My Overland Adventure
Around the world in a Land Cruiser
Indonesia – Diving the Gili’s
Lombok 21st June The ferry docks at Lembar in the south west of the island. We immediately drive north to Bangsal, the jumping off point for the Gili Islands via Matram, the capital; the drive is under an hour taking us up over monkey lined mountain roads. Around...
Indonesia – Bali
Bali We arrive in Bali, also known as the “Island of the Gods”, due to the 20,000 Hindu temples that are scattered around the island. The island is small in comparison to Sumatra and Java, a mere 95 miles wide and 69 miles north to south, which allows us to visit its...
Indonesia – Java
Java Landing in Java, the most developed island in Indonesia, the country’s political and economical powerhouse, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, we will spend a couple of days in Jakarta before heading east to Mount Bromo, one of the most active of the...
Indonesia – West Sumatra
9th May Bukittinggi Martin wakes up early and heads into town to try and find a guide. On route he stops at a mobile phone shop to pick up a 3G sim card; the shop owner kindly takes him to D&J’s cafe where he meets up with a guide. At 930 metres above sea level,...
Indonesia – North Sumatra
We arrive in Sumatra, Indonesia, famed for its rainforests, wild orangutans, tigers, and rhino, in addition to its beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and lakes. Sumatra has an area of 163,557 square miles (423,611 km2) and is about 1,050 miles (1,690 km) long and up to 250...
Thailand Part 3
Bangkok 7th -9th April Back in Thailand again, we intend to travel down the east coast after a stop in Bangkok, a three and a half hour drive from the Cambodian border. Or so we think...just three miles away from our hotel, we are stuck in a massive traffic jam,...
Cambodia
1st April Cambodia, our 26th, is a country which conjures up conflicting images of magnificent wats, iconic Angkor Wat, Khmer Rouge atrocities, poverty and corruption, and with a history unlike any other, we can’t wait to explore. As Cambodia emerges from a long...
Laos
LAOS 22nd March We wake in Laos, a country which is said to be one of the 20th poorest in the world, a stark contrast to Thailand just a few hundred metres across the river. Despite this, trade in recent years with China, and the influx of tourism, which accounts for...
Thailand – Waterfalls & Tigers
18th March We wake to find the skies are still overcast, but decide to head out to the Sukhothai historical park, the walled old capital city of Siam. It is filled with ancient Wats dating back to the mid 13th century and remains of the old Kingdom. The dynasty...
Thailand – Islands, Beaches & Tourists
Thailand 8th March 9 months to the day from setting off from the UK on our overland adventure, travelling 36,000km’s so far, and on to our 24th country, we head towards the Thai border for the 300 mile journey to the island of Ko Lanta. We’re apprehensive about...
Malaysia – First Tastes of SE Asia
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 18th to 28th February Landing in KL International in the early morning, we are distinctly aware that we are not in India anymore. Everything seems new and modern, shops lined up in neat rows alongside an array of eateries, and we haven’t even...
India Part 6 Kerala & Tamil Nadu
India Part 6 Kerala & Tamil Nadu 1st February We have a day off and spend the day relaxing in the guest house, catching up on writing and organising our plans for the next couple of weeks. Our original plan was to drive south as far as the tip of India, Cape...
India Part 5 – Karnataka
24th January Southern Goa We re-start our Overland Adventure, leaving family behind and head to Goa’s southern beaches for a few days of rest and relaxation. The journey to Agonda beach does not take long. As we arrive we head straight to the camp we had found...
India Part 4 – Goa Family Visits and Weddings
India Part 4 GOA 2011 Family Visits and Weddings 1st January 2011 We wake up to 2011 on a serene Goan beach. Martin wakes up with a hangover and spends the day in bed! I decide to go out for a long walk along the beach towards the centre of town and go shopping,...
India Part 3 – Goa
India Part 3 GOA 2010 We arrive in Goa, and drive towards Baga, the party region of Goa, where we find a small guest house in secluded woods just back from the beach between Candolim and Calangute. We go to Brittos, a well known restaurant on Baga beach, where...
India Part 2 – Rajasthan
INDIA Part 2 Rajasthan 10th December 2010 We leave Agra early to start our journey to Pushkar. The road is quiet and feels more like a country road in England, flanked by green fields and small villages. The road seems to be smaller than the national highway we...
India Part 1 – The North
INDIA Part 1 - The North Amritsar The road past the border is smooth and surprisingly quiet. We stop at the Grand Hotel, a basic but relatively cheap hotel. Since Martin had not had any beer since leaving China about a month ago, we decide to sit in the garden...
Pakistan Part 3
Islamabad to Waga 22nd November It is a 70 mile journey from Abbottobad. In 1961 the capital was moved from Karachi to Islamabad. We arrive in Islamabad and on our way into town we stop at Toyota to book the car in for a service and to diagnose the intermittent gear...
Pakistan Part 2
PAKISTAN – Hunza to Islamabad 10th November We wake up early to leave the Eagles Nest and start our 110km journey to Gilgit, leaving the Hunza valley behind us. We pass lots of Chinese workers on some very uneven roads. As we drive down the road a man frantically...
Pakistan Part 1
PAKISTAN – Karakoram Highway (KKH) Sost to Gilgit 7th November We cross the Khunjerab Pass at a height of 4700 metres, crossing from China to Pakistan. We feel relieved to have made it this far but are apprehensive about the next 84km before we reach the main...
