Babs to Brisbane (And Back)

I have sold my first book/Hitching is great!

2008-08-27T19:28:00.006+01:00

The exciting news of the week (apart from the fact the rain stopped for long enough for me to finally paint the henhouse with some nice bright green eco-paint to stop it rotting) is that I have sold my first book!!

I was hitching from Machynlleth to Talybont to meet my friend Peter who has kindly been taking lots of time to teach me all about horses with the patient and adorable Buster and Lucy. (More about this future slow, low carbon transport mode another time.) I had missed the bus - as I was buying some new boots from the second hand army stall on the market, which I hope will see me through the winter - and so had to resort to my thumb again. I was quite glad really as the bus is expensive and I always meet really interesting people hitching (scope for a new book maybe?)

I was picked up by David who was on his way to Borth and as with all polite hitching conversations we started chatting about where we lived and what we do for a living. I was lucky today as I discovered David has a library of 10,000 books and was keen to add a new one to his collection. I told him my book wasn't out until January but he insisted on giving me the money there and then and I could sign a copy and post it to him when it came out. What kind-hearted and trusting encouragement. I was over-joyed and now have my £9 (£8.99) safely stowed with his address awaiting the publication date......

Edinburgh International Book Festival

2008-08-13T10:28:00.009+01:00

The city of Edinburgh is buzzing as I arrive through a flooded railway line on a damp Thursday in August. The Edinburgh Fringe is in full swing and soon to begin is the Book Festival. I am here to have a laugh, listen to some writers and most likely be simply inspired by the immense amount of talent which is exploding out of Scotland's capital.

It is a pricey affair visiting these festivals and so I thought I would suss out the free events first. New to the Edinburgh Book Festival is the Ten at Ten slot. Start your day with a 10 minute reading of poetry or short stories. After a late night out watching comedy at the Fringe, I find it impossible to get up in time but finally make it and think it would make sense if we all woke up to this every morning. What a difference it makes to your outlook for the day and so much better than a book at bedtime, as you actually hear the ending.

Next I watched Another Kind of Silence, a one women play about the life and work of Rachel Carson (author of seminal work Silent Spring and a heroine of mine.) She was a truly inspiring woman who changed the course of the environmental movement globally. She campaigned tirelessly against the use of unnecessary chemicals and pesticides in our world and brought to light the importance of using the pre-cautionary principle before unleashing these deadly weapons on our world. The story was beautifully and carefully told, not a story of despair, but one of passion for life in all forms. (Ticket cost £4.50 on Friends of the Fringe 2 for 1 deal.)

Later in the day is the Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series. Each day they are using a different article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to focus the mind. Today it is 'The Right to a Fair Trial' and the idea, most of us take for granted, that we are all innocent until proven guilty by a fair and public trial. Writers from the book festival took to the stage to read various works from writers who were currently unfairly incarcerated. One account written by Hu Jia, the now famous Chinese human rights activist, told how he was abducted from his home and held for 41 days, with no voice and without his family being told of his whereabouts. It was sickening to hear.

This was shortly followed by two poems from people imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. All I could keep thinking as I listened to a beautiful poem entitled 'The Sea' was 'this man is in Guantanamo Bay now. He is there now and has been there for over four years, away from his home, with no voice.'

There is still lots more to see, but so far my Edinburgh Festival experience has been everything I wanted it to be.

(photo of me and big sis and the Firth of Forth)

Hitching to St Chartier

2008-07-21T22:14:00.006+01:00

I haven't felt like travelling much since returning from Brisbane but when my friend Tabitha (the fiddler) suggested hitching and busking our way to the St Chartier folk festival in the middle of France, there was no way this budding accordionist and lover of free (both carbon and money) travel could resist.

With barely any practice we set up on the South Bank in London with our nearly matching red felt hats and colourful clothes to see who would enjoy our music. Somehow we managed to sound half decent as the rain fell and the tourists and Londoners huddled with us under the bridge. A couple danced as we played the Amelie Waltz, and another lady danced alone entranced by what she called our 'mysterious sounding' music - our favourite traditional tunes from around the globe. So with a few pounds in our pocket we began in East London with our thumbs out and spirits high.

After a slow start, Ken got us underway and through the Blackwall Tunnel. He was followed swiftly by Simon and then Billy the Trucker who deposited us in Dover. A short ferry and no lift later (Billy was stuck on the ferry behind) we stood in the dusk in Calais on a roundabout of lavender thinking our luck had run out, but then Jean-Michael and Paul turned up and squashed us and our bags in the back of their three-door Peugeot and took us all the way to Paris at top-speed. Tabitha's fluency and my bold attempts at French kept the conversation going and soon we were dumped in the suburbs at midnight. Sticking to our ideals for travelling cheap and easy we found a comfy mound in a park and lay down to sleep.

After a day in Paris busking we had enough for a couple of coffees each and took the RER train to the end of the line in the direction of the south-west (it seemed a sensible way as any to get going again) and were soon in Dourdan (and nearly left on the train as it ran to the depot). Again it was about midnight but we were lucky to find a spooky canal and misty park to put up the tent. I was a bit freaked out and panicy but Tabitha took charge and we had a great night's sleep.

The next day was easy with ride after ride (after relaxed coffees and pain au chocolate) as we barely waited for twenty minutes between hitches and soon found ourselves in Chateau-Roux. Here we treated ourselves to an expensive meal, but it was well worth it and then, amused at the contradiction, took to the street again to find a spot to sleep. It was a bit harder this evening but we soon found a cosy bush near some old derelict buildings and shared the night with what we thought may have been a Marmot (mountain squirrel type thing). Rainfall at 6am woke us up and we trudged to the nearest cafe for coffee and advice on how to reach St Chartier (which so far no one in France seems to have heard of!).

Our final lift came at 8am and we were at the festival by nine and pitched our tent before the rain fell. The morning was spent playing music again. I have never played so much every day and was even starting to think I sounded ok. Fiddle and accordion were soon joined by other musicians on the guitar, bass, drum and clarinet and soon had our own little session going under the relative dry of a gazebo.

And so the festival continued with music, music, music. I played as much as I could and watched some amazing musicians, especially in the village bar. We danced to Breton music on a huge sprung dance floor under the shadow of the marvellous Chateau, and I was spun around and instructed by many wonderful French men. Traditional music and new tunes were spinning around in my head as I watched, played, hummed or talked music for 6 days! A truly wonderful, simple, real festival with a fabulous friendly vibe and I will definately be back...Maybe by bike next time.....

Not sure what the general consensus is on the eco-impacts of hitching. In my opinion more people should do it, it is fun and you meet such a bunch of characters. And as the journey is happening anyway, it makes my carbon footprint for the journey nothing! How could I do anything else!

p.s picture is me playing my accordion on the Trans-Siberian railway...

The Bees Knees

2008-07-01T10:30:00.012+01:00

At home when the sun shines there is a hum in the air. At first I am not conscious of the noise. But then I recognise the sound of insects busy at work. Bumble bees and dragonflies and damsel flies and hover flies, and fly flies and all sorts of insects I don't recognise, all so delicate and decorative, going about their work. Honey bees from the hives on the farm are also racing around. Our bees are made of sturdy stuff and last summer produced a lot more honey than any other hive nearby, despite the rain and being stuck in the middle of a pine forest clearance. There are a lot of foxgloves out this year, which bees love and perhaps that is what keeps them going.

Whilst everything remains idyllic at the farm, I keep reading about how bees are dying everywhere, they are disappearing and never reappearing (3 native species of bumble bee are now nationally extinct) http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/bumblebees_in_crisis.htm and the native wild honey bee is also extinct. Honey bees are contracting diseases and dying and all bees are struggling against ever increasing uses of pesticides and reduced habitat space. Bees, who love warm sunny days, are probably also struggling with the confusing climate at the moment with hot sun turning quickly into monsoon type rains and cold nights in the middle of an otherwise hot summer. Bees are wonderful insects that should be conserved for the future. But for those less altruistic of you, bees are essential for our future food supplies. This recent news article from the US shows how we can't live without our buzzing friends.

http://www.earthportal.org/news/?m=200806

Thanks to the Bumblebee Conservstion Trust for the photo. Look at their website to see how they are trying to save bees and how you can do your bit.
http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/

World Refugee Day - June 17th

2008-06-18T13:53:00.007+01:00

Out in the wilds of west Wales, where we have actually been suffering a drought of our very own (no water coming out of the taps at our off-grid hilltop farm), it is sometimes hard to remember there are millions of people worldwide whose lives are acutely threatened by drought on a daily basis.

ABC News reported on a day of events that aimed to draw attention to the issues of water resources in Africa, which some argue is directly increasing the number of refugees worldwide.

The former Portuguese prime minister, Antonio Guterres, is now the UN's High Commissioner for refugees.

He says climate change is an ever-growing problem, fueling conflict and thus indirectly fueling the growth in refugee numbers, as in the case of Darfur.

"There is an increased competition for water resources. We need a political solution for Darfur, but that solution will not be stable, if at the same time we don't solve the underlying problems of dwindling water resources.

"What climate change is doing is in many circumstances reducing resources, increasing the competition for resources and because of that, triggering or amplifying conflicts."
http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4857e8872.html

UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency set up a refugee camp in Trafalgar Square yesterday to draw attention to the scale of this humanitarian issue, which is happening now, people are suffering now because of climate change. http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/4857e8872.html

For now I can collect water from elsewhere, but for others there is nowhere else to go for this life-giving liquid. In the greedy 'West' our actions are already severely affecting the lives of our fellow humans. When are we going to stop being selfish and cut our emissions?

Thanks to cayusa on flickr for photo of water drop
http://www.flickr.com/people/cayusa/

Hay Festival

2008-06-03T16:16:00.006+01:00

So finally I have to own up to it. I feel guilty for keeping quiet so long. For the last year since returning to Wales I have been writing a book about my travels to Brisbane. It has been a wonderful experience with much heartache and debate with myself over whether this was the right thing to do as well as how on earth do I write a book!? But I have done it, I have written it and my book is due out in January 2009!!

So I decided to take a trip to the Hay Festival to see what I could discover about the literary world.

I knew from my previous cycle travels that Hay was only 81 miles away from Machynlleth, on Lon Las Cymru, the National Cycle Route 8. In fact it is about 5 miles from route 8 as just before it hits England it sensibly dives back into the Brecon Beacons National Park.

I miraculously missed the rain and the mud and cycled this stunning route in 9 1/2 hours over two days and arrived, pitched my tent just as the next lot of rain fell on the festival.

Hay was an interesting experience. There were a lot of talks from an amazing range famous and less well known writers. This year I was pleased to see there was a strong 'Green' theme as Hay seems to be taking sustainability issues seriously. On a pauper writer's budget I was only able to see a few talks. 'A Women's Guide to Changing the World' was a discussion based on a book by Karen Eberhardt, who presented the talk with Clare Short and Elaine Brook (one absent contributor was my friend and colleague Tanya Hawkes who wrote a piece about Cuba for this wonderful book). It was an re-inspiring hour and I was impressed by the high turn out, so high they had to change the venue! And it was not just women, there were lots of men there all ready to do their bit.

I also went to see ecological writer Rory Spowers give his slideshow of his 'Bio-versity' project in Sri Lanka. It was interesting to see what he had done but I preferred the more native discussion 'Trust the Woodland' which was hosted by Clive Anderson. He led an interesting and humourous talkshow style discussion about Trees, along with Monty Don and Will Cohu.

I think Hay is ready for more ecological tales and hopefully is ready for me and my book and I hope to be back, with my bike and my book, next year......

The End

2007-07-10T17:47:00.000+01:00

I have been home for two months and can now start to reflect back on the trip. I know one thing for sure, it has changed my life in many ways. Not just in terms of the amazing things I have seen or the people I have met but more about what I have discovered about the generosity and kindness of my friends and family as well as complete strangers. Also in terms of seeing so much of the world. It is humbling and overwhelming and I feel stronger than ever we need to make radical changes, which can be positive for our lives, if we are to stop climate change or slow it down at least. Look at this radical proposal for an alternative energy strategy for the UK www.zerocarbonbritain.com

Having so many strangers comment or discuss me and my beliefs and my trip was incredibly wierd and I still can't get my head around it all. The whole experience is one I am grateful for and I am so glad I had. I just hope that people have been interested in the debate and will think about the issues more. Anyone who has read the blog and knows me will know there were many ups and downs and there were times when I thought I was going completely insane. There were also other times of complete joy and real happiness too. I would recommend this trip to others, especially the outbound journey and hope that people will not completely write it out of the question thinking that they 'can't' do it as often people seem to do. I have been fascinated with the blogging process and have found it frustrating, bizarre, heart-warming and fun. I have really enjoyed writing and interacting with people through it but now I don't know what to do with it. I hope it will remain a resource for people wanting to follow this trip or something similar.

I am loving getting back in touch with my life at home, away from the modern world. I have made a compost toilet, got out into the garden and done lots of work to stop the leaks in the roof of my caravan and fitted back into my life in some ways where I left off. I have been working on a great project with some friends of mine building a Recycled Venue, the Junk Boat, which will be floating around festivals this summer promoting simple, happy, beautiful and sustainable lifestyles. www.recycledvenues.org.uk I have been playing the accordion in my gypsy music band and trying to write about my adventures as much as I can.

I am also working out some more accurate figures on how many miles I travelled, how much it cost and what the CO2 emissions are using the real and detailled information I gathered when travelling. It is hard to put an exact figure on the CO2 emissions and although the terminology is becoming more understood and used, it is still inexact. We do know for sure that travelling over land and sea is producing far less in terms of carbon emissions than flying, whether the vehicles are full or not and whether they are old diesel trains or modern electric ones. I believe even more strongly now that our planet Earth is beautiful and is full of beautiful people and it is possible to save it. Whatever the scientists say, or indeed the naysayers, we should care for ourselves and the planet, we should slow down a bit and just, well give a bit more love. Even if no one else stops or changes there is no reason why we can't make a stand for what we believe in. One person can make a difference...(just think about all the stuff George Bush has achieved??!!)

If you want any more information about this trip please take the time to read through the blog first. I know it is not all easily accessible, especially as you have to start at the end! But go back to the beginning and the information is all there I promise! If you do need help or want more information then do contact me through the blog, your contact details can be kept secret, and I will endeavour to help you out. Thanks for all your support and for taking the time to read this.

Babs xxxx

Emergency Fish and the Windy Week into Wales

2007-05-19T16:39:00.000+01:00

Day 19 - Bristol to nr. Ross on Wye 54 miles
Starting in the Bristol rush hour is not too fun, but is good to see so many cyclists in the city. Soon it is all forgotten as I am on the nice little cycle path to Pill. I take route 41 over the M5, around Avonmouth and past the new Severn Bridge (no cycle path) and then over the old Severn Bridge into Chepstow. I am feeling very emotional at this point as I have thought many times before about crossing the Severn and being back in Wales and now finally I am doing it. It is not for long though as my route takes me back into England for the rest of the day. My legs are so tired that it has taken me about 3 1/2hrs to do 25 miles, mainly on the flat but there is no real hurry so it is fine. The wind is still up and that is a pain though. I enquire about a few campsites but there is no room for me at anywhere except one where I can have cold water for £6. This seems crazy and so I find myself a comfy holly bush and sleep under that instead. My first cosy night thanks to Lewis's therma rest, thank you so much!
Day 20 - nr. Ross on Wye - nr. Hay on Wye
Up early to find the market in Ross on Wye but I don't need any supplies so onwards to Hereford to meet Kate and Adam. I am hours early but this is great as I get to explore the scary 22nd century public toilet (why does no one cater for people with lots of bags or even cyclist who want a quick wee but don't want to take all the kit off their bike every time...?) and explore the wonderful Farmer's Market in Hereford city centre. With new enthusiasm from my new accomplices we set off and slowly meander our way through the countryside to find our bed for the night, via a lovely pint of local cider.
Day 21 - Brewardine - Rhyader - 41 miles
All I can recall from this day was OW! The rain was coming on and off all day and although we had some beautiful views my body just said no. We finally made it to Rhyader and in the drizzle decided not to eat Tofu surprise on the camping stove but went for an (average) but hot pub meal.
Day 22 - Rhyader to Clywedog Reservoir
A short ride distance wise but hard on the hills. Following route 8 for most of the way we took in some lovely views and it was some great cycling (if you hadn't already cycled for 3 weeks in advance!) but there was no hurry and so we stopped for snacks and rests whenever anyone needed them. We realised that we weren't going to make it all the way home today but pushed on until we found a camp spot or our legs gave up which ever came first. After stocking up on a lot of food in Llanidloes, loads of sugar cravings we cycled to the Llyn Clywedog and made camp. After our tofu surprise and whisky to improve morale we settled down to sleep.
Day 23 - Coming Home
We woke to a lot of rain and so stayed in bed as long as we could sharing our breakfast through the tent flaps and making waterproof shoes. We finally had to brave the day and set off up the first of many hills. Only about 18 miles covered today in about 3 hours and it was hard. It was so worth it to get to the top of the 'Mountain Road' at about 500ft and then to have the cycle down past some of the most beautiful views in the world. As the rain came down hard in icy daggers we found new energy and hurtled towards Machynlleth. Stopping to hug the Machynlleth town sign we quickly went to the bike shop, The Holey Trail to say thanks for the loan and settled down to a welcome Quarry Cafe lunch.

