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Round the World 2015
  • Trav and Suki
Mar – Oct 2015

Round the World 2015

A 222-day adventure by Trav and Read more
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  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Big Apple (day 3 and 4)

    July 22, 2015 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Day 3 was another big walking day as we head to Times Square to soak up the sights and sounds.. what a place! Neon billboards everywhere and buzzing with activity. Fun just to walk around and soak it all in. We also check out Radio City Hall and the Rockafella Centre but didn't go up. We decide to head to Harlem in the late afternoon to "check out our hood". We find an unassuming little place (the Shrine) playing live jazz and blues at 5pm on a Sunday afternoon- very cool! We stay there for a few and decide to head back to Times Square for the infamous "Shake Shack" burgers and thickshakes. There's a queue going out the door when we arrive but it moves quickly. Verdict: Pretty good! Must try the burger with smoked bacon.. very smokey!!

    Day 4 is our last day and we book in for a fancy lunch at "Tocqueville" thanks to our friend Lindsay and also Gordon and Chrissie! Lindsay had generously got us a gift voucher as a thankyou present (totally unnecessary) and Gordo and Chrissie had given us some USD in our leaving card which we had saved for a special occasion. We don our best clothes and have an amazing 3 course meal complete with wine pairing.. such a treat! Thanks so much guys... It was delicious!!

    We drag our fancy lunch out for as long as possible to avoid the heat outside.. its stinky hot and crazy humid. 2.5 hours later we stumble out and head to the High Line - a 2km boarded walk on the west side. Would not recommend doing it in the middle of the day!

    Its almost sunset time so we head down to lower Manhattan for our last activity- we hadn't seen the Statue of Liberty yet so we take the free ferry (yes freeee!) to Staten Island which goes right past the statue and gives great views back to Manhattan. It was a fun ferry ride and did I mention its free?

    Overall we had such a great time in New York and had fun taking lots of photos! Missed a few things we had planned like checking out a comedy show and going to a rooftop bar for cocktails but just means we'll have to come back another time!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    To Hong Kong!

    July 23, 2015 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Its a 15 hour flight from New York to Hong Kong, fortunately we are back in business class!! All very exciting and of course we take advantage of the free food and alcohol.

    We arrive in Hong Kong and Chali kindly picks us up from the train station.. so good to see u Chali! Molly comes over too and we have dinner together and check out Chalis rooftop terrace. The jetlag settles in and we are ready to crash.. its a quick stopvover and we are off to Vietnam tomorrow!Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Vietnam (Hanoi - Dong Hoi - Phong Na)

    July 24, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After a couple of hours delay leaving Honkers, we have arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam. Trav's old work colleague arranges a car to pick us up and take us downtown for some local beers and a pleasant meal at a fancy but crazy cheap restuarant. It's over in a flash and we hop onto our first train on our trip bound for Dong Hoi.

    We're booked onto a 6-bed hard sleeper cabin which turns outs to be very comfy. We leave at 10pm on the 10 hour overnight journey. We're lucky that we had a quiet cabin with locals who were also interested in getting some sleep - most of the other cabins are packed with locals eating food and speaking the local toungue at the top of their lungs.

    We arrive in Dong Hoi and are picked up by the travel company Oxalis whom we've booked the cave tour with. They drive us to Phong Na and we check into our hotel and have the rest of the day to explore.

    After a quick bite we jump aboard a dragon boat for a short tour that takes us to the Phong Na cave. There's enough time left over for a quick nap before we catch a bus to the Oxalis HQ for a safety briefing and a meet n greet with the guides and other tourists.

    We're packed n ready to go for adventure!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Son Doong Cave - Day 1 (Hang En Cave)

    July 25, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We've arrived at the Oxalis HQ and everyone is excited about the journey that lies ahead. Separate bags of out belonging are given to the porters to haul to the first campsite as we only have to carry our helmets, water and cameras. We've packed light with a few kilos between us however this is in contrast with some of the other guys who have loaded their sacks the same size as our travel backpacks.

    There is a total of 10 tourists, 2 British cave guides, 3 Vietnamese tour guides, 2 national park rangers and approx 30 porters (who effortlessly haul massive loads without breaking a sweat).

