Ozbus - London to Sydney

Sunday 23rd March 2008

2008-03-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Nigel,
If you want me to reply to you I need your correct emeil address!
:)

Monday 26th November - DOWN UNDER.

2007-11-25T14:33:00.008-08:00

We are now in Australia

Sunday 25th November

2007-11-25T14:33:00.007-08:00

Saturday 24th November

2007-11-25T14:33:00.005-08:00

Friday 23rd November

2007-11-25T14:33:00.003-08:00

Thursday 22nd November

2007-11-25T14:33:00.001-08:00

Wednesday 21st November

2007-11-25T14:32:00.003-08:00

Tuesday 20th November

2007-11-25T14:32:00.001-08:00

Monday 19th November

2007-11-25T14:31:00.006-08:00

Sunday 18th November

2007-11-25T14:31:00.005-08:00

Saturday 17th November

2007-11-25T14:31:00.003-08:00

Friday 16th November

2007-11-25T14:31:00.001-08:00

Thursday 15th November

2007-11-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 14th November

2007-11-09T18:50:00.002-08:00

Tuesday 13th November

2007-11-09T18:50:00.001-08:00

Monday 12th November

2007-11-09T18:49:00.002-08:00

Sunday 11th November - WANDERERS RETURN.

2007-11-09T18:49:00.001-08:00

Saturday 10th November - FINISHED THE BOOK.

2007-11-09T18:48:00.003-08:00

Today I did the same as yesterday except rather than starting the book, I finshed it. I fed the dog again, dehusked a newly fallen coconut (I heard it fall) cracked it open and drank the milk. If things get any worse than this then I'm going home.

Friday 9th November - TIME FOR A BOOK.

2007-11-09T18:48:00.001-08:00

Now there's not going to be much written here for today, I sat on my veranda in my upgraded (at my own expence) beach bungalo with my feet up on a plastic patio chair and started to read a book. I fed a dog some biscuits and now she wont leave me alone. Life on an island paradise is hell.

Thursday 8th November - BACK ON THE BUS.

2007-11-09T18:47:00.002-08:00

Excuse me for missing entries while I've been off the bus, this is because there have been better things to do, boredom hasn't set in once and generally I only write things in my notebook when there is nothing else to do, however today I'm back on the bus, another early start 6:45am, it's now 11:40.
Don't get me wrong though, things seem to of improved (maybe someone thought so many people leaving the bus was a big enough hint that things might of needed to change) we have already had two stops, the new bus that I believe is Ozbus 1k is very comfortable, the roads are smoother (I havn't cracked my head on this one yet) and there are only 12 paying customers leaving plenty of space on our 43 seater coach (after the alternative route back through India more people have decided enough is enough and either stay in Bangkok or make their own plans to get to Koh Samui) and we are still waiting on the return of the Tibet crew.
Today though we not only get regular 2 hour breaks, we are actually asked to give some input on the itinerary. Do we want to stop at the scheduled hotel stop in some place called Chumphon? or as we have made good time with our good bus on good roads, do we want to crack on and get to our tropical island paradise of Koh Samui a day early. Needless to say we crack on. Can things on Ozbus of changed for the better?

Wednesday 7th November - KICKING THAI STYLE.

2007-11-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

This day had potential to be the last day of relaxation before the Ozbus appears, a good lay in, a leisurly breakfast, a Thai massage, an excellant hot sandwich in 'The Secret Garden' and then I went and ruined it, myself and another Ozbuser come across a kick-boxing gym. Now my Ozbuser friend; we'll call him 'Shef' (1.) He is a chef, (2.) He comes from Sheffield, (so no I didn't spell it wrong) thinks he's a bit of a kick-boxer and had been wanting to train while in Thailand (when in Rome and all that) so he signs up for a training session, what he lacked in quality though he made up for in enthusiasm. After half an hour of what the Thais' called warming up he was exhausted and retching thinking he was going to be sick, and he had paid for this pleasure, but he kept going and a couple of hours later he was finished. He'd asked me to stay and take photos which I didn't mind doing and after I'd taken nearly 100 photos for him it was back to the hotel where the Ozbus and some Ozbusers were due.

Tuesday 6th November - ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

2007-11-05T17:49:00.003-08:00

I know it's been a while since I wrote anything, I do mean to but sometimes internet access isn't that easy. Actually that's a lie, as you might of read in previous entries I am a lazy git that sometimes can't be bothered.
Whatever I did on this day it wasn't that interesting, according to my camera I didn't even take any photos.
Sorry.

Monday 5th November - ITS BEEN 7 WEEKS.

