Goodness I can't believe how long it has been since I last updated this site! I hope you are all still keen to hear what we have been up to for the last couple of weeks as we have sooooo much to tell you!

Well Australia really was not how we expected it to be. Unfortunately things have not work out for us over here as much as we wanted them to. You could say that it is down to the fact that we miss Asia so much. Eating with fork and spoon or hands, miss the food, everyone smiling and happy, not being able to understand what people are saying and having to communicate via sign language, people tooting at us and putting the thumbs up and just generally being different and people knowing that you are a traveller.

I am know going to tell you what has happened and what we are doing now as our plans have changed.

During our time in Singapore the weather done nothing but rain the whole time we were there! We have also done a bicycle tour with the hostel we were staying with. Throughout our time cycling through Asia we only cycled about two times in the rain and even at that we hide for shelter but this time we cycled all day in the rain. It was a great day out and met some of the people who were staying at the hostel. It was also a nice way to see the city. We done 22 miles and drank bottles water that was 100% sewage water that had been through the whole filtered process.....I was still not keen on drinking it! hahah

18/12 - We stayed in, in the morning, as the weather was still bad. However in the afternoon it had started to clear up so we decided to go out on the metro and check out "Raffles Hotel" that everyone keeps telling us to go to. We got there and got turned away as we had flip flops on and shorts...never mind at least I got a picture of there Xmas tree! We also had seen that day this crazy ants nest which you will be able to see from our pictures. The nest they were making fascinated us. We had to be back at the hostel for 5.30pm as we were going to meet friends and go to the safari night zoo. We got in a taxi and the driver told us not to bother going as the weather is so bad that we would hardly see anything. So thanks to the driver we all got out the taxi and headed off to a pub! hahaha

19/12 - This day was spent packing and washing clothes ready to be boxed away for the second time. Booked a taxi/minivan to pick us up at 6.00am the next day. Both of us were really excited to seeing Dan and spending time with him!

20/12 - Everything went smoothly this morning. We got up, showered and taxi was there waiting for us. Got to the airport no problems and checked in with no extra payments for us being slightly over our luggage allowance. Flight was delayed by one hour, which was fine we just went and had something to eat and had a beer on the outside bar, which was pretty cool.

Over all our flight was delayed by two hours and what a bumpy ride it was. Just as well there was some really good on-flight entertainment. We landed and collected the bike and went through some strict security checks. Got a shuttle bus to take us to the hostel and they charged us extra for the boxes which we thought was a little unfair as there was loads of space in the boot. Once we arrived at the hostel a young London lad came out and helped us with our stuff and the hostel was full of young English kids on working visas, and dirty. The area was not the best place to be in "red light district" We walked to the shop to get some munch and the street was full of women dressed in hot pants with tight tops and high shoes and young kids in the shops high on drugs. Jonny and me felt really uncomfortable and went back to the hostel, went to sleep and hoped that the day is better than the night!

21/12 – Today we went for a walk in to the centre. The one thing that was good about the hostel was that it was really close to the city centre. We went in to a café for a breakfast and ended up walking out after we had ordered as the waitress was really quite rude to me so we both said, lets leave and not give them our money! Had a walk around and seen the Sydney Opera house and the Harbour Bridge. Tried to stay out of the hostel as much as possible and only try and sleep in there.

22/12 – Lazy day today we walked into the city again and got a map of the road for Sydney to Melbourne and we went to the park and had a look through the map.

23/12 – What a night sleep we had last night. There was people screaming all night till 5.00am in the morning. The room that we were staying in had 6 beds and only two men were staying in there (doesn’t think they had seen a cloth and soapy water before) We were so glad to be leaving today! Jonny got up and put the bike together and off we went heading to Gymea where we were to meet Dan who was house sitting! We arrived not long before Dan so we found the key and let ourselves in (hoping that we had the correct house) hahah Dan arrived and boy how good it was to see him. We sat talking for ages and then his friend Drew arrived. We went food shopping and headed to the bottle shop (which is the only place where you can buy alcohol from) and got a few drinks to take back with us. So we had pizzas and beers, talking and talking then a few games and bed.

24/12 – Was woke by Dan bringing a cup of coffee into the room for us and we had a big fry up. We played scrabble, which was good fun. Later on we went out to get a turkey for Christmas day and then went for a drink in the local pub. Back to the house and I made dinner for everyone and then started to play who am I games (which explains why we had stickers on our heads)

25/12 – CHRISTMAS DAY! Santa forgot me! I think he still thinks I live in London. I forgot to write him a letter to tell him that I was going travelling. Its ok mum told me that he did go to London. I got up and made coffees and made scramble eggs on toast. Quite day watching movies and the boys falling asleep. Dan loved his pressies. Had dinner, which was lovely and very filling. Mum and dad called which made my Christmas.

26/12 – We had planned to go and see the Sydney to Hobart race in the city but we were running a bit late for the train so we walked to the bottle shop and watched it back at the house on the telly! It was better watching it on the telly and we got all the commentaries. Jonny seen a few boats that seen when he was sailing in the cork week!

27/12 – Today we went out on the bikes and cycled to Cronulla. Jonny and me were on the tandem and Dan was on a bike that was at the house. We made up some lunch and sat watching the surfer’s ride some waves and had a walk around town. Seen some nice sleeping bags that were really good for the price as they had been reduced in the sale. We wanted to go back and think about it. Whilst cycling back home we got loads of abuse from the drives shouting at us to get off the road and get petrol. There was a white van that drove past us and literally missed us by and inch. He had plenty of room on the other side to give us some room but it was the closest we all had been to being knocked off our bikes by a crazy driver! Our blood was boiling! I wanted to leave Australia there and then I was soooo upset and couldn’t believe what had just happened. I then started to wounder maybe we are not allowed to be cycling on the road? So I pulled over a police officer and asked him what the rules are here, and he told me that cycling on the road is allowed but not allowed cyclist side by side. We were in a line (obviously on the tandem) and Dan was behind us. Jonny and me talked about it and said that’s go to Melbourne and Tas and if we still feel the same way then we will skip Cairns to Sydney and go to Europe instead. We both feel the atmosphere and what we experienced in the city was not nice and people just aren’t as friendly.