    It's about 11am by the time we drive to the park entrance and commence the descent into the jungle. First up is a small village of about 4 houses and a local school. The children here are married from the age of 13 so it's not uncommon to see young teens carrying their babies or older siblings looking after younger siblings whilst they're parents tend to the fields. Surrounded by a surprising number of small dogs we say goodbye to the friendly locals and continue our hike through the jungle to the entrance to Hang En Cave via numerous river crossings.

    Our campsite is extremely picturesque just inside Hang En adjacent to the steep decline entrance which provides a nominal amount of daylight/moonlight. The sandy bank is surrounded by a ice cold lake perfect for a refreshing swim and to wash away the BO.

    Tents are lined up along the sure and we unpack for our first night. Dinner was a enormous spread of about 8 different dishes with surplus amounts of food - a common theme throughout the tour.

    It's only 730pm but with the darkness of the cave we agree to adopt a Cave Time time zone of plus 3 hours and stroll off to bed    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Son Doong Cave - Day 2 (Son Doong Cave)

    July 26, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We slurp our way through noodles for breaky and set off on Day 2 with helmets and headlights ready for action.

    First stop is a viewpoint made famous by National Geographic (via a previous trip through Oxalis). We position team members for creative photos but they're certainly not the same quality. We scurry up and down rocky boulders and approach the exit of Hang En. Although not as big as Son Doong this is still an impressive cave with relaxing swimming spots.

    We continue through the jungle and strive to protect our belongings from the rain. We arrive for lunch and the first leech of the trip is picked up by one of the other tourists. A short stroll further and we reach the entrance to Son Doong Cave.

    Son Doong Cave was first found by a local jungle guy seeking refuge from a large storm in 1990 (It then took a number of years for him to find it again as the paths to the entrance are erased by floods during the wet season annually. It's classified as the worlds biggest cave and has such attracted the attention of large film crews (Nat Geo, BBC, ABC) from around the world. This is the second year that tourists have been allowed to enter with a maximum number of 500 permits issued each year solely to Oxalis.

    It's a steep decline of about 80m into the cave so were fitted with harnesses and attached to a lifeline. The adrenaline continues to pump as we crossing a raging river via foot and another by a highline.

    We arrive at the next camp site and take up the option of a short hike to swim in an icy cold crevice. Suki is the only female with 6 guys who've all stripped down to their dacks. It's a amazing short dip with another reason to wash away the days smell just in time for dinner.

    After dinner the Vietnamese tour guide Bamboo teaches us a card game similar to 'spoons' which provides hours of entertainment with the loser of each round being face painted with a finger of an ash/water mix by the winner.

    Another adventurous day and who'd knows what surprises tomorrow holds.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    Son Doong Cave - Day 3 (Engagement Day!)

    July 27, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    It's pancakes for breaky this morning which is a welcomed change for Trav from the constant Asian food.

    We arrive and setup our cameras at the first 'doline' (cave opening) and capture some impressive shots. We continue to the second doline and as we get ready for another photo, Trav drops down on one knee to pop the big Q. Suki frantically yells 'What are you doing?!' and eventually responds with an 'Ok then' and a cheeky grin. The photo continue and cheap Vietnamese champagne is sprayed over us followed by congrats and finally lunch.

    Still on cloud nine we continue hiking the treacherous terrain until we arrive at the next camp site and drop off our day packs. From here we continue right to the end of the cave via a 1km long narrow muddy path flanked either side by steep clay batters until we reach the Vietnam Wall.

    Back at camp it's time for another impressive feast followed by more games involving exhausting exercises.

    A magical an unforgettable day - we're ENGAGED!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    Son Doong Cave - Day 4 (Return to Hang E

    July 28, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Having reached the end of the cave it's time to head back. Its a lot faster as were not taking a thousand photos and bypass some of the lookouts but there's still time to stop along the rivers and skim rocks.

    We make it all the way back to the first camp site and settle in for our last night of cave camping with an esky of beers n coke hauled in especially from Phong Na.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    Son Doong Cave - Day 5 (Return to Phong

    July 29, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Early start today as we backtrack through the various river crossings stopping for a quick snack before the final steep hike back to the highway.

