Hey guys,

Whew, home at last! slept off the jetlag and feeling good as gold. So good to be home especially with the welcoming i got at the airport. Walking through the tunnel an hour late (sorry guys) and from half way down, positioned perfectly to see me, theres mum grinning! a few more steps revealled dad and behind plum and ev. Awesome to see all of them and big hugs all round. Really missed you all! They recieved a VERY scattered hairball and led him to where we would wait for Lindo. And then out of nowhere, not even sure where i was supposed to be looking comes a bounding smiling jussy, Another big hug and hellos to cam and bill and judy. 5 mins later Lindo appears and more hugs smiles and greetings to be had. Sadly, I could barely construct sentences... more so than usual. And my parents just wanted to get me home. so we headed off. Very excited for this weekend though. Messages came through from Sam and Swan (sam even gave plum a call so we could have a quick chat). Swan got me later that night. Oh, it was really good to see them again.

Anyway, ill get chronological and come back to all this.

After writing that last blog we lazed around all day drinking in a beautiful resort and chilling out. hard life. Our second last day on Koh Tao we hired a motorbike and rode all around the island snorkelling and sightsea-ing. (i am hilarious) :P We really had a great day. One of those really big days doing heaps of stuff and then you realise that you havent spent any money cos you have been having good wholesome fun.

Next day it was time to ferry and bus back to bangkok. as much fun as ever. We got in at midnight and went straight to bed. With only two full days ahead of us, it was a trip to the tailor followed by a very big MBK session (MBK is a big mall) including seeing Indiana Jones 4... awesome!! After that we headed to Pat Pong in the evening indulging in expensive japanese food, many an asahi (delicious japanese beer) and took in a fairly awful show. Khao Sahn for a night cap and bed. Jim arrived during the night and the next morning was too tired to come to the JJ-Market. It's a huge, cheap, weekend market with everything from puppies to knock-offs to swords to well everything. money spent and exhausted we headed back to meet James. Soon after that the boozing commenced... A great finish to a great trip, boozing with my two longest travel companions in James and Linden.

Hung over.... so hungover... managed almost nothing. Lindo had to pick up the clothes from the tailor. we achieved almost nothing except breakfast of burger king and one last pad thai lunch before linden and i headed for the airport. First flight was great. on time, comfortable, good food, good movies (i watched hitman and loads of tv eps) but i just couldnt sleep. Sydney... my bag was pretty much last and customs took 20 mins to clean my boots. the transfer line was then 45mins long so i just winged it over to the domestic terminal and arrived with 8 mins to spare.... only the cancelled my flight anyway and i scrounged one of the last seats on a flight to melb half an hour later. which left late and took FOREVER to disembark. But that melted away in the big smiles i had waiting for me.

So now I am back in Benalla and when I arrived to my delight chiefy did remember me and went NUTS. seriously out of control, he was so happy he was whining and choking. jumping around like an idiot. Genie just follows me around, finidng me wherever i am and sitting with me. I'm glad they missed me as much as i missed them.

It still feels very weird to be home. Not really sure what to do with myself. I guess without a job or a place to live I kinda still feel like i am on holiday. I have had an amazing year in which i was privelleged to travel with a lot of my closest friends and both my brother and my sister. I made new great friends, visited some living overseas and stayed with family. I lived and worked briefly in England and risked my life enough to feel alive. I am as lucky as i am in debt.

Now enough wanging on about all that. Thank you to you all, you have been great to see/email/call/miss over the last year and i look forward seeing you all as soon as possible.

Lots of Love
Tim

Home Sweet Home remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Wooo, home in under 6 days! nuts! what a year! its been so great seeing the ones of you i saw, missing the ones i didnt and not seeing you daino. ah who am i kidding, i even missed you. pity we couldnt have caught up in Bangkok when you were there.

So a lot has been happening. quick run through. we went down through Laos to Cambodia. Then went across the country quickly before coming down here to Koh Tao where we have been diving for the last week. Magic. now some details.

I left you last in Luang Prabang. Firstly that waterfall was freaking sweet!! i have so many cool photos of linden and i swimming in a pool at the top of a big plunge. i think i like it better than erawan. Next we took a bus to Vangvieng. Wow, we went tubing one day and what a mad mad day. Drinking beers and shakes made us pretty happy and in the perfect frame of mind for a lazy tube down the Nam Song. All kinds of crazy swings and mad people really made for such a fun day. Sadly the hangover left us uncabable of anything but sitting around watching family guy and friends the next day. Next day we hired a motorbike and hit the caving scene which was amazing. having never been it was pretty damn cool. Especially the one where we had to pull ourselves into the cave in the water for hundreds of meters sitting in a tube. awesome. pity some jerks cyphened our fuel and we had to refill to get home. jerks!

So next was Vientiane. Didnt do a whole lot other than get our cambodian visas and some good japanese food. then it was time to go all the way down the country to the 4000 islands. Beautiful. We stayed on Don Khong which was very quite and had some great things to explore. we rode bikes all over the island seeing 2 huge waterfalls, a beach and we even hired a boat to see the irrawady tiver dolphins. kinda stupid looking with no nose. but very cool nonetheless. after two days it was cambodia time.

Annoying, we got stuffed around at the border and couldnt make it to phenom penh and this meant that we had to cut the capital all together. we got stuck in the shitty town of Kratie. The next day was spent getting to Siem Riep. For the next 2 days we visited Wats. Amazing, Angkor was incredible but each wat had some cool element of its own as rulers tried to outdo one-another. and our tuk-tuk driver was awesome! such a genuine nice guy. we had one crash which was scary. we hit two dogs running across the road and the driver and the bike went under and we kinda skidded on them. I jumped out and lifted the trailer off them and the dog came exploding out covered in petrol as did our driver (with skinned feet and knees). He refused to go home or even take care of himself saying he was fine. Always with his huge grin. We really liked him, could have been really hurt if he had swerved but he took it for us.

Sorry, i got away from it for a bit, Angkor was just amazing. weather wasnt great and the kids/touts were horrible. No i dont wanna buy your f@!king pineapple b*tch!! sorry but i had to let off a bit of steam.

Then it was time for the horrible trip to bangkok. hours and hours on that horrible road to the border. well we got there and even met up with james for a beer. crazy kid is at the full moon party right now. us old timers gave it a miss for quieter koh tao. Anyway thats just what we did the next day. bus then ferry to koh tao. Linden got stuck stright into her open water divers course.

Our first real day here was my bday so i decided not to start my course immediately. I lazed on the beach. Called mum and dad, got a massage, lazed by the pool, back to the beach.... then it was dinner and bed. couldnt ask for a more relaxing lovely day. heard from lots of guys back home. Sam got in first nice and early, but also heard from all the family and lots of facebook and phone messages. Was really cool.

So the for the last few days its been my Advanced Open Water Course keeping me occupied. Now im qualified to 30m depth so i can go down there and get 'narked' anytime i want. Saw some pretty cool stuff. hawksbill turtle being the best. also a very poisonous banded sea snake. triggerfish other cool things but the whaleshark still eludes me. next time!

Yeah so lindo and i have been spending it up and celebrating out qualifications and imminent trips home. been amazing and we have a few days left. eek cant believe ill be home soon. cant wait to see everyone again! and eat the foods ive been missing!

Anyway, this has been long enough already, ill see you in a few days.

Lots of love, Happy Birthday to Sara and Plummers (20th and 21st)
Tim and Linden

Tubing Laos, "Wat's" up with Cambodian buses, diving Thai remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hey Hey!

How are you all? Been about two weeks or so since I last wrote and we have been moving and playing quite a lot. So, I last blogged from Ko Chang

I got up early and jumped in a songthaew straight for the port. A long day ahead to get to the airport in time to meet Linden's plane at 7:40pm. So it went like this. Songthaew -> Ferry -> Songthaew -> Bus -> Bus. Finally rolling into the airport at 6pm. Nice. Only around 2 hours to wait. Looking along the big list of arrivals... Yep the only flight that is delayed on the whole board. 9pm it is! At around 9:30 Lindo rolled in and we jumped in a taxi to Khao San Rd to get some late night grub and a sleep.

Next day we figured the quicker we got outta bangers the better and we jumped straight onto a bus to Kanchanaburi. After a long day we just went for a wander up to the bridge over the river (kwai) and checked out the night market before hitting the hay. Was so close to buying an awesome little french bulldog puppy for only 3500 baht.

The next day we decided to check out the Erawan Waterfalls and they were even better than the amazing way i remembered them. 7 tiers of beautiful limestone stained water full of little biting fish. We walked all the way to the top and swan in all the pools on the way down. There were also sliding rocks and ledges behind the falls. It really is a magical place. Dinner on the riverside was disappointing afterwards but not enought to mark the day.

The next day we chilled in the morning and checked out the Kanchanaburi War Museum. Then we decided to make our own minds up about the controversial tiger temple. I have to say I still dont know whether I am for or against it. Some animals were definately not drugged, some looked like maybe they were but they probably werent. It was hard to say. One wasnt even on a chain and we walked along side him touching his back no problem and he was NOT drowsy. I dunno, a very interesting experience nonetheless.

That night it was time to head back to Bangkok and take the overnight train to Chiang Mai. Fairly comfortable but still quite hot we arrived in Chiang Mai after lunch. In Chiang Mai we did a full day cooking course out on a farm which was really cool. I cooked, red curry paste, a chicken red curry (using that paste), a tom yum soup with prawns, chicken basil and chilli, pad thai and sweet sticky-rice with mango. It was delicious! The next day we rode elephants, went on a short trek to a waterfall, visited a hill-tribe village then bamboo rafted down the river. It was a pretty fun day if a little directed (being on a tour and all). Our last full day in Chiang Mai we hired a motorbike and headed out to the Zoo to see the PANDAS!!! they were awesome! so so so cool to see them and so close. heaps of other cool animals aswell. then we rode the bike way out of town up the hill to the Wat (temple) the sits above the city. It was beautiful up there. For there I carved through peak hour thai traffic right across the city to the bus station (getting back a lot of my old form and practising with a passenger) to buy our tickets. All that was left was dinner a few beers and bed.

The next day we got to Laos... that was it. Then it was time to head off to the Gibbon Experience in the Bokeo National Park. heaps of fun zip lining and some really hard hours hiking to stay in tree-houses about 50m from the ground (accessable only by cable) for 2 nights. We swam in waterfalls and hunted gibbons (sadly i got to the bottom of the trees they were in but couldnt see them, only hear them) and generally just enjoyed the leech-filled jungle for a few days before heading out. It really was a wonderful experience.

For the next two days we chilled on the slow boat down the river to Luang Prabang (still in laos) and thats where i am writing to you from. Very cool town with some beautiful waterfalls like erawan just out of town. we will check them out tomorrow. Today is a day off and as linden is off getting a massage i think i will go find myself a friendly beer and curry in the shade.

Lots of Love to you all, sorry no pics, the upload speed is terrible.
See you in less than 4 weeks

Tim and Linden

Animals, Cooking, Waterfalls and Zip-lining remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Noel + Razorlight

Noel and Fossil

With that down and all on my lonesome I got ready and go on my flight for Bangkok. Little did i know that it was Thai New Year from the 13th - 15th of April... (and cos the 12th was a Saturday it got added). Khao San Rd was a warzone as they celebrate by throwing water and and talcom powder from dawn till 9pm. Old ladies and children alike set apon you and eachother in a frenzy, regardless of your luggage burdens and expensive equiptment. Such a pity cos i would have loved some photos of the size of the smiles everyone was sporting.
Songkran - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_New_Year

Super Soaker (crap photo but best i could do on my own... not for long )

I bought myself a supersoaker (6 bucks) and got out there but eventually I just had to bail and Koh Chang was calling me. So Bus, Songthaew, Ferry, Songthaew and I was here. On Lonely Beach. And its great. A boozy first night followed by getting a better hut and relaxing. I hired a motorbike yesterday and rode through the jungle and today i have been diving all day. Its been a good (yet sweaty) couple of days.