Being back has been so exciting and overwhelming. More about this later on....and I forgot to mention the emergency fish too.......

Visiting Friends and Family

2007-04-27T09:17:00.001+01:00

Day 9 - Canterbury - London - How it happened who knows?
After a restless but lush nights sleep in a bed - wow - we start to plan the day that never gets planned and it is bizarre, stressful, painful and exhilerating. Stubbornly and skintly I decide we must persevere without a map. Lots of lovely locals help us out and we have to cut out some of the National Cycle Network (NCN) routes as they are just too windy and scenic and we just want to cover some miles. Leaving Adam in Gillingham I am tired and feel a bit defeated but somehow I pick myself up and cycle another 50 miles to central London. 12 hours on the bike in total, I just kept heading west, asking directions and plodding up and down hills on fairly busy roads. I finally arrived in a crusty heap, delirious with the achievement but couldn't even sit down on the floor in the brightly lit hall of Euston train station I was in so much pain. The fabulous Dav came and rescued me and put me to bed, where I stayed for most of the rest of the next day.
Day 10 - Sleeping with Alan Partridge
My first day off, what bliss. Thanks to Dav and Kelly who looked after me in my weary state. I did nothing much all day but sleep and watch Alan Partridge DVDs.
Day 11 - The Grand Union Canal
Back on the bike and out of London on the Grand Union Canal. It was a bit confusing as although it is mainly an NCN route it started with a 'no cycling sign'. A bumpy but easy ride along past lots of canal boats as the sky got greyer and darker and eventually rained on me. After getting lost around Uxbridge and doing 6 extra miles for no reason, I was starting to get stressed and depressed but finally found the A40 and the road to my Mum and Dad's. Arriving to a warm welcome, a roast dinner and apple crumble made it all worthwhile. Many people have asked me if I am tired doing all this cycling. Although I am it is a nice feeling and as I only have to worry about cycling, eating and sleeping each day it is quite a pleasant, straightforward and simple existence really.
Day 12 - High Wycombe to Farnham
A sunny start and a lazy morning catching up with family and friends and then a lovely and easy ride on the roads to Bracknell. From here it got a bit hilly and the roads a bit busier but in all an easy day, mainly on roads but not too busy. Stopping in a cycle shop near Fleet I found out about Heinz Stucke who has been cycling round the world now for over 40 years. I read his booklet and it really is an amazing tale, he is trying to cycle in every country in the world, so my attempt at 3 countries seems a bit lame! I soon found myself in Farnham drinking real ale (the joy of being in the UK, I am surprised at how much tea I am drinking too!) and catching up with my lovely friend Charlotte, who was to be my host for the night.
Day 13 - Farnham to Coombe Bisset - another mammoth cycle
After lots of fondue and catching up I managed to steal Charlotte for the day to cycle with me. We set off and slowly wandered along some small roads, through some lovely countryside towards Winchester. Arriving here at 4pm I then discovered my aim for the night was about 35 miles away and so set off along the A30 (which I hear is not too hilly - but this is a complete lie!) but somehow make it to the campsite just before it shut in time for a cold shower and bed, nice to be out in the countryside and peace and quiet again.
Day 14 - A very short ride
Yesterday's effort was worth it so I could have a a very easy Sunday ride today. Only a few miles down the road and past the lovely Stratford Tony (strange name for a town) I meet the lovely Kate 'Baggy' Bagshaw and Matt on their bikes, who then guide me safely to Compton Abbas, south of Shaftesbury and up one of the steepest hills of the trip so far. A pub lunch and chilling out was much needed as we enjoyed the local cuisine and cider of Dorset in a proper local pub.
Day 15 - Another rest trying to fix my knees
I have developed very painful knees, possibly as the bike is a bit small or because I am just pummelling them hard. Anyway it is a bit late but I try to stock up on oily fish and buy some Flax seed oil in a attempt to make them better. I also have a very crusty lip due to the wind and sun and start to feel like a wild explorer! More lounging around in the sunshine helps bring me back to a world of normality and not just cycling, eating and sleeping.
Day 16 - Compton Abbas - Bradford on Avon
After another day's rest I was raring to go. Baggy helpfully routed me around the 'very steep hill' and I had a fairly easy cycle, with very little map reading, which was handy as the wind picked up and was desparately trying to push me backwads and sidewards. My knees were still aching but I continued my quest for oily fish to the lovely little town of Bradford on Avon and finally found some Fish 4 Good which is lovely and sustainably caught tinned fish and ate it with some wild garlic from the comfort of my little tent home.
Day 17 - Bradford on Avon to Bristol - Lots of cycle paths
I didn't have far to go today and so had a lazy start. I pootled along the lovely Kennet and Avon Canal to Bath in the sun smiling at all who went by. I think everyone thought I was a nutter and I stopped saying hello after about 50 people had not replied! It was nice to see people living in their canal boats and lots of solar panels and wind turbines getting them powered up too. There was still a strong headwind but it was fairly easy along flat cycle paths and only 25 miles all day. So the afternoon was spent hanging out with Lewis drinking lovely local ale and catching up. Later it was ultimate frisbee with Dave and Louise and more catching up to be done from the last 9 months.
Day 18 - Hanging out in Bristol with a Straw Bale house
Another days rest and I get to check out some friends building a beautiful strawbale house with the help of Barbara Jones (strawbale guru) who I go to the talk of later on that evening. Reminds me how wonderful straw is as a building material, how cheap and warm and eco. After a drink in the famous Star and Garter I try to sleep but cannot and finally drag myself up for the next day cycle. Thanks to Louise who put me up and started me off on the right path and it was off to cross the Severn bridge and into WALES!!!!!

The Tour de France!

2007-04-24T08:06:00.000+01:00

Day 1 Paris to Meaux – 30 miles

Finally I get to the front of the queue in La Poste and discover that my bike has arrived. Hooray! Thanks to all the guys at CAT and The Holey Trail cycle shop in Machynlleth for lending me the bike. With nowhere else to go I stand in the entrance and put it all together. Sadly no tool to attach the pedals and so I walk it to the nearest cycle shop, Laurent Cycles, who kindly fix me up and with a bit of oil and my excitement bubbling up, I am ready to go. I get my new IGN cycle and walking map out and head to the canal. The first 20km are along the canal and I zip along in the sun enjoying the sunshine, the signs of spring and the freedom of being self-propelled. The day slips past quickly and I am soon in Meaux and find a campsite for the night. This is going to be easy……

Day 2 Meaux to Dormans – 50 miles

Things get harder. I travel about 50 miles to Dormans and all I can remember is undulations, dogs barking, 3 killer hills, beautiful champagne fields and an aching bum. I am trembling as I finally lie down to sleep and hope for better the next day.

Day 3 Dormans to Reims – 40 ish miles

Spurred on by the prospect of meeting Adam in Reims, I pack up early and feeling surprisingly spritely I cycle without much stopping for 40 miles to Reims. Beautiful scenery, a simple combination of green fields, brown earth, yellow flowers and blue sky, and perfect weather for cycling – sunshine and a little breeze and it is a joy to be alive and moving forward. Meeting Adam is great , we have so much to catch up on and babble for hours. I have managed to organise my first couch surf of the trip (should have done it sooner) and we spend a fun night with Tristan and Lisa drinking champagne and eating cheese and hanging out.

Day 4 Reims to nr Laon – The Vagabond Cyclists on the run!

Adam’s enthusiasm and energy spurs us along. After a little fall when my wheel got stuck in an old tram line we are sprinting along another canal. Through some lovely woods and to the disappointing Caverne du Dragonne. We make it to Laon for a quick sirop du menthe and then find our way out and make camp in a nearby wood.

Day 5 - Molinchat to nr Ham an easy day

We woke up slowly with the sun warming us and continued the vibe with a lovely slow day. We began our habit of cycling about 20km, stopping for coffee and hot chocolate, then cycling 20km more and lunch of cheese, pate, apples, then 20km more and a beer and sirop de menthe and then a short cycle to find our bed for the night. We went through lovely little villages with every dog announcing our arrival and saw sleepy French village life and some interesting old buildings and churches slip by. We met and chatted to a lovely old couple selling pommes de terre and they kindly gave us some and some parsley and onions and send us on our way with a smile. It is so lovely to receive a warm welcome, to be able to communicate in French and to feel we are being helped along our long journey. Another night’s snooze in some woods by a fishing lake. Beautiful location and slightly better bed planning as Adam kindly collected some dried reeds and I got some dried leaves for a more luxurious pad. With a little fire we cook our potatoes and enjoy the end of another day.

Day 6 – 49 miles to Arras at speed

We are both re-energised and decide to take to some larger roads and get some big distances covered quickly. There are not too many cars and it saves on map reading so we soon speed along. Unsure if it is the roads, the coffee, my luxury bed, the new padded cycle shorts, the singing or Adam’s motivational chunterings that is the most helpful but it is great to be covering such big distances. It feels so empowering and the exercise feels great. After more sirop de menthe, an explore of Arras, Adam gets even more cheese (a worrying cheese and church fiend he is becoming!) and we get a new map and head out. We find a village about 6km away and sleep in the sweet smelling and beautiful bluebell woodland. Taking care not to squash too much we reason that it is natural to have wild boar in these coppices and do our best to behave like them.

Day 7 - Sunday day out

A cold and misty start and it takes me a while to get going. Adam is still full of energy and drags me along as we go through some weirdo towns and the scenery gets a bit less beautiful. The annoying slog hills get more frequent as teams of brightly coloured racing cyclists zoom past. It also seems the whole of France has taken to the road for a Sunday out. Sometimes my legs feel like they are pedalling through mud and I just can’t breathe but I push on an somehow arrive in Lumbres to hear the first stage of the election result. The slimy looking Sarkozy is in the lead.

Day 8 – Over to England!

A quick zip to Calais….. Well 45km of determination up slow, slog hills and both our legs are tired now. We reach Calais and catch the 14.05 ferry and are soon back in Dover where it is drizzling and grey – Hurrah for British weather. It does make us waterproof our bags though and realise we have been lucky the last week. It also helps to get us moving and after what feels like Mount Everest cycling out of Dover we find a national cycle network route and follow it successfully (until the signs disappear…grr) through the garden of England with hedgerows and life and barking dogs galore. After a brief and focused adrenaline rush on the A2 we make it to Canterbury, 55 miles today and it hurts but we feel light and happy too.

Sorry no photos, I can't get them off the camera.....

A 'holiday' on The Continent

2007-04-15T16:20:00.000+01:00

As I write this I can hardly believe the last few days have been and gone. Ever since my Mum suggested that she and my sister took a holiday and came to visit me, I have been excited about the prospect of being with 2/4 of my family and most of all people I know and love. They took trains through Scotland, England, France and Italy to meet me and together we explored what Genoa had to offer at Easter.

We wandered (no mooching allowed!) around and found some markets, including a lovely Farmer's Market with delicious local produce - most notably Pesto Genovese - the original pesto, fresh, bright green and yummy. It was nice just to wander the old, narrow streets and babble about my travels, hear their news and stop for the odd ciocolatta. We popped into a few elaborate Catholic churches - I always love the echoey and still sound and calm in these great churches, if not the decadence. We decided not to join the mile-long queue for the aquarium but were happy to stand in awe of the wooden pirate ship and be glad my vessel was sturdier. There wasn't much else to do except weary our feet walking and eating and savouring the culinary delights of Italy. Many places were closed for Easter so it was hard to find anywhere but we 'lucked' upon a nice outdoor cafe for pasta Genovese (pesto) and seasonal spring lamb and cheesecake.

The next day we decided to get the scenic funiculaire to Casella. We found our way along with lots of others with the same idea to the little station and hopped on. The one hour journey took us up and out of Genoa and through some beautiful countryside, three valleys of lovely scenery, little villages and signs of spring (and summer too- I think the nature in Italy is confused- climate change perchance?) Wood anemones (we think) and elderflowers. At the end of the line there wasn't actually that much to do but join the throng and buy an icecream. So we assented and tried to ignore the proud list of E numbers displayed. In the evening more eating with slightly less success but still tasty, local seafood. I even managed to eat some 'Good Fish Guide' recommended clams! Feeling fat as anything we rolled home to sleep.

Day 3 and we were ready to move on , next stop Milan, where we met up with some friends from when we lived in Italy. More eating on the agenda! as we savoured delicious risotto Milanese and other local fare with Gian Carlo and fresh and seasonal (in Italy anyway) asparagus and gnocchi with Penelope and Gabriele. Thanks to everyone for lovely meals and for coming at such short notice! We had a brief break in between to look at the magnificent Duomo and Central Station. Then it was time for the night train to Paris. Italy is such a fantastic country for 'local food'. They are rightly proud of their culinary delights and local specialities, using fresh ingredients and seasonal produce- why can't more countrys follow suit?

On the delayed night train we were lucky to only get one other person in our 6 berth cabin and none of the lovely teenage school kids. Compared to some of my recent train experiences it was not the best. The beds were tiny and I can't imagine how squashed it would be with 6 people- well except from tales from Mum and Penelope's experience on the way down. Cosy is the polite word for it. Either way it was a popular choice with few seats spare. Nothing much happened, we slept and chatted to our room mate and her ultimate frisbee friends and soon were arriving in Paris. After more local specialities, Gauffres Chantilly and Chocolat Chaud for brekky (well I am in continental Europe now!) it was sadly time to say goodbye again. I felt pretty emotional as I realised I would be alone again, our time had been too short and it had been quite tiring for everyone. I don't know how people do these 'mini breaks' I can't believe they are relaxing. So Mum and P safely back on Eurostar I pull myself together and get practising my French. I get a crepe au fromage, sit on the steps to the Sacre Coeur in the sunshine and look down and Paris and listen to lots of lovely buskers play.

My Paris experience was fun and consisted of tourist wanderings, watching lots of street theatre and buskers, a trip to the Louvre and of course Mona Lisa (pretty small in real life!) eating lots of cheese and the most expensive beer of my trip so far. I chatted to some locals for hours on the steps to the Sacre Coeur, my new home, and tried to sort out bicycle stuff with shops in Paris and at home. Thanks to the guys at CAT and also the lovely Jonathan and co at the Holy Trail cycle shop in Machynlleth, I will soon have a bicycle in Paris and am set to cycle through the Champagne region and see what slow travel is really all about! I can't wait.

Pirate Watches and Barbecue Fun

2007-04-11T17:23:00.000+01:00

After one cargo ship voyage, I thought that was enough for me. It was fun and a good experience but it was a long time to be aboard and anyway for no other reason 'once is enough' .... I thought.....I had lots of exciting dreams for my return journey but sadly due to various restraints they were not all possible. Going back through India and meeting Ben and Tabs and travelling on a camel and then through the Middle East sounded like a challenge but was unrealistic and unsafe it seemed. Also visas were hard or impossible to obtain and overland routes were not all open to foreigners. Another idea was to 'go all the way round' but the Pacific and the Atlantic are pretty large bodies of water (!) and I seemed to be having trouble finding sailing options. In the end I decided the best thing to do was take the quickest and most direct route home. This turned out to be another cargo ship from Singapore to Genoa via the Suez Canal. It was approx. 6500 nautical miles in 16 days. I have had to borrow the money but it was worth it to escape the madness of Asia and get back to Europe.