    Muddy, smelly and feeling relaxed after a victorious beer at the top we jump on the bus back to Phong Na for lunch and to say farewell to the tour guides.

    Afterwards the group is driven to Dong Hoi and we check into the fancy Sun Spa resort. A final team dinner is held at 7pm and we say our farewells. It's been an amazing journey and opportunity to explore the world largest Cave!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Hoi An - Buffalo and basket boat ride

    August 1, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌫 23 °C

    A 7 hour train ride + taxi and we are in Hoi An, a cute little village famous for its lanterns at night time and also cheap tailors. Richard, Frank and Paige just so happened to be heading this way too so we spend another few days hanging out with part of our cave crew.

    The highlight of our 3 days here (aside from the 35c beers!) is most definitely the buffalo and basket boat tour we decided to take!

    Jack of Jack Tran tours pick us up in his minivan and we discover its only the 4 of us on the excursion- awesome! We firstly head out to the rice fields for the buffalo ride. Suki was a bit apprehensive about the buffalo ride at first, worried that the buffalo would be mistreated. When we get there all fears are alleviated when we see the farmer with his buffalo- they clearly have a special bond and you can tell he loves his buffalo very much. We take turns riding the buffalo (Xe is his name) firstly on land and then in the water. Xe is super gentle and lovable. Trav, to everyones surprise, demonstrates some advanced buffalo riding skills, including being able to jump on unassisted. The farmer decides to play a trick on Trav and leads the buffalo to a pot hole in the water so Trav almost falls in :-)

    Next we head to the docks where we see the dragon boats getting maintenance done, then its time to try out the basket boats! The basket boats are basically big round woven tubs, which the fisherman use to check their catches. We head to the water and there's 4 boats waiting for us. Then the unexpected fun begins! 4 guys rock up (cousins of Jack Tran) and jump in the basket boats and begin their "Gangnam style" basket boat routine- its hilarious! The boats are spinning and rocking in the water while the guys dance and do tricks. Next we hop on board a boat each and join in the fun, ending with a race to shore which Frank wins (the promise of free beer spurred him on).

    Off to Jack Trans house afterwards for homemade spring rolls and a beer- a great morning to end our last day in Hoi An :-)    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Ho Chi Minh

    August 3, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We have an overnight stop in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) prior to our big flight to Rome. We decide to chill out a bit- check out the markets (very cheap "designer" brands.. suki scores a pair of Nike leggings for $10!) and head to the movies to watch the latest Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. It ends up being an extremely random and amusing night when we get out of the cinema and there appears to be some sort of promotion/ street party happening. To our left there's the local beer brand "Larue" giving out free beers and pumping out dance tunes at full blast. To our right is another outdoor dance party run by some sort of dance group, complete with teenagers raving to the chicken song. Trav gets his picture taken with a promo girl and scores a free hat. We both walk away with arms fully loaded with beers. After picking up more beers than we can carry, we eventually navigate our way back to our hotel, (it is awesome btw.. and only $40!) trying not to get hit by the millions of scooters, some of which are going the wrong direction up the sidewalk. We have dinner at the rooftop bar of the hotel and call it a night.

    Next day we have some time to burn before our 8pm flight so we kill a few hours at the "Great Escape" game, where you get locked in a room and need to decify clues to solve the mystery. Was a bit silly!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Rome

    August 5, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    It's an early arrival in Rome and we are blasted by the heat. We check into our airbnb accommodation and have a snooze to ease the jet lag from flying from Ho Chi Minh City via Abu Dubai. The rest of the day is spent shopping for groceries to stock up the apartment. We're tired and it's hot outside so we crash early.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! - it's Trav's 31st birthday and no better place to celebrate than Rome! Suki is up early to whip up an amazing egg benny and holindaise breaky 😁. We begin the hike down to visit the Colosseum. It's a fantastic experience but hard to comprehend without a few diagrams of how it all worked. The blazing 37 degree heat keeps us jumping from shadow to shadow. After a quick stroll through the Palatine and Roman Forum we avoid the pending heat stress and arrive and the restuarant we researched on tripadvisor - and it didn't disappoint. Reading reviews enlightened us to request the iced sangria. The food and service was awesome and was perfect for Trav's birthday lunch. It was a long walk back home where we quickly rehydrated and returned to the train station to met James and Steph.

