The Jen and Terry Show

Homeward bound

2016-07-06T03:49:00.001-04:00

There's nothing better than rocking up to a random town only to fall in love with it and imagine yourself living there. We imagined Ethan playing on the beach with all of his friends after school, jumping in the crystal clear waters and having so much fun. There was an amazing mix of families, old men playing chess and young girls and boys playing football and eating ice cream.

We stayed at Kastel Novi last night, what we thought was just a little airport town but happened to be one of our favourite places in Croatia.

After spending the morning in the pool at Tucepi, we left around midday for an hour and half drive to Kastel Novi. Ethan (and I) slept pretty much the whole way which was a bonus although we missed out on what terry called some epic views.

After arriving at our accommodation in Kadtel Novi, we went out to explore. The streets are cobbled and the buildings are all squeezed in together with beautiful old stone and window features. The old ladies sit on their porches watching the world go by. This really wasn't a tourist town which we loved. We really got the sense of real Croatia.

We had our last meal out of lasagna and of course pizza which was delicious and strolled back along the seafront (grabbing an ice cream along the way) to our apartment.

Another perfect day and ending to our trip.

So in summary it's been a blast. It was relaxed, adventurous and exploratory. We got to see the main highlights of the country. Travel 8 cities in 9 days. Walked up waterfalls, swam in the turquoise seas, ate in some beautiful restaurants, explored some fascinating towns and watched our boy experience his first adventure. As our lovely friend Margherita would say 'great success!'

A little bit of luxury to end Ethan's first holiday

2016-07-06T03:47:00.001-04:00

We were so excited for today. I booked us a luxury apartment with a pool to finish our trip. I wanted Terry to really see Ethan in action in the swimming pool. It's surprising that swimming pools are actually quite hard to come by in Croatia. I guess primarily because their beaches are so spectacular that they aren't wholly required.

After department Mljet Island on the ferry, we drove up what is called the Maskarska Riveria. It's stunning. Mountains to one side and ocean to the other. We were headed for a small village by the ocean called Tucepi, and we arrived to a beautiful mountainside retreat complete with plush apartment and pool all to ourselves!

We spent a few hours lazing by the pool, swimming and just admiring the view, and how perfect for those few hours life was. Ethan didn't sleep all afternoon so crashed at 6pm. Luckily we had a balcony so could watch as the sun went down on another day and the sky turn to a thousand stars.

Trouble with having a baby who goes to sleep at 6, no tv or Internet, is that at 6pm you are pretty much stuck in that one place so we got the cards out and has a championship of rummy. It seems to be he only 2 player card game we know!

Another fantastic day in paradise.

Magical Mljet Island

2016-06-29T01:45:00.001-04:00

I'm starting this blog from the small lake at Mljet island. It's emerald green and sparkling in the sunshine. There was no one here when we arrived an hour ago by car ferry but it's starting to build up with others enjoying the surroundings. The lake is so inviting. It calls you in every few minutes to cool you off. Even Ethan loves it. All those swimming lessons were worth it! He absolutely loves the water.

I'm now writing the blog from our balcony in Korzukari on Mljet. It's one of only 4 houses in this little remote village and has stunning views of the ocean and the mainland. It's also fun to see all of the village children jumping into the crystal clear water and laughing at each other splash. What a special island. It kind of feels like Jurassic park, without the dinosaurs of course.

Ethan again was amazing, just took it all in his stride. After getting up at 4am to catch the 7am ferry, we travelled for 20 minutes on the island to the national park. We put him in the carrier to visit the lakes and he loved it. Plodding along with Terry and looking all around. He was fascinated by all of the butterflies and flowers. We took 2 boats trips in the park also and he was giggling away when the wind was in his face. Too cute.

We swam this afternoon again and chilled on the beach, although this particular beach was stony so a little hard on the back, although some do pay a lot of money for hot stones massages!

Ethan fell asleep at 6pm so after lots of food given to up by our host, and my homemade bruschetta, we just relaxed and watched the sun go down on another successful day in Croatia.

Dubrovnik in all its glory (and rain!)

2016-06-26T16:00:00.001-04:00

Ethan woke up at 6am this morning and I knew that terry had just spent the hour before that trying to keep him from waking up. He seems to get extremely fidgety in the mornings! I decided to take him outside onto the loungers and give him a bottle.

It was so peaceful, just a beautiful warm sunrise, birds tweeting and me and my boy. Bliss. I didn't want it to end.

The hosts at the apartment were amazing. They just loved Ethan so off he went on a garden tour to smell the flowers as we packed up for another day.

The drive down to Dubrovnik was 3 hours. The scenery was out of this world.; mountains, forests and old houses with terracotta roofs. We stopped along route to have a break, let Ethan stretch out and make some necessary local produce purchases. We went into a local shack on the side of the road and picked up some olive oil and lavender honey. Ethan even tried a bit and reached out for more (he's super greedy now).

You have to travel through Bosnia when going to Dubrovnik. Border patrol just let us straight through the EU exit (guess we have that luxury for just 2 more years :(). We thought it was strange to not have to even show our passports. Some border patrol! The coastline in Bosnia is pretty much the same as Croatia with just a different flag!

We arrived at our accommodation in Dubrovnik at midday. It was seriously hot now, around 39c so we let Ethan sleep in our air conditioned room. He slept for 3 hours! Luckily we have a beautiful balcony with stunning views!

It was a good idea to relax in the apartment so he could rest up and get ready for some more adventures! Unfortunately or maybe fortunately the heavens opened and the rain cooled everything down. We saw some epic lightening too! We took the bus into the old town and spent a few hours being spellbound by its beauty. Such wonderful architecture and history flowing through a majestic city.

Ethan again eyeballed our ice creams so I caved in and gave him chocolate, this was his reaction after I wouldn't give him a fifth lick...

The sunset this evening has been the best yet. Off to bed now as we have a 4.15am wake up call before we are off to a mystery island!

Plitvice dreams and Sinj relax

2016-06-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

This morning, Ethan decided to wake up at 5.30am. At the time I was desperately trying to get him to close his eyes again but he wasn't having any of it and in hindsight he did us a favour.

We arrived to the gates of the national park at 8am and it was still a cool 25c so much better for a hike in the park. We were glad of the bit of cloud in the sky too as we prepare ourselves for a 3 hour hike with the baby Bjorn (definitely not a hike for pushchairs!).

Once in the park, we were greeted by lush waterfalls everywhere, stunning blue lakes and the sounds of birds and butterflies. It was dreamy.

Ethan did brilliantly and was fascinated by everything around him and all of the noises of the water and nature. Pleasure to see his little face all inquisitive.

After walking and taking a boat ride back to the car, we travelled for 2 hours to Sinj, a rural Croatian town which literally has zero tourists for a chill out afternoon and evening. It's so quiet here, just us and a huge garden and balcony overlooking Split.

We've truly been spoilt with accommodation so far. Ordering in a pizza tonight and having an evening with the doors open, the fresh air coming in and enjoying the time with my little family. Loving it.

Pag Island on the day we became non Europeans

2016-06-24T03:08:00.001-04:00

So as I was mid dream at 3am last night I was awoken to the thought that the UK may have decided where it stands on being part of the EU. Ironically being in bed in Croatia, I watched the next few hours unfold to a victory for the leave campaign. 52% to leave versus 48% to remain. A sad, sad day for us as we class ourselves as Europeans and are proud of it. The thought of coming out of the EU makes us both feel claustrophobic and disappointed that we live in a country that chooses to not integrate but to separate, to want to quit where it could improve. It's shameful and I woke up in tears with the worry of what is to come. Complete financial instability and no future easy movement within Europe for our children.

This made the day start off very slowly. We didn't leave Zadar until the shock wore off around 10am. We had a free day today, in other words I hadn't planned anything so we had a little look on the map and decided the island of Pag looked quite interesting!

