2009 April 32 week London to Sydney
This expedition starts on the 6th of April 09. Please follow as we make our way from London to Sydney by Overland! Expect a new diary entry roughly once a month.
London to Sydney - Completed!
After our 26 hour ferry crossing through what must be one of the busyest shipping lanes we arrive at the port of Jakarta. After a quick rest we head down through Java stopping at Yogyakarta where we visited the 9th century Buddhist temple at Borobudur and Kraton Palace which is still home to Yogya’s royal family.
Next we move on to one of Java’s many volcanoas. Mount Bromo is Indonesias most visited volcano and after getting up at 3.00 am to get to the sumit of mount Penanjakan for sunrise you can see why. After seeing the sunrise we then head to Bromo where we climb to the sumit to peer over the the edge into its active crator.
Back on the road and it’s on to another ferry over to the island of Bali where we head to surfer’s paridise Kuta beach. Here we base ourselfs for a few days so those wishing to can go explore the Jungles, rainforests and beaches on Bali or even take a boat trip to one of the many islands around us. Some even managed to visit Kamodo and get sight of the Kamodo Dragon.
With South East Aisa now done its time for us to take the only flight of the whole trip and fly the short distance to Darwin. After a short stop in Darwin we headed straight for the bush and kakadu N.P.
It was a fantastic feeling to reach Australia, our big orange and grey bus waiting (with air-conditioning)! And everything was plan sailing until the end.
With fond farewells to all we reached the end of our long, hard, incredible journey from London to Sydney!
South East Asia
So far...
After the hustle and bustle of Bangkok we head out to Kachananburi to visit the bridge over the river Kwai. Here we once again see evidence of past wars and the suffering endured by those building the “Death Valley Railway”.
The next stop is one we’ve all been waiting for, the islands of Thailand, with the majority of the truck going over to Koh Samui. On Samui we find ourselves living the dream renting bungalows on the beach, taking dive course and renting scooters to reach those secluded beaches. A day trip to Ang Thong Marine National park is a must, with its large green salt water lagoon and dramatic limestone outcrops which is said to be the inspiration for Alex Garlands “The Beach”. With us all feeling that we’ve had a holiday it’s time to catch a ferry back over to the mainland and head south and cross the border in to Malaysia.
Our first stop in Malaysia was the island of Langkawi another tropical paradise if not a little over developed with shopping malls as this is a duty free haven for the Malays. Moving on again we hit another metropolis this time Kuala Lumpar with its towering Petronas towers, after a short break here we arrive at the old port town of Melaka. Over the years Melaka has been ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British this being evident in it’s many old colonial buildings.
It’s time to move once again… this time we cross another border and in to Singapore, with some of the guys already ahead of the truck a couple of days to catch Singapore’s F1 Night Grand Prix (lucky things)!! Singapore is an amazing place with such a diversity of cultures with its Arabic quarters, Chinatown and Little India all nestled in amongst some of the world’s largest and most spectacular sky scrappers. It’s time again to have one of our massive truck cleans, cleaning everything from knives and forks and pots and pans to the tent lockers and windows, it’s not all laying on the beach drinking cocktails! However the odd one or two do find their way to Raffles for a Singapore sling.
With the truck all clean it’s time for us to wave it off as it goes to the port to be shipped back to the UK. Meanwhile we book ourselves onto the 26 hour ferry to Jakarta and start to head down Indonesia then hop over to Darwin to meet our Aussie vehicle.
Until next time...
Laos and Cambodia
Laos and Cambodia...
Vang Vieng was all the fun we expected and more, with most of the group going “tubing” which involved floating down the Mekong River on a tractor inner tube while taking the odd refreshment break at the numerous bars that line the river! Others enjoyed exploring the vast caves while others just sat in the many cafes and bars relaxing. We then moved on to Si Phan Don (4,000 islands) where we took to the river again on another boat trip motoring around some of the 4,000 islands with a hopeful eye open for the river dolphins, viewing old temples and waterfalls along the way. We also visit Wat Phu an ancient temple quoted as being only 2nd to Angkor Wat, another week and we’ll know if that’s true!
