Tyhjennä haku
Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
Matkustaa tällä hetkellä
  • Dan Squire
  • Chelsea Haith

Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025

Moving from Sydney to the UK in the slowest way possible. Lue lisää
+11
SeuraaYhteenvetoKalenteriJaaJaaToivelista
Vanhin ensin
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Long tail boat to Railay on recovery day
    Bus to KrabiRecreating an iconic work of art from earlier in the gap yearThe pub crawl starts with free shots of unspecified liquid known only as 'Black cock'Alcohol bucket and pub crawl vestIt all starts to kick inWho knew we still had it in us?The alcohol they tell you not to drink in SEA. (To be fair, we chased it with Singha funnels).Joining a conga lineSuave pose that doesn't betray any difference in mental faculties from the start of the nightStunning cliff viewsFloating lantern at sunsetPad Kee MaoRailay stalactitesPristine watersCurry in a coconutVisit to the doctorDan looking sus after a very strong brownieSatisfying the munchies

    Ao Nang

    10.–13. maalisk., Thaimaa ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    New country alert: Thailand! We swapped the cultural calm of Penang for the chaotic crass of Ao Nang, with about 11 hours on various buses to cross from Malaysia to Thailand. On the Malaysian side, what should have been a 4-hour journey was cut to 2.5 by the driver’s refusal to stop at red lights or proceed below 140km/hr.

    Fortunately immigration was extremely chill. We had been moderately worried (and did not tell our parents) as there was an insurgency bombing at a nearby border town the day before, but the revolutionaries of Songkhla gave us a clear run through. Dan did find a large, sharp knife hidden in the overhead storage on the bus, which we carefully ignored.

    Someone told us Krabi was better than Phuket, more chill, less touristy, but no one has told the Ao Nang clubs that. (Unless Phuket is actually worse?! Heaven forfend). We picked a cheaper, 'party hostel', who were very insistent that they are only for under 35s who are keen for debauchery. We figured, how bad can it be? In summary: you access the hostel through 4 bars and a drag club. Bass thrums through the bunk bed until 3am, every single night. The shared bathrooms double as nightclub bathrooms during the evening, so if you're not partying then you have to queue for a midnight piss between drunk teenagers. Overall, it's a slight departure from our backpacking experience so far!

    We launched ourselves into the spirit of things and joined a pub crawl as soon as we arrived in Ao Nang, on which we were the oldest people by 5 years. Dan lost his wallet, Chelsea lost Dan for a bit, and we ended the night crawling into bed around 4am, very much part of the problem. (Fortunately the wallet didn't contain much of value, so this isn't a crisis — don't worry, parents!)

    We spent a lovely recovery afternoon visiting our jungle trekking friends Jess and Nathan at their resort pool on Railay Beach, and in the evening Chelsea got reacquainted with her beloved Pad Kee Mao: spicy drunken noodles. Our final day in Ao Nang we bought hash brownies (weed is lethal in Thailand) and had an *extremely* slow day on the beach, before sneaking into Jess & Nate’s resort again to make use of the loos and pool. Also enjoyed the freshest curry of our lives at Railay, and various treats at the famous Ao Nang night market 🤤

    We also both had our bones rearranged via traditional Thai massage, and did a little shopping as well. Now, having proven to ourselves that we can still (just about) keep up with the kids and make silly decisions under the influence, we're going somewhere a bit less hectic. This morning we hopped on a speed boat to our next destination: a tiny, quiet, party-free island, inshallah.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Arrival in Penang
    Food hall chicSunset on the Penang streetsMystery desserts (and reactions)Street samosa on the food tour; better food reactionColonial fuckboiMega-dhosa vs Giant channa-baturaAesthetic back streetsSurprisingly good form - although not ideal for stomach compression after the food tourReady to drop an EPSunset shadow doing a lot of work in this hero photoFlawless vocals and choreography at the night food marketSweaty but victorious on Penang Hill summitRecovered for the selfieCable car descent (thank god). This is the actual speed, we swear.Feeding turtles at Kek Long Si templeComplementary outfitDoesn't have the wingspanMost of the shrines at Kek Long Si have tourist souvenir shops inside, right next to the statues.View from the pagodaLast night of Malaysian street food

    Penang

    7.–10. maalisk., Malesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Kuala Lumpur is a shopping mall on steroids, and we were a little concerned that Penang might be more of the same. In fact, this city ended up being one of our favourite places in Southeast Asia so far.

    The city is split across both sides of the Penang Strait, with the old British colonial centre of George Town on an island just off the coast. This is the food and culture capital of Malaysia, and you can feel the difference to KL as you walk around. It's full of street art, carved balconies, cosy cafes, craft vendors, ornate wooden doors, bars and restaurants tucked in side alleys. In the evenings the old town comes alive with neon signs, plastic tables and wafts of smoke from the food carts. Chelsea has decided her new favourite dish is 'char kway teow', although she has failed to pronounce it correctly even once (much to her chagrin).

    On night one we risked some chef-recommended desserts from a local café. Dan's 'see guo tang' was a syrupy soup with lychee, jelly and tapioca bubbles, which was... fine. Chelsea ordered 'ice kachang', which had a scoop of ice cream, pink shaved ice and peanuts (all plausible ingredients so far), plus black jelly lumps, kidney beans, and creamed corn. Not so great. You can see our reactions in the montage photo.

    The next morning we took a food tour—our new favourite activity—and stuffed ourselves full of local delicacies with a proper guide who could tell us what would actually taste good. We've started a ranking system for which country has the spiciest food, and Malaysia gets a 7/10, with its Sichuan Chinese influence pushing the score up. We'll update as we go along. After five courses in three hours, we just about managed to waddle around town for the rest of the afternoon.

    The next morning we got up early to beat the heat and hike up Penang Hill. The 2.5km distance is deceptive; this is all uphill, mostly on unrelenting flights of steps. We were very proud to blitz past hundreds of other hikers on the way up, although it was extremely sweaty work. Reaching the top, we realised how delirious this effort had made us: Chelsea burst into uncontrollable laughter at a café menu with the phrase "egg on bed". Is this really a side-splitting joke? Let us know in the comments.

    Our last activity was the most scenic, as we walked over to Kek Long Si temple. We fed the resident turtles, wandered around the beautiful shrines/shops (there is clearly less of a distinction between religion and commerce in Buddhism!), and picked up a small souvenir of our time in Malaysia.

    We're very happy with our budgeting since Singapore. Our five days in Malaysia have cost us just £86/day total, largely because we haven't taken any flights or expensive activities. We're hoping to maintain these cost savings over the next three months in Southeast Asia, which will leave a bit more leeway in the budget for Japan and Europe later. Happy to discuss how we've managed the money with anyone interested.