    We get there just in time but the train is not of the right platform. There are hundreds of people walking around aimlessly and we suddenly realise we have no rendezvous point. We take a final stroll through the main corridor and surprisingly run into them! It's a brilliant reunion and we assist them in dragging their oversized backpacks to our apartment.

    After a much awaited catchup and numerous beverages, Suki whips up a scrumptious Chicken and Mushroom Rissito to polish and brilliant day celebrating Trav's birthday!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    Florence

    August 7, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    With James and Steph in tow we set off for Florence. Its a long travel day so we happily check into our airbnb and settle in for the night watching Gladiator (after being inspired by the Colloseum visit!) on the home cinema (ipad).

    We spend 3 nights in Florence, hitting all the sights (still as beautiful as ever), take lots of photos and buy lots of leather (mainly Steph although Suki got a new handbag too!).

    Inbetween all the photo taking we eat a lot of cheese, ham and olives, drink lots of wine and cook lots of Italian themed dishes. Its actually just really nice chilling out and relaxing with friends after being on the road for a while now.. over 4 months and counting!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Verona (Day 1)

    August 9, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    It's time for a Roadtrip! We hail a cab from the nearest square and head to Florence Airport to pick up our hire car.

    Trav spent ages finding the best vehicle to hire and we're all a little disappointed when we were given a brand new Fiat 500x SUV with the smallest boot ever. Unable to swap for another car without a surcharge we manage to cram Jimmys massive suitcase and Trav and Sukis backpacks into the boot and Stephs suitcase gets crammed into the middle rear seat. The car is packed and we're ready for adventure.

    Apart from no storage space it's a brilliant car with a built in Tom Tom GPS. Jimmy plays navigator and radio DJ and we set off enroute to Verona.

    Our next airbnb accommodation was easy to find and we arrive to meet the hosts mother who can't speak a word of English but with a few games of charades were checked in and cranking all 3 aircons to cool down. It's Sunday afternoon and just about everything is closed. We spend ages looking for a open supermarket but end up settling for pizza from a local pizzeria with numerous gourmet options on display. We were quite impressed that they charge per weight of the pizza and 1.5kg of pizza (8 different varieties) cost us €19 - bargain!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Verona (Day 2 - Wineries and Lake Garda)

    August 10, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We've all been hanging out for some decent wines so we set out and explore the mountains on the east side of Lake Garda.

    Being holiday season most of the small villages are like ghost towns and our hopes of finding a winery open for business is not looking good. The girls in the back are getting carsick from the windy roads and Jimmys DJ skills are failing to keep our spirits high. Eventually we stumble across a winery that's OPEN!

    Inside we try as many wines as possible and are very grateful for the experience. With a bag of bottles we continue and cross our fingers for more success.

    We're on a roll and find another winery this time with massive 3L bottles. Trav is the voice of reason and stops everyone from buying the large bottles which carry a €6 surcharge due to the bottle size. Refreshed and a little perky we continue to the last planned winery and it's open as well!

    Its our last winery for the day and it's by far the best. The host is really interesting and provides plenty of crackers, biscuits and cheese on the side. She's dating the boss so we assume she's got a pretty good gig. The wines are brilliant and topped off with a sample of grappa. Outside we pose for vineyard photos before we make another purchase and the host throws in a free bottle opener!

    We make our way to south-east section of Lake Garda (packed as this is where all the locals for holidays) for the last stop of the day and kick back on the pebbley beach to polish off one of our newly acquired wines with some cheese and crackers.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Verona (Day 3 - Opera + Parco De Cascada

    August 11, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Our original plan was to do a day hike at the Dollarmites but due to the distance and our lack of fitness from consuming copious amounts of wine, cheese, pizza and gelato the next best option was to go for a hike in a small national park famous for its waterfalls.

    It was another scenic drive through the hills to get to the sleepy town of Milano. Trav and Jimmy had a tough time convincing the girls to take the 'black path' but after a few mins we realized that the park was an easy hike and we completed the loop under 2 hours. There were plenty of spots for photos and overall it wasn't too bad although it's getting harder to be impressed after everything we've seen in Chile and Vietnam. Ice creams all round as a reward for making it through then we headed back home to get ready for a night of culture.

