Well hellllooooooo everyone!!

Everybody ready for christmas??

I can't believe how quickly time seems to be going now! When did December happen?? It doesn't feel christmassy at all for me...a few trees going up in Thailand and i think it's the first time that i've not had a chocolate advent calendar!

Ok, where did i leave off? Australia....i made it across the Nullarbar Plain on the train which was a good experience. Not washing for 40 hours!! Also stopping at some remote outback ghost towns, and also at the mining town 'Kalgoolie' where i went to a 'skimpy bar'. Mmmm, this involves a lot of men drooling around the bar and the bar girls walking around in their 'skimpiest' underwear!! One girl went round collecting money in a jar...when the jar was full a bell was wrung and the girls took off their bras!!!

Apparently they earn 1000 Aussie dollars a week doing this...if only i'd known that before as a lot of travllers do it ; )

Back on the train and i got mauled by a drunk Aussie guy when i was trying to sleep...not such a good experience....

I made it back to Perth where i met a nice German guy called Michael who i hung around with for a week. We shared a love of good food, good coffee and good wine and good...(fill in the blank here!)...and so for the next week enjoyed each others company at Rottness Island, Freemantle and the beaches of Perth.

Saying a sad goodbye to Oz, i got pissed on my own on the flight to Singapore! Unlimited amount of sparkling wine - who can say no to that?!

I arrived very happy in Singapore and met 2 English guys at the hostel who i hung around with. We checked out the night safari at the zoo and drank singapore slings at The Raffles Hotel for an extortionate amount (for a backpacker!!) but it had to be done of course! Singapore is a very neat and clean (maybe even sterile?) city i thought!

I travelled with one of the guys through Malaysia, staying at Melaka and then Kuala Lumpur where we saw the magnificent Petronas Towers which look their best at night. I said goodbye to the Leon, the English guy, and travelled to the Cameron Highlands which is famous for it's tea plantations. This place is so beautiful and relaxing that i stayed a while to chill...even though i prefer coffee!!

From here i went to the island of Penang which has some stunning architecture and food and then onto the pretty island of Langkawi to chill a little more.

From here i entered Thailand which was not as easy as i hoped it would be (a ' i nearly died' experience!)....first the boat broke in the middle of the sea and we had to be rescued hours later by a long boat which we had to 'shimmy' onto - no not dance for our rescue Angie!! ; ) - then i had to get a lift to a bus stop somewhere from a local on his motorbike with my backpack between his legs. Then i squashed onto a minibus with locals just so i could get to a place called Hat Yai to do another mission the next day to get to the island of Koh Phangan!!

On a bus and then boat again the next day to Koh Phangan which took all day, i turned up at 11pm on the island not knowing that it was the full moon party 2 nights later. I could not find anywhere to stay....the english guys i travelled with on the bus and boat that day f***ed off and found their own accommodation saying that they needed a beer and that i could find my own room...nice eh! I was so close to tears and i was so annoyed. f***ing English men (no offense you boys reading)!!! I ended up checking into a really nice and expensive hotel as i was so frustrated! And this is why i ended up getting a tattoo.....i took some beers to a bamboo hut across from my hotel and said ' i like stars and i want something on my ankle'. The Thai guy gave me what i wanted and then the money i gave him he then took me out to a party on the beach and bought me drinks!! Result.

Next day hungover i got a boat to another part of the island and stayed at 'The Sanctuary' a yoga retreat which i really needed. This place was fantastic and i hung out with the locals, did yoga and met some people on my level! I boycotted the full moon party as i wasn't there for that reason - plus i knew it would be full of people like the 2 english guys who deserted me! I also managed to sit on my camera and break it....good timing seeing as i was off to Ankor Wat in Cambodia the following week...

I moved onto the island of Koh Tao after this where i did some scuba diving and hung out with my divemaster and some really nice english people where we had a huge night drinking (so bad that i had to delay my bus to Bangkok by a couple of days to get over my hangover!) but we had some great laughs playing crazy golf/tenpin bowling and pool!

Finally making it to Bangkok i booked my bus ticket to Cambodia for the next day. Knowing that it was notorious for being a bad journey and also people wanting to rip you off, i was glad to meet a lovely Canadian girl called Jennifer on the bus and we stuck it all out together. She also became my photographer for Cambodia so i have some pictures on facebook!! The temples of Angkor are absolutely amazing (unfortunately full of bloody tourists!) and we spent 3 days checking them out. We also stayed in one of the best hostels i've stayed in almost 8 months. Siem Reap Hostel if anyone ends up going! For 5 USDollars you get a room like a hotel (even tho it's a dorm) free brekkie, internet, movies, games and swimming pool!

Jennifer and i got friendly with the local who worked at the hostel (Sombaht) and he became our guide...taking us to a local floating village and meeting the locals...these people are so poor that they catch rats and snakes for dinner. It really is heartbreaking. I swear the first english phrase they learn is 'please, one dollar' and it's hard to resist a small child of 2 doing this....

I ended up going back to Bangkok with Jennifer instead of moving further into Cambodia. I ended up getting 3 cysts on my right eye and an infection as i was getting really run down from the constant travelling...i decided it was better to go and chill out somewhere instead. Ok this might sound strange as i'm on one long holiday anyway!!!!!! But it really does take it out of you....

...so i'm now on Koh Chang doing more scuba diving (i've now done 22 dives around the world - what a pro! ; ) and staying in a place called Bang Bao, in a bungalow overlooking a rocky cove that captures the sunset every night! I've met a nice French guy who has taught me to try and be 'free' and we've been hitching a ride all over the island (it's safe here!) and for some reason i feel very drawn to as he's had a rough ride and i want to help him....

..travelling is funny in a way as you meet people you wouldn't usually. I've met an Austrian pilot who grows weed in his apartment, an English guy who is a bodyguard for the Prince of Arabia and Lindsay Lohan, a French guy with physical scars from a broken heart...it really is an experience!

Well, this was one long blog and i hope you're still with me! Take care everyone and lots of love for Christmas and the New Year. Thinking of everyone lots.

Caz xxxxxx