I see this page as a form of diary keeping - its fascinating to me to see how my plans change so much over time. I'm not the sort of person who goes into a travel agent and books every day of their holiday down to what they eat for each meal. I don't think the "Big Plan" will change (travel around the world) but all the countries in between will change, as will all the smaller details too. So, the following details will no doubt be added to over time as my ideas are always changing and adapting to circumstances.

	The Whopping Big Overall Plan: To travel around the world on the ground in one unbroken line without flying. Oh, and only using public transport too. This isn't really possible to do in one go, well, not with my bank balance anyhow. I've got a while to spend doing it though. So far, I can trace a line on the ground from the Arctic circle in Iceland all the way to the bottom of the Malaysian peninsula (there's a wee gap though between Poland and Moscow which I still have to though). That's about 40,000km of travel. Then there's a gap between that and Australia - which I was hoping to cover when I left Oz by island hopping through Indonesia to Singapore, but the area was a bit unstable at that time. The biggest challenge will will be to get from Asia to the Americas - one can drive across the Baring Strait at one point of the year - but it's v. expensive so that stage will have to wait for a couple of years! Just below is a map of my progress, and below that are the "plans":   More general plans: The following cover periods of around a year, and are ordered chronologically: [ Plan as of Dec 2007 ] [ Plan as of May 2006 ] [ Plan as of Feb 2006 ] [ Plan as of Nov 2005 ] [ Plan as of March 2005 ] [ Plan as of June 2004 ] [ Plan as of July 2003 ] [ Plan as of Feb 2003 ] [ Plan as of July 2002 ] [ Plan as of June 2002 ] The following are written post hoc, i.e.: what I "think-I-thought-I-planned". Kapeesh? [ Plan as of Feb 2002: ] [ Plan as of Sep 2001: ] [ Plan as of July 2001: ]

Plan as of December 2007:

Short term:

Am now married and just got back from our Honeymoon in Central America. We had thought about living in Edmonton, but that idea fell through after a few decisions were made. Now we're setting up shop in Calgary, staying in Tina's sister's basement again. Tina has found a job in the Building industry and I'm looking for IT work, although it's tricky as I need a company to sponsor my Work Visa. The plan is to get said visa either through an employer or by Tina filling in all the forms. Currently though we're both really enjoying ourselves and it's great to be 'home'.

Long term:

So this is it really - semi-settled down. Still want to travel more in the future, but more of the mini-trips rather than 2 year long odysseys like previously. Even an International playboy needs some roots. The idea is to live in the basement for a year saving funds for a downpayment on a house. Actual timespan depends on how quickly we can save and how soon I can get a Visa and a job.

Plan as of May 2006:

Short term:

Time to get back on the road again then. Come July 3rd, it's back to Blighty for a couple of weeks. Gotta drink heavily on overpriced beer, and plan the wedding. Then in August it's back to Korea to teach again.

Long term:

Once in Korea we'll stay for a year trying to save up cash for the whole "apparently weddings are quite expensive" thang. Currently the wedding is semi-planned for Early October 2007. For the Honeymoon, it's off to South America for us. Not sure on the exact details, but we'd like to stay in the continent for around a year I think - really want to do some aid work there for a few months at least. This is about as firm as the plans are for that year. We'll get the details sorted as we get closer to it. After that, the 5 year plan has changed only slightly: Mid 2008 to mid 2009  Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2009 to mid 2010 Live in London for a year, trying to not spend all our cash, maybe even save some! Mid 2010 to mid 2011 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2011 to mid 2012 Travel from China to Tibet to Nepal to India Mid 2012 to mid 2013 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2013 onwards Realise that I'm too old to be gallivanting around the world having a good time, and settle down. The current plan is to settle in Calgary, Canada - not for the beauty of the city (it's ugly) but rather so Tina can go into partnership with her sister to become a realtor, and I can work in town as an English teacher.

HINDSIGHT

It went well in the short term although the "Work in Korea for the third time come mid 2008" part has been scrapped. We're going to make a go of things in Canada without one more Korea. Both Tina and I are tired of Korea - it's not a bad place per se, it's just that Canada suits us so much better and we really love it here. Korea is warmer though...