So off we went, Ethan asleep in the car already to Pag. It's one of the largest islands in Croatia accessed by a bridge. We spent the day driving around the island, stopping off for ice cream

And drinks and sneaky dips in the Adriatic Sea. Paradise.

We ended the day at Pag Town beach where we relaxed before driving up to our accommodation by the Plitvice National Park. We gave Ethan the choice between mine or Terrys ice cream to try. He ended up trying both and decided he liked Terrys the best as he was constantly eyeing it up and moaning when terry had some! So funny!

We stayed in a beautiful apartment in the Croatian mountains last night near to the national park. It was so peaceful and lush full of gorgeous vegetation. Idyllic way to spend an evening. Ethan and I went to bed early and ended up taking up the whole bed so Terry spent the night in the single. Mumma just loves snuggling with her bubba!

Finding a beach gem and sea organ in Zadar

2016-06-23T15:36:00.001-04:00

We had a unintentional lie in this morning. It wasn't until 8am that we woke up and started the day. That's pretty late for the three of us these days! The lovely host in Sibenik organised a travel cot so Ethan slept well alone and in return this meant Terry and I could sleep without the constant fridgeting between us. It was blisteringly hot at 9am as we left the apartment, already 36c. We hopped in the car with plans to head on the coastal road to Zadar.

The drive was stunning. Through mountains and we views of the surrounding islands and beaches on either side. Gorgeous. We saw a sign for Pine Beach Eco Resort along the route so decided to take a random detour to see if it was worth a sneaky stop off. We were in luck! The resort offered day passes which gave entry to a beautiful sandy beach with pine forest surrounding it so lots of shade and just perfect for Ethan (and Terry!). You could also use all of the facilities like Kayaking, beach yoga and so on. It's like their version of centre parcs!

It was ideal so we spent a few hours chilling out and testing out Ethan's beach skills! He was a little dubious of the water at first but soon warmed up and started splashing. Very sweet!

After making up some baguettes in the car (cheese and marmite of course!) we were back in the road to Zadar to another air bnb apartment. This apartment is fantastic. Everything you need! It's also only 5 minutes to the centre of Zadar. After a little nap we ventured out to explore.

Zadar is wonderful, just been nominated as European City 2016 and we can see why. It's clean, vibrant and historic, and with some really unique additions such as the amazing sea organ (makes wonderful songs as the waves hit the steps) and a light show. Well worth the visit.

Ethan's been a trooper yet again. He's amazing. He stayed up until 9pm again watching the world go by as we chilled out and ate pizza in the old town.

Another fantastic day in Croatia.

Krka to Sibenik - hikes, waterfalls, beach and balconies

2016-06-22T02:46:00.001-04:00

Ethan slept like a dream last night. Aircon is a must as its so humid here. It's as if you are constantly in a sauna. It's 37.5c as I sit here and write this at 9pm!

We woke up, showered, fed little man and packed up. Out of the apartment by 9 and on the road to Krka. He was good as gold and fell asleep straight away. This gave us the opportunity to navigate our way to Krka national park.

Croatia's motorway is made up of toll roads so prepare to to pay dependent on how far you travel. It's 33kn to Sibenik just for example. The roads are a treat, smooth and full of stunning views. It's really easy to find Krka national park. When you arrive there's lots of free parking car parks, however we were both a little dubious of 'free' so we went to the car park right next to the national park Skardin entrance. It's only 7kn an hour.

You have to buy a ticket to enter the park, it's 110kn per adult and this gives you a free ride on the boat along to the waterfalls. As we have a 7 month old, we took the pushchair and it was an ok choice. If you have a carrier, it's a good idea although it was sooo hot that letting him sleep in the pushchair with a cover was worth the 250 steps encountered. Probably our best purchase was a Koo-di sun cover. It blocks our the sun, gives some cool shade and a little darkness for naps. So glad we purchased this at the last minute!

The park itself is stunning, mind blowing. Waterfalls a plenty! There were quite a few people at the park, but not enough for it to bother you or get in the way. The views all along the 2 hour walk were just breathtaking.

We had to stop a few times for food and nappy change, but the park is set up perfectly for nice little breaks in the 39c heat!!

After leaving the park, we took the winding road to Sibenik to stay in another Air bnb. I guess the main reason we chose Air bnb over hotels was the option to have an apartment with a kitchen. This made life with a baby much easier as we are able to sort out his food, clean bottles and keep things cool in the fridge.

We checked in and had some well

Needed respite from the sun and some relaxing time in the air conditioning. Life saver.

We then thought it was time to check out the beach. Sibenik has a stoney beach used mostly or maybe wholly by the locals so it was a fun experience for all

Of 5 minutes when Ethan decided enough was enough and screamed for the air conditioning! Terry and I grabbed a quick swim and back to the car it was!

It took me until 9.15pm to get him to sleep this evening. His senses got the better off him. So much to see and do! We made some dinner and sat on our private and huge terrace to watch the sun go down as a family. This is what happiness is made of.

Croatia the Constants have arrived!

2016-06-21T11:15:00.001-04:00

There it is. That magical feeling. Close your eyes for a moment and picture the moment when you walk off the aeroplane and feel the heat of the sun on your face. We made it. Bliss. Blue skies, mountain views and the smell of foreign travel. Bliss (did I say that twice?).

The view as you fly into Split is breathtaking. Lots of islands dotted around the wide ocean that shine bright in the midday sun.

We thought the easiest way to see this country was by car. We aren't ones for holiday packages or laying by the pool, so I made a plan. A nine day trip to see all of the sights. 7 cities in 9 days. Ambitious we may be, but I'm sure it can be done.

Terry had to keep reminding himself to drive on the opposite side the road and he soon got he hang of it. We've brought along mums sat nav which hilariously (and rather annoyingly) has Terry's voice recorded so Terrys voice told us to take the next left and second right and telling jokes along the way!

We made it to our Air bnb apartment, literally seconds from the Diocletians Palace. Our apartment has a sea view. It overlooks the palace and the ocean, and it's beautiful inside. It has a king size bed and no cot so we will be co-sleeping tonight. Thank god for the aircon which is a must when you are sharing your bed with a little oven!

We fed him veggie lasagna and fruit for lunch and got ourselves out exploring Happiness for Terry and I is exploring, the feeling of not taking a map and letting your senses be your guide. It's refreshing and Ive missed it. Literally haven't had the smile off my face all day. It's amazing what a little foreign travel does to me!

We explored the walls of the Diocletian and walked the streets of Split. Taking in the history and the sights. We needed to wet down a wet wipe for Ethan so he had some respite as he was getting pretty toasty but he did really well. No tears so far!

After a lovely afternoon in the old town, we went back to the apartment to relax and let Ethan sleep. Although he didn't and he soon got over tired and the tears came! Soon settled with a bottle and we were showered and off out to Bacvice, the closest beach to Split.

It was quiet down there, just lots of families spending time together enjoying the water. Such a pleasure to watch families and even young children enjoy a Tuesday evening without TV and being stuck indoors.

We ate, drank and Ethan fell asleep in his pushchair. Lush day in Split. Day one a success!

Easyjet as easy as 1,2,3 with a baby

2016-06-21T11:12:00.001-04:00

The process of getting to Croatia was so straightforward with Ethan.

We checked in at the easyjet desk and put of suitcase on the scales. It was 21.7kg. Oops. Needed to get it down to 21 so we did some quick moving and shaking and voila, no problemo.

After a smooth ride through security, I managed to feed him, change him and dress him. Easy.

Next up was the gate call. It felt like a million miles away but we made it and were put in the priority aisle.

Once the plane was ready, we took him out in the pushchair, collapsed it down (it's two parts and that was fine!) and popped on to a nice empty plane before it filled up with passengers.

As we were departing I gave Ethan a bottle in the hope he would take it and the sucking motion will help his ears adjust. It worked! He fell asleep with his ear muffs on (great tip to rid the noise) and he slept for 20 minutes.