Vang Vieng was all the fun we expected and more, with most of the group going “tubing” which involved floating down the Mekong River on a tractor inner tube while taking the odd refreshment break at the numerous bars that line the river! Others enjoyed exploring the vast caves while others just sat in the many cafes and bars relaxing. We then moved on to Si Phan Don (4,000 islands) where we took to the river again on another boat trip motoring around some of the 4,000 islands with a hopeful eye open for the river dolphins, viewing old temples and waterfalls along the way. We also visit Wat Phu an ancient temple quoted as being only 2nd to Angkor Wat, another week and we’ll know if that’s true!
Before we know it it’s another border and with formalities sorted (after a few days bush camping at the border while we waited)! we enter into Cambodia. Driving through the lush green jungle it’s hard to imagine that it wasn’t so long ago that this country was receiving aid from all over the world. With those not knowing why they’re soon to find out.
We enter in to Phnom Phen another city which is growing under heavy construction. Resting after a long drive many go off to see S21 and the Killing Fields and learn the horrific story of Pol Pots regime which caused suffering to thousands. Also on offer was the Royal palace with its fine silver pagoda. After Phnom Phen we take a short drive to Siem Reap home to Angkor Wat and what a sight. With some of the guys taking 3 days to take it all in, Angkor Wat had everyone in awe of its shear size with Wat Phu paling in comparison. A few went horse riding across paddy fields and through villages that haven’t changed for centuries and of course we took full advantage of the French legacy that was coffee and bakeries!
With time now flying by it was time to cross yet another border and enter Thailand and navigate our way into Bangkok. Bangkok a melting pot of new and old rich and poor good and bad. Having a royal palace that puts all others to shame, floating markets, shopping malls and a night life that might scare a few… Bangkok will certainly keep us busy for a few days. Being the travellers we are of course we end up on Khao San Road famed for being home to so many travellers passing through over the years. With its stalls of fake designer goods we restock on shorts and t-shirts ready for the beaches we’ll soon be hitting.
To see the tropical paradise that is ahead of use keep an eye out for our next entry…
China and Laos
China and in to Laos
Moving on from Beijing and all it had to offer we arrived next at Chengdu in Sichuan province known for its fiery food and as the home to China’s panda’s.
Chengdu has a large panda research centre which was a great attraction to all with even the toughest group members admitting how cute a creature they are! Some even managed to get up close and go in with the pandas a memory that will never be forgotten.
Next we stopped at Leshan for a boat trip over to the worlds biggest Buddha carved in to the cliffs at a height of 75 metres. A long drive then took us in to the mountains where finding a bush camp turned out to be rather difficult and we found ourselves as guests of the town of Ebian and camped on their town lawns much to the amusement of all locals with a head count of 160 onlookers while we cooked dinner.
Moving on we ran in to landslides and had to take a detour up through the remote hills and valleys, home to many of China’s indigenous people whom till now we’ve not encountered outside of Tibet, with their different types of head-wear differentiating each group . We carry on bush camping until we reach the towns of Lijiang and Dali with their traditional old towns, this was the China we had all been looking for with old wooden buildings, lanterns lining the narrow streets and streams running along side. Dali was also home to China’s largest pagoda.
We then camped our way to the Laos border finding some unusual bush camps along the way including a school playground! Reaching the border it was a quick immigration check then we were in to Laos and found ourselves camping in our first monsoon rain. With us drying off in the heat that followed we arrive at Luang Prabang some by truck others taking the option of a boat for the day. What a welcome change Laos is from the 6 weeks we just spent in China with its slow pace of life and other westerners, we’ve now hit the backpacking route with streets lined with bars and guest houses alongside old temples.