Plan as of February 2006:

Short term:

Not a huge amount has changed since
November apart from the long term plan.
 

Long term:

The long long-term plan is the same (once we leave Canada in Autumn 2006 - see below), but the ideas for spring 2006 have changed. We've pretty much run out of cash, so I don't think we'll be able to afford the trans-Canada road trip. It turns out that ski gear + ski passes + climbing gear + an Alaska trip all add up to a fair bit o' cash. So, as a compromise, we will stay in Calgary so that Tina can work for longer in a guaranteed job, and we can take loadsa mini-trips around Alberta and BC. This makes serious financial sense as the road trip would probably cost upwards of CDN$10,000 - a bit of a hefty credit card debt to get into when we don't know if Tina will be able to work in Korea again. For me I'm not too sad about missing out on the big trans-Canada road trip, as I feel that we can do that another day in the future. Alberta and BC on the other hand, has lots to offer us with tonnes of Mountain Bike routes and climbing areas to explore. Once it gets warm, I can throw the bed frame back in the van, and we can spend Tina's days off camping overnight in the national parks and exploring. I'm actually quite looking forward to it all too.

Plan as of November 2005:

Short term:

Living in Tina's sister's house is good, and it's nice to have a stable base for a change. Gonna spend the winter skiing in the Banff area and spending my spare time scanning my backlog of photo negatives (around 7,000 at last count) so as to update the website and create a portfolio for sale.

Long term:

Very similar to the Long Term Plan of March 2005 really, except there's no way we can afford to travel around the States as well as Canada: Spring 2006 Come spring, use the Camper Van to see the rest of Canadaland Summer 2006 Back to London to visit my friends/family again for a week or two August 2006 to August 2007 Off to Korea for another year teaching and saving money for more shenanigans! Autumn 2007 Get married!!! Post wedding to mid 2008 Travel around South America on an extended honeymoon, and maybe do some aid work. Mid 2008 to mid 2009 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2009 to mid 2010 Travel from China to Tibet to Nepal to India Mid 2010 to mid 2011 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2011 Realise that I'm too old to be mucking around making websites…

HINDSIGHT

Not much to screw up here, well apart from breaking my legs skiing or some such. All was good though, although it was quite a mission getting up early in the morning, packing together all the kit, and driving 1½ hours to the hill. Can't complain though - it was a great time. Something we hadn't planned on though was us running out of cash so soon. I think we made it to Christmas before I had used every penny, and Tina had to go to work at a local Italian restaurant. Really I would have worked, but the labour laws here are really strict and no one would hire a smelly tourist like me. Oh well - was a easy life for me!

Plan as of March 2005:

Short term:

Teaching is going well, although after 8 months I am getting bored of asking the same questions and covering the same textbook chapters repeatedly. My lease in my current accommodation runs out at the end of April, so at this time I will be moving in with my girlfriend Tina. She's a lovely lass so I see no problems with this at my end, although how the girl deals with the day-to-day aspects of living with the Dodgy Barnet is anyone's guess! Ha! It'll be great I'm sure… looking forward to it actually. At the end of June my contract runs out, so then I'm outta here! Counting the days!

Long term:

Very similar to the Long Term Plan of June 2004, just with some extra baggage! Having cunningly fallen in love with a Canadian means I have a traveling companion to join me around North America. I am fantastically excited about the traveling with her around the following places: July: 1. Get the fark outta Korea! 2. Spend 4 weeks lazing on a beach in Thailand with Tina; relaxing, drinking cocktails, sleeping, and getting a tan. Heaven! 3. Go back to England at the end of the month. August / September: Back in London with Tina in tow for: 1. Drinking with friends I haven't seen for a year 2. Drinking with family I haven't seen for a year 3. Get my driving licence. Er… 3rd time lucky? (Yeah - Ah Shuddup!) September / October 1. Off to Canada to meet Tina's family 'n' friends 2. Buy a Camper Van and use it to tour around N.W.Canada and Alaska before winter kicks in and it gets too cold 3. Stay at Tina's sister's house in Calgary and do a ski season - a tri-pass in Banff sounds like the puppy for me! A whole ski season! Yeah baby!!! Spring 2006 1. Come spring, use the Camper Van to see the rest of Canadaland 2. If we have enough money we'll tour round the States too. I'd say a 30% chance of still having enough dough… We'll see… Summer 2006 1. Back to London to visit my friends/family again for a week or two 2. Off to Korea for another year teaching and saving money for more shenanigans! (mid 2006 to mid 2007) Mid 2007 to mid 2008 Travel around South America Mid 2008 to mid 2009 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2009 to mid 2010 Travel from China to Tibet to Nepal to India Mid 2010 to mid 2011 Work in Korea* *Or wherever has good teaching jobs available - we're not picky! for a year and save money Mid 2011 Realise that I'm too old to be mucking around making websites…

