In a couple of hours we will be boarding our flight home. All of a sudden the 154 days are nearly over!! We have had a blissful 2 weeks in Thailand, enjoying beach life on Koh Samui and Koh Ph-Ngan and city life in crazy Bangkok. Sure we will more to write once we reflect on our trip from the comfort of our living room, but for now, it’s farewell, and see you back home!

We started our travels in Malaysia on the west coast, visiting Melaka (just north of the border) and then Kuala Lumpur (or KL as everyone seems to prefer to call it). Melaka was a fascinating town, with a thriving historic Chinatown full of beautiful temples and many hangovers from the Dutch occupancy of this old colonial port town. It was somewhat amusing for us as Europeans to find a place in SE Asia where the biggest tourist attraction (for Malaysians) was the Dutch windmill, tulip gardens and other european style architecture.

Kuala Lumpur was lots of fun, but suffered from torrential downpours most afternoons which made sightseeing a bit of a gamble. When it wasnt raining it was blazing hot, so after a few days of tiring of carrying umbrella, suncreen, sunglasses and waterproof jackets we decided to head to the East coast where we could avoid the monsoons!

Our first destination on the east coast was Cherating, a small quiet coastal village. We spent a happy couple of days there with little to do but laze on the beach, enjoy roti canai for breakfast, and watch out for monkeys and goats which appeared now and again on the roadside. And we watched a lot of the world cup.

Our stay in Cherating was only slightly marred by the fact that I managed to slip on the wet bathroom floor and hit my back on the sharp step, thereby becoming unable to sit comfortably for 2 days. People soon got used to seeing me carting my pillow around town for comfort!

After Cherating we went up the coast, and then across the sea, to Pulau Perhentian, a group of 2 tropical islands. The islands were absolutely stunning, and of course attracted a large backpacking crowd which made for lots of fun in the evenings. We also did an excellent day of snorkelling, where we got to swim with sharks and giant turtles and saw some incredible coral reefs. The only downside being we both managed to burn our bottoms, mine quite severely which meant I continued to have trouble sitting down everywhere I went!

And now, we are in Khota Bharu close to the Thai border on the east of the country. Tomorrow we head to Butterworth and Penang on the west coast, and from there we will cross the border into Thailand in the next couple of days.

It was a relief to finally land in Singapore after the arctic temperature we experienced in Melbourne. It was also a chance to wash the single jumper and pair of trousers we had each been wearing every day for the last 7 days! Even this wasnt enough to keep us warm as we had to pile on loads of our warm weather vests and tshirts underneath….

We caught Singapore in monsoon season and since the main activities there revolve around shopping and eating, we did lots of both. Well browsing at least, since our budget doesnt really stand up to splurges in Singapore, even with the Great Singapore Sale in town.

It was a chance also for me to catch up with a very old friend, Low (whom I know from university). He and his girlfriend were excellent hosts, taking us around town to places including Little India, Chinatown, Arab Street and Holland Village (where the rich white people live). During these tours they also made sure we didnt leave town without trying every type of local cuisine available.

Last night we watched the Socceroos play their first world cup game, against Japan. We went to watch the match with Karmen and Tim, our great hosts in Sydney, in a old theatre televising the match on their big screen. The room was a sea of green and gold, and while the Aussies may not have had much experience playing s0ccer with the big boys, their fans were eager for a win. There were a few Japanese supporters in the audience and we were very impressed with the sportsman like way the entire Australian audience applauded them and their team during their national anthem.

I wont go into the details of the match as many of you may have seen it, and the 3-1 scoreline is well known. However it is worth describing the incredible reaction to the final 8 mins as the goals were scored. The Aussies went wild and celebrated as if they had actually won the world cup. Granted, it was the first time that they have ever won a world cup match, but I have seen nothing like it before. People were crying, hugging, dancing the streets and blasting their car horns as everyone poured out of the theatre and straight into the bar next door where the drinking continued all night. I’m pretty sure many people missed the next day at work as this came at the end of a long bank holiday weekend and we both woke up with sore heads the following morning, but we were glad to be part of it all, and wish Australia the best of luck in the rest of the World cup.

Our weekend in Hollywood was indeed packed with glitz and glamour, although not that we expected this when we arrived. As we landed at LAX aiport we discovered that there was no room at the inn in the hostel we had planned to stay at, and instead found ourselves on our way to Hollywood to a far more expensive hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.

