Cambodia Adventures : 6. Temple Raidin', Findin' Heaven on Earth and Akim, the Lost Child of Angkor Wat....

Soo-a-s'day!

I decided to do a seperate blog about my explorations of the Temples of Angkor as they are so magnificent I thought I'd do some 'Temple Video Diaries' to give you a chance to see a snippet of my raidin' adventures in the ancient temples of Angkor....

Enjoying the sunset at Heaven on Earth at the waters of Angkor Wat...

Cambodia Volunteering : 5. House Build #4 Lisa in Phnom Krom and English lessons at the Pagoda

Soo-a-s'day!

Greetings again from Cambodia which has now been for over a month and has flown by! (and I have a seriously defined right bicep!)

House Build #4 comes from the nearby village of Phnom Krom where we're building a brand new wooden house for a kind young lady named Lisa and her struggling husband with an 18 month old son :)

Cambodia Volunteering : 4. Treak Community School, Shadow Puppets, Artisans DÁngkor, Silk Farm Factory and Phnom Penh Children's Hospital

Soo-a-s'day!

Greetings from Cambodia on Week #4 of my volunteer building relief work in Cambodia.

No house building this week, so I decided to go to a Cambodian School partnered with Volunteer Building Cambodia in the Treak Village Community. The school which I have to ride 4km from Siem Reap on a bicycle, provides free schooling for children aged nursery age plus, have been raising money through volunteer donations to build a vast expansion to their school as a community centre -  new classroom, toilets, meeting room, library, workshop rooms for women's courses, wash facilities and a playing field to provide modern and fresh facilities to the community.

Cambodia Volunteering : 3. House Build #3 Mother, Four Kids and One Bed - Thnung Vilage, Meeting Mother Buddha, Khmer Dancing, Do Goodin' at the Orphanage, Breaking Landmine Victims and Lunch'n with Monk'ns....

Soo - a - s'day!

Welcome to blog #3 of my adventures here in the Great Kingdom of Cambodia! Thank you again for your donations towards my project here with Volunteer Building Cambodia . I have now completed my third house build in Thnung Village about 50 minutes out of Siem Reap.  The family receiving the house is a 47 year old mother with four children who were sharing this small thatched palm leaved dwelling on a plot of land her mother had given her behind her own house. They had one room, one bed and two of the children are teenagers who had to drop out of school to go help their mum by working on a rubber tree farm. The others can't go to school because it is too far away for them to walk there - so we came to change that!

Cambodia Volunteering : 2. House Build #2 Mother & Son in Kror Peu Village, Kun Khmer Boxing, Phare Cambodian Circus and Blessed by a Buddhist Monk!

Soo-a-s’day!

I have finished the second house build in my international relief trip to Cambodia.  This is house build #2 and I'm out 45 minutes from Siem Reap city in a place called Kror Peu Village (Crocodile Village) We''ve started a brand new 'stilt style' house of Khmer Kadar style wood with a team of about 20 of us so hence all the bangin'! The family we are building for are a young boy and his mother who was abused by her alcoholic husband who eventually committed suicide. The two of them were living in a small one room thatched palm tree leaved roof house which we demolished and built a stilt style house with a room and porch for them to have. It’s a beautiful setting of rural Cambodia and the community are very sweet and appreciative.

Cambodia Volunteering : 1. House Build #1, The Floating Villages of Kompong Khleang and a Monk named Kosol

Release of my E-Book! The Show Must Go On - Being with an Australian Travelling Zoo

Hello World! 

Today on this cold winter December day here in the UK is my birthday so.... I thought it might be an opportune time and occasion to say please BUY MY FIRST E-BOOK 'The Show Must Go On - Being with an Australian Travelling Zoo' which was just one of my many far-fetched experiences during my travels Down Under.

An adaptation of my story was first published overseas in German last year for travel book 'Australien wie wir es sehen' - so I've now brought you the uncut, full length English version for you to enjoy! will download from Amazon to all KINDLE DEVICES, IPAD AND IPHONES around the world.

'About The Time' ...The Quirks of Amsterdam and The Cat Boat!

'Yarr, I was riding past to verk along de Singel and stopped outside de Oude Lutherse Kerk and looked at zis canal boot and thought....hey zat boot is full of kats!'

A canal 'boot' full of cats!....meaning 'boat' in Dutch that is, said my strong accented dutch guide.... 
I'd been staying at the friendly Shelter Hostel right in the heart of the 'City of Diamonds' and took the opportunity to join their free guided walking tour of Amsterdam on a gloriously light but chilly Friday morning in the core of wintertime in The Netherlands.  Funny enough as cold it was for this chick from Blighty, Amsterdam was experiencing its mildest winter for many years.....only - 6 C. Brrrr. 

