tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88303979068484166172011-08-02T18:40:36.586-07:00North Devon Blogshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12482240579703697352noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-90654763086548356582009-04-05T20:29:00.000-07:002009-06-22T15:43:01.795-07:00

The flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong was not the best, I had some old Chinese man gagging every time he swallowed his food. Nice. In the Hong Kong airport Taiwan and Chinese film stars were arriving to attend the Asian Film Festival which was being held at the weekend. The locals were going crazy, the paparazzi were all over them, girls were falling over - we didn't have a clue who they were!

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-7955359498600634682009-04-03T23:18:00.000-07:002009-04-14T22:46:55.148-07:00

A long drawn out journey awaited us. From Ko Phangan we took the ferry to Surat Thani. Then we had to wait around until 8pm to take the overnight train to Bangkok which got us there at 8am the next day.  It was a great way to travel, we had our own sleeping capsule with air conditioning which gave us a good nights shut eye. For once it was so cold I had to wear a sweater! Our next overnight train

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-51199361660334023562009-04-03T20:42:00.001-07:002009-04-09T00:22:13.164-07:00

After the hour ferry from Phi Phi to Lanta we found ourselves on a much bigger and much more relaxed island. The resort was great with big air conditioned rooms, a beautiful restaurant over looking the sea together with a swimming pool. This is exactly what we needed. Stu's face was now a wreck having been Bruce Lee'd in the face, Stiflers foot was ruined having stepped on some glass, and my

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-59806972768961679462009-04-03T19:57:00.000-07:002009-04-15T18:23:33.089-07:00

Penang, Malaysia to Krabi, Thailand took 8 hours on a cramped minibus, only to find when arriving at the boarder, that the Thailand visa is only valid for 15 days. However this would fit into our schedule as we were wanting to go to Laos, so we could leave the country and then be allowed another 15 days (apparently you get 30 days if you fly in). On entering Thailand we did not see any sign of

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-57217478264455374352009-04-03T18:37:00.001-07:002009-04-03T20:43:23.872-07:00

Waiting to board the 8 hour flight from Brisbane to Singapore, I pulled out the Richard Branson Book titled 'Screw It, Let's Do It' which Uncle Joe had given me. Inside it read 'Jan 09, Marc, not a bad philosophy to travel by - enjoy your time in Oz! It was good to get to know you a little more! your funky Uncle Joe, Jess, Cameron and Claire. Still having lots on my mind and big decisions to make

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-69341464207126990782009-02-17T19:21:00.000-08:002009-04-03T20:43:07.841-07:00

Still travelling with Tom and Jake, we made our way down from Surfers to Byron. This was mine and Stu's fourth visit here and we felt like locals. We stayed at the Aquarius hostel which has a bar, large kitchen, pool and spacious rooms, four downstairs and four upstairs. Stuart's friends younger brother Toby was also in Byron, and after meeting and greeting we checked out the beach. Body boards

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-64638237516955289212009-02-15T16:25:00.000-08:002009-07-11T20:17:35.137-07:00

After working hard, we had some money and made our way towards Sydney. Only having checked out Surfers Paradise for a couple of hours, we wanted to stay for longer. We heard that Surf N Sun was a great hostel located on the beach, and chose to stay for a week at a lower rate. The hostel is fairly small with only about 80 guests, but was great as everyone got to know each other. This is a real

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-80628477548969031102009-02-13T21:22:00.001-08:002009-02-18T17:52:36.568-08:00

With a lack of money, not planning to stay another month in Australia, we had to find a job. The Norwegians had had enough of us with their flat rental coming to an end, so myself and Stuart checked into the 'Bunk' hostel. The best bet for finding a job was to go round all the hostels and look at their job boards. We found many numbers and tried chasing them up - but we were struggling.Having a

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-84858068646147012372009-02-13T20:51:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:47:58.969-08:00

After Fraser Island we needed to travel south, to fly out from Brisbane and attend a 20 20 cricket match between Australia and South Africa. On the way we decided to check out Noosa.  Known for its big waves it did not disappoint. There were signs saying experienced surfers only - we would have drowned.Noosa is a nice surf town, more upmarket than the others, with designer shops not just surf.  

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-41071053614668903362009-02-10T20:32:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:48:24.298-08:00

After 'chilling like a villain' at my Uncles, I was ready to get back in the camper van for another road trip. We were heading for Rainbow Beach to do Fraser Island. On the way up it was Stuart's Birthday, so as a treat we took him to the Australian Zoo once owned by the legend Steve Irwin.We saw many dangerous animals including the worlds deadliest snake, crocodiles r us, tigers etc. etc. There

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-84158399887857974352009-02-06T18:43:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:49:21.755-08:00

Off the boat and back on the road down to Sydney for Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. One of our stop offs was horrendous. We stayed near a petrol station in Maryborough, and discovered the vast amount of wildlife Oz has to offer. Whilst trying to sleep in a sauna i.e. the campervan, stepping out at night was not going to happen, with snakes, mosquitos, crickets, Beatles, geckos, frogs etc. all

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-26386749944533276082009-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:49:47.506-08:00

So from Byron Bay, we headed north to do Fraser Island and the Whitsunday boat cruise. We got a good deal paying $399 for both. The drive was a long one, and we realised how much bigger Australia is compared to England! It took us all day to get to Rainbow Beach, the leaving point for Fraser Island, with another 2 days driving  needed to reach Airlie Beach for the cruise. O and we gave Matthias,

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-13499758563201701032009-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:50:46.300-08:00