    For now, we're blasting along the national highway in a rogue minibus at 140kmh on our way to Thailand. See you soon!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Wet Deck at W Hotel for a bougie rest day
    Merdeka 118 in the distanceArriving in KL6Some outstanding signage in KLYumPetronas Towers from street levelSoutheast Asia not particularly accommodating of Dan's height (or hair)Jalan Alor street food marketPani puri delightsBukit Bintang street artJalan AlorToasted Marshmallow chocolate ice cream Concept: excellent. Execution: abysmalJalan Alor Street foodBanana pancakes are a win

    Kuala Lumpur

    5.–7. maalisk., Malesia ⋅ 🌩️ 32 °C

    The Malaysian leg started with a 6hr bus from Singapore, including a suspiciously seamless border crossing where Dan didn't get a stamp in his passport... we'll find out whether this was significant when we try to cross into Thailand. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, we immediately realised we'd been scammed by a fake hotel booking website, who had charged us more than the cost of the hotel in 'service fees'. They'd have their hands chopped off in Singapore, but we don't have that level of nanny-state protection anymore. More's the pity 🥲

    Kuala Lumpur has a population of just under 9 million people (to Singapore's paltry 6 million), and you can feel the difference as you come in. The skyscrapers are much more intense, the highways are broader, and all the routes are tangled together in a web of overpasses and underpasses. They even have a monorail network, which we were unfortunate to not have a chance to ride. The major landmark is the Petronas Towers, a pair of twin 'postmodern islamic' towers that were the world's tallest buildings from 1996 to 2004. Now, they are about to be overshadowed by Merdeka 118, which will be the world's #2 tower behind Dubai's Burj Khalifa when it officially opens later this year. At the same time, in the centre of KL there were a lot more homeless people and beggars, more hawkers on the pavements, more dirt and dereliction. It's all very cyberpunk, techno dystopian. It felt much closer to how we imagined China than Southeast Asia.

    KL was not somewhere we intended to spend much time. It has some big landmarks, but the main reason people come here is for the shopping opportunities. We did explore a couple of the major malls, which were EXTREMELY large and labyrinthine. These are malls on steroids: up to ten storeys tall, with few (if any) maps, poor signage, and zero consistency with staircases, entrances and escalators from floor to floor. They also have covered walkways between them and a monorail station running through the middle, so that in practice they all join together into one mega-mall like a kilometres-wide ant colony.

    Chelsea had a brainwave for how to go swimming in the city centre; we bought day passes at a hotel with a rooftop pool, underneath the Petronas Towers. This was a good chance to get away from the crowds in the malls, read our books in peace, and also watch would-be influencers doing hours-long photoshoots.

    Lastly, we wandered around Jalan Alor for dinner, which comes alive at night-time with street vendors and outdoor restaurants. Things are ramped up during Ramadan and it’s busy with people feeding up after the day’s fast. Being Muslim in the tropics is no mean feat, and the clamour for sustenance is substantial. Instead of sitting down, we picked up a few different snacks, including pani puri, doughy 'fishcakes', Thai banana pancakes, and blowtorched marshmallow ice-cream on a stick. The latter, despite sounding great, was actually quite chewy and gross; would not recommend. We still haven't worked ourselves up to trying the ominous durian fruit yet, but watch this space. At the end of the night, we went for a drink on the famous nightlife street at Changkat Bukit Bintang, where the happy hour deals run until 10pm and the promoters have to clear the sex workers off the tables to make room for punters. A lovely evening out.

    Regular readers will know that in our last installment, we talked about how little went wrong in Singapore. Malaysia feels like somewhere where things can definitely go wrong—we're back in business! Stay tuned.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Chelsea and Anja in Chinatown
    Singapore riverPagoda Odyssey exhibition1000 year old shipwrecked bowlsLife saving nasi lemakBotanic GardensSingapore Botanical GardensDan discovers 'hoyas'On his way to read his book1Happy hour at CHIJMES - Church of the Holy Infant JesusCHIJMES in the afternoon light1Haji Lane drinksSome favourites, including Lee Cheng Yong's self portrait (top left)Georgette Chen paints women *so* wellChen Wen Hsi knows what he's doing with colourRaffles and the city he only lived in for 9 monthsBudget Singapore slingsOtterpore residentsMerlion and Marina Bay SandsMarina eveningTime lapse in the marinaSupertrees

    Singapore

    1.–5. maalisk., Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    From the Sumatran jungle to the city streets of Singapore! We enjoyed a four-day stop in the 'city of lions', a misnomer as the only four-legged creatures we saw were a family of otters in the marina. Otterpore doesn’t quite work though, does it?

    Singapore is a strategic trading post, finance hub, and former British colony as expensive as Sydney. Hence the brief stay. We were entertained by nation-building narrative projects at the National Museum, as well as the South East Asian solidarity of the Asian Civilisations Museum and the National Gallery. Chelsea particularly enjoyed the work of Lee Cheng Yong, Georgette Chen, and Chen Wen Hsi.

    We assailed our ears in Little India, Chelsea caught up with Anja in Chinatown, and we enjoyed the chaos and culinary delights of a hawker hall. We also frequented a local café on Haji Lane that served $3.50 nasi lemak, allowing us to ‘splurge’ at dinner. We’re down to two meals a day, a financial decision with aesthetic consequences. However, one thing we have added to our diet is sweet tea in all its varieties—we have gotten firmly on the bubble tea train and seriously regret not buying stocks in Mixue.

    The Singapore Botanical Gardens were excellent, before returning to town for happy hour at CHIJMES (the wedding venue in Crazy Rich Asians). We decided against a Singapore Sling at Raffles ($41pp!) because the queue was too long and it’s just silly expensive. We opted for the $10 version at a Sichuan restaurant instead, and decided we’d made the right call.

    On our last night we visited the Gardens by the Bay for the light and sound display in the Supertree Grove, the ship-on-stilts of the Marina Bay Sands looming in the background. The show is pretty overwhelming with flashing LEDs and strobes, which is on brand for the region of course.

    It's very hard to go wrong in Singapore. Everyone is very well-behaved, everything is well-ordered. The ongoing threat of the death penalty might contribute to that a bit. We have thoroughly enjoyed being able to rinse our toothbrushes in clean tap water and walk on pavements absent of gaping holes. But the cleanliness and clarity also means we haven't had any embarrassing adventures or mishaps since we arrived. Apologies to our loyal readers hoping for gossip.

    All good things must come to an end though. For the sake of our wallets, we're on our way to Malaysia. Updates from country #5 incoming!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    The main attraction
    Tuk tuk to hike start-pointMacaque money having a yawnBiiig treesOrangutan means 'man of the forest' in BahasaCasual observerBinocular shot of a geckoChelsea and Nurdhi (a card tricks master)2The mosquito net really levels up sleeping on the groundDan and Irwin inspect a treeWaterfall stopNasi goreng lunch at a waterfallHappy hikersDan cops a leechingTubing is the best way to end a multi-day hike5Impromptu rib performance

    Sumatra

    25.–28. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Our final stop in Indonesia brought us to North Sumatra, which also took us across the equator. Our southern hemisphere adventures are over already!