HINDSIGHT

Well that wen pretty well. Sure enough I moved in with Tina and not only did we manage to kill each other (well, lets be more accurate: she didn't kill me!), but my school paid me $400/month to do it. Sweet. The one hour commute 4 times a day sucked though. I read like a thousand books on the subway though. I don't think I could have put up with it again though. Losing 4 hours a day to travel really blows. Additionally all went well with the school paying my severance pay too. I was concerned as they wouldn't pay up to the 15th of July - 2 weeks after I had left the country. With over $5,000 owed to me I was understandably nervous, but true to their word I was paid in full. Excellent.

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: I'd managed to find some work teaching adults English in Seoul, South Korea. Having not started yet it seemed like a pretty sweet deal with the only real drag being the timing: teaching classes from 7am-10am, and then 5pm-8pm. This meant that a cheeky afternoon siesta would be imperative for my mental well-being, but would allow me to do more with my day.

Plan as of June 2004:

Short term:

So, with my ESL teaching job lasting for a whole year, my plans for the future revolve around surviving Korea for the next 12 months. I'd like to be able to do a few mini-trips on the weekends and on my whopping 6 days off in the year. Additionally I really want to be able to make inroads on my photography - I've got over 7,000 to play with from Asia alone.

Long term:

As mentioned above, the teaching gig lasts for a whole year and as such that's planning taken care of 'till July 2005. Assuming that North Korea behaves itself and doesn't invade while I'm here, then after a year I should have around £6,000 saved up. With this revolution-financing quantity of cash stuffed in my pockets I'll pop back to Blighty for two months to see my friends and family. Then, once everyone is suitably bored of my presence, I'll go spend my saved cashola exploring all of Canada and the States. I think 6 grand should make a fair go of the northern continent, but I'll surely have run out of cash by the time I reach South America. What I do then is open to debate. Maybe some more English teaching, but that will never pay well enough for me to save anything. I guess I'll leave that bit for fate to figure out. Isn't the future fun?

HINDSIGHT

Pretty close actually. Short terms was accurate in that I spent a year teaching in Seoul, and did manage to do some of my photography backlog. Long term wise seems to be going to plan at least (as of March 2005) although I'm gonna save more like £10,000 rather than a paltry 6 grand. Clearly the biggest unforeseen event was meeting the lovely Tina, who I'll be traveling with for the foreseeable future (till she dumps my ass!). Doing a ski season I think was her idea, and a cracking one it is too - I've always wanted to do a whole season! Then, come spring, we can go on a road trip together and pool resources; something I couldn't have done alone. As she's a Canadian this cunningly ties into my Long Term plans anyway - how fortuitous!

Plan as of July 2003:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: On first arriving back in the UK I lived at my sisters tiny apartment on the floor. This temporary arrangement dragged on for about 5 months as I was too lazy to get a flat. Eventually I found both a great job as a Psychologist at a little IT company, and a nice flat too. I also managed the dubious personal honour of remaining single for the longest period since leaving school - I swear the 1.5 million single women in London were all avoiding me… Some people play hard to get, I play hard to want!

Short term:

Well now that I'm back in the UK I might as well enjoy myself. I'll find a job and save some money for the next big push. Great to see my friends and family again. Plan to spend the summer here and then run off after new year.

Long term:

The Korea teaching thang is still Top of the Pops. It still sounds like a cunning plan despite Dubya blowing the crap out of Iraq, and North Korea getting all testy.

