Round The World With A Fridge

just a quick note to say I managed to get some time to update the site today. enjoy the fridge magnets!

It's been a while since I updated the site. The last few weeks I've been adjusting to life back in the UK, and I've just started working a new contract (ironically enough, at Live Nation again) to pay off the debts I amassed while travelling.

Somewhere between Thailand and Australia my Sony Vaio laptop started playing up, and it's subsequently been returned to Sony to get it fixed. As it has all of my video editing software and video clips on it, I can't do the "Challenge Complete MegaMix Video" I wanted to do. When I get it back, I'll put it together, reorganise the website, and publish some of my stories and notes. And maybe then I'll think about getting the book into shape...

Oh, and I'll add the bits for you to suggest the next challenge. In the meantime you can email ideas to me, I'm all ears!

I've just arrived back in London and the jet lag has caught up with me (the fridge looks ok) so I'm going to get some sleep. Beers postponed until tomorrow night - after work I expect - any takers? :)

It's a slightly odd feeling crossing the date line from New Zealand to Los Angeles and going back in time. It's even odder being sleepy at 7pm and awake again at 3am. The hostel I'm staying at for the night is the Hollywood International Hostel (as hostels go, it's pretty good - clean beds and showers, good amenities - but I wouldn't stay there more than 2 or 3 nights) and it's actually on Hollywood Boulevard (yeah, the road with all the stars in the pavement). First impressions of L.A. and Hollywood? L.A. seems pretty cool - it's massive, but then it is the states. Not that impressed with Hollywood to be honest, but I think having seen all the places I've seen on this trip, it's hard to live up to the movieworld dream.



In a few hours I'll be back on a plane to fly to Heathrow. Hollywood was COLD last night - so cold I could see my breath - god only knows how I'll cope with the UK weather!!

Good news! With financial help from the Louise, Karen, Jez, Meg and Mark who donated cold hard cash, and some help from Matt and Katie, I got the fridge back on Sunday! Yep, it cost $2000 AUD but it was worth it to see my little friesian buddy again. Getting it back was all very stressful, Matt went to pick the fridge up once I'd given some guy the money in a bar. I didn't think I'd see the money or the fridge again, but after all your texts and emails I couldn't just give up. Unfortunately I don't have net access in Melbourne (although I've enjoyed the last 3 weeks hardly using a computer) so I'll do another update in a few days with photos and more news.

On the down-side, most of the $2000 came out of my overdraft (thank you nice woman at HSBC) and has completely crippled me. Without any further donations (yes, you can still donate using the link from the email) I'll be returning home to freezing cold blighty on the 28th Feb - skipping most of the U.S., Canada and Ireland (sob). But at least I have the fridge back :)

Update: the flights are booked (thanks to Laura- the most patient travel agent ever!). I return on Feb 22nd, going via Auckland and L.A. so I'll complete the round the world part of the challenge.

Introduction

Nicola, a friend from the UK, came and did this tour from Sydney to Brisbane in a campervan with me. We had such a good time I thought I'd write a guide for anyone who'd like to try it. (It's written in the singular because it was originally intended to be a guide on a different website...I'm not pretending Nic doesn't exist :) Yep, this is what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks.

Via: Pacific Highway (coastal route)
Distance: ~965km
Non-stop travel time: ~15 hours
Best between: June and December

Preparing for the journey

Firstly, you'll be needing some transport. There's several options open to you - you'll either buy something on the cheap or rent. Buying avoids the fees associated with hire vehicles (return fee, cost per day, add-ons like awning charged daily, LPG refills, insurance, etc) but be aware that different states have different regulations regarding tax, MOT and road worthiness which can result in huge fines.

Choosing between a car, 4x4, van or campervan is an important decision and will influence your level of comfort and the amount of money you can spend on your travels. For example, travelling in a car will probably be the cheapest transport option, but you'll have to pay for B&B's/hostels/hotels ... or sleep in your car - and who wants to sleep in a car?! I hired a campervan (from Britz) which had a double bed, shower, fridge, microwave and gas cooker powered by LPG. While I hardly used the shower and cooker, and really could've managed without them, it did mean that I could park almost anywhere for the night. If I do the trip again, I think I'd plump for a normal van and stay at more resorts - they're pretty cheap but obviously won't be for everyone.

Also, standard campervan insurance doesn't allow you to venture off sealed roads onto dirt tracks. My guide specifically doesn't use dirt tracks for that reason.

Ok, so once you've got your transport, you'll be needing some supplies:

1. Water - lots of it. Maybe a 6 pack of 2 litre bottles. Why so much? If you get a flat tyre, or need to wait for a motorway to open because of a bush fire, you'll be needing water to keep you - and maybe your vehicle - cool.
2. Some food. You shouldn't need too much as there's some nice places on the road to stop, have a break, and get something to munch. Things like oat bars, fruit and nuts keep reasonably well and don't need any preparation.
   
3. A detailed road map. There's plenty of second hand book shops where you can get a good deal, but most of the hire centres have them for sale too. While the roads you'll be driving on hardly change from year to year, occasionally the government puts a toll booth on a road so have some currency in your wallet.
   
4. Music! Australian radio can be quite terrible and has lots of talking and adverts.
5. A mobile phone. Goes without saying really. On the Sydney to Brisbane trip you should get a signal the whole time you're travelling so you won't need to hire an expensive satellite phone.
   

Day 0: Sydney

I stayed in the Vulcan Hotel in downtown Sydney (Ultimo) - it's a clean and modern hotel with friendly staff and good food. If you've got an evening to kill I highly recommend Icebergs at Bondi Beach which isn't particularly cheap but has an awesome dining area and a lush bar. Icebergs is well known for it's good food and it's one of the 20 things Lonely Planet says you must do in Sydney. Booking essential. A taxi from the hotel should be around $20/25.

Day 1: Sydney to Cessnock/Pokolbin (Lower Hunter Valley)

Assuming you've picked up your transport already, leave Sydney over the Harbour Bridge (enjoy the view of Sydney Opera House on your right). Plough through the northern Sydney suburbs and after around half an hour the scenery will change. You'll pass a few beaches so grab a swim if you feel like it - today is an easy drive north. If you're keen to get to the wineries of the Hunter Valley (I was!) skip through Cessnock to Pokolbin where you'll find a multitude of wineries - including Jacobs Creek.

If there's a bush fire in Northern Sydney you have a couple of options. Drive as North as you can, stop where the police tell you too, and wait for updates. On the day I left we had to wait 6 hours for the authorities to get the fire under control, but obviously this depends on lots of factors. If you don't want to wait and hope they reopen the road, go back and West to Windsor and take the ferry over the river there. Be warned though, when Northern Sydney is blocked, lots of people use the ferry. There are a couple of ferries but the most one ferry can take is 20 cars at a time. Choose wisely!

Day 2: Hunter Valley

A day for wine tasting.

I'd recommend the McGuigan Cellars at Pokolbin - whack some golf balls into the pond to win prizes at the driving range, visit the world-class gardens, and of course, sample some of the best wine of the region. There's absolutely no pretentiousness about wine tasting here!

Wines I tried: Tempus Two - Ziggy (blend), Tempus Two - Semillon/Sav. Blank, Tempus Two - Cabernet Merlot, McGuigan Gold - The Red

There's an information centre (with ATM and cafe) at Pokolbin which is the best place to find out what's going on in the region, info about wineries and accommodation, etc. Definitely a useful stop.

Day 3: Hunter Valley to Newcastle

Your head might be a little bit sore this morning from all that wine so today is an easy drive to Newcastle on the coast. Newcastle is a fun little town, and while not much happens here, the beach is a good place for a swim and there's a few beautiful spots around the place. Up on the hill, an Obelisk looks out to sea - marking the first site of water when the first settlers founded Newcastle. Today it's an amazing place to stand at dusk or dawn and watch a whole 360 degree panoramic of the city. I parked nearby on top of the hill, facing the sunrise which was quite special one morning.

By the evening your hangover should've disappeared so walk down the hill to the Crown and Anchor bar/nightclub on Hunter Street. Upstairs is a balcony restaurant come nightclub so depending on the time of day either try the food or sample the frozen cocktails from the "washing machines" on the wall.

If you've got time visit nearby Bogey Hole (I hear it's good for skinny dipping if you're into that) or for a walk along the coast where you can see the different layers of rock, including a layer of coal.

Day 4: Newcastle to Coffs Harbour

Today is a bit of a drive, especially as there's plenty to see along the way. Leave Newcastle early morning and join the Pacific Highway north bound. Take a detour to Elisabeth Bay (turnoff at Bulahdelah) where there are some nice beaches and interesting towns. Port Macquarie is a good place to have lunch if you want to stop somewhere civilised.