Our next stop is Vang Vieng a spot for the adventurous with kayaking, tubing, caving, trekking and mountain biking so keep a look out for our next blog entry to see how it goes……
Moving on from Beijing and all it had to offer we arrived next at Chengdu in Sichuan province known for its fiery food and as the home to China’s panda’s.
Chengdu has a large panda research centre which was a great attraction to all with even the toughest group members admitting how cute a creature they are! Some even managed to get up close and go in with the pandas a memory that will never be forgotten.
Next we stopped at Leshan for a boat trip over to the worlds biggest Buddha carved in to the cliffs at a height of 75 metres. A long drive then took us in to the mountains where finding a bush camp turned out to be rather difficult and we found ourselves as guests of the town of Ebian and camped on their town lawns much to the amusement of all locals with a head count of 160 onlookers while we cooked dinner.
Moving on we ran in to landslides and had to take a detour up through the remote hills and valleys, home to many of China’s indigenous people whom till now we’ve not encountered outside of Tibet, with their different types of head-wear differentiating each group . We carry on bush camping until we reach the towns of Lijiang and Dali with their traditional old towns, this was the China we had all been looking for with old wooden buildings, lanterns lining the narrow streets and streams running along side. Dali was also home to China’s largest pagoda.
We then camped our way to the Laos border finding some unusual bush camps along the way including a school playground! Reaching the border it was a quick immigration check then we were in to Laos and found ourselves camping in our first monsoon rain. With us drying off in the heat that followed we arrive at Luang Prabang some by truck others taking the option of a boat for the day. What a welcome change Laos is from the 6 weeks we just spent in China with its slow pace of life and other westerners, we’ve now hit the backpacking route with streets lined with bars and guest houses alongside old temples.
Our next stop is Vang Vieng a spot for the adventurous with kayaking, tubing, caving, trekking and mountain biking so keep a look out for our next blog entry to see how it goes……
Lhasa to Beijing
So far...
Next stop was Gyantse with its old fort and at this altitude it was along walk to the top, with views of the old town and monastery.
Moving on we stop at Lhasa the hub of Tibet with our visit coinciding with a visit from the Panchin Lhama. With pilgrims all around us we visit the spectacular Potala palace which is steeped in Tibetan history then on to Jarbang temple with sightseeing done its time to relax and dine on traditional Tibetan cuisine of Yak steaks, dumplings and the not so traditional fried chicken plus enjoy the odd beer or two.
Its time to hit the road again with all prepared for a long stint of bush camping along the friendship highway across the Tibetan plateau and the north west frontier of China.
Stopping at the highest lake in the world Namtso lake we walk its shores and explore the hills,caves and ancient monastery which is still home to the monks, and with a bush camp close by we meet the locals who taught us the art of using the sling shot or not as the case maybe.
With us now bush camping in the wilds of northwest of China we cross the southern tip of the Gobi dessert with hills to our right and sand dunes then vastness to our left, we find ourselves at halfway point in to the trip and also celebrate Russ’s 30th with a BBQ and Chinese firecrackers, well there’s no one to disturb out here.
We then camp our way to Xian with a stop in Lanzhou to restock. On our way to Xian we are amazed at the size of the cities we pass through with populations of up to 2.5 million a stark contrast to what we have seen of China so far. Into Xian it is with its skyscrapers bullet trains and Terracotta warriors.
Until next time...
Nepal and Tibet
So far...
Kathmandu, Nepal and Lhasa, Tibet.
Kathmandu, Nepal and Lhasa, Tibet.
It is safe to say that Nepal had something to offer everyone from a rice festivel to the elephant bathing in Chitwan to white water rafting, trekking in the mountains to ancient Buddhist temples. Not to mention the coffee shops of Khatmandu offering freshly ground coffee and then the Everest steak house...a must for any meateater recently coming out of India.
The scenary we wound our way through was truely breath taking with mountain views, deep valleys with cascading waterfalls and lush green forests cloaked in cloud, quite a contrast to what we have seen for the past couple of months and finally a cool mountain breeze.