So I boarded the ship at midnight, met the Captain and went to bed. Next day I got to meet the rest of the Officers - German, Polish and Filipino, the Crew -Filipino and the one other passenger, Melanie - Canadian/Dutch a mixed bag we were! Melanie was great and it was so different having another passenger to talk to. We spent a long time chatting to each other and it was great to get to know her. I found there was lots more to do on this ship and everyone was overall more social than my last voyage. I had a tour around and saw the 'gym' (exercise bike, rowing machine and huge sailor style weights!), the pool - small but excellent for floating and swimming in circles. I saw the karaoke machine and the drum kit and thought it looked like people planned to have fun on this ship. I was also informed of the barbecue party on Saturday where they were planning to roast a whole suckling pig.......

Onwards for my safety tour and I had to prove that I could get into my red 'teletubbie' immersion suit and lifejacket all by myself which was v. amusing to watch I imagine. A few days later we had an abandon ship drill where we all had to gather at the Muster station with our lifejackets and helmets on, find our 'buddy' and clamber into the lifeboat which was hung precariously at a steep angle by the bow. It was solar powered I was pleased to discover but did never find out if there was a toilet....I think it was just stick your bum out the hatch!

Everyone was super friendly and I spent my days 'hanging out' with the officers on watch on the bridge and trying to understand navigation, radar, charts and even looked in a sextant (they don't use them anymore). We got a tour round the engine rooms too with the lovely Chief Engineer. As it was Easter I organised an Easter Egg hunt and we painted real eggs to decorate the ship. I also celebrated my birthday on board which was strange but fun. I got some champagne and other presents and a hand-made card which was so sweet. Everyone was keen to wish me a happy day and make it fun. It was Sunday and we had had another party the night before (with more roast piglets...eek too cute I couldn't eat them) so I was pretty hungover and just drank more (Campari and Orange at 'Church' with the Officers) and loads of great food (always best on Sundays it is just lucky it was my day too.) I was so pooped and ended up going to bed about 8pm, my earliest crash for a long time on my birthday.

Each day passed fairly quickly. Breakfast 7.30am to 8am then I usually did an hour of cycling (training) and some reading or went back to bed! Then it was time for coffee at 10am. More lazing around reading or writing until 12.30 and lunch. After lunch it was a bit of a swim in the pool and some more reading and writing lots of letters. 3pm was tea time and time to have another chit chat with Melanie and eat biscuits and then it wasn't long til dinner at 5.30pm. The food on board was fantastic, partly due to our cook having been a 5*chef for years! I usually stayed in my cabin in the evening but on a few nights I ventured out. I played 'I Spy' and Charades with the 3rd Mate and swapped music with the 2nd Mate. I also played cards and drank wine with a few of the guys but it was a bit lame as I was trying to teach poker which I have played about 5 times in my life. The Filipinos had the karaoke running 24/7 it seems and a drumkit to keep the rhythm. I had a bit of a go but wasn't as good as Jerrol the Steward. Gutted I didn't have my accordion.

We had a few nights with extra pirate watch. It is a real problem in the Straits of Sumatra and near Yemen/Somalia which was a slight worry but not much I could do about it. By day 11 we were safe and waiting to go through the Suez Canal. We stopped to queue and put the fishing lines out, but no catches sadly. It took 11 hours to transit the Suez Canal. We could only go at 9 knots so as not to make too much wash which erodes the sides of the canal and they have to dredge it all out again. It costs 100,000 US dollars for each cargo ship that goes through and there are about 120 ships a day...so there is a huge amount of logistics and cash here....It was pretty nice to see land again even if it was a lot of sand and electricity pylons and armed guards every few hundred metres. We went under the Peace Bridge, the connection between Africa and Asia, in the dark and then it was time for bed, another busy day over!

Near to the end of the voyage I started to feel a bit of 'cabin fever'. I needed more space and wanted to get out. I had read so much and written a mountain of letters and cycling on an exercise just isn't as good as the real deal. (will she stil be saying this in a few weeks they wonder?!) It was ok, just one day of crawling up the walls is not bad. Soon enough we were heading towards Genoa. We arrived late at night and I woke up to see the most beautiful view of this lovely city in the morning haze and sun. I was going to meet my Mum and Sister the next day who had come to visit which was exciting and in a way this day in port was the worst wait of the whole journey. I got some shore leave and went to the Seaman's Mission and drank ciocolatta and whiskey and tried not to feel like I looked like a prositute sitting there with some Filipino sailors! All in all I had a great time and was a bit sad to leave all my new friends who were all so friendly and smiley and kind. Thanks to everyone.

So now the readjustment takes place to being back in Europe. It is wierd in a way and thankfully we had Mum to speak fluent Italian so we were set for a few days of eating and being on 'holiday.' Will she ever get back to work we wonder......

The end of Indonesia and out of Asia

2007-03-20T12:30:00.000Z

The final 'challenge' was to get from the earthquake zone to Pekenbaru, only a 4 hour bus ride away, get a boat ticket to Pulau Batam and then a quick hop on a ferry to Singapore....easy peasy...on paper at least! In Bukuttinggi (sorry spelling awful) we discovered the es krem goreng (deep fried - like everything in this country I am surprised they are not all obese - icecream.) and also the weird pancake which was like chewy cake with sweetcorn, cheese and condensed milk - wierdly nice but filling and also bad for the waistline. So after donating some clothes and medical supplies to the earthquake appeal it was time to leave. We missed out on a trip to Lake Maninjau - the road was collapsed from the earthquake and a trip to the world's largest flower - I couldn't justify the 16km trip on a motorcycle (and apparently there was no bus which I know was a lie but I didn't have the energy to argue or work it out). I saw another tourist's photo and that was good enough, it stank a lot apparently anyway. It made me wonder if I should have tried to experience more of the wonderful nature found in Indonesia but also whether maybe it is better to leave our rare and protected environments alone and not trample on them?

So farewell to Konrad and good luck! Over the equator, hurrah, a real milestone but the journey just went from bad to worse! After changing drivers three times and all of them insisting that I should have some 'Makanan' - honestly I have not been eating that much but I am definately no waif! We set off with our chosen driver who looks about 18 through some beautiful mountain and remote countryside scenery. Then the thunderstorm starts and the landslides get ever more apparent. Strangely we pay to go through the worst bits - I guess the money goes to fixing it? The journey takes 8 hours and not 4 and when we arrive suddenly it seems they won't drop me where I was told, at a hostel where I was told I was booked in......and they don't speak English - hello quick phrasebook flicking!! Why do they all shout at once at me when they can see I can't understand?! We drive round aimlessly for a while and I am finally taken to a flashy hotel and told to stay here - no way! but at least the guy here helps and rings the hostel and checks where it is. I wasn't booked in before but I am now! So we head off again and I am put in the front seat and we are joined by the driver's friend - for assistance! yeah right! I realise what kind of help as they try to distract me and pick my pocket when changing gear! I am savvy to this now and thankfully have no pocket to pick anyway but it makes me more nervous. We finally arrive after I adamantly keep saying the name of the hostel and no to other offers of going out on the town! and they demand money for driving me about! I politely tell them to piss off and with the help of the lovely owner of Poppies Hostel in Pekenbaru they get lost. It is late so Jenny (owner's sister) accompanies me to get some food (it is not safe). I feel bad arriving so late and causing chaos so I buy her some food and drink and we have a nice chat. She is/was a missionary and has been out in the tribes spreading the word with the Orang Asli (indigineous people) who knows if they want the word of God? It sounds interesting out in the tribes and I would love to go with her and stay for a while...but not that much!

Next day early I get the first 'boat' out of there. It is actually a 3 hour drive (where I do get out to get food to great amusement as I finally find some fresh bananas and eat them!) and then a 4 hour boat trip, which left early aargh! I had a fun few hours chatting to a lady who wanted my advice on her love life..interesting. She also kept asking me about money and as usual everyone is looking at me so I feel nervous for a bit longer. She is very nice though and shares her food, translates the karaoke, tells me I have a 'sharp' nose (a good thing) and invites me to stay at hers - fun maybe but I am not hanging around any longer. When she departs her space is filled by another friendly, English speaking man who is extremely worried about me travelling alone and so when we get to Pulau Batam he takes me under his wing and gets me to the Singapore ferry safely. Here I am chatted up by the boat hand - flattering maybe - drink a can of 'Pocari Sweat' - it tasted as good as it sounds, bought some cashew nut chocolate I had been looking at for 3 weeks (nasty it turns out!) and nearly leapt aboard the Penguin Ferry to discover all sorts of previously unheard of safety devices and to discover my bag smelt like a dead rat - nice and embarrassing.

So to Singapore and so nice to know my way around, I get the MRT to a hostel and crash. I'm feeling quite unwell and so laze about for a few days until I realise this hostel is a rip off (Summer Tavern) and go free camping at East Coast Park for 3 days. By the beach and not much to do except watch the continual stream of planes flying in and out of the airport. Depressing to say the least. I have decided to take the quickest route home and am planning another boat to Europe. I just have to wait in Singapore for a while longer with no money and no enthusiasm for travelling anymore as well as the prospect of 2 weeks on a boat. I am seriously quite excited about this as I can have some space, no one will stare at me, this time there is a pool and a gym so I can get fit again , write loads of letters and digest and debate all I have seen and done. I will be spending my birthday on board which will be a bit wierd but who cares, next stop Italy!

More about Indonesia

2007-03-12T03:24:00.000Z

If you can get over the fact that in the last two weeks in Indonesia there have been fatal aircrashes, an earthquake, a landslide and a ferry setting on fire and sinking. Then there have also been less fatal but also worrying active volcanoes bubbling, typhoons, H5N1, typhoid and malaria scares. Then if you can also get over your recent dog bite (family pet and I have already had the jabs but still pretty mental looking!), attempted pickpocketing in Jakarta and the constant stream of 'Miss Miss, you want this, that, the other, where you from?' 24/7 then Indonesia is great! Phew! I am loving the place but it is so tiring. Java was a blur really. I didn't stop to do all I wanted, see volcanoes bubbling and the environment centre in the mountains because either they were inaccessible or I basically didn't have enough energy to try to tackle them alone. It is so quiet here in terms of foreigners (even in Bali and Kuta) and so some tours don't run for one person and being the only white person, a young women too, turning up in a remote hill town at 5am just was too much to contemplate. I hadn't seen more than about two white expat faces for a few days and not spoken to anyone other than an Indonesian in the same time. Then I found some nice folk at the Satia Kawan hostel in Yogjakarta and decided to stay there and chill for a while. What a cool hostel, all decorated in beautiful and funky paintings and murals by local artist kown as 'Bedhot', good value and great breakfast - banana pancakes are standard fare for western travllers here. Yogya is pretty chilled and quite arty although I am thankful I was warned about the 'Government Art Centre/Batik scam' before I went. It was nice to hang out and share stories with other travelling folk and practice a bit of Indonesian with the locals. I am loving the language, it is really not that hard and I am managing to have quite a few good conversations. The best seems to be a mix of pidgin English and 'phrase book' Indonesian. I helpfully taught a local the word for 'flour' how useful!? This was when I made the effort and took a day trip out to see Merapti, the local bubbling Gunung. Sadly it is closed for walking (due to poisonous ash and lava) and when I make it to the viewpoint the cloud has descended and covered most of the view. It is a good walk and nice to be out of the city. There aren't many people around, just a few Indonesian tourist couples snuggling up at the viewpoint and zooming past on their scooters. It is a pretty nice and quiet spot to just sit and read and chat to the inevitable stream of locals who wander by. There were some odd but nice art sculptures made by the local kids out of bamboo and old footballs and some keen gardeners who I was pleased to see were reusing old paint tins and buckets for flower pots - more reusing in Indonesia yay! (and also loads of low energy light bulbs in Indonesia too!) Due to luck or fate or whatever I met an Irish guy named Konrad in Yogya who I managed to convince to join me on a bus and boat jolly to Sumatra. He had plans to go to Sumatra but had problems with flight bookings. It was good to have a buddy to travel with - more fun, less scary etc. We are both trying to tavel very economically to so this was good to be on the same budget. We got the overnight, economy train to Jakarta. Here I managed to get a fair bit of sleep on the floor on the blanket I hired. I was only interuppted at every stop with the sounds of the walk-on hawkers calling out 'Nasi, Nasi, Nasi', 'Kopi, Kopi, Kopi' (rice and coffee) ans stomping past. After debating the option of a Pelni ship to Kijang (24 hours to an island which is part of Sumatra but very near Singapore) or a bus and ferry to Bukitinggi (80km from the recent earthquake!) we take the bus as it was leaving first and we were keen to get out of Jakarta asap. After a lot of confusion, misleading information and bad communication moments we are waiting in a bus depot somewhere in Jakarta for about 4 hours for our bus. There are some crazy dudes here and many can't help but stare at us - unnerving especially when it is twenty blokes. Finally we board and after a few hours make it to the rusty old ferry. What a laugh, upstairs there is a bar with a few 'chrome' tables and chairs and fairy lights and an electric keyboard. After a few songs from the 'demo' we finally get some real musicians and singers who are top class, gyrating, singing flat and very loud but good entertainment. Being the only two westerners on board we attract a lot of attention and I get to practice my balancing skills trying to use the squat toilet with has slippery wet tiles by it and the door doesn't shut - this becomes a common dance/stretch I do over the next 36 hours. I manage to get a good nights sleep in our super reclining seats except for the 3am wake up call where they kept saying 'Mister, Mister, Miss, Miss, Makanan, Makanan (food/meal)' we kept closing our eyes and saying no and finally our snoozing won out. The next day consisted of bumping along looking at beautiful old Dutch colonial style houses and village life, interspersed with the odd bit of ride on busking (v. common here) and some good guitar and harmonica combos. Also an interesting moment when all the 'laki-laki' (men) had to get off and walk over the bridge before the bus went over - I think I would rather have been outside the bus if it was going to snap but it seems that was the way. We also got the option of eating mouldy beans - yum and laughs everytime I try to ask for some 'pisang' (bananas) - nowhere to be found in Sumatra apparently. Also keep being half amused and half worried by the number of buses from the same company at the side of the road steaming. Luckily we were soon to join them. Only 78 km from our final destination and after 33 hrs of journey we get some smoke and all pile off. It seems the bearings have gone and after wating for nearly 5 hrs someone turns up with a wrench and some oil and after a bit of a bash all is well - could they have not found a wrench and some oil here!? we were after all in a big town. Anyway onwards and now we got to see the destruction in daylight. Quite a few crumpled buildings and loads of refugee tents set up, big stores of food and money collection points. Even my wonderfully practised phrases don't help us as we arrive in Bukuttinggi and we are dropped about 3 km from where we want to be. So we trudge along, find some food and a bed and collapse. Incidently, I am currently managing to travel on the equivalent of 10 pounds a day here for food, travel, accommodation, everything!

Depression and Happiness in Bali

2007-03-04T09:26:00.000Z

I have to say I am now sure that flying is the most souless and crap experiences maybe I am biased but.... After crying my way to the airport on the shuttle bus (which I am pleased to say was full!) and being invited to go to Noosa on holiday instead with a pisshead whose wife had just dumped him - tempting! I brave the airport. I have not had any security checks to speak of all trip, only one small glance in my bag when I arrived in Australia, so perhaps I was a bit naive but carrying matches and a fork in my luggage as well as trying to photograph the planes 'Security!' were not too clever! They let me through though to sit in the departure lounge - bad lights, uncomfortable chairs, expensive food, no one talking except the obligatory loud and crass tourists! We finally board and I am scared silly (did I mention I am actually terrified of flying too!) luckily I got some disgusting food to take my attention for a while as the lady next to me clutches her rosary beads - crikey! I have to admit the view as leave is particularly beautiful and I have a bit of time to reflect on my wonderful Australian adventures and all the wonderful folk I have met - so then I cry a bit more! It is raining as we arrive in Denpasar, Bali which is apt. It was such a rushed decision in the end that I only have the plane journey to plan my next move. I decide to find the nearest, quietest, cheapest place to chill and reflect for a few days. This takes me to Legian (near Kuta of surfers and bombs!) and I am thrust back into Asia with a jolt as we are back to 'you want transport?' 'sunglasses 1 dollar' etc... I can't cope with it so I stick with sleeping and mooching in the pool at the beautiful Adys Inn hostel, which is highly recommended. Slowly I get back into the swing of this adventuring lark - I learn a few words of Bahasa Indonesian it is quite easy really. I try the speciality Gado Gado (steamed veg and peanut sauce and cracker!) and try not to get too pissed off with the hawkers. Legian and Kuta really are a bit gross and touristy so I head to Ubud in the hills. Here I find a mecca for alternative folk, with THREE organic cafes, Bali Buddha, Kafe and Sari Organik, an organic food shop (parmesan pasty anyone!) an organic flower shop, organic soap shop and two organic markets! Wow. Mostly they are set up and patronised by 'ex-pats' and tourists but most of the staff are local and there is a seachange within the area forwards to a sustainable community. I met some of the people who are pioneering these businesses and am inspired by their enthusiasm. One particularly exciting project is the Sari Organik experimentation and education centre and cafe (bubbling liquid manure - Peter Harper eat your heart out!) out in the serenely peaceful rice paddy fields. I was lucky to get the guided tour by Oded and was especially excited about his heritage rice seed experiments! I wish him luck with his project - I think he needs help if anyone is interested. I am delighted to see there is recycling and water bottle refilling service here too. I also attended the Kecak performance which was mainly based on the Ramayana and an amazingly musical performance with no instruments but the voice. Onwards to Lovina pretty quiet and there is a desperation in some locals to sell you anything and I feel awkward, I can't buy everything! I try to wait and ponder as I know that in each destination the initial uncertainty has always been replaced with something good or positive. Sadly I end up giving up, after chatting to a few nice locals, and decide to get the bus to Java. What a bad idea that was. After a local freaked me out totally by saying I was going to drown if I get the boat today, begging me to stay and he will pay for my ticket I don't know what to do. I can't change the ticket and the weather looks ok and it is only 30 mins so I go for it, but in my worried state I end up getting bitten by a dog!! I freak even more about rabies but as no one can speak English I just get on with it and cry and worry all the way to Yogjakarta in Java. Here I see a doctor who thinks I am fine and there is no foaming at the mouth so I am quite positive. One of my scariest moments and interesting to think about whether to listen to local advice or not and also going with your instincts.......

Decisions Decisions

2007-02-21T08:55:00.000Z

There are many rational and irrational ways to look at my decision and I can tell you I have been through them all. I am sure any of you who are bothered enough to read this will have your own opinion on my decision and also know what you would have done yourself. There is so much to say regarding this decision and for those who want to know, this is how I decided.
I really have looked into all the options for non-plane transport and I think it makes for interesting questions regarding the lack of infrastructure. There are no ferries, no cruise ships (until maybe July), no cargo ships will take me (insurance issues mainly), the yachties don't start again until April, I didn't even approach the fishermen I was too scared! I can't swim that far (not without getting eaten by a shark) and the canoe is still not an option. After freaking out a bit more, I had to look at the options rationally (thanks Paunch and Jaded!)
I whittled them down to five which were; 1) Wait until April for a yacht; 2) Go back down south and wait for a cargo boat, probably June; 3) Go east and join the Greenpeace ship and work for them till I reached another country (May) 4) Fly to Kupang, West Timor and 5) Fly to Bali. I decided on a system which took in the following factors (in this order of importance). Environment, Safety, Sanity (v. important at the moment!) Adventure, Time and Money. I gave each option a value (skewed for the level of importance i.e more for bad environment than bad money. The worst offender in each section got a bad bonus bad score too. I don't know if this makes sense, not a lot does this week. I have been literally tearing my hair out (well actually I just chopped off a few inches in a moment of hot frustration! Anyway it looks pretty cool and curly and funky Bali surf chick! - (joke) Anyway, I just gave the game away. The result were....1) Fly to Bali, 2) Fly to Kupang, 3) Join Greenpeace, 4) Wait for a yacht and 5) Go for the cargo ship. Considering 3, 4 and 5 are still only possibilities and I don't really want to wait another 6 months to get home, it was only 1 or 2 really.
There are no ways to justify my decision so I won't try but I am only human and unfortunately have had to break my own commitment (no one else placed it on me) and take a small flight.
This flight will produce 0.4 tonnes of CO2 (www.atmosfair.com) which I take full responsibility for - and still keeps me below my limit of 2.5 tonnes a year (now 2007) and less than the 4.43 tonnes if I flew home (Darwin to Cardiff via Singapore). Obviously there is the issue of encouraging the industry and also there is still more travel to come as well as the fact I will produce/contribute to the production of CO2 in many other ways, but as I have said before I am trying to minimise these all the time. This brings me once more to the issue of offsetting.
For those of you who are interested in the issues check out this new website set up by some friends of mine www.cheatneutral.com I know that once the CO2 is in the atmosphere it cannot be taken away. All I can do is hope to make a true reduction in the equal amount of CO2 being produced elsewhere. This is something I had always planned to do for this trip anyway when I returned. Does anyone want to buy some low energy lightbulbs to get me started? One other small way I hope to compensate for this flight is to cycle at least the same distance in the final stage of my journey home. This means cycling from the south of France to Wales. If anyone has any advice or tips, lives along the way or would like to join me/put me up along the way then please let me know.
I am gutted it has come to this and that I haven't got the energy to see this challenge through any longer.
On a more positive note I have met some lovely people in Darwin, Julie from the 5W - Women Welcome Women Worldwide (!) network, Michael my angel who scooped me out of the yacht club trauma and all the lovely folk at the Banyan View Lodge, if you want to stay in Darwin, stay there, it is chilled and friendly and lovely.

The bridesmaid's dilemma - What would you decide?

2007-02-14T23:15:00.000Z

So here is the great dilemma. Ever since I got to Australia (well quite a long time before actually) I started looking at how I was going to return. I have searched high and low for shipping companies, fishermen, sailors, anyone who I could get a lift with. Without paying lots of money to get a cargo ship in reverse I decided my best bet was to head to Darwin, the nearest place to any other country and check it out. Unfortunately due to timing I arrive here in the middle of the wet season, cyclones are a risk and no one is going anywhere fast on a sailing or fishing boat. Apparently there are lots of pirates on these seas too and so some people are wary of making the journey. There is a huge sailing rally in July when many people go from Darwin to Kupang (West Timor) and Bali and people are always looking for crew and there is safety in numbers. My visa runs out in April though! I took my 'Sailing CV' down to the harbour anyway but the lady in the yacht club just told me 'no chance at this time of year' and helpfully buggered off! All the yachts were out of the water. None of the cargo ships seem to accept passengers and there are no cruise liners at the moment. The (un) helpful people in all the travel agents just look at you with a 'why would you want to do that?' withering look and just say 'no' without even trying to look outside their box. Even the nearest flight to West Timor is only 1 hour (485km) and emits 0.24 tonnes of CO2 - relatively small and would allow me to stay within my quota for the year. Every time I suggest this to anyone, they mostly think it is a mad idea and put me off, although I did meet some others who took this option recently. Recently a fairly mad guy tried to canoe over and did pretty well but ended up getting rescued from a remote island - not my best idea, but I have to check out everything! I really don't know what to do. Another possible option is to go all the way back to Adelaide! and get a cargo ship from there to Italy, although I am not sure when the next boat is. It would cost me lots more and I wouldn't get to see Indonesia but even back-tracking would be much less CO2 emissions. It would be nearly 30 days on board, could I do that? I feel like this trip is bigger than me now and bigger than the wedding I came to. When I think back to that day and my time with Helen and my pals, it was so worth this stress but I wish I could go back to that date and not have to worry about this decision now! I nearly went for a plane the other day as I had lost all hope of finding another way, I am running out of cash and I miss my friends and family and home. I was all packed up but then I just couldn't do it and burst into tears with tiredness from it all. This is not about me and whether I am happy it is about the planet. I really can't encourage these companies that flying is such a good thing. Dilemma, Dilemma. I know some people think I am wierd and why don't I just fly and get over it, but I also know others who say 'don't do it, stick to your beliefs'. I know I am an adult and have to make my own decisions but....any thoughts or advice gratefully received!

Another Unique Aussie Experience

2007-02-11T06:30:00.000Z

Far Out! ...is the only way to describe my recent adventures! After trying to get a lift from Alice Springs to Darwin for a week I decide to give up and take the Greyhound bus option (cheapest). Just as I am boarding news comes in of a cyanide spill on the Stuart Highway just after Tennant Creek (1/3 of the way to Darwin). The road is closed and I am advised to go back to my hostel. After chatting to the driver I decide to get on the bus anyway as I really need to be going forwards and who knows what might happen when we get to Tennant Creek. We arrive at 2am and there is no change so my options are....1) Go back to Alice Springs and stay at the bus driver's house!! 2) Get a hostel in Tennant Creek and wait - apparently it is not that safe though and tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday....3) The bus driver asks a truckie at the bus stop/petrol station if he can take me on from here.... So all of a sudden I am standing in the middle of the road making a split second decision and I decide to go forwards 25km to the road closure with Arthur the truckie! We arrive at Threeways Roadhouse at about 3am and I try to sleep a bit but fail. Adrenaline, anxiety and sleeping sitting up in a random truckies cab don't equal happy snoozing! Up at 7am to check on the news and there are various stories but it is sure to be a while. I get brekky and meet some of the other stranded folk. Lots of truckies and people trying to get home as well as a couple of tourists. The spill is 100km north of here and it is sodium cyanide which is ok until it gets wet when it produces cyanide gas and instant death! We hear it has fallen into a creek and there is rain coming so it is not looking good. I try to sleep in the shade of a tree - it is 40 degrees c here but I get munched by ants. I then discover there is a pool (thank the lord for the pool!) but it is only so long before I get bored and wrinkly and get out. By mid-afternoon it is clear no one is going anywhere tonight and most people have started drinking at the bar. I decide to join in (it may help me sleep) for a while and everyone is a good laugh and there is a great community spirit. Nearly everyone commented on how sorry they felt for me sleeping under the tree (I must have looked like a hobo) and I had various offers of spare beds/truck bunks for the night. I declined them all in the end! After a few winning rounds of poker I try to sleep again back in my upright position. No joy and now my ankles are swollen too - I wish I was a camel as they have special pumps in their legs to pump the blood back up - I recently discovered! Up early again to hear no more news. Everyone is pretty bored, very hot and totally fed up now. I am starting to lose the plot with tiredness, hunger, the heat and the surrealness of the situation. By 3pm I am sitting in the toilet bawling my eyes out at the situation and the world in general (more on this later...) At 3.30pm the police come and say we can probably go through tonight. At 5.30pm they come back and say we can go now...Yay! The convoy sets off, 27 trucks with 61 trailers of freight and god knows how many cars. As the cyanide contamination readings are still high we have to go slow and wait 3 minute intervals between trucks and 1 minute intervals between cars. We spend another 5 hours waiting on the road with humourous chit chat from the truckies on the radio as entertainment and to cap it all off, a bush fire to the west and a lightening storm to the east! Finally we get under way at 10.30pm and spend a few delirious hours driving into a crazy lightening storm listening to German and Nordic heavy metal/opera music! Finally my body gives in and I manage to snooze on and off the last 900km to Darwin, via dropping some meat off in Katherine in the middle of the night during more rain storms! I arrive in a zombie like state and somehow find a bus to the city and collapse at the lovely, quiet Banyan View Lodge hostel.

Uluru, Kata Tjutas and Kings Canyon trip

2007-02-04T08:41:00.000Z

I decided soon after arriving in Australia that as I was only ever going to visit once, I had better make the most of it. Although it was a bit out of the way, I knew I had to visit Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and try to learn more about Aboriginal culture. After debating the options, I decided to take a 3 day trip. On day one we visited Kings Canyon and took a pretty hot walk around in the heat of the day. It was stunningly beautiful and it was very interesting to learn about the Mulga tree - toxic but a multitude of uses for tools. Also the Corkwood tree which can be used to soothe teething babies. My favourite was the Ghost Gum tree which has sunscreen in it! We also saw some amazing rock formations, lots of lizards and some pygmy koalas !!(don't ask, it is like the drop-bears, a bit of warped Aussie humour!) That night we drove towards our camp spot but we were so tired and hungry we didn't make it and stopped early by the side of the road. We soon discovered we were in an ocean of ants as we tried to eat without being bitten. I think I took some with me when I went to bed in my swag and so hopped around for ages trying to find a spot with no ants and ended up making everyone laugh and sleeping on the table. An early start and onwards to Uluru and Kata Tjutas National Park. After driving past a big mountain (fooluru) we finally glimpse the red rock in the distance. It seemed to keep moving as we got closer and we are left in anticipation a while longer as we take a brief detour to the Olgas (Kata Tjutas) and the Valley of the Winds. I soon realise that this trip is very tight on time and also as we walk out to the panoramic view no one else is interested in quiet contemplation, just rushing around, photographing and chatting. This is fine but I feel like I need some time and space so I manage to get left alone at one spot for a while. I try to feel and understand the place and the history and get all poetic. I also realised that I should be thankful to the indigineous owners or Anangu, as they prefer to be known. I write a thankyou note and a poem which I later passed on to one of the local elders via the cultural centre. After lunch and a swim we take a trip to the cultural centre. It is very interesting to learn more about the local culture and how the fate of Uluru as a tourist attraction has been reconciled. We learn more about the symbols in the artwork and their meaning and also about some of the mens and womens tools used. Our last mission for the day was to watch the sunset at Uluru. I anticipate the worst and am quite well pleased. Hundreds of tourist buses and cameras and people chatting and sipping champagne. I get quite angry as no one seems to be understanding anything about this place. The view is beautiful though and I enjoy it enough. I think sunset watching can be a bit cheesy anyway! I am excited about tomorrow when we get closer. An early rise in the dark so we can watch the sun rise from behind Uluru. It is very beautiful and thankfully less tourists. We then go to walk the base walk. We arrive at 7am and I am saddened to see the thousands of 'ants on shit' as the Anangu call them! climbing the rock. It is disrespectful to the Anangu who ask people not to walk as it is only for men during certain spiritual ceremonies. I manage to walk the pleasant 9km base walk alone. The weather is not too hot (although by 9.30am when I finish thay have closed the climb as it is already 36 degrees c!) I am surprised by the number of trees and vegetation nearby and think it must have been a pretty good place to have lived. I am intrigued by all the closed off and non-photographable sacred sites, but I will never know what they are about. Then our trip is all but over. Back on the bus and back to Alice Springs. Time goes quickly, partly as we are forced to play some silly games, do a quiz about what we learned (which was quite a lot it seems!) and also to sing a song from our country. For some reason me and three others from the UK end up singing Vera Lynn's 'We'll meet again' A brief stop at the camel farm and another collapse in Alice Springs.

To Coober Pedy and Alice Springs

2007-02-04T08:29:00.000Z

About 3 weeks later than expected, I finally depart Adelaide for Alice Springs, (isn't slow travel great!) I take a Groovy Grape bus which takes us via a night in Coober Pedy, the famous, remote, opal mining town where many people live in underground 'caves'. Our first day's drive takes us past lots of salt lakes and some surprisingly green desert (due to recent rains and floods.) Our driver Tash is good fun and it is great to share travelling stories with her. She is very into her wildlife and helps to point out a load of wedge tail eagles and as we search for her favourite thorny devil lizard we see Lizardus Plasticus! After a very hot day in the bus we arrive at Coober Pedy just before sunset and get to see the end of another day in this strange place. Piles of excavated rock everywhere and with its drive-in cinema there are many similarities between this place and a 1950's small country US town. It is not very beautiful and quite industrial. Our home for the night is in a disappointing 'cave' half dugout hostel. The one impressive feature is the 24 degrees c constant temperature, but like many buildings here they are functional, not beautiful, and with their dust protective glaze, look on the inside very much like fake, stone fire surrounds from gas fires circa 1970! After dinner we venture out and finally find the miners bar. After a bizarre chat with local miner David, I realise it is safest to go to bed. In the morning we get a free tour of the opal museum! It is actually very interesting and I discover amongst other things that they have only had their sewage system for 4 years and it has been designed to flow through their school field, which is extremely and beautifully green! So the idea here is you dig a mine to look for opals and on the way you can make yourself a house, which needs no air conditioning! Only 60 dollars a year for 50mx50m plot but you have to be there fairly regularly to mine it. Onwards and northwards and another long, hot day in the bus staring at the endless desert. When we finally arrive in Alice Springs I have lost all sense of humour I ever had with the heat (can't even put my feet down on the floor of the bus as it is burning!). I have food with the friendly folk from the bus and pass out cold 2123km progress further home made!!