As we arrived we immediately noticed the difference between backpackers in the US and those we had encountered so far - namely we at least 10 years older than them! Typically the difference in years meant they had far greater capacity for drinking and consequently generally inconsiderate behaviour. After a night of being awoken by pointless drunken natter (god we sound old) we decided to move on.

Thankfully the next hostel was far more civilised, although for some strange reason I found myself the only white person in a room of Oriental women. Bonus, since most Oriental women cant drink anyway so nice peaceful nights were had by all.

As we settled into our room overlooking the Kodak Theatre we noticed a red carpet was being set up outside. We popped down to ask what was happening to be told it was a lifetime achievement award for Sean Connery. Excellent we thought, fingers crossed for some celeb spotting later in the evening. We then took a fairly tacky tour around Hollywood where, of all places they took us to the local cemetary! During the trip the driver told us that the event at the Kodak Theatre was infact the MTV movie awards, which meant lots of celebs, so understandably we were excited by this point.

As the evening warmed up we took our places right by the entrance (at the top of a set of stairs) and waited for the ’stars’. Typically a cheer would arise from the crowd below, we would look on expectedly and find that either a) we had no idea who they were or b) it was someone reasonably famous and therefore instead of walking up the stairs they were escourted to the lower tiers of the theatre meaning we didnt really get to see them close up. From a distance we saw Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Close up we saw Jane Seymour (twice - apparently no one recognised her the first time!). As the bouncers told us everyone had arrived we were slightly surprised there were not more celebs…after all, who were MTV actually going to give the awards to? The mystery was resolved when we were finally told that the MTV awards were taking place down the road and it really was only a lifetime achievement for Sean Connery. And obviously, since the events collided any other celeb friends he might have had other things to do! Oh well.

The next day we spent many hours on public transport as we went to see Chinatown, Beverly Hills and Venice Beach. In the evening we visited West Hollywood were we had been reliably informed (by the paper) that a womens rights march was scheduled for the beginning of gay pride weekend. The paper was indeed right, and we gathered with about 300 other women (and a few gay men) to begin the march. However, first a series of rousing speeches from prominent gay activists in the local Hollywood area, most understandly upset with their current president and his attacks on existing gay rights in the US.

Once the speeches were over, the march was led by a local group of leather clad women motorcyclists. The sound was deafing and the whole thing was really quite exciting as we got ready to march for gay rights everywhere. However it seems people in LA really dont WALK very far, as no sooner had we started than we reached the half way point and had to turn around. All in all, I’d say the actual march took 5 mins, and some people even cut corners and jumped across the verge when we turned around!! Amazingly, for us this, we actually got paid $50 as a group were making a documentary on the march and were paying willing participants who didnt mind them releasing images of them. Hopefully they got some other footage, otherwise it will be a pretty short (and expensive) documentary!

You just gotta love Hollywood! That’s all folks!

Maybe we are hardened travellers by now, but after so many warnings about safety in Mexico City we have been really pleasantly suprised to find it a friendly, clean, and easy to navigate place. Best of all is the super efficient and cheap metro (underground) which surpasses London in every concievable way.

Have spent several days enjoying the numerous parks, impressive buildings, and the fantastic Diego Rivera murals dotted around the city. We also took a day out to visit the pyramids of Teotithuican. Less spectacular than the other ruins we have seen the scale of what is thought to be the largest single Meso American settlement is truly outstanding.

All in all we are sad to be leaving the Spanish speaking world behind (at least for now) but looking forward to an incongrous bit of glitz and glamour in Hollywood!

Well, we are back now in Cancun having spent the better part of 2 weeks on the beach! With our fingers crossed for sun we first headed to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women), just off the coast of Cancun. The sun came out for long enough for us to establish that the beaches were the most beautiful we had ever seen, with turquoise waters and soft white sand, before it started raining. And raining, and raining, and raining. Thankfuly we were staying at a great hostel, called Poc Na, which was incredibly lively and full of fun people.

The next day the sun came out a little, and the next day a little more. We spent our days catching sun where we could (and burning in the process!), and sitting out the rain in the hostel. After a few days relaxing we then went on a snorkelling trip which was truly amazing, where we saw all sorts of weird and wonderful fish, including some enormous ones with great big teeth !