    The Arena (open air amphitheater) is very famous in Verona and is in excellent condition considering its 2000 years old! Similar in shape and architecture to the Colosseum we buy the cheap tickets to an Opera performance and are seated on the stone benches - Steph suggested we take cushions which was a lifesaver! The atmosphere was brilliant and the performance (although all in Italian) was quite good. The show 'Aida' is a very popular show and has been playing for many years - unfortunately it went for close to 3.5 hours so after the first 2 intermissions Trav and Suki kept dosing off and lost the plot.

    A great night out and felling more sophisticated and quite tipsy from the backpack full of wine and beer we smuggled inside - we walk home.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Verona (Day 4 - Canyoning)

    August 12, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    It was time to get the blood pumping and burn off all the food we'd been gobbling down. Google told us the trip to the meeting point was just under 2 hours so we allowed a small buffer and set-off. The start-stop traffic on the west side of Lake Garda was manic and as a result we were almost an hour late. Luckily our guide (also the company owner) hung around as we were the only people in the group.

    We kitted up with fully body 5mm wettys, harnesses, neoprene socks and helmets than set off on a 15min hike uphill. It was stinking hot so the quick dip in a icy cold rock pool at the starting line was refreshing. Tommy our guide gives a comprehensive but humorous safety briefing and although he seems like a bit of a cowboy we know we're in safe hands.

    It was an action packed 3 hours of abseiling down cliff faces, rappelling, sliding down numerous water falls and jumping into rock pools. Each section we completed gave us enough confidence to tackle the next section. Constant slips, screams and yelling provided endless entertainment throughout the day.

    Tom gave us a tip to another way home so we caught the car ferry that sails directly across the picturesque Lake Garda. Back home Suki and Steph whip a delicious meal of sausages and rissoto whilst Trav and Jimmy downloaded all the footage from the Go Pros to watch on TV. After dinner we relive the day on the big screen followed by a few bevvies to help settle the adrenaline levels.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Venice

    August 14, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Its an early start as we check out of Verona and set off for Venice... Everyone (except Travis) has sore bellies (Sukis theory is that everyone has O.D'ed on wine and cheese) and is a little cranky from the travelling. The boys and the girls split up: the boys take the car back to the airport and the girls check in to the accommodation. The accommodation is a gorgeous little apartment right in the heart of Venice so we are back on track! Once everyone is reunited we explore Venice, a spot of shopping, picking up some lovely Murano glass pieces and most importantly hit Happy Hour- 5euro spritzers with a free canape buffet! Everyone is happy :-) We end the evening sitting on the pier drinking red wine and whiskey out of plastic cups and chatting the night away... Its our last night with James and Steph and we have had an awesome time :-)

    The next morning we say goodbye to James and Steph as they set off for their morning flight. We spend our last day in Venice on Burano island- its a 40min ferry ride over to the quaint little island, well known for its picturesque colourful houses and lovely lace related items. The vibe is very relaxing- very difference to Venice and was definitely worth the trip over.

    We head out to Treviso for our last night in Italy, in preparation for our early morning flight tomorrow.. next stop Parree! (Paris)    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Paris

    August 17, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    It's lunchtime as we arrive in Paris after catching a bus and 2 x metros from woop woop (Ryanair's cheap airport).

    It's a Diesel Gym Chicks reunion as Chali, Wei and Jen greet us at the metro stop near Eddie and Wei's apartment. The girls are very excited to see each other and we all reminisce over some wine and snacks followed by catching up with a bunch of other people at a artsy warehouse restaurant with a live band.

    We spend the next few days exploring the sites and the beautiful city of Paris including a picnic next to the Eiffel Tower. The weather is a nice cool change from the scorching heat in Italy.

    Suki's friend from Denver has arrived and we spend another day exploring the city sights and consuming copious amounts of wine and cheese followed by another relaxing afternoon watch the sunset over the Eiffel Tower. The architecture of the buildings are truly amazing and Trav is taking photos faster then he can recharge the batteries.