I stayed in the Emerald Beach Holiday Park so that I could recharge the battery in our campervan and have a decent shower. It's a wicked little place, and part of the Big 4 network of holiday parks so you'll probably get a discount if you're driving a hire van. Not only does it have the cleanest toilets and showers I've seen in a holiday park, but it has a giant inflatable bouncy "pillow", it's close to the town, is a 5 minute walk to a lovely beach - perfect for your morning swim, and has shops and two excellent restaurants nearby.

Room 101, a romantic little restaurant just around the corner from the Emerald Beach Holiday Park, does the finest steak this side of Australia. Not only did the staff go out of their way to cook a late meal for me (I arrived as they were about to close), they also recommended some excellent wine - better than the ones I tried in the Hunter Valley. I can't say enough nice things about this place.

Before you skip town for the next destination, make sure you visit the Big Banana - one of the many "big things" in Australia. There's also some toboggans and ice skating if big bananas don't float your boat.

There's a regularly updated guide to Coffs Harbour if you need some more information.

Day 5: Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay/Sawtell

Most of the people I spoke to in Sydney said that I must visit Byron Bay because it's so beautiful and after passing through places like Newcastle and Coffs Harbour, it'll seem a bit more "hip". Over the past few days you'll have gone from cityscapes, to rolling vineyards, to rain forests, to hick towns and arriving in Byron Bay will bring you back to a bit of civilisation.

I arrived late in the afternoon just as a storm was rolling in. As I walked along the beach, I contemplated that having seen arguably the best beaches in the world in Thailand, I was now looking at the most romantic. While Byron Bay can be romantic, many Aussies pass it off as pretentious, touristy, or cheap. If you agree, do what the Aussies do, visit Sawtell - checking out the beach and RSL.

Fish Heads right on Byron Bay beach by the car park does great fish and chips and outstanding oyster boxes. Avoid the Great Northern Hotel on the main drag, apart from the pool tables, it's quite like a giant version of a skanky Wetherspoons.

Day 6: Byron Bay to Gold Coast

Today you'll be travelling up the splendiferous Gold Coast, entering from the south via Tweed Heads (look out for the Big Prawn!). Avoid the temptation to stop at the exotically named Palm Beach and Miami and continue on until you reach Surfers Paradise (Main Beach) where you can park up, pull your clothes off, and dive right into the warm blue water. In the excitement, don't forget to stay between the flags where it's safest to swim - away from the danger of being hit by a surf board or swept away by the current.

There are so many places to eat, drink and sleep on the Gold Coast that I wouldn't know where to start. I just picked a Big 4 holiday park to park up in, recharge the batteries again, and fill up with water. It wasn't particularly good, so I won't recommend it.

Day 7: Gold Coast to Lamington National Park

Lamington National Park, west of Springbrook, is a 200sq km hinterland of walks and wildlife. To get there go via route 90 (off M1) towards Canugra and then on to Binna Burra. Binna Burra is a good base for your adventures with its information centre (pick up a free map and some advise on where to walk), restaurant/tea room and Binna Burra Mountain Lodge (advance booking essential) with its rooms, camp site (powered and unpowered sites available). The thought of a national park (bushes, trees, walking) might sound a bit dull to some, but nowhere else will you see so much wildlife roaming around freely. On the day I visited, I saw a kangaroo, a wallaby, several large black lizards, a huge monitor lizard, a blue lobster and a variety of coloured birds. Watch out for bandicoots, flying foxes, koalas and other strange creatures!

You will need: water, study shoes, insect repellent, waterproofs, some food if you plan on eating lunch there, a torch, a first aid kit and a camera.

If you've got some time on your hands, and aren't too keen to get back to the Gold Coast strip, swing by Tamborine Mountain nearby for some amazing scenery and waterfalls. There's an information centre at North Tamborine.

Day 8: Lamington to Brisbane

Just over 2 hours drive away from Lamington is Brisbane, your final destination. Follow the M1 into Brisbane (there's a new toll booth not mentioned on roadmaps or Lonely Planet guide yet) and return your campervan.

I'm assuming that after a week in a campervan you're looking for some TLC so jump into a taxi and head for the Hilton Brisbane, located in the heart of the CBD providing easy access to everything Brisbane has to offer. I personally wouldn't bother with the extortionate prices of the hotel restaurant and bar - you're 5 minutes away from all the best restaurants and bars (Jo Jo's on Queen Street is a modern Pizzeria/Thai/Steak restaurant and bar with a relaxed atmosphere - no booking necessary) so hit the street for a wander (most stuff is on Queen Street, Elizabeth Street, Edward Street or Adelaide Street).

Alternatively, if you're on a budget and fancy something cheaper, try the Brisbane Manor (formerly The Tourist Guesthouse). The 2-bed rooms are a bargain at about £14/night and have a TV with cable, a fridge, and an ensuite bathroom with a nice shower. Downstairs has a kitchen and a laundry room, perfect for washing all your skanky campervan clothes! There's not much atmosphere but it is cheap so you can't complain. Avoid the dorms at your peril.

If you need some Internet access to upload all your photos, ignore the crazy prices in the Hilton ($17/7GBP for 30 minutes!!) and walk up to Global Gossip on Edward Street near Central Station.

After days of anxious email checking, I finally received an email this morning...

"HAVE U ARRIVED IN BRISBANE YET? UR FRIDGE AND SONY HANDCAM ARE SAFE N WELL IN OUR BASEMENT IF U WANT THEM BACK U MUST PAY US 1 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHAME YOU DONT HAVE THAT. MAKE IT $2000! WE WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN ON THUR FEB 8TH TO COLLECT. CONFIRM U GOT THIS BY REPLYING TO xx"

(There are other instructions but it says not to publish them online)

I'm going to have breakfast, then a chat with the Newcastle police, and then I'll send an email out to all the superheroes...

Still no news of the fridge yet. Man this is killing me! It goes without saying that the fridge is more than just a fridge to me. Lots of people have asked if I'd auction the fridge off when I'm finished, or if I would ever sell it. My answer is the same every time - the fridge is priceless. So many people have met the fridge, and a great number of them have signed it. :(

Since lots of you asked about the note that was left behind, here it is... (on the back it says, "p.s. see you in Brisbane!")



(no idea what PFOJ stands for...)

I've been travelling in a campervan from Sydney to Brisbane with Nicola, so I've not had proper access to the net for a few days now (hence me not blogging about this drive up the coast). We stayed in a hostel in Newcastle last night, and after a beers with friends, crashed at our hostel. During the night I heard some laughing but just turned over and went back to sleep...as you do in a hostel. Anyway, I woke up this morning to find the fridge gone - despite being handcuffed to my bed (the handcuffs had been picked)!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A group of cunting students left a note on my bag to say they're taking it to Brisbane and there will be a ransom emailed to me!!!!!! If you little SHITES are reading this you'd better know that I've reported it stolen to the Newcastle police and my video camera inside has footage I've not got a copy of yet. So if you've got any fucking decency, you'll give the fridge and the camera back in the same condition as when you BROKE THE FUCKING LAW AND STOLE THEM. If you give them back, I'll not press charges.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEEP BREATHS.

It's been a very long day - I'll post some more details tomorrow when I figure out where to go from here.



Update (Friday 25th 7am): Still no email yet...

The last few days have been really tough on me. I've misplaced someone very very special, said goodbye to 2 good friends for god-knows-how-long, and met someone who's taken the fridge travels in more new directions than I know what to do with.

Thankfully I'm back on track and jumping in a bus tomorrow to tour up the coast to meet Wechel and Katie in Brisbane.

Worried that I might never move out of their lovely Bondi pad, Nik and Georgia suggested I travel up to the The Blue Mountains to see the spectacular vistas and blueish tinge produced by the oil from the eucalyptus forests. Katie, who I'd met in Phuket, had joined me on New Years day so with Nik and Georgia, Matt and Lorraine, I booked a cabin for us six. We stayed in a beautifully quaint little place in Katoomba called Arcadia Cottage, ideally suited for visiting Katoomba town, the 3 Sisters (photo below), and the surrounding area.



No challenges, but some nice photos... here

It's an average sort of day. You're sitting on the beach, enjoying the sun and surf, and along comes this guy with a fridge, 40-50kg of ice and some other props and before you know it there's a 300+ strong crowd watching a snowman being built on Bondi beach in 30 degree heat. Patrick from FootPrintsDownUnder covered the event and blogged about it here (with photos).

The latest challenge, posted by Nicola, goes like this... "Build a snowman out of snow on Bondi Beach, Sydney. The snow may be created from ice but it must be snow and not sand. The snowman must be at least 4ft high with coal for eyes and 3 buttons, carrot for a nose and twigs for arms. You must take a picture of you and the snowman enjoying a "stubby" before it melts. If you don't manage to complete this challenge then you must eat a kangaroo testicle! Good Luck :-)"



Challenge complete! The video will be online in the next few days...in the meantime checkout Patricks blog about it.