Now on our mission to get out and ensure everything was packed for Ethan, we forgot food for ourselves and we are both pretty hungry now. The only thing easyjet offer to vegetarians is some lame cheese roll. Think I'd rather go hungry...

Packing (lightly?)

2016-06-20T23:05:00.001-04:00

So originally our plan was to go light. We paid for one suitcase with easyjet so plan was 2 pairs of shorts, 5 tops, one hoodie, two pairs of shoes and underwear. Yes as light as we would if it was one of our usual backpacking adventures. And then it turned into this...

A suitcase, 2 hand luggage suitcases, a backpack, a pushchair and a car seat. Not too mention layers of clothes and a baby Bjorn. Luckily we've hired a car to fit all of this into Croatia.

We've had an extensive list going of all the things we need to keep our son alive, happy and stimulated. Formula, food (copious amounts as he's greedy), toys, nappies, clothes, dummies, bottles, sippy cup, calpol...the list in long.

We are flying easyjet. They are supposedly baby friendly allowing us to take a car seat and pushchair for free. Yet to be tested so we will see!

Early morning, a suitcase and a baby Bjorn. Could only mean one thing...

2016-06-20T22:35:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe it has been over 2 years since we have blogged. Since we have travelled abroad. Left the shores of the U.K. It's insane but I am not sad about that.

A lot has changed in 2 years. We have bought a house in Bristol. A lovely little house on the end of a lovely street with some lovely neighbours. We also made a human being. A little boy. We named him Ethan Lenny Atlas Constant. I suppose we should change the name of the blog to add our little adventurer!

Well after labour and mortgages, we've decided we just NEED a break and a trip, and a reason to get excited. We are taking our 7 month old abroad, to Croatia.

Many may say we are crazy, many may laugh and say it cannot be done. We've been told to cut our usual style of cram as much in as possible in half, or even a third but oh no, we are sure he will live up to his name!

So it's 3.30am now.

We've had that dreaded 3am alarm wake up call and horrible 'it's far too early' shower and we are doing the last bits of packing.

Going well so far, but we haven't woken the little one yet....

A 6 month journey of discovery

2014-02-14T22:19:00.001-05:00

It began the first week we were here. The doubt started to grow. We had to give it a chance, we had to give it 6 months. It might just be the fact that we have sold up and moved abroad (again!) we thought. New Zealand felt like home, the same streets and same night sky. We struggled to find a place to live and ended up signing up to a 6 month contract to a place in Ponsonby. It didn’t work out, it just didn’t feel right and that really says it all about our trip this time – something just doesn’t quite feel right.

I got a job back at World Vision, still an incredible place to work. Nowhere can beat it, that I am sure of (well, I heard Google is pretty good!). Terry is working in Takapuna for a shipping company, but is pretty uninspired by it. We moved into a villa in the same suburb we lived before and I have the same old trek to work everyday over the bridge. It's as if we never left :).

My brother came over for 3 weeks and we travelled the north island. Terry and Boy went skydiving, we kayaked on Christmas eve, saw stingrays at the beach and climbed our way through glowworm caves. We camped the whole journey (well, Terry and I did, my brother opted for the car!). We had a blast. Hayden and Lynds joined us for a week and we pretty much hopped from beach to beach. It was so awesome to spend time with them all and show off how beautiful New Zealand is.

I turned 29 in December. Big breath in, big breath out. It’s my last year before I am 30 and what an epic 20’s I have had. 30 was the year I have always said I would settle, be in a place that makes me happy and surround myself with positivity and love. Here, in New Zealand, I am happy. It is truly a beautiful place full of space, trees, sunshine and freedom. I feel so safe. Yet, that is not enough. I keep thinking to myself that what does that all mean if you don’t have your loved ones to share it with. It’s a wonderful place to bring up kids, but again, without your family, is there enough joy to be had? For some maybe, but for once in our entire lives we can say that it isn’t enough for us.

So, we are heading back to the UK. Going to find a place to settle and get our feet on the ground. It’s a nice feeling to know that for once in our lives we will feel content in the same space and not wanting to go live in all these other places. Of course the love for travel will always be there, it will never go and we will still travel but from now on (in for the foreseeable future), we will travel and then return back to somewhere that we can call home! Ha!

From Terry's work colleague and rings so true:

"You have to do what you have to do. I have kids so I can tell you how difficult it is raising them without support from family. My kids miss out so much, all their cuzzies, aunts, uncles & gran & granddad are 12,000 miles away, my eldest as met them when he was 6, he is now 16, my youngest is nearly 5 and has only met gran & granddad when they came out when he was 2. You do what you have to do and make your own traditions and family but it’s not the same. I love NZ but I love my family too and I miss them.

You never know what is around the corner, never say never, you may even decide to come back some time in the future. The weather has been bad over there, my cousin and aunt, & uncle live in Puckeridge and their homes have just been condemned due to the flooding but eh, we have earthquakes and tsunami’s here!! :o)"

So kids, when we you are grown up, I hope you read this and understand why you live in the UK now and aren’t Kiwi and don’t blame us for the lack of sunshine in your lives! I kind of feel, when reading this back to myself, like this in the end of the Jen and Terry show, but of course it’s not..it’s just the beginning of the next 10 year adventure together!

Paradise

2013-08-20T07:14:00.003-04:00

As I sit listening to the Malaysian Rasta sat playing the guitar (very badly) outside my bungalow porchway, I ponder on why I stressed myself out so much working 8am-6pm only to provide for the 'luxuries' to sustain my ordinary life. This man lives on a paradise island called Perhentian on the East side of Malaysia, strumming away his afternoons and takes pleasure in closing his eyes and daydreaming about love and devotion.

Just a month ago, I couldn't stand the thought of sitting at a desk, in a closed cave of a concrete office, typing away all day trying to pleasre the others doing the same. Not even the comforts of home made me forget about the next day of repetitive motions and my only respite was the thought of our new adventure.

I cant even remember how many days we have been away so far or even what day it is today. I am sure if I think hard enough I could work it out. This ability to live without needing to know this is priceless. No plans, no one breathing down your neck to meet deadlines, nothing. My morning starter on the hammock on our front porch whilst saying goodbye to Terry as he went diving for the day and left me alone to read and sunbathe.

Whilst relaxing and reading an okish book about the Russian Revolution (yes, lack of choice on this remote island and the need to read and entertain the mind results in random choices of literature) I noticed a 1.5 metre long and then a 2 metre monitor lizard walk out in front of my porch. Interestingly, it seemed these two lizards lived under our chalet as they kept appearing randomly, to either scare off another lizard or to just have a look around. They move so gracefully to enjoy the sunshine. Another set of priceless, will never happen again moments as they were within touching distance from me and where we slept each night.

I interviewed yesterday (yes I remember it was yesterday) for a job in Christchurch when I was on the mainland. A small snip of the reality we've become accustomed to in the Western World poked into my escape to Malaysia. This reality check took place after a stay on one paradise island (Tioman) and before a stay on another (Perhentian); both requiring a speedboat or ferry ride to a jungle clad-white-sand-beach-crystal clear water rock in the middle of the ocean.

It was funny walking around a market in the mainland town of Kota Bharu to find suitable attire for it as it was a video/Skype interview. Aha, 5 pounds later and a very unfashionable, primark-esque shirt with an unmatching collar and buttons. Oh well, it was better than my usual travelling clothes. We opted to move from our 30ringgit / 6 pound a night, 'hostel' to an 80ringgit / 16 pound a night hotel in order to locate a good internet connection and a bit more peace and quiet. After many hotel visits, and wifi tests, we arrived at Sabrina Court.