Khatmandu was a great place to replace broken tents, purchase cold weather sleeping bags and great shopping for that North face jacket you’ve always wanted (but could never afford), with just about all of us shopping for warmer clothing in preperation for Tibet!
Stomaches full and the odd hangover it was off to the border but not before stopping off for a camp where those brave enough could do 160mtr bungie jump off a wire rope bridge across a very deep gorge.... bet they regreted that night out now!
We had a very slow drive to the border where we all had to get off the truck and rebuild the road after one to many landslides (this is a full participation trip)! We then complete the border formalities, meet our Tibetan and Chinese guides and entered China/Tibet!
Tibet
“How high are we”? A common question asked from now on...
We seemed to be driving forever up into the clouds with our first night in Tibet camping under the stars. Trying to take it easy for the first few days to acclimitise we then start passing over some very high mountain passes reaching heights in excess of 5000 metres and as we turn the corner there it is Mount Everest!!! What luck on our approach to Everest base camp we have a clear view of the summit of the tallest mountain in the world, any mountain sickness was soon forgoten. Finally we reach the end of the road, leaving the truck behind we took the 2km walk to base camp.
With probably some of the best photos taken all trip its back down to the highest post box in the world to send home those long awaited post cards. Bush camping our way back to civilisation we stop at Shigatse for a much needed shower and rest.
With probably some of the best photos taken all trip its back down to the highest post box in the world to send home those long awaited post cards. Bush camping our way back to civilisation we stop at Shigatse for a much needed shower and rest.
Until next time...
India (and cold beer)
So far...
After the wonderful pantomime of the 'closing of the border' ceremony between Pakistan and India, where we saw a bizarre display of machoism and colourful, exotic uniforms, we moved on to Amritsar, where we could enjoy the first cold beer for a long, long, long time.
Many visited the Golden temple and then just a lot of relaxing was on the agenda, enjoying the next welcome surprise... a swimming pool at the campsite!
Our next stop was Mcloud Ganj, the exile home of his holiness the Dalai Lama, high in the foot-hills of the Himalayas.
On visiting the Tibetan history museum we brushed up on Tibetan knowledge in anticipation for our upcoming Tibetan visit!
Delhi next, and what a busy place it is! With a constant melee of horns that seem to go 24hrs a day and crowds of people and heavy traffic constantly on the go!
The Red Fort seemed to be the main attraction along with high tea at the Imperial hotel with the majority of the group enjoying delicate sandwiches, tea and cake (who said overlanding was tough).
It was then off to Jaipur. Jaipur had a lot to offer with its great Amber fort and pink walled city and it was also time for our Bollywood party which our party planner Martinique had organised. It was a fantastic night and and I'm sure there’s more to come.
With some extra days to use up we decided to visit Ranthambore N.P with a game vehicle taking us on the hunt for the ever elusive tiger, alas no tiger but plenty of other sights in the way of deer, mongoose and a wide range of colourful birds.
With tents packed, we set off to Agra and the Taj Mahal, and what a sight it was, with some getting up at 5.00am to beat the crowds - all agreed the Taj is one of the most amazing man made sights there is to see.
Then on to our last stop in India, Varanasi and the Ganges river. As good as it was, it was still a bit of a shock to see first hand, all the funeral pyres and the dead bodies floating down the river with people (young, old and babies) bathing amongst it all.
With great relief we left the unrelenting heat of India behind and found ourselves in the lovely, calm, quite, cooler Nepal. After our first sticky bush camp in monsoon rains we headed for Chitwan N.P where we had an amazing time bathriding and bathing with the elephants where we all joined in giving them a good scrub.
Now we find ourselves in Pokhara discussing trekking in the Himalayas....
Loving Nepal...!
Iran and Pakistan
Iran-Pakistan
After a long labourious wait for visas we finally all made it in to Iran, and what treats it had in store for us.
