Hay people, happy easter to you all! I think i will be buying myself an easter egg to celebrate, altho i hope it doesnt melt. It mighty hot up here in darwin. Came back yesterday from the trip that was postponed to kakadu national park. All very nice, lots of trees etc etc! Basically it started off badly, sunday night we all went out on the town to celebrate finally getting to darwin after all the floods and it turned out to be a very messy night. You'll all be pleased to know that i remember the whole night, as i was very sensible with my drinking mum! The pictures are hilarous and they get progressivily worse through out the night. Anyway, we all got in at about 3:30am and me, kim, dan and matt all had to leave for our kakadu trip at 6:30am. Things were not looking good. I got up in time, i tried to wake kim 4 times and no responce and the receptionist had to wake matt and dan. Anyway we all eventually made it on the bus, kim was still drunk and none off us had cleaned etc. We were minging! We stuggled through the day while we had the piss taken out of us by the driver and eventually by the evening we had woken up. Next day we were up at 6, these trips are killing me i am so run down yet again. I'm looking forward to coming home just to sleep! The issue that morning was that i was biten quite alot in the night. Silly me i decided to sleep in my pants and a t shirt and i got biten all over the top of my legs. And yes they have swolen up loads, last night the big one was about 15cm in diameter, i have never looked so attractive in my life. Anywaythe last couple of days we went to look outs, aboringal paintings in caves, waterfalls and a couple of walks. It was a good trip, but i'm knackered and fed up of sleeping in tents! The tents get so hot, because at night there is no air, it is incredibly humid in the tropics. Every morning you have to peal yourself of the sheets as your sweat has dried you to them. NIce! Anyway, i'm back in darwin now and my plans have changed slightly. I'm leaving darwin on thursday 21st april and fly to perth. I'm not going to broome anymore on the west coast as the trip i was planning to do from broome to perth is 9 days and camping every night and my body can not cope with that anyway. So i get to perth and on sat 22nd april i'm doing a trip from perth to exmouth and return in 7 days, where i can snorkel, swim and sight see yet again. Gem and rob, my dates may match up with you guys travelling up the coast so we may randomly see each other!! I get back to perth on the 28th and have a couple of days there b4 meeting up with gem and rob in bunbury and then back home on the 6th! So i'm in darwin for about a week now and my mate kerry is here till then anyway so it is all good. I may take the opportunity to work on my tan and me and kerry will have a right giggle. I've been with kerry since the first trip from melbourne and get on so well, (i've invited myself to her wedding as she is marring a man in the army!!). Well, i have to try!! So then, while i'm in darwin i can download my pictures...horrah!! Not no though as my washing situaltion is dire.........i smell!! Hope your all ok? Big hug and lots of kisses! Love Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Helen,

It sounds like you have been on abit of adventure recently with all the floods! I am now counting down the days at work! Only 2 more to go and then we fly out on friday. I can't wait to see my mum it seems like so long! Rob and I are off to andark tonight to do a dive refresher in the swimming pool. Will see you very soon out in Oz!

Love Gemma xxxxxxxxxxx

Hey ming ching. I'm sorry to hear about you being stranded and trapped by a flood. That's not good is it?! Glad you are back in civilisation again now. I'm ok, busy at work, and spring cleaning the house whilst everyone is away. It looks lovely, but soon the family will be back to mess it up - ah!!! My parents are back on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to it, have missed them lots and the house is very strange when it's quiet! Can't wait for you to come back. I am supposed to be working on Saturday 6th May (photography stuff) so I will try and get the night off! Chicagos here we come!!! Will email soon. Kara x

Yes i know i am a stranger to this site recently, no confessions as to why cos the usual would come up ie busy with life, work, going out etc. Anyway, i am well and it is only 27 days til we all see you and I am looking forward to it. Been training with Kelly at work as she is doin the moonwalk in Hyde Park at the end of May which is 26 miles starting at midnight so I have been doing several walks with her - we done 7 miles on Tuesday night along Southsea and it was a good walk. Not much else has been happening to me really. Best go and start dinner before the moaning starts. Take care love ya loads xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yo, i am safe and now in darwin. We finally left the middle of no-where and arrived this afternoon and my god it stonking hot here. We made friends with the stranded truck drivers in the town and i have some classic pictures of us gals on the engine of the trucks! Going to Kakadu national park tomoz for 3 days (i was supposed to do it on friday but it was rearranged). So i will send a proper email on thursday. Everything is good with me, hope your all well? Love Helen xxxx