After persuading our family run hotel to let me use their office and their internet connection at 06:30 when it was their day off (!!), I sat, jean shorts and 'shirt' and met my interviewers on Skype. Thirty minutes of impressing them and a clear connection and then disaster strikes. Skype fails as the internet connection was so bad so I had to play the 'can you repeat that again game for about 20 minutes'. After agreeing to email the last questions on the call, needless to say I didn't receive an email reply. Nevermind. Who was I kidding, finding a reliable internet source, its semi-rural Malaysia!

We left Tioman Island after a great stay. Panuba resort was lovely. It was actually a great upgrade to our usual travelling digs. With a huge balcony facing the sea, a/c and a clean bed (lol) we sat watching the ocean come and go for 2.5 days. The weather wasn't fantastic so we walked and took a snorkelling trip for a day before we left. It was incredible. Turquoise blue ocean reflecting the jungle high over it, palms gently swaying and white sand beaches drawing you in. We stopped in about five different snorkelling meccas and saw an amazing amount of fish, 2 black tip reef sharks and turtles. I thought it was the best snorkelling of my life until we arrived on the Perhentian.

On the Perhentian islands, you simply have to walk from your beach chalet onto the beach (all of 30 seconds) to begin your adventure into what can only be described as a tropical aquarium. Bright, colored coral metres long and wide, reds, purples, greens with fish long and short, small and large swimming around you. And that was just straight from the beach!

We saw huge angel fish, a family of nemo's, trigger fish, puffer fish....the list is endless (and quite frankly I dont know the names of most of them!).

We snorkelled in the warm tropical waters on two different days during our 5 day stay on the Perhentians in two different bays. Paradise.

Terry arrived back from his second day of diving and said the ocean was amazing. He'd now done his deep dive, underwater navigation, an awesome wreck dive (Sugar Wreck) and another fun dive to the Police Wreck site. He'd seen sharks, rays and a whole host of other fish as well as finishing his advanced Open Water PADI course with Matahari Divers. Hes totally addicted again and I dont mind. I'm enjoying soaking up the sun, reading, drinking pure mango shakes and swimming in the clearest ocean I've ever seen.

The generators have just turned on now for our 3 hours of electricity during the day so I must go shower and get the salty water out of my matted hair.

My only wish would be to have you all here to enjoy this and to share this little slice of paradise.

Star gazing again tonight.

Back on the road again - Singapore and Malaysia update

2013-08-10T10:34:00.001-04:00

Goood morning Vietnaaam! Well, not quite Vietnam, but I had to start with that as the bus ride through the very south of Malaysia today reminded me of the deforested jungles of Vietnam. Of course, theirs was due to war (54-1975) but the Malaysians forest clearing is clearly due to palm oil and agricultural or logging. In fact, it is reported that between 1990 and 2010 Malaysia lost 8.9% of forests for these reasons! Scary.

Anyway, back to the awesomeness as I sit here sweating profusely in an internet cafe for 2 ringgit an hour (roughly 39p) in the tiny town of Mersing, South East Malaysia. Its hot, hot, hot here but without clear blue skies. I seriously dont know how its 21,670 inhabitants deal with the heat! Then again, I am a lame-ass-shade-bathing-pale-veggie-Brit!! LOLOL.

We arrived in Singpaore after the fab A380 flight with Singapore airlines at circa 0900 yesterday morning; ready for the heat! The flight food was great, they even had Toffee Crisps on tap!! Sweet! And the inflight movies, boy oh boy was there a selection. I mean....we were on the upper deck of a plane! Its ridonculous that it can fly!!!

Luckily we'd booked the accommodation for our stay in Singapore as we only planned to stay one night. We'd booked in at a 'pod' boutique hotel. Essentially a coffin style bed with a pull down blind at 10 to a room. We were top bunk! Easy enough to get there as Singapore is very well set up. Traffic lights, signs, swanky subways, you name it. The hotel was great and literally brand new as they'd only been open 3 days! Shared toilets/showers, but this was fine as they were lush! Free wifi and posh coffee too. Cant go wrong for 52 squids a night!!! I KNOW, those who know me, will understand that I was physically sick when I realised I had to spend this much to stay PER NIGHT!!!! IN ASIA!!! But we did it.

We got in, slept for 3 hours and then hit Singapore. One of our first walks was to Little India to get some food. After much exploring and visiting various establishments, we found a little back-alley type restaurant and BOTH ate for 5 pound including a drink each. Good you say...yes for Singapore...but no for Asia. We could eat like kings for a fiver in India man! Crazy. But food was what we needed.

We walked around the neighbourhood where of course, it wouldnt be 'Little India' without a few random Indian dudes asking me for my photo. I duly obliged and had 4 shots, including a group shot. I have no idea why they chose me though and not my beautiful wife! So weird.

After pushing through the hustle and bustle that was Little India where Im sure there were at least 2000 guys all hanging around, talking and watching the two random foreigners walk through their neighbourhood, we made our way towards the marina in Singapore. After all, it was National Day!

Now I didnt actually know much about Singapore, still dont, but apparently (google tells me) there are 63 islands and it became its own sovereign state in 1963. It has the third highest per capita income in the world! No wonder it was so flipping expensive! It was S$8 for a coke!!! Thats 4 GBP!

National Day meant three things to me. 1. heaps and heaps of people to wade through to get anywhere. 2. fly by's from jets (that were epic!) and 3. fireworks over the Marina Bay hotel!

Ok, so the people bit was annoying in that heat. The jets were brilliant despite Jen pooping her pants when they flew over. And the fireworks were very, very disappointing. But, big but, they were over the Marina Bay hotel which we plan to go back and go up when we leave in just under a months time from Singapore. The word on the street is its S$20 each (10 pounds) to go up. Big expense, but has to be done!

We got back to our pod and prepared to be squeezed into a tiny bed area in total silence as there were others in the room that we didnt want to upset (aka that we didnt want to make snore in retaliation for our lack of respect!).

At this point we had a real quandary. We planned to go up to Malaysia to the Parenthian Islands to basically chillout for a week or two, do some diving, jen catch some rays (of the sun variety) etc etc. However, they're fully booked, EVERYWHERE! All chalets/hotels in our budget range (between 20 and 40 pounds a night if Jen has her way and 10-20 if I have mine). Gutted. The other complication is that there are no buses to get there. None. You have to take an overnight bus from Singapore for 12-13 hours. Im sure it goes via Kuala Lumpur as well but thats unconfirmed.

We had an amazing nights sleep in the most comfortable bed, in a totally pitch black room with the ac pumping away and 9 other strangers in very close proximity to us. In bed by 2230. Boy we lead exciting lives in the evenings. But, to be fair, we were shattered and bellies full of sexy indian food. Happy bunnies.

I was up nice and early but Jen really struggled to get out of bed! Now the decision time of where to go next and how to get there..... We spent the next few hours deliberating, weighing up options in terms of pro's and con's. I was also really excited by the fact that they offered vegetable spring rolls, cold 'peach' tea, a coleslaw-in-water and bright green cake for breakfast at the Pod. What a delight. Not! Fruit for me then.

So, do we: a. stay in the pod one more night and see if we can book the bus for the next night, b. go on a 6-8 hour bus to KL and go from there or c. get a local bus for one hour across the border for the princely sum of 1 pound and see where it takes us!!! Boom! Option C please! Done.

Checked out of the pod, used a bit more free wifi and we were off, refreshed, on the 20min walk to the local bus station.

It was one of the easiest border crossings I've ever done. Fast through immigration and the bus was fine. Only an hour so cant complain. We arrived at Johor Bahru, a population of 1.3 million (!) in a very busy bus station, ready to explore our options. Realistically we should go to KL, a 4-6 hour bus ride for around 35ringgit each (6.91 pounds). So this is exactly what we 'planned' to do. We paid our 70 ringgit and boarded a nice, ac, reclining seat bus, ready to depart at 13:30.