    With a brief overnight stop in the hectic city of Medan, we made our way to the jungle town of Bukit Lawang. There are three ways to get to Bukit Lawang: private car, shared 'tourist minibus', or public bus. We opted for the tourist minibus, which was probably the best option: our driver said that the two public bus companies are fiercely competitive, and will try to aggressively overtake their rivals when they see each other on the road. He also said they don't care about hitting pedestrians or bikers, because it's taken as the cost of doing business in their insurance. He told us all of this with a chuckle, reassuringly.

    We met a (very tired) French couple who had just spent 56 hours on these public buses to travel the length of Sumatra. Chelsea took this as a cautionary tale, while Dan (inexplicably) thought it sounded like fun. Clearly he hasn't learned anything from the +20hr stints we spent on Australian coaches just last month.

    The attraction of Bukit Lawang was a multi-day trek into Gunung Leuser National Park, an enormous swathe of jagged hills draped in dense rainforest. Sumatra is one of only two places in the world where wild orangutans still live (there is a bigger population in Borneo), so we spent two days hiking through the jungle and sleeping in tents for a chance to see them.

    En route, we saw: gibbons, macaques, hornbills, jungle squirrels, giant geckos, and a hell of a lot of bugs. Multi-lane highways of ants and termites, hundreds of butterflies, stingless bee colonies, plenty of mosquitos and flies, strange spiders, and a handful of very friendly leeches desperate to give us a little kiss.

    And of course, we also got the main attraction: orangutans! Mothers and babies, swinging through the trees, eating mushrooms and termite nests. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

    We came out of the jungle by riding an inner tube down the river – we had no idea it was such a common form of transport before we got here. Currently we're on our way to the airport to finally leave Indonesia and move onto country #4.

    Our Indonesian has come along in leaps and bounds over the last month, and luckily the language is almost identical to Malay apart from a few words, which should mean it will be useful for a couple more weeks until we get to Thailand. And then nowhere else, unless we come back in future - which is not out of the question. This is a brilliant and beautiful country, with so much to offer beyond Bali. It's bustling and chaotic and enormous, with complex multiculturalism and incredible (spicy) food – even on a vegetarian diet. The people are open, friendly and have a great sense of humour. And, of course, it's very affordable 😅 we'd highly recommend, and will happily share tips if anyone wants to visit.

    For now though, aku cinta Indonesia, selamat tinggal!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    1'Light of God' in Jomblang cave
    Street scenes in JogjaMalioboro in the rainBorobudur TempleA Buddha inside each stupaTemple viewsRiverside walkJogja viewsFood tour transport: 'becak' taxiKopi joss - charcoal coffeeAbseil chic, at Jomblang CaveThe descent (see first pic for cave interior)No seatbelts on our way to the riverRiver tubingThe fateful, wristwatch-destruction leapPrambanan Temple complexSewu Temple at PrambananEnjoying the rainPrambanan by nightRahwana, the villain in the Ramayana balletTaman Sari - Water PalaceStreet art rehashing Dutch colonial rule

    Yogyakarta

    18.–24. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    We have not, contrary to popular opinion, died. We've just been parked in one spot for a week. After our volcano adventures, we caught the train from Surabaya to Yogyakarta (or 'Jogja' to the locals), which is where we've been holed up since.

    Sidenote: trains in Java are actually very good. It's the only part of Indonesia with a sophisticated train network, which makes sense, because Java is the world's most populous island. For context, this place has the population of Russia in a space the size of Greece 🤯 so it's no wonder the trains are decent. It wouldn't be Indonesia though without a little bit of madness sprinkled in; when we alighted at Jogja, we discovered the train doors don't line up with platform steps. So you just have to go down the train until you find somewhere you can step off, or jump down 4ft to the ground with your luggage in hand.

    Jogja is the cultural heart of Indonesia, a special region with its own sultan and government, over 100 universities, a thriving arts and food scene, and many of the country's most important religious sites. It's mostly popular with domestic tourists, not foreigners, which makes it feel like a hidden gem. The national government has plans to make the city more inviting to international tourists though, so if you want to visit we would recommend doing it as soon as possible!

    We've been here for six days, so in the interest of keeping this blog entry relatively concise, here is a quick rundown of our activities:

    1. Visiting the world's largest Buddhist temple at Borobudur.

    2. Taking a night-time food tour with a local guide (maybe our highlight?!) where we were introduced to bakpia, jamu and kopi joss, among other local treats.

    3. Being lowered 60m into the abyss of Jomblang Cave by ten men with a rope.

    4. River tubing at Goa Pindul (better organised this time than our adventure in Lombok). Dan jumped in from 7m, losing his watch in the process 🙃

    5. Exploring the world's 5th largest Hindu temple at Prambanan, in the pouring rain.

    6. Watching an Indonesian ballet performance of the Ramayana, including glorious costumes, masks, backflips, archery, and fireworks on stage.

    7. A dash around the sultan's water palace, Taman Sari.

    8. Shopping and eating on Malioboro and Prawirotaman Streets. Including some fresh, new Batik shirts for Dan.

    9. Looking into Jogja's 'Horror museum' (spoiler alert: so bad that it's laughable, and therefore good).

    We've also been slowly improving our Indonesian over the last three weeks, so we have a lot of simple phrases locked in now. Banyak Bahasa! Also 'dan' means 'and' in Indonesian, which might explain why so many people struggle to understand Dan's name.

    There is a lot more international food and culture in the Jogja restaurants, which has been a welcome break from rice three times a day. At some point, we had to renege on our travel credibility and admit that we really wanted a pizza. The pizza was okay, but Nasi Goring Pesto is not a fusion to be repeated. Jogja is very multi-cultural, so there's a fair bit of western music in the cafes, especially 00s RnB for some reason – we've heard a lot more Akon, Ne-Yo and Bruno Mars than expected.

    It has been really refreshing to stay in one place for a few days, after only spending max 3 nights in each location so far. Now we're revitalised and ready for the next hop, which will be our last adventure in Indonesia. Today we cross the equator. Stay tuned!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Blue Fire from liquid sulphur
    Local miners carry 75-90kg of solid sulphur out of the crater twice a day 😦Ijen crater lake at dawnIjen sunriseGrateful the sun finally came up and we didn't have to pitch anyone in as a sacrificeNot as strong as he looksCabbage farmers in the mountains before BromoCrowds (and tea!) at Bromo sunrise viewpointBromo before dawnBromo sunriseWith our guide, LuchisBromo belching in the distancePosing with our backup JeepUnnecessary one-upmanshipBromo crater250 steps up is just enough to raise your heart rate but not enough to deter the hordesToo tall for 4x4 windows too

    Mt Bromo & Mt Ijen

    16.–18. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Volcanoes! That's the tl;dr summary for this post, in case you're too busy to read on.