Meeting The Amazon Man - Alan Holman - The Record Breaking Kayak Down The Amazon

Ahh life....row row row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.....not for this guy it wasn't....and it certainly wasn't a stream.....

Last week, I met an incredible Guinness World Record Holder.....my first one too!

Now at 68, British man Alan Holman who in 1982 at the age of 38, is the first and only man on record that has ever kayaked the entire length of the 4,000 mile long Amazon River, you know what he said to me...

'Young lady, nothing ...is 100% impossible, but  
                  nothing is 100% sure'

                            awww.

Two Summer Books that will Inspire the Free Spirit in you!

Hello people,

It's still summer and you should be in high spirits!! so I'd like to share with you two fantastic travel books I own that are guaranteed to inspire the free spirit you've always wanted to unleash!


How to Travel The World on $5 A Day : Travel, Cheaper, Longer, Smarter
- Matt Kepnes

'TRAVEL CAN BE DONE ON A BUDGET WITHOUT SACRIFICING COMFORT OR THE ADVENTURE YOU SEEK'

Bingo! isn't that just music to the ears of anyone who has dreamt of exploring to the ends of the fantastical suspending sphere of Planet Earth - 'without sacrificing comfort OR the adventure you seek'. C'mon this is not just another 'travel book' appearing on the shelf, its written by long term American traveller Matt Kepnes from the largest travel blog online  today Nomadic Matt who has gathered invaluable information from his seven years of full time travelling on a budget around 70 countries to date....he knows a thing or two about travelling, showing you that by spending approximately $50 a day, you can travel longer without having to be living the cliché life of a pauper on bread and water and squatting in rat infested backpackers with dripping ceilings as a budget traveller (I have never had a rat as a roommate but was lucky enough to get a dripping ceiling on one occasion!). Matt generously shares his experience and knowledge in an attempt to eradicate the 'travel is just for the rich' or 'too expensive' ethos that acts as an obstacle to many who dream of adventure and discovery without breaking the bank. Full of tricks, tips and secrets the book includes how to live and budget differently whilst saving for your travels, how to get free flights, finding cheap and comfortable accommodation and how to make your finances last for travelling cheaper, longer and smarter....plus more. 




Disrupting The Rabblement : Think For Yourself, Face Your Fears, Live Your Dreams, Piss Off Some Zombies
- Niall Doherty

Friendly Irish-born Niall Doherty of 'Disrupting the Rabblement' quit his job nearly three years ago and has since become a self-employed vagabond. Choosing to think for himself, he remains unconditioned by society to pursue his passions and help other people escape mediocrity whilst he takes on the challenge of travelling around the world without flying. Along with his You Tube Channel 'Renaissance TV' his E-book 'Disrupting the Rabblement' is his personal take on showing people how to 'rabble rouse' taking control of their own lives, challenging conformity and eradicate thoughtless living....tempting you to realise you can become fully conscious to your decisions and living a more fulfilling life.

In his own words..

'Disrupting the Rabblement is for all those people who have been doing what was expected of them and following all the rules, only to find that type of life extremely unfulfilling. It’s also for people who have already broken free and are aiming to make a positive difference in the world. It’s for anyone who wants to think for themselves, follow their dreams and help others do the same.'



Read the book if this sounds like you....its not a crime to think for yourself or say 'That doesn't make sense to me....'

Happy reading!



Carribean Sports Fever - How A New UK Initiative is Nurturing the Islands Hidden Talents

Ok, so the British Summer is around the corner, well you would think on some days but then on others you're disappointedly whipping out the winter wardrobe again. But.... usually summer time means the emergence of more active sporting activities with the more tolerable temperatures and prolonged lighter evenings in our favour. But some places out there in this big wide world, really, in the one outside your back garden, the gym or your local park or playground, are missing out on sporting opportunities due to their poor or otherwise non existent sports infrastructure.

Australia Adventures: 21. Journey To The Red Centre, Daley Waters Pub and 'Dinky The Singing Dingo'...

G'Day! Greetings from the Rugged Red Centre, the real essence of Australia!

Australia Adventures: 18. The Home of The Crocodile Hunter, Brizzy Brisbane and Goodbye to Queensland!

Hi everyone!

                                       The soothing serenity of Noosa Heads....

Welcome to my latest instalment of my endeavour to discover the wonderful Land of Oz...

Last time I left you I had been introducing myself to the Fraser Island Dingo's and continued travelling south down the east coast of Australia to the swanky sunshine town of Noosa Heads.
The town had a lot of roundabouts but good surf, not that I can surf well, but I rented a board from a backpackers that the hostel owner in 1770 had built himself and sent me packing there. Man, its fun having fun on the water out here! but people are very protective of their waves out here though which is pretty trivial to me, but I was rooming with a ex marine from the United States who was educating me about his four year life in the marines which was pretty fascinating. This is what I love about travelling, it gets you out of your familiar social circle and throws you in the mix with individuals from all different cultures and all walks of life. Love it, Love it, Love it! At the bottom of the road we had the Noosa river, perfect for a spot of chilling and fishing for my marine friend!