2007-11-05T17:49:00.001-08:00

A few of us that were awake got their act together, had breakfast in the hotel and went into Bangkok with a plan of action of what to see and do. First a visit to the Grand Palace where religious and royal ceremonies are carried out (I had already been here a few years before but I never had my camera then, I wasn't going to miss out this time). We took two Tuk-tuks and we all arrived together and wandered around aimlessly for a while. When visiting Bangkok the Grand Palace is a must see (it beats all the mosques in Iran), and they're all in one place which means less travelling between places.
After the palace we planned to take a river taxi to Central Pier however the king had his birthday celebrations today which meant the river was closed to all traffic except his. Instead we went shopping, we took taxis to the huge MBK shopping center where we found the first McDonalds in 7 weeks that served beef. Two Big Macs, large fries and a chocolate milk later I was happy (They even had double Big Macs with 4 burgers in them, but that would of been greedy). The rest of the daylight hours we wandered around getting lost in the mall, at night some went 10-pin bowling, others went pubbing and clubbing. Me I fell asleep in my bed at 7:30, I'm such a lightweight.

Sunday 4th November - BANGKOK PING-PONG.

2007-11-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

We are picked up from our hotel early and driven to the airport, we book in, pay our taxes and go through security. We are now firmly on our way to Bangkok. After an uneventful flight we touchdown in Bangkok, through immigration, retrieve our luggage and as a group head towards the nearest cash machines and taxi ranks.
We arrive at our hotel; the New World Lodge, everything is clean and tidy, the staff are very helpful and Andrew at Ozbus had made our bookings as The Whole had asked (Thanks Andrew).
For the evenings entertainment we decide to go to a 'Ping-Pong' show, now I'm not going to spend any time explaining this except that we are in Sin City and there are ping-pong balls involved. They would not allow cameras into the show so there are no photos. The show was quite disappointing but for alot of people a box was ticked, pinged and ponged.

Saturday 3rd November - RELAX, DONT DO IT.

2007-11-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today we had the options of a 160mtr Bungee jump, a Canyon swing or a day relaxing and getting ready to fly to Bangkok tomorrow. I gave serious thought to the 160mtr Bungee and the Canyon swing (about a microsecond of it), Then decided I could have one last relaxing day in Kathmandu and maybe sort out the laundry, get some gifts and post them back to England to save having to carry them all the way to Australia. So thats what I did. Another good day. The people who were adventurous and went to the Bungee and Swing get back to the hotel in the evening, they had a great time.
Kathmandu and Nepal have been great, the extra few days have been relaxing and enjoyable. This would be another country on my list of places to come back to.

Friday 2nd November - FECKING TREKKING.

2007-11-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Another day of our breakaway stay in Kathmandu, today is the day some of us go trekking. We drive for just over an hour towards the foothills of the Himalayas. The scenery changes dramatically, gone is the organised chaos of the city, here everywhere is green, terraces line the sides of the hills where farmers grow their crops, dense woodland cover others.
I will try to get some photos on here for today, unfortunatly my camera was stil being repaired so I may have to borrow someone elses.
Anyway, we park in a small village and start to amble up this footpath towards a village called Nagarkot, it's all very pleasant. We turn a corner, cross a stream, stare at a spider and its web, it's a beautiful day.
After a couple of hours ambling along with the odd stop for a drink and a fag, tiredness begins to set in, you dont realise it but it's been following us since we left the village disguised as a black dog. Every step you take becomes an effort. You stop looking at the scenery and stare directly at your feet slowly taking one step at a time. Your hands get placed firmly on your knees, on every step you push down. Tiredness has now caught you.
We keep pressing on slowly but surely untill salvation appears in the shape of a rickety old mountain bus. It's absolutly packed. We wave it down, a small boy leans from the doorway, "Nagarkot.......Nagarkot"? We nod our heads and crawl on the bus, we are sat on sacks of potatoes, each others laps, anywhere we could get a foot is taken up.
The bus presses forward up the mountain, (it might only be a hill, but for this blog it's a mountain) eventually we get to Nagarkot where our new bus is waiting to take us back to the organised chaos that is Kathmandu. It's a shame to say it, but it was a relief to get back to the hotel. As beautiful as the scenery may be I think the title for today says it all.

Thursday 1st November. WHITE WATER.

2007-11-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

The first activity day of our extended trip to Nepal and what a day it was. Today all 16 of the 'stayers' are went white water rafting. It was an excellant day, people falling in, jumping in even somersaulting from their dingys, It truely has been a 'good-good' day. There are smiles all round and everyone agrees we made the right decision to stay.
We find out later in the day that Ozbus 1g and 1h are now just one bus and that one bus took 21 hours to get to Darjeeling, and the other 'stayers' group that ventured into Tibet for Everest base camp are already a day behind as the Tibetan border was closed when they got there and they have to wait untill it opens again.