    We took a long coach ride from Denpasar to the port of Gilimanuk on the western edge of Bali, from which we could see our next island just across the water: Java. This should have been a short ferry journey (25 mins), but unfortunately the ferry decided to wait outside of the Javanese port for another 30 minutes rather than docking 😡

    The arrival city was Banyuwangi, which is decidedly NOT a tourist town. Most places in Indonesia, people offer you taxi rides while you are already inside a taxi. But in Banyuwangi, we had to walk ten minutes in the midday heat and humidity before anyone would pick us up. In some ways it was nice to be in a town where the local people are just going about their lives, rather than harassing you to offer tourist services. But equally, there's basically nothing to do here. It's a stop en route to more exciting stuff – the Swindon of East Java.

    Dan did manage to buy a nice pair of hippie pants, which has been a challenge so far because no clothes in Indonesia are designed for men over 5'9". Or doorways, which have been a problem for Dan's forehead.

    Our stay in the stunning Banyuwangi metropolis concluded at 1am, when our guide picked us up for a tour of Mount Ijen. This was the purpose of our visit: a sunrise hike on an active volcano crater, spewing sulphur and blue fire. It is one of only two places in the world where these blue sulphurous flames are visible. Despite starting the hike at 2am and requiring a gas mask, it was surprisingly busy. We spent much of our time dodging around underprepared teenagers in Converse and puffer jackets to keep up our pace. This meant we left our guide behind many times (though he fully showed us up by walking casually through the noxious gas clouds in the crater without a mask, smoking a cigarette, while our eyes streamed from the fumes). The views (and the toxic odours) were unforgettable.

    Our driver destroyed the transmission on our first vehicle doing 90km/h on tiny, steeply inclined, and heavily potholed roads, so we showered off the volcanic ash and packed into a replacement car for a long drive (8hrs on *more concerning* roads) to our next volcano: Mount Bromo. To catch a consecutive sunrise here, we had to get started at 2am. As you can imagine, our eyes are being held open by matchsticks as we write this post. Bromo doesn't require a hike to reach the summit, just a simple Jeep drive, so thankfully we could just turn up in our warm gear and wait for the sun to arrive... or so you might think. We had chosen the cheapest tour we could find online, which clearly meant we also got the worst quality vehicle(s). On the 25⁰ uphill drive (in pitch black darkness), our 4x4 broke down just around a blind corner on a switchback. Hundreds of other Jeeps barreled up behind us with their accelerators floored to maintain momentum. Fun. We're extremely grateful we did this in the low season: apparently there are over 1,000 Jeeps trying to park on the narrow mountain road every night in July.

    We made it to the peak eventually in a backup vehicle, picked our spot, and hunkered down for the sunrise, sipping tea we’d brewed up in a water bottle. We'll let the pictures and videos speak for themselves. On our way back we had a quick photoshoot with the rescue Jeep on the 'sea of sands', and poked our noses into the active Bromo crater to complete the tour. Another olfactory delight.

    Next stop: bed!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Textile market
    Badung marketThe only exhibit worth photographing at the Bali MuseumBali MuseumBali MuseumSheltering from the rain in a bell tower of the Bali MuseumJagatnatha TempleJagatnatha TempleGuide-issued matching sarongs at the Jagatnatha Temple

    Denpasar

    13.–15. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Getting from Lombok to Denpasar was something of a trial, entailing a taxi, slightly dodgy fastboat, sweaty shuttle bus, and another taxi. We narrowly escaped a scam at the Sanur harbour (always look for the guys wearing your transport vendor’s T-shirts!) and arrived at our accom in Denpasar slightly shell-shocked by the day’s travel and the traffic. Fortunately we’d booked a spot deep in Denpasar, far from the party scenes on Canggu and Seminyak.

    This gave us quick access to the local’s parks, markets and temples, and we were of course extremely smug to be the only Europeans kicking around. It’s a trope of travel in Asia that Westerners get invited to weddings, but not us. We are clearly funeral people, and had to insist on our existing plans to get out of a multi-day funeral invitation issued by a taxi driver. We gave our condolences and he insisted that it was ‘Good to celebrate!’ 🤔

    Another taxi driver was excited when we mentioned that we like spicy food. "How many spoons of chilli do you like?" He asked. We were a bit unsure, so we said 4-5. He proudly announced that his wife takes 10 spoons. Now we felt cheated by his arbitrary, schoolyard one-upmanship. How big are the spoons? How strong is the chilli? How much food are we mixing it into? What if his wife has a tiny spoon just so she can lord it over weak-stomached westerners? It all felt very unfair.

    We only had one full day in Bali, as we had decided to mostly skip over the island. It is lovely and has great culture, but we only have one month and Indonesia is huge. So we're focusing on places that are harder to get to. Our Valentine's day visit included stops at the Pasar Badung market, the textile stores on Jl Sulawesi, the Bali Museum, the Jagatnatha Temple, and the park around the Bajra Sandhi monument. Luckily we could do most of this on foot – traffic in Denpasar is unpredictable, and we are somewhat dreading the notorious jams in Jakarta.

    Some quick maths indicates a very tidy profit for Westerners running ‘boho chic’ Indonesian clothing import businesses. Chelsea bought an excellent floaty jumpsuit for £6, with only a small amount of haggling. All Westerners are perceived as mega-rich, with some justification, given that low level civil servants in Indonesia make £50 a month.

    Overall, Indonesia is helping us to recoup some of the unholy expenditure from three weeks on the road in Australia. Long may it continue!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    The hostel's main selling point
    Senaru traditional curry is mind-blowingThe cursed pile of sticksExtremely scary bridge - we didn't know we'd be inside it a couple hours laterOne of us can hike straight through the river and it isn't Dan.🍑Requisite tourist pose...he shot me down...Dan going dad-mode and approving of the infrastructureFair few nursing monkeys around, promising for our Sumatra trek EOM4One of about a million dragonflies in SenaruHappy hikerTiu Kelep astonishingly lovelyChelsea's mum made us these anti-bed bug sleeping bag liners and we were *grateful*.On the second day, Chelsea claimed the hammock leaving Dan to numb his arse

    Lombok

    11.–13. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Lombok promised even more rain than our previous stop, so we booked three nights in a very cheap hostel in Senaru, with views of the volcanic Mount Rinjani and its rainforested slopes. The hike to the summit/crater rim is currently closed because of weather conditions, but the area below is full of waterfalls and forests, our actual objective. At least it would be cheap, so even if we were forced to stay inside the whole time, we could relax and just enjoy the rain noise and the view.

    True to form, on our first day we managed a quick walk to the nearest waterfall before it started raining, and retreated to the hostel. The common area has a mat, two flat cushions and a single hammock, augmented by a handful of sticks, masquerading as handmade wooden chairs. Dan took the hammock and Chelsea took a “chair”; this nearly led to the first major argument of our relationship. After two hours, Chelsea had developed a deep, pathological loathing for the wooden chair. "It's the worst chair in the world! It's impossible to be comfortable! It's not a chair, it's a torture instrument! I'd rather die than have to spend three days sitting on this chair!" She was ready to pack it all in and leave the next morning, but our laundry was still drying so we were forced to stay. That chair almost ended our gap year.

    (FYI, Dan tried the same chair the next day and it seemed... fine.)

