HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I feel the absence of new posts on this blog speak for themselves. The saddness and overhwleming glee of returning home climaxed in a series of events that were truly undescribable, followed then by MASSIVE depression that all of this, everything i have been writing about for the last few months is over, and now remains firmly in my memories and on this blog. I hope to continue it, and finish it soon. But in the mean time, have yourselves a very Merry Halloween.

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We apologise for this interruption to our scheduled programming...

Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry. Yep, im pretty sorry. As it can be easily seen, the blog has somewhat been erratic in its new and wonderful delivery of delicious travel related stories. As noted, tragedy, illness and mostly, (a lame excuse i know) the fact that New Zealand had LITTLE internet action have really impeded the growth of this delicious little blog. I would love to carry on writing about it ya know? I may be a month and half behind, stranded in the literary limbo that is the story of our trip to Frasier Island, but if anyone is still reading, i would certainly like to tell you about it. And New Zealand. But not Fiji. Nope. Fiji was HELLISH.

Anyway, instead of the continuous writing of these apologies, maybe i should just get my fingers tapping away at the proper stuff. The stuff this blog is made of. SO, if you still want to stick around and find out whats been going on, i'll get to it now.

Stay tuned, our regular programming will resume shortly. Promise.

Supergran

On the 4th of July, at 2am, i was standing at a bar trying to decide whether i could afford another drink or to get a pie instead. On the other side of the planet, at 3pm, my Nan left. she finally said goodbye at 96 years old, and im so sad i wasnt there.

Nan was so amazing at being a grandmother, it's very difficult to put into words what made her so special to me.

i'm remembering you standing at your bedroom window Nan. im in my car, and i start to drive away, and i turn back and you are smiling and waving, and we blow each other kisses. i will miss you very much. Goodbye nan.

Elizabeth Cragg - 1st Sep, 1912 - 4th July 2009.

BOOK LIST! Part 2

Part Two. I love a part two. I bet you have been waiting for it as well haven’t you? Have you been waking in the night, a cold sweat on your forehead, as you wonder 'what has Chris been reading whilst he is away? I simply must know!' WELL, wipe your beady brows my friends as here are some more of the delights that my eyes have been feasting on during my trip around planet Earth.

In The Night Country by Stuart O’Nan

Bit of a depressing one this one. But still, brilliantly written. It’s a ghost story about three friends, who die one Halloween night in a terrible car accident. Set one year on, the two survivors from the crash are still trying to deal with what happened to them. One is still mourning; the other is badly brain-damaged from the accident. The three dead friends come back to haunt the people they blame, and help their friends left behind. Like I said, well written, with an awesome ending, but MYGOD depressing.

The Taking by Dean Koontz

After some pretty heavy going books, I needed something a bit more popcorn, a bit more blockbuster. Steven King and Michael Crichton were obvious choices, but Dean Koontz is pretty good at the blockbuster book too. Easy reading, extreme stories and some freaky bits along the way. Taking is about a woman who wakes up in the night next to her husband to an unusually heavy rain fall. When she goes outside, animals are running wild, terrified from something gigantic flying above the clouds, and when she smells the rain, it smells of SEMEN. Yup. Pretty weird. Really good end of the world story though, totally my kind of book. Part religious, part sci-fi, it’s a survival story about how two people survive the end of the world when aliens attempt to terraform the planet. It’s got a surprise ending too!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

An awesome and devastating book about friendship and growing up in Afghanistan. It’s a story about two boys, Amir, the son of a rich Kabul merchant, and his servant and friend, Hassan, a Hazara boy. The horrible prejudices explored in this story and the awesome writing made this one of my faves from the trip so far.

Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima

When I was in Singapore, there was so many Chinese and Japanese influences around, I kept finding good comic shops, so what better place to read some Japanese Manga!

Twilight by Stephanie Myer

Oh god. From what I have seen in all the hostels and dorms I have shared over the entire trip. It seems that amongst backpackers, this is the popular book of choice. And what a load of crud. For one thing, it’s FRICKING HUGE. You need like a spare backpack JUST for the book. And this is only the first, there’s three more and they get progressively larger as you get through them. Plus its like 400 pages long and 350 pages of it are just full of the main character banging on about how much she loves her wimpy fangy boyfriend. The last 50 pages have some bitey, vampire action which is pretty cool. But that is all. I am NOT a fan.

So, thats the end of part two. ENTHRALLIN HUH!? I bet you opened this post and utter dissapointment flooded your veins yes? maybe becuase i havnt posted anything for some time yes? Well, all i can say...poopies. Big fat poopies to you. Becuase, i am currently in the land of Middle Earth, and internet connection is even rarer than it was in the Land of OZ. BT Broadband would do WELL in Mordor. The net is cheaper yes, but rarer, certainly. HOWEVER, another post is in the works so you shouldnt have to wait too long, PLUS, there are lots of photo's and Vids still going out so keep your piggy little peepers on those guys.

Right, well i better go, just realised i have locked myself and my friends out of our home, a campervan, and its like minus 480 degrees outside so i think they may already be dead whilst im sitting in here in the warm. Ahh. Warm ignorance.

We Were Over the Rainbow...

My time in OZ has finally come to an end. Yes, i know i havn't finished telling you all about these adventures i have had over the rainbow, but now, i must take my memories and head into another strange land. A land of dwarfs and hobbits and volcanoes and snow. No, i am not going up the Faraway Tree, i'm actually off to a...New Zealand! Or as i shall now call it, the land of Moria! Where we shall be on our guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world don't you know...

Sunset City

IMG_8567, originally uploaded by blibblobblib.

Out of all the sunsets we have witnessed, this one, On Phi Phi was the best. We watched for three hours, drinking cocktails and eating dinner, as a lightening storm and a sunset vied for our attention. It was incredible.

AMISTAD

IMG_8520, originally uploaded by blibblobblib.

The night ferry of DOOM. See that laughter? Thats HYSTERICAL laughter. You know like when a person has been driven mad through fear, and there are no more tears left to cry? This is what happens. Notice the numbers above the beds. Notice the space between the numbers. Not a lot huh? See those people in the background reading? They're not reading. They're DEAD.