Australia Adventures: 16. The Art of Fruitpicking, Under The Bridge and Escape To The Outback...

Hello! or G'Day! should I say...

Thanks for checking in to my latest blog from my Cross Country trip Down Under....

Australia Adventures: 13. Kickin ' up Cairns and Last Train from Kuranda

Last time I was reporting of my adventures in the Land of Oz I was in Port Douglas. Pretty place to hang for a bit....

Strange things you find in hostels....

Having not spending much time in Cairns when I arrived there the first time back in April, I ventured back there and into the Aboriginal Rainforest Regions of Kuranda on a skyrail flying over the beautiful rainforest. 'The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway' is one of the world's longest cableways stretching 7.5 kms over North Queensland's Tropical Rainforest to the cute village of Kuranda, nestled amongst the cocoon of the tropical rainforest - spectacular!

Yeah that little black shadow blob in the middle there....yeah thats me

Upon descending at Kuranda after gliding for 90 minutes over the rainforest, the village itself sprawls out throbbing with quaint, eco market stalls as 'Boots' and I trudged around the aura of friendly locals - but of course very touristy as it provides a great day tripper for travellers from Cairns.  
I then took up a visit to a Rainforestation Park, which again is an enormous tourist park where I got better acquainted with some Aussie Wildlife Locals......

yeah not the smartest idea....

Riding in Army Ducks through the rainforest with a 'true blue' Aussie guide (they're really cool, they drive on land and then plunge into water and drive like a boat)

The highlight of my trip to Kuranda was witnessing a male Aborigine ceremonial dance performance which was very different to anything I'd seen before, which paid homage to the dream time stories and native Australian animals that different Aborigine skin names hold so sacredly. They even made fire in less than ten seconds...now they know how to survive. They later took us outside to give us a spear throwing, boomerang and primal hunting demonstrations - woowww!!!! watching six boomerangs being thrown at once swivelling through the air was incredible to watch. I decided to take a more adventurous way back into Cairns by walking down to the pretty little Kuranda station to find a traditional old steam train waiting for me how cute!

The Kuranda Scenic Railway took me 34km winding through the tranquil picturesque mountains and rainforest (waterfalls!) back to the cement, iron world of Cairns with the wind rippling through my way as we roared back into the city welcomed by the friendly waves of passer-bys who were all so familiar with the train passing through daily. Great Train Journey - highly recommend it. 

I was taken by the reef so much after visiting it off Cape Tribulation that I attended a marine school for a day back in Cairns being lectured about the World of The Great Barrier Reef (Do you know that Dory is actually a dangerous fish from Finding Nemo? No!)

Until next time....

With Lonely Planet Travel Guide Australia

Australia Adventures: 10. Dreamin' Avocados, Livin' as a Tourist Attraction and My One Trick Pony (well...Horse)

G'Day Everybody!

Its been a while since I've been near a computer as I've been way out here getting grubby and dirty in the country.

Well for the past weeks I have been working on Avocado farms in a small town called Kairi outside of Atherton in the Tablelands of Tropical Northern Queensland. The town is the complete reverse of life as I am used to in London with it consisting of one road with a pub and a shop....thats it.

The job at the first farm I was initially working for packing avocados into boxes only lasted 2 weeks which wasn't going to be enough funds to get me up to Rainforest and to The Great Barrier Reef so I had to come up with a contingency plan which are really helpful to have on the road when you get unpredictable curve balls like this.

I moved into the Kairi pub manned by a jittery old Aussie bloke named Finn who sat in the laundry room drinking 'XXXX Lager' or 'Toohey's New' the popular Queensland drink in a small bottle 'Stubbie' (contrary to what the outside world thinks, Aussie's don't drink 'Fosters'). The word 'Bloody' over here is used in pretty much most sentences which makes no one utter in disgust as a curse word - even on the beer labels the serving instructions tell you to serve it 'Bloody Cold' ha!

The pub was extremely cheap rent, a tip off I got from another backpacker picking Avocados at my last farm and borrowed one of the locals scooters to cruise around the surrounding potato, peanut and 'Avo' farms that were in season asking for work to the drawling farmers telling me to go somewhere else. I survived nibbling on the corn from the fields and of course on free avocados and faced getting chased by dogs and spooking out rock wallabies in the grass.