    Luckily, the following morning was, if not totally dry, at least surprisingly bright, so we could leave the cursed pile of sticks in the hostel and go out. We hiked to the Tiu Kelep waterfall, where Dan had to sacrifice his boxers because his swimshorts were still in the laundry. Any excuse to skinny dip.

    ...and then we found an activity so ridiculous that we had to do it. Along an old stretch of concrete canal/disguised sewage piping that runs beneath the footpath, local entrepreneurs have set up a 'river tubing' experience. This involves riding through a small tunnel on some inner tubes that have been strapped together. It was worryingly cheap. Needless to say, we strapped on our headtorch and GoPro, and climbed aboard.

    Senaru has been, astoundingly, even cheaper than the rest of Indonesia. £7 a night accom, £1 for dinner, £3 for river tubing, etc. We are leaving one day early though, to get more time in other places, where there is more to do in spite of the rain (and fewer torturous seats). Next update incoming in a couple of days!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    All the gear and no idea (the gear is two plastic ponchos)
    Best seat on the fastboatPromising on arrival'This is mah swamp, Donkey!'Absolute mustA break from rainy trudging1Football highlights or plotting a novel?Jizzy Warung does not disappoint – only £9 total.Rain coming in from LombokRain arrivingLocal taxi1'Nest' sculpture25-day old turtles enjoy water zoomiesBig turtles out in the wild having a good time in the current too1Spare minarets?

    Gili Islands

    8.–11. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    No luck on the major internal ferries out of Labuan Bajo, most of which are cancelled or delayed until the end of February. We caught a short hop flight from Labuan Bajo to Denpasar, Bali, and made a run for Padangbai to catch the last fastboat to the Gili Islands. We missed the ferry by about 35 mins, which means that it was the only ferry in Indonesia to depart on time. Sad to have missed out on a piece of history.

    A languid afternoon in Padangbai for Chelsea’s birthday ensued, and we jumped on the 9.30am to the Gilis the next morning. Lots of hungover Brits and Aussies passing round Red Bulls and packets of Imodium, getting off at Gili Trawangan (the party Gili). We’re in ‘easy Indo’ now, where the tourism infrastructure is good enough that a 21-year-old with a surfboard and a runny tummy can get where they’re going. Touch wood, we’ve yet to acquire Bali belly – feeling both smug and a little cheated.

    We were the only people from our fastboat to alight on Gili Meno, and soon discovered why: it is blissfully quiet (excepting the omnipresent call to prayer). Meno is the 'relaxed Gili'. Three nights in a gorgeous bungalow, on a paradise island. The water is bright, perfect blue, thanks to the white coral which surrounds the island.

    This was, however, the stop where the wet season finally caught up to us. After promising weather on arrival, high winds and driving rain quickly confined us to covered areas the majority of the three days. The stop ended up being mostly about reading, writing, relaxing and rain-watching.

    Our limited activities included: Chelsea walking the 1.5hr island perimeter, Chelsea snorkeling, Chelsea visiting the turtle sanctuary for 5-day-old hatchlings, Chelsea swimming out to the ‘Nest’ underwater sculpture in torrential rain, and Dan staying at the hostel to watch football highlights. It's good practice for our eventual return to the UK.

    We also found a local cafe called Jizzy Warung, which meant we had to eat there for dinner. It ended up being one of the best (and cheapest) meals we've eaten in Indonesia. Perhaps they have a secret ingredient?

    We're now en route to our next stop, which we've been promised is even rainier. Wish us luck! ⛈️    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Komodo Krew
    Speaks for itselfKayak to (almost) Bidadari feat. one passenger princessBad omen?We don't have boat envy, promise3Hostel friendsMaybe heaven?On board the ApikManta introductions (showing belly)Two of about 20 mantas circling on this dive 🤙🏼More cool clamsFlyingBrain coral (not it's real name)Dan makes another friendDry land after days at seaDancing dragons?Chomp chompBinocular shotThe wet season necessitates flights, unfortunately

    Komodo

    2.–7. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Writing from a suddenly wet Labuan Bajo, on the (soggy) western end of the island of Flores. It's the gateway to Komodo National Park. And while the weather has been kind for four days, it's really showing us rainy season vibes now.

    After a quick hop flight over from Timor, we checked into La Boheme hostel. This is a really lovely spot, very near the port, whose only downside is being right beneath a set of loudspeakers hooked up to the local mosque. It turns out that Indonesia is the only Muslim country in the world that doesn't regulate the volume of loudspeakers for the call to prayer. Which means mosques here are unbelievably noisy; the call to prayer happens five times a day, at maximum volume, and often with ululations that last up to 45 minutes. As far as we can tell, this is WAY longer and louder than anywhere else in the world. But it has been impossible for the government to regulate, because Indonesian Muslims see the volume of their loudspeakers as a part of their religious duty. We were therefore up a little late on our first full day here.

    Bajo has brought out our price sensitivity very clearly. We've been outraged when meals and drinks cost twice what they did in Kupang. (This is ridiculous! They're gouging us because we're tourists! It's unacceptable!) Only to remember that we're still only paying £5 for a meal and £2.50 for a pint. Compared to Australia, everything is basically free.

    With some time to explore, we decided to kayak out to Bidadari island for some snorkeling. Or, at least we thought we were going to Bidadari – in fact, we went to another island, but only realised when we got back. Chelsea continued her storied career in extremely poor kayaking technique, inverse to her enthusiasm for the sport. Good thing she can swim. However, the sheer quantity of trash in the Indonesian water is heartbreaking. Even 5kms out of the Bajo bay we were pushing plastic bags and shampoo bottles out of the way as we snorkelled over gorgeous reefs.

    After a couple of days in Bajo, we moved onto our main mission: a liveaboard trip into the Komodo national park. This entailed three days and two nights living on the Apik (boat), cruising through the islands and scuba diving. We crammed in 8 dives in 2.5 days (for non-divers, FYI this is a fair bit). Our bodies are chafed, our hair feels horrible, our internal clocks are fucked, but it was totally worth it for some of the most incredible diving we've ever experienced. Manta rays and turtles galore, plus drift diving in some of the world's fastest currents. If you've seen the whirlpools on the BBC Asia nature documentary with David Attenborough from last year... that's the scenario! 🤿

    Our first few dives, we also had the exciting experience of joining a couple from Hong Kong who (despite being officially qualified) didn't appear to know how to dive. We have never before seen someone actually run out of air and have to use the guide's spare supply. Or have to resurface because they were unable to cope with getting water into their mask. Or crash headfirst into a coral reef and tear half of it away. So that was a bit of extra entertainment, before we managed to move to another group with a slightly more relaxed (skilled) vibe. The team at Maika Diving were great throughout.

    Lastly, we finished the tour with a short hike around Rinca Island, where we were on the hunt for Komodo Dragons. Turns out, they aren't that hard to find; they're super lazy and just lie in the sun most of the time. Extremely big and powerful, but where's the motivation? Where's the drive? Dan reckons (incorrectly) that he could "take one". Incidentally, he stayed very far away and took photos through his binoculars.