Treehouse Restaraunt (Where i spend most of my time)

My Hut - Stuff downstairs and Bed upstairs

Not a bad view to eat BBQ fish to.

Tonight a few beers (maybe with the divemaster from today) and then tomorrow off to meet Linden in Bangkok and get back to some excellent hutchcroft-style exploration!

Lots of Love
Counting the days (but not too quickly)
Tim

Outta London into Thailand with a Bang...kok remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hey Everyone,

As usual it has been quite a while since i have written and as usual it will be long and boring. After writing the last blog, we jumped on a train to Luxembourg.

Luxembourg
What a ridiculous city, the entire thing built on a hill is great, just so long as you are sleeping on that hill.... Needless to say, we werent. It was however, beautiful with walls along one side and great views. We took our time strolling around and checking the squares out, before heading underground. Underneath part of the town, carved into the bock is the old fortress which was pretty cool to wander about in. Not a lot of time for much else and without the funding to do the typical stocking up (alcohol, cigarettes and perfumes duty free) we headed off to Belgium.

Brussels
Immeadiately into Belgium I remembered why I had loved it so much when i visted a few years ago. Only this time it was even better cos I had quite the drinking partner in Linden. We found the guiness record pub for having the most beers available for sale (over 2000, guaranteed at least 2004 in stock at any one time) and set about trying them all... Well not quite but we did have some amazing ones (Hoegardden Grand Cru and others) including my favourite in the world Watou's Witbier. Magic! Then we stumbled directly accross the road into an Absinth Bar... Here the story goes a bit wrong. We knocked back a couple of them, including a Mansinth (Marylin Manson's) before finally stumbling toward home. I think if anything i was drunker than lindo (although dont tell her that ).
Brussels also held some other cool sights, like the flea market, well actually it wasnt that cool. just a bunch of rubbish really. We did get some amazing waffles and chips and I even took a drunken piss on the side of a church. I know what you are thinking but there was a urinal! Seriously, what a cool country that they put a urinal on the outside of the church!

Antwerp
From Brussels we did a day trip to Antwerp. Seriously this town has some Sass! it was cool! punky clothes stores, graffiti parks and the coolest shop i think i have ever been into. Seriously anything cool you can imagine was in it! Comics, computer games, figurines...... well maybe not coventional cool, but cool to me! And it was huge! i could have spent weeks in there just looking through all the fantasy novels and anime dvds. We walked all through town and even under it for 15 mins in the sewers which was pretty cool. Record stores, goth stores and funky clothes stores a plenty it really was a cool town... EXCEPT FOR THE CONTEMPORARY ART MUESUM! I have never seen such a collection of crap all brought together before! Im no art critic, but seriously it was all AWEFUL! I would rather have spent the afternoon looking at a turd covered in burnt hair! sorry to end on such a sour note, i just remembered how sucky it was and couldnt hold it all back!

Ypres (Ieper)
On leaving Brussels for Paris we decided to take in the small war torn town of Ypres. I visted it with my parents a few years ago and I really wanted to see it again. To my delight (and lindens annoyance, although she was very good about it) i remembered quite a lot and the beer and chocolate shops were just where i remembered. Menin Gate stands just outside of town and is a very emotional place. The names of over 50,000 names of allied soldiers of whom bodies where never found. The countryside is littered with war memorials and it is awesome to feel the appreciation of the locals in how Australians are spoken about and treated in that area. Plus we had a beautiful lunch and day in the sun.

Lille
After the day in Ypres, we arrived in Lille. Not wanting to spend much time in our sleezy hotel we wandered about the town late into the night. Finally retiring for take away dinner, belgian beers and ipod movies in bed. We took the TGV at breathtaking speed the next day to Paris.

Paris
The plan was to spend quite a while in Paris and even with having to leave early we did. We spend the first 2 nights in a dorm then one night in a hotel before meeting up with a friend of Lindens from Uni. Audrey was amazing, after moving all her things into her 5th storey apartment and collapsing, she went to work before meeting us and letting us into her new apartment. She then stayed at her boyfriends for the next 2 night while we slept in her new bed. She really was amazing, taking us to 2 awesome restaraunts in a row for dinner and helping us hire bikes and go night riding all over Paris into the wee-hours, even though she was working by day! We did see a lot of sights while we were in Paris too though. Notre-dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Rodin's Garden, Hotel les Invalides (sadly only from the outside), Palace de Tokyo and the museum there, Luxembourg gardens in the sun. Lets just say we saw heaps during those days and i really could spend the same amount of time writing it all. We had a blast is the main thing. Then things took a bit of a turn. Already dreading that Linden might have to go home early, it became more of a "now" situation rather than the "soon" it had been for a while. So we decided that we could only do the best with the situation that we could and we cancelled the trip to Normany we had planned for the weekend and kicked it straight for London!

London
With not a load of time before Linden had to go we spent a fair bit of time just getting her things together and sorting everything out. We did have the quickest of pokes through the Natural History Museum though. Then before too long, sure enough the mad rush to get her to the airport was on. Ashcroft time VS Hutchens time. She won, we were late, very late, the last ones in line. (Not that it was her fault, that damn tube!) at least she made it and from what i hear she got ushered at each airport to make sure she didnt miss her other flights. So that left me in london on my own... Silly Hutchens. Im really not to be left alone. To the church the next day to drink with Nick and Fi for 12 hours. Ridiculous but a heap of fun! Absolutely trashed! (Dont worry mum, nick was drunker) Really good to catch up with them though, including Bunx and Hammo. We have caught up everyday since, Fi, Nick and I going to the Tower of London yesterday and seeing the changing of the guard today. Im staying with james again and its great to hang out with him a bit too. Im going to see Noel Fielding tonight with a mate met while travelling (Dan) then its off to Bangkok tomorrow night. Eeek!

Well thats gets you all up to date and I can get back to blowing all my money on pints.

Lots of Love to you all. I miss you heaps.
Tim.

Up down and around (geographically and emotionally) remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hey everyone! Happy Easter!

This blog was much beter when I finished it 5 minutes ago after spending the last HOUR ON IT and then loosing it because this C*NT of a computer just lost it! (sorry for the language but im fairly furious!)

deep breath, sigh. well it all started in

San Sebastian
After we left Barcelon we went to San Seb. It was great, we got some awesome weather and ate tapa like fod (pinxos) alog with beers ciders and wines until we were blind from over eating and well, blind drunk to boot. We also took the cable car to the top of the hill overlooking the bay to ride the lamest rollercoaster on earth. it was beautiful though.

Then it was into france and up to

Bordeaux
In the heart of a main wine region we indulged in great french food and obviously wine. Including a day trip to

St Emilion
Awesome wines n an amazing town surrounded by chateaus and vineyards. we toured underground churches and tunnels as well as wineries and purchased some Grand Cru wine (which is easily the best wine i have ever drunk out of the bottle/ever!)

Nice
was as its name suggests, but definately not ready to be renamed awesome. we hit some pretty cool museums which were free for the month of March. The modern art museum was excellent and the chagall was solid. We did have a cool daytrip to Monaco though.

Monaco
Rich and ridiculous we saw so many porche, aston martins and bentleys in our short time in Monaco. The monte carl casino was pretty cool and they even let us in long enough to loose a little money. But after a while our lack of budget forced us to leave after hitting the aquarium.

Avignon
We had a great time here, checking out the palace of the popes and wandering along the towns ramparts. Other than that all we did was a daytrip to Arles.

Arles
A cool old roman town that van gogh loved. there are aisles set up in places where van gogh painted some of his pieces which is cool and the colusseum was awesome! other than that the food is expensive and there is dog crap EVERYWHERE!

Grenoble
My favourite town so far in france! a student town with the best night life in France apparently. at the base of the alps and a gateway to snowboarders haven you can start to see why we loved it so much! theres also a gonola to a lookout with amazing views of the region and mountains!

Chamrousse
We headed up to the site of a winter olympics of old for some snowboarding. Staying at a great accom with food included we had an amazing time (even though one dinner was four courses of cheese). The mountain was awesome although Lindo was a bit too sore the second day after the icy conditions in the morning of the first day. I improved so much, going from green/blue runs to red all the way (equiv of aussie black) even straying onto the womens olympic track for a bit. Such an awesome couple of boarding!

Geneva
Ducking into Switzerland was awesome but we did have to cut the tour a little short (after one night) when we realised how ridiulously expensive the country was! We had an awesome time however, getting our neutrality on and sounding the beige alert as often as possible.

Annecy
Just a duck in to this beautiful town to stroll the canals and check out the market.

Freiburg
Couple of days in the black forest were awesome! gorges lakes and delicious food. Throw in a boozey St Patty day and a day trip to baden baden for some luxury. We also found a great little town, St Bastien.

Baden-Baden
We headed off to the snobby town for some pampering. and that we got in this totally nude roman baths. 21 euro for 3 hours of steam, sauna, hot air, hot pools, whirlpools and relaxing, all totally naked and towelless... and MIXED. Sadly i thin we were easily the hotest people in there and if i see one more old mans.... im glad i had those years of nudey runs at college to calm my bashfullness and it didnt take long before it was very relaxing. here are the 17 stages.
Moisture, warmth, heat, moisture, scrubbing, moisture, steam, hot steam, water, bubbling, activity, moisture, shower, rubbing, care, rests. Simply delightfully.
http://www.roemisch-irisches-bad.de/roemisch.html

Triberg
Just on our way out of germany we thought we had better see the heart of the black forest. we ducked in and i think we saw the worlds biggest cuckoo clock but im not sure... we did have a snow fight and climb a waterfall though.

Strassbourg
Finally back to france and into out gite. Half a house for our relaxing easter consisting of chocolate, egg hunts, stargate, cooking, stargate, sleeping, snowfights, handstands and relaxing in front of stargate.

Now you are back up to date and I am so unbelievably sick of writing this giant blog twice.
Looking forward to seeing you all again in 2 months.
I get in at 9:25am 26th of May (Monday, well thats the plan)

Lots of Love to you all.
Tim and Linden.

Happy Easter! remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I know I know, you still havent even finished the last one cos it was so long, but this one covers only about two weeks so it should be much shorter.

This map is getting ridiculous! back and forth and around the place...

Anyway, just finished uploading some new pics to the flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21750162@N05/

and you can also see lindens blog (which will be similar only well written and accurate) at

http://lindenashcroft.travellerspoint.com

And i was a bit lazy when i came to uploading the thousands and thousands of photos we took at Carnaval so check out this flickr group, (guys, seriously its worth it, the girls are amazing!)

http://www.flickr.com/groups/en_gualeguaychu/

So, I'm writing to you from Barcelona! Having flown Buenos Aires to London, with a week there then Linden and I flew to Barcelona yesterday. Heres how it happened.

After writing to you from Mendoza, we jumped on a bus, finally riding Cama (which is like first class) back to BA. it was great although i slept horribly. In BA we met a guy i hung out with in Uruguay from Ireland and stayed in his US$900 a week flat with his parents. Needless to say it was pretty nice! With them we relaxed a fait bit, eating big steaks and going shopping and then at night getting filthy drunk on fernet (horrible jagermeister-like argentinian drink) because linden likes to fly hungover!

I flew a day after linden and spent it pretty much sleeping before going to the san telmo market one last time and eating a giant steak at my favourite parilla. Then it was time to catch my delayed flight to Madrid. As we came down to land, we were only about 30 meters from the ground and we pulled out which was pretty scary so my delayed flight was even later, but it was ok, cos the flight from madrid to london was also delayed....

