Australia 2009 // Budapest 2008 // Round the World 2007 // Brazil 2006
     | AUSTRALIA 2009 (Published Feb 2010 to March 2011) IN June 2009, Simon and Rachel flew to Australia on the Big Plane. They stayed with Rachel’s sister Julia and brother-in-law Alex in Sydney for two weeks, where they saw the sights, ate too much Thai food and bought a ring. They then took a longer-than-expected flight to Perth in Western Australia, hired a bigger-than-expected camper van and drove a further-than-planned 2,000 miles. With two weeks left and no plan, they quickly revisited Sydney before taking a further flight to Hobart, Tasmania. Here they drove around mountains and through rainforest, they befriended a wombat and Simon climbed a very big hill. This is their story. Tasmania I: Choo choo Tasmania II: The best little pub in town Tasmania III: Funny thing, landslides Tasmania IV: Curringa Farm Tasmania V: Beaumaris Zoo Tasmania VI: Pushing it Longhand & Scribblings: Save the Tasmanian Devil Western Australia I: Ronny Western Australia II: Postcards from the outback Western Australia III: Shark Bay Days Western Australia IV: Quilts, satellites and old farm machinery Western Australia V: Ain't it the life? Western Australia VI: Thing! THINGTHINGTHING! Thud. And a follow-up post: Seahorses |
 | BUDAPEST 2008 (Published May 2008) Budapest diary egy // Budapest part kettő // Budapest v. három |
         | ROUND THE WORLD 2007 (Published Sept - Dec 2007 and throughout 2008) Simon Says...: Bumpy on the Bay of Bengal Flying to Singapore; expectations; Today's Best Mix Simon Says...: A Lizard Watched Me In The Shower! The remarkable story of Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles; exploring Singapore; Fire Toast Simon Says...: Welcome to Paradise Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa Simon Says...: The War The World Forgot Changi Prison and Museum; reflections on war Simon Says...: A Day In International Territory How not to spend ten hours in Changi airport Simon Says...: I'm a Natural Blue To the Great Barrier Reef; big fish, little fish and 'Rotund' fish, apparently Simon Says...: Never Smile At A Crocodile (ya flamin' galah!) Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA); Claude the Cassowary Simon Says...: Imposter! / Interlude Rachel fills in for me as I have lots of fun in the rainforest; notes on the Stinging Tree (the Gympie Gympie) Simon Says...: In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle Cloudland Nature Refuge with CVA; teaching Koreans words like 'onomatopoeia' Simon Says...: Steve A man called Steve: friend of the Aborigines, discoverer of dinosaurs and guru of megafauna; safety advice for Englishmen Simon Says...: Senoritas y Margaritas Cape Tribulation; the discovery of Australia; Captain Cook Simon Says...: In Memory of Kirsty Week 2 at CVA: tree planting at Mission Beach; bush bashing with machetes; the man who liked shrimp Simon Says...: Johnstone River Crocodile Farm OzExperience begins; Davo the galah; a severe rant about a crocodile farm Simon Says...: A Pinker Shade of Tanned All at sea; sailing around the Whitsunday Islands; swimming with turtles Simon Says...: A Fringe Of Leaves Aborigines and Europeans; Eliza Fraser and her island Simon Says...: What A Beauty! Visiting Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's zoo); wombats on leads and marvellous monotremes Simon Says...: It's A Small World (After All) Arriving in Sydney; run-ins with the police; coincidental meetings with school friends; a statue of a pig; chocolate by the bald man; Julia Simon Says...: Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree The Blue Mountains; Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth; the story of the Three Sisters; a terrifying little train Simon Says...: Australian Capital Territory Arriving in Batmania (or, as we know it now, Melbourne) via the nation's capital, Canberra Simon Says...: The Great Divide Wandering around Melbourne; Melbourne vs. Sydney Simon Says...: Go! Go! Go! The Australian Grand Prix (minus racing cars, grandstands, television crews and people) Simon Says...: Another Multicoloured Blog Rachel fills in for me while I have a Very Nice Time Simon Says...: Not With A Bang But A Whimper The plight of the Tasmanian Devil Simon Says...: Sunrise to Sunset Reflections on the beautiful continent of Australia; onwards to New Zealand Simon Says...: In Treebeard's Domain Six days in New Zealand, and already I'm exhausted Simon Says...: And In The Darkness... Horse riding, like the riders of Rohan; Queenstown/Lothlórien Simon Says...: Paikea Kaikoura to Rotorua; Whale Rider Simon Says...: Waewae takahia kia kino* A Maori Marae and hangi feast Simon Says...: Where Poets Speak Their Hearts Climbing One Tree Hill with Catherine Holley; on to Fiji Simon Says...: If You Pick A Raw Paw The Hurricane Simon Says...: Fifty Nifty United States On landing three hours after taking off (eighteen hours ago); Washington DC Simon Says...: A Is For Parrot, Which We Can Plainly See New York in two days Simon Says...: Perfect to Stay The Boston Tea Party, live from Boston; coming home A few follow-up posts and further stories I wanted to tell at the time: Simon Says...: A is for Parrot (Again) John Lennon's poem Simon Says...: Dear Anonymous In defence of my views on the Johnstone River Crocodile Farm Simon Says...: Re: Not With A Bang But A Whimper Hope for the Tasmanian Devil Simon Says...: Sai yau levu na lotu keina lomavinaka... A lost story from Fiji: island life on Waya Lailai; my friend Sau; "Jesus is strong in Fiji" Simon Says...: Look Around You. Just, Look Around You. The coolest little capital city in the world, apparently: Wellington, New Zealand |
 | BRAZIL 2006 (Published Aug 2007) Ay Corumbá! |
       | OTHER STORIES My Grandad Was A Viking Naked in Oslo St Olaf Tallinn, Estonia Is Kazakhstan the "Seat of Satan"? No. Grow Up. My now infamous essay on attitudes toward a forgotten country Been there. Done that. Ate a pig. Lichfield: a lovely little British city Wish you were here? British Overseas Territories On the National Express Travels on trains Most Adjacent Cliff Richard, Agatha Christie and kakapo sperm Tropical Paradise, just minutes from Tottenham Sailing the seven seas, in North London The Boy Lent By God A quiet moment in Wendover, Buckinghamshire Nullius In Verba Two weeks at the Royal Society Four red cars in a super good red line People watching in Split, Croatia |
Flag images from the World Flag Database