Wednesday 31st October. DIVIDED - WE STILL STAND TOGETHER.

2007-10-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we were due to leave Nepal and head of on our alternative itinerary back into India. However for various reasons not everyone has gone. Our initial group of 6 has grown, we are now 16 and we are staying in Kathmandu and meeting the bus again in Bangkok, 8 of us are venturing into Tibet, 3 of us are going to Koh Samui and 1 we havn't got a clue what she is doing (sometimes I wonder if she knows what she is doing).
So from our initial band of 41 (including driver and tour manager) there are 28 that did not make it onto the bus at 3:30 this morning.
Today I spent doing useful things, moving from one hotel to another, got my hair cut, had a shave, did a bit of shopping, had chocolate cake and apple pie, I had my watched repaired (Helpful hint: If you have a waterproof watch make sure that the winder is fully in before you go swimming) and I am having my camera fixed after dropping it and breaking the battery cover in India.
However few of us there are in any of the splinter groups we are stil Ozbus 1. We may be apart at the moment but come Sydney we will be back together to complete this unforgettable adventure.

Tuesday 30th October. ON TOP OF THE WORLD.

2007-10-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is a banana, an orange (thats green), an apple and a packet of biscuits, probably one of the worst to date. But thats not important. Today we board Yeti Airlines, Flight OY305 for our sightseeing tour around Mount Everest.
Some people though we were short of a brain cell or something to do this trip and there have been times that I have thought the same. Today I saw the snow capped peak of Mount Everest, standing at 29028 ft, the highest point on this earth, What did you do?
The best part of the rest of the day was spent confirming times, events and numbers and trying to sort alternative accomodation as our hotel does not have enough rooms for our expanding troup of 'Stayers in Nepal'.
Today has been a good day, things are firmly in our own control, for the next few days anyway.

Monday 29th October. GENESIS AND EXODUS.

2007-10-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

Some people have gone on a hike, 2 hours after arriving. Others had more sence and slept. A few of the sensible ones meet in the dining room for breakfast and we talk about alternative plans for our immediate future on 1g and 1h.
After a quick walk in the streets of Kathmandu and a sit down with the best mug of coffee since I left work, 6 of us have a plan on paper. 2-3 hours happily ambling the narrow streets and I want to stay here longer, gone are my thoughts about Koh Samui for now.
The rest of the day is spent organising White Water Rafting, Trekking and Bungee Jumping. By the end of the day our numbers have increased to eleven.

Sunday 28th October. ROUGH AND SMOOTH.

2007-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Breakfast eaten, bus loaded and we're away by 6:30am. We have been told today will be a long day but we havn't been told how long. I'm not going to write that much about today at the moment as I feel totally hacked off (I'm sorry for using the word 'hacked' but it's either that or a swear word).
Some twenty hours later we arrive at our latest hotel, 10 flights of stairs with my backpack and 2 minutes later, I'm in bed asleep.

I'm writing this tomorrow now and I'm in a better frame of mind, not brilliant but better so a brief description of yesterdays (i.e. today) events. Toilet breaks at the side of the roads for men and and women including No1's and No2's for both sexes, not stopping for dinner except 15 mins to buy bananas and water. Excluding the hours break at 10:00pm and the border crossing we had spent 16 hours on the bus with little more than half an hour as breaks. My apologies go to the people who run the restaurant we stopped at, I still cant get the hang of your squatting toilets.

THIS DAY SUCKED

Something I forgot, we have two new buses, 1g and 1h and they are worse than the ones that we have just left in India. They bounce like crazy over every single bump and there are thousands and thousands and thousands from the border with India, the only consolation is that the roof is a little higher so you dont bang your head as much. It is impossible to sleep and it is stuffy. I dont know if I mentioned this but TODAY SUCKED.

Saturday 27th October. RELIEVING THE STESS.

2007-10-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

We set off before dawn to see the sunrise and the burning of bodies on the Ganges (a healthy thing to do if your on a diet and don't want breakfast).

For the rest of today I have had myself a very lazy day and I have done absolutly nothing but stay within the hotels walls and gardens. I've swum in the pool, made full use of the restaurant, abused the internet cafe trying to add more entries and now I know how to add pictures (thank you Whole) to this blog.
If only all days could be like this, it would feel more like a holiday. Tomorrow wont be though, we have a very long drive and a border crossing as we cross from India and hean to Kathmandu in Nepal.

Friday 26th October. OUT OF LUCK.

2007-10-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

A new dawn, a new day and a new frame of mind, I will go to Koh Samui before the bus does and there are several others that seem quite interested in the idea. I just hope the logistics and costs can be sorted to make it possible. I have draughted an e-mail to Ozbus UK and see what happens.
Meanwhile the lack of facilities both on the bus and in the dirty dusty little towns we pass through means another toilet break at the side of the road. There are times that you feel sorry for the ladies but there are other times that make you laugh (Thanks Freaky, I dont think marmalade will ever be the same again).
We arrive at our newest destination, Varanasi. This is where Hindus want to be cremated when they die, on the banks of the River Ganges. In a way it's like their gods waiting room, I suppose our Christian Version of Varanasi would be the Isle-of-Wight.
Our hotel though has to be the best to date, it has a swimming pool, steam bath, money exchange, 24hr internet, a good restaurant that serves western style food and a massage parlour that a few of use before we go to bed.

Thursday 25th October. DO I NEED LUCK NOW.

2007-10-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

7 hrs non stop before we get something to eat and drink, except for a 5 min stop at the side of the road for a toilet break. The gents stand by the road with backs to the coach, the ladies see what little cover they can find and cling to as much dignity as they can squatting behind a pile of earth.
Today has been one of the many driving days that you might of thought I'd be used to, it has made me more certain that I need a break from the bus before it drives me crazy.
I am writing this part in my diary as we drive into Lucknow, our next hotel. One look at the place and I know I need to change my luck-now.

Wedneasday 24th October. BROKEN BAND.

2007-10-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today should be one of the highlights of the trip, we are going to the Taj Mahal. We should all be excited but we are hit with a double disappointment before we even get on the bus. Firstly, two of our group are taking a break from the tour and heading to Goa on the southcoast of India for some rest and relaxation. Secondly we are told that due to adverse weather conditions on the friendship highway we are taking the alternative route. This means staying in India for nearly another week before catching a plane to Bangkok. The result of this is that we will miss Laos and China, nor will we be visiting Everest base camp. My third disappointment of the day, and this is wholly personal to me, was the Taj Mahal. Yes it is beautiful with all its inlaid and sculptured marble. For me it was somewhere I felt I had been ripped off, 750 Rupees on entry of which 500 of that was tax compare to Indian nationals that only have to pay 20. Also, I was not allowed to take my cigarettes in (I tried but the security guard found them).
The only thing that lightened my mood today was doing impressions of Princess Diana and her soleful look in that picture of her sat on a bench with the Taj Mahal behind her.

Tuesday 23rd October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:33:00.001-07:00

Monday 22nd October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:32:00.002-07:00

Sunday 21st October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:32:00.001-07:00

Saturday 20th October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

Friday 19th October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday 18th October. I DONT LIKE CRICKET AH, OH NO.

2007-10-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today Pakistan are playing South Africa at cricket in a 'limited overs' international here in Lahore. There are about 20 of us that have got tickets, we also have one of the large magnetic Ozbus signs from the side of the bus, some of us have even bought Pakistan cricket shirts.
We get quite a bit of attention as we enter the ground, I dont expect they get many groups of obvious looking westerners coming to watch the cricket. Immediatly we are picked out by a camera crew, we all line up with our sign and are clearly visable to the whole ground as they show us on the very large TV screen on the scoreboard. Eventually we get to take our seats, we are an attraction, people start to edge closer and closer until eventually we are surrounded. The locals are very inquisitive wanting to know who we are, where we are from, what we are doing in Pakistan. Now dont get me wrong once or twice is ok, you can maintain the enthusiasm about travelling by bus from one side of the world to the other, however by the fifth, sixth, thirteenth and fourteenth time all you really want is to be left alone to watch the cricket (I never thought I'd ever say that I wanted to watch cricket).
Myself and The Fox (a South African. Also known as a 'Safa') sit apart from the rest and meet with another Safa who is an aid worker taking some time off from her work in Afganistan. We are cheering for South Africa, the rest of the thousand or so in our enclosure obviosly arn't, but it is all taken in good fun and in general we all have a god time (for myself the only thing that spoilt it was the cricket).

Wednesday 17th October. I WILL UPDATE AT A LATER DATE.

2007-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 16th October. ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

2007-10-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

There is not that much to write, today we travelled from Sukker to Multan. It was one of those very long days in Ozbus 1/d. The greenery became even greener and brick kilns fewer still.

Monday 15th October. SUKKER AND BLOW.