(A massive "thank you" to Paul, Leila and the crew at the New Zealand Natural Ice Cream shop for the use of their walk-in freezer and for being so damn friendly, and of course to Patrick and Emma for helping with the challenge :)

If you ever need any info about backpacking in Australia (jobs, accomodation, travel journals, local news, etc etc!!), this site is the bomb - www.footprintsdownunder.com. Patrick, the guy who runs the site, kindly supplied some of the Paris Hilton photos so please be good enough to have a look around his site - especially you Aussies who might have some local info that would be useful.

I haven't mentioned the names Daryl or Chris yet. Odd since I've been staying with them for almost a week now. Friends of friends, come to Bondi for a break from Melbourne over the Christmas period. I honestly don't know where to start describing the last few days with them. Random sex noises (not with each other), good noises from the iPod, saving young French girls from drowning, drowning ourselves in the Jungle Juice and honey flavored 42 Below vodka from Bunga Bar, the many drinking rooms of the Beach Road pub/bar/club, the healthy food and the unhealthy farts. Oh, and the sharking on the beach. (Did I miss anything?)

Basement Jaxx were playing on Bondi Beach for NYE but we couldn't get tickets. Instead we went to the Slipp Inn, also known as Chinese Laundry to see Hybrid (download tracks after the jump) who were headlining. Just before midnight we left the club and headed down to Darling Harbour to watch the fireworks on Sydney Harbour Bridge.



So, here we are in 2007. The fridge has well and truly been neglected recently so I've been getting back into the swing of things with it. Some of the confirmed challenges coming up include going Walkabout in the Northern Territory and eating Bulls Penis in New Zealand. Yum yum.

If you haven't noticed already, I've added a "videos" tab to the top of the page - it's a collection of all the videos I've done, including a couple of new ones.

Paris Hilton arrived in Bondi yesterday to judge a bikini content on New Years Day to find the new "face" for a local beer, "Bondi Blonde". Reports claim that she'll be paid a cool $5 million for the privilege. I managed - literally - to bump into her in a shop on Hall Street in Bondi. I snapped a few photos, and a friend - Patrick Lyall - got a few good ones too. The day before she'd been swimming at Bondi and caused quite a comotion when she stripped off down to her bikini and showered in front of the crowd. More photos after the jump...

Ow. Ow ow ow. My head. It hurts. Christmas Day at Gatecrasher down on Bondi Beach. The legendary Norman Jay and John "00" Flemming. Reminded me a lot of the Across The Tracks festival in Leeds, fond memories...



A totally surreal experience. No family around, no Turkey, none of my mums "special" bucks fizz for breakfast, and no presents. So much Smirnoff Ice Black consumed, many people met, much dancing was had, and almost married a wee Scottish (but Aussie) lass for a laugh (ha, if you still want to, I'd quite like an aussie passport - drop me an email). Then, to finish the night off - a mad dash with hundreds of other party people from the pavillion to the beach, strip off and dive into the surf. Wow!

Australia, being the otherside of the world, is my half-way point and I'm so pleased to be here. After almost 2 months in Thailand being back in civilization is great! Don't get me wrong, I love Thailand and I know I'll keep going back, but Australia is home away from home, especially for us pommes. The apartment I'm staying in, a stones-throw away from Bondi Beach, belongs to Georgia (CCE) and Nik (friends from back home) but they're away for Christmas and back in the New Year. When they get back we're going camping and mountain biking in Hunters Valley and the Blue Mountains.



But there's a lot to do before that. Today I'm celebrating my return to good health after about a week of feeling rough from some kind of stomach bug. To kick start things I'm going on a mini-pub crawl with Daryl, another friend of Nik and Georgias who's staying in the apartment. As Angus suggested, we'll start in the Paddington Inn, heading up to Paddington Green and then over to Coogee for some fish and chips before getting amongst the Bondi hotties.



Christmas day is starting to look quite special - a day on Bondi beach with an awesome Fatboy-Slim-At-Brighton-Pier type setup - and of course the typical aussie BBQ. I'll be on Skype and MSN Messenger about 9pm, 10am GMT, for a chat with Ma and Pa and anyone else that's online.

The challenges have been coming thick and fast over the past 2 weeks. Although I'm keeping some a secret (Nicola - genius!!), I'll be wrestling crocs, swimming with sharks, dicing with death when I wind-up a Brown Snake, and poking deadly spiders. Keep the challenges coming - especially the New Zealand ones, not many of those yet...

Have a GRRRRREAT Christmas and a wicked New Year!!

The one thing I did manage to do in Chiang Mai before collapsing on my death bed (you how over-dramatic guys can be when they get sick) was visit a fortune teller. I've never been someone who particarly believes in the occult but I've certainly become a believer of fate and I like the idea that buddhist monks who study hard can see the passage of time like a river flowing from mountains, down the stream into the ocean, then evaporating only to rain again on the mountains.

Basically things look pretty peachy. He also said that the journey I'm on is a massive quest and that it'll bring me fame and fortune. I asked him if he meant the physical journey or spiritual journey and he just smiled and said I would understand by this time next year. He also said that I'd get married in 2 years and that I'd have twins (a boy and a girl). Happy days.

Right, well, I'm sat here in Bangkok airport waiting for my flight to Sydney. Sadly I missed seeing Debs (Donut) and co by a matter of hours, but I did catch up with Josh (thanks so much for the latest episodes of Lost season 3 - very handy for the trip) and Chompu who it was wonderful to see again. And without further ado, here comes the Oz adventure...

Bangkok
This is where my journey in Thailand began, at the huge International Airport which sits on the outskirts of the city. For first time travellers it can be a little intimidating coming out of the airport into a feeding frenzy of taxi drivers. Having booked my accommodation online I'd selected the option to have a car come and pick me up, although normally you'll be looking at around 800 baht for a taxi into town.

I chose to stay in the Asia Hotel (www.asiahotel.co.th) situated in the heart of Bangkok and has it's own entrance to the skytrain. It's a clean, modern setup, if not a little too busy like the rest of Bangkok, but I'd recommend it for a stopover. TVs in the rooms, aircon, Internet cafe (and unofficial free wifi), 3 restaurants, shops and 2 swimming pools. Nearby is a huge mall with everything from camera lenses to flip flops. There's an excellent tour guide in the lobby who managed to arrange some great deals on flights and stays at resorts.

The LP guide does a great job of listing most of the sights, sounds and smells so I don't need to.

Krabi
I flew to Krabi on Thai Airways for around £33 which is pretty good. Krabi airport is just outside Krabi Town and a taxi to either Ao Nang or Krabi Town isn't very expensive - you should book a taxi from inside the airport at the taxi desk to avoid being ripped off.

Krabi Town is a busy little place. It only really has one high street, but there's plenty of activity going on around the place. To eat, I highly recommend Mary and Mark (075612562 - Th Ruen Rudee) - great Thai food but also some Mexican and German influences. For hardcore Thai cuisine you must try the Bangkok Welcome Cafe (corner Th Maharat) - dishes from around 25 baht! There's plenty of places to drink but the tourists all know O'Malleys (7pm - 10pm happy hour) because it's in the Lonely Planet guide and next to a bunch of hotels.

Just outside Krabi Town, on top of a mountain (it's really a hill but Thais call hills mountins) there's a Buddhist temple called Tiger Cave Temple. Tourists are welcome to the climb the 1,237 steps to the top (there's no charge) where you get the best view around for miles and can see the giant Buddha up close. Be warned, those of you who aren't comfortable with heights should probably give this one a miss. A friendly taxi driver will take you from Krabi Town and wait for you while you climb up and down to take you back for a couple of hundred baht.

Krabi Town pier is where you can catch ferries and long tail boats (a taxi boat). Some of the locations on the coast are only accessible by boat, but going from Krabi Town always seemed like a chore to me. There's another pier at Ao Nam Mao which is accessible by car, or tuktuk, and a long tail only takes around 15 minutes to get Railay. Alternatively go to Ao Nang and a long tail will have you at Ton Sai in 10 minutes.

A note on long tail boat taxi drivers. Initially these guys were the single most annoying thing about this part of Thailand. Because you're not Thai, you'll be treated like a second class citizen. Whenever you go near the little huddle of taxi guys you'll hear, "Ao Nang, Ao Nang" or "Krabi, Krabi" - they're usually not trying to hassle you, it's because they've got some passengers waiting to go but they need more people for a boat to bring the price-per-person down. Haggling is a must. The more people in the boat, the cheaper it is. If you're travelling after 4/5pm expect to pay a premium.