HINDSIGHT:

Hmmm… Long term plan is still a keeper, but as usual things take longer than planned as I stayed in the UK for longer than expected - leaving in June 2004 rather than after new year. I'd found a great job at an IT company that allowed me to slack like never before, and I really enjoyed being around friends and family, so stayed in Blighty longer than I'd originally intended. That said though, I did manage to escape to Korea having turned down a couple of choice job opportunities - you see I've seen it happen so many times: a relaxed traveler finds a job, planning to save some cash and then move on. Thing is though, they keep staying "just a couple of months more" because of a promotion at work / because they've found a nice flat / nice partner… Then one day they're 40 with a mortgage and kiddies and never did leave. Is this a bad thing? Well not necessarily, as long as they don't regret not having traveled more. "It's better to regret what you have done than what you have not". Personally I'd regret that I didn't keep on going. I'm still 26 as I write this so still have a few years left. Anyhow I'm an International Playboy, and a jammy bastard so I'm sure I'll land on my feet whatever.

Plan as of February 2003:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: Working in a hostel in Queenstown, New Zealand. I'd spent 8 months working there, living in a shed at the back of the garden, trying to scam as many free adrenaline activities as possible. More details can be found on my New Zealand page.

Short term:

Basically very similar to the Long term plan as of July 2002 but with a timeframe. Gonna leave the hostel at the beginning of April and travel around Kiwiland with Chris as I haven't seen the north island yet, despite having been here for 8 months! Then (beginning of May) I'll jet off to the South Pacific with her for about 2 months. Still trying to decide which package to take: NZ$1,400-ish for a ticket that goes to Fiji and Cook Islands, or; NZ$1,700-ish for a ticket that goes to Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga? Chris has already been to Fiji, and will be going to Samoa and the Cooks. So I need to decide whether going to the Cooks is worth not seeing Samoa and Tonga (or vice versa). I hear that the Cook Islands are amazing though… Decisions, decisions!

Long term:

Will pop back to Blighty by July to visit the family (my eldest sister having told me in no uncertain terms that after 2½ years away it's time to come home for a bit). Will probably hang around for a month or so until everyone gets thoroughly bored of me and then… The idea then is to go to the States, but it's not cheap there, and I have a nasty feeling that I simply won't have enough cash so that's where plan "B" comes in:             PLAN B: Win the Lottery If this fails, then plan "C" will come into effect             PLAN C: Sell my body. The last time I tried this, I made 37 pence, a coat button, some string, and couldn't sit properly for a week, so actually, let's leave plan "C" aside for now…             PLAN D: Teach English in Asia I think this is my best chance of earning big cash in a shortish time. I have a TEFL qualification and a 4-year degree, so I'll teach Asian sprogs to speaka-tha-languadge. People pay a fortune for dulcet toned English speakers such as myself, so I'll be quids in after a years work. A year is a long time, but it's a bugger to get shorter contracts. The current consensus is that South Korea is the place to go as it has the best EARNINGS-to-LIVING EXPENSES ratio (Vietnam is cheap to live in but they pay you peanuts, whilst Japan pays great wages but you spend it all on enormous costs). I also really want to devote myself to my photography and other computer geekness, so this place seems fairly perfect for this with all the cheap computer equipment - and as there's not many other white people around for me to talk to then I'll be forced to be a hermit anyway. So with the shear girth of my bank balance causing me to swagger, I'll be back on me travels to show the Yanks a thing or two. Plan "D" does run on the proviso though that China or North Korea doesn't blow the crap out of South Korea before / during my time there. As I write this America has finished bombing the crap out of Iraq for now, and North Korea is cackling away in the corner like Father Jack, occasionally yelling "Feck!" "Plutonium!" and "Who's the man with WMD? Oh yeah that be me!". If this state of affairs gets worse I may have to call off the South Korea thing - hope not though, as God knows what else I'll do to make a bucket of cash working 20 hours per week. Hey-ho. … Right, so that means I'll probably hit State-side (or Canada for that matter) by August 2004. Then I suppose I'll live up to my International Playboy status and muck about in North America for a while, then travel down to the Latin part of town. I quite fancy the idea of learning Spanish and teaching English in Argentina or somewhere (the women are hot in S. America so I hear, and being the aforementioned International Playboy I feel that it is my responsibility, nay duty, to show these lovely senoritas what a real man is… by comparing such a impossibility to the sad reality that is me. So where does that leave us? Hmmm… let us for the sake of argument say my American shenanigans take about a year and a bit (9 months north America, 9 months south). With my lovely GCSE pass in Maths that means I'll be back in the UK by… 1947. Hey? That can't be right… sorry… beginning of 2006, when I'll be 28.             Blimey. So that means I'll have been away from the UK for… 5 years! I only meant to go down the pub for a pint and look what happened!