Myself and Stuart caught the Mojo Surf Camp bus in Sydney early doors, and made the journey to Cresents Head which is in Kempsey.  There was approximately 40 people on the bus and we would be spending the next week with them. To break the ice we had to get on the bus mic,and introduce ourselves etc. After boring everyone with our life stories and how brilliant we are at surfing (NOT), we met

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-74946702891678433372008-12-17T17:07:00.000-08:002009-02-15T18:51:47.242-08:00

Arriving in Melbourne, Australia was very exciting! We were now down under, and had a big agenda to explore the east coast. Alex is a keen cricketer and wanted to see the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Shane Warne's home ground. The ground is huge -  95,000 seats and 5,000 standing, and boasts a museum tour,  the highlight being a walking, talking lifelike hologram of the man himself Shane Warne

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-16261095364398949112008-12-15T15:33:00.000-08:002009-02-05T15:57:34.459-08:00

The overnight ferry saw us arrive in Nelson at the top of South Island. It was noticeably much colder, especially in the morning. After a wicked sleep, we were back in the car, and racing down the island. We stopped off at Greymouth, like Nelson there was not much here, but there was the chance to get on a tour of Monteith's brewery, and see how the self proclaimed best beer in New Zealand is

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-11376412711302559782008-12-02T01:01:00.000-08:002009-02-05T15:40:59.053-08:00

A four hour flight from the Cooks, and I was in Auckland, New Zealand, well not quite. I had my passport checked four times, and was stopped twice to answer questions like 'Whats' in your bag?, How long are you staying? Why are you here? Where are you going?'. Eventually I was through customs and relieved to see Ash, the new member of the boy band! Who keeps the group to four, with James now

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-81310032689520398342008-11-25T15:23:00.000-08:002008-11-25T16:17:42.196-08:00

Having 4 hours to kill in LAX (alone), I luckily found myself talking to two "tipsy" bridal models who had just finished a show that night. Before I knew it, we were at the airport bar having drink after drink. Amongst the heavy drinking, one of them tried to change her flight, from an internal one to Philladelphia, to join me in the Cook Islands! However the ticket would have cost her 2000

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-27548203332102473472008-10-28T17:23:00.000-07:002008-11-18T18:59:57.417-08:00

From San Diego it was back up the West Coast of California to stay firstly at Newport Beach, home to many pretty volleyball girls, great surf, and cool surfer type bars and clubs. We all enjoyed a few good nights out here especially at Sharkees, where the English accent went down a treat! With Huntington Beach further down the road, it would have been rude not to check it out. Volleyball was

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-80603644035592175242008-10-28T16:56:00.000-07:002008-11-15T22:13:36.093-08:00

Week 6 - USA - San DiegoArriving by train, we immediately noticed how clean and aesthetically pleasing San Diego is. The beautiful ports and long beaches make San Diego a really nice place to chill. You also feel very safe here, not worrying about entering the ghetto! We were staying at a motel in between the beach and the Gas Lamp District. We spent most of our time on Mission beach, which

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-2324605211393760592008-10-22T17:59:00.000-07:002008-11-04T14:30:08.739-08:00

After driving back from Vegas we returned to the family we stayed with previously, for a good nights sleep, before Tom took us to Hollywood the following day. He showed us the best places to go and treated us to Pink's, a small hot dog stall, popular with many celebrities such as Celine Dion, Samuel L Jackson & Will Farrell to name but a few. I had an overflowing chilli cheese dog, which was very

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-49531570847473804952008-10-22T13:00:00.000-07:002008-11-20T18:19:32.941-08:00

The cheapest option from Lake Tahoe was to rent a car and drive the 444 miles through the desert. The drive was straight through the middle of the desert, seeing little life along the way! Eventually we arrived in Las Vegas met by the bright lights and huge casino hotels. It is incredible you can drive through nothing until Vegas appears plonked in the middle of the desert!We were staying in the

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-56852506688260662852008-10-22T12:35:00.000-07:002008-11-20T18:29:52.577-08:00

Another long bus journey (9 hours) from LA saw us to San Francisco. Our hostel was the not the nicest, especially from the outside, however it was well within budget. 'Sisco' has a vast mix of people from around the world, some quite strange trying to talk to you, some trying to aquire money, whilst others sleep rough. Getting around 'Sisco' is easy with the trams, however some need modernisation

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-52559966343651857562008-09-24T13:32:00.000-07:002008-09-24T14:00:18.417-07:00

After a 6 hour flight from New York we arrived in Los Angeles, and were collected by the family my friend stayed with, whilst out here coaching football (or soccer as its known in the U.S.). Our environment friendly 'ride', is shown below.After arriving at their huge house I could not have been happier! This was exactly what we needed, a place to chill and indulge. It was great to have a decent

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-48342717286288426842008-09-18T09:32:00.000-07:002008-09-24T14:07:39.430-07:00

After an 8 hour flight we finally arrived in New York, JFK airport, and 'living the life', we left by a stretch Hummer limo, in style as if celebraties, enjoying a disco atmosphere inside with complimentary drinks, at a reasonable price of 10 pounds (17 dollars) for a 25 minute journey!The hostel we had booked was disgusting, and we soon left 'the prison' and paid for a hotel, which was 20

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830397906848416617.post-61479202014123233812008-09-07T02:42:00.000-07:002008-09-18T10:46:28.210-07:00

1st stop Birmingham to pick up University mate, then onto Heathrow airport for our first part of the venture en-route to New York.The bags are packed, money is saved, goodbyes have been said, its time to rock n' roll! Deciding what to take (or rather what not to take) has been the biggest headache, and after packing, unpacking, and repacking, and unpacking, packing, and repacking! I could

Marc Conneelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10309031385183620164noreply@blogger.com2