Ao Nang
Ao Nang for me was just somewhere to get a long tail boat from. There's all the usual shops, restaurants and bars along the front, but it seemed quite family orientated. I only ate once here, at the Italian Pizzeria - which isn't in the Lonely Planet guide - but I highly recommend it because they did great pizza.

If you're going to do elephant trekking, and you don't have the option of doing it in Chiang Mai, I'd say to do it here. On the tour you can expect to see exotic birds, monkeys and you'll visit Tham Srakaew - the cave that was used in the movie, The Beach.

Ton Sai
Ton Sai is famous in these parts for rock climbing and you can see why when you arrive - it's surrounded by beautiful fauna covered cliffs. Accessible only by long tail boat (15 mins from Ao Nang), it's a lazy beach popular with rock climbers and travellers alike.

It's much less touristy than its neighbour Railay, and has more "authentic" style bamboo huts. Of all the places I stayed in Thailand, Countryside Resort (booked through http://www.yourkrabi.com/booking/) was my favourite - absolutely stunning bamboo huts and probably the best food for miles around. The staple diet here is home made muslie (with fruit, yoghurt and a little bit of honey) for breakfast, green curry with boiled rice (or Tom Yam with boiled rice for the brave) for lunch or dinner. The cook in the resort also does international cuisine if you get bored with Thai food (but who would?).

The bars along Ton Sai beach cater for most. It's not as lively as places like Ko Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan, but it has its own charm. Everyone is very friendly, and bars range from places with hammocks and chairs on the beach to the larger DJ-toting, pool table in the corner type venues. The beach here can be quite rocky when the tide is out, but that doesn't bother most as the stretch of white sand is big enough.

Railay (Rai Leh)
Railay is based around two beaches, Railay East and Railay West, and both have very different personalities. Railay West is a lush beach but as soon as you arrive you'll notice a big difference from Ton Sai - local Thais hawking massages, selling drinks and trinkets, and the beach front is more developed with a handful of resorts right on the beach. Railay East doesn't really have much to offer in terms of beach because it's a rocky mud flat with trees growing right on the beach. However, the better resorts and bars are at Railay East. The walk from Railay East to West takes about 5 minutes. Choosing somewhere to drink largely depends on what's happening that evening as there are too many bars for the relatively small number of people staying here. Among my favourites were Cliff Man (who also do climbing), Fusion (which has unfortunately closed now) and Rock Bar (up the hill).

Eating on Railay can be a hit and miss experience. Most places do some dishes well, whilst others - particularly on Railay West - don't even manage that. Viewpoint Resort, Railay Bay Resort, BoBo's, CoCo and Sand Sea Resort are worthy of a recommendation.

I stayed at the Viewpoint Resort mainly because it has good quality, cheap, rooms with fan, TV, hot shower, swimming pool, internet cafe and minimart. During high season it's still good value, even if you do have to lean over the reception counter to see the list of available rooms to haggle over prices!

Ko Lanta
Ko Lanta was my first experience of a Thai island (read: very laid back). A ferry from Railay (can be booked at any tour operator or internet cafe) gets you there at a leisurely pace of 3 hours. The ferry takes you straight to Ban Sala Dan where there's plenty of shops, tour companies, taxis, restaurants and everything else you might need. There was a tour guide on the ferry who arranged our accommodation - a resort called The Last Resort at the very southern tip of Ko Lanta.

The Last Resort is perfect in many ways (the friendly people, best bar, amazing deserted beach, great food) but it fails the most important test for me - the bedroom test. Ok, so I might be a bit of hotel snob, but these huts are super basic with only a cold shower and manual flushing toilet for company. Oh, and did I mention the uncomfortable mattress on the floor and mosquito net with holes in? Having said all that, we rarely left the resort because it had everything else. When we did leave, I tried the Same Same But Different Restaurant which I suspect does the best food and drink on the island. It's a very romantic little place and listed in the Lonely Planet.

Ko Pha-Ngan
Having decided that we'd have enough of the quiet life on Lanta, we decided to head to the home of the full moon party - Ko Pha-Ngan. The easiest option was by bus which takes you up through Krabi and then over to the port at Surat Thani where we caught a sleeper boat (a long ferry with a giant open room and beds on either side) to Thong Sala on Ko Pha-Ngan. All that sounds fairly simple, and in reality it is, but there are a number of stops where you're dropped off at a restaurant for 1 hour and then picked up by another bus only to travel 5 minutes down to the port. But, if you take buses, you'll learn pretty quickly not to question how it works - just respect that it does.

We headed straight for the party town on Hat Rin Nok at the south end of the island. While it was nice to be in the thick of things again, it does have a slightly sleazy '18-30s destination' feel to it. There are plenty of movie bars, fast food joints, clubs and beach bars. The only bar I'd go out of my way to recommend is Outback Bar (listed in the Lonely Planet guide), purely because it's a laid back, spacious venue with good food, drink and entertainment.

Worthy of special mention is the Chakra Massage (listed in the Lonely Planet guide) where I did my past life regression and Charlotte did a Thai Massage course. The proprietor trained as a monk and is highly regarded by locals.

Ko Lao Liang
Lots of people have asked me about Lao Liang after seeing my photos. Lao Liang is on the tip of a nature reserve and until recently hasn't been accessible to tourists (there's no tours or info in the LP guide). The result is a small beautifully unspoilt island with basic facilities. However, the facilities are to a very high standard - showers, spacious tents with fans, bar and dining area. Although it's possible to arrange a trip with a tour agency (you'll be very lucky to find one that does this trip), you won't get the extra benefit of booking with the XSite operators (Vinnie or Michael) who provide snorkelling gear, climbing gear and kayaks free of charge.

A day trip off Lao Liang to go snorkelling or diving is an absolute must - I've never seen water so clear and such a huge range of sea life. You can fish straight off the side of a kayak and pull out 10lb Giant Travellys and stand a good chance of seeing a Monitor Lizard or two. Oh, and the red ants are edible.

I don't climb, but the climbers that came on the trip loved the climbs and the XSite guys have just finished putting up a whole bunch of new, challenging routes.

Phuket
Probably the most visited part of Thailand after Bangkok, Phuket is a favourite tourist destination with all its lady bars, nightclubs and buzzing shopping areas. It's a different a crowd to those in Ton Sai and Railay (keep your fishermen pants in your backpack) but not as sleazy as Ko Pha-Ngan. Well, unless you stray into the neon-lit road of Th Bangla which is full of bars, lady bars, ping pong joints and everything else you've probably heard about. Hot Thai girls dancing in bars will queue up to be your best friend in the hope that you'll take them home for a night. It's not seen as prostitution, more a sort of arranged date where the guy pays for the privilege. To put the record straight, no, I didn't try it! A local Thai explained to me that these girls often come from farming communities up north and can earn a whole months pay in a single night. Their parents usually don't know what they do preferring to believe that they have several jobs.

Tuk Tuks here are quite impressive - all blinged up with neon lights, spoiler, alloys. Drivers are a bit hit and miss and I'm not sure I feel any safer in a tuk tuk than on the back of a taxi bike.

I stayed at the Patong Green Mountain Hotel (not listed in the LP guide) which is just on the edge of Patong - a good distance away from the hubbub, but still accessible, and a great view of the beach (if you're on the 4th floor). The bar staff were exceptionally kind, often going out of their way to find out things for us and there's a free taxi service to drop you off in town - handy when you've had a few beers. Aircon, TV, hot water, breakfast, large pool, internet cafe, tour guide. 2 min walk from three 7-11's, and the Esso garage.

There's plenty to see and do on Phuket, not just the beaches. I rented a motorbike for a week (rent over 3 days and haggle for a discount) and I'd say it's the best way to get around. You can easily explore - either via the beautiful coastal roads, or hit the motorway and explore the northern end. A word of warning though - the police and tuk tuk drivers have a pretty good racket going. This only really applies to Patong village at the time of writing. If the police see a non-Thai riding a bike, they'll blow their whistle and tell you to stop. The first time this happened, it was because my friend wasn't wearing his helmet - it's against the law for a driver not to be wearing their helmet. The second time, I was stopped, and thinking I was ok with my helmet on asked what the problem was. The policeman asked for my international license, and of course I only had my UK license. NO ONE has an international license, and the police know it, so it's off to the police station to pay the fine - and there will be a queue of tuk tuks nearby waiting for you. How to avoid it? Three ways; 1) get an international license (yeah right), 2) when you hear a policeman whistling - look the other way and keep driving. If you see a police stop ahead (lots of police and tuk tuks), turn around. 3) stop, get the paper work - make up any old name and age (they can't read your license), but hold on to your bike key. Go and have a couple of beers, come back an hour or two later, drive away.