    We met some lovely people on the boat, which made a nice change from the first month of the trip during the low season, where we only had each other for company (the horror, the horror). We're sure that later in the year we'll wish we could go back to that level of quiet solitude. But for now, it's been really nice to hang out with fellow travellers for a few days. Bises to our adopted dive family Bert, Maite, Hajni, Rosie and Luca.

    This marks the end of the first planned section of our travels (we booked the liveaboard a couple of months ago). Now, we have no specific plans until the end of February – just a vague sense of which islands we want to visit. We've decided to head to Lombok next... further updates coming in the next few days.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Admin time
    Microlet too fullLive cam from the microlet roofBAGONG a safer option than Babadok bus...Laying down the lawDinner, before the hot coalsAnd cookedInexplicable chocolate ice cream fishLaying down the law (again)Travel libraries!1The cat is on timeout in the glass cabinetCaptain William Bligh arrived here after the famed mutiny on the BountyOn our way to FloresPropeller plane between the leafy hills

    Kupang

    31. tammik.–2. helmik., Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    New country alert! 🇮🇩

    Our Timor-Leste sojourn was a brief four days, and on the 31st we got up very early to make our way across the border to Indonesia. We had a choice of buses, including the Bagong and the Babadook. We decided to be sensible and book the Bagong.

    To get to the coach pickup point though, we first had to catch one of the Dili 'microlets'. These are minibuses with set routes but no specific pickup points; you just wave one down. To stop, tap a 50c coin loudly on the overhead bar to let them know when you want to stop (that's also the cost for two fares, about £0.40). There aren't many seats, so it's very cosy inside when busy - passengers are encouraged to sit on one anothers' laps to make space. When it gets *really* busy, passengers hang out of the doors. Since we had our big backpacks on and were taking up a lot of space, Dan nobly volunteered to hang out the door.

    The Bagong bus took 12 hours, travelling the length of the island of Timor. It was winding but surprisingly well tarmacked, although apparently the only good road on the island. Going even a few metres off the main road would lead to immediate peril for anything less than a tractor. The bus also had a TV, which blasted repetitive Chinese action shows for most of the route. We were eventually (mercifully) dropped off in Kupang, the main city in the Indonesian province of West Timor.

    We're going to be flying and ferrying through Indonesia for a month, so the two nights in Kupang were intended to be a bit of an admin stop. We set ourselves up on Gojek and Grab, the Southeast Asian answers to Uber, which have been a *revelation* after the tech black hole in Timor-Leste. Cheap taxis! Cashless payments! Food delivery! We're very happy.

    We had a less smooth experience getting ourselves Indonesian SIMs. This is a mobile banking country; they've leapfrogged the 'card payments' stage that we're used to in the UK or Australia. So you can either pay by phone, or cash. Since we don't have Indonesian mobile bank accounts, we had to go through five steps to pay for credit with cash:

    1. Take out cash from an ATM (which may or may not accept western debit cards).
    2. Take the cash to a participating grocery store.
    3. Ask the staff to help you load it onto your Gojek account (for a fee).
    4. Connect your Gojek account to the mobile phone service provider Telkomsel's app through 'GoPay'.
    5. Use your GoPay dollars to purchase credit in the app.

    Seamless!

    While we went through this rigmarole, we were staying in the Lavalon Hostel, which overlooks Bligh point, named for a very bad pirate-type from the days of the VOC. Lavalon is the retirement plan of one Edwin Lerrick, who it transpires was a well-known Indonesian movie star in the 80s. Now, he just hangs out on his hammock all day watching spurious alternative health videos on YouTube (full volume) while his pets fight over food. He is an excellent cook though. Highly recommended.

    This morning we were up at 5am again for a flight to the next island, Flores. All of the ferries from Timor to Flores are delayed or cancelled because the sea is too rough. Rainy season lessons learnt! Stay tuned for dispatches from Komodo in a few days 🤿🐲    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Leaving AustraliaDili hostelAtaúro ferryAtaúro fishing boatsCoconuts on arrivalQuick power napLocal marketsShower systemNight diveOur dive guide, AnatEstevao & LourdesReturn ferryReminders of home

    Timor-Leste

    27.–31. tammik., Itä-Timor ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Our first stop out of Australia: Dili, Timor-Leste.

    Every time Chelsea says ‘Dili’ people hear Delhi and… they’re not the same. Timor-Leste is South East Asia’s youngest country after gaining independence from both the Portuguese (1975) and then the US-backed Indonesia (2002). For a country so new to democracy, these guys are all about voting, and the president drives around in his Jeep, no security detail, waving at the populace on his way to work. Vibes.

    The Timorese are having a generally good time - schooling and health care is free and housing is pretty make-shift and multi-generational, so earnings go to food and electronics (seemingly the only things to be bought). We’d heard that it’s dangerous but the most sinister experience so far has been three tiny bandits aged about 8 years old approaching us with ‘Money?’ and rubbing their fingers together cheekily at four in the afternoon. Dan, very sweetly, thought they were saying ‘Morning.’ Thus the Good Morning Bandits were formed.

    We stayed at the DaTerra hostel, an oasis near the port, and caught the ferry to Ataúro (pronounced Atta-oo-roe) for a couple days’ diving on the most diverse coral reefs in the world. This was some of the most incredible diving we’ve ever done, with crystal clear visibility around 50m, and completely calm water. Exceptional coral and sea creatures, which our photos can’t do justice to.

    Our Homestay hosts overfed us; turns out we were basically staying with the mayor, and we had a fab time learning some rudimentary Tetun from the local children. Highly recommend Estevao’s Homestay for anyone visiting!

    Not many hiccups or disasters to report, except getting caught in the wet season torrents one time - photo of a soaking wet Dan included for reference.

    Returning to Dili, we caught one of the local ‘microlets’ to the shops (a minibus with no fixed stops, where locals are encouraged to sit on each other’s laps when the seats are full). Tomorrow we’re heading out early to cross the Indonesian border. More to follow soon!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Shenannigans
    Crocosaurus Cove2Will & Kate, the croc breeding pairDarwin laksaScene of the crimeFriends from the roadChelsea's new boyfriendDumped

    Darwin

    25.–27. tammik., Australia ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Wrapping up our 2.5 year adventure in Australia with a couple of days in Darwin. The city is humid and sweaty, because the monsoon hasn't started yet. It normally starts at the end of December, but hasn't arrived as of January 26th... the latest monsoon on record. On the plus side, it meant our last couple of days weren't blasted out with torrential rains. Chelsea was a big fan of the street art throughout town. Dan, meanwhile, enjoyed a visit to see the reptiles of Crocosaurus Cove on his own, with all the other children.

    We caught up for drinks with some friends from the road: Kim, a backpacker from the Netherlands; and Simon & Charlotte, two doctors from Adelaide who we met at Uluru when they took all our engagement photos. Afternoon drinks slowly transitioned into a mildly messy night out at Shenanigans Irish pub, where Chelsea was chatted up by an ancient man.