HINDSIGHT:

Pretty close really. I went traveling round both the north and south islands with Chris which was excellent, then went with the option to go to Fiji, Samoa and Tonga (Samoa with Chris). I quite enjoyed the South Pacific and am really glad I went, but to be honest I'm a mountain person and beaches bore me. Yeah so I spent plenty of time on idyllic tropical desert islands - so what: they're dull! maybe this is heresy, but now at least I've seen my full of white sand beaches. Bring on the mountains! Oh, and the Korea thing is a set plan, although I did go home between NZ and Korea. Spent quite a while actually…

Plan as of July 2002:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: After the dismal attempt at getting work at the ski resorts whilst in Australia, I came into Queenstown anyway and tried to get ski work… and failed again miserably. Took to stalking all the adrenaline activities and hostels for work. The Gods must have been smiling/crazy as I found a great job in a hostel (perfect). I was planning to go up to Christchurch and look for work if Queenstown had been a failure (thank fuck I didn't have to do that). I knew that the hostel job was a good thing when I saw it - with all the skiing and adrenaline activities about. More details about this time can be found on my New Zealand page.

Short term:

Now that I have a job, the general idea is to stay in Kiwiland for maybe 6 to 8 months but, as always, my plans are flexible. Working in Queenstown is great with all the skiing and adrenaline activities so I think I should make the most of it.

Long term:

I'm trying to decide how to proceed after NZ. I plan to pop home for a week or two as my sisters are giving me grief over not visiting for 2 years. After that I'll be off to Korea for a year to earn some money (see my February 2003 Long Term Plan above for more information about my korean plans). So what shall I do between leaving NZ and going home? Just fly back? - Yeah right! Here are my thoughts: - - Possible Destination #1: Australia - - The thing is you see, I haven't really seen Oz yet (I lived in Sydney and Melbourne for a year, but nothing outside of this). So do I spend my hard earned cash bumming around the land down-under? Decision: Naaa… maybe next time - I can't really be arsed with it. The best way to do Oz is to buy a van with yer mates and tour about, but I don't really have the cash nor the interest to spend more time in Oz so soon after working there. I can come back to Oz when I'm 60, so I'd rather go somewhere that needs a bit of youthful vigour - - Possible Destination #2: Indonesia - - N.B. I wrote the following before the Bali bombings: Now my long term goal is to travel around the world on the ground, and there's a gap between Oz and Singapore through Indonesia. I've always wanted to travel through these islands too - get away from the beaten track a bit and spend a few months pottering about between the islands. This plan was Top of the Pops until I did some research recently, finding that pretty much all of the islands off the main archipelago are kicking off (demonstrations, bombings, general unpleasantness) and even places like Bali are dodgy. This leaves just the main arc - fairly overtouristed, full of touts and the usual stressful annoyances. Decision: Spend a bucket of money just to see Java and Sumatra only? Nah - not worth it. I think its a better idea to wait till things blow over (or blow up) and then go there then. - - Possible Destination #3: The South Pacific - - Hell, who wouldn't want to go to all those tropical islands? New Zealand is a main jumping off point for this area so I'm in the right place. Decision: Taking my time through the South Pacific would be a much more rewarding experience than getting drunk on a beach in the gold coast of Oz (the fact that I'll end up getting drunk on South Pacific beaches is beside the point!). Sounds like a plan then - watch this space though as my plans are always changing. I hear Antarctica is nice this time of year…

HINDSIGHT:

Well for once I got this one pretty much right. I worked at the hostel for another 9 months, then went traveling around the country with Chris (very unexpected at the time as she'd dumped my ass - I guess the powers of being an International Playboy aren't to be scoffed at…) Annnnyway, I then went on to choose the South Pacific option which cost the earth but was well worth it. Looks like I guessed there be trouble in Indonesia too, as the Bali bombing went to show. Oh and I hadn't expected on breaking my ankle bungy jumping either - that put me off my feet for over 3 months! Life's funny like that eh?