Bees, Bushfires, a Baby and Beautiful People

2007-01-26T11:17:00.000Z

(and also more information about my journey, the why's, hows etc. for those who have asked)

The highlights from a few days in Adelaide were sleeping a lot and playing the accordion I spotted on the shelf in Wilsons organic food shop! What a treat, but I had forgotten a few tunes already! I couldn't get a bus to Alice Springs until 27th January so it was more WWOOFing for me. I was so lucky to find Ben and Lena (and little Elwin) and go and help at 'The Meeting of the Waters'. Here I spent just over two weeks living the life I love at home. A simple life, good food, low impact, beautiful nature (a super fast flowing but slightly fake river included was a good massage!) and beautiful people. Ben and Lena welcomed me into their lovely cob and strawbale home with so much warmth and happiness I felt very relaxed and at home (which is a real treat 16,000km from home!) I spent a day helping their neighbour Don with his bee hives - an adrenaline filled day of learning - the bees were not happy that we were taking their honey! I also experienced my first aussie bush fire which was pretty bad (but could have been worse) and at least they saved the vineyards! It was wierd as we went to have a look to see pure black next to juicy green vines and the odd tree still smouldering, the heat was amazing. Then ensued 4 days of rain and flooding! I am beginning to think I am either a Welsh rain fairy or climate change is really happening!??? So many lovely people came through, mainly to see 5 week old Elwin, but also Ben, Lena and this place's charm. It was a pleasure to meet them all and all are welcome if they are ever in Wales. I don't feel like I did much work but I hope I helped out before my back went OW which is not good as I am spending 2 days on a bus to Alice Springs tomorrow.... We managed to finish the solar oven and start melting the beeswax but didn't get to bake a cake, boo.....So what is next....? I am really excited about seeing the desert and Coober Pedy and the caves! and hanging out in Alice Springs, 40 degrees here we come!

I also wanted to take the time to provide some more information about how I took this trip and also to quash a few silly statements I have read recently about my trip. I don't normally bother but they have been niggling me. Firstly the idea that my trip and others like it was a waste of time because of all the extra energy used travelling to and working harder at 'the office' to pay for it. As anyone who knows me knows, I cycle or walk to work at CAT, which is all powered by renewable energy. I rarely use a computer when operating the water balanced cliff railway or digging out a compost toilet! Secondly, that along the way I will have sudddenly turned into a polluting, non-caring citizen and cause lots of wasted energy everywhere I go. Along the way I have spent at least 6 weeks staying in places using renewable energy and compost toilets and over 4 weeks camping (no electricity). I save water travelling just as much as when at home and a lot of Australia does have low flush toilets. I have used the same environmentally friendly washing products and toiletries. I have been reducing my waste and recycling and composting where possible. I have used public transport and walked and cycled loads. It has been a fun challenge but I think I have been as green as I could. This trip is not just about air travel but about us all taking personal responsibility for reducing all excessive, wasteful and polluting uses of resources.
About COSTS. Overall my trip cost more than flying but as I have said before should we just judge everything on monetary value? The figures people have quoted I think give an unfair impression. Rarely is an airflight actually what is quoted on the web or in the newspaper, but more. From the other bridesmaids I think about 700 pounds return is fair. Some parts of my journey were CHEAPER than the flight, it was really just the cargo ship part which 'upset the balance sheet.' It cost me 2000 pounds to get from Wales to Australia in 7 weeks, that amount includes all my travel, food, accommodation, touristy stuff, everything! The cargo ship cost 1000 of that and was booked through Strand Travel a travel agency in London. www.strandtravel.co.uk
Some examples..... London to Moscow by plane (single) with Aeroflot in September costs 1075 dollars (US)(about 550 pounds - not including any taxes or other hidden things) my bus took 3 days and cost 130 pounds!!! (www.kayak.com and www.eurolines.com for the buses)
Moscow to Beijing by plane (single) with Sibir or Aeroflot is 600 dollars (US) which is 300 pounds (not including taxes etc.). My journey on the trans-siberian took 6 days and cost 190 pounds. (flight info. on www.waytorussia.net) I booked the Trans- Siberian through a travel agency in Russia, Svehzy Veter www.sv-agency.udm.ru and I would highly recommend them.
Beijing to Hanoi by plane would cost 416 euros (286 pounds not including taxes) according to www.e-flights.com but my train cost a whopping 70 pounds! I booked it from the hostel in Beijing.
Finally to answer another comment from before about me spilling oil all over the sea !? I came to Australia on a cargo ship not an oil tank and there was no spillage!! Anyway only 5% of the oil in the sea comes from oil spills. The rest comes from what we wash down our drains from our houses, cars and industry.
Anyway, all I am trying to say is I am trying and I truly believe we all need to take a closer look at everything we do and try and do better for the environment, sooner rather than later!
Sorry this is so long, I hope it is useful and if it sounds like a rant then sorry too, I have been bottling it up for ages!
(photos, me as a beekeeper! and the bush fire and the vines!)
p.s it is so annoying not having a pound sign on the keyboard away from the UK and trying to write all these pounds signs!!!

Long Distance Barbara is coming home....(slowly!)

2007-01-14T10:28:00.000Z

The tent company supplying most of the tents for the festival happen to be trucking a load of tents back to Adelaide, so I check out the options and I realise that it will be the quickest and cheapest way to get from Brisbane to Alice Springs, my next destination. I go and speak to the guys and meet Mal, the proper Aussie truckie and ask for a lift. He says fine as long as I don't argue and I can be ready in 1 hour! I dither for a while and then realise that I really need to get going, away from Woodford, and feel like I am heading home. I quickly pack up and we are off! I wonder about whether hitching is actually carbon neutral as the carbon being produced is actually related to the truck company and I am not supporting their actions just blagging a lift. Anyway this thought spurs me on as I get a free ride 1500km to Adelaide. It takes 48 hours with a couple of short sleeps in the cab on the way. Beautiful scenery, an amazing lightning storm on the Hay Plain and I get to see my first bit of aussie 'Outback'. The colours are amazing, so simple and vivid. Red earth and Blue sky. Mal is a pretty nice guy really and we get on well and have a laugh. We recognise each other for what we are and don't rub each other up the wrong way but have some lively debates! My ankles swell up like balloons and I am finally landed down in the outskirts of Adelaide feeling like a zombie. Somehow I click into gear and get a bus to town and find a hostel and sleep for 14 hours straight. I think the other girls in my room thought I was dead!! I am confused by the time (half an hour early ) but at least I feel like I am heading home, only 9 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT!
photos - view from the truck was beautiful going through the Main Ranges, inside the Cabin - Mal was camera shy! and red crocs and big wheels!

Happy Woodford New Year

2007-01-07T23:52:00.000Z

I arrive at the beautiful Woodford Folk Festival site on 15th December to a mass of square white tents - very strange to a British festival goer - but I soon realise the value to protect from the sun. They are boring though and a few stripes wouldn't go amiss! Anyway a warm Woodford welcome is received and I set up camp as close to a tree (shade) as I could. Work is chilled for a few days so I get to know the people - all shapes and sizes of friendly folk and yum food from the wonderful Duck and Shovel team. Monday, I set to work with enthusiasm as the Woodforce workers sweep the site making it look good - weeding, strimming, litter picking and tree planting - I put in a Bunya Pine especially for the beautiful Jessa Lady who I wish could be here. After a few days I get put on a new project which is such a scoop, especially for a member of the 'Recycled Venues' dream team! Along with Lu I get to design and build a Smokers Garden for the VIP Committee Room. We have 6 days, no tools and no materials but a promise of two 18 year old male helpers - could be a challenge! Lu and I get on famously and get set on our design. Our enthusiasm and dedication rubs off on others and soon we have tools and materials coming out of our ears and people offering to help from all over. Our design is organic and evolves to be a spirit of elements; water, fire (from the smokers!), metal, earth, wood, stone and wind. We slogged our guts out through sun, rain and mud and even worked 5 hours on Christmas day and a few hours holding everything from washing away in the storm of Boxing Day! The result is Barlu (Barbara and Lucy) and thanks go to Lu, Max, Leo, Roo, Cruiser, Zak (for the leatherman and for laughing at us in the rain!) Mal, Sherman and Karenna as well as all others helpers and the carpenters Steve and Cheryl who made it work. ( During the festival we overheard a comment from a smoker in our garden ' This is the best beer garden in the world, I don't know why it just is' What praise!!) The festival finally started as our small community expanded and thousands of punters came and shared our creations. My role changed as I started work with the Chai Tent. Thanks to Nigel for getting me in. This bunch know what they are doing having been at every Woodford so far, they are also a bit of an institution. I had great fun serving chai (and drinking chai), serving cake and eating cake! whilst also having a laugh with the lovely staff and punters who got gradually wierder as the days went on. I also got to see some of the best music of the festival during work (which never felt like work) on the Chai Tent stage chalkboard or late night music sessions. One lasting memory will be of the whole place jumping to the beat of the Jambezi team - beautiful! Other highlights were Leo - great, egotistical French Gypsy, Ska, Punk specialists really got me jumping in the mud (oh yes - it felt more like Glasto with 4 days of mud and rain starting the festival off! Where were the 40 degrees days I had been warned of?!) Also great were the John Butler Trio - more mud and jumping and mexican waves. Zavier Rudd is a miracle and I just wished I were not so tired and could dance more. Playing the kick drum, snares, guitar and digeridoo all at once!!!!! this is an amazing sight to witness. Also notable were the Sensitive New Age Cowpersons - hilarious and very clever and seeing some of the dances of the local indigineous people the Dungidau dancers and the Doonach Dancers. Soon it was all over and we were back to our small team of volunteers and organisers. A special party on 2nd January to give thanks was 'briliant' and funny. A lantern parade and special video were the highlights as everyone tried to party their weary feet on. Litter picking was our next task (a joy for a skip fiend!) but it was fairly clean. It is crazy what valuable stuff people leave behind and I wish I was not limited to what I could fit into my backpack. tents, tarpaulins, clothes, flip flops, pegs and tent pegs by the dozen! I scored 3 new hats and 2 dollars 80 cents! (1 pound!) Free pinapples in abundance as people start to drift away. I finally have to leave as I get an impromptu lift out and head back to the 'real' world.....(as per usual - photos to follow...maybe!!!)

WWOOFing and Platypus

2006-12-14T02:57:00.000Z

So onwards to explore this huge country and try to spend some time living a bit more lightly on the earth. I head for Byron Bay as I hear the odd hippie lives thereabouts and I know I can meet up with my pal Jessa's Mum and Sis. I get 'Jungle' camping at the Arts Factory Hostel which seems to aim to be all hippie and environmental but the reality is not so. Still loads of backpackers making a load of waste and getting wasted too. Just not my thing and it is a shame when they have such a great location to care for and scope to do a few basic things like composting, turning lights out etc. Byron is a bit like Totnes on Sea, on the face very eco/hippie but really quite middle class and poncey (coffee bars and clothes shops galore!) but the beaches are beauteous and there was a fabulous lightening storm. Meeting up with Kris and Freya was a joy, such beautiful people and it was great to have a local to take me to the 'Most Easterly Point' in Australia and point things out, as well as a companion to join me to watch 10 Canoes, the award winning Aboriginal Film set in Arnhemland in the Northern Territory, (which incidently is very good.) I found a fabulous organic shop called Santos which I frequented every day to get my fix of good food including my new addictions of choc covered macadamia nuts and orange, carrot and ginger fruit juice, YUM! Thanks to Jane and Jess who made the time in Byron more fun and for their help with the Hopi Ear Candle project! I have been meaning to do one for ages so finally got round to it and I have to say I am not overwhelmed with joy as my sinuses have been bunged up ever since! After a week it is time to move on and I managed to line up a WWOOF place at Currawinya which is a 6500 acres property of regenerating bush/rainforest near Tabulam (small town of 150 people about 2 hours inland from Byron Bay) What a place to find. A small community of great people are living in this remote but amazingly fantastical place, all off the grid for power, water and sewage. I stayed with Peter, Christine, Jess and Kartyani who welcomed me in and I felt right at home. I helped out with the garden, did lots of things with plants (yay got my hands back in the soil!) helped look after little Ruby, helped to gut a caravan and do some insulation for a straw bale house's roof, collected and sowed some rainforest seeds for their regeneration work, built a stone oven at their permaculture group and mowed the lawn. I also fitted in some swimming and snorkelling in the clear, fresh river, eating lots of delicious food, some yoga by the river, got bored of spotting wallabies here, there and everywhere (only joking they were cool, every one!) going for a good cycle around the tracks and making elderflower champagne!!! in December!!! I also had a fun experience with a lovely green tree frog trying to get into bed with me after another crazy storm (I didn't think til afterwards he could have been my prince, damn!) and I also spotted a Platypus swimming around hurrah! Eventually it was time to leave which was a shame but I am looking forward now to Woodford Folk Festival where I will be working and hanging out until New Year.

The Honeymoon and Beyond

2006-12-14T02:48:00.000Z

Up at the crack of dawn to head to Fraser Island (the world's largest sand island!) We go in convey and with the VHF radios somehow eye spy becomes the best game in the world with Iceman up front against Fat Cat and Minky the laughs are plenty. We are on the island by 8am when a few people crack open the beers and drive along the sand (a bit wierd and the girls are all shrieking as Daniels zooms all over the place). After a little stop to get some 'pippys' (spelling please someone!) we arrive at Happy Valley and I fall asleep. A lazy day for me but the next day we are up and organised and set off to see some rainforest and lakes. Basin Lake is delicious and you can see why it is a sacred site for the Aborigines. A jolly walk to the fabulous Lake Mackenzie gets us playing 'I went shopping..In Australia' and all we can think about are pies....It is a long day as we didn't really anticipate how long it took to get everywhere on the sand. When we finally get to the town the shop assistant is surprised as all these hungry and crazed poms (and 2 aussies) practically buy the shop up! The next day more exploring the rainforest and trying to climb the huge tree fig (handy footholes) seeing the freshwater turtles (cute) and spotting monitor lizards and looking for the famous sharks (that I never saw but still didn't get in the water just in case!) A few days of exploring later we are off again and up to the little Town of 1770 where we get back to nature, camping right by the beach, I love it being outdoors again and the first night we had a huge downpour and I felt just like I was in my little caravan not being able to sleep from the noise and fumbling for my earplugs in the dark, Joy! We took a reef trip out to the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Musgrave Island which was so amazing. Really well organised and educational and considerate to the wildlife. I have never seen such clear water, it must have been six metres deep and as clear as the clearest thing I have ever seen! Snorkelling with turtles and loads of cool reef fish is great fun. We then walk around the island which is quite pretty but stinks of bird poo (very special bird I am sure but still pooey). So with sadness we depart and head back to Brisbane for the end of my part of the honeymoon trip. The others carry on to Sydney and I hang around in Brisbane, I buy a tent and find the Northey Street City Farm which is a real gem in the city, an organic farmers market, cool chai cafe and I get my eyes read by and iridologist!!! I plan to head to Byron Bay (to find some hippies!) and organise some Wwoofing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) out in the sticks.

(Hopefully photos should show up of Mackenzie Lake on Fraser Island, the gang playing pooh sticks on Fraser Island and an amazing Tree Fig on Fraser Island- which I did try to climb!)

Take Action Now !!

2006-11-14T00:28:00.000Z

I have just signed an online pledge stating my opposition to airport expansion and I thought if you are reading this you might like to sign up too. I hope you share my concerns about the impacts of flying and airport development. The government says it wants to take action against climate change but also plans to triple air travel - the most polluting of all forms of transport - over the next twenty five years. It wants to expand almost every airport in Britain and build huge new concrete runways across green fields at Stansted, Birmingham, Heathrow and Edinburgh. The communities around the airports will be blighted by noise and air pollution.

The government's own advisors - the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, the Environmental Audit Committee, and the Sustainable Development Commission - are all saying that this is a dangerous and destructive policy and still the government will not listen.