Luckily for us it didnt as whilst we waiting on the bus, Jen read about Johor Bahru (JB) and realised it could probably offer us everything we were looking for (diving, jungle trekking, beaches, chilling) that the Parenthian's could...at either the same or a better price. And in fact, it was right on the doorstep of the Pulau Tioman Island, a stunning, white-sanded beach island. This island actually came recommended to me too.

We jumped off the bus to the surprise of our bus conductor, ran over-backpack-in-toe, to the ticketing office and Jen, the ledge, got our money back! Nice work babe!

How do we get to the Island? It looks amazing. After further research by my research guru (aka Mrs C), we discovered we'd need to take a 2-3hour bus to Mercing, on the east coast of Malaysia and get a ferry over. Interestingly, Tioman, with its 8300 hectares of protected rainforest and duty-free-resorts, played host to both the Japanese and British during WWII. I am going for the diving as I'd like to visit the HMS Prince of Wales wreck and ideally finish off my Advanced Padi course. Jen is going for the sunbathing (although it doesnt look too amazing in this regard at the moment...but dont tell her that!)

So that brings you up to date. We're in a much more reasonable 50 ringgit a night room (10 pounds)...still steep in my opinion for Asia but a total hell hole according to Amanda and Lewis Clists standards...believe. Lol. Its clean, has a nice cold shower, AC and a pizza hut round the corner!!

Yep, Mercing has a pizza hut but we haven't eaten there as it looks rank + expensive. Not a good combination. We have, however, had the pleasure of receiving a little pot of mash potato covered in meat gravy which I duly refused to consume. Back to the old trusted crisps (usually a Pringles rip off) in Asia then for us, lol.

We're excited to get to the island and have some chilling time. Its also all arranged for two nights, which gives us peace of mind. Hopefully Jen wont spew on the boat as she usually does!

There may or may not be internet so im sure we'll update you in a few days time! Im not sure where we'll be as it could Taman Negara or the Perenthians. We're even toying more with the Borneo idea or even, wait for it...going back to Thailand!!! HAHAHA. I feel like Thailand is our second home for some odd reason.

I strongly suspect it'll be the Perenthians. See ya. Peace

P.s. MERCING HAS MARMITE!!!!!! Im not kidding...MASSIVE jars in the local supermarket. Life can be so cruel as they dont eat toast! What the heck do they have it on then????

Pics to follow (once I've found a trustworthy computer to plug our card into)

Costa Rica and Nicaragua

2013-06-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

We weren´t sure what to do or where to go this morning. The beauty of having only a backpack to move around with. Terry and I resumed our roles as packer and planner and set out on a mission to Maltagalpa..the chocolate centre of the world or so they proclaim. High in the mountains of the Northern Region of Nicaragua, our ´chicken´ bus rolled out of the bus station only to stop 30 seconds later to pick up more passengers. People piled on the bus and market sellers trying to flog all kinds of things from herbal medicines to garlic whilst you sit and concerntrate on keeping steady on the ride. We got a seat and you are lucky if you don´t have to stand for the journey.

We arrived into the town with no idea where to go and yet again what to do. We had only decided that we must go and see where they make chocolate here and how they do it. After checking out two hostels, we travelled back in time to 2007 where we were always out for the bargain and would walk around for 30 minutes just to find a room that was maybe a dollar less than the one before. We did this today, 5 years later, we choose a room just because it was $4 less than a much nicer room. I sat on the bed in this $4 less room and bought myself back to 2012 and realised what a mistake I had made, the room was pretty grim. Oh well, one short night here and we are off to the airport hotel tomorrow with its own pool and spa. Some luxury to end a mixed trip.

So the trip..6 days in the beautiful Costa Rica and the rest of the trip, 9 days in Nicaragua. After having travelled so much and seen so many different countries and cultures, we were unsure of how we would travel here in Central America. So many similarities to South America although for us diluted by it´s desire to 'Americanise'.

So it all began in San Jose, after two pants flights with American Airlines. Can you believe in 2012 that there are long distance flights with no TV´s or at a minimum the ability to select your own film..call yourself American lol. That airline sucked! We reached a really lovely hostel and spent the night recovering from our no film 15 hour trauma. First night plans in motion and we booked to go to the remote place of Tortuguero. Tortuguero is a national park located in the north east of Costa Rica on the Caribbean Sea. It is very well known for turtle nesting and it´s Amazonian like rainforest.

It was a 3 hour mini bus journey passed banana plantations to the river, where we jumped in a boat to travel 2 hours to our jungle lodge, Rana Roja. That evening, we walked the beach to see if we could find any turtle hatchings and we were in luck. We saw 3 turtles hatch on the beach and travel into the ocean as fast as their little arms and legs would let them. One of the most amazing experiences to date.

Dinner that night was less to be desired, some random chickpea and meat dish was served, so for Tel and I, I think we ate rice. It was 15th December so I asked the waiters to surprise Terry with a cake and they all sang happy birthday in spanish! The cake was the best part of the meal. We slept in a lodge cabin. My favourite sleeps are to the sound of the rainforest. We woke up every two hours or so and had the joy of falling back to sleep again to the music of the jungle. We have an app for this on the ipad but it no way compares to the real thing.

After journeying through the canals of Tortuguero, we saw all kinds of different monkeys and birds, a crocodile and caiman and then we made our journey back to land. Three hours later, we were in Arenal and it was Terry´s actual birthday. Like a devoted wife and romantic, I had of course planned a birthday surprise for him. We had booked to stay in this cabin tent. When we opened the tent, it was full of balloons, a beautiful chocolate cake, rose petals and a wicked pinata! The hostel did an amazing job for me and he was so surprised! We spent the evening celebrating and partying with the pinata. Hilarious to witness Terry blindfolded attempting the hit a moving bird.

It must have been one of Terry´s best birthday presents when he awoke to a huge perfectly cone shaped active volcano. A pretty spectacular sight, only a few years ago did it actually stop spuing lava. He was loving it. We had heard so much about Canopying in the MonteVerde cloud forest so jumped in a so called 'jeep' to hitch a ride across a lake to the cloud forest.

Canopying was great. Superman accross 1km rope above the forest, pretty intense stuff. Probably the highlight of Costa Rica although slightly painful at times. After all of the hype and addreline we decided that we mustn't leave Costa Rica without seeing the ocean and spending time of the beach. We headed to a beach, recommended by our hostel owner, called Brasilito. We were not disappointed.

On arrival at Cochal Beach (next door to Brasilto), we walked for about 5 minutes down the stretch of sand to the clear turquoise waters of Brasilto. The sand was white and trees emerald green. I walked into the ocean for a swim and was greeted with a majestic ray on its way into the deep. It was an incredible experience.

After a few days of sunning ourselves on the beach, we crossed the notorious border into Nicaragua. Referred to as one of the most difficult border crossings in Central America, we were wished good luck from the bus driver as we reached our immigration desk. To our surprise it was easy, a few forms and 10 dollars each and we were in!

We connected with a few other random travellers, jumped into a taxi and headed to the Isla de Ometepe, an island created and looked over by two huge volcanoes, Concepcion and Madreas. We found a hostel and rested our backs in a hammock.

The weather was very interchangable here. Hot, then cold, breezy and shady. We both signed up to climb Concepcion the highest volcano on the island and when 5am came around the next morning, I soon realised I had made a mistake. I said my apologies and saw Terry off on his way (mad at me for wasting the money booking the trip up there), however I always love it when we comes back shattered telling me that he was glad I didn't go as it would have been too hard for me! Phew, I was off the hook!

Christmas soon came around and we found ourselves travelling from the lively and colourful Granda to the Laguna de Apoyo, a hotel I had booked for my birthday and Christmas. We arrived to what looked like paradise. a beautiful lake and apartment right on the lake front with its own pool. However, and big however, the apartment was not very clean as there was a party the night before and we found slly string everywhere, goodness knows what was in the pool!

We stayed for a night waiting to complain to the owner that never actually arrived! My birthday came and we left the lake, jumped in a taxi and drove up to Leon. So it was my birthday and all I wanted for a nice hotel with a pool and some relaxation. Eventually we found it.