    Being holiday month the streets and broad walks alongside the canals are littered with families and young couples. There are numerous makeshift bars, sand pits, zip lines and kayaks to keep everyone entertained. With the sun setting after 9pm there's heaps of time to enjoy everything this city has to offer.

    It's time to say goodbye to Wei and Chali and we hop into a rental car and get ready for our Roadtrip down south with Deb.    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Bordeaux.. Road Trip!

    August 19, 2015 in France ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Road Trip!! We meet Deb at Avis, pick up our Renault Cleo and off we go! We quickly discover that in France the roads are narrow and no one follows road rules.

    First stop is a quick pitstop at Versailles to check out Europes biggest castle. We arrive at the castle and yes- it is huge. Not as huge though as the queue of people to get in! We decide to skip it and keep moving.

    The 5 hour drive to Bordeaux is somewhat uneventful aside from the drama at the toll booths, not accepting our credit cards despite charging an exorburant 50euro plus over 2 tolls! We finally arrive in Bordeaux and its lovely- we can see how its earnt its UNESCO heritage listing. There are castles everywhere, complete with round turrets- just like in the fairytales!

    Wine, dinner, check out town and its bed time after a long day travelling.. we are in wine country!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Saint Emillion- Wine Country!

    August 20, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Following our airbnb hosts recommendation we head to Saint Emilion to visit the "chateaus" for some wine tasting. When he first explained it he said the chateaus are castles, where you can go for tours.. our response was not very enthusiastic until we realised that they are actually wineries that take you for a tour of their estate and end with a wine tasting- we're in!

    The wine tasting in the area is quite different to what we are used to: you need to make an appointment to go. First stop we head to Saint Emilion town centre which we discover is a beautiful little historic town. Next we head to one of the chateaus of the day, Chateau Bernateou- a family run business that has been handed down 8 generations, they produce only 100,000 bottles of wine each year. We get a very personalised and detailed tour of the winery, including the vineyards, hoppers and barrels. We are impressed by the level of detail that goes into the wine making- they use an optical sorter to check every single grape! The wines are delicious so we pick up a few bottles for our picnic lunch and Deb orders a case to ship home.

    Next stop a fancy looking winery with the prestigious "Grand Cru Classic" classification for their wines. We actually weren't that impressed by the wines (and at 10euro each for the tasting it was a bit steep) but their estate is gorgeous, sat on top of a hill overlooking the entire region and complete with fancy looking castle, so was definitely worth the visit.

    Back to Bordeaux for dinner and a walk down the riverside.. there are people everywhere still at 11pm, just wandering around, chatting and dancing! Got to love the lifestyle here :-)    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Biarritz

    August 21, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Back on the road again! This time a 3 hour drive to Biarritz.. a glitzy beach town in the south of France. We brace ourselves for some more extortionate tolls.. to be pleasantly surprised by the first toll of only 3.30euro... Only to be stung by 4 of those on the way! (fist shake at France tolls)

    We arrive is Biarritz and as we were warned it is chockers... People everywhere and not a parking bay in sight. We finally manage to park the car and head down to the beeeeach! We are rewarded by some great views and treat ourselves to another picnic feast of hams, cheese and other delights. A dip in the ocean, a spot of sunbaking and its time for a beer or 3. Trav heads off for a haircut whilst Deb and Suki proceed to drink many more beers and reminisce of old times.

    Its our last night together and we spend a night in cooking at our airbnb apartment. We load up on food and booze, and once again to Sukis surprise manage to drink all of it.. including 4 beers, a bottle of red and an entire bottle of Armagnac (the local version of cognac, which turns out to be delicious). Its a great last night in France together!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    Bye Deb!

    August 22, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Feeling a little dusty after last nights drinking, we pack our things ready for the trip back north... First stop a much needed Maccas breakfast!

    Its approximately 1hr back up north to Moliets-et-maa, where Trav and Suki plan to spend the next week at surf camp. We arrive and its pretty cool! There's a little town (we were expecting to be in the middle of nowhere), restaurants, shops and a laid back vibe. We check out the beach quickly and grab some lunch with Deb before sending her off on the big drive back to Paris- Deb is extremely relaxed about the 7 hour drive ahead but Suki is a little worried!