Before we had arrived on the island we had been told about a free reggae festival taking place 30 mins away from Cancun, again on the beach. So when the time came we packed up our bags and came back to Cancun for the second time. While Mexican reggae is not quite the same as that which we are used to back home, the festival was still excellent, and the sun was out so strong and hot that we had to create our own shady shelter using some beach debris, breeze blocks and a sarong.

Following the festival we headed on to Tulum which has really been the highlight of our time in Mexico. Not only is it the most beaut iful place I have ever seen, with even clearer seas and whiter, softer sand than anywhere else we have been on the caribbean, but also full of the nicest people. We arrived in Tulum very concerned about our finances due to various unforseen expenses and were fortunate to stay in a new hostel (Lobo Inn) run by the most generous family who provided us with lifts to the beach, free drinks and dinner, breakafast etc. In addition they taught us to play dominoes properly and kept us entertained at all times.

On the beach we encountered more lovely Mexicans who were always willing to share whatever they could, be it music, beer or just a lively conversation. And Helen also managed to get a free snorkelling lesson. All this in the most beautiful setting. Í think we pretty much have found paradise!

Now we head to Mexico City. A very different cultural experience I am sure!

Since arriving in Mexico we have all been the most excitied about getting to the Yucatan and enjoying some of the Carribean beaches. With this in mind we have travelled fairly quickly from the beaches on the Pacific through the highlands and on to the Yucatan plain.

Our journey took us first to San Cristobal, set deep in the highlands of the Chiapas. It was a beautiful charming town, despite being absolutely freezing. Unfortunately Helen also came down with the rouge illness so Jo and I did much of the sight seeing alone. After 2 nights we headed on to Palenque, to see the Mayan ruins and spent a couple more nights in the jungle. From there we travelled on to Merida, another colonial town less interesting than the rest we have seen.

As we awoke yesterday in Merida the rain had started pouring, with thick cloud cover. We had intended to visit some underground caves, but the day was so miserable we thought we would cut our losses and head on towards Cancun, in search of sun. Unfortunately, at the moment there isnt any! Today is just as grey as yesterday and it is possible the weather is set for the week which means our idyillic week on the carribean may not be as beautiful as we had hoped. We keep our fingers crossed in hope regardless and hopefully next time we post we will have better news on the weather!

We have spent the last few days enjoying beach life, first in a small beach called Mazunte and then a slightly larger one, called Zipolite. In Manzute we had a great cabana on the beach, with a palapa roof and walls only about 1 metre high. The view of the ocean was amazing, and nothing beats the feeling of falling asleep to the sound of the ocean.

Spent our days in Mazunte doing lots of body surfing, although at times the ocean got a little rough and threw us about in the surf. This however was nothing compared to the waves we saw when we arrived at Zipolite.

The night before had been a huge storm and the waves were reaching close to 3 metres high and rolling into the beach at an incredible rate. Red flags were up which meant no swimming, but we could still play a little in the surft and it was amazing how strong the undercurrent was so close to the shore.

A little while after we arrived in Zipolite we met a couple of local volunteer lifeguards (salvavidas). They were great fun, but superchilled, and laid back in their approach to lifesaving, which mainly consisted of hanging out in a bar on the beach (not drinking of course) and responding when they heard someone scream help. Probably not much help when the music is playing then!

Our final day in Zipolite we finally succumbed to Illness. First Jo, then I. Spent a day in bed, but all in all not too dramatic, and certainly not as bad as I had feared. We are unagreed as to the cause, but I still have my money on the incredibly cheap bottle of locally brewed Mezcal we bought the night before.

Oaxaca is a beautiful city, although stifling hot at times. Having successfully met up with Helen at a hostel last night we have been exploring the city and, in particular, the amazingly colourful and vibrant markets. Having been so long in other parts of Central America it is a relief to the senses to see the produce here, which is so clearly of better quality, and with higher standards of hygiene.

On our first shopping trip we couldnt help but purchase the following local delicacies…

1. Oaxacan chocolate - amazing, squidgy, rich chocolate which is made right in front of your eyes

2. Mezcal - an alcoholic beverage similar to Tequila. A happy morning spent tasting samples before finally deciding which brand to buy (hic!)

3. Fried grasshoppers - we did actually all try this, which we were told tastes a little like caviar (I’m not convinced). But Jo, of course, went to extremes and bought and consumed a full bag of the little critters!

From here we are heading to the Pacific Ocean, close to the fabled Puerto Escondido (surfers paradise)