28/12 – Today was a lazy day spent playing Trivial Pursuits, However we did end up changing the categories and asking our own questions. Watched Pulp Fiction.

29/12 – Today we went bowling! Jonny won the first game and I won the second. It was a good laugh. We then went to Miranda Shopping and on to Cronulla to buy the sleeping bags that we had seen a few days ago. Dan brought a broad game called "Risk" which a really hard game to learn but once go get into it its fantastic. I would recommend it to anybody. The game lasts for hours and can start a few arguments too.

30/12 – This morning was spent cleaning the house as we all new that we would not be up for doing on the 1st. Got a mobile phone today too, if anybody wants to send us a text our number is 0061411370276. A friend of Dan’s godmother came round and said why he didn’t use the car to get around. So once he left Dan got the keys and we got in the car to go to the bottle shop and who was driving behind us when he pulled out of the drive? Yes the police. They pulled Dan over and done a breath test. Everything was ok however Jonny had to run back to the house to get his license so he could drive as Dan did not have his on him (law is you need to carry your license on you everywhere) Got a few drinks back to the house and drank what we had. Left about 10pm to city pushed our way to the Harbour. Seen the fireworks and ended up at Bondi in a club which we had free tickets for till 5am got train home and got into bed at 6.30am

1/1 – This day was spent all day in bed (not the same one as jonny as he was worse than me and the smell of alcohol and him wanting to talk to me all the time was making me fell sick) hahahah Such a good night! Mum and dad called on their New Year…. I was still in bed but it was great to hear the family happy and enjoying themselves.

2/1 – Today we left the house and on the road again. No more nice beds and en-suites. We left really late as jonny still not feeling to good. Hahah (it was all self inflicted) 4pm we set off and headed to a National park not too far. After cycling down a fantastic long hill we reached the visitors centre which was closed but a women came out to help. Told us we had to go to Bundeena camp. 20km away…uphill! Eventually got there and set up the hammocks, which you can see from the pictures and made some dinner. 19.85 miles

3/1 – Woke up in a bad mood as I hardly slept. It was such a windy night and my sheet that stops the rain coming in was blowing and making sooo much noise. We then realised that the hammocks are really not practical! Set off at 10am there is soo many hills here! Got a hot dog on the side of the road just as we got out of the National Forest and it was the best hot dog ever. We were starving. We nearly cycled over a lizard today whilst zooming down hill but it managed to run over to the other side of the road in time. Found a campsite…. No hammocks just slept on the ground in sleeping bags with a waterproof sheet over us…very extreme! 28.58 miles

4/1 – Woke up to a misty start, just as we started to pack things away it started to rain. Stopped at a corner shop for breaky and a man and his son approached us.…Bert and Chris. He loved the bike and thought what we were doing was fab. He gave us his address in Melbourne and said we could stay if we were stuck! How nice. 22.12 miles today we had stopped and sent home the hammocks and bought a tent. Had the best dinner in the "on site restaurant" Jonny had T-bone steak and chips and I had Scottish fillets and chips yum yum …..Slept like a baby.

5/1 – Bit of a slow start. We really wanted a rest day but ended up just going down to another camp on route only 8.36 mile away.

6/1 – Up at 7am on the road for 9am both of us are getting really frustrated with the cycling in Australia. The cycle lanes are small and share with pedestrians, which means you have to stop at the lights and wait for green man! On the highway I found it really scary, big trucks and crazy drivers. As we were cycling along the Princess highway I really couldn’t see how we could see more than the drivers could. No back roads only highway! We stopped and talked at the side of the Road and made a joint decision to go no further and head back to Sydney and fly to New Zealand. We were both feeling really down and sad having not completed what we set out to do but there are just some things in life that you have to say no! From the first day arrived we were never impressed and gave it time. But our trip is about cycling and if we are not enjoying that and don’t feel safe then that’s when you need to do whats right.

7/1 – Jonny really down and both had no desire to do anything but we got train to Helensburgh and then cycled back through the National Park and headed back to the same camp site as the first. Got in contact with mum and dad got friends who live in Sydney and they said they will come and pick us up tomorrow and we can stay with them! We felt sooo much better.

8/1 – We got the ferry to Cronulla and cycled to Miranda to book tickets to New Zealand. Then Margaret and Alex came and picked us up and took us back to their house. It was sooo nice because we were feeling down and it was soo nice to be looked after and feel safe!

9/1 – Margaret and Alex took us out today to the Blue Mountains and showed us around. We stopped off at a Scottish shop that sold square slice and tottie scones and had fish and chips for lunch. Yum yum.

10/1 – Today Margaret and Alex took us out on a ferry ride into the city and had a walk around and had lunch. Ferry back to the car and sat talking for ages hearing old stories about mum and dad and what they used to get up to when they were younger. Good fun!

11/1 – Lie in and thought once I have the chance I should get on here and tell everybody what we are up to!

So we are staying here till the 15th and fly over to Auckland where hopefully the drivers are nicer. Hope everybody had a good Christmas and New Year.

Please leave a message on the board and tell us what your up to….love to hear from you all.

Till next time……New Zealand here we come!