So I decided that I would make (another!!) personal stand and signed a public pledge to say that if the government refuses to back away from its expansion policy, I will take personal action to block airport expansion and to prevent companies from supporting and funding it. You can see my name and my personal statement at:

http://www.airportpledge.org.uk/read.php?entry=4271

The personal action can be anything you want it to be and the pledge will keep you informed of things you can do. But your first personal action can be to sign the pledge.

It's like a petition, but with the real threat that the people who sign it will be active and determined. The government is nervous of this kind of large scale opposition. The companies that fund and build the expansion are wary of this kind of risk to their investments. If we get enough people to join the pledge we can stop the airport expansion and force the government to adopt a transport policy which respects people and the environment.

So, please join me and sign the pledge. Go to www.airportpledge.org.uk and sign it now.

Babs x

p.s I could write about what I have been doing recently but really the main issue here is our planet and we have to think about it before ourselves sometimes (and more about me lounging on beaches and meeting cool people is probably not very interesting - especially to you people in the UK!x)

The Wedding! 27th October 2006

2006-10-30T09:20:00.000Z

Lots to say about Melbourne (friendly, quirky and cool) and Sydney (Bondi Beach, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House show me I am really in Australia now) but for now I just want to write about the wonderful experience that was our week on 'Straddie'. After arriving in Brissy and heading straight off to the Hen Do to get to know some of the aussie ladies and introduce Steve on a Stick to the town, it was soon time to pack up again and head over to North Stradbroke Island which was to be our home for the week and the location for the wedding. What an amazing place! Lots of time spent hanging out with old friends and making new friends, swimming in crystal blue waters and the brown tea tree lake, gazing at stunning views from our 'penthouse' luxury apartment for the week - The Lighthouse and getting ready for the big day. We walked The Gorge and saw loads of dolphins, whales in the distance, turtles and manta rays. If that wasn't enough we nearly ran over a couple of kangaroos a few hours later (it took me over 2 weeks in oz to finally see one and then it is two nearly stuck to the window!) but it was after our traumatic digging the yute out of the sand moment - thanks to Dav and Babs for saving the day....The big day slowly rolls closer but all is chilled. We do a bit of girly stuff and get a pedicure - a novel experience for a hippie like me but fun all the same. The Wedding itself was so perfect. We all looked fab in our dresses, especially the bride. The ceremony was so lovely, right down by the beach with everyone gathered close by. As we walked down the 'aisle' it was such a joy seeing all these colourful and smiling people, with bubbles floating around, music playing, sun shining and the turquoise sea behind. The reception was great, lots of great speeches, lovely food, silly dancing and the chase for the bouquet! We all got our special stubbie holder as a momento and the party carried on into the night. After missing the whole of the next day at lawn bowls (gutted) I then got to go diving with some of the boys. We went to Flat Rock and after the supper surge entry we descend to a beautiful dive with 15m vis. and see lotf os colorful fish, turtles, wobbegong and have a great dive. Back on the surface there are three humpback whales off on their migration and we get to see them frolicking for a while, before the dolphins come into view again, oh yes and there was the flying fish......!!! Second dive not such good vis. but a cool experience dropping straight into a bath of blue jellyfish (harmless apparently!) and saw a few small rays, more turtles and great stuff! Back to Brissy for the next stage of this great wedding adventure, we are all off to Fraser Island next for more fun.....

The Bumpy Bit - 10th - 14th October

2006-10-18T04:00:00.000+01:00

Although I am told the weather is pretty good, we still start rolling all over the shop almost as soon as we leave Fremantle. There are cool plastic mats which hold everything from pot plants to waste bins down. (I forgot, I did get a temporary job as 'gardener' for a few minutes and revived a dying pot plant from its dark and dry misery!) but everything else falls on the floor and I have to time my walk up the stairs to go with the lurch of the boat and sleep sideways on the bed. The first new adventure is the Chief Officer's plan to take me out onto the lower deck and to the front of the ships straight after breakfast. There is lots of spray and water sloshing on the floor as I loll around in my XXL bright blueberry looking waterproof and my pyjamas. It is pretty fun and exhilarating. We then go down loads of steps to the very bottom of the boat which is a bit eerily quiet. Then back up and we are just about to go back inside as a huge wave comes up at us and swirls around our bodies and we are soaked to the skin - much to everyone's (including mine) amusement. Luckily my only symptoms of seasickness is a bit of an annoying headache and it is hard to sleep at night and so I find myself sleeping quite a lot in the day too. I don't know how all the crew manage to work as much as they do, every day. The more I see and chat, the greater insight I have into their lives aboard and it is pretty full on. I know I couldn't do it. I know for a lot of them it is just for the money and I hate that. There are varying levels of interest, some like their jobs, some don't and as much as they like aspects of the life at sea they are still away from home for up to 6 months at a time and away from contact (unless at a port where you can phone) and freedom. Viktor, the steward, who is cool, has not seen his 5 month old baby as he has been away for nearly 7 months. The next few days pass quickly/in a blur mainly sleeping and typing up my diary on the computer and watching more dvds. I even manage to compose a new piece on the accordion - inspired, (maybe?) We begin arriving to Melbourne in the afternoon but it takes us 3 hrs through dusk and night so I am again availed with beautiful skies and scenes. There is even a web cam I discover - Hi Mum and Dad! The soundtrack to our arrival at first is some super cheesy love songs and then we are joined by the smartest pilot to help steer us in (in his suit and tie, under his waterproofs - almost James Bond). The Russian's are just giggling about something, who knows what! I am feeling a bit of cabin fever so I am glad to arrive but I cannot leave properly yet with all my bags as there is no customs. I am allowed ashore and get the free bus to the seaman's club the Stella Maris ( I have to say I am a bit wary about what it will be like after some of the crew are quite blatant about telling me they are looking for a strip club straight away!) but it is actually very lovely inside, friendly, cheap guiness, free cake (someone's 50th birthday party - no stripper!) and free lemons (scurvy?) The local paper says the headline 'Sheep Rush' which amuses me greatly! At the end of the night I have to go back to the ship and wait for customs who arrive early the next day, check my bag for food and wierd stuff and set me free. I am in Australia for real - 45 days after leaving the UK!!

The Boat Bit Part 1 - 3rd - 10th October

2006-10-16T09:39:00.000+01:00

Well, what to say! Mental! Singapore Dock is huge and crazy and I am totally overwhelmed by it all as I manouvre round huge containers and marvel at the massive ships - I really can't take in the size and my heart is pumping. I am suddenly aboard meeting the Captain (do I really call him Captain or does he have another name? I am not offered one for now so I will stick to Captain, pretty cool eh!) Then I am off for my first meal and meeting the Officers and Crew. The officers are from Russia, The Ukraine and The Phillipines. The crew are all from the Phillipines, plus a few extra from Singapore - who are on board to weld for 20 hrs a day!! 26 of us in all and no other passengers which is a shame. The first thing I notice as I sit down are the vitamin C tablets and my mind goes into a momentary irrrational thought about how quickly I could get scurvy and could I die in 2 weeks!! but then I recover! Calm! Meal times are a joy! I love them. If I do not show up they worry about me and phone me up. Then I am not allowed to do anything myself - too polite to me here but I don't like too much service (I hope they will get to know this but they don't!) So there is a combination of meat and potatoes, rice and fish in various guises with the odd piece of fruit and vegetable thrown in and ice cream and cake on Sunday too. Sometimes I try to make lame conversation with a Russian who either doesn't understand or doesn't want to. Sometimes I have a giggle with those who can. Everyone says 'Good Appetite' as they arrive and leave and I cannot stop staring at the plate of processed meat which seems to be untouched since day 1. Actually I enjoyed the food, I just ate too much! I tried to offer my services in the kitchen ( I thought my time in the CAT veggie restaurant might help?!) but they thought not and when I tried they thought I was crazy! I got handed a big wodge of dvds by the Captain and start to wade through them. I wish I had grasped the dvd situation beforehand and could have brought all those films I have been wanting to watch for ages but not had time or also as I don't have a tv/video/dvd or electricity! Anyway the first days pass easily. Views of Indonesia, lush sunsets and a volcano! Lots of eating (worried I might not get in the bridesmaids dress!) and the only activity I get is walking up the stairs after dinner! Lots of time to think. One thing I wonder is if there is a way to measure/quantify my amazing experiences and make a financial/emotional/cultural/environmental comparison - but that is for the acedamics and the thought stops there! So this ship is more Russian than the Trans-Siberian (sadly no vodka and it is an alcohol free ship for the crew - but not for me sadly drinking red wine alone!) I spend most of my time talking to the officers. Alex from St.Petersburg has good English and we get on pretty well. He shows me the engine room (big, loud, hot) the controls etc. and generally helps to keep me sane. After 6 days we arrive in Fremantle to a beautiful moonset/sunrise and dolphin combination and I am allowed on shore! It feels like cheating and like I am not really in Australia but it feels pretty damn good to set foot on Australian soil (sand!) I HAVE DONE IT (nearly...) I decided to try to find my 2 lovely pals Charlotte and Dom, living in Cottesloe just 2 miles from the dock. Happily Dom and his brother Rupert are home to entertain me for the day but sadly I miss Charlotte. It is great to turn up at a friend's door 10,000 miles from home un-announced and wake them from a hangover! I don't really feel like I am in Australia yet. Except for the funny (infectious) accent (I refuse to pick it up) and everyone being overly helpful and cheery (worries me at first but great!). Back on the boat at night time and we set off for the bumpy part of the journey around the south coast......

Kuala Lumpar and Singapore...getting nervous now!

2006-10-15T10:05:00.000+01:00

I didn't spend long enough in KL to give a good impression of this South East Asian capital (sorry to be repetitive about this, but I am not a city girl anyway!) I am just too nevous about the boat now that it is just best to get to Singapore asap. Through this journey I hope I will learn to worry less...but it is a family trait it seems! Hopefully The Land of 'no worries mate' OZ will cure me! Singapore seems to be fully booked up which surprises me but takes me to the Summer Tavern Hostel which is a real gem - really friendly, chilled (too cold with the air conditioning which we try to turn off as much as possible!), free internet and breakfast. At first I wasn't too enamoured by Singapore - except the kindness of Richard and his wife Evelyn, another friend of a friend of a friend etc who has looked out for me! and the weird and slightly un P.C/animal unfriendly Maya Puto (white eyed) bird singing competition where people bring their caged birds together to sing sweetly for hours whilst judges whittle them down to one sweet winner. Hot competition and serious stuff, I cheered for number 98 for a while but left and never discovered his fate! I found the place hot and too orderly and slow (how can I say that!!!) but for an Asian city. I guess I just got a bit frustrated with some of the systems which if you get used to are perfectly sensible but.... and the huge consumerism and Americanisation annoyed me. There also seemed to be too many chirpy happy people and hollow symbols of peace, harmony, community etc. but from speaking to a few locals it is maybe not that harmonious, but perhaps it is good to at least try to achieve them, even if it is only in words. They have some good things in their concrete jungle though, I found a lush organic, wholefood cafe and had hummous! After a delightful American lady kindly commented on my numerous mossie bites 'Gee they sure love you - you should get one of these' (Cue smiley sticker thing on her leg thrust into my face) I said thanks and departed speechless! I also arrived in the middle of the celebrations for Deepvali (I bought a beautiful and sweet scented flower garland as a treat), The Mooncake/Lantern Festival in Chinatown and also Ramadam. There were lots of decorations and extra exciting food and activites going on as well as beautiful night-time light displays. I also got a Singapore Sling in Raffles - nice enough and good to say I have done it but pretty un-exciting getting a cocktail in the middle of the day on your own and also surrounded by loud Americans (sorry but they keep cropping up!) I also ventured to Sentosa - Singapore's very own man-made island theme park. An interesting and potentially expensive experience. I opt out of some of the rubbish and see the Images of Singapore Museum which after the initial 'cheese' - peace, harmony etc. and being cattle herded in with all the other tourists it was quite an informative museum with lots of great waxworks! Next with ice-cream melting quickly in the 35 degrees heat and a 'have a nice day' from the seller I set off on the nature trail which takes me past fake dinosaur bones and what sounds like fake jungle sounds (but some informative stuff with even a few latin names of plants!) down to the beach. The sand is all imported and I sit on the most southerly point of continental Asia which is very symbolic for me as I gaze out at the many cargo ships in the mist on the horizon - is one of them mine? Also nice was the orchid garden but I have had enough and back to the city. The fabulous Rebecca manages to email me some more music to practice on the ship and the guys at the hostel help me to print it. It is starting to dawn on me how 2 weeks on a ship is a hell of a lot of hours to kill! Feeling a bit homesick, as much as I am having fun and am excited about the boat, Oz and beyond, I still love Mach, my home and my family and friends. (I know you may want to read about the boat and yes I am in Australia but I haven't worked out what to write yet!) xxxx

26th-29th September Peace and Quiet at last!

2006-09-30T03:04:00.000+01:00

The train from Bangkok to Butterworth was easy peasy! and I get a huge bed and sleep so well, the best for ages. I have fun sharing Thai and English words for various food items on my plate, days of the week and other useless phrases in the guidebook (where is the bank!?) with one of my room-mates Suat. More stunning tropical views as we move south - good to be going in the right direction again. So excited am I about my beach 'holiday' I leap from the train straight onto a bus (RNB 15 or 4 US dollars) with no real thought about whether I can get any money out in my remote destination (thankfully I can!) and off to Lumut and the ferry to Pulau Pangkor. What a beautiful and relaxed place. I stay at Mizam Resort where the owners are super friendly. It is Ramadam at the moment too so an extra special thanks to them for putting me up. It is extra quiet and lots of places are closed, but I am very happy with this. After getting used to the cockroaches and lizards scuttling around the floor and the racket from the jungle; monkeys, insects and who knows what else, I manage to sleep. I rise early to see if I can do some scuba diving but there is a lot of wind so the boat won't go out and all the kit is on the mainland (and I think they cannot be bothered for one person - always a problem!) So instead I go for a snorkel. Although I can take a boat, I decide I need the exercise and snorkel the 300m to Giam Island. Sadly because of the wind the sand is churned up and the visibility low but for about 30 mins I am totally alone on the island (except for the lone monkey I didn't actually meet!) So some friendly dutch folk arrived with their boat guide Ee and we got chatting for a while (too long though, as I got well and truly sunburnt - silly Brit!) and then I snorkelled home. The next part of my tri-athalon - a little cycle ride on a bike with gears (and brakes!) thank god as there are more hills than Wales it seems and the temperature is rising. I start to feel a bit ill from my sun exposure and so take refuge under a tree for a while. It seems I am the new attraction in town! If I stop for more than 1 minute someone is over saying a friendly hello, Selamat Pagi, or where are you from? I am finding it really hard trying not to be a paranoid, western woman alone but sadly that is the world I live in and whether it is a risk or not I know I must take care. This makes me very sad as I ponder this thought for a while. I am often instantly skeptical about most meetings, offers etc and quick to presume the worst, even just for a split second (as much as my inner intuition is trying not to.) Various people have tried to offer me help, directions, tickets, a room, food, conversation etc. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I don't. I try to use my intuition and common sense but sometimes I block out people who may be really interesting or useful. It is sad that it has to be like that and I am trying to be open to everyone. More lazing in the sun and then I must continue my journey. A bus to Kuala Lumpur (18 RMB - or 5 US dollars) takes 5 hours. It is amazing how your level of tolerance drops when in a confined space with loads of people you don't know; what with teeth suckers, goo goo gaa gaa baby entertainers and at least one person making an obnoxious smell or coughing all over the place every few miinutes is enough to test your sanity! I am soon back in the city; skyscrapers, people, noise and craziness. I try to learn a bit of the Malay language. It seems easier than some I have come across and many words are very recognisable from English e.g Teksi (taxi), beg (bag), bank (er...bank!) and kafe (cafe). One day here before I leave for Singapore.......only 3 days to the boat departure date. I am so excited now......I might just do this you know!!!