Finally I got in an met linden and her friend jessie for dinner and we stayed with her. The next day was a shambles and we stayed out in a horrible room which was just a room in someones house... in the middle of nowhere... never again. Luckily James let us crash on the floor in the room he already shares with Jay (Brissy boy Jim works with). So we crashed there for the rest of the time in London.

While in London though we; saw the Lion King, went to the Meridian Line, Tate Modern, Looked at but didnt ride the London Eye, saw Big Ben, showed linden around where i stayed and ate at my pub, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. Pauls Cathedral, London Tower and the Tower Bridge. We also did a day trip to Oxford which was very cool. The buildings just like Harry Potter and we even saw some bits where they filmed sections. You can see where Queens comes from.

Then after horrible Oyster card debauchles and shite we got our bus to the airport and hit spain. again delayed and ridiculous but made ok with our delicious paella dinner. Now we are staying in the place james and i stayed in months ago and the guy remembers me which is cool.

Yeah, not a whole lot to say at that was a bit sterile but if i dont write it down i will forget. Seriously, check out the photos i uploaded and from carnaval, they pick up the slack when it comes to this blog. Awesome!

Lots of Love to you all, only 3 months left!
Tim (and Linden)

London only this time, we are tourists! remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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As per usual i will begin with an apology for how long it has been since i last wrote! this time it really has been ages!! well that just means i have been having fun, which i have! WE have! Thats right finally I am travelling with Lindo! ill take you back to the beginning.... (this is going to be a LONG post, sorry!!)

So i left you in montevideo and since then i caught the ferry across to B.A. Not wanting to see the city without linden i kept a low profile and chilled out a fair bit. Then I moved into the apartment that I rented for linden and i to stay in for a week! it was awesome! Middle of the night I went out and picked her up and it was so awesome seeing her again! I was speechless for like 10 minutes!!

So ill skim that week in B.A. We visted the Zoo, a park full of feral cats, ate amazing food (including the best steak i have ever had in my life) and just wandered the city exploring. On saturday we decided to head out to Gualeguaychi to see the biggest Carnaval celebration in Argentina! it was awesome!

We chilled down by the river in the very cool town which was overflowing before we got an empanada dinner and hit the carnaval. sneaking in vodka and boozing while we danced and watched was awesome! The girls were all hot and wearing almost nothing so it was fairy enjoyable (dont worry ladies the guys were all fit and semi-naked too).

Finally after hours we collapsed boozily into the bus which took us back to B.A. A days rest before catching the bus to Tandil. Known for cheese. and thats what we got. cheese and wine and it was awesome! I could say a lot more but this blog is already gunna be huge! So basically we had a wicked picnic in a great park and it rained all over us!

The we bussed to Puerto Madryn. Here Linden got her money belt stolen from the hostel. luckily i found it in the bin down the road with the cards in so we didnt have to cancel the cards and the hostel was new and fearing a bad review they reimbursed the money (i have a feeling it was the staff who stole it anyway) sop it all worked out. Then we hired a crappy grey VW golf (Phil) and drove out to the penninsula valdes. it was so cool. we saw sea lions, elephant seals, penguins, armadillos (one cheeky little one nibbled our toes and fingers) but we didnt see an orca (killer whale) eat a cute baby seal like we hoped! We did get chased by a hilarious lama though!

So it was overnight to El Calafate where we saw the fastest moving glacier in the world... i think... something like that. my spanish and listening skills are both lacking. anyway it was freaking sweet! and we did a boat trip down to look closer. have soooo many photos, it was amazing! Then back in town we went for a big walk with a beautiful huskie (Maya) for a sunset before sharing the mixed grill platter thing at the nicest restaraunt in town. haha backpacking huh?

Bussed it to El Chalten before hitting the mountains for a 3 day hike! it was awesome! we glacier after glacier (and their lakes) and the way the sunsets and sunrises make them glow. We even hiked the fairly intense walk up the hill in the dark for the view of Cerro Fitz Roy in the sunset (below) and the other part i cant remember the name of (below that).

Fitz Roy

Other one

So after our awesome 3 day hike we got stuckin the town for another day before doing a 30 hour hit up to El Bolson on a normal bus. NORMAL, so uncomfortable. AND we had the front seat meaning no leg room. AND the front was walled up so we couldnt even see out. just staring at a wall for 30 hours. At least there was a TV.... WHICH THEY NEVER PLAYED ANYTHING ON!!! sigh... im putting it behind me.

El Bolson was a beautiful town where we pretty much went to eat chocolate and icecream... which we did. then on to Bariloche the next day for a repeat of that. A quick excursion out to see the lakes district via local bus and a chairlift before the overnight bus to Mendoza.

Mendoza is a beautiful town. and the wine capital of Argentina, so that was our first point of call. is that a saying or did i make that up? anyway, so we caught the local bus to the district and hired bikes. Then we spent Valentines day riding around wineries and country-side tasting awesome wines. it really was great! And i guess that brings us up to today.

Today we have just gotten home from white (well brown really) water rafting. Neither of us have ever been but it was heaps of fun. If you look at the photo below I am on the far side in the front and that is linden behind me hitting me in the head with her paddle. it was so much fun. tiring as hell but awesome! i think i might be hooked!

So now we are catching the overnight bus back to Buenos Aires before we fly out to London. Sorry that it was so much at once and it was also a little vague but it was a lot to get through!

I hope you are all doing well back home! monkey, plum, sam and jus who all got home safe and house warmings and what not that filters through to me. Im always really happy to hear what you guys are up to. You too mum and dad, i love getting your Sunday email update.

Lots of love to you all.
Tim (and Linden)

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Holá Everyone,

Whew, as usual, sorry it has been so long since i last wrote. I will start by firstly saying hello to the gang who commented on my last blog in Hamburg. So nice to hear you were having a great time and once again it was fantastic to see you all for christmas!

Now since I left you there in Hamburg, I have been busy. A bus to Berlin, followed by a flight to London followed by a flight to Edinburgh. Sam and Jus enticed me onto a bus to Glasgow where I met them. It was awesome to see Jussie again after what seems a million years and lots of fun joking about with Sam again. He really is exactly the same as me and we are both morons.

So I snuck into their twin room and shared the cost of that to compensate the ridiculously inflated prices of that time of year. The next morning it was time to part for a while as they had booked a tour and i just needed somewhere cheap to hide. After hours in the tourist information I found beds in Stirling. It turned out to be the best decision i have ever made as i absolutely LOVED it there. So much history about William Wallace and memorials and what not combined with sunshine and cheap food (I got, a fried egg, a scrambled egg, baked beans, black pudding, haggis, a sausage and 2 fried potato pancakes, all for 2 quid 30p), i had a great day there before meeting James in the evening.

We drank some whiskey and cooked some food before hitting the hay. Next day we wandered about town looking at the castle and mucking about. In the arvo jus and sam turned up and we all went to the best pub of 2007. haha it was pretty good i spose. anyway, we got sucked into a trivia night and did terribly but it was a load of fun. The next day we all met in Edinburgh for Hogmanay.

On the bus i got the best call from the guys back in Oz!!! It was so awesome, the gang were all together and I got to speak to a few of them. Haha, and they sang a song which was funny as! I wish i had had my UK sim so it wasnt costing me so much so i could have talked to all of them. I did get to speak to Swan, Monkey, Greg and Plum and I later got a sms photo from swan, plum ev and jane. I am to understand that Lachie, Nikki and Amy were also there. I felt like i was home again and I cant wait to catch up with you all again when I get home! I love you guys!

After James said he would handle the tickets i was a little pissed off when he didnt get them, especailly when they sold out but we got some scalped tickets and i even got the guy down to just paying the normal fee. then we met james friends and got boozy there before hitting the town. The fireworks we awesome and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers rocked out cover scottish/irish style. a couple more beers and a pass out on the couch was in order.

The next day was spent hungoverly wandering before, jus sam james and i all slept in Sam and Jus´car.... terrible nights sleep had by all. we had some fun though in our misery. In the morning we parted ways and james and I went to the airport. And there we stayed.... all day.... and night... until i left in the morning... but james had to wait until that night... i just want a bed.

A few hours to kill in London I visited the old haunt. Turned up at Paulie´s but he was no where to be seen and not answering his phone. Luckily the front door was wide open so i strolled in and left the gear i needed to leave there with a note and a bottle of Whiskey.

I spent the last of my pounds on some lunch then headed back to the airport to play the waiting game before my flight to Madrid... which was delayed... then my flight from Madrid was delayed. I did sleep fairly well on the plane but it still isnt a bed. Finally Buenos Aires... where i waited for hours and hours for a ferry, then a bus. Then montevideo where i boarded another bus at 1am. which was my next place of sleep. still not a bed. i got 4 hours sleep and arrived in La Coronilla at 7am.

Finally I was there!!! (Sorry this blog is so long, take a break or just skim it. hell just stop reading its ok) Meeting the gang who were all pretty cool before being thrust directly into work. We went out capturing turtles with no success on that first day and by the end of it with a couple of beers i was glad to retreat to the smallest tent ever made (sunburnt as hell).

And here i stayed for 2 weeks, catching turtles, measuring and tagging them, cutting off barnacles etc. Walking the beaches on census, sleeping in sand-dunes, helping build the extension on the shack. Macheteing bamboo and Palms to re-roof the patio thingy, telling kids not to touch la tortuga when we had an education day. getting hungover. etc etc.

Finally it was time to go yesterday and I was sad to say goodbye to the people there. some of them were fantastic but there was no more room and Linden to meet who definately trumps any reason to stay in La Coronilla. So I jumped the bus to Cabo Polonio, then the 4x4 to take me across the dunes to the town on the peninsula with no electricity. Sigh, i should have booked ahead as after a few hours walking in dunes with all my gear and no accom broke my spirit enough to buy a ticket back out and to montevideo. It was then, waiting for a 4x4 that a spanish speaking girl from BA offered me a bed in the house they had rented cos it was spare! Grrrr. oh well, so i took the bus to Montevideo and that is where i am now.

Will put some photos up soon and you can check them out the usual way
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21750162@N05/

Hope you had a great New Year.
Lots of love to you all!
Hutch

Hogmanay to Uruguay remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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A day late yes but you cant expect me to blog on christmas day, we were too busy feasting and sleeping for that! Now, other current events and important dates in order. Welcome home Monkey and Plummers!! wow must be amazing to finally be home after such a huge adventure! Swan and Greg must be over the moon! And Happy Birthday Sammy up in Scotland, ill be there soon! And seeing as this post will be much closer (without going over) than my next one Happy Birthday Linden! Hope you have an amazing beach celebration! Then of course Happy New Year!! Plan for me is reuniting with James and Sam up in Edinburgh along with Jus to rock Hogmany!

But, enough of now and future, follow me now on a journey through time and space... back to a couple of weeks ago in Berlin. Sam and I chilled out a fair bit that first day before we walked all around the city (first on our own then on a free tour) including going down Unter Den Linden, checking out the wall and going into a crazy crackden. Then it was time to celebrate, and that we did knocking back some boots and hitting a club (in tshirts, so so cold between the two) before bed. oh and i bought a new camera.... here are some photos from it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21750162@N05/

Now it was train to Hamburg time. of course we took the cheapest and slowest option getting us in late and there was only really time for dinner and bed. The next day we explored a little down the harbour and met with shirley for a couple of beers. The next day Babs, Bert and Anja took Sam and I out to an Argentinian Restaraunt for a steak which was so so good! mmm, im still full of christmas goose and that steak sounds delicious! then it was time for sam and I to train to Holland!

N!ojh met us at the train station at 2am and showed us to his house in Delft. Awesome catching up with old Roger as all we did the next day was have a short look at Delft (from the top of a church spire) before retiring to his room for drinking, eating, watching episodes and playing a little poker (i still owe N!ojh €5, but he probably wont see penny one from me). Then it was time for us to head off to Amsterdam and let N!ojh get back to studying for his exams.

