roots with the Aborogines in Chillagoe where the desert met the rainforest. It was a desolute place and to reach it we had to traverse along many gravel roads (in breach of our rental agreement!!) nonetheless, the place was extremely quaint. A rural township built up in its day as a result of the smelting industry that has long since closed. Aboroginal artwork can still be found on rock faces, we entered the limestone caves and were engulfed amongst the labyrinth. Our guide took us through and illustrated the rock formations and the age of the rocks inside. We then scoured round the ruined smelters before cruising back to a place called Yungaburra in the Atherton Tablelands. The following day, we took a loop around the area mainly on a waterfall tour of our own. Milaa Milaa is stunning and is recognised as one of Australia's highlights but there were several others worth seeing too. Giant Fig trees populate the area and have become a big tourist attraction, also there still stands a Red Cedar tree standing amongst the ground where loggers once worked, nobody seems to know why they left such a huge tree unscathed.

The following day, we returned to Cairns, Dave went off diving for the day on some shipwreck and I started catching up on this journal as, once again, the weather was English-esque!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1113668400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1113668400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1113668400/tpod.html Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:25:47 -0400 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Ko Lanta, Thailand

Rob, Ash and Kat had all spent nearly a week on the beaches of Koh Lanta whilst Dave, Mel and myself were north in Kanchanaburi. It wasn't like I'd expected it and having just come from Koh Phi Phi, it was nowhere near being in the same league. The beaches were much bigger but the fir trees that skirted them meant they were covered in pine needles. The accommodation was really good though, really spacious and clean with a TV. Kat had bought a Playstation 2 in Bangkok and so the TV suddenly became my best friend. It was awesome playing Playstation again despite my surroundings! Apart from that, there wasn't a great deal for it other than lying on the beach. We were soon on our way back to the main land of Krabi and Au Nang.

No sooner than we arrived in Krabi than we moved on out to Au Nang. This was a very touristy sea side town. It had a decent beach and plenty of decent places to eat and drink. One of which was the Irish Rover. Being with two Irish girls, we were dragged there completely against our will! They served an awesome traditional Sunday dinner and the pint of Guiness wasn't too bad either, although it blatantly was never going to meet Kat and Ash's approval! Our accommodation here was exceptional value being a huge double room. We had an ensuite, fridge, TV, 3 beds for a change and 2 doors to the room, not sure why though! The next day Rob, Dave and myself were off to Koh Tao and the girls were staying for a few days longer in Au Nang before we were to meet up again in Koh Phanang.
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Newcastle, United Kingdom

I quit my temping job at North Tyneside Council a week ago now and despite having a week to sort stuff out, I still found myself in the situation where I was packing everything until the early hours of this morning.

Travelling with me, at least in part, will be David Howell from Islington, London, Robert Bell from Rotherham, Yorkshire, Melanie Keats from Much Wenlock, Shropshire and Leila Anderson from Barnet, London. We all attended the University of Leeds studying different disciplines and our connections with each other are somewhat complicated but nevertheless, these people will be playing a huge influencial role into my trip.

It has been a weird past few days with people coming round to say their goodbyes. I had my leaving party at the rugby club saying good byes to all my friends there too and now the first part of my journey is just beginning, an Easy Jet flight from Newcastle to London Stanstead in time for Dave's birthday.
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London, United Kingdom

Finally, the day has come.
I've talked about for long enough and even doubted whether or not it would happen but now there really isn't any looking back. Myself, Rob, Dave, Mel and Leila are going. We are leaving the country and have no intentions of returning before the 28 weeks are up.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117470960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117470960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/matt_roberts/world_tour_2005/1117470960/tpod.html Tue, 30 Aug 2005 12:40:06 -0400 Round the world to S.E. Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and America on a shoe-string.

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Alice Springs, Australia

That night we all met up for a meal at Annie's Place before heading out into town to celebrate a quality trip. The drinks were flowing and everyone was reminiscing about the past few days and discussing where next on the agenda. It was late by the time we arrived back and went to bed. The following morning we flew to Cairns.
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