And there we have it. From a quiet Leon and Christmas day to where I sit today. A great trip with some great memories.

Walking the streets of Milano

2012-03-02T05:03:00.000-05:00

Written in a restaurant opposite the Scala, Milan.

'I have never witnessed such a beautiful atmosphere as I did exiting the Duomo metro station in Milan. After a long day on my feet at the exhibition centre, I was invited to attend the Opera Aida with my friend Margerita's sister. It was an early evening, a light breeze in the air. Many men on the streets trying to sell lights that flew into the air to create a kind of electric firework. The buzz of tourists and residents illimunating the darkness was a spectular feeling. I was alone and as I stood facing the fourth largest catherdral in the world, I took in a deep breathe. Never had I been in a country where I did not speak any of the language, not even a thank you or hello before this morning. I was alone in the city of love, fashion and architecture. For a few moments I sat down on the steps of the Duomo and looked around me taking it the electrifying atmosphere. I am not sure if it was the city or if it was the fact that I was alone in a foreign land, but I sat there mesmorized and enchanted.

I was hungry so once I located the Scala, I found a sweet little restuarant that looked resonable. I was greeted by the waiter and I took my seat ordering my first real Italian pizza. It came out larger than any pizza I had in the UK. Thinking back the largest pizza I had eaten was around a metre in circumference in Bolivia! The pizza was delicious. I don't think I have ever eaten alone before, this night was full of new experiences for me. It gave me a strange feeling of freedom but also of loneliness.'

The opera was 4 hours in length, a beautiful show full of music, dancing, singing and drama. I was glued to each and every moment. We sat in a box as if we were royalty and I dreamt of the magic of opera back in the days when ladies and gentlemen walked arm in arm into the theatre together, dressed in their finest clothes.

I took the metro home alone at 12 midnight, there were no others around but I managed it! After 4 days at the show, my mum came over to meet me. We spent another 4 days enjoying all of the delights Milan had to offer. Lake Como with its mist and chill in the air, as well as a strange Scottish guy trying to either geniunely show us around or slyly steal our money, we were never sure of his intentions! We spent the next day walking the streets of Milan, navigating the road names, the metro and all of the beautiful buildings, coffees and ice creams it had to offer!

On the Wednesday, we took a trip to Verona and Lake Garda, we went to see Juliet's balcony and the beautiful Alps that surround the famous Lake. It was a great trip with some great memories!

Its been a while....in Bristol

2012-02-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

We've now been living in Bristol since Sep 2010, all in one cosy little flat. I think it was a great choice to move to Bristol. Its a really vibrant city with spirit and passion. Its got a great character and offers awesome access to the lush West Coast of the UK. There are some amazing places to visit within pretty much a stones throw.

We have been busy buildng up Jen's business, shes practically working most weekends and enjoying it. Work is going well, I am now working for a large international shipping firm and Jen is working for Project AWARE, a marine conservation charity.

Every weekend is filled with visiting our family, road tripping somewhere in the country, weddings, baby namings, having friends over and enjoying the outdoors here in the South West.

Jen has been travelling a lot with her job and has been all over Europe and even to California, so I've been getting used to eating dinner alone! Boo hoo!

I think I've started to appreciate the UK a bit more. Thats what moving to a new city does to you for sure; it reinvigorates you and motivates you to explore your surroundings.

And theres still a good supply of marmite keeping it real!

Honeymoon with a Twist and a fall

2011-08-04T03:13:00.003-04:00

We have just arrived back in the country after a hectic journey home from our first trip as Husband and Wife. Its such a great feeling to have a husband and especially a husband like Terry! It took a minibus, a boat, a tuk tuk, a bus, a taxi, a plane, another plane, two trains and another taxi to get back to 179 Wick Road, but we finally made it and crashed as soon as we got home.

The honeymoon began on the Tuesday after the big day, we flew with Emirates to Yogyakarta, in Indonesia. Yogyakarta is famous for being close to the Borobudur Temples, the oldest buddhist temple formation in the world. I had booked a lovely guest house for when we arrived, only to be greeted with the fact the guest house only had a twin room left with a shared bathroom! It was too late, and we had too many hours of travel behind us to change, so we put up with the tiny twin room and the noise of the swimming pool pumping water out all night!

We woke up positive and excited to see Indonesia so we made a plan and popped to the local tourist office to get those plans in motion. We decided we wanted to see the famous temples, and climb the active volcano in the area called Merapi. It last erupted last year and destroyed a lot of the surrounding area. It was supposed to be a spectacular drive up to see the volcano and a very rewarding hike.

No sooner than making those plans did we have our motocycle helmets on and I have my arms around Terry holding on for dear life. The roads were insane! Indonesia seems to only have single lanes, where cars dart in and out, trying to get ahead of each other. We took it slowly but had to keep up with our guide who was showing us the route.

We stopped off along the way for some pictures of the rice paddies and had a bit of lunch at one point. We took the alternative back route to the temples and the views were amazing. With only a few kilometres left to go to Borobudur, the motorbike hit gravel, slid on a rock and crashed. Terry and I flew off. Lying on the gravel, I wasnt sure if I should move or stay still, I looked around and saw Terry coming towards me. Phew I thought, he's ok and then it hit, the pain came! The shock saved me from the pain for all of 5 seconds and bam I looked down at my knee to see a huge hole in it and cuts all over my arms and legs. I could actually see the bone in my knee! Terry had sliced off all of the skin from his arm and knee and we were a right pair of skinless westerners!

All of a sudden in the middle of nowhere and from absolutely nowhere a huge crowd gathered around us and we were taken to the local maternity unit a few metres up the road. Some 'nurse' stuck her finger in my wound and told our guide I needed stitches. Crap.

Luckily or unluckily (depending on how you see it) the hospital wasnt far away and we had to get back on the bikes to go see the doctors and nurses at the local Indonesian (never seen a tourist before) hospital. It was a scary place. Full of sick and dying people. They made a huge room available for us and we carefully got up on a stretcher. It was a scary moment. Lying there with 2 nurses staring down at my knee. They had to give me two anthestic injections as I could fill the stitches after the first one and I sang loudly or rather screamed as Terry called it whilst they stitched me up. Ouch.

Four stitches in my knee later, around £10 in medical bills lighter and a ton of plasters for both of us and we were back on the bikes and on our way back to the temple to explore! Our drivers thought we were mad and told us we should go back to town but there was no way we were going to let these injuries stop us, we were already three quarters of the way there!

After the temples, we carried on up the mountain around extremely windy roads, to the beginning of the trek to Mount Merapi. We stayed in the local guides house, on a concrete floor and right next to 3 cows until midnight, when Terry (injured leg in tow) began his journey to the summit of the active volcano. I could not move my leg at all. The concrete floow didnt exactly help or the hunger. As I lay awake covered in blankets to not only keep my teeth from chattering but also from the flies, Terry trekked up a mountain for 6 hours in the pitch black darkness. He said it was the hardest trek he had ever done but the views made up for it.

Once we had endured the beautiful yet painful journey through the mountains on the bikes back (I went with the guide this time and looked over the whole way at Terry scared he would fall), we arrived back in Yogyakarta to take the bus down to Mount Bromo, another amazing active volcano.

At 5am, we woke up freezing and tired to walk up the top of a mountain that overlooked what currently was darkness. As the sun decided to wake up, we were greeted by 3 active volcanoes and one of the most spectacular sights imaginable. Three huge peaks and plumes of ash escaping into the air. It was a magical experience. And then before we knew it I hobbled down the mountain with my walking stick as an aid and we jumped in the 4x4's to the base of Bromo. We couldnt believe that we were travelling into the ash cloud. Just like Iceland although we were encourage to get out and walk around a mile with hardly any visability. I did my best to walk as fast as I could, my knee was killing and I thought for sure my stitches would come out, but nothing would stop me. I was determined to climb the active volcano and experience something many do not get the chance to.