Amsterdam, was pretty fun. This is where sam and i were to part ways after a pretty fun month so we made sure to enjoy ourselves while there. Cant say we saw much of the city although we did walk every street in the redlight district, although window-shopping was all we did. Other than that we went to some coffeeshops and drank a beer or two, ate some food, the usual. then it was time to part. wont be the same without sammy but we reunite for a couple of days soon.

My trains messed up leaving me waiting for 2 hours then when i did arrive in Hamburg I ran to catch the S-bahn. I ran down the stairs and jumped on the train that was leaving on my platform and as i looked back at the sigh it said that it was not in service... Why were the friggin doors open then? hahaha so i ended up in the train yard parked with all the other trains and had to walk back to the station which took like 20 mins. Luckily i got the last train home with 2 mins to spare. Whew.

Since then I have been in Hamburg living the hedonistic life of amazing food, presents, no job and sleeping. ridiuclous. We have had a couple of outings. I was taken to the Rat Haus (Town Hall) and to a Bach Concert (in the Michael) both of which were really good! The town hall is very ornate which i wasnt expecting and really cool, and the concert was huge, 2000 people and really good! Also today Bert and Anja walked me around Blankenese and showed me where my german roots come from, with a gluewhine of course. But generally Christmas has been very relaxing at the house.

There were kids and a dog and all sorts of fun with presents and the food, i keep coming back to it. Babs outdid herself over and over, culminating in a roast Goose today which was awesome! I hadnt had it before and it was delicious. oh and this is all over the place, but somewhere in there I hit the town with Robbie again. it was a saturday night and everyone was out so i thought i had better be also! so we rocked some random irish pub but it was a heap of fun! I didnt get home till 6am and Robbie fell asleep in the club so theres an indication of how boozed we were.... erg i just remembered all the jagermeister....

So, there you have the past couple of weeks and all my Christmas best wishes so I can get back to my stressfull life. Tomorrow we are off to the beach-house in St Peter.

Ok, take care and have a great new years!
lots of love
hutch

Visiting Germany, Holland and Flavour-Country remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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So you thought i was dead huh? well ive just been busy travelling and getting boozy with Sam of late. Im going to go through the last month as quickly as i can but theres a lot so dont feel bad about skimming or whatever but there are photos on the flickr and I also had to make another new flickr so that should break the monotony of this grueling task.

Oldest one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02/
Old one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/
New one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/21750162@N05/

So I last wrote in Gdansk and from there kicked off to Bialoweiza NP for some bison hunting. turned out much easier to go to the reserve to see them so thats what i did along with a lot of other animals. Um, wolves, elk, los, boars and a lynx. So that was a pretty awesome adventure. Then i made it down to Warsaw for a day of absolutely nothing. I went to the national museum but the line was huge cos it was free on Sundays and i couldnt be bothered so i watched a movie and went to bed. I did go to a Russian Market which was pretty cool but i was already stocked up on all the illegal guns and weapons i needed.

Then it was time for Krakow! what a great town that is! Lots of cool bars, great food, good bunch of people in the hostel. Awesome. Took a day trip to Auschwitz which was a very intense day but im glad i went. Also visited a Salt mine which was cool aswell. Had better reception 100m underground than I get in Benalla, go figure. After all that it was time for a train overnight to meet Sam in Bratislava. A few fun days of boozing and sightseeing and we woke up hungover across the country on a bus to Strbske Pleso. Making drunk decisions to go snowboarding worked out a treat as we boarded the best snow I have even been in! The runs werent that great but the powdered snow with the pre-season lack of crowds was incredible!

After kicking there for a few days it was down to Budapest for hot baths, sight-seeing, kite flying fun. A lot of walking especially when we stormed (walked up) the hill to the citadel overlooking the city. And off to Vienna after a couple of days. In Vienna we cruised the town and got boozy while doing a gluvine and christmas market tour of the city. That was when we again decided to got snowboarding. this time in the Gastein area. Sleeping in Bad Gastein and boarding in Bad Hofgastein. So amazing! check the photos out from there. They are a little out of order but they look incredible!!!

Then a night train to Salzburg. Sadly we skipped town early without seeing the city. We skipped off to Munich. couple of days there with a day trip to Fussen to see some really cool castles and we were confronted with quite a problem. 117 euro each to train to Prague.... so 234 euro or we could just hire a car for 7 days for 339.... hell yes, especially when that 2007 astra twin turns out to be a convertible!! oh it was awesome!

After not being able to part with Black Betty (as we named her) and sleeping in her the first night we checked out the Pilsner Urquell Brewery (the second time for me) and eating a huge meal at the restaraunt there. Haha it was weird a stripper came in to this totally normal restaraunt and gave some guy a lapdance on the table then left. Random as hell... anyway so then we drove off to Prague. Driving in prague was horrible. during peak hour with one way streets and signs we didnt recognise was terrible but we got through and parked in the tighest garage in the world. our fairly skinny car had only millimeters either side even with the mirrors folded in. a couple of days there seeing cool sights and drinking cheap beer with absinth before driving off to Dresden.

A night in Dresden, before an awesome day trip in the convertible with the top down to some sandstone cliffs. photos speak for themselves but it was awesome out there. we had to catch a ferry just to get the the little village before we climbed this huge hill for a view of the area. a great daytrip. Then chilling out with some other aussies and a sheesha bar before bed. Next day we just walked the city and bailed for Berlin, which is where we are now.

Ditching Betty was hard, she had become a part of us but it had to be done, the city is no place for a car like her. she needs to be somewhere she can stretch her legs and feel the wind in her.... top down.... roof....
Anyway so then last night we drank at the hostel bar including an appearance by Das Boot before bed leaving us a little under the weather today and thus blogging instead of sightseeing.

And that brings you back up to date. Sorry for long time no speaky and also for the lack of humour in this blog. I dont really say anything funny that isnt a quite from the mighty boosh anymore since hanging out with Sam.

Anyway, i miss you all and have a Merry Christmas if i dont blog before which i am sure i will.
Lotsa love
Hutchi

A mad mad month - 6 countries later remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hey everyone!

Writing to you from Gdansk, Poland and I'm sure more regulary now that I am a lone wolf.

Ill start from London though. I worked right up until the night before my flight, the whole time with my boss Rob telling me how drunk I had to get on my last night. Knowing that i had to fly and that I would be probably drinking a fair bit with the swan in Prague I was a little worried. So when I was closing on Monday night with no sign of anyone (I was working with the Assistant manager) I was very relieved. Only as i was doing my last job, in walked rob and another bartender with boozing on their minds. Anyway we had a pretty intense hour of shots and pints before wandering off home. good send off i must say!

Then it was time to fly! I made a phone call to a cup day celebration in its final throes and spoke to Linden, Jus and Sam which was awesome before boarding my very rocky flight to Prague. Who should be waiting for me other than my good friend the swamp cheese (Swaney). Awesome!

The first night we wandered the streets and made the worst drink choice ever. I blame him. We bought an ice bucket full of mojito. Terrible. anyway, a good wander later and it was time to retire.

Next morning up bright and early to look for a cheaper hotel then gave in to the ease of just paying the next two nights where we were. We then found out that the brewery we thought was in Prague was actually in a town called Plzen. So we jumped a train 1 hour and 45 mins to the brewery which was awesome! Ate some amazing food consisting of meat...of a pig... i think all of it.... the pig that is.... each! ridiculous. then a pretty cool brewery tour of pilsen urquell which they claim is where the name pilsner comes from and other beers should not be able to be called pils. Anyway, awesome tour and we trooped home. Wandered around a little more and ended up at the casino. where swan doubled his money and i broke even.

Next day, a little less bright we decided to go and look at the Castle. Cool castle and we climbed the 287 (although i counted 295) steps to the top to see the view of Prague. Then we wandered again before chilling out in our room playing cards and watching tv before dinner. Pizza, bars casino, more wins, then more bars. ridiculous!!

So it was time to say goodbye to the swan and to Linden flying to Queensland and out of phone contact. Lonely times but ill pull through. Hung out with a random american before crashing into bed. Early start followed by massive amounts of Train. It was from the train that i saw deer and the biggest snowflakes EVER!! Switching in Berlin to Poznan, Poland...

I needed accom and it gets dark here at 4pm so by the time it was 930pm it was VERY COLD! I walked to the first place which was full. so i went to the second on the list and it was like Queens College but only used as accom during the summer when uni was out. so then i walked all the way into the town square to another place... which was all boarded up and gutted so clearly no longer in use! Although there was still old paint saying hotel. A contrast to the next one which had never been a hotel even though the name and location were right. so i walked all the way out of town to the next most expensive. i had already decided it was my last try and would sleep at the station if i couldnt get in. Ended up getting a suite. Loungeroom bathroom and twin bedroom for 100zl or
$40! I hate Poland flippancy but i sure love Poland prices!

So I trained up to Gdansk after a walk of Poznan in the morning. I got in late so I just found my hostel, had dinner with some different Americans and hit the hay! In the morning i grabbed a tram to the beach. beautiful subzero degree day! and i ripped off my clothes and jumped in the baltic!!! oh yeah! so so so cold. hours later my feet are still numb! totally worth it though! check the photos out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/ or on facebook.

Afterwards i walked the city then wrote you all a blog. Tomorrow im heading off south and east to some lakes so i doubt if i will be contactable for a while. Not that it matters ill still have my phone and check my email which is all i do now anyway.

Lots of love,
Take Care,
Hutchovski

Czeching out Prague and visiting the north pole-and remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hey everyone,

This is going to be a pretty boring entry as I have been up to very little since hitting London. My days consist of one of three things. I either
A) Go to work.
B) Walk around checking out Banksy's and other Street Art
C) Lay in bed way too late and just watch TV all day. (usually hungover)

But i have made the following observations of working in the London Pub Scene.

1. Scottish people are SO damn hard to understand. SO SO SO DAMN HARD!!
2. In England, grown men (even builders) can order Shandys, Tops (which is like a shot of lemonade in the top of your beer), Ciders, Snakebites (half cider, half lager, dash of blackberry cordial) and all sort of premixed girly drinks without their mates or anyone teasing them for being weak.
3. They also often dont finish beers, just buy new ones.
4. Coke is the most popular mixer for Vodka?!?
5. You cant understand a single word a Scot says. I have more luck understanding the French or Germans who come in speaking their native language than the Scottish speaking English.
6. Old English or Irish men have no quarms about dropping the C-bomb at ever possible chance.
7. The English are the laziest race of people EVER! And feel no guilt about sitting down while there are 10 people waiting for beers and only the Aussie (That would be me) serving.
8. Im not even sure Scottish people arent all just taking the piss out of me. They cant really be speaking English. Madness.

But I have good news on the horizon. I only work a split shift on Sunday (all day) then a close on Monday (5pm till close) and i am outta here for the partying to commence with the Swan! Should be rad and I will have a lot more to say when I blog next.

Hope you are all well. And i miss you all heaps!
Check out the awesome street art I have been seeing, especially the Banksy that was done only a few days ago! awesome!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/

Lots of Love
Hutch

No more worky worky, time for drinky drinky. remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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So since we have last spoken it had been quite a journey. From Turkey to Munich, Rothenburg, Frankfurt to London. And i had best start with Munich and Oktoberfest. Now as Im sure many of you are aware how this ended up, you will have to wait as it didnt happen on the first day.

So James and I arrived in Munich, excited and thirsty. We trained to Peter and Julianes house. It was a long way out of town. we were starting to get worried as we left all civilisation and were now speeding through cornfields and forrests. Soon however we got off and as we followed Peters directions we had some breathtaking views over the plains with the alps in the background. wow.