2007-10-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

Waking from my sleeping bag I get my pack ready. Today we have an estimated 10 hours for the 420 Km (260 miles) drive to Sukkar. We are all very happy when it only takes us 7, the scenary starts to change, things start to become much greener as we leave the mountains and the arid lands behind. We start to pass palm trees and paddy fields, so much different from Quetta and its many brick kilns belching black smoke throughout the day.
We stop for one of our toilet breaks at a petrol station, this is good for me as I am running very low on cigarettes. I look around but they dont sell the, I try to talk to the man that works there and he claps his hands, shouts something at a young boy who then runs away. Five minutes later the boy runs back with a packet of cigarettes, I thank the man and the boy and turn to get back on the bus, the man calls me back he is offering me something (our guide had already told me it is taken as rudeness to refuse a gift), So I accept with a smile and a thank-you and get back on the bus. This man had just given me something of a local delicacy, a small but not unusable lump of hashish. I talk to our guide who informs me it is legal to have upto 10 grams in Pakistan, this is classed as personal use. How civilised. Continuing on our route we pass camels, donkeys, goats and water buffalo.
Still daylight and we arrive at our hotel 'The Hotel Pak-Inn', I chase the lizards out of my room and meet everyone in the dining room for lunch.
As a group we take the buses into Sukker where we still need to find an Internet cafe and others want to get haircuts and do a little shopping. As soon as we step from the bus we start to get mobbed again, some say they feel like pop stars and there are references made to Posh and Backs. We quickly get back on the buses and go on our tour. Our police escort stops the traffic as we sit in the middle of Sukkers 'famous' bridge and watch the sun set before we return to our hotel.
I am now sat in my room updating my diary and have a smoke with others, its 2:30am before I go to sleep.

I apologise for neglecting this blog, I will try harder in future

Sunday 14th October. TRUST AND SUSPICION.

2007-10-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

A free day today, we have no tours or bus rides, the whole day is ours. After a good breakfast of fried eggs, toast and tea (such a change from flat bread, honey and cheese that seemed to be the norm in Iran). Five of us; The Juice, The Couple (including the whole), Freaky and myself decide to head into town to look for a cashpoint and internet cafe. Most places are closed as today is the muslim festival of Eid (the equivilent of our Christmas), after thirty days of fasting during daylight hours they are finally able to let their hair down.
We are totally mobbed, seriously, you couldn't move, we were surrounded. I dont think the locals here in Quetta get to see many western tourists, in fact our tour guide told us that we were the largest single group of western travellers to visit Pakistan since 1988. Things are all very friendly at first with handshakes and smiles but when they started touching and pinching the girls we decide to return to the sanctuary of our hotel and our armed police guards. Myself and Freaky get into a local three whelled taxi, The Couple (including the whole), and The Juice continue to walk.
In the taxi we meet three locals who seem very friendly, this I suspect is down to Freaky, I quite sure she gets plenty of attention most places she goes. They offer to show us their homes and businesses, I am very aprehensive but Freaky is full of trust and I cant let her go on her own. Next they offer to take us on a picnic at a local park, again I am suspicious, we make an excuse that we have to go back to our hotel first where we make sure people know where we are going and then with Freakys trust we go on our picnic.
We had a great time and my fears were false and Freakys trust was true. A saying from 'The Young Ones' comes to mind where Niel in his druggy hippy voice says "fools rush in where angels fear to tread", well in this case the angel rushed and the fool feared.
Does this say more about me or Freaky? I ponder this thought for a very brief moment as deep thought gives me headaches. Making a mental note to give more thought to this at a later date.

Saturday 13th October. UNITED NATIONS INTO PAKISTAN.

2007-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Up early and off to the border with Pakistan where we are told we might have a long delay. We are only delayed a short while and we transfer all of our equipment from our replacement Tahran bus (Ozbus 1b) through customs and onto the top of two mini-buses, these are now Ozbus 1c (beige) and Ozbus 1d (blue).

We have an armed police guard all 650 Km (about 406 miles) from the border to our next destination Quetta. We stop every now and again as we enter different zones and they chnge guards, we knew this was going to be a long drive but for today it didn't matter. We had new drivers, new coaches, a new country and for me a new attitude, but for how long?

All of a sudden after about 10 hours of nothing special to write about there is a grinding noise and the coach starts to tilt to the left. We have grounded ourselves and ended up half in a roadside ditch, half on the road (hanging off the edge of mountain sounds better). The Ozbus team go into action, Ozzy army and British army (a booze brother)strip the roof of all the luggage to prevent the slightest possibility of it over balancing and we all get out. A multi-coloured spingle spangle lorry helps pull Ozbus 1d back onto the road (you know the type I mean, you see them in those Bollywood films). We load up and continue on our way.