If you get tired of the tourist beaches, try driving up to Hat Nai Thon in the North West corner near the airport. It's yet to be bastardised by tourism and it's where the local Thais go for a day out. I camped in a tent here (bought from a local supermarket) and there's a great little bar just set back from the beach behind the trees where you can purchase boozage. Swimming at night is quite magical as there's a great deal of phosphoresce in the water.

Chiang Mai
I can't really say anything about Chiang Mai because I spent most of my 2 days in bed with a stomach bug! I stayed at the Novotel Hotel (in the LP guide) and booked with Ping Pong (an unfortunate name for a girl) of Universal Travel (booking with a tour guide is essential if you want the best prices for accommodation and free transfers) who was the most wonderful travel guide. I thought the Novotel was quite sucky (and I'm convinced their breakfast gave me food poisoning) so Ping Pong moved me to the Vila Villa Hotel - a brand new hotel, not fully opened at the time of writing. On arriving my jaw dropped - brand-new traditional style Lanna villas, surrounded by lush greenery, water wheels, fountains, koi karp filled ponds. Definitely very romantic. The hotel staff were exceptional - they took me to the train station and helped me book my ticket and let me stay in my room for an extra 3 hours because my train wasn't until the afternoon.

For reasons I don't quite know, I chose to take the train back to Bangkok - I think I needed to try trains in Thailand to complete my travelling experience here. The sleeper express takes 11 hours from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and compared to the Russian sleeper I took from Moscow to Murmansk, it's very well equipped. The best beds are the bottom ones which cost a little extra, but are bigger. You get some privacy with a curtain that can be drawn across and generally everyone is quiet. The only thing that irked me was it was such a good setup but the actual train ride was bumpy as hell and at times almost threw me out of my bed! But still, you have to laugh about it.

Oh, one final note - I booked all of my Chiang Mai travel and accommodation last minute and it wasn't as easy as everywhere else. I'm not sure if that was because it's high season now, or just because Chiang Mai is quite small and there's a lot of tourists. Either way, booking in advance is recommended.

The sun was setting as the fridge and I pulled into the port at Phuket Town, and even though it had been a relaxing trip up from Railay, there was that definite spark when you know it's all going to get very messy. I met up with Matt at the Patong Green Mountain Hotel, and it was only a matter of minutes before I had the first beer in my hand.

The days after that adhered to the simple formula; explore Phuket by motorbike in the day, drink as much as possible at night - interspersed with ladyboy tussles, ping pong shows, Hottie McFitties, getting "dude" and "sweet" tattoos, tactical Jenga, and lots of random kung-fu moves. Matt was definitely setting the bar for future fridge sessions.




The day when Matt had to leave for Koh Samui came around way too quickly. My liver needed some down-time to recover so I kept our room on for an extra day just so I could sleep and pretend to do some work.

If all that seems a little vague for the events of two weeks, well, I'd agree. Some really great things happened, but I can't write about them publicly. In the next couple of weeks, some of you will be receiving an email telling you that your superhero account has a new superpower - x-ray vision - you'll be able to read the private blog.

Just about to jump on a plane to Chiang Mai via Bangkok to meet Beth. Back to Bangkok on Saturday and I fly to Sydney on Monday 18th!

After the trip to Koh Lao Liang I needed to take things easy and give my foot a chance to heal. Noah and Donna, who I'd met on the trip, were heading back to Railay too so we decided to get a nice hotel room for the night with hot water and a TV - a luxury since the price of a room the next day would double as we enter peak season here. Everything is so relaxed and unhurried, days just cruise by - muslie for breakfast, some rock climbing (obviously not for me with my bad foot), a late lunch, lazing around the pool or beach, then a James Bond movie (there's three or four Bond movies on daily), a hot shower (followed by a few other friends using our hot shower), some dinner, some beers, some more beers, then back to the hotel room to wake up Donna and watch another James Bond movie while munching peanut M&M's. Man, life here is sweet.

   

But while I was enjoying Railay so much, Matt - another guy from the Lao Liang trip, was waiting to go see ping pong, ladyboys and generally wreak havoc in Patong not far from Phuket town. So, looking forward to another new adventure with the fridge, I said goodbye to the folks in Railay and left for Phuket...

After a night with the fridge in Rock Bar, I had one hours sleep before Vinnie picked me up to go to Ko Lao Liang - a deserted island south not too far from Ko Lanta and Trang where I'd be staying for the next 5 days.

On arriving, I realised all the hype and speil Vinnie had come out with over the past few days wasn't bullshit - this was the real McCoy. Thailand, untouched by tourism, not full of backpackers or drunken tourists. Walk into any tourist information in Thailand and you'll see hundred of pamphlets full of photos of amazing beaches and resorts, but they're rarely as good as the photos. Ko Lao Liang was everything promised and more - the tents were great (they had power, fans, lights), the toilets and showers were really decent and all the climbing, kayacking and snorkelling gear was top notch.



The 19 strong crew consisted of Matt (the lone Aussie traveller), Sandra (the attorney) and Lou (the blind elephant balloonist), the Spanish couple, Tom and Amy ("the hairdressers"), Nikki ("the ant eater") and Nadia, Billy and Zak (the best Aussie guys), Noah ("the bullrider") and Donna ("the fearless"), Michael (and Zach - his son), Vinnie (say no more), Doug (our barkeep), Pawn (the funky Thai) and of course myself.



On the first day we went snorkelling and although I've been snorkelling and diving quite a bit before, this was the best snorkelling I've ever done. Not only was the water crystal clear so you could see for about 25 meters, but the coral was untouched and full of huge fish, urchins, star fish, lobsters, crabs and a whole lot more. Unfortutely I couldn't film any of it because unlike Helen, I didn't have a waterproof case for my camera - but the guys who run the trip have a few photos here.

I started a few challenges - like building my shelter - and did some new ones like eating ants, having my head shaved (a number 2 - a lucky escape from Tom, who was hell-bent on using his Mach 3 razor on my head!) to start my cult (I did get 2 members - Matt and little Zach), raid a nearby island for booze in our Kayacks dressed as ninjas. All coming up in the next video. Unfortunately though, I had a little accident...

I saved the last day entirely for filming. Waking up early, I go for a kayack around the island with Matt (in my kayack) and Noah and Donna in the other kayack. It wasn't long before me and Matt are showing off going through caves and getting ourselves through really tight squeezes. Arriving at the last cave before heading back, it's blowing water out like a whale blow hole - of course we had to rush in to get soaked before paddling back... only we get in there and a huge wave crashes into us from behind and tips us over! As the boat tips over, me and Matt are laughing and we're still laughing when we come up from air - only to be hit again by another huge wave and pulled about 5 meters into the cave by the undercurrent. Then I feel this sharp stabbing in my foot - I look at Matt and he's looking worried, the current is too strong pulling us away from the enterance - we're stuck in this fucking cave!!

I yell at the other kayack, "what the fuck are you waiting for?! Get us out!!!!", and Donna, who's in front and seen everything unfold, doesn't want to venture in. Noah on the other hand starts paddling, thank God, and before I know it he's right next to us. Donna and Noah offer us their paddles to grab on to so we can turn our kayack the right way up and eventually we get back in the kayack. Donna is the first to see my foot and starts screaming - I look down and see blood everywhere. When the current was pulling us back and forward, it was dragging me against a rock covered in barnacles and it took a chunk of the top/side of my foot out. So, we get back to the tents as quick as possible and Noah and Matt syringe it (despite the rumours, I didn't scream - lol), get it covered in Betadine, and bandaged up.



Guess I'll have a gnarly scar :) And the worst thing, the camera was in my dry bag the whole time! DAMN.

(more photos in my flickr account)

As you might have noticed, I've made a few changes around here. The two most important additions are the ability to post a challenge (when you're logged in) and the future destinations panel on the front page.

Let me know what you think.

update: yeah, it's all broken in Internet Explorer v6 - I've no intention of making it work for IE6, and I'll make no apologies for it. Either upgrade to Internet Explorer v7 or use Firefox! meh. according to my web stats most of you are still using IE6 (damn you) so I've fixed the compatibility issues.

Because I've been totally rubbish and have been sat on a beach every day, sipping Chang beer, and not doing any work on my YouDecide website, a whole bunch of us had a voting session on Messenger yesterday. I'm staying on a deserted island for 5 days shortly so everyone voted on what I should do there. The results are (votes in descending order)...

helen - build a shelter out of natural materials and stay in that instead of a tent (5 votes)
angus - don't use the fridge as a pulling tool (4 votes)
fee - you're only allowed to have sex with animals (4 votes)
angus - shave your head and get a buddhist gown - see if I can get away with it for a day and/or start a cult (3 votes)
shane - find wilson (2 votes)
angus - blow up the bridge over the river kwai (1 vote)
steve - lord of the flies (1 vote)
shane - limbo content on beach with the fridge (1 vote)
fee - don't tell a like the while time I'm on the island (1 vote)
steve - eat yellow snow (1 vote)
leo - eat brown sand (1 vote)
angus - wrestle a komodo dragon (1 vote)
angus - blow up a cow with a bazooka (1 vote), and fill fridge with dead cow
caleb - snorkel with the fridge (1 vote)
leo - grow breasts (1 vote)
fee - milk anything I can get my hands on (1 vote)
magnus - start a band, using instruments made from found objects (1 vote)

...challenges with zero votes...

steve - swim naked with sharks covered in chump
steve - blow up a cow with a coconut
wechel - only food I can eat is what I catch
shane - plate spinning with the fridge on my head
leo - bury myself in the sand standing up
shane - base jumping with the fridge
helen - don't sleep with anyone while you're on the island
steve - shrink some islanders heads
shane - find a polar bear
leo - I can only eat or drink what I take in the fridge
leo - kill a chicken
steve - go down the hatch and press the button
steve - locate X on the map
shane - milk a cat
caleb - fill the fridge with bikini tops, but they have to come off the wearer and they need to be female

On a totally different note - this fell on me last night...

I've just registered roundtheworldwithafridge.com and aroundtheworldwithafridge.com for those of you who can't spell my surname :P

Char challenged me to make a human pyramid consisting of "hotties" (her words, not mine) with the fridge on top. Thanks to Therese, Elizabeth, Linn, Lise, and Hanne - the 5 nurses from Norway - it's another challenge in the bag!

Weeks have passed like days and it's already time for Char to head back to England - she's on the 9pm flight tomorrow night - leaving me here in Railey in Thailand. I've made some excellent new friends though, including Laurence (the man who challenged me to climb 1,237 steps to the top of a mountain to a Buddhist monastery with my fridge ... which I did :) and Vinnie (who runs an amazing trip out to Paradise Island for 5 days with diving, climbing, fishing and drinking) so I'm quite happy hanging around for a while. I keep hearing about how cold, dark and horrible England is right now, sorry chaps, I'll try and tone down how great it is here.

    
(as usual, more pics here)

I hoped I'd be able to upload videos in our new resort, but unfortunately not. I guess I'll have to wait til I'm in Bangkok again. And who knows when that'll be. Until then I'll keep the photos coming...

P.S. Simone and Glory, the two ladies I met on the 1,237 steps today, sorry I couldn't meet you for a beer - completely forgot I'd already agreed to do things with Char (it's her last night). But if you're still up for Christmas/New Year in Oz, or sometime next year in Oregan, drop me an email :)

Helen unfortunately had to go home and flew back to England after Ko Lanta (sorry Helen!) so Char and I decided to head over to Ko Pha-Ngan (home of the full moon parties) for something a bit more lively than Ko Lanta - which was nice, but just a bit too coupley and quiet. 16 hours and umpteen buses and boats later, we arrived in Haad Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach) on Ko Pha-Ngan.

The town was deserted as the night before was a Half Moon party and everyone was still in bed, hungover. It wasn't long before we found somewhere nice to stay (Sabai Hill) and had some breakfast. As the day wore on, only a few brave souls ventured out to watch a movie in one of the many empty bars. Still tired from our journey, we had an early night.

The next day the town was still empty. We only saw a few people wandering between shops and the beaches were practically our own. After dinner we decided to get on the Sambucas and found a wicked bar called Outback Bar, and it wasn't long before Char had given my fridge cards to everyone and we had a new posse of Irish friends. The drinking descended into chaos when I was challenged to go swimming in the fish pond in the bar, apparently containing pirhanas, and we met up Michael Hutchences brother (yeah, my arse!) and his mate who took a shine to Char. Joined by Briony, the blonde aussie with no voice, and her sidekick Megan, we moved down to the beach where the party was in full swing. It was then that we realised everyone goes out at 1am, parties til 7am and sleeps the rest of the day away!

Several Sambucas, a lost room key and a dissappearing Char later, I found myself in a room with a killer hangover from hell and one hot aussie in the bed next to me. Both of us were fully clothed, unfortunately.



Because the Internet connections are pretty rubbish where I am at the moment, I've not been able to upload the challenges Char set me, or the videos of me completing them. But it won't be much longer, I'm sure. If I can, I'll upload something tonight.

I've been in a quandry for days about whether to publish some of my personal (and sometimes shared) experiences on the Internet for all to read. When Char challenged me to have a past life regression, I thought it would be a simple challenge - lie back, relax, find out you were Napoleon in a past life - that kind of thing. After a chat with Yonna, I understood that my preconception was totally wrong. I needed a couple of days to readjust and prepare myself for this experience. Those of you who know me well, know I've got more than a few mummy and daddy issues, so for that reason I didn't film the regression and I'm not going to write about the specifics here. I will however detail the experience as best as I can.

After several minutes of guided meditation, visions started to appear like reflections in a puddle. Drops of rain caused ripples across the surface and I struggled to focus on the image. Eventually, like turning the focus ring of a camera, the images became clear and with Jonas help, I tried to understand their deeper meaning. This was when I felt the first rush of energy - so strong, and so encompassing, I was overwhelmed and felt like I was going to black out. As quickly as the rush had begun, it subsided leaving me with a multitude of emotions and thoughts. Yonna expertly guided me through the visions I saw and experienced a very deep sensation which apparently caused all the hairs on Jonas arms to stand to attention. All in all, it was an incredible experience, and I urge anyone to try it. I'll probably write about the experience again when I've had some more time to think about it.

No time for an update - got a storm coming in which is interrupting the satellite link :(

enjoy the photos...
 
 
(lots more photos in my flickr account)

After an incredible night with Chompu I was looking forward to an hour long flight from Bangkok down to Krabi in the south where I was to meet up with Helen and Char for one of the legendary full-moon parties on Ton Sai beach. The taxi ride from the airport to the pier where you catch a long-tail boat taxi was through some beautiful scenery - waterfalls, fauna covered rock faces and fleeting glimpses of beautiful sandy beaches.


(click the image to see the Thailand photos)

I met Helen and Char on Ton Sai beach, and greeted both of them with a huge hug - something I've really missed over the past few weeks (although I've been known to spontaneously hug people). Making the most of lugging the fridge around, I'd stocked it with Thai Whiskey (thanks to the Bangkok crew) and Singha beer (the local brew) - perfect for getting the party atmosphere started. It took Char about 30 seconds to put a cold beer in my hands, and all the Russian stress I'd built up over the past two weeks disappeared in seconds.

The girls kindly booked my accommodation for me, and I was surprised to find not a simple little hut that I'd come to expect having read my guide book, but a beautiful wood hut, surrounded by greenery, fully equipped with aircon, mosquito nets and its own bathroom and shower. Now this, is the life.

The next three days just merge into a chilled-out blur where days of the week have no relevance. I know we partied hard (combinations of Singha, Thai Whiskey, Black Sambucca, Vodka, Tequila and Rum - sometimes in a single night - not uncommon), made heaps of new friends (of superhero stature; Ling the DJ, Orlando - Chars squeeze - aka Richard, Laurence, The "Fuck You" brothers, the crazy woman in the Viking bar, Vic and of course Nicola...who I've been thinking about a bit too much over the past few days), went snorkelling and chilled out on the beach. Everywhere we went, I spread the word of the fridge until practically everyone on both Ton Sai and Railey West knew who I was.

I'm always a bit sad when I leave a place, and new friends - yes, even Murmansk - but this time we're heading for Ko Lanta, home to some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery in the world, and a wonderful new adventure there...

I'm down at Ton Sai beach now, staying in a beautiful little hut - taking it easy and having a break from the fridge adventures. I've uploaded some photos, go take a look...

Another fridge update in a couple of days.

I've been in Bangkok for the last 2 days, and what an amazing 2 days it's been! I met with Chompu through couchsurfing.com (they should sponsor me or something) and her friends, and Brittany (a fellow couchsurfer from New York) and we had a pretty wild time. I've eaten insects, including a scorpion (tastes like beaf), visited a buddhist temple and had a prayer said for me by a Buddhist monk (I probably needed it), drunk so much Thai Whiskey that I think my blood has finally turned to alcohol, been to a carnival and seen crazy little monkeys being mischievous, got the fridge signed by 10,000 people (well, it seems like it) and picked up some new challenges. When I finally sober up, I'll watch our videos again and work out what the hell everyone is saying in them (we're quite inebriated). Hehe.

I strongly advise you to have a look at the photos :)



I'm writing this from the airport on way down to Krabi to meet Helen and Charlotte for some much needed non-fridge related R&R (ha! and you thought I was on holiday!).

First impressions of Moscow were pretty scary. Following my Lonely Planet guide religiously I fended off over enthusiastic rip-off merchant taxi drivers at the airport and at one point had to resort to my Russia swear-word guide to get to them to leave me alone. Arriving at my "hotel" was a bit odd - it was a hotel in a hotel, run by two 17 year old lads. The room was pretty basic but the notes everywhere that "under no circumstances leave anything of value in your room" made me scrutinize the lock on the door...only do discover that a slight push would bump the lock open. Nice.



Doing what I always do when I don't like where I'm staying, I jumped on the net and found the nearest Holiday Inn and booked a few days there. Arriving at the Holiday Inn was like I'd been trekking for several months and just come home to slip into a nice warm bath. Although expensive because of the late booking, it was worth every penny. If was from here that I started to plan how I was going to complete the latest challenge by Angus, Leo, Mikey and Caleb.

Out of nowhere came an email from Mark (a friend who I met at the Across The Tracks festival in Leeds) saying that he would be over in Moscow for a stag do at the weekend and would I like to come and join them. In the end his plane was delayed by a day, and I couldn't stay in Moscow any longer - I had to get to Murmansk and back before my Visa ran out - but I did meet up with Simon and Andy for an excellent night necking vodkas (I think we tried every kind there is). I was rudely awakend the next morning by the hotel security who didn't take kindly to me ignoring the "wake up and check out" phone calls from reception. Pointing out that I have an Executive Card and a reservation at the same hotel next week was the only thing that stopped them booting me out of the front door, boot-up-arse cartoon style.



Excited at the prospect of visiting Murmansk and a fun train ride through the tundra (heh, I said tundra) I merily hopped on the 36 hour train from Moscow. Trains in Russia aren't like back home, they're more like a refugee camp full of stinky sweaty Russians. When I eventually did get to Murmansk, and washed my clothes, it took 3 washes to get the stench out! 36 hours seemed like weeks. No signal on my phone, no electricity to charge my iPod, no food on the train - only when you stop at larger towns. I tried to sleep as much as possible, but the afore mentioned stinky sweaty Russians also snore like bastards.

Eventually I was in Murmansk and I was excited. It was snowing, it was cold, and it looked like a scene from Narnia. More importantly, I was off that damn train. Checking in to my hotel, I was told I had to wait 20 minutes because my room wasn't quite ready so I thought I'd grab a quick beer at the bar next to reception. I was just waiting for the bay tender when a stunning (and I mean this in a fall-of-your-seat sense) blonde Russian lady sat down next to me and bought my beer. Thinking she was a Russian pro, I called the bar tender over to help translate and it turned out she was from St Petersburg and was here as a tourist with her friends. She'd just checked out and was waiting for her tour guide to take her to the train station. But she had 2 hours to kill and wanted some company. Modestly, I explained that I wouldn't be very much company - I stank and needed a shower, and I was exhausted after the train journey. Out of nowhere she says, "you beautiful, you vanna fuck in you shower?". "Uh, ok". And that's about the time I really started to enjoy Murmansk.



A few hours later I was refocused and ready to go again. I had the YouDecide challenge to do and I was genuinely looking forward to a sauna and then jumping in the icy lake. Several hours later, I found the lake (it was pretty hard to find - everything's white!) but the people at the sauna wouldn't let me jump in the lake because it was too dangerous. I begged, and pleaded and explained I'd come all the way from London for this (thought it couldn't hurt to bend the truth slightly), but there was no way they were letting me in there. So, I filmed the forfeit. The less said about that the better.

The train ride back wasn't so bad - I was better prepared with my own food and drink, fully charged iPod, laptop, etc. And now, I'm back in Moscow waiting for my flight to Bangkok to meet Helen and Charlotte. Really excited, I need some sun and warmth badly - over the weekend the temperature dropped in Moscow too and it snowed.

Hope you're all well
D.

This video got mixed reactions. There won't be any more videos in this format because YouDecide is about to begin and the videos will be the challenges I do...

With a heavy heart I've left my friends in Italy behind, and arrived in Moscow. Unfortunately I didn't feel so good yesterday and spent the day in bed taking cold+flu capsules. Feeling better today so I headed into down-town Moscow to see the Kremlin and Red Square (wow!!)

While I was in bed yesterday I did a bit of video editing - the Italy video will be online shortly. I'm writing this for a net cafe so no video or photos today - sorry.

The first ever [unofficial] YouDecide was held to decide my next destination. Although Iran was popular (thanks you f**kers!), Moscow won (4 votes - Angus, Leo, Mike and Caleb).

The challenge goes like so -

1. Go to Moscow
2. Goto The Hungry Duck nightclub ("holy crap!!")
   
3. Visit St Petersberg
4. Check out the space center just outside Moscow
   
5. Go to Murmansk (on the 36 hour train if possible)
6. Bark like a seal
7. Swim in the freezing cold ice water

Looks like I'll probably head up there on Friday... I'm flying from Milan to Moscow on Sunday.

What a mental week it's been. Not only have I been to the Colloseum in Rome, propped up the Leaning Tower of Pisa with the Fridge, but I've been hunting the Stresa Strega - also known as the Stresa Witch - in the mountains above the lakeside village of Stresa near the Swiss/Italian border. Did I find the witch? Well, lets just say I'm editing up a video much scarier than the Edinburgh one! Stay tuned...



For those of you who enjoy travelling, Rome was very romantic and the ancient architecture and scenery along the banks of the River Tiber is beautiful. I can't recommend a trip to Rome enough. Pisa, on the other hand, was the opposite. It's nothing like I imagined - it's full of drunk old men, and skanky looking huts run by illegal immigrants. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is pretty impressive, but apart from that, there's not a lot going on. I spent 1 day and 1 night there and I was bored. However, the trip from Pisa to Milan was an unexpected treat - the train travels along the West Coast of Italy for a 3 hours, about 50 yards from the sea most of the time, and the views out of the train window kept me gawping for at least 2 hours.

Stresa sits on the edge of Lake Maggiore, just below some of the highest mountains in the region. It's a whole world away from busy Milan with mostly rich, elderly American tourists milling about the place. It reminded me of a town in Northern Canada with it's deserted high street, and colourful locals. A 15 minute ferry ride on the lake takes you to any of the 3 Borromean Islands, which are all very pretty. Alternatively, a 20-30 minute ride on the cable car (not for the faint of heart!!) takes you up to Mottarone in the mountains, giving you an opportunity to take some breathtaking photos of the mountains and the lake.



I've come back to Milan for a few days to do some travel research (and work for Leo) before I head off to China (Chengdu to be precise) on Thursday to complete Christines challenge (see the video below) - whoops, looks like that'll come later. Next destination unknown, will know tomorrow. Right now I'm staying with another person I met through couchsurfing.com - Silvia - who's been absolutely incredible...not to mention her family too who cooked me a traditional Italian Sunday lunch yesterday. Made a change from pizza (I was going for a record - 5 nights straight eating pizza for dinner!!)

Giacomo is going to install FridgeCam - a wireless spycam - which will see through the "eyes" of the fridge. Can't wait to test it out tomorrow!



And lastly, a wee video for you...

I've been in Milan for a couple of days now, wandering around with the fridge, taking in the amazing Sforzesco Castle and the Duomo Cathedral [check out the 360 view on the website] (which is still impressive even though the front has a massive array of scaffolding attached to the front). Something I'd highly recommend to any visitor is the photography exhibition in the castle showing Milan circa 1800, really gives you a feeling of life in Italy back then ... sometimes I think it hasn't changed that much!

I decided to save some money and try couchsurfing.com - basically you search for an area you want to stay in, and you get a list of people in the area who are willing to accomodate you on their couch (or spare bed if they have one) for a night or two. You might be thinking, "you're not serious? you're bound to get robbed or mugged", and I wouldn't blame you - I was thinking the same thing too, but hey, it's worth a shot right.

Having pimped me and the fridge on couchsurfing.com, last night I stayed on Genevieve's couch - right across the road from the hostel I was staying in - quite a coincidence. She'd been having a really hard day with her poorly child and broken toilet (read: nightmare Italian plumbing/plumbers) and was kind enough to put all that to one side and play host for an evening. I got to see some of Genevieves wonderful watercolour art, and learnt a little about the inspiration behind it. Talking to an artist who really knows their stuff is an eye-opener - I'm already thinking of new ways to make my designs better. It's such a shame that my industry we don't meet more traditional artists.

As I write this I'm waiting on Giacomo (who used to work with me back in the Clear Channel days) coming to pick me up so we can go for authentic Italian birthday pizza and a few shots of Creme of Lemoncella! I'm missing some of you folks back home, you know we'd normally be out somewhere for a royal piss-up tonight.

Tomorrow I'm taking the train down to Rome for a couple of days. I'm staying in a nice hotel there (part of my birthday treat), and taking the fridge to see the Colosseum. After that, I'm heading to Venice for a couple of days, and yep, you guessed it - taking the fridge out in a gondola! And beyond that? Well, I'm either staying on the shore of a lake in a place I can't quite remember right now, or with another couchsurfing.com person called Silvia. But fingers crossed, YouDecide will be live by then, so you'll decide what I do...