So the house was beautiful and the welcoming hospitality amazing. Showered and refreshed James and I were eager beavers so we went in and joined the laderhosen wearing locals and drunken tourists for a litre or two of Spatenbrau (in the Schottenhamel tent) before training home to meet Sara and Westy at the station. Apparently they couldnt follow the exact same instructions I followed.

So then the next morning we got up to arrive at the fest right when they started serving. Forced to sit at tables reserved after 3pm we thought that would be ok cos we had to be home for a family dinner with Anja and we didnt want to be that drunk. from the flickr photos you can piece together a better memory of it than i can. All i remember is 4 rounds of beers (apparently there was a fifth) then I woke up in the first aid tent. From the bill of €106 i concluded that I was suffering from alcohol intoxication and that I needed to be warmed up for two hours because i had hyperthermia. Anyway, so i missed dinner, am quite embarrassed and dont really know what happened to me at all.

So the next day i had some making up to do. 9am arrival with friends of Anja reserving us a table worked a treat and we were seated while thousands scrambled for places. Not that there was much sitting. The day was filled with snuff-tabac, big lowenbraus and lots of stein swaying singing. Oh and there were twisty cigars. and lots and lots of sausages.

This time i made it home. unscathed, dry and with my dignity although i did have the wobbly boot on. The next day was spent organising our way out of Munich (harder than u think at this time of year) then we left the following morning. To.....Rothenburg.

Rothenburg is and was sweet. A totally walled castle. And James and I finally, Finally, FINALLY, got two single rooms instead of a twin room. And with an amazing breakfast all for €20 each. Oh it was awesome! slept like a baby. And the town is soo cool! its a totally walled, overly bavarian city. We ate like kings, drank like kings and slept like kings. Oh, it was sooo good. Walking the town walls was great and eating amazing (mainly sausage based) meals with amazing (mainly wheat based) beers was just what we needed.

Then it was time to skip to Frankfurt and fly from there to Old Londontown.

London. Ok, so I have no idea where James is living, but i am living in a stinky, small, dirty house sharing a room with Paulie (Lachies mate and old housemate) in White City. Thats west london and I am working in a pub called the Green, in Shepards Bush, which is the next suburb over and about 20 mins walk. Not a bad job. they have cool pump ales that you have to pump into glasses and everyone is pretty cool. I do a lot of waiting on people which i spose is good practice. Oh and on my first night I had a gay guy buy me a drink, a group of 4 chicks tell me im "well fit" and some random chick say "your a very wanted man". when i replied "by who". She laughed and said "by me you prat". I think its just cos im not ridiculously white and I brush my fairly straight teeth. Although my bosses girlfriend came in especially to listen to my accent so I dunno. I think it was just a first day thing as today I got dougnuts (thats means nothing mum).

Anyway, so thats the update. Everything is expensive as hell. and I cook almost all my meals because of that in my stinky little hovel. but its starting to get better. im cleaning slowly.

Theres a couple of pics of Oktoberfest and ill put some Rothenburg pics up soon on the flickr.

Talk soon everyone,
Miss you all as usual. Except you daino, as usual.
Hahaha, nah ur alright daino.

Take care
Hutch

Oktoberfested, Rothenburged then pounded in Londontown remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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As you can see from my map i have been busy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/

So i left you all in Naples with big plans of going to Pompeii. Well those plans came to reality as can be seen in my flickr site. Pompeii was pretty cool but to be honest i dunno. I guess i built it up to much and expected there to be bodies everywhere and other cool stuff whereas almost everything good was removed and put in the museum in Naples which we didnt visit. The plaster casts of the depressions the bodies did leave were pretty cool though, as were the remains of the city. i did really enjoy it but i think i expected more thats all. Apparently Naples has the best pizza in the world and invented it. We went to arguably the best pizza restaraunt in Naples. They only serve Margherita and Napoli and although awesome, not the BEST pizza i have ever had. Actually i think Linden and I have cooked better. Jez im bagging this place out a bit. I really did love Naples, Pompeii and the Pizza I promise!

So after that it was pretty much time to head towards Greece and island time. So we jumped a train back to Rome (where we would fly to Athens). Coincidently our timing got us there on the right day for White Night! A huge festival that covers all of Rome with live music and all sorts of crazy fireworks and parades! It was awesome! I just walked the streets seeing amazing things! I stupidly left my camera at home though. It was sooo amazing to see fireworks and a live band in front of the arch at the foot of the colusseum, breakdancers and just below the palantino on the giant bit of free land there was a huge set up of thousands of coloured lit up globes! Amazing!

So then it was time for the flight which went off without a hitch and we were in Athens. We had to skip the ruins and exploring of southern mainland greece due to the fires but had a great time wandering around Athens. We saw the acropolis and the changing of the guard at both the unknown soldier and at the presidents house. We even checked out the stadium for the first olympic games. So close to jumping that fence and doing a lap... Then it was ferry time to the Greek Party Island Ios. On it we met an Argentinian guy named Andy and I ran into Dirk Heinz from Queens and his mate Matt from Hildas! So we hung and partied with those guys along with some other aussies we ran into in Pamplona and Lagos (Dan, Tab and Kiera). So we had quite a possie as we lay on the beach for 3 days and nights spending the nights partying VERY hard. You may have heard about the fight with the Melbourne Footy Boys on Ios. Yep that happened while we were there. And some random idiot punched me from nowhere while i wasnt looking. Im lucky that didnt turn into a fight because they turned out to be Bra Boys (Sydney Street Gang) and I might have been a lot more than just sorefaced. End of the day i was happy to bail the morning after to Santorini. We hired four wheelers and cruised around the island which was awesome before we lost Dirk, Matt, Robin (Belgian chick) and 2 aussie boys to the Athens Ferry. So it was down to the 5 aussies. We hung out the next day on Mykonos before James and I left for Turkey!

We arrived early in the morning and were pretty happy to just jump a local minibus to some accomodation and hit the beds for a couple of hours. Then it was time to see the ruins of Ephesus. Theyre 2nd century BC roman ruins and theyre pretty cool. The photos can be seen on the flickr. I especially like that latrine photo. Call me a nudist but im a pretty big fan of pulling my pants down with thousands of people around.... hehe, dont worry i waited till the coast was clear. The library there was restored and was pretty damn impressive. I must say now though we have seen about as much roman ruin as any man can handle! The lady who dropped us off was taken to hospital and didnt come to pick us up so we only got a little look at the Temple of Artemis. Which to be honest is just one pillar which we saw from a distance anyway. So theres a wonder of the ancient world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis

The next morning we caught a bus down to Fethiye (pronounced Fet-Heeya, i have heaps of trouble with the pronouniation) and we chilled out a fair bit there as we waited for our cruise to start the next day. The roads here are really good and all through the mountains they have 3 lanes. its awesome and it just changes between solid and dashed lines on the bends so you can overtake when u can see and cant when u cant. genious! GENIOUS!

So the next morning we jumped our bus to Kas (cash) and boarded our cruise. Our yacht was called Blue Key and was awesome. 8 cabins and heaps of deckroom. Check out the photos! On board there were 4 Aussie chicks (18yr olds from Perth), 2 South African guys and 1 other Aussie from Melbourne. Plus Crew. And basically we just cruised around swimming and playing games during the day. And boozing and playing drinking games at night. Awesome fun. i must have a yacht one day! oh it was nice! just lying around playing backgammon and asshole (dont worry mum its a card game, hahahaha). Just what i needed after the stress of being on holiday for 4 months.... more holiday!

Then we got off the cruise just in time for the end of the South Africa VS Tonga rugby match which was fun to watch with the South Africans! Afterwards there was time for net, and a supermarket dinner run before james and i did the double buses through the night to arrive in Cannakle (chan-ackle-eee). Exhausted we grabbed some kebabs and hit the internet before passing out for about 13 hours sleep. This morning we visited the horse they used in the movie Troy because although we are very close to the ruins they are apparently not worth seeing so the photos will do us.

And in about 30 mins we are off to do the tour of Gallipoli which is going to be quite a lot to take in. ill write about it as soon as i can. So thats where i leave you all.

Sorry this one hasnt been very humerous! ill vomit and poo myself in the next few days to liven it up for ya.

Lots of love to all of you.
Hutch

Rome, Athens, Greek Islands and Turkey remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Oh some big days since I last wrote!
And i filled my flickr site and had to start a new one!
So theres some new photos in my old one, and a few in the new one. check em out here!

Old one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02/
New one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/12650085@N02/

Ok so since we last spoke, I have caught a horrible train from Barcelona. The first train was ok. same old same old. then the next train was the overnighter from the border of Spain to Nice, France! it sucked! i hated it. James had the window and the guy in front of me was reclined until he touched my knees. The guy across the aisle from me had his knees out into the isle. and the lights were off. scene set. Ok, so i was trying to sleep and the guy in front, whenever he sat up the seat went forward so when he leaned back it crashed into my legs really hard waking me up about 4 times. Also because the guy was blocking the aisle, people walked my side, bumping my shoulder and waking me about 5 times. but also they stepped on my foot about 4 times. and it bloody hurt. i didnt sleep until finally the guy across from me got off the train and i moved to his window seat and put my pash (turban/blanket/towel) over my head and hide-slept for 2 hours. Seriously came as close to punching a girl as i think i ever have as one stepped on my foot then hit me in the face with her bag and didnt look back. Grrrr.

so we finally got to Nice, i had a coffee and a bagette which was.....Nice.... then back on the train to Genova. We immediately jumped on a train to Cinque Terre and after 2 hours or so we stumbled into the last town in the Cinque! Met at the train we were offered accomodation from this cool old Italian guy called Sergio. The Serge was awesome and so was his fantastic apartment. he did our washing cooked our food (we bought it and planned to cook but he just saw the ingredients took them, added some of his own and got stuck in) just generally looked after us so well.

So we are in this Amazingly beautiful set of 5 towns along the italian coast and you can walk between them. they recommend you do it over a few days. James and i did it in one day as we are hardcore and it really was amazing. fairly strenuos but my god the views. Some photos of that walk in my flickr. And the snorkelling was great! ooh the water was beautiful! until I found an underwater pass that was about 10m long. I tried to swim underneath and got a bit of a way in and got scared. when i turned around a wave pushed me into the rocks and i shredded my feet. shown in my flickr aswell. Walking has been interesting and plentiful since (ideal for painful feet)

so after a couple of amazing pizza, beer, walking and swimming filled days it was time to train to Pisa. We walked to the tower and took the tourist photos. then grabbed some terrible pizza and back to the train for Florence. The tower was cool but it was all i could be bothered with in Pisa. What a Pisa piss? ahahaha i am hilarious!

Florence! We arrived and found a fairly average hostel. walking around the city was amazing! So much history and art. i cant even explain it. Then we found a bar and the night gets very very hazy. so hazy in fact that i went wandering and got in right on 1am curfew (all of which i dont remember) but james who got in before 1am went looking for me and ended up spending the night on the street after being locked out! The next day i was so hungover i managed nothing all day but to go back to the pub in the evening before bed.

Now it was time for David! oh my god! he is incredible! absolutely perfect! and the way he is positioned and the room he is in! oh! just wow. hes so imposing but incredibly godlike. i dunno, he is huge! and entirely in proportion. absolutely perfect. the rest of the museum was pretty crap though. And then it was time for Donotellos David. Much smaller and made of brass, but still really good (not a replica but Donotellos version of the same goliath killer). and i really liked it. Both museums were no photos allowed. but google them if you want.

Then james and i chilled a fair bit before walking up to michelangelos plazza. There is a big david replica and its got a great view of the city. then it was time to use the net and pass out early.

Rome was the next destination and finding accomodation was hard. We stayed at a place called David's Flat. Thats just what it was. A flat with beds. gross stinky beds. needless to say we moved the next day. that evening though we saw trevi fountain and the spanish stairs for sunset! both really cool romantic places which just made me miss Linden but still awesome to see. I threw a coin into the fountain which means i will return to rome. James threw in 3 1c coins which means he will return, fall in love with an italian and marry him/her. But i reckon u get what u paid for and he wont get anything he likes for 3c! I hope he/she has a moustache...

