Hi all, Well the time came to leave Australia, and it was all very sad. I had a great time in Western Australia but with unfortunately not quite enough time as I would have liked, oh well, I suppose I have to save something for next time!!! I spent the first weekend in Perth catching up with friends and then after the weekend I headed down to the South West coast of Australia for a little touring around. There were some amazing beaches and wineries which I took advantage of as not sure when will be the next time I can go to a pristine beach and then go wine tasting for a while when I get home!!! I went out on a boat to see some whales which was pretty cool, we were watching Southern Right Whales which are the 4th biggest species of whales, so not quite as big as the sperm whales we saw in NZ Mum but still pretty massive. I will get the photos on the web soon and let you know. I then headed back to Perth and did the boring chores such as closing bank accounts, stocking up on things for Asia etc and met up with Helen for some last night celebrations. Very very sad to say goodbye to Oz and felt like I was leaving home all over again, I am sure I will be back though one day. I flew to Bali on Saturday evening and so far am having a ball. My hotel is really nice, managed to get an excellent deal as it is so quiet here after the bombings, I can't believe how quiet it is actually, it is very sad. My first day was spent lazing around the pool and reading my book, getting back in to the slow pace I will come acustomed too whilst travelling for the next 2 and a half months. I have met some friends here at the hotel and this afternoon we are heading to Jimbaran Bay with our very own personal driver to watch those famous sunsets and have some dinner and cocktails. This morning I treated myself to a 2 hour long spa treatment, a full body scrub and massage and at the end I had to soak in a warm bath full of pink and red flower petals before being dried and moisturised, I feel a bit out of it now and might need a nap before this afternoons outing. I felt like a princess! Anyway I will email more later in the week with more tales, hopefully including tales of riding elephants and monkeys stealing my handbag. Hope everyone is well and miss you all! Matt - Can you let me know if you are going to have your phone in Bangkok just in case of delays or anything? Take care and let me know what you are all up to! Love Mariexxx