Plan as of June 2002:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: Living in Melbourne, Australia Found work as a project officer for the DHS (again). Lived with Chris in a flat in Collingwood (our room was a converted garage - ironically preparation for the shed I would live in in New Zealand) More details can be found on my Melbourne page.

Short term:

Finish my contract for the DHS (the pay is good and the work load light - and it gives me an opportunity to build my website on the sly).

Long term:

Have decided to "Do" New Zealand properly - am trying to find a job on a ski resort. Went skiing as a kid years ago and really fancy the idea of working a ski season.

HINDSIGHT:

Completely failed to either find a ski job nor maintain a relationship (Chris found work on the main ski field in Queenstown though). Not letting either factor slow me down I head off to Queenstown single and unemployed. Planned to roam around the town searching for ski work anyway.

Plan as of February 2002:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: Living in Glebe, Sydney, Australia Still couldn't find a job in Sydney after 3 months unemployed and unsober. My girlfriend Chris was moving out to go to Melbourne, and most of my friends from the house were moving out (the post new year exodus), so I decided to copy Chris' idea and move to Melbourne to seek my fortune. More details can be found on my Sydney-House page.

Short term:

In a bit of a turnaround I have scraped the idea of finding any more work in Sydney, or going up the east coast. I'm gonna follow Chris to Melbourne to try and find work for my remaining few months in Australia. She going off a week before me though, as I love the house and need time to adjust to the idea of moving out.

Long term:

After meeting a couple of crazy Kiwis in the house have decided to swing past New Zealand after Australia. I'm also trying to think of a way to earn enough money to keep on traveling. Feel teaching english in Asia is the way forward.

HINDSIGHT:

A cunning plan Melbourne was. I really enjoyed living with Chris, but things kinda went down hill after a few months of her having to put up with me. She dumped my ass and went off to New Zealand after securing a ski job and I stayed in Melbourne. Considering I stole her idea about moving to Melbourne I though it was perfectly fair that she stole my idea of getting a ski job in NZ. Shame that I couldn't get a ski job too though. Hey ho. I spent 3 months in Melbourne and really enjoyed it as Chris was a great catalyst to get me traveling and seeing the area.

Plan as of September 2001:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: Living in Glebe, Sydney, Australia Since finishing my job at the DHS and moving into the house with 33 other mad drunks, I couldn't find any work. The employment situation over Christmas just died, so I spent my time living the high life, getting pissed as a fart most nights and misbehaving myself on tequila. Heaven! More details can be found on my Sydney-house page.

Short term:

Gonna hang around Glebe for a while I think. I love the house - it's impossible to be bored when you're surrounded by thirty other nutters. Such a relief after the social starvation of living in the sydney burbs - instant social life!

Long term:

After here, I'll spend the last of my time in Oz traveling up the east coast I think. May try and work along the way in bars 'n' hostels if possible. From their I can try and over-land through Indonesia.

HINDSIGHT:

Wow Glebe was fun - certainly one of the best times of my life bar university. Both my long term plans fell through; the east coast thing because I met a really nice girl who I wanted to spend more time with, and Indonesia was kinda called off as I ended up heading south to New Zealand on an extended detour.

Plan as of July 2001:

What I woz doin' when I made these plans: Living in Lane Cove, Sydney, Australia After landing I stayed at my friend Andrew's house in the 'burbs. Had two main jobs in the 4 months I lived there: a project officer for the DHS and as a photographer (well slave scanning horticultural slides and other promotional drudgery). More details can be found on my Sydney page.

Short term:

I'm so tired from traveling that I aint going anywhere for a good while yet. It's so good to be able to slob around and have a 9-to-5; some structure. No more worrying about where my stuff is and who's going to try to rob me. Normality my old friend.

 

Long term:

God know's, Work my around Oz and have a grand old time down under showing these convicts how it's done.

HINDSIGHT:

Pretty much stuck to my plan of slobbing out. Man, it's amazing how much fun the 9-to-5 lifestyle can be after slogging round Asia for months on end. Don't worry though - my contempt for the dull life sure kicked in again after being in the 'burbs for a while.