Then we hit the spanish steps with some irish travel buddies we found to drink beers and relax. Im glad i had been drinking by the time we got home cos it was awefully smelly and gross. but in the morning with a full day planned i was less grateful. in the morn we went straight to st peters which was huge and awesome! we walked around and mucked about a bit. Confessing our various sins... you can see on the flickr... then it was time for the colluseum.

i cant believe it! i felt it! I FELT IT! there was tourists sucking the life right right out of it everywhere and as i walked in, through that corridor. i FELT what the roar of the crowd would have been like. wow it would have echoed. Life used as entertainment. one ruler had 9000 gladitators fight at once. (I had been readin about it leading up to it) my god though the disgusting waste of life and it was all done there. i kept thinking as i walked around. the blood spilt on this stone right here. if i was in that ring on one of those days i would have just been one of 9000 forgotten souls. i dunno, blew me away. did start to make me realise again why i wanted to see the world. cos the world is disgusting and beautiful and just so real. really awesome!

Sorry for the emotional sidenote there... The place was immense! Then it was time to wander about in the Palantino. So tired from everything. and to be honest, it was just more ruins. and the Roman Forum which was next was MUCH more impressive! We even got on the end of a tour for the last bit and the guy was awesome! He told us all about where Ceasar was killed and stuff. James and i have been reading a fictional story based on historical events concerning julius' life so it was amazing to see stuff like the forum. Then it was time for us to collapse into our hostel. we were about to go hunt down some drinks and food when the hostel supplied us with a bunch or pizzas. then they brought out a vodka punch all for free. best hostel ever, until this one! and they sold beers and we spent the evening relaxing and chatting to an american guy until it was time to pass out again into bed.

Again we dragged ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour to appreciate rome. Even though I was tired i had a Vati-Can attitude and we headed to the Sistine Chapel. The line was over a kilometer long. it stretched all the way to the big square in front of st peters for those of you who have been. thats huge!!!! biggest line i have ever seen. so our Vati-Can attitude became Vati-Cant and we went home to chill for 2 hours. When we got back we walked straight in! Nice! and the museums were cool but it was all about the Chapel. Its amazing. way too crowded. no photos allowed. (my camera went off by accident i promise.... no point deleting it though....) and it was incredible. but at the same time, entirely not my thing. i appreciated it, but didnt like it. i dont like religious art. anyway, it is very impressive though.

Then it was time to train to Naples, connect to our suburb and come to this hostel. This hostel is sweet and we need a break so badly so we are doing nothing today. and nothing tomorrow before hitting Pompei in two days time. oh im looking forward to it. Naples has the best pizza in the world and i am going to go eat some more soon.

Lots of love,

Send me emails you jerks. You are all out of my will! (actually the only ones in are my bro and sis, but its not hard to change if thats more motivation for you to email.... and come to think of it they dont email me either! Sara is bringing me stuff when i meet her in a month, and hooked something up for me in melb but Nicks share is up for grabs!)

Hutch.

Rome-ing around Italy remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I last wrote to you from Morocco and i guess a lot has happened since then which i will quickly run over.

It was all a bit of a hassle, as is the Morroccan way, to get out of town and I picked up a horrible sandwich on the way out of the country before boarding the ferry....

Morocco just had to give me one big salmonela kick in the arse on my way out! (well some sort of food poisoning). I really do wish i was such a pretty flower when it comes to internal bacteria warfare! So anyway, Aquaman I rebecame for the next few days. (on antibiotics again and doing strong!)

So we hit Tarifa (Spain) and wander about for a couple of hours. we missed the last bus to Seville that day and there wasnt a bed in the whole town. Saddened and tired we drowned ourselves in beer at the bar. On hearing our woes the bartender offered to let us leave our bags behind the bar at closing time and because he sleeps next to the door on the couch, we can knock and get them early. So we happily wandered down to the beach when the bar closed. Sleeping on the beach served to be both cold and once the beer wore off (i got a couple of hours sleep) impossible.

But it was VERY cheap! So the next morning we tiredly and grumpily boarded the bus to Seville. This was the first time james and i had to share a double bed this trip. but ill get to that later. So we wandered around that day! First Seeing the Palace which was very cool, before seeing the Biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world... i think....
Anyway it was pretty damn cool! Check out the photos here!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

That night we chilled upstairs at the hostel and ate Paella! awesome! lots of beers and i was ready for bed at midnight. james stayed on. at 2am james woke me to go to bed. on realisation that we had an aircon he walked back to reception (a building about 5 mins walk away, cos we were in a townhouse not the main hostel) to get the remote. I fall back to sleep before i hear james calling me from below the balcony to throw down his wallet for a 20 euro deposit. So i get up and throw his wallet at him before passing out again. ONLY to be woken again as he swears his head off at them giving him the wrong remote. So he went back again and i fell asleep again. AGAIN he swears his head off with another wrong remote before falling down beside me. Finally i angrily drift off to sleep....

TO BE WOKEN BY MOTHER F@!#ING JACKHAMMERS BELOW OUR BALCONY!!! Literally cliche jackhammers at 7am. So lous and they shook the whole building!!!! My god i was so angry. The words james and I yelled as we tried to sleep for the next hour would have made a sailor blush! the C word featured above all! GRRRRRR

I will upload a photo soon of the jackhammering bastards so you can see just how close they were. If there hadnt been a cage on our balcony i could have elbow dropped down on them.... I wish Macho Man Randy Savage had been there.... he would have known what to do.... OOOOHHH YEAH!

So again we have had a tough nights sleep but that was slightly lessened as we spent pretty much the entire day at wither the internet cafe or on the hostel roof in the spa drinking beers. oh yes, they had a spa. but then it was time for an overnight bus to valencia on which i got a total of 2 hours sleep. oh you bastard. the only thing that kept me going was the positivity of the pop punk (also known as pussy punk) music from New Found Glory. So we roll into Valencia and the hostel that i booked (in my sleepless stupor) was actually booked for the NEXT night! needless to say, profanities were used...

So we wandered until we found a decent youth hostel and I collapsed in a heap in my bed. That night i made on excursion to the supermarket for dinner before hitting the hay again. ONLY TO BE WOKEN BY A F@#KERS MOBILE PHONE ALARM WHICH HE SNOOZED 6 TIMES!!! In a dorm room! what a.... insert C word....

Anger slowly subsided in the presence of the only holy grail the vatican recognise and by the time i got the to the greatest (but most expensive) aquarium i have ever seen I was pretty happy again!! Oh it was awesome. im uploading so many photos at the moment but i wasnt allowed to use flash and the combination of my lack of camera skills and my auto settings lack of dark photo skills left them lacking. Oh Beluga Whales are the Coolest! i flashed one, cos i couldnt get a good shot, as it surfaced and it could have been coincidence but he screamed!!! so lous and everyone had to cover theyre ears!! Oh and there were seahorses!! i love them. just awesome and huge. i think it was designed by the same guy who did our opera house but it could all be lies!

So that was awesome but then it was time to jump ship to Barcelona! Our bus got in pretty late and we wandered around for ages lookinf for a place to stay before 2 american chicks came out of nowhere to tell us there was room at theyre hostel. sweet. we dropped our bags grabbed some dinner and some beers before stumbling to bed at 4am.

The next day, mildly hung we were kicked out of that hostel and walked for 2 hours before finding a new one. Actually the much shitter twin of the one from Valencia. and more expensive! jerks...
So we grabbed lunch then showers and met back up with the girls to see Gaudi´s house of Bones. Im just going to say this now cos i could rant at you for decades, but Gaudi is awesome! So freaking good! The thought he went through and the designs are amazing. I could seriously just go nuts but ill hold... Awesome!

Check the photos once i upload them and you will understand!

Then we bought a watermelon and wine before hitting the park for homemade awesome sangria and chilling. Broken slightly by a broken bottle fight, but no one got stabbed. intense though! then a walk along the beach before again passing out at 4am. erg, i just want some sleep.

So the next day it was james and i again and we piss farted around all day. i used the net a heap and james slept and eventually we dragged ourselves to Gaudis Sagrada Familia before hitting his Park Guell! There was an escalator up this massive hill to the park! awesome! and the cathedral (sagrada familia) was amazing!!! again the ranting could commence but ill let the photos speak for themselves!!! he really was the bomb though!!

then it was supermarket and bed time for me. Today all we have acheived is to buy our tickets to train our way to genoa (Genova) in Italy and come here to the internet cafe to blog. so thats where i leave you i guess. hungry and tired of typing in Spain. And Leaving spain too! bitter sweet but excited for Italy. will get back to france later.

Miss you all lots!

The Hutch. (I am bringing that name in cos i feel at least 20% more like a super hero with the ´The´)

Leaving Spain as its starting to rain remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It's finally time to hit the road, back to Spain and hassle free walks down the street. But also expensive rooms, travel and food. It is definately time to go though. Morocco has been amazing and we have enjoyed it so thouroughly.

Now, the last few days. After i last wrote we did a tour. we walked up a mountain to a ruined mosque. from the the views of the town were awesome. It was incredibly hot and hard work climbing so i went shirtless to Plummers' obvious disgust. From there we continued up the ridge line until the ground fell away into a bit of a hidden valley. here we found the fields. Marijuana plants everywhere! Lots of funny photos and mucking around. they also show people how to make it up there and all in all it was a pretty cool tour.

There was a fair group of us there and we are all staying at the same hotel so we hung out that night. dinner and sheeshas. I can blow smoke rings, as seen on facebook. (Im quite proud of myself) then a retreat to the terrace for cards and sleep. It has now been about a week that i have slept on the ground on a terrace.

The next morning we rocked the kasbah of Chefchouen. Its small but still better than Fes. then it was time to go out to the waterfall. After about a 40 minute drive and a 40 minute walk up a valley. (every direction you could see the signs of crops hidden in the mountains) then we got to the falls. To start there was a jump of about 5 meters and a swim to the next of about 3m. then about 2m and 2m and 2m before we climbed out up the cliff. It was pretty fun jumping and swimming downstream. Then it was time for the big one. a 12m plunge off a cliff. Awesome only i bruised my arm pretty badly cos i had it out when i hit the water! Then when we had climbed up again, i wanted to take a photo of the jump but instead i stepped on a bee and nearly fell of the stupid cliff! I hate bees. they are my mortal enemies! So needless to say the walk back was painful. and today for that matter.

So when we got back the same ritual occured of dinner and sheesha. this again was followed by cards and bed. Today we got up slow and have chilled the day away pretty much. i bought a sheesha pipe that i will attempt to mail home in one piece from spain. then we went to the public swimming pool. it was hilarious. we walked in, James, I and 3 english chicks. we walked in and there was about 150 local boys aged between 6 and 16. hilarious, i dont think these boys had seen a bikini before and the crowd that surrounded us was so huge. they stared and giggled the whole time we were there. it was a good pool and pretty fun though.

Then it was time for dinner and now the guys are watching movies while i regale you with near-extinct morrocan word nourishment.

Oh yeah and i uploaded some photos the other day so check em out on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

Miss you all, cant wait to hear from you.
The Hutch.

No More-occo remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Again, its been a while and i seem to like typing more and more so im sure i am going to start loosing a few of you. but i like typing lots so the rest of you will have to deal with it

Ok, so we are back in Meknes. It was really good with my new lease on life of getting the local price and being more polite. it has been working well and Meknes was great. A very imperial city with lots of castle like walls everywhere! very cool. We slept on the roof on the ground which is great and cheap. the stars are amazing to look up on and fall asleep to. so we woke up and decided to hit some ruins out of town. We walked to the taxi stop and were offered a tour for 300dh to take us there and back. we decided to opt for the 10dh taxi to a town close to the ruins. it was 4.5 kms from this town but before we got there i spotted the turn off and it said 3kms to the ruins. we jumped out there saving ourselves 1.5kms walk.