Bangkok - The land where anything can be yours.... for a price

2006-09-28T06:40:00.000+01:00

I started reading Satish Kumar's book 'No Destination' and it is a real inspiration. I especially wanted to read about his journey where he walked around the world delivering messages of peace to the people and Government's of the nuclear world. I can relate to many of his values and the experiences he had on his journey. I completely adhere to his principles of not placing such value on material goods (we alsways need more, more, more...) and respecting all living beings (sorry about the insects - see later on!) and the earth that we live on. I mean this in a real and practical way and not just an academic and intellectual way (as I believe he does too.) He also seemed to rely on fate and to go where he was destined and experienced great kindness in every place. I have seen many juxtapositions on this journey - I have seen what appear to be strong communities working the land and being fairly self sufficient and bartering between themselves. I have also seen huge disparity between rich and poor and also great monetary and materialistic desires (in foreigners and locals.) Bangkok was a crazy place. After last week's coup things remain pretty stable as far as I could see, the only evidence were the tanks and soldiers stationed outside Parliament and a few soldiers elsewhere. They had turned into a tourist attraction of sorts but were mainly surrounded by devoted Thais who love their soldiers and were glad for the action and to dispose of Thaksin (Also reflected in the wearing of yellow t-shirts by nearly everyone as a sign of support for the King and worn by all government workers.) I explored the city, saw a few sites and took the river bus. Then there was the Khao San Road. A small street which has evolved (or devolved) around western backpackers it seems. You can buy whatever you want; food, drink, flights, internet, massage, diving, train tickets, clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, handicrafts and even your very own dreadlocks (!?) You can even get cosmetics from your very own, well known British high street store and even another well known evil supermarket giant has mustled its way in. I wonder if some people never leave this street when they are here. In the evening I went to dinner with my new pal Tony and his American 'sister' and family who have come to Thailand to adopt an orphan and who were delighted to now be the parents of the lovely Mui or Isabel, lovely people. Then debating my options, I allowed myself to be escorted around some of Bangkok's more notorious districts (for cultural awareness.) There are many levels to the sex industry in Bangkok and Thailand and I felt like I should not ignore it blindly. I felt safe with Tony and we went to a few places which were very eye opening. Tony has read a lot about the issues and told me some sad facts but it was interesting to understand more. A short respite to try out some local delicacies (when in Rome...) Fried grasshopper, cricket and grubs.....I couldn't eat the lizard (it is a reptile and nearly cuddly!) or the cockroach...that was just too much. Onwards to Nana Plaza. Here I was bombarded with neon lights and the sex industry in full swing and it really did make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Watching some of the foreigners was sick, did they realise what was going on (I was unsure that the young 18 year old boys knew what was happening!) and what they were contributing to. There was so much deceipt and disparity here and I felt very sad because I know I am priviliged to have been able to make choices about what I believe and what I want and don't have to succumb to this world. I don't know what people will think of me for going to these places, and I certainly don't want to pass judgement on people that I know nothing about but I was extremely moved by my experience and it has shown me a world so far from mine it could be on Pluto. I feel that on this journey it is hard to stay true to myself, the self I left in Wales (I never thought I would do this for a start.) I don't think I have changed my basic principles and values but I do feel very far (not just physically) from the self that I left home with. Oh yes! I succumbed to the decadence of this city and bought some Thais fishermans trousers. They are so cool in the heat but sadly now I do look like a trendy backpacker. I challenge anyone to not buy something in this city!

22nd - 24th September Phnom Penh and Cambodia

2006-09-26T04:35:00.000+01:00

I don't feel like I can do justice to the country of Cambodia or the city of Phnom Penh as I was there for such a short time. I enjoyed what I saw and would like to return. I arrived in the middle of their public holiday so it was very quiet which was a relief after Vietnam. I found the Moto and Cyclo drivers much less agressive and I didn't see all the begging I had been led to expect. (There was some, of course, and there are real problems with poverty and child exploitation but I don't know enough to say anything about it here.) I tried not to feel too bad lounging around not doing anything (I should be soaking up some more temples!) but I get hungry and too hot so I leave to plod into town. So I stick to my well tested plan of walking aimlessly around to see what I can find and make a realisation, no one here or in Vietnam walk anywhere if they can help it - it is hot and cyclos are cheap I guess. Anyway I explore the Central Market and it has a similar feel to the Vietnamese markets I saw. I manage to buy a delicious deep fried banana thingy for 500 riel (4,000 riel = 1US Dollar). The food I ate in Phnom Penh deserves a special mention - I found by chance the Vieyo Tonle which is a non-profit restaurant on the riverfront which supports the New Cambodian Childrens Life Assocation - who currently house, clothe, feed and educate 24 orphans. The food was excellent, I had 'Fish Amok' which is a local speciality. Another restaurant I found later was called 'Family Restaurant' and was in the backpackers area. It was so friendly, cheap and the food was great - run by a mother and daughter combo and is well recommended. My other exciting eating experience was to get 2 UN bodyguards proecting me as I bought a pineapple in the central market! (I wasn't in any danger, I just happened to meet them!) I met the Cambodian equivalent of my pal Lewis in Cambodia! A beautiful and giggling guy called Toy or Richie (his western name) working in the youth hostel in Phnom Penh! Also so many beautiful monks in this city, is it ok to call a monk beautiful? So onwards to the joyous 14 hour bus trip to Bangkok which at some moment felt like I was sitting on a pneumatic drill and why oh why do they have leather seats which you stick to in the heat? Otherwise lots of leg room and comfy enough. As we set out they distribute little plastic bags (for travel sickness I believe) I really hope I don't have to use one. It is not that I hope anyone else does but the fact they provide them suggests someone is going to get it. Anyway the poor little girl sat next to me on her mum gets it and I am saved. Saw some lovely sights like seeing two palm trees isolated in the middle of a flat field who look just like two beautiful women, lots of kids splashing in the river and a man dozing on the back of his water buffalo. To the border at Poipet (dodgy dodgy) and easily pop over the border where the kindly Tony lends me 3 baht to use the loo (I haven't changed any money yet). So I arrive in Thailand as it is getting dark and await what Bangkok has in store.....

Buses are Bad and Boats are Brill

2006-09-23T06:30:00.000+01:00

After a bit of a 'westerner comfort' evening with the lovely Jacqui (who is working in Ho Chi Minh at a local orphanage) - eating Lasagne (CHEESE!) and sitting on a sofa eating apple pie and watching a film! it is time to say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City. I didn't feel like I had time to get a real feel for the place - it is more chilled than Hanoi but more touristy and western. I am taking a combination of buses and boats to the border of Vietnam and on to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Most of the trip involves floating up the Mekong Delta where we see fabulous floating houses and all sorts of hustle and bustle of community life. It is great on the river, there is the universal language of waving and smiling that transcends all cultures - I make eye contact with one man on his boat for a brief moment and then wonder for a long time afterwards about him and his life. We see coconut candy being made (nothing like what you get in UK - more like toffee), snake wine (Viagra of the Delta!), bees, rice popcorn and a fish farm. Lunch is at a little restaurant that we have to walk through lots of lush tropical foliage to get to and eat the local speciality, Elephant Ear Fish (it is good luck you know!) - see photo for the devoured remains. Nothing eventful in Chau Doc where we overnight, except for lovely seafood (all local, artisinal fisheries so it is ok isn't it?) and then a long boat trip to Phnom Penh. Having taken the 'easy' route', I am with a group of tourists and meet some lovely people again, all on their own different journeys. I am finding it very 'full-on' though to be constantly in the space of others; eating, sleeping, being uncomfortable in the bus with our heads lolling! There is no space and sometimes I just don't want to speak or even see another human being, so I have moments of frustration where I just want to plunge into the river and swim away! I try to learn a few words of the Khmer language, although I am assured that it is just English and US$ everywhere, grrr. I am amazed by the number of people I have met who have not bothered to learn the simple words of 'hello, goodbye, thankyou and please' in the language of the country they are in. I have a dilema of how to long to stay in Phnom Penh and Cambodia, it seems quite chilled here and I should go to Ankor Wat, it is also cheap and a bit touristy but I think I like it. I am worried about missing the boat though and so change my plan slightly which just means I will get longer in Phnom Penh, (2 nights), no time in Battambang (town in more rural area) and a hellish 14 hour bus trip direct to Bangkok - where I aim to arrive Sunday night.

(note about travelling costs so far - I have spent a lot of nights on trains which means no accommodation cost and in SE Asia it is possible to stay in a hostel for 2$US - 10$US. The train from Beijing to Hanoi was about 70 pounds (2 nights accomodation) - would have been less if I bought it myself!, the train from Hanoi to Saigon was 35 pounds including 2 meals and 2 nights accommodation, the bus and boat combo (includuding some food, 2 nights accommodation and tours was 24$US, the bus to Bangkok is 17 $US) Pretty Cheap eh! and compared to many flights, it is very cheap!

Hanoi to Saigon - (Maybe not for Mum to read!)

2006-09-20T13:24:00.000+01:00

So onwards to another train, it seems I am getting better at this travelling lark and each new challenge seems easier and less stressful than the last...Anyway the train was leaving at 11pm and I didn't want to get a taxi (too much extra carbon for me!), so I mapped out my route, walked it backwards and went for it. It was totally fine and no problems at all. So I board the SE3 and await my new cabin-mates....What fun was in store for me! After a fairly uneventful night and day except for free food and loverly views of the South China Sea (I wanted to jump straight off and in the drink!) we settle down to dinner (also free - Winner and all for 35 pounds) The vodka comes out and we get chatting, one guy, Thanh Tung ( speaks very good English) the other two only a wee bit but we get by. At the next station they return to the cabin with some Hanoi Vodka and a whole chicken in a bag (head and all) so the new long standing joke 'bird flu'begins... funny maybe? Next stop more vodka and some boiled chicken wrapped in banana leaves and some fruit (like a grapefruit but can't remember the name). Great fun (thanks to my new friends for making it such a fun journey) and finally I am allowed one more Yo! (cheers) drink my vodka and go to bed, ready to awake at 4 am to get off the train. Top tip for anyone arriving in a new city on the train, early in the morning with a hike to your hostel and all your bags - do not neck a load of water before you leave the train and then have a strong coffee whilst you wait for it to get light so you can walk in more safety - because you find yourself busting for the loo and it makes map reading much harder! So I settle in, go to the War Remnants Museum; very moving, mainly pictorial account of the Vietnam War, with a lot of images showing the effects of Agent Orange, Napalm and Phosphorus - very emotional start to Ho Chi Minh. Then I chill for the day and await my dinner engagement. A friend of a friend of my Mum's has agreed to meet me, and so I go out with the lovely YK Wong and his beautiful wife Luong Thuc Doan for a glorious meal and am introduced to the delights of cactus bean and lotus stem, fantastic - Thank you very much for a lovely evening. Hear about the coup in Thailand, lots of people talking about it but no one really knows what is happening. Most people are still planning to go, so I think I will too. Will try to keep track of changes though. Trip out to see Caodai Temple, very beautiful and we see one of their religious ceremonies, then to the Cu Chi tunnels, crazy small tunnels built and used during the Vietnam War, we scuttle through like rats and it is pretty heavy going. Great to be out of the city though and in a bit of jungle. Off to Cambodia tomorrow, via the Mekong Delta, a boat and possibly learning to make coconut candy - what fun is round the corner....! Thanks to those people who have commented and got in touch it is really nice to read the comments and feel less alone, I don't know how to reply to you all except for here. Will and Rosie in particular, can't read your blog so send me your email address, I was hoping to somehow find you, I hadn't forgotten you had moved to Brissy.

Beijing to Hanoi 14th - 17th September

2006-09-17T12:09:00.000+01:00

I feel like I have written volumes for just a few days, but I am really packing it in as time is limited. I shall try to summarise the last few days succinctly...... Forbidden City - Crazy tourist spot but pretty cool, Train to Hanoi - Meet some nice Kiwis and people from UK, as well as Vietnamese room-mates who are lovely, have loads of boxes and can't really speak English. Have a fairly uneventful journey - the train is packed, at least 500 people aboard! Pointless health check at Vietnamese border, they stick a thermometer in our ear (mine reads 32.5???) and charge the equivalent of 25p and we get a ticket, presumably saying we are healthy to travel through the country?! Hanoi - The people I speak to are very friendly and lots of people approach me to practice English or to find out about my culture. Get really fed up with saying ' Thank-you very much for the kind offer but I would rather not all the same' or similar (with a smile of course, I am representing my country!) to the thousand people a day who ask if I want a lift/to buy fruit or postcards - argh. It is also very hot and Ho Chi Minh is out of town for renovation so no joy there. Lots of nice food. I buy a bum-bag - Winner, what a revelation, my shoulders are much happier now. Also found a supermarket and bought a big block of chocolate and gorge myself by the Hoam Kiem Lake of the restored sword/tortoise legend. Oh yes, and the Water Puppets are ACE!

The Great Wall Hike 13th September

2006-09-16T16:16:00.000+01:00

5.30am start to go to the Great Wall. Didn't want to do a tour but after my recent experience with public transport and language I decided to take ease and a bit more money over pain, tragedy and saving 2 pounds. So a 3 hour coach ride to Jinshingling where we clamber up to the wall to start our 10- 12km hike. No guide as such but soon we have Ling following us, giving us titbits of information and kindly offering us a picture book for 35 Yuan. Apart from the many sellers of water, cola and beer, it was a marvellous way to see the wall. The sky was blue and the scenery was fantastic and we really saw the wall. 4hrs hours walking and then over a rope bridge to the finish line at Si Ma Tai. A drink and back on the coach for 3 hours back to Beijing. I feel like death warmed up by the time I arrive home and so get a bit of kip before trying to eat and make plans for the next day. I get roped into beer drinking and music making in the hostel bar - meet Lucio and Clarence, two great guitar players - who encourage me to play my accordion and accompany me for a few numbers and then retire to drinking with my nice room-mates. Two guys from USA, Mike and Marc - who are really good fun and not too stereotypically American (until drunk) and Carson, from Germany who is working here for a year, also Phillipa from the UK, who's birthday it is, Happy Birthday Phillipa (who gets a special Amelie Waltz with Mike!) I feel like Mum and kick everyone to bed as we have an early start to the Forbidden City tomorrow.

The Laoshe Teahouse is the Best!

2006-09-16T15:26:00.000+01:00

I discover the hostel can sort out a train ticket for me and so with great ease (and a bit more cash!) a train ticket to Hanoi is in my hands! Hurrah, what joy!. I seek out the Laoshe Teahouse (nearby and good rep.) and spend a while in amazement at the wonderful surroundings, atmosphere and the great expanding and everlasting cup of 'Seven Sons Congratulate on Mother's Birthday' tea ( I got a wierd look for that one!) and listen to some Chinese folk Music. Then out and about on my newly hired bike - the way to travel; quick/dangerous, green and cheap (10 yuan a day) and no brakes to worry about. Off to the temple of Heaven Park (Tiantan) and Henrick and I wander and marvel at the beautiful pagodas, wierd tree bark, people walking backwards (the new craze!), recycling bions, muscians and try to find the divine kitchen. The sun is going down and sheds a beautiful light on it all. A quick cycle back in the darkness - no lights - and much craziness and stop at a great street cafe for quick food. A pick and mix veg., dumplings and random glutinous stuff all cooked in a big bubbling pot before our very eyes and then we (or may I say Henrick) entertain the locals by trying to eat this slippery, watery but very tasty meal with chopsticks. Then back to Laoshe Teahouse for the night show, Kung Fu! Oh yes, we are in China no doubt, Opera, mask/face changing (my favourite!), fabulous costumes, drum opera (not sure about this one!), Kung Fun fighting/boxing, magic, comedy (didn't quite get it but looked like Chinese version of the Two Ronnies in their day!), some nearly rapping all accompanied by lots of tea and wierd nibbles and cold rice pudding - all for 80 Yuan (bargain - and we got the Kung Fu guys autograph!).

10th-11th September - A delirious time

2006-09-16T03:27:00.000+01:00

After the Genghis Khan vodka session and the desert heat I spend the last 24hrs on the train in a state of delirium. After spending 10 minutes with my new Mongolian room mates (studying at university in Beijing) we are all shifted about and I move next-door, to guess what! More Swedes! Henrick and Anniki make great new room mates and we have a fun day looking for camels, eating our free breakfast and lunch in the Chinese diner (unexpected but good), waiting for the Great Wall and generally having a giggle. The border crossing from Mongolia to China takes forever because as well as 2 lots of passport control, we also have to change the wheels for Chinese size - so each carriage goes into a shed to be jacked up and generally shunted about a bit, whilst we are all stuck in our cabins (in the middle of the night again, and no toilet!) In the morning we are suddenly hurtling along at China speed with the horn blowing every 5 minutes (they love their horns here, buses, bikes, cars, trains!) and I am just in a state of 'I have no idea what is going on' until all of a sudden we arrive in Beijing and splurge out onto the platform - exactly on time (check that out National Rail!)