One mile, a Hindu temple, more and more desert sand dunes and around 100 steps and we were at the summit. There were no barriers or guides, nothing to stop you plumeting down into the volcano itself. Three minutes up there was enough for me. There was only a tiny ledge and around 10 people pushing and shoving to have a look inside. I was scared so I hobbled down slowing everyone up behind me. Terry of course stayed up there for another 20 minutes or so, one of the best moments of his life I think! It was pretty out of this world.

When he reached the bottom of the steps, I had already made friends with a local person who gave lazy tourists horseback rides to the steps of the volcano and back. He was really nice and talked about how he only earns 5% of each ride and with each ride only costing around £3, thats pence to him.

Never sure if these guys are telling the truth or not, I didnt care. I needed the lovely horse to take me back to the 4x4, I was in sooo much pain. So up I get on top of this huge horse and make my way very slowly up and down the dunes to the car, where we bought a few bananas and relaxed with the sight of the volcano and its rumbles in front of us.

After Bromo, we decided it was time for some relaxation. Both of us were still injured, my leg was far from healed and Terry was just starting to recover. We looked so funny, walking hand in hand down the streets hobbling along. Matching injuries on our honeymoon, how sweet!

We booked a bus to get us to Bali, we heard Bali was paradise. A quiet set of beach resorts mixed with yoga, relaxation and serenity. Well, in true Terry and Jen form it didnt quite work out that way. After spending hours, hours and hours in a very uncomfortable bus with our legs stretched out as much as possible and a hat over our injuries to stop the flies from having a feast, we reached the boat. It was an hour long boat journey to the shores of Bali.

When we arrived we were greeted by hoardes of taxi drivers wanting to take us where ever we wanted to go. Luckily our bus was booked to take us all the way to Ubud. We started to get a little concerned that everyone on the bus had already booked accomodation in Ubud or were struggling to find any. Once in a neighbouring town our driver decided that it was time to drop us off. Unaware of where we were, tired and disorientated we had no choice but to jumped into another taxi and ask for Ubud. This driver charged us a ridicously amount as the journey was not 1 hour as described but only 10 minutes down the road. As you can imagine we were not happy when we arrived and was made even worse but the sight of no hostels. It was around 10pm in Ubud, the shops were closed and all was quiet expect for the sound of our flipflops as we walked up and down the main street looking for an open hostel. Finally some guy came out of nowhere offering us a room so we took it. It was actually a great decision as our room was huge, with a balcony overlooking the garden. The owner came straight over with a cold beer and a cold coke and we sat there laughing at how stressed out we both were that day.

For that moment, I was so happy. After a very stressful week, I was ready to start over again in Indonesia.

We slept so well after the monkeys had finished having a party on our roof, and we awoke to the relaxing sound of Indonesian workman fixing the bungalow opposite us. Unfortunately for us, Indonesian work men are no different to English workmen. The drills were out in full chorus and we hid under of pillows wondering when we would find this serenity we had been reading about.

After breakfast, we went out in the blistering heat to explore. Putting the mornings wake up call behind us, we went to visit the monkey sanctuary. Now if you have the slightest fear of monkeys this is not the place to go. They were everywhere, jumping on tourists, fighting for food, sleeping on seats, dancing for guides. Monkeys, Monkeys, Monkeys. I didnt realise I had a fear of monkeys until I stepped foot in this so called sanctuary (to me it was just a tourist trap!).

Ubud was so full of motorbikes that you have to be careful where you step. The constant sound of the bike as it increases and decreases in speed is deafening. I remember watching the film 'Eat. Pray. Love' and wondering where this paradise was Julia Roberts had found.

We had heard from some other travellers that the Gili Islands were paradise. In true traveller form, we took the advice of strangers (never are other travellers strangers tho!) and bought tickets to Gili Trawangan. It was a huge journey yet again. A 4 hour crammed bus journey where for some reason the diver changed on average one time an hour. Then a speed boat for an hour to the island. Three or Four of the passengers on board were very ill and I was lucky enough to hold it together with some loud drum and bass music in my ears. A technique I learnt from the Inca Trail. If the music is loud enough, you can't think negatively!

My first task was to jump out of the boat without getting my stitched up knee wet. My plan to jump with one leg up and one leg keeping me steady however this didnt work and my knee plummeted into the water and was soaked through. It stung like hell believe me.

Backpacks on, the sun shining down on us and our hungry bellies ready for some food, we started to walk in the look out for a hostel. We were approached many times with hostel offers but we heard you could get things cheaper if you went inland a little more.

We managed to find a bungalow with a lovely bathroom, its own hammock and huge double bed. It was outrageously priced at £20 a night but it was fine and fit for purpose. It had air conditioning which ruled! We dumped our bags and headed for the beach with a book in our hands, some suncream and our towels.

We were really excited to lie down and relax. Once we reached the beach front we were astonished at how touristy the island was and how overrun it was with tourists. I guess we were imagining Koh Tarutao with its huge palms and deserted beaches. Nope not Trawangan. Pumping music from the beach front bars, litter all over the beaches and hardly any free secluded spots on the beach.

We started to questions whether we would ever find paradise again.

We stayed in Trawangan for 3 nights, ate at the same restaurant each night and had the best garlic bread and pesto pasta ever. We couldnt trust the 'veggie curry' anymore after having it in Ubud and finding when we reached the bottom bits of floating beef! We did a fab snokelling trip, Terry burnt his back to a nice tomato red and I attempted to snokel only to start panicking and deciding it wasnt worth the risk so I witnessed the turtles of the Gilis from the comfort of the glass bottom boat and on the last day, we took a horse and carriage to the other end of the island and sat and watched the sunset over Lomboks neighbouring volcano. Whilst there we comtemplating our next moves. I am sure the Gili Islands are paradise for some, I guess we have just been spoilt.

We had a week and a half left and we wanted to make the most of it so decided to leave Indonesia for Thailand. Back to our travelling home we said. Indonesia was a lot more expensive than we imagined, it wasn't for us and we wanted to spend the last part of our trip in the land we knew and we used to.

We flew from Kuta (the worst tourist spot we have ever been to) to Bangkok. From Bangkok we took the bus and boat to the Island of Koh Sumui. It rained the whole way down, it wasnt a great start! We had booked into one of the hotels Terry found and were very happy when we arrived. The rooms were massive and luxury, the bar was just right with a huge swimming pool and beautiful gardens. It was out of season so it rained each evening we were there but it didnt matter, it was so relaxing just to be at the bar, drinking a cocktail and listening to the rain. Each day we swam and read books, I read a book each day which was a record for me. The sun was lovely and warm and we took afternoon strolls to get ice cream and take a look around the markets.

It was definately an experience our honeymoon, one we will not forget especially with the scars as a reminder! It was a testing time for us backpacking in only 3 weeks, having to organise each and every day and not really having time to just relax. We weren't used to that concept. We should have really booked some luxury resort in the Maldives, but who knows if that would have been any better. We hate resorts and thats another story! HAHA...Honeymoon close to hell I say!

The Jen and Terry Wedding!

2011-07-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Its been a while since we blogged so I thought I'd share a few bits and bobs with you. Jennifer Constant is now the wife of Terry Constant and we 'spread' our love to our closest friends and family in the best wedding ever on July 9th in Llangadog, Wales - Brecon Beacons on 9th July.

And Jen wont want me 100% focussing on the fact that we had a Marmite themed wedding, but its true. It was a fantastic full weekend of happiness and chilling with family and friends but took months and months to plan. To be more specific, it took Jen months and months to plan, lol. She did an amazing job with lots of creative, highly personalised decorations.

We also had a marmite wedding cake, a marmite London taxi, marmite for all our guests a custom made marmite hat and edible marmite undies....ok, the last one isn't true but would've been awesome!!