Strippin off our shirts in the strong country sun every car tooted their horns at us as james and i sunscreened. it continued as we walked with people hanging out of cars and yelling things. all friendly though. some wolf whistles and stuff. I spose it would look funny. two white boys in the middle of nowhere walking in the hottest part of a hot day without shirts on and big smiles on their faces waving at cars. a car pulled over about half way and gave us a lift. he wouldnt take the payment i offered (money, i saw your sick minds going somewhere else) and we were there.

Volubilis. Awesome roman style ruins built in 200AD and some parts of it were earlier. so i probably dont need to mention it could use a bit of work. hehe, it was rubble but awesome. there were aquaducts and all mills with all sorts of other cool houses fountains and ruins. big arches were the grandest pieces and i would have really liked to see a model or image of what i had been like in its time.

Afterwards an Italian guy approached us and we shared a taxi back to Meknes. Chilled away a day and met up with some other Aussies. One from Frankston (James) and one from Ascot Vale (Gill) but the both live in London now. Weve been hanging with them ever since.

Another night on the terrace before hammering across on the train to Fes. Fes is huge and pretty damn amazing. the medina (marketplace) is the biggest in the world with 900 streets and 13 big gates (or something likfe that). it was nuts. we wandered all around it before climbing a big hill to a mausoleum on top. here we looked down on the town and took photos. We also found the Kasbah which was supposed to be big and awesome. it was a fair bit short of that. i tried to rock it but only succeeded slightly. I will try to rock the next one harder!

So after a big day we hit some bars for some brewskis! a wicked hotel with a pool admitted us in our dirty wifebeaters and thongs and we downed a few cold ones before headin toward Riad Fes. Apprently the classiest place for a drink in town. GOD it was all that and more. water features, themed rooms, complimentry olives (and pickles and nuts) that never ran out and great apple tobacco in sheesha pipes. easily the nicest place i have ever been for a drink and we had a great time.

Stumbling home i passed out on the roof again. we have been sleeping on the roof for over a week now. The next morning we hit the tanneries to see how they make all the leather. Its a dangerous job as they work with lots of lime and other things that burn the eyes and skin. i got some great photos but the place stank like mad! hard on a quesy stomach! Ive actually mixed it up and all that took two days with us hitting Riad Fes again in that time. so 2 nights on the fes rooftop terrace.

Then it was time to bust off to Chefchouen. the Marijuana capital of the world. apparently all the best weed and hash you find in Amsterdam comes from here and they also supply all of morocco and southern europe! its all still illegal but the beauty of africa is that it is africa and everyone can be bribed. The city is amazing though. so chilled out and entirely painted blue. heaps of cool stuff and lots of hippies. a great place to relax i think. Soon we are planning to do a tour of the weed fields and learn how to make our own hash. haha, vital world skills. it should be fun though and like the cocaine museum in bolivia, very interesting. So anyway we rolled into town last night and everyone we have seen has tried to sell us hash. it really is beautiful here and the rooftop we slept on last night the best yet. actual matresses (although thin) certainly do take the edge off the hard concrete. Although i must admit my back has been feeling pretty damn good this last week.

Especially since this morning i was waiting for a shower and it was taking to long. Me and Frankston James decided to hit the Hammam (public baths) for a shower and a massage. for 6 euro we were scrubbed and rubbed from top to bottom by a little man with a moustache. he was awesome! i am white again. turns out i didnt even have a tanm i was just dirty. a shave (dont worry, just my neck, that beard aint going anywhere) and an orange juice to finish and i was a new man. really awesome! he even washed my hair and beard.

So that is where you find me. clean and relaxed in a blue town waiting for the hash tour to start and killing time.

As per usual i would love to hear from you all and what you are up to. and i miss you all so much.

Lots of Love
Hutch

Everyones Smoking Moroc-cones remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Sorry its been so long. Lack of communication while i am in Africa is probably a bit worrying for you mum, but i promise everythings been awesome! Ok now so much has happened since i wrote last so this is going to be really big. REALLY big. Go to the toilet, get something to eat, maybe a glass of wine and put some music on. I currently have old Greggs song about love games in my head from the mighty boosh if you really want to set the scene.

Ok, so when I last wrote i was in Marrakech. After writing that post i kinda went into a bit of a recluse and didnt have much contact with Australia for a while. I was in a pretty bad mood, Marrakech can do it to anyone, and when james and i tried to look around at the palaces, my heart really wasnt in it. We decided to hit the Hammam (public baths) before leaving but some guy we asked for directions took us there and they tried to charge us heaps. we could see the prices and the guy actually kicked us out because we wouldnt pay 5 times the normal price. I was in such a shitty mood. My face actually kept the constant hassling to a minimum as we walked back to find a taxi to the bus station. We get there and they make us run to jump on the bus leaving for Casablanca at 1pm.

The bus is still sitting in the station at 230pm as people argue over seats and fight with drivers and all sorts of crap. the bus tries to drive off as an old lady is getting on and everyone starts fighting again. insane! and its about 55 degrees with no wind or aircon. agony. frustrating horrible agony. and i was already in the worst mood i have been in since i left! i was really ready to snap. had i spoke the language and there a point to it i would have yelled my arse off. Basicallym a horrible bus trip. half way we stop at a servo. people jump off but the bus is moving again in like 3 minutes. everyone starts yelling at the driver and fighting again cos someone was left behind. he wont go back. just bullshit. anyway so we finally get off and were in Casablanca. Heres looking at poo kid!

So i look at the lonely planet and there is a map of casa. i find the bus statin and start walking. i ask a million taxis who all give us bullshit distances and prices. furiously we decide to walk. we just kept asking which way the medina is. (the cheap hostels are always in the medinas) we walked for about 1.5 hours with all our gear and I must admit, i was still f@#king furious when we got there. A relax and some food soon calmed me down a bit. but it was quite the ordeal so i thought i had better mention it. its relevant later.

So we spend a couple of days in Casa, we visit the beach and the 3rd biggest Mosque in the world (The biggest in Africa). its quite a good city. and the shoping is great there too. I now own articles from the following designers.
Ralph Lauren
Armani
Tommy Hilfiger
Von Dutch
Burberry
All genuine articles that must have just been on a mad special or something.

Also in Casa I randomly met a moroccan who spoke awesome english waiting to use the bathroom in the hotel. His name was Tarik and we had a small chat about ourselves. Then the next night we run into him in the street and we start talking. he is a 3d modeller for ubisoft and other game designers. really interesting and really good at what he does. He invites us to go and stay with him in his small town near Rabat. See the real Morocco!

Best decision we have made. Up until now we have been hassled and ripped off. really used for our money and given nothing less then triple price for taxis. He really did show us the true morocco. The morocco that had not been tainted and perverted by tourism. where the people we genuine and the most welcoming i have met. We were instantly part of the family. hugged and kissed on both arival and depatures. given amazing food. just really welcome. ill take you through it.

So we get up in the morning in Casa and go to the Hammam for a shower (or douche in french). then we meet up with Tarik and his friend Yousef. Then we grab a train to Rabat. From there we grab a quick sandwich and jump in a crazy cow. Thats what they call the big taxis here. Theyre old mercs like dainos one, and they put 6 passengers in them. driver and 2 in the front, 4 in the back. Theyre called crazy cows cos theyre big stupid things and they drive them like rally cars. And they pack you in so hard. In one of the ones we caught today james and i were so squashed we had to syncronise our breathing with one going in and one out. otherwise it was too tight if we both went in at the same time. nuts!

So we grab a crazy cow to Tiflet. Tarik's town. We go to his house which is beautiful. (hes kinda well of for a moroccan) his family is amazing. one brother and two sisters, all younger and as soon as we walk in we are given an amazing spread of tea and homemade cakes. We sit and talk before showers then off to a cafe. we meet some of his friends and move on to another cafe. theyre all about the same age as me and james. and so similar to what we are like in Oz. We sat around and made jokes about how gay the other guys were and they told us some crazy stories. Its very different here, 'buying' women is fairly normal practice. and the cafe we were at was just the place to do it. We didnt and neither did they (that night, they had before and im sure would again), but they pointed out who was a 'lady of the night' and who wasnt and how much they were worth.

Tarik was the most liberal and new age muslim i have ever met, but he still came out with some pearlers when talking about women. I was asking him what i should wear in his house, whether a singlet was ok. He said, 'You are a man, you can wear/do whatever you want!' then he threw back his head and laughed whole-bodily. Very different. And it was true, u ask him what was in the food or how it was made and he had no idea. it was womens business etc. just a different culture. dont get me wrong i love this guy, we had big chats about terrorism, muslim religion and all sorts of things and he has the right idea about just about everything. just behind on the whole equal rights movement, old morocco.

So that night we went back to one of his friends place and chatted and played xbox. just like home. sigh. then we grabbed some food on the way home. masses of bbqed meat and olives eaten with bread. awesome. then it was time for bed. In the morn we were given a huge breakfast and left to meet hs friends again. we chilled out at various cafes. it seems that is all they do here. before going home for an amazing moroccan feast of lamb with apricots and dates. then back out to the cafes until dinner. dinner was an amazing moroccan soup. then we bought some beers and the moroccans bought the biggest block of hash i have ever seen. I dont smoke hash so i bought beers and wine but i shared it with them. They cant drink or smoke at all and especially this close to ramadan so i dunno what was going on but they got wasted. I drank a few beers and wine and mainly just watched them smoke. between 6 of them the smoked an over 10g block of hash. it was nuts! we played pro evolution (video gam) all night. its all they play actually and everyone is amazing at it. i have years of practise and couldnt score a goal. seriously incredible guys even when baked out of theyre brains.

So we sleep randomly all over the house (not tariks but his uncles) and we wake up late. we were supposed to be home 10am to go to a farm that his whole family goes to once a month. i have to wake tarik up cos theyre all so scattered and hungover and im feeling good as i only had a few beers and some wine and james and i are the only ones who didnt smoke ourselves into oblivion. So we are late but its ok cos were men and we jump in a crazy cow and go off to the farm. The farm is awesome with the family around. we just eat, get teased in arabic and sleep there. Tagine for lunch and amazing crepes and panacake stuff for afternoon tea. so relaxing and chilled out. its amazing what they can grow in sand too. with just bore water.

Then its back to Tariks for dinner. Seriously theyre killing me with kindness. the food is incredible. an awesome tagine, way different to the one at lunch. this was mainly egg and meat. then james and i use the internet and catch up with guys at the cafe before going to bed.

Finally to today. Wake up slowly and have a big breaky as per usual. For lunch the whole family is home and we have cous cous cos its friday. The father of the family gives us hats that he has made and tells us he will make us free suits if we come back. They say to bring our families next time and he actually says, 'you eat with us the cous cous so now you are family too' It was soo good. They will not accept money or any sort of payment, so i gave the youngest a koala keyring and gave tarik my australian flag towel. James gave him his australian tshirt. They really changed my whole perception. i have been unable to rip off since as i have a real idea. i know proper manners and i understand the people much better.

The world has really turned its back on africa. Tarik cannot even catch a quick 1 hour ferry to spain. he cannot buy things on ebay cos his credit cards arent accepted. The mayor of his town bribes people to elect him and then spends 99% of the money on himself. apparently to buy a horse farm in america. and they can do nothing because anyone else they elect will do the same. when i was appaled by this he just said. its africa. He can not even really get into australia. not even as a tourist without having an amazing amount of money in his account, a person to vouch for him and paying a huge fee. Its disgusting.