Our first stop was Tabris. Within hours of our arrival some of the group had been invited for dinner to meet the family and others invited to a wedding - all enjoying what will come to be great Iranian hospitality as experienced by all.
Our first stop was Tabris. Within hours of our arrival some of the group had been invited for dinner to meet the family and others invited to a wedding - all enjoying what will come to be great Iranian hospitality as experienced by all.
We next travelled up in to the hills to stay with the locals in their homes at Masulah. Some just sat and drank tea and watched the world go by and others ventured up in to the hills for a spot of trekking.
Our next stop Isfahan has to be the best city to date with its old Imam square, stunning mosque’s, undercover bazaar and the odd carpet shop where one or two souvenirs where bought.
We then made our way to the desert town of Yazd and Persepolis finding ourselves a great bush camp next to the river (luckly more of these to come as it’s starting to get hot).
Persepolis was a great suprise for many with its towering remains dating back to 518 BC and tombs carved in to the cliff face.
With the temperature rising we now hit the desert for 5 days of bush camping with the thermometer breaking at 55c and the odd camel spider and scorpion for company! All the girls in the group have certainly had enough of having to wear their headscarves at ALL times!
With the temperature rising we now hit the desert for 5 days of bush camping with the thermometer breaking at 55c and the odd camel spider and scorpion for company! All the girls in the group have certainly had enough of having to wear their headscarves at ALL times!
Waiting to cross at the border we were delayed for quite some time, so it was a welcome break when we stumbled across a guy in a phone shop in Sistan va Baluchestan who invited us 'all' back to his family home for lunch. Accepting, we were treated to some of the best hospitality that one could ever receive. Being segregated the girls could remove there head scarfs and get to know the women in the family, playing with the children and sharing family photos. Then to our amazment we where served a feast of chiken, rice and salad. Delicious!
On passing through the border into Pakistan with minimum fuss we were greeted by the local police who, due to the current political situation, informed us they would be escorting us during our stay. We then all decided, as a group, that the best thing to do would be to head directly to the border and get in to India earlier, so here we are (in India) enjoying the first cold beer in a long time...
On passing through the border into Pakistan with minimum fuss we were greeted by the local police who, due to the current political situation, informed us they would be escorting us during our stay. We then all decided, as a group, that the best thing to do would be to head directly to the border and get in to India earlier, so here we are (in India) enjoying the first cold beer in a long time...
Next entry India...
Turkey...
So Far...
We’ve spent the last 3 weeks exploring the wonderful sights that Turkey has to offer ranging from beautiful beaches, the hectic bazaars of Istanbul, to the pre 6th century ruins of Ephesus. Everyone has now fully settled in to truck life with rumours of the odd truck romance a blossom.
Istanbul was a great introduction in to Turkish life with the group visiting impressive sites such as Aya Sofya and The Blue Mosque. Before wandering around the grand bazaar where we enjoyed a game of backgammon and cup of apple cay.
After Istanbul it was on to Gallipoli for Anzac day with the Aussis and Kiwis paying their respects for the men lost in world war one. We then went on to Oludeniz via the ruins of Ephesus, in Oludeniz we camped alongside the beach enjoying the sun with the adventurous ones in the group going paragliding. This is also where we celebrated Orange day for the Dutch members of the group, with an orange themed party and limbo games! With the odd hangover we moved on to the eternal flames of mount Olympos where we encountered our first rains of the trip how lucky we’ve been! Goreme was the next stop in the heart of Cappadocia with the adventurous now taking a dawn balloon ride to take in the sites wonderful fairy chimneys. Followed by a trip to an underground city and an evening’s entertainment of whirling dervishes and belly dancing, full participation required!
With excitement within the group we’re now preparing ourselves for a few days bush camping enroute to “Doggy Biscuit” and the Iranian border crossing, with this being the last chance for the girls to buy head scarves and long dresses.
Next time Iran....