Living in Bondi

G'day.....we've now been in Australia for just over 3 months. Can't believe how time flies. We spent the first few weeks living in hostels in the city, in Coogee, then finally in Bondi where we spent a few weeks looking for a flat....

At the end of april, we did a road trip from Sydney to Adelaide via Melbourne. That was great and here are some of the photos.....

1. Great Ocean Drive just south of Sydney....

Joe, Me and Ben stopping off at Bombie Beach for an early morning swim in the sea!

"Wilsons Prom" walking to "Squeaky Beach" . This is where the bushfires were at their worst in February '09

Sydney!

Hi all, we have safely arrived in Sydney following our month's travells in Thailand. Lots of stuff to do sorting out jobs, admin etc so not too many updates or photos for now. Will be sure to post some of Australia up here soon though. Hope all is well in the UK xx

Koh Phi Phi & Phuket

Koh Phi Phi was lovely, we had a great two days here (Tues and Wednesday) including doing another "Fun Dive" (Scuba). The visibility was fantastic - about 20metres.

On Tuesday night, we walked up to the "viewpoint" and took a look at Koh Phi Phi from 300m up.....it really makes you think about all the devastation the Tsunami did in 2004. We also walked along the jungle path to Long Beach which was great for some snorkelling and sunbathing.

This morning (Thursday) we left Koh Phi Phi and arrived in Phuket. We are staying at Kamala beach on the west side of Phuket, it reminds us both a little of the spannish Costas!! Ok for 2 nights but wouldn't want to stay here long. It's full of Germans!! The room is nice with Air Con and TV so good for a couple of nights before our flight to Bangkok then our flight to Sydney on Saturday - where real life begins looking for jobs, accomodation etc! Aaaargh!

We are both healthy and well and looking forward to arriving in Sydney. Fingers crossed flights are on time etc.

Love Shazza + Joe xx

Last Day in Koh Lanta

hello everybody!!!

today is monday 23rd, were wtill in Bamboo Bay on Koh Lanta, so quiet, chilled down here we kinda decided to stay for a while. We have been busy bee's tho...

yesterday (Sunday) we did a 4 island snorkelling trip, highlights include finding Nemo and lots of his cousins in 1m of water, a couple of black and white clownfish, a huge 2m ish black and white sea snake, lots of other shoals of fish that were very inquisitive, the emerald cave that was jellyfish heaven and some superb views and beaches with turqouise/emerald seas.

Saturday we hired a Kayak for the day and did som kayaking to the nature reserve, then round the next bay to get a different sunset.

Friday we hired a scooter, two of us on one bike and we did a whole lap of the island which took quite a while, especially on some of the rougher roads, we ended up coming back early as the back wheel had a few broken spokes, but we're fine.

Thursday we snorkelled around our bay, and into the next bay. Lots of angel fish, 5 crayfish in holes, one small red seasnake, lots of batfish and angelfish.

Wednesday was our arrival day, and it was about 9:30-10pm by the time we eventually got to out place.

Bamboo Bay, words cannot do this place juistice, its at the very southern tip of Koh Lanta, there are only 3 resorts in the whole bay and its a mission to get here down potted, rugged dirt tracks but when you get here, WOW, it is breathtaking.

Very quiet and cut off, so unspoilt at the moment but am sure this will eventually change.

There is a huge, deserted beach, well apart from the crazy supercharged turbo crabs that shazza keeps chasing!!!

Tomorrow, (tuesday 24th) we are off to Koh Phi Phi, 90 mins boat ride, probably for 2 days. Then about 2 hours to Phuket where we will be for thursday and friday, then Sat morning we have a (90 min) 9am flight to Bangkok, where our plane for Australia leaves at 5pm. Cutting a little fine but we should have a few hours spare if it all goes Pete Tong!!!

So from Me and Her its all good out here, it almost rained the other day but so far we have been lucky with the weather, and apart from Shazza's burnt bum and my jellyfish stung arms were all good!!

cheers for reading, love to you all

joe and shazza

xxx

P.S James are you a father yet?...

Koh Lanta

Hi all,
We have now arrived in Koh Lanta. We arrived about 10pm on Wednesday evening (17/02). Thanks to a recommendation from some people we met in Chiang Mai, we are staying in a lovely place called Bamboo Bay Resort, what a paradise! Most of the photos here are from the bay that we are staying at. We even have our own hammock!

One more Dive in Koh Tao!

This afternoon (Monday), Joe and I are doing a "fun dive" in the water now that I have passed my PADI/SSI qualification. It should be brilliant! We have booked our travels for the next stop which will be Koh Lanta. We leave Koh Tao on an overnight boat at 11pm and get back to the mainland at 5am! Apparently the rules have changed around visas so we have to cross the Thai border and come back again to get a visa extension for 15 days - what a bugger, but luckily this only takes around 4hrs so no big panic! We are both looking forward to getting to Koh Lanta as a lot of people have told us it is amazing..... Everything else is all good, we are starting to get brown (slowly) and we have both been doing tons of snorkelling by the beach. The water is very shallow so we are seeing quite a few fish without having to swim to far out..... Time is flying by and we are having so much fun - it's nice to chill out - Australia feels like a lifetime away, but we get there on 1st March, so it's not really :)

right then, various picks of from top left along the rows kind off, if not just work it out!!!!...

1, View along beach, Koh Tao, Thailand.
2, Shazza after 1st day in water on diving course infront off our dive place, Big Blu, Koh Tao, Thailand.
3, Sunset, Koh Tao, Thailand
4, Shazza in Sunrise on boat to Koh Tao, Thailand
5, Busy Bangkok
6, Second puncture in half an hour, en route to Vientiane, border then Bangkok from Vang Vieng

7, Hemborw just hanging around as usual, Vang Vieng, Laos

8, Sunset, Vang Vieng, Laos

9, View across river, Vang Vieng, Laos

10, Me on bridge over river in Vang Vieng, Laos, just arrived

11, our boat along mekong river, Laos

12, Pak Beng, middle of nowhere in Laos

13, sunset on river in Laos

14, walking the gangplank!!

15, sunrise on Thai-Laos border (Chiang Kong-Huay Xai)

there, kinda in a way gets you back upto speed on where we are, sorry so many sunsets but we've seen so many good ones, still haven't seen anything like rain yet either....

shazza's on her 3rd day of dive course, second in the water and she's enjoying it (thank god...) so today they take her out to a dive and she goes to 12m, a little scary first time, though this morning its more theory work.

I'm doing a re-integration dive, been nearly 5 years since I last dived, but i'm out on the same boat as shazza, we'll both do 2 dives today, and she should finish her course tomorrow which was 8,100 Baht, or about 160 quid...Bargain!!

then tomorrow eveing its wales v england at midnight, and something else called valentines night....

as you can tell, Koh Tao is great, were in dive resort, air-con room for 10 quid 20m from beach!!!

last night I had a whole BBQ mackeral, and shazza had some huge prawns, its definitely a hard life. were away from main busy part and its lovely, not sure when were leaving, prob around tuesday then were off to koh Lanta which is apparantly even more beautiful, did i hear snow's on the way for you lot....

hope everyone is good and well, i'm off my tablets now and everything seems under control....

cheers now

joe

xxx