So after this we parted ways, kissing and hugging the whole family, my second moroccan family, before getting a crazy cow to another small town. a quick change to another crazy and on to Meknes. This is where we find ourselves now and where i will leave you. (dont worry mum, you're still my real family! and they would love to meet you if youre ever out this way you should drop by).

Sorry that was such a big post, and not nearly as humerous as the last. the last few days have been awesome, heart warming and powerful. Hanging out with someone elses friends and family both felt good but also bad cos i miss mine so much. It really turned me around on africa, up until now it has been a bit of an effort but now i really do feel i understand a bit better and i hace noticed a giant difference in how i am being treated.

Ok, i miss you all. and id love to hear from you all about what you've been up to. even you Igor.

Lots of love
Tim

Moroccan Life in Tiflet remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Since we last talked i have had access to exactly 0 usb ports and will strive to upload some new photos now as i have access to 2.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

Ok, now down to business. Thank you Sam, my only true friend for commenting. Although it was disjointed and a little confusing, good to hear from you mate. The rest of you are dead to me. Obviously except you mum and linden, you both email me seperately, and i love you both (In VERY different ways)! Nick, Daino, Swaney, Greg Etc. Dead.

Ok, since insane Marrakech which by the way i saw the highest heat i have even seen, about 40 mins west of Marrakech. I saw a big LED thermometer sign saying it was 55 degrees and as i was sitting on a bus that had no windows and broken aircon i reckon i was in even hotter heat.

Ok, so since Marrakech we grabbed a bus down to the coast directly west in the sweltering heat to a place called Essaouira. We drove through heaps of desert like plains and down to the beautiful town on the ocean. There were millions of little twisters everywhere. At the bus station we met 4 spanish guys and a spanish couple who we got along really well with. I have many a place to stay in Basque country now which is cool. So we basically just chilled in a pleasant climated beach town for 2 days and hung out with ze spanish. James and i had a great room on top of a big building so we had an awesome breeze and view.

Then we busted a move back to Marrakech where we said goobye to the spanish guys and because we couldnt stand the heat, we headed to Ouarzazate near the sahara to escape..... i know, idiots.

We rolled in to town about 2am and passed out in the cheapest hotel we could find. cockroaches but really nice guys running it. In the morning we organised our camel trip into the sahara and jumped in a taxi to get there. I really dont want to go into the details seperately cos it will make me mad. We ended up paying double as much as we should and after they made us pay the total halfway, they tried to coax us out of the taxi to get a coffee. No freaken way! You got the money you jerks, but at least we got to M'hamid.

It was a giant mood swing the second we rolled out of the taxi. Greeted by some really really nice hotel staff (amplified by the fact that we were the only guests) and given some omeletes, i started to calm down. the hotel was also very cheap and the hotel staff and some nomads stayed up talking to us for hours and hours. They even walked us out of town and we sat in the moonlit sahara while they sang songs in arabic.

The morning consisted of breakfast followed by green water expelled from my butt at high speed. I cant explain the colour or the fact that i am constantly sick! I perservered and soon we were atop our excellently named camels, chewbacca and chickenbutt. Their really names Mohammad and Loot. I kinda just kept calling them wingus and dingus. Anyway, Chewbacca really did sound like his namesake and would not shutup when being loaded up.

So with our guide Mohammad we rode Loot and Mohammad out of the town M'hamid (pronounced Mohammad) into the Sahara. After a bit we found an oasis (no water) and settled down to sleep off the midday heat. I was unable to eat lunch and am now very proficient at digging holes in sand and filling them with green water. We slept for hours in the ridiculous heat until finally it cooled slightly. We set off again into the dunes (which i might add, get VERY hot) and im proud to say i held off the green feeling until we stopped to camp for the night.

Sadly when i dismounted i erupted green water from the mouth and just barely, barely held the green in down below. Sorry for being so graphic, it was a big deal to me at the time. You try being in the desert where you need to drink 7.5 litres of water per day when you are a dragon breathing green fire from both ends. Now thats dehydration. Anyway so i emptied then settled down on the big dunes for dinner. an awesome tagine.... that i couldnt eat.

After a while we moved up onto the top of the dune to sleep. Mohammad (the nomad, not camel, town or prophet) sang and drummed a water tank for us. The desert at night is the most silent place i have ever been. there is nothing. when the wind stops, nothing at all. and the sky! if i had not had a full moon the stars would have been breathtaking. to be honest it was anyway.

A perfect place for reflection and thought. so calm and serene. you feel so insignificant. I dunno maybe it was just me and the dehydration but i got some good thinking done out there. Sadly I forgot the meaning of life shortly after realising it.... something to do with xbox. nope cant remember.

Later i was rudely awaken by a sandstorm! we were totally buried in sand and i soon learned to enjoy having every orrafice full to the brim with sand. Jez, I really am graphic today. Luckily i had the pash/turban/sandmask Linden gave me nearby and just went back to sleep.

In the morning we got up and packed after breakfast. Back on the camels, and i must say at this point my butt was pretty damn sore from everything its been through. I dont think even swaney's butt could take that much humping from a camel without getting sore. So we rode until we got to a well surrounded by nomads, camels and donkeys. Lots of cameltoe and ass if you get my drift.

We hung out with the nomads and they were very impressed with james' ipod and my leatherman. shocked at the value though. then after a sleep through the midday heat it was time to be heading back to M'hamid.

I left some things out so i hope i can cover some stuff with my observations,

Camels have humerous shaped feet.
They poo and fart extraordinary amounts.
Everything is named Mohammad.
A turban/pash is essential. and really easy to tie once you get the hang.
The desert, in africa, in summer is hot.
Sand, when left in the above conditions, also hot.
Green compliments orange sand well.
Dehydration is the coolest.
Water from underground has potential to be very smelly.
Nomads like singing.
To really enjoy the desert you must like sand
and wind
and combinations of the two.

Overall though, a really awesome experience. I did it hard but it was totally rewarding.

Cant wait to hear from you all soon. Hope everything in Oz is going well. Hope you got home safe Greg and your trip was awesome!

Lots of Love
Hutch

Humped nearly to death in the Sahara by a camel remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02/

Also you know when i said my phone wasnt working... i lied. It seems to have reception now. yes i can picture you all jumping to your mobiles to message me. dont worry, i just wanted to clear up my blatant lie.

talk soon.

Hutch

Ok so im back! But with new photos remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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First of all, The computers here have arabic keyboards so i have to put it in english and touch type so get off my back about spelling daino or i will have sam take over spitting in your mouth while you are asleep. actually sam, start doing that anyway, although im sure youre way ahead of me.

Secondly, im going to be hard to contact. not only are the computers here not great but i have no phone coverage (stupid telstra) so no point mesaging me, only emails now. ill check them when i can. not that many of you messaged anyway. I dont really need my phone anymore now anyway...

I do have a good excuse for no blogs though. I have been drinking my arse off! Dont worry mum, here in morocco there is barely any alcohol for religious reasons so ill give my liver a rest now ok.

Ok, So when we last spoke we were in Lisbon. Since then we smashed over to Sintra which was absolutely amazing. there are a couple of photos on the flickr and i will upload like a madman next time im on. it was awesome. the Palacio de pena is easily the coolest freaken castle i have ever seen. like a ridiculous fairytale one. and the gardens around the palace were awesome. thats where the photo of the missing cross took place. Before that we walked around the quinta de regalia was soo good aswell. there we all these grottos and underground caves. pitch black and you just explore. (haha i used to tease the hell out of Erin cos she carried a torch everywhere, the one i have started to carry everywhere was sooo useful!).

Ok so then there was a lot of drinking to be done in lisbon as we met a pretty cool english guy who was very well off to say the least and refused to let us buy our own drinks. it was pretty rough but i guess you have to do what u have to do.

So that was kinda lisbon. then we headed off down to the southwestern most point of portugal, i thought europe until i looked at a map. it kinda is... anyway, we watched the sun set on the water and lots of other romantic things that two hetrosexual 22 year olds want to be sharing with each other. It really would be an amazing place to chill out as a couple if you are looking for some travel advice all you romantics out there. We did a little hitchhiking and im pleased to say that we have a 100% succes rate with geting picked up! twice the thumb went out and twice cars fought to pick us up. i must say i am a little smug now.

Then onto Lagos..... My god. there are easily more austalians in Lagos than in Australia, and theyre trashing the place. That town is nuts. i ate, slept on the beach and drank till 5am, repeat for a couple of days. Sounds expensive because of the euro but it wasnt all that bad cos we found an all you could drink beer place for 5 euro. after smashing that you would only spend a little on a 4am hotdog and pass out happy. sorry mum that was all exaggerated for dramatic effect.

Then a hungover bus to Seville, then another bus to Tarifa. i put algericas on my map becasue tarifa wouldnt work. then in the morning we busted a ferry over to africa into tangier, morocco. from the pier we got hussled into takeing a guide around the town. i know i know, but he was really useful. taught us a heap of shit about morocco and gave us advice. we ate cous cous and other wicked local food and cruised various markets. We did some bargaining with a nomad from the sahara and we threw in some clothes that we were about to throw out. James bought a turban and a huge woven rug. We looked at the medina and the casbah and just wandered around.

Then we caught an overnight train to marracech, which was horrible and everyone on the train was telling us to hold on to our bags and look after our wallets so we slept unconfortably cramped with out bags in shit chairs. but now we are here and the adventures can begin.

Ill be able to add more maybe at some point but right now this apparently 40 degree heat and no sleep and hangovers are all catching up to me and im gunna have to hit the hay.

I think about all of you all the time and miss you a lot. I must say i am very homesick and if it were possible to visit home for a little bit i definately would in a second.

But the camels wont ride themselves into the sahara so im gunna get back on the horse (camel).

Anyway, miss you heaps, talk again soon, check the photos in a few days or i might just post again.

Tim.

Morocking the Casbah in Morocco! remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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I lasted like 5 days without bloggin. not bad for me of late!
Ok so ill bring you up to speed. From Granada we busted a move into portugals capital, lisbon (or as they call it Lisboa). We met some funny guys from amsterdam on the bus and when it stopped for a break, we chilled in the park and when in seville, do as the dutch do.

So that passed the time a little quicker on that very crowded very boring bus ride. We got into lisbon at 5am so we just found a cheap little pension and hi the hay. Our room was on the fifth floor with no elevator so it was pretty paainful. and it was a horrible little slant roofed room with no windows. i will upload photos on flickr.

anyway so that night we visited oasis backpackers to meet some other backpackers. we met a massively rich brit called Lee and proceeded to get hammered, and i mean properly hammered. i dont remember much, and i have no idea how i got home, but i woke up feeling like death and didnt leave the pension till 8pm. the nightlife was pretty cool though. i vaugely remember a shitload of people just partying in the streets. and every five minutes someone tries to sell you some drugs.

ok so then yesterday we moved into oasis backpackers and chilled out most of the day! Then we spent the evening boozing with Lee, Eve (from St. Kilda) and Andrew (from the corner of pigdon and lygon. how cool is that!) before again hitting the town. strangely the monday nightlife isnt as big as the saturday night but we still had a pretty fun time before crawling into bed in the wee hours.

Today after many a glass of water, we went to visit the castle right above lisbon. it was awesome! i wish i had a castle! it really was sweet and u can imagine a siege and stuf really well from the top of those walls. I also wish i had a cannon.

Ok, check out the photos and ill post again soon. going to see more castles again tomorrow so more photos and stories to come.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8075577@N02

And on that juicy dangler ill leave you cos you've had all the word nourishment you need. Now now, dont be greedy for the verse. Sorry i watch a lot of mighty boosh these days!

Take care, Talk soon,
Tim.

Portugal remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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That is all. Off to Lisbon tomorrow so u should be safe for a day without me postng again.
Hutch

Granada - Alhambra remains copyright of the author hutchi, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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