Fate smiled on me and I eventually landed myself another job on a neighbouring Avocado farm where the farmer I was working for lent me a bicycle from his family shed so I could get to the farm and didn't leave me totally anchored at the pub. The farmlands were beautiful cycling through them at sunset after work. It was a godsend and with that and my scooter I occasionally borrowed, 'Boots' and I could take some adventures exploring across the farmlands and down to the enormous artificial Lake Tinaroo

A cute thing I have noticed out here in the Australian country is that farmers families harvest their crops and then sell them in a little shack on the roadside with an 'honesty' system where passerbys donate a few dollars in a money box in exchange for a bag of avocados or paw paws. How sweet! can't imagine it happening in London, but the mentality of folk are refreshingly honest and different out here. My boss' son Joel made it his own little business with his dads Avocados and I always found it charming passing his little stall on the roadside after I'd finished work offering a bag of Avos for $2. Bargain.

It has been a far more authentic experience for me living with the locals than living in a backpackers in Atherton or in the city beause I was seeing the 'real' australia - living and drinking (kind of hard not to when you live in a pub) with the small town local characters playing dart and pool against them and in theory treated as one of them (even though at times I did feel quite a tourist attraction being the only girl aside from mature Margy the barmaid in that pub for a long time, you have to tolerate quite a bit) I've come to know everyones dog here as all Aussie farmers have a faithful friend - this one is Schooner who's a regular and is happy to give you a high five...

And some that like to drop by too...

As I was such a 'nice pommie girl in gum boots' 'Boots' were put to good use as we were treated to motorbike rides into the Queensland hills, fishing outings, swimming in the lakes and the Millaa Waterfalls, and an aboriginal led Rainforest walk by a member of the Ngadjonji Aborigine community in Malanda. Most names of places have a very evident and distinct Aborigine influence here - Yungaburra, Malanda, Millaa....kinda cool.
You know I thought there were things out in the Amazon rainforest which were bad but in the Australian Rainforests up here in the tropics, there is a certain type of plant called a 'Stinging Tree' which is pretty much a no brainer for most people. Well they are this small stemmed plant with a heart shape and jagged edges, if touched the folicules from the leaves getting under your skins and cause a rash and burning pain - yikes!

spying a very rare 'Tree Kangaroo'...I was so lucky to see one because they are not out and about often.

Of course, I've had to keep myself entertained in the pub too and was asked to join the towns pool team and travelled around the Tablelands playing pool against other towns which was great excuse to go see other places and meet more Australian folk - besides I was the only 'Shiela' too! I even played against the native Aborigines which was quite a highlight for me - and perfected my house of coaster card building record too of course.....can even hold a stubbie of Cider

Queensland is a beautiful part of Australia, my favourite so far. Just when I found myself starting to dream about Avocados after a month or so, the market for them went down - they weren't selling enough so there was no need to harvest them anymore. I alternately stayed at the pub and started washing farmers cars and even their dogs (would you believe) while they came in to have a drink and cleaning locals houses and sheds for money - some were very generous but not so keen on washing cars anymore! I also helped collect firewood from farms and cut them for the fire and helped out in the pubs restaurant at night in exchange for my rent. So I've been working as the Aussies say 'Bloody hard!'

There is definitely some interesting people living in pubs why they are there, how they got there - many of them alcoholics! but usually if you advertise the fact you need a job, many people will try and give you some leads. Its the kindness of human nature.
Every year, the Australian Sporting World erupts with competitive aggression for something very poignant in their Sporting Calendar called the 'State of Origin' rugby game which is like the World Cup here in Oz. Its an iconic showdown on the rugby pitch in a series of matches between the states of Queensland and New South Wales which the whole town gets into. Being in Queensland I had to go with supporting the 'Cane Toads' and it was a great match to watch for the first time in the Kairi pub with the locals especially because Queensland won.

To finish off this blog I also had my own horse up here...very random I know and this is something I always wanted as a little girl as I love horses. He's not really mine in theory - a 6 year Clydesdale named Pablo, he's gorgeous but doesn't get ridden much by the guy who keeps him in his boatyard and offered me to come and treat him like my own. I've been learning to ride him bareback but he hasn't been ridden in a long time so he's very lazy but I love him. Horses are much more accessible here than they are in the snooty Equestrian world of England where your mother needs to be in the Pony Club....ok bit of an exaggeration but still I can have him all to myself.

But as life is going on, the snowball affect of sadness will be rolling as now its time to play so 'Boots' and I will be saying goodbye in a couple of days and will be leaving the sleepy town of Kairi and the quirky Aussie characters behind to embark on the next stage of my travels up through the Daintree Rainforest enroute to Cape Tribulation and out to the Marine paradise of the The Great Barrier Reef...

 Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!

See ya

With Lonely Planet Travel Guide - Australia