So full of optimism, I say farewell to my remaining buddies (expecting never to see them again in this huge city...) and set out confidently in the sunshine to 'just buy a train ticket to Vietnam and get a hostel.' Wham!!! No such luck. Man, what a nightmare, I spend 4 hours trudging around Beijing with backpack and accordion. To this ticket desk, up that escalator, down that lift, to that building, no that hotel, on that bus, to this train station, to that ticket desk, the police, the army, the eastern saloon and up and down and in and out until I burst into tears and give up!! So I squash on a bus and somehow find Tianamen Square and leap off to ponder. Amazingly I spot Ruud and the Dutch (from the Trans-Sib) and they console me, help me out and I wander some way with them. Off on my own again to half blindly wander down alleys and somehow find the youth hostel Henrick and Anniki are at and find a bed. I am overwhelmed by the number of Chinese people who endeavoured to help me today (successfully or not) but am frustrated by the language and my bag is just too heavy. I have got to get rid of something or get a massage or both!

004 Trans-Mongolian Express 8th Sept - 10th Sept

2006-09-13T14:23:00.000+01:00

The time has gone all funny now! The train runs on Moscow time so we stick to that but now we are going to +5hours in Irkutsk so it is midnight on our watches but getting light. Spend a wierd day not knowing whether to sleep or eat so don't do much of either! I wake up to see Lake Baikal at dawn, so lovely, lot of canoes of people fishing. At the next stop I buy some smoked fish which is nice actually but very salty -I am running out of food again so I am a bit desparate! Onwards to Mongolian border where we wait and we wait and we wait, on and off the train. I am inspired to write this poem, cheesy maybe but it is how I felt ok!

The Continent

I had a chance to see the world today,
In all of its pure glory.
I opened my eyes as far as I could,
and sucked every view into my soul.

Even now I cannot remember them all;
the trees, the houses,
the people and the land.
But I know I saw great beauty today
and it has touched me
and changed me
within.

Later on I succumb to Genghis Khan vodka in the amazingly beautiful, carved, wooden Mongolian restaurant car and stay up late chatting to my new good friend Michal from Poland. I coveted the bow and arrow on the wall!

Up early to say good bye to the Ulan Bator group, Anna, Maria, Matteas, Connie, Fieje (the Swedes), Michal and Joel and all the others leaving there (hope you are having fun!). it is really cold at Ulan Bator, I need my woolly hat, but then off through the desert which gets more and more sandy and hot (35 + degrees c), lots of yurts, space and camels which I failed to catch on camera! We cover Mongolian in 24hours (it seems a shame), sad to say goodbye to new friends, but onwards to China......

004 Trans-Mongolian Express 5th September - 7th September

2006-09-12T04:50:00.000+01:00

I was helped on the train at Yaroslavsky station (quite a dodgy area nearby, lots of drunks, police and urine!) by a Russian and an English guy who spoke Russian, that I had met. I started to meet everyone; surrounded by Dutch and Swedes who are all lovely and great fun. I am in carriage 11, there is no carriage 1, 2, 3, 4 or 12 (never discovered why no 12! - I tried to ask the Chinese conductor but he ran away !? (we became better friends later on though...) The cabin is small so it is cosy but compared to the bus there is acres of space! Days pass easily, reading ( i borrowed The Idiot (Dostoevsky), but never finished it sadly), eating, walking up and down the train, chatting to other travellers, getting off at stations and milling about, playing games, playing music, listening to a few Kalinka's (thanks to my cabin mates! - Red Army version best I think!) It goes surprisingly quickly. The views are amazing (sorry I can still not sort out photos!), Russia is so huge and empty. Lots of trees (pine and silver birch mainly) and then open plains, a few small villages and a couple of large towns. The villages are so beautiful, I love the houses and the little veg plots but they seem quite empty of people and so isolated. I start to think that this railway line is an important link for people living here for communication and employment. There is a lot of nothing, not even fields of crops or animals like in the UK - nothing but nature, I love it! (I can't tell you about the whole trip at once, so more soon....)

From Moscow with Love

2006-09-05T13:13:00.000+01:00

Wow! The journey has well and truly begun, right in at the deep end. Bus to Cologne was fairly easy and it was fun to go on the ferry to Calais, great to leave the 'ole White Cliffs in the darkness. After a few hours in Cologne watching street artists and marvelling at the cathedral I got on the next bus - Slightly scary as no one seemed to speak a word of English and the bus only said to 'Minsk' but they said to get on, and I thought at least it is in the right direction! (the whole trip seems to be about just going with the flow, so I will continue with my stress free attitude to it all (and allowing two hours extra to get anywhere!)) This bus was slightly more eventful, lots of views of the lovely Poland and Belarussian countryside. After leaving Germany (lots of wind turbines and bicycles! great stuff) it all got a lot more rural and more woodland. Mist over the land and great dark forests (oh to be in Wales!). On the second day I spent a long time fuelled by adrenaline, chocolate and grapes only after my bread went mouldy and we spent 2 1/2 hours at the passport control to Belarus. They took our passports off us three times and tried to sell me medical insurance (and the two other europeans who had got on the bus!) I declined. I sat through 8 Russian Dvd's in total (mainly about soldiers!) and spent 63 hours surprisingly un-bored considering I could only speak a bit of French to one guy and found one girl from Belarus who I spoke to a couple of times. I just sat back and enjoyed the scenery, tried to forget my bum had gone numb and read my book. Not much sleep was had but overall I would recommend it (but learn a bit of German and Russian first!) Now to Moscow, I have stayed in a lovely little hostel, the Yellow Blue Bus (translations sounds like 'I love You' apparently!) It is like being in someone's apartment, very cosy and friendly. Today I went to Red Square (St. Basil's Cathedral and The Kremlin) and of course saw Lenin's Tomb, ( I am going for the big three communist leaders - to see Lenin, Mao and Ho Chi Min over the next few weeks!) Also lots of wandering around lost, but I came across some nice buildings and a few good buskers playing, so it was cool (great violin player made me think of Tabitha my lovely friend and fab fiddle player!) Next to the Yaroslavsky train station to get the Trans-Siberian...I am so excited, some people I met here have just come from China on the train and have told me a bit more what to expect and from what they say it is going to be great....On a green note, I have found recycling bins so far in Cologne and Moscow so I am trying to do my bit.

More about Carbon Calculations and Computers

2006-08-28T21:44:00.001+01:00

Thanks for all your comments and tips. It is good to hear other people’s experiences and to know that I am not the only one who has tried this trip. I wish I could leave already as I am a bit worried that I have not got enough time to get to Singapore for the boat, but there are so many variables there is no point worrying and just hope that it was fated to work out!
Calculating the impact on climate change by various transport modes is a complicated business so there isn't one right answer. There are many variables including:

- Fuel used (eg diesel, petrol, electricity generated by various methods)
- Occupancy of vehicle
- Size and weight of vehicle and size of engine
- Quality and maintenance of engine
- Altitude (The IPCC (INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE) based in Switzerland concludes that emissions from aircraft at altitude result in the total warming effect that is in the range 2-5 times greater than that of CO2 alone. We used a conservative multiple of 2.7 for me)
- Speed of vehicle and route taken
- Road/Track/Weather conditions
- Idling times

So I have decided that it will be a good thing for me to get as much of this information as possible so we can make more accurate assessments when I return (or even whilst I am away what with modern technology). On that note I would just like to say, I hate using computers and the internet as well for the electricity they use and the chemicals used in the processing and leached in the dismantling. When I am at CAT (work) I use the computers there which are all run on renewable resources (sun, wind, water) if I am not at work I use the computer in the community telecentre or library. These are fast computers which mean you can do loads more in the time you use and it means less computers are purchased by individuals in the area. I have no idea where there energy comes from but it is a great community resource. On the journey I will try to use computers as little as possible but I will try and update this blog as much as I can. Oh it is all a balance. Oh yes and just to confirm, I do not have a laptop in my caravan or anywhere else! Nor do I want one.

However the figures are calculated, we know that to live sustainably (i.e for us all to have a hope in hell of there being a planet for our grand-kids to live on!) we have an allowance of 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide to emit as we chose each year (see CAT’s Carbon Gym). It is quite hard to hit this target if you fly.

For information on where you can recycle computers once they are knackered look at this good webpage (UK only);

http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets

For info. on rail travel in Europe see;

www.raileurope.co.uk

For info. on coach travel in Europe see;

www.eurolines.com

For more informed information about the debate see what George Monbiot wrote earlier this year;

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2006/02/28/we-are-all-killers/#more-977

I really need to get some photos to make this all look a bit more interesting, sorry about that, I’m working on it………(This photos (thanks to Tab) reminds me of a lovely day in the snow at home earlier this year)

Choices, Cost and Carbon offset

2006-08-23T22:10:00.000+01:00

Another day of sorting out visas and tickets, hopefully by the end of tomorrow I will have everything sorted to get me to Beijing at least! Thanks so much for all the comments, I will try to address some of the issues here, sorry I can’t respond to every question. This is all such a surprise to me, I didn’t think anyone would be so interested in what I am doing, but I am glad I have sparked a debate. I think it is important to think about this in terms of both the impact of air flight on our environment and a much wider debate about the future for our environment.
Choices
I was reflecting today on how easy it is in Machynlleth to make the right choices, it is easy to recycle and compost my waste and I can easily save water and energy too. There are shops and a market where I can buy local food and I can cycle everywhere, even though it is often steep up a mountain (I have lost weight and am fitter too). I wonder how easy it will be when I am away? People have questioned how ‘green’ I will be along the way and mentioned taxis and food as two examples. I don’t take taxis now and do not intend to start. Most bus and train stations are more likely to be in the centre of a city than an airport. Unless there is a desperate need for a taxi (or it is horse drawn) like I am about to miss the boat to Australia, then it is walking for me. In terms of food, I need to eat on the way and would eat if I was at home anyway. Like now, I will always search out local and fresh (organic?) food, which may be easier in certain areas of Southeast Asia anyway, any ideas anyone? I read about a load of cafes in Vietnam where they train street kids in catering and get them work in cafes so I will try to find one of them too. It is all about choices, and I will try to make the best one.
Cost
In terms of cost, my trip is more expensive but it is not out of reach for anyone, you just need to save longer. All the visas are expensive to sort out but otherwise it is ok. The bus to Moscow is £132, The Trans-Siberian £190. I have seen various prices for the train from Beijing to Hanoi between £80 and £160. Trains, buses and boats in the rest of Southeast Asia seem very cheap. The boat to Australia is £1000, this is the most expensive bit and although it will be a great experience to be on the cargo ship I will prefer to sail out of Oz as it will be cheaper and greener.
Carbon Offsets
What about carbon offsets? This is a difficult one to answer and my feelings are mixed. We really need to reduce carbon emissions in the first place, and all those trees just hold onto the carbon ‘til it is released anyway when the tree dies. I think offsetting by direct energy saving activities is better such as buying low energy light-bulbs (they save you money!) or improving insulation in your home.

Air vs. Overland in CO2 Emissions

2006-08-21T19:06:00.000+01:00

All this interest and debate around the issues of climate change and the damaging effects of air travel is really important. Some of you have questions about the facts that I am basing my inspiration on so here are the comparative emissions of air vs. overland based on my journey.

If you have any other queries please check out www.cat.org.uk or other links.

Machynlleth - London:
230 miles, by coach = 20,700 grams CO2

London - Moscow:
1924 miles, by coach = 173,160 grams CO2

Moscow - Beijing:
5772.8 kilometers, by train = 418,528 grams CO2

Beijing - Hanoi:
1710 miles, by train = 198,360 frams CO2

Hanoi - Nougkhai:
400 miles, by bus = 36,000 grams CO2

Nougkhai - Singapore:
1639 miles, by train = 190,124 grams CO2

Singapore - Darwin:
2350 miles, by ship: 285,760 grams CO2

Darwin - Brisbane:
2143 miles, by coach: 192,870 grams CO2

Total: 1,646,232g CO2 = 1.65 tonnes of CO2

This is based on average carbon dioxide emissions for various types of transport:
Grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre:

Rail = 72.5g
Bus/coach = 56.25g
Ferry = 76g

The emissions from a one way flight would be at least 3.7 tonnes of CO2 (see www.chooseclimate.org) or a more detailed calculation (taking into account the type of aircraft) can be made by www.atmosfair.com and calculates and one way flight would emit 6.1 tonnes of CO2.

The contribution made by transport, especially air travel, to greenhouse gas emissions is growing more evident daily. Air transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases (currently producing 3.5 percent of all greenhouse gases from human sources) and is set to more than double in the next 15 years. The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research (www.tyndall.ac.uk) has suggested that it will be impossible for the UK to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets if air travel continues to grow.

The alternatives are to take more holidays closer to home, or take the train or coach. A lot of people wouldn't have the time to do what I’m is doing but its quite easy, for example, to get down to Spain on the train in just over a day.

Reply to all my wellwishers (or not!)

2006-08-21T12:20:00.000+01:00

Wow, Thanks everyone for all your comments, even the bad ones, even though I think it is pretty unkind to make pathetic and rude comments about my life, and whether I shave my legs or not. It is these kind of attitudes which just reflect how our world is going to pot. To those of you who think I haven't researched this then you are wrong, I have spent a lot of my own time and a lot of generous time from my friends to help me do this. I am not relying on any money from anyone to help me, I have earnt it all myself the good old fashioned way and worked. I have worked at the Centre for Alternative Technology for the last year and a half and there they have been working for a long time with other partners to calculate the carbon emissions and environmental damage of all different types of transport. The calculations we have made based on this rigourous scientific study show that my one way trip will create 1.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide as compared to 5.2 tonnes on a flight. This is still a lot I know and yes the best thing would be to stay at home, but this is a really special occasion, one of my best friend's wedding, and I haven't taken this decision lightly. I will still do what I can to offset these emissions and on the return hope to get more sailing in, which is very clean. I am not trying to preach to you about how you should live your lives so don't preach to me, this is what I believe in and I am going to follow it, so if you can't help or wish me luck then find somewhere else to look. Thanks Babs

Passports, Carboots, Dresses and an End to the Drought?

2006-08-18T23:12:00.000+01:00

What an emotional rollercoaster I am on! A wonderful farewell up at my lovely caravan on Saturday night around the fire. So many lovely people and such a special spot - oh how I will miss it, midges, mud and all. Thanks to Jessa who managed to arise from no sleep and hitched to the car boot slae with me to sell loads of stuff to fund the trip. Imogen came up trumps and finished the dress - it is great and I am really looking forward to wearing it. The downer at the moment is the lost passport....try Jessa's 'draw the passport arriving and it will' strategy - nothing yet but we will wait. I keep thinkiong that it will bring the whole trip down and then realise that it is just the start of many obstacles over the next 6 weeks and DO NOT GIVE UP! I was wondering today if I have any problems along the way whether it is morally ok to start crying and whether it would at all help? I may have no control over it....I know there will be lots of tears and laughter. I finally left my Welsh home in torrential rain which was mean after all the sun - trying to hitch in sheeting rain is not very successful - but maybe Machynlleth was crying ( I certainly was!). Onwards to say farewell to Devonshire.

Planning and Inspiration

2006-08-09T19:58:00.000+01:00

Have just got back from the Big Green Gathering where I had a great time building a Spiral of Junk the Wierd Wild Web (see photo) with a great gang of people and where I was re-inspired that I had to do this journey even though it is really hard trying to organise it. I feel like I have devoted myself to doing what I can to reduce my impact on the environment and to nourish it aswell. If I flew to Australia I would negate everything I have done for the last 6 years and that would seem sad. I have just got my Russian Visa which is exciting and I will apply for my Belarus one tomorrow. Just heard news that the cargo boat from Singapore to Oz will now be over £1K so I may have to rethink that and have looked through all the crewing websites again...Jessa and Arthur at CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology) have kindly done a press release to promote my trip and took some lovely photos of me today. We still have no water at home, so no chance for washing hair since the festival-not a good look but I better get used to it for the trip...