The weather was perfect, the band brilliant and everyone helped loads and loads. We also had a curry buffet from a local takeaway which was amazing!

After the wedding it was time to go to Indonesia! But knowing us theres no way we'd do it the 'typical way'...it was time for a backpacking 3.5 week trip! Bring it on....

And when we get back, it'd be time to chill (for Jen) and not have to think about wedding at all....just crafty bits and dancing classes she said.

Wedding Week!

2011-04-24T06:43:00.000-04:00

To be brutally honest, I am actually looking forward to the wedding day ending. That sounds awful doesnt it!? I don't actually mean over but when I can sit back and know it all went well. I've been a bit of a worry wart this week about it all; what if it rains? What if people don't have fun? What if the food doesn't work out right?....all these things to think about and worry about. I know I shouldn't, I should concentrate on how amazing it will be...!!

We have had a fantastic April for the weather, its been around 75F most days, 22Cish..we drove to Rhossili Beach in South Wales and took a lovely long walk. We cycled to town yesterday for a picnic, climbed to the top of a hill to a church dating back to 1245 in Glastonbury, had a free hug from a hippie in the centre of town as well as a hemp chocolate that tasted disgusting!

I worked the London International Dive Show for Project AWARE and had a great weekend advocating for marine conservation at the end of March, we raised £3600 and got 690 signatures for our petition to stop shark finning.

My evenings have been taken over by crafts for the wedding...crafts, crafts, crafts.

I made my own guest book...

I made some doilies signs for my sweetie bar...

I made my laterns to decorate the tree we are marrying under...

I finished off 5 flower girl baskets...

Busy bee! Im making pom poms for the aisle now and then next week I am going to make the table runners..should be nearly there then!

Creative Wedding Favours

2011-03-08T09:29:00.001-05:00

My own wedding is taking place this July. I, of course, am having a celebrant deliver my service in style. The Wedding is taking place in Wales and I am going to marry the man of my dreams under a 900 year old oak tree.

In order to decorate the tree as well as the venue, I have started planning my creativity.

First up, wedding favours!

I am combining 2 ideas for favours.

Vintage English Tea Cups with Love Heart Lavender Pillows.

I have been collecting tea cups from charity shops, lovely floral patterns made in England. They look very pretty together.

Last night I created my very first love heart pillow. To make these yourselves, all you need is 2 pieces of your favourite material cut into love heart shapes. Sew back to back together leaving a small hole. Turn inside out and fill with stuffing from a pillow. Sew the ribbon on the side and there you have it, beautiful wedding favours! Don’t forget to sprinkle a little lavender oil on the pillow stuffing to make it smell beautiful! The floral clashes, but who cares it fun!

A 'thinky' day after watching the destruction of the Oil Sands in Canada!

2011-01-31T07:35:00.003-05:00

I was looking for a new bike. I came accross the Bristol bike project and found a website that made me think: http://biketales.wordpress.com/about/

For some reason after watching a programme on the destruction of the oil sands to the canadian forests last night and being in the 'whats life all about mood', I felt the urge to email them and for my future records here is what I wrote.

Hi Jen and Jet

I just read your blog, I got the site from the Bristol Bike Shop. http://biketales.wordpress.com/about/

What a trip you have had, you are my inspiration!

Myself and my partner have travelled a lot in the last few years. After 3 years of being on the road we have arrived back to England with a bang. We now live in Bristol . When you look around and see nothing but concrete and council tax, the world feels so small. Claustrophobic.

The vibrancy of India is electric. Colours, noises, horns, cows and the people. Even the poorest are kind and dress amazingly well.

When you travel I believe you find the reasons for life, why we were on this earth. The beauty of the earth is slowing dying and we must appreciate what it has to offer before it is too late. So little of us, reach out and grab the beauty and discovery.

I am not sure why I am sending you this email, maybe just to convince myself of the path I really want to be on. The path of exploration and non conformity. Maybe this email was just a justification of the urge I feel to get back out there and get my reality back. My brain constantly stuggles with this concept.

I sit at my desk, stare at a computer, email the person next to me, return home to a concrete box (although my flat is lovely, its a metaphor hehe), and repeat the process 5 days a week. I worked for a marine conservation charity so I work hard to change the minds of people who slaughter our apex predators. But still this doesn’t seem to be enough. Why I think, maybe the world has already made its decision and who am I to attempt to change it. Its already on a destructive path.

After an email of self discovering lol, I would like to send you one piece of travel advice. Cycle to Hampi, west of Goa . I do not even need to describe it, when you arrive you will know.

A fellow searcher, Jennifer

Tailor Made Ceremonies

2011-01-26T12:04:00.001-05:00

My fabulous new business is doing well. I trained as a Independent Wedding and Naming Celebrant last year and am now a fully qualified celebrant. I have a beautiful website, thanks to Mike Collins and have had a great start. I have attended the Marriott and Holiday Inn wedding fairs, along with my sidekick Terence and have been invited into Debenhams to exhibit there!

For those of you who do not know what a celebrant is, hopefully my blog post for a mother and baby website will help explain (this is focussed on baby namings, but I am working on weddings and renewal of vows:

In our ever increasing secular and modern society, many people choose to not have a traditional Christening for their child. Many Christenings now are often with other unknown children and are combined with regular visits to the church before hand to gain acceptance for the chosen location and date. Many people who are not religious and do not attend church regularly anyway, find such an activity often an extra, dare I say, inconvenience.

A Naming Ceremony offers families an opportunity to announce the birth of a baby, officially name the child in front of families, friends and communities and declare their support and commitment to the child for their welfare, upbringing and for the child’s freedom to express dreams and aspirations.

The ceremonies can be held in any location; some families prefer a ceremony in their own home to make it easier for the baby as well as make the ceremony very personal. Other families choose a marquee or some an Urt, for something really original.

Naming Celebrants will write a ceremony script based on the family and tailor make the script to reflect the families’ journey to the birth of their child. It can include other siblings and family members.

A family may still choose to have Godparents but there are alternatives. The parents can choose the names ’Guardians’ or ‘Supporting Adults’, and ask them to uphold commitment and support to the child as he/she grows and offer friendly guidance to them in their future. These members can be announced in the ceremony and will be asked to make such promises should the couple wish.

It is important to celebrate such wonderful occasions and mark those special moments in life. With a naming ceremony, a couple can choose to add any significant poems, readings and/or spirituality. You are free to decide how to name your child.

At Tailor Made Ceremonies in Bristol (www.tailormadeceremonies.co.uk), we will create, inspire and captivate a beautiful ceremony for your family. We will write a personalised script for you and deliver the ceremony wherever you choose.

Grace those special moments in life with a ceremony that has significance to you; as every family is unique and every baby deserves a unique celebration.

http://www.tailormadeceremonies.co.uk/

Christmas and a Change of Heart

2011-01-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

It has been nearly 2 months so I have posted a blog so thought it was about time I wrote again. We are still in Bristol and about to move into a new flat on Saturday. Its all very exciting. It has 2 double bedrooms and is beautifully decorated.

Christmas was great. It was lovely to spend a week in Portsmouth, cat sitting for Hayden, Tel's cousin. It meant that we had plenty of flexibility with seeing family and friends in Southampton and Worthing. Christmas day was nice. Really relaxed day at Kirks house. Seeing Alfie open his presents was priceless. It was worth more than any Christmas present I had. So sweet!

Our wedding plans have changed dramatically. We have decided to cancel the whole thing as it was getting extremely stressful. I was worried about all of the arrangements and I decided that it is not worth ruining the meaning of marriage over it. We have now booked a huge mansion in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and are going to marry under a 900 year old oak tree. Its a lovely venue and a weekend away for all of the family. We are very excited! We are now planning the honeymoon and a big trip at Christmas. Morrocco, Egypt, maybe central america...the choices are endless!

Heres a few christmas snaps!