    We're writing this entry from Darwin airport, where our flight to East Timor has already been delayed by two hours. The unreliable transport schedules have begun already! This is, as Chelsea says, the end of backpacking on 'easy mode'. She then illustrates this by doing a chicken impression, as she tries to mime ordering a vegetarian meal. What she means is that from now on we won't be in English speaking countries with reliable infrastructure. But the chicken impression makes it seem like 'easy mode' is ending because we've decided to communicate solely in charades from now on.

    Stay tuned for future mishaps. Next stop, Dili 🇹🇱✈️    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Burrunguy (Nourlangie Rock)
    1Ariana Grande (new, shiny, and huge)Home BillabongTwitcherCroc spottingMamukala WetlandsBrief photo pause to allow the flies to feastMomentary respiteTakeoff!Kakadu Air staffed exclusively by Kiwis, Saffas and BritsJim Jim and All His Mates1Jim Jim FallsFor god's sake, don't let her touch the controls!Circling the fallsStone CountryNo sick bags needed

    Kakadu

    22.–25. tammik., Australia ⋅ 🌩️ 34 °C

    We exchanged the ‘low croc risk’ pools in Litchfield for the ‘absolutely definitely crocs are here for sure’ rivers of Kakadu for four days. Dan was devoured*.

    We bounced between Jabiru and Cooinda, the main northern ‘towns’ in the park. (‘Town’ means there are sufficient buildings from which to procure petrol and cold beer). Jabiru was built to serve the now-closed Ranger uranium mine. The surrounding area was called ‘The Sickness’ by the indigenous people because the uranium is right at the surface, poisoning the rivers and soil. The mine is supposed to be rehabilitated by 2026 but we saw it from the air and it looks… glowing.

    At Burrunguy (Nourlangie Rock) we visited the Lightening Man, an aboriginal rock art of a local Dreaming (not pictured for cultural sensitivity reasons, you’ll have to make the trek yourselves). Later in the day, Lightning repaid the visit, and we had to scramble to get out of the pool (croc-free, chlorinated) and rescue our books as the late monsoon rains started.

    Cooinda hosts the excellent Yellow Water cruise, through the billabongs to the misnamed South Alligator River. Some European muppet mistook the crocs for 'gators, dubbed a bunch of local rivers East, West and South Alligator, and the names stuck before anyone could correct him. We saw one (1) croc, and many many birds (Dan was very happy). Incidentally, 25 people have died by croc attack since they were protected from the leather trade in 1971. 21 of these were men, most of whom were snapped trying to reclaim fishing flies caught on detritus in the water. A fly costs about $1.50. One man was eaten by a crocodile with no front legs, which is pretty embarrassing to be honest.

    We hopped on a short recreational flight out to Jim Jim Falls (inaccessible in the Wet season) and thanks to the rains the previous night we saw the falls at their fullest flow of the season so far. When the water really gets going the waterfall name changes to ‘Jim Jim and All His Mates.’

    Heading back to Darwin for sleep in a real bed (!) and aircon (!). It’s been a sweaty few days. Any longer and we’ll go troppo.

    *By mosquitoes, flies, and other flying-biting creatures.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Relief from the heat
    Termite MoundsCathedral Termites, not to be confused with Magnetic Termites.Monitor lizard at Florence FallsFlorence FallsSpout failurePromise it was safe, MomCrocodile trapWangi Falls (crocs likely)Buley Rockhole mini waterfallsGoPro experimentsFighting the current

    Litchfield National Park

    20.–22. tammik., Australia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    After a very exciting visit to Uluru (see: getting engaged), we decided to celebrate by immediately spending 23 hours sitting separately on a Greyhound coach to Darwin, on Australia's north coast.

    The outback was extremely hot but also very dry, so surprisingly bearable. Darwin, on the other hand, is tropical. It's the wet season up here, so still pretty hot, and at least 80% humidity. Much sweatier than the outback.

    Luckily, this time we hired a proper camper from a more serious company, with proper equipment and functioning air conditioning that we can plug into the mains to keep us cool overnight. We then drove straight to a campsite with no mains electricity hookup, and had to sleep in our own sweat just like before, with the dead A/C unit mocking us immediately over our heads.

    Litchfield National Park is beautiful, and very quiet in the wet season. We visited the famous Termite Mounds (capitalisation per the tourism signage), which we were impressed by, though several local teenagers were not. Our campsite at Florence Falls meant we could cool off all day in the pools, after quadruple checking the crocodile safety guidance. Plenty of other spots in the area were off limits due to recent sightings, but we had a clever trick: wait until other visitors have swum around for a while, as bait, before deciding whether to get in ourselves. When there was no one else about, Chelsea urged Dan in first. Just in case.

    (What even is a ‘Crocodile Management Area’ and how do they maintain it?!)

    We used the Falls as a backdrop for more engagement ring photos (some more serious than others). And we also discovered that Chelsea has never learned how to shoot a water spout from her mouth. This from someone who spends all of their spare time in a swimming pool 🤔 apparently that's what happens if you spend your childhood reading.

    Next stop: Kakadu...    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Uluru sunset
    Unsmashed bottle of FGPClose call: Chelsea just misses the ring box in her quest to squeeze Dan's bumUluru sunset, post proposalUluru base walkKata Tjuta - Walpa GorgeKata Tjuta - Walpa GorgeHard work done, well-earned napNo explanation needed2She said yes1

    Uluṟu

    16.–18. tammik., Australia ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    En route to Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock), we dropped by Curtin Springs gas station where we picked up a bottle of 'Fucking Good Port'. Advertised as something that "makes rabbits bite pitbulls, bluntens barbed wire, and prolongs premature ejaculation", we felt this was a non-negotiable investment.

    Uluru was the last stop on our outback circuit. We got up at 4:30am to walk around the base at sunrise, visited nearby Kata Tjuta (Mount Olga), and in the evening went back to Uluru for a sunset viewing. All in all, a very long day... but not quite over yet. We capped it off with a special surprise for Chelsea.

    By some freak alignment of the stars, we were the only ones on the southern viewing platform that day, making it the perfect time for Dan to pop the question. It was clearly a successful surprise, because Chelsea didn't see the hints and constantly interrupted his preamble speech. She then forgot that she actually needed to answer. And finally proceeded to launch the car keys through a gap between the boardwalk planks (not clear why or how). So after the photoshoot, Dan had to crawl around on his knees sticking his arm into the dirt in full darkness so that we weren't trapped in the desert overnight. We toasted with the Fucking Good Port, until Chelsea also managed to smash the bottle right behind the ute’s tyres in the campsite. She was clearly in a slightly chaotic emotional space. Overall review: 10/10 seamless engagement.

