Thailand, OZ, New Zealand, USA

jimi whats with the picture of seaham viaduct?

first pic is alcatraz in the backround aye!

teh 2nd pic is a of the rocky creek bridge!-outstanding veiws and the bridge itself, how its built and embedded on the rock is lush

thats on route 101

but say we DO go to Vietnam, where would be good places to visit in a short space of time?

also...

we're thinking of going North of Sydney when we go to Oz so we can head towards the warmer weather, anyone been to Brisbane/Byron Bay (or any places on the way) and can recommend places to see, eat etc?

^

I think Ferox lives there now?

hanoi in the north
ho chi minh in the south
vinh moc tunnels - that's around hue with the north/south divide.
the beaches in the south are supposed to be amazing

the north of the country has seasons where as the south is hot all year round.

Daz, Byron Bay is ace but didn't think that much of Brisbane.

Melbourne is much better.

Yeah, was speaking to someone at work yesterday who told me not to spend much time in Brisbane as there aint much to do.

Really fancy going to Melbourne as i've nothing but good things about it. Also found out that in Queenstown, NZ, you can have a week snowboarding inc. lift pass, board + clothing hire, for about £200!!

>> Ruth, cheers

Yeah he does, he hates it too, the poor lad can't wait to come back to the good old north east of england

Brisbane/Queensland/Gold Coast are great for a holiday, but its difficult trying to live here. Australia has notoriously bad customer service, the worst in the world some people say. Count on waiting 2-3 months for furniture to be delivered, and if its late and broken (as has happened with everything so far unless you go to physically pick it up - thats why everyone has a ute), don't expect anyone to give a fuck - the unions control the show here, and Aussies are bad workers. Queenslanders class themselves as laid back - no, they are just fucking lazy. Victoria is the switched on state!

You will need a credit card to book into hotels, so make sure you have one sorted out before you go (some backpacker places accept cash deposit though). If you want an Aussie sim card for your phone, the phone company will need an Aussie address, and your passport detials (even for pay as you go).

Eat Moreton Bay Bugs, a cheap mans lobster! Lush! Eating out is cheap, and portions are generally big, but again, the customer service aint great! Mainly english style food, steaks, sausages etc. Pies are the big snack here. There's also a lot of Chinese/South East Asians in Brisbane, and a fairly big China Town. Weak beer is popular due to the drink driving laws (very strict, if your under 25 and have any trace of alcohol, automatic ban). You can usually bring your own drink to the lower to mid prices restaurants.

Oz is ok, nice weather and climate, but the culture is like a watered down version of Britishness, mixed in with American habit of oversizing things and cars. Much prefer other places.

At work, its blocked

We saw a 'Pie Drive-Through' in Queensland