England v Australia One Day Series

After revelling in writing a blog about England retaining the Ashes earlier this summer, it is only fair that I write a follow up blog lamenting England's woeful performance in the recent one day series.

The only positive thing that I can think to say is that at least we avoided the ignominy of a 7-0 drubbing. I won't be putting any money on England winning the upcoming Champions Trophy...

Ooops - almost forgot, although it pains me to write, congratulations to the Aussies; you gave us one hell of a beating.

The Great North Run 2009

Just completed my first half marathon at the Great North Run this weekend - what a buzz!

The spectators were great, lining the road almost from start to finish. The weather was glorious - have come back from Newcastle with a suntan - wouldn't have thought that was possible!

Next stop the London Marathon...(if my knees can take it!)

The spirit's willing but the flesh is - well - still a bit too fleshy...!

Great Backpacking Stopovers on the way to Australia

Australia and New Zealand are a long way away from the UK and all airlines stop at least once on route to refuel.

If you like you can take advantage of this and explore one of the stopovers before resuming your journey to Australia/New Zealand. This adds a different dimension to your trip and is worth considering especially as, apart from your cost of living whilst there, you can theoretically see a new place for free.

Picking an airline with a great stopover is sometimes worth paying that little bit more for. Current options include:

Bali/Jakarta: British Airways (BA)/Quantas
Dubai: Emirates
Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific/BA/Quantas/Virgin
Tokyo: BA/Quantas
Bangkok: BA/Quantas/Thai
Johannesburg: BA/Quantas
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Airlines
Los Angeles/New York/San Francisco: BA/Quantas
Singapore: BA/Quantas/Singapore Air

Over the next couple of months Lazyshark will write a blog on each stopover destination and explore what there is to do and how much fun can be had at each city before deciding which one is the best. More to follow soon...

The Australian Abroad

Bumped into an Aussie friend the other day walking down the street in central London. Even if I hadn't known him I could have easily guessed where he was from as he was sporting the national dress - flip flops (or thongs), shorts and a rugby shirt. Clutching a 4 pack he was on his way to a match having left the house without any concern for the weather. Guessing he would have been dressed the same even if it had been snowing!

Other ways you can spot an Australian abroad, other than the accent, include:

1. Picking up the phrase "Yeah it's a nice.... but not as good as back home."

2. A traveller with no return ticket. I have rarely met an Australian in Europe who has come for less than 2 years.

3. Anyone ordering a jug of beer in a pub. (although South Africans are known for this as well)

4. Anyone throwing a frisbee or kicking a rugby ball around in one of London's many parks in the summer. (and winter for that matter!)

5. Anyone staying in Kings Cross.

Australian Beer

The slogan goes "Australians wouldn't give a Castlemaine XXXX for anything else".

However I haven't found this to be the case. Each state has its own beer and Aussies, being parochial types, they tend to stick to the local brew. So here's a quick Lazy Shark guide to ordering the correct local brew when you are travelling around OZ:

NSW - Tooheys, Hahn, KB lager
Victoria - VB, Carlton Draught

W. Australia - Swan

N.T. - NT Carlton
Queensland - Castlemaine XXXX
S. Australia - Coopers
Tasmania - Cascade, Boags

Backpacking - The good v The bad

Like marmite, backpacking is either something you love or hate. Sometimes you can both love and hate it. Here is a Lazyshark list of those times:-

The open road v A lack of forward planning
With backpacking you have the freedom to go anywhere, stay as long as you like and visit whatever you fancy. However with this carefree attitude you can occassionally run into trouble...Like the time I got stuck in Tierra del Fuego for an additional week because there was no space on the bi-weekly bus!

Budget travel v Budget travel
Travel on a shoestring gets you close to the local culture. The often financial necessity to use the local transport means you are far removed from the tourist bubble many package holidays operate within. Having a chicken/pig on your lap for 12 hours on a bus though is the price you might have to pay. (Guatemala springs to mind!)

Local Cuisine
It's fantastic to be adventurous with food whilst travelling. However sometimes you don't really know what you are ordering especially in cheaper local restaurants with no English menu. (Like the times I have unknowingly ordered boiled sheep stomach and deep fried bull testicles...!)

Clothes
Morning decisions about what to wear are simplified by living out of a backpack. No-one expects you to look glamorous or even co-ordinate! However you get to know the true meaning of the expression "I don't have a thing to wear" when you are having to turn your pants inside out to last another day!

Hostels
They can be fantastic places to meet people especially if you are travelling alone. However having to listen to someone else in a dorm of 12 snore/have sex/ignore their alarm going off at 3am can start to test the patience of even the most hardened backpacker...!

Hope these tales haven't put you off backpacking! It really is the only way to see the world.