    Took Socrates (our questionable 4WD rental) back to Alice Springs, and jumped on the Greyhound for a long overnight trip up to Darwin. Better quality ring photos to follow.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Ellery Creek
    1Our untrustworthy steedEllery CreekEllery CreekEllery CreekOrmiston GorgeOrmiston GorgeWallaroos at Ormiston GorgeOrmiston GorgeOrmiston GorgeUnsealed roadsElbow greaseKings CanyonKings CanyonKings CanyonKings CanyonKings Canyon - Garden of EdenKings Canyon - Garden of Eden

    Red Centre Way

    13.–16. tammik., Australia ⋅ ☀️ 46 °C

    Outback in 46°C in the middle of January? Yes, please.

    Step one: pick up a camper van. You would hope that, given the temperatures and remote terrain, we'd get a special briefing to make sure we kept the vehicle and ourselves safe. Apparently that is not the way in Alice Springs. Google Maps took us to a small scrap metal yard (on foot, sweating in blazing heat, carrying all our heavy backpacks), where there were no signs and no staff. No one had given us a license plate for the camper, or emailed through any info. Dan called the hotline, and they told us to look for a silver 4x4 with the keys already in the back seat, and to just go. No condition check, no guidance, no manual, no paperwork, no fuel in the tank. What could go wrong? We packed our bags in and accepted our fate. The camper was dubbed 'Socrates,' because it's old and it raises a lot of questions.

    Our first stop (after some thorough safety checks, and a lot of concern about the many flashing orange lights on the dashboard) was at Ellery Creek in the MacDonnell Range. Dan knows that the surest way to get Chelsea hiking is to include dips in large bodies of water. Early morning hikes followed by a lot of time in the Big Hole, staring at the red cliffs. We stayed here two nights, the hottest of the whole trip — sleeping under wet sarongs in our rooftop tent and making constant use of the ever fashionable fly-hats.

    Turning out of Ellery Creek, we were thrilled to discover that the road to our next stop, nearly 300km away, was unsealed gravel track. Joy! Our internal organs hadn't been violently jostled enough yet, so this couldn't have come at a better time. This is the quietest time of year on the Red Centre Way, so there are basically zero people on the road... which made it extremely lucky when 150km in, we burst a tyre 🫠

    Thankfully, this happened very near a tour bus, so with the help of an 8-year-old German child, we managed to change to the spare. This was only 33⁰C, so pretty balmy for a bit of midday exercise in the sun. As you can imagine, there are very few tyre shops in the outback, so we've been driving around with no spare and an intense feeling of paranoia ever since.

    Kings Canyon — our next destination — is gorgeous. We were lucky enough to see the Garden of Eden filling with water due to a few drops of rain the day prior. It’s a sacred site so no swimming, which Chelsea managed to reluctantly accept.

    The road is tarmacked again from here on, which makes the driving much less stressful. More updates soon! 🏜️🛻⛺    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025

    Alice Springs

    13. tammikuuta, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

    Apparently unnecessary to have booked the overnight bus from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The bus gradually emptied out between Adelaide and Coober Pedy, and we found ourselves the remaining two passengers for the nine hours from CP to Alice. Good sign? Bad sign? We’ll found out in the next few days.

    46°C in Erldunda, at our last stop before Alice, and looking toasty for the rest of the week. We’ll be kicking around the Red Centre for a few days, on the look out for war-mongering emus and frilled neck lizards. And a certain significant rock.

    Chelsea has been extremely excited to visit both Coober Pedy and Alice, something of a pilgrimage for fans of the 1994 film Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Dan refuses to try drag despite his lengthy eyelashes, much to Chelsea’s disappointment.

    Maybe the desert will works its magic. Welcome to the Territory.    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    The Overland train
    Grain silos viewed from the OverlandAdelaide Central MarketEvening ShadowsExpert curation at AGSAArt Gallery of South Australia objectsNational Wine CentreSelf-serve wine tasting1National Wine Centre of AustraliaOur chariot to Alice Springs

    Adelaide

    10.–12. tammik., Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Caught the 10hr Overland from Melbourne to Adelaide, on which Dan bought a very fetching hat so that everyone will know he's a train enthusiast.

    Melbourne marked the end of the 'bearable weather' portion of the year. We arrived in Adelaide to 33⁰C at 5pm, and it's only going to get hotter for the rest of January as we travel up into the Northern Territory.

    Despite the heat, here are a few reasons we loved Adelaide;

    1. Adelaide Central Market: 12/10, best market in Australia. Just exceptional - it has everything. Chelsea would move here just for the strength of the cheese game.

    2. Glenelg Beach - our last chance to dip in the ocean for a few weeks. This is a great beach and the easiest to access from Adelaide, plus we went on a sunny Saturday morning at the end of the school holidays. Given how busy the beaches are in Sydney, we were expecting to have to deploy our elbows to get a spot. But it was half empty! Maybe the water is toxic and locals know better than to swim in it, but if so that's a price worth paying.

    3. Art Gallery of South Australia. Probably the best curated gallery we've been to in the whole country (maybe the world).

    4. National Wine Centre of Australia. Self serve wine tasting on tap. Weird, but also great?! Mixed review on the wines, but somehow they all seemed to taste better and better after the first five...

    All in all, a successful two-day flying visit. Now we're back on the Greyhound for a 19hr (🥲) coach to Alice Springs. See you in the NT...    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025
    Royal Exhibition Building
    State Library of Victoria2Ned Kelly's armour at the State LibraryYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVYayoi Kusama, NGVCeviche at Naked for SatanPrahran drinksBorsch, Vodka & TearsView from our hostel roof (Space Hotel)

    Melbourne

    8.–10. tammik., Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Arrived early morning after an overnight coach with very patchy sleep. Chelsea - who cannot abide any noise when she's trying to rest - was sitting right next to the only rattling cupboard in the coach. Ideal.

    Getting off the coach, Chelsea immediately pulled a muscle in her ankle and was convinced that this was a torn ACL and therefore the end of her gap year. Medical catastrophe! Months of recovery! Fallen at the first hurdle! Moral failure! She shortly walked it off and was, miraculously, fine.

    We couldn't resist getting lunch at a Korean fast food booth called 'Chunky Town'. And then dinner at 'Naked for Satan'. The following day, we ate at 'Borsch, Vodka & Tears'. The restaurant naming in Melbourne is reason enough to visit.

    Our main tourist activity in Melbourne (apart from eating) was a visit to the massive Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. We have now looked at lots and lots of dots.

    Next leg: we're up early to catch the Overland train to Adelaide 🚂🇦🇺 Choo Choo!    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
  • Chelsea & Dan’s Gap Year 2025

    Sydney

    7. tammikuuta, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We're off! A few weeks of travel admin completed, emptied and cleaned out our house, handed in our keys, said our goodbyes to friends and family... And now we've got twelve months ahead of us, lugging these backpacks around half the world.

    Overnight coach to our next stop, Melbourne. Let's goooo 🚍    Lue lisää

    Katso käännös
    Matkan aloitus
    7. tammikuuta 2025
  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Koti
  • Tietoa meistä
  • Ryhmän seuranta
  • Lehdistö
  • Ehdot
  • Yksityisyys & Cookies
  • Ohjekeskus
  • Merkintä