Are you still alive Helen???? Promise I am worried but have only just had chance to read, been hectic with horrible stuff going on with my Mum and her being poorly so have been a bit preoccupied, hoping all is fine now though!
Stay positive, least you got the luxury of a nice comfy bed, tv and en suite! Bless ya!
Can't believe its under a month til you're home, doesn't time fly when you're having fun - well least you have been eh hun, can't wait 2 see you and hear about it all!
You take care now you've got this far, avoid those crocs! Love n miss ya xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey Hun, just had a catch up of all your latest messages and antics, would have logged on sooner but we've had internet probs at work. It sounds like you are still having a blast (well up until the recent message of you being stuck in the middle of no-where)! Sorry to hear about that - hope it doesn't dishearten you on your final month of travels - you'll just have to make the most of it (if thats at all possible)! I'm sure things will get better and you'll be on your way again soon - Ill keep everything crossed. By the way, I can't believe you had a piss with 1 of the most deadly spiders in the world - you need your head tested love! Not really much to report on from here - we had a great night out for Jen's 21st - Cowboys and Indians theme, except it turned into Cowgirls and Indian - yes I was the only Pocohontis (haven't a clue how to spell it) but I did look great, we also had a Horse - Jules was the head and Hannah was the arse! It was so funny, Jen walked them into Spoons - the entire pub looked stunned but unfortunately the horse didn't make it to Walkabout so we had another 2 Cowgirls. Went out last night for Johns birthday, they wasn't many of us out but it was still a good night although I've got a cold and am extremely husky this morning - kinda feels like someone climbed in my mouth in the middle of the night and scrapped my voicebox with a razor - nice!! We've finally heard from Lee - he is still alive and well and from the sounds of it still a piss head - some things never change! Well me and John are off to sunny Spain on Sunday for 9 days and then straight off to Liverpool for 5 days - a full 16 days together 24/7! I'm so excited about going away though - it's our 1st holiday and we'll have been together for 6 months while we are there - gots lots planned for us to do and the Banana Boat certainly isn't 1 of those things!! I won't be able to check this site out until 25th April now and then it'll only be 12 days till you get back and I can't wait. Hope the rest of your trip is as fab as it has been till now - keep the tanning, adventure and updates going. Take care, missing you but see you soon. Love and hugs, Me.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Er, i'm glad you are all so worried about me, i am stuck in a monsoon and there is more rain to come and only rach has emailed me! b******s!!! Yes, i am still stuck in mataranka! Oooo, i 4got to tell you on tuesday i held 2 snakes and a lizard!!
C u soon. Love Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

hay hellie, sounds like you are having a fab time! I cant believe u found a sunny day in millford sound! I did that tongariro crossing thing too, but it was raining and really cloudy, its good to see how great the views should have been! Sounds like you have been having soooo much fun - the pics are amazing! things here been very hectic, the offer on our house got accepted, almost went to completion - apart from the small fact that its falling down! so back to the drawing board 1200 quid worse off - d'oh!! steep learning curve! venice and hawaii were fab, also moved house last weekend (now in shirley with a friend, just til me and darcy find our dream home- saw a really nice place last night but not too sure bout the area) and went to london to celebrate since darcy has finished his course - he is now a fully qualified chief mate! the bad part is he will be going back to sea but still not sure when. cheers for the postcard, i like dolphins!
take care and make the most of ur last month, glad u had a great b'day, c u in chicagos!
xxxxx

Hay people! Well i have started on my exciting trip from Alice to Darwin, well it all started off well, stonking hot etc etc, then yesterday we woke up in our campsite and it was really bad weather. So we drove up the stuart highway stopping off in random places and then 3 hours south of Darwin we came up to a flood and a major flood. All the way up to katherine it is flooded, at the mo northern territory are experiencing a late and extended wet season and so now we are stuck in the middle of no where. We cant drive to darwin, so we may have to turn back to alice springs. Today we are sitting around waiting for something to happen but it is still raining and the flood waters are not getting any lower. What was funny was yesterday in the flood a girl saw a croc! SO they put us up in a motel last night and we all had the best night sleep, we even had a tv in our rooms with an ensuite!! So not too sure what is going to happen now, we are stuck in the middle of the tropics and in the middle of a really a bad storm. Help me!! This town i'm in has about 10 people living here, a post office, pub and a petrol station. I think i will have to kill myself if we stay here for more than one day! ANyway, hope your all ok? Hopefully i'll be back a month today, you never know i could still be stuck! Love Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey there, happy birthday? i know that im writing this a day late but i did send you a txt (hope you got it but this is back up in case you didnt!)
sounds like you had a blast and really celebrated in style.
not much really exciting with me at the mo, it's currently easter holidays which involves me having to clean, feed and water all the animals at the college whilst the lovley students have time off! but atleast the sun is beginning to shine!
cormac has had an email from alan saying tha he is back and had a great time and hopefully we'll be seeing him next week as my college is doing a reunion so any embarrassing stories you want to tell me before alan does..!!!!???
best go, the rats have woken up and want to play (i'v got the pet rats from the college home with me).
glad you had a good birthday and enjoy the rest of your trip (dumb thing to say as of course your going to enjoy it but you know what i mean!)
love carla

Well, i am now 25! Boo hoo! Birthday was good, i eventually recovered and we went out to the hostel for a b'day meal which cost 2.50, no expense spared here! I had camel lasagna, it was lovely!! Today we wondered around alice springs which didnt take long at all! We went to the dessert park and then had to go to town to stock up with toiletries as we are heading off to the outback yet again tomoz. Yes i'm off to darwin for the next 6 days, with some of the same people from the last couple of trips so it should be a good laugh. Oh, i 4got to tell you all, that i am now a true traveller, yes i got bed bugs from the hostel in adelaide, i had 24 bites on my arms and back, i was looking good!! Thanks again for all your emails, cards and texts, its been a good b'day, yet slightly random at the same time! Hope your all ok? LOve Helen xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx