Our Island Home

    We're all together in Italy, staying on the shores of beautiful Lago d'Iseo. First of all, let us take you back to where the story begins. We landed in London on the 1st of August and met up with Tom and Fausta (the bride and groom).     Beers near Tom's place in London Beers near Tom's place in London     My brother Michael arrived the next day and ever since I have been a third wheel to his and Brad's budding relationship. The weather in London was sensational; perfect for picnics in the park, walking around the city, bickering between the two boys and making crucial changes before the AFL supercoach lockout. We spent four days on the tourist trail and then set off on an overnight bus to Paris.      Buckingham Palace   Picnic in Hyde Park       In Paris, we picked up our brand new Puegot 208, which had 4kms on the speedo. We peeled the cover off the brand new in-b...

Milestones: Finished Harry Potter, what was all the fuss about again? 1984 cult member One of 'those' people addicted to smart phones Candy crush champion (see point above) Movie star in Vietnam (apparently beards aren't that common) Beat Kath in Supercoach and into the top 4 on the ladder Some general notes: There are absolutely no secrets when sharing small twin rooms under $10 (enlightening week when Kath had a stomach issue) Patience is a virtue when Kath is trying to get the light 'just right' as you pose for the 20th photo If Kath wants to steer from the front of the kayak, let her When the kayak goes off course its still my fault Kissing on the cheek between 2 bearded males is culturally appropriate in Italy If someone tells you that the hotel is full and they will take you to the sister hotel, check that they actually work for the original hotel If not blatantly advertised, always agree on the price of a beer before you drink it, no mat...

Visiting 4000 islands down in Southern Laos involved hammocks, Bungalows on the Mekong, waterfalls, hammocks, cheap food, cocktails and more hammocks. It was the perfect place to rest our sore muscles after the hike. Being the middle of the wet season, the river is FULL to the brim and the waterfalls absolutely raging. After a prolonged case of 'Cambodia Belly' I was finally able to once again enjoy the wonders of south east Asian cuisine, delicious!! Our next adventure involved catching the mother of all VIP sleeper buses. We rocked up to the bus station to find a greased lightning type scene. There were lines of suped up double-decker buses complete with strobe lights, enough LEDs to light an entire neighbourhood, shag pile rugs and gum-chewing drivers with slicked back hair and backwards facing caps. I half expected them to get in and drag race each other down a storm water drain, Danny Zuko style. The anticipation to get on the bus was immense and the drivers...

We left beautiful Pakse in the south of Laos and drove to the middle of nowhere for our next adventure! Our hike was a rainy three days. We were zip lining, abseiling, tight rope walking, walking along rope bridges, hiking and rock scrambling in the Laos rainforest. The zip lines were 450m at their longest and when you were in the middle you couldn't see anyone or either end. It was amazing and a tad scarier than first expected! At the end of our hikes each day we arrived at our camp, right next to an enormous waterfall in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed hot coffee straight off the fire and traditional Laos food for dinner. Our group got along really well, we had an Italian couple on their honeymoon and a Swedish/Canadian couple all of whom were around our age. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, the guides told us to put our harnesses back on at about 9pm - they were taking us to our 'rooms'. We zip lined 30m into our own private tree houses...

Phnom Penh was great fun. Brad and I watched the cats win against the hawks and had a few Angkor beers. We tested pig ear, tongue and stomach on the recommendation of a tuk tuk driver wearing a geelong cats cap. We felt much like we were partaking in a survivor food challenge minus Jeff Probst's narration (so of course I loved it). Elections are soon to be held in Cambodia and there are mobs of teenagers riding around on motorcycles holding flags, playing loud music and yelling their leader's names. Its pretty impressive, you wouldn't see that in Australia! We spent a couple of days down on the coast at Sihanoukville where there was plenty of deserted beach to play on. It was a good bit of R&R (this travel business is hard work you know...) Next Brad and I enjoyed a lovely homestay in a little town called Battambang. We visited an old French train line which the locals now run bamboo trains along to transport goods and people - it was great fun but certainly woul...