    Deb drops us off at surf camp and we say our goodbyes. Trav and suki proceed to drink beer and nap for the afternoon, only to later discover that it took Deb 10hours to get back to Paris, arriving just before midnight! Sorry Deb!    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki
    1

    Surf Camp! (Moliets)

    August 30, 2015 in France ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Surf camp!! We had signed up for a week at Dreamsea surf camp, an all inclusive week of camping, food and surf lessons.

    First impression when we arrive is good- we are greeted by Jazz, the very eccentric "entertainment manager". The campsite is very established and we are super happy with our big teepee tent! What we didn't realise however though is that the grounds is actually part of a large caravan park type set up and there are several surf camps all around us. Its a big camp- 110 at max capacity, fortunately there's only 70 people this week. It also doesn't take long to discover that approximately 90% off the people here, including staff, are between 15- 25 years old. We are officially old!!

    As the week progresses we discover that the camp is actually a drinking/ party camp, with some optional surfing on the side. There are 20 "staff", we're not sure what half of them do, other than walk around in their teeny tiny shorts that expose half their bum cheeks (apparently the latest fashion these days). The other half are a mix of crazy eccentric Spanish guys/ gals and... actually that's it, they are all crazy!

    Oh well, if you can't beat em, join em.. we embrace the experience and get into the groove, hanging with the young'ns and even partaking in "flunky ball", which Suki thought was a ball sport but actually turned out to be a beer skulling game dressed in team costumes. There were lots of activities including watching an amateur skating comp, beach volleyball, sangria night, movie night, and ending with a "Canary Island Bbq" party on the last night which was actually pretty fun. We still stuck away early most nights to watch "Blacklist" in our tent though :-)

    Oh yeah, the surfing.. we were a bit unlucky with the conditions, starting with a storm the first night bringing in some crazy swell... We still learnt a few tips n tricks from our instructor Alex though and got a few good days in. It was a good workout battling the waves and the current, not to mention the obligatory warm up, made hilarious by Javi, the 20 yr old surf assistant. We even managed to fit in a little bit of of skate boarding in the afternoon :-)    Read more

  • Trav and SukiRound the World 2015Trav and Suki

    San Sebastian

    August 30, 2015 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    As we arrive Suki throws up and Trav is
    holding it in as he leans over the canal. It was a transfer from hell with one of the volunteer surf camp chicks attempting to drive the van. After getting lost we made it to the city but her 3rd world driving skills and windy roads left most of the van ready to chunder. Luckily Trav realized we were only a short walk from our airbnb accommodation and we practically jumped out on the side of the road.

    We check in to our airbnb place and met by our lovely host Eva who proceeds to wrote down a dozen recommended pintxos (tapas) bars in old town. After watching an amazing sunset we stroll into old town and check out the block of pintxos bars. It's Saturday night so it's packed with people and impossible to move so we settle for a quick snack then sit down at a quiet burger bar.

    The next day we sleep in and walk a short 5 mins to the surf beach. With a weeks worth of surf camp it's time to test out our new skills. We find a place to hire 2 x 8ft long boards and hit the waves. It's a refreshing change from the subpar conditions at Moliets and in no time we're catching waves including a awesome green wave together. The swell is unpredictable and as the tide rises the waves become huge and crash right into the shore. We have some tapas and wash it down with sangria and Lambrusco before taking a picturesque stroll up the mountain overlooking the city with unbeatable sunset views. As the sun sets we walk back into Old Town to catch up with a friend we met at Surf Camp and dine at a few select Tapas bars.

    Last day so we decide to walk to the other side of the city and catch a diagonal elevator to another city lookout with an adventure park up the top. The weather has cooled down and it's a relaxing sipping beer overlooking the city. One of the attractions is a massive owl that can sit on your arm if you're willing to pay.

    A long walk back to the airbnb place to grab our bags and it starts to pour. We're saturated by the time we reach the bus station and have to change our clothes. It's a nice stay at the airport hotel and we binge watch Blacklist as we prepare for our flight to Germany tomorrow to begin our 2 month volunteering gig at a Husky Farm!    Read more

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