I'm 29 today :)

It'd really make my day if you'd donate some cash to the Round The World With A Fridge fund so I don't get stranded somewhere...

Having spent the entire day yesterday editing the Edinburgh video, I needed a break and it came in the form of Roni and Stef showing me a good time in the 'dam. Now, I've always thought that Roni was a bit of a dangerous dancing mess but last night she proved it. All the right ingredients were there - good beer followed by tequilla after tequilla, slammed to some great tunes in "Bubbels", and some very random fridge meet-n-greets (if you had a photo taken with us, please email it over so I can put it here - thanks xx) Hopefully Roni will get the photos online PDQ so you have a laugh at us partying in a rammed club with the fridge and all the other stunts we got up to. Amazingly I got to bed at 6am and didn't wake any of the funky Argentinians in my room. Shame, one of them was quite cute.

But, although this hostel is growing on me, I have a need for the internet - not this pay-as-you-go public computer rubbish. I know you want to see the Edinburgh video too :) so...with a slightly heavy heart, I'm moving to a hotel for a few days. Oi, stop heckling from the back Leo :P

There were a few challenges laid down last night. 1) go to East Holland and see the band Normaal. Having just researched them on the web, they look amazing - but unfortunately today is their last day touring this year so I'm not sure how possible this is. I can't even tell if the place they're playing in is called Ens, or it's the name of the bar. I'll find out. And 2) I'm going to China (thanks Christine)



Lastly, thanks for all your emails about YouDecide - yes, it's coming, but I thought the Edinburgh video was more important. Hopefully next week. We'll see how much I get done over the next few days. If it's any consolation, everyone I've met so far has decided what I do, and where I go, so it's sort of already happening. There's a new video waiting to be edited too.

Later homies

Hey folks

I'm safe and sound in Amsterdam but unfortunately the wi-fi in the hostel is broken so I can't do much on the web. Pity, because I've finished editing the Edinburgh video but I can't upload it.

Anyway, this is special destination - it's a double "YES". Mikey suggested this hostel so I'm here because of him. A damn fine hostel it is too, although being woken up at 4am by drunken german lads is close to my idea of slumming it. We'll see how tonight goes. The second "YES" is from Phil and Carrie - I'm going to the 420 cafe tomorrow...I've no idea what lies in wait, but I'm sure it'll be an interesting adventure.



ttfn.

(Giacomo, I'll call you in a few days...)

The fridge is still in Putney, sat by the door, anxious to leave. Unfortunately I can't leave until tomorrow because some of the essential kit I needed wasn't available. If you're feeling adventurous (or just bored) Plazes.com is tracking my every move online so you can see exactly where I am each time I log on to the net.

Oh, I'd just like to say a big thanks to only person I've met and told the fridge story to, who isn't hell-bent on making me doing crazy stunts around the world. Nurse Rachel at the Heathbridge Practice in Putney ... her worldly vaccination knowledge is second to none, I'm sure. And I didn't even feel the 4 jabs in my arms.

Thanks to everyone who came on Friday - it was great to see you all. Thanks for signing the fridge, and putting up with Jess and her almighty flash (to be fair, I did ask her to take photos so it's my fault you were all blind by Saturday) There's some photos in my flickr account if you'd care to take a look...

At last, the superhero invitations have been emailed out! These wonderful people will make the decisions that everyone votes on.

What's that? You haven't received a superhero invitation?! Well, you can either ask me for an invitation (I only have 5 3 left) or you can ask someone who's already a superhero to send you an invitation.

Oh, and those of you waiting anxiously for the Edinburgh video will have to wait a little bit longer. Sorry it's late - with all the preparations, and superhero emails, and jabs at the docs, and Leo cracking the whip I've been too busy :(

Myself, Jess and the Fridge, ghost hunting in the most haunted place in the country, if not the entire world - Covenanters Prison in Edinburgh.

Full video will be online tomorrow, this is just a teaser.

To test the fridge out, I'm taking it to Edinburgh next Sunday for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'll be videoing the whole adventure and posting it online - on Tuesday. Needless to say, this will be an AWESOME video to get the ball rolling, and I'm almost wetting myself with excitement!

Auw, you're all so eager. I love you all. Keep all the emails coming with your questions, I love replying to them.

The past two weeks have been hectic talking to companies trying to find sponsorship for the flights and the video camera. Although I've not got a shiny new video camera next me, or piles of cash, it's safe to say there's a couple of promising deals in the works. I can't say much more at the moment while we're working out the small print. But, if you're keen to help out, there's now a donation section on the left where you can donate some money to the travel expenses. For your troubles, I'll shower you with my eternal gratitude and dedicate a video to you. I could be doing anything. Surely it's worth the money to see me doing anything, right?! ;)

You're probably wondering when I'm leaving? It was supposed to be next week, but I said "YES!" to going to the Bestival Festival on the Isle of Wight this weekend so I'll need next week to recover. So, the official leaving date (drum roll please) is Saturday 23rd September. There will be a leaving party on the Friday night (22nd) - venue to be decided - and I'll be sending invites out. Expect to a) have your photo taken with the fridge, and b) be in some kind of video. Best frocks girls, and best hats and moustaches guys.

To test out the fridge, and the new legs'n'wheels (sorry, the harness was bad news), I'll be taking it to Edinburgh around the 17th September. Why Edinburgh you ask? Because we're going ghost hunting with a TV crew!! I'll post the video online when it's ready.

The official YouDecide website, where you'll be able to vote on what I do next, will be launching shortly. This blog is not the fridge website - it's just a blog. Btw, if I don't have your email address, you won't receive a special invitation that gives you super-powers on the new website. Who'd wanna be Clark Kent when you could be Superman? Capeesh?

Captain Fridgeman over and out!

The best thing about the fridge adventure is when you meet someone for the first time, and I tell them what I'm doing and how it all works. Eventually the penny drops and they realise I'm not on the wind-up (or trying to sleep with them) and they give me "the look". That's when I know they get it.

Last night I met Laura and Luca - Laura's a nurse and best friends with Liv, and Luca's from Milan (he has a macho goatie, but it's not nearly as epic as Angus's well-trimmed beardage). And guess what! Turns out Luca knows a DJ in Sforzesco Castle in Milan (a primo venue) and he's gonna put me on the guestlist if I go to Italy.



... hey Giacomo - I'm coming to see you, we're gonna go party! :)

Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you've probably heard about the airline bomb plot last week. An unfortunate consequence of the hightened security is that only the bare essentials are allowed to go as hand luggage (passport, travel documents, and other non-electrical, non-liquid items). I spoke to BA this morning and a representitive said;

"it seems unlikely that current security protocols will be completely lifted by September 11th [the date I leave], even though the threat level was downgraded this morning. I would advise you to check the fridge in, with adequate protection to prevent it being damaged during transit."

I have to say, this is a huge disappointment, what's the point of travelling round the world with the fridge in the hold? As of now, I'm investigating alternative transport routes that don't involve flying so that I can spend as much time as possible with the fridge.

This is the first in a series of videos where rude-boy Juddy gets busy with a spray-can and makes the fridge into a frosty friesian.



www.myspace.com/juddyboy

I've just come back from an amazing weekend in Leeds - been dancing solidly for almost 40 hours at the Across The Tracks festival. Met a wicked couple, Angus (an amazing photographer) and Kate (a funky Buddhist who makes tasty Quinoa delights), who've added an element of danger to the fridge travels. Angus has promised to be the proverbial "spanner in the works" and will be making sure that when people decide what I do next, it's not dull. I believe in this man, he's a determined fellow with all the childish mischeviousness of Arnold, from Different Strokes.



Randomly, I bought Angus's sunglasses. Damn nice ones too, but I do feel a bit like I've cut off Samsons hair. Don't worry Angus, you'll see 'em again.

Andy, our resident bad-boy stencil graffiti artist, has put together this wicked design for the fridge. Expect some photos of the finished Fridge soon! I should get one of those mooboxes and put it in the fridge so that if it gets bumped, it moo's. Aaah, love it.



Stop by Juddys myspace page, it makes him happy

Did you read that?!? I'll be the FIRST person to go round the world with a freakin fridge! Awesome!

Just when I was starting to think my "YES!" project (saying "YES!" to everything) was starting to dry up, Bang! Stevo ups the ante!

Myself and the boys are stood outside O'Neills one night after work, having a beer or twelve, and Stevo lays down the biggest challenge. Ever. See for yourself...



I actually planned just to dissappear this morning, but then I realised that there's quite a bit of planning involved, and it would be cool to let people decide what I do and where I go...