We all agree had been the best driving day to date. Even after 4 weeks of being together 24/7 we all pulled together, all 41 people from 7 different countries to get 1 job done. Today I can say "I am proud to be part of United Nations Ozbus 1c and 1d".

After a mostly dry time in Iran, beer and whiskey is made available by our new guide Khalid. He is instantly adopted as an Ozbus 1 member. Our hotel is very basic (thats being kind) however the staff were very frienly and more than willing to help.

Friday 12th October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T06:39:00.001-07:00

Thursday 11th October. MUD, MUD, GLORIOUS MUD.

2007-10-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

There might be a little bit more information than normal today as I made notes as we were travelling and asked questions of Kia. It was almost like I was realy interested. I honestly dont know what came over me.
This morning we visited the mausoleum of SHAH NEATOLAH VALI who was a religious leader some 800 years ago, the shrine seems out of place in this dusty town. We then go to the SHAZDEH GARDEN which is even more out os place, a lush green garden some 100 meters long with fountains and pools surrounded by dusty little hovels that the inhabitants dont seem to be able to afford to maintain, not even if a wall falls down.
In the evening we visit RAYEN ARG. This is a 2nd century mud fortress currently being refurbished in parts but still impressive, we are told that this is the 2nd largest mud city in the world.
Later we go to BAM. The largest mud city in the world (four times larger than the second). It is in ruins since an earthquake 4 years ago and is having major work carried out as it is a World Heritage Site.
Today was a good day.

After showing one half of The Couple my diary today I extend my apologies to her. She is of coarse A Whole, not one half of The Couple.
I'm sure she didn't mean hole. :)

Wednesday 10th October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T06:23:00.002-07:00

Tuesday 9th October. BUT I TOOK PHOTOS.

2007-10-18T06:23:00.001-07:00

I cant be bothered to write that much today, its been a long one. But here's some photos of where we stopped, the nice hotel we ended up in and some of the people on our world tour.

Monday 8th October. SURPRISED.

2007-10-18T06:10:00.002-07:00

A short drive past some mosque or another, more mountains, rocks and dry grass fields and we arrive at Esfahan early in the afternoon. Kia has organised a tour to include several mosques. This (thank god) is optional and most of the bus decide to give it a miss.
We decide to take a walk, over the bridge of 27 arches and through the streets untill we get to the city square with its palaces, mosques and huge bazaar. Smells of herbs and spices fill the air as we aimlessly amble around the maze of alleys.
Later in the day we come across a carpet shop where the guys working there make us feel more than welcome with the offer of Tea and and an illegal substance that we wont mention untill its legal. We leave happy and get invited back to a party that evening at their house where they say they will have lots of Grappa. I myself dont go but nut one of The Booze Brothers and The Fox do. They have an absolutly great time and even bring some Grappa back. This makes the other Booze Brother ver very happy.
We didn't visit either mosque and the bridge didn't have 27 arches, I just chose that number for someone elses benefit, however it did have lots.
I didn't think I would ever recommend Iran as a holiday destination but if you must, be sure to go to Esfahan and visit the carpet shop on the northwest corner of the square.
Happy days.

Sunday 7th October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T06:10:00.001-07:00

Saturday 6th October. BUS PROBLEMS.

2007-10-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

More mosques, and slight problem with the bus.

My apologies for the lack of detail, I've done this one three weeks after I should of done.

Friday 5th October. IRAN - DOWN IN THE DUMPS.

2007-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today it's off to the Iranian border where we are told to expect a long delay. We meet our Iranian guide, Kia. She sorts us all out as quickly as possible and a couple of hours after arriving we leave.
I dont know why but I expected there to be an imediate difference when we entered Iran but there isn't, lots of time on the bus, hills, fields, winding and speeding. I'm getting restless, we seem to spend lots of time on The Bus and very little time seeing our destination except from THE BUS as the distances travelling each day dont seem to get any shorter.
The fuck it all I'm going home thought enters my head (like a friend said it would, yes you were right) Tonight another hotel, I'm hoping it might lift my mood. Maybe I'm just having one of those off days.

Thursday 4th October. CAN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TURKEY.

2007-10-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Turkey and we have made fleeting visits to many places, maybe we could of visited fewer and stayed longer. Lots of people are feeling out of sorts being stuck on the bus for the hottest parts of the day. The others are getting out of sorts with the out of sorters for being out of sorts. I think I am just trying to ammuse myself now, I have to remember this is not the all inclusive holiday to Cuba at a nice hotel in Varadero, this is 12 weeks on a bus with a tent and a backpack. I must remember this.

Wednesday 3rd October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:54:00.002-07:00

Tuesday 2nd October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:54:00.001-07:00

Monday 1st October. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday 30th September. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:52:00.002-07:00

Saturday 29th September. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:52:00.001-07:00

Friday 28th September. THEY COULDN"T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:49:00.001-07:00

Today we cross the water that separates east from west, although it was a very long drive that got very tedious. One billboard caught my eye and made me chuckle then we got stopped by the police and fined for speeding. Eventually we get to Esphesius or something like that which are the remains of a very large Roman settlement. It feels strange as even though these are the remains it does not look or feel like much effort has been made to attract tourism, there is work going on to tidy up the huge site but it's been here a while, I dont think they can be working hard enough.

Thursday 27th September. GOODBYE ISTANBUL AND RESPECTS TO GALLIPOLI.

2007-10-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Today we leave Istanbul and head for the coast and pay our respects to the allied soldiers that lost their lives at Gallipoli. To the Ozzys and Kiwis this is one of the must do items on the itinerary. We walk along the beaches and pay our respects at some of the monuments that honour their memory.

Wednesday 26th September. COULDN'T BE BOTHERED.

2007-10-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 25th September. NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS.

2007-10-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

Once again another day and another country. We enter Turkey with its mosques and minerets dotted around, the scenery and the culture is beginning to change. We arrive at night in Istanbul. Here we find nightlife in and around the 'Backpacker Hostel' that is our new home.

Monday 24th September. NOT SO VULGAR, BULGARIA.

2007-10-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

We leave Romania and another country waits, Bulgaria. We tarvel all day and arrive at our hotel at night. We are taken out for a meal and then back to the hotel which was most likely the best hotel so far.
A very uneventful day today, not alot to write about or maybe it's just that cant be bothered to write anything, who knows.

Sunday 23rd September. IMPALER TO MAD HOUSE

2007-10-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

We're up at the crack of sparrows and Brasov is now a memory, a good one. We head for Romanias capital, Bucharest. Firstly we pay a visit to one of the castles to be associated with Vlad the Impaler, Bran Castle. It's a nice castle with good views but anyone expecting lots of references to Dracula or any Impalements would be disappointed.
Back on the bus we continue on to Bucharest, our first stop is the campsight, again no needs for tents as tonight we have dusty, damp, smelly lodges with dirty sheets. At least the sleeping bag will come in handy.
We head into Bucharest and Caecescus Palace, known by the locals as 'The Mad Mans House'. It is massive, Buckingham Palace would fit in the car park. It was built with money borrowed from other countries while the population starved.

Saturday 22nd September. BRAS OFF

2007-10-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

We leave the city of Cluj behind, a new country waits for us. Todat we are heading for Brasov and Romania.
We stop for a break in a small town called Sigghisoara and climb to the top of its church spire. around the edge of its small balcony are brass plaques showing the major capitals of the world and their distances from this spot, Sydney is 15438Km away (thats roughly 9650 miles) however thats how the bionic crow flies.
We wind through hills and speed past fields again untill we arrive at Brasov. More luxury tonight, we have another hotel.
A pleasant surprise confronts us, the hotel is clean and comfortable and the toilet seat has hinges that are attached. The town has little coffee shops surrounding a central square with a little church in the middle. Looming high above the town is either a big hill or a small mountain (I'm going to call it a small mountain) with a Hollywood style Brasov sign and a cable car to the top. The town even has a KFC and a McDonalds.
After a walk around the square four of us decide to head to the top of the mountain via the cable car. It was worth the effort, You could see for miles and miles.
The evening is spent as a group in one of the many local restaurants, the evening goes well and most of us return to the hotel. Others have plans to find the nearest Brasov sign for a 'bras off' photo shoot.

APOLOGIES

2007-10-18T05:03:00.000-07:00

OK, we all know I'm a lazy so and so and I have not been updating this thing as I should. Well here I am and here I go. There will be some days that I leave out like hot air ballooning over Cappadoccia in Turkey, my birthday, the chocolate cake, bumps and bangs to the coach, near misses and (according to one broadsheet newspaper, yes a broadsheet, not something like The Sun or The Daily Mirror a respectable broadsheet) 'Mutiny' in Tehran.

