OK, I’m actually sat in Peter Pan Travel in Brisbane to book those bus trips. The wait’s about half an hour so they just said to jump online for a while. Bwahaaha! Wonder if I can hack their machines as easily as the ones in Brisbane central library…

Anyway, I’ve been dishing the web page address around a bit recently so I’d like to say a few “hello”s to some random people. I apologise as I won’t remember many (any) names. Don’t take this personally – I’m just rubbish with names.

So hello to:

• the Thai girl I talked to on the train from the Gold Coast on Saturday – thank you for your advice on places to visit in Thailand! I’ll be back there in March, I think
• the Canadian girl I got talking to in Borders – hope you enjoy NZ!
• Nikkie’s kids – enjoy the photos, and don’t assume the only place to visit when you’re old enough is Bali!
• the Brisbane Roar supporters on the train the other day – good luck for the rest of the season!
• anyone else I’ve forgotten – drop me an email (link to the right)!

OK, folks. I have started booking flights and buses. Take a look to the right hand side for dates and a link to my Google calendar (you’ll need Javascript enabled to see all the bumph).

Essentially, I leave Brisbane on the 8th of November to spend a couple of days in Cairns where hopefully I’ll be able to book a couple of night dives as the Great Barrier Reef spawns. Fromn there, a 7-day bus ride/camping expedition across the desert to Alice Springs, and then on to Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayer’s Rock to all you white people) before returning to Alice. Another 3-day bus ride from there to Darwin where I’ll catch my breath (and hopefully retrieve my passport, which is currently with the Indian consulate) before flying to Singapore on the 23rd.

I have no definite plans from there except to be in India by the 12th of December to meet up with Hans. Expect a lot more pictures and a black spot in communications during the desert trip. I’ll try to keep blog postings up to date on my laptop for a huge update around the 21st when I get to Darwin.

I’ll get back to the usual postings later, but I’d like to start with a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Chris and Lydia, who added another baby girl to their growing brood today. 7lb 1oz, and the day before her older sister’s birthday.

Events like this are the kind that make me wish I was back home. Nothing else does, just missing things like this.

Some of you may have heard about the recent hurricane which tore apart Manilla before making its way over the sea and hammering into Vietnam. It’s a piece of fortune that, the last I read, only 6 Vietnamese people had been confirmed dead – the Philippines wasn’t so lucky. However, many more have become homeless.

In addition, a street children’s centre in Hue is currently missing its roof, a picture and further details of which can be found on the Blue Dragon blog. The has a loose connection to the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation who I did some work for recently. Mike from BDCF is currently trying to raise some money via their website to help rebuild the school.

So, folks. I know it’s pushing for that expensive time of year. I know you get a gazillion people asking for money in the streets and through the mail every day. But if you can spare a few bucks, please pop by the above-listed page and make a donation via PayPal – you can use your credit card if need’s be. You can specify that the money’s for the school rebuild and Mike will take absolutely no admin charges of any sort. Every penny you give will be sent to Hue. And don’t forget that because of Vietnam’s poor economy even a small donation from you will make a difference.

Thanks, people.