...and now back to the story

Being as the purpose of my blog was to keep anyone who was interested up to date on my progression across the globe, I have decided to post something related to my travels. So, part of the weekend was spent on Clapham Common with my enormous map of Indonesia, a variety of different guide books, my friends Pete and Alice, and most importantly, some beer.

(Note: this is Pete. I am far more attractive than this)

Whilst trying not to be distracted by bikinis and flying footballs, we came up with the following plan:

Manchester Mon 15th of October 10:00hrs, depart from Manchester Airport probably amid tears and arguments.

Singapore Tues 16th of October 06:00 hrs. This is where I will be spending the first 4 days of my trip. I have been advised, don't buy beer, or in fact anything as I will have to remortgage the house (or would have to if I had one).

Not sure what the deal is going to be here, but hopefully my friend Ania will be able to point win the right direction! I like the look of Pulau Ubin

After my 4 days in Singapore my friend Pete is then flying out from the UK on the 20th, he is then going to get straight onto another plane for Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia).

Jakarta Sat 20th October 21:00 hrs. According to my boss the Tanamur Disco is the place to be. According to the Rough Guide it attracts: expats, pimps, prostitutes, ladyboys, junkies, and the occasional traveller. Knowing this and knowing my boss, I may give this one a miss (though this is probably Pete's cup of tea ;-).

Planning on Mooching around the city for a few days. Potential highlights include Istiqlal Mosque and Jalan Surabaya

Bandung Mon 22nd October. There is an apparently very windy and picturesque bus journey up to this city in the hills of West Java. From here we hope to clamber a few volcanic peaks (i'm sure we will be bored of these by the end!)

Yogyakarta Weds 24th October is the next stop on our overland trip, and to be honest probably the bit I am most looking forward to! Yogya is apparently "where the Javanese language is at its purest, Java's arts at its brightest and its traditions at its most visible".From here we can get to Borobudur (if you click on one link, click on this one) and Prambanan, two of the most spectacular temples in the world.

If we have time, we will make one more stop (as yet undecided).

Semarang Friday 26th October - from here we will catch an internal flight to Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). A pain in the backside to get to , but well worth the visit is:

Tanjung Putan National Park 27th October. Pete gets very excited when you mention Orangutan to him. I am not sure whether this is because of his deep seeded beliefs in rainforest conservation, or because they are like the long lost brothers he never had.

Trekking through the jungles of Borneo has got to be the most exciting part of the trip. I for one am hoping to get Dengue Fever purely for the kudos (and because I heard that Antony from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had it once). If not I will probably attempt to get bitten by a crocodile of some sort.

On our return from Tanjung Putan to Java, we will be heading into East Java. I for one have got my heart set on going to:

Gunug Bromo October 31st however. Although apparently we might not see much of it, due to the potential onset of the rainy season.

Next stop on our overland journey will take us (probably via a short boat ride) to the beautiful Island of:

Bali November 2nd where we will be taking in some of the cultural delights including the valley of Gunug Kawi and some of the mountains in the interior (as well as some of the beaches of course!).

Lombok is the sister island to Bali and I am told it is similar but without the Australians. This will certainly be on the agenda. Pete flies back to the UK on around the 15th of October - so until then we are free to roam...

The next part of the journey, is still pretty much undecided. I have no job, no contacts, an Australian passport, but no ties or agenda (and no Pete). I am thinking the first stop may be Melbourne, Brisbane or possible Cairns (I am told Sydney will sap all of my money away). But have no Idea!

Voting welcome!!!

So. We had our agenda planned. Then we celebrated...