AC/DC are Australia’s most sucessful band, selling more albums than any other band, including the 2nd highest selling album (Back in Black) of all time (behind Thriller by Michael Jackson) and one of my favourite bands, I just had to go see the exhibition (its first time worldwide) in Melbourne where drummer Phil Rudd is from (and the bands only Australian born member).
Members of AC/DC
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So, you want to travel the world and look a bit like a vertical snail carrying your own house on your back?
Backpackers / snails
Choosing the right bag is clearly an important choice you have to make, and it’s best NOT done online. Go to local shops and try a few out is my main advice, get something that fits and feels well primarily. Read the rest! \(^u^)/ →
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Under an hour drive south of Sydney, you’ll find the Royal National Park. Although it was originally called ‘National Park’ and the 2nd national park in the world behind Yellowstone in the USA, it still remains Sydneys little secret, with most tourists limiting their nature sight seeing to the Blue Mountains.
To get the best out of my trip to the Royal National Park, I went with Understand Down Under (UDU) a small tour company which offsets your carbon footprint for the trip and educates about the Australian environment during the trip.
Hacking River
Parrot greeting visitors
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Travel is a very wide and varied pasttime, everyone likes to do it to a certain degree, so how to do it is as varied.
An ever increasing popular way to travel is solo, the benefits are obvious: Everything is on your own terms and at your own pace. This is also the main downfall of travelling with a partner, you need to be flexible to their needs without forgetting your own. This guide is for friends as well as long term partners.
Be flexible in both of your basic needs, toilet stops, desire to eat, sleeping patterns are all different and can mean a lot of waiting around if you both are on different schedules. If you really are that much different then accepting you may not be travelling together that much at all is a better way to deal with things. You might be noctural clubbing type waking up at midday for some sunlight and food, your partner may want early nights and to take advantage of the cool mornings to get their sight seeing done. Trying each others method usually confirms what you like rather than ‘convert’ to your partners ways of life, but being flexible is a good idea and makes you appreciate the differences.
Next will be the sights you both want to see. An artistic type of person and a history lover will have different ideas on a cities attractions, again if splitting up for the day doesn’t sound like a good option then compromising and missing out on getting in everything you want to see is second best if time is a factor.
If time isn’t a factor then things are much simpler; history/museums one day, artistic sights the next. Planning ahead helps so you both know the agenda rather then argue when the time comes around.
It’s amazing how irritating your friends funny burbs or jokes can become the bane on your life when you start living together. Keeping it shut is often more appreciated then repeating the same thing over and over if you have nothing fresh to add to conversation.
Listen, Learn, Contribute. You’ll both be seeing amazing new things, and a different perspective on things is just as much an eye opener as the thing itself. You might be missing a lot whilst your friend spots something more meaningful, and likewise they might be missing what’s right on the surface.
Arguments are best solved after eating. Eating is a natural soother and often a cause of arguments itself. Hungry people are irritable, a person with a full belly is much happier and more receptive to your critism or issues you need to get off your chest.
Buying a gift, like these gift hampers canberra, for your travel partner is a good way to make amends. Travel can be stressful, and looking out for both yourself and your partner can make a long day more manageable and much appreciated.
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I picked this book up when leaving Thailand at the airport, a previous Stephen Leather book impressed me and I wanted a bit of in flight reading so chose this novel on the cool cover and interesting Synopsis.
Book Cover
This book is ridiculously good and should be a movie. The in depth knowledge of South-East Asia (from the richest Chinese triad leader to Bangkok’s prison) is accurate and makes the plot all the more realistic.
I’ve never really read thrillers before, but this book really is one I couldn’t put down, it was almost like reading a movie script, a very good one.
The main plot is a guy who escaped prison in the UK (for a crime he didn’t commit) finds himself in Hong Kong (with a new identity) a few years later, and his old cell mate blackmails him to do a task – break someone else out of prison. Of which he has to commit a serious crime (smuggling heroin in Thailand) to get into prison first.
There is a sub plot of a drug overload in Burma who the DEA want to take down and makes millions by having a nomadic base in the golden triangle. Hutch (the main character) when escaping prison is put straight into this sub plot and is forced to sabotage the drug den single handedly.
It is extremely well written and engaging and I’m pretty sure this book will entertain anyone who likes a good old fashioned action movie. 10/10.
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