2007-09-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Monday 17th September.
INITIATION.
Our first full day in a different country, some had slept under the stars, some in caravans and others in dorms. Breakfast is prepared by Janelle, Kim and Leighton, our tour guides. Cereal, toast, fruit and coffee. We are given half an hour to eat and drink as much as we can and do the dishes. This you would think an easy task, but no. This is camping and campers have their own way of doing things. First warm water with washing up liquid, then cold water with bleech, next boiling hot water and finally the drying. Campers dont use cloths, campers hold their utensils and cutlery and wave their arms around trying to fly untill everything is dry. None of us manage to get airbourne.
Today is a day of lots of driving, we have a short stop in Heidelburg before heading to Prague in the Czech Republic. Again we arrive at night though this time we have to use our tents. After an hour and a half of cusing the assistant at Blacks in Southampton for selling me this "easy to assemble"tent it finally resembles some sort of structure suitable for a hobbit. Dinner consists of sausages and mash and is ended with more flying lessons then to bed ain the hobbit hole at Bag End.

Tuesday 18th September.
A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME.
With breakfast and the flying lessons out of the waywe all head off to Prague. A quick guided tour around the castle and across Charles Bridgeand the rest of the day is ours. This was put to good use by spending the best part of the day in a cellar bar drinking, playing drinking games and taking on the Germans at table football. We wont mention the score!

Wednesday 19th September.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE DAY MAKES.
We leave the Czech Republic and it's Austria next. we get to the camp sight and it's still daylight, it only takes me get Bag End ready for habitation. Dinner consists of cold meats, cheese, fruit and bread. This is all eaten with a feeling of pride that I had mastered Bag End without the help of small godchildren. The evening was a coach tour around Vienna, I decide to stay at camp as nothing could improve on Ultravoxes origional.

Thursday 20th September.
GETTING HUNGARY.
Camp is packed and we're on the bus and off to Hungary and Budapest. A tour around what is a beautiful city and we are off to fing the camp sight. We set up camp and this time I'm not the last to finish, I apologise in my head to the assistant from Blacks, maybe I was a little harsh about his mother. In the evening we go back to the city to see it at night. Budapest is one of the highlights so far.

Friday 21st September.
STILL HUNGARY.
We leave the campsight and say good-bye to Leighton, he is heading back to London as he is the tour manager for Ozbus-2 that leaves the 23rd of September. Sequels will never be as good as the origonals. The next time we see him will be at Sydney Harbour Bridge sometime in December.
We have a treat tonight, we are staying in a hotel, we leave our campsight behind and head for Cluj. We travel for most of the day through winding hills and countless fields. we arrive at our hotel in the early evening. Our room has three single beds, electrical sockets hanging from the walls, torn curtains, broken toilet seat and mattresses. It is luxury.

2007-09-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday 15th September.
GOODBYES.
With the goodbyes waved, the hugs hugged and the backpack packed, it's finally time to start this trip by train to London Waterloo. Then a taxi across the Thames to what I feel could be my last night of comfort for some time. I book in at The Strand Palace Hotel, room 217 and I'm disappointed, no complimentary sewing kit ( think about it a sewing kit that tells you how brilliant you are and how good you look, who wouldn't be disappointed). I console myself by taking all the teas, coffees, sugers, sweeteners and shampoos I can find, I put them in my backpack.
A quick viit to the bar and there they are, a few fellow travellers. Spirits are high and we are all excited. We arrange to meet at 6 in reception the next morning and the start of our adventure.

Sunday 16th September.
THE OFF
6 o'clock and we're in reception, all of us except one, none of us knew this person that well, we knew she was Irish, knew she was in our hotel somewhere and also knew she was a little worse for wear the night before. Eventually she's found all tucked up still in bed. Now we're ready. A short walk to Cleopatras' needle and there it is. Our OzBus.
We leave London and head to Dover. We leave England and head for France but we dont stop, onwards into Belgium, several service station stops and we are entering our next county, Germany and towards the Rhine Valley and our first camp sight.
We arrive very late and decide the tents can stay packed, for an extra Euro we decide to go for the luxury of mattresses on bunk beds in a dorm.

2007-04-19T00:20:00.000-07:00

Ozbus.

London to Sydney.

1 Greyhound bus, 20 countries, 36 people, 84 days, 10,000 miles.

I've managed to get on the first trip.

This will be my diary.

Departs London 16th September 2007.

England, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor and Australia.

London to Sydney, an overland adventure. In 12 weeks crossing from one side of the world to the other. The route spans 20 countries and every type of landscape imaginable. From deserted beaches to rainforest, waterfalls to desert sand, medieval villages to futuristic cities.

For more information go to www.oz-bus.com

For a similar adventure go to www.odysseyoverland.co.uk