A testament to friends of Coogee:

Give it up for the crazy canuck, Cody - cuz he's never quite there. Let's play NHL!

The lovely Bradford girls Katie and Alex. And of course Laura, my Field Day companion.

Mr. Deer-mewd (Diarmuid) Murphy, the barrister-to-be. Spicy. Now go do the dishes.

Of course the Irish-German Uhlemann is up there on the list, top lad. I like to make romance inside of you?

Oooh, westpac, it's Craig! Don't drop your hat in front of Japanese girls, won't work!

The mummy of the house, Lisa - thanks for your buns! (from the kiosk I mean)

a taste of what's to come

Dear All,

I mentioned in my first post that all this travelling business has been eventful, and you've seen a few pictures of the good times. If you've not read it, scroll to the bottom of the page and read "The Global Tour: coming up to half time" for an overview of my travels so far. It all starts there.

So, what's the next step? Auckland will be my next step, that's what. Australia has been shockingly expensive, and I've been here a while, so the replenishing of bank accounts is priority. I hope to get a job for a few months and get into some sort of routine for a while - uprooting and moving all the time is great fun but can get tiring every now and then. I think I'll look forward to getting to know a place well and living in one place before moving on to South America in May or June.

Wish me luck in my search for a decent job, I'll let you know how I get on.

On board the vessel which took us for a cruise around Sydney Harbour for Joanne's birthday. They had great shrimps which I proceeded to eat quickly.

It's our Joanne's birthday! Happy Birthday, Joanne.

Ha, the mohawk, along with my sign for Australia's best bank: w e s t p a c. Respect.

Claire and I at Sydney Harbour after a day at Manly beach.

More housemates from Coogee! That's where we sat and played cards - I usually lost.

Alison's like Frosties cuz she's grrrrussell. Sorry Alison, bad joke, but you're lovely.

Me and the lovely Miss Claire Freeman in Sydney. The guy in the back asked for some spare change; so we gave him our illegitimate baby. He seemed happy with it.

Me taking a picture of myself at Field Day, what a fantastic festival. Notice the disgruntled Alex in the background.

The classic tourist picture of Australia, good day for it as well.

Some of my lovely housemates in Coogee, Sydney.

Yes, I *can* flip 20 beer mats at once, *and* I have friends. Truly amazing.

Me, some grass, a fountain, couple trees. Oh, and Australia's Parliament House somewhere in the background.

"Neigh-bours, everybody needs good Neigh-eigh-eigh-bours, with a little under-standing."

A dignified reminder of how stupid most Americans are, and the damage it left at Hiroshima.

After making green tea and glutinous rice desserts, we all got into our kimonos. Nope, not kidding.

One of Kyoto's many calming temples.

Nope, it's not the 1st April, he actually won. America, f**k yeah!

A Cambodian sunset at the floating village of Siem Reap.

The Landmine museum is a quaint and quiet testimony to the horrors of such putrid weaponry.

Bayon and its many faces, absolutely breathtaking.

The majesty and grandeur of Angkor's most famous temple, Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

It doesn't get more picturesque than this: the serene settings of Tao's Lotus Bar.

The gorgeous walk to Sairee beach in Koh Tao. Also a place for losing one's ATM cards.

Alex of Dublin, and Joanne of Cork. The mix for satanic children constantly at war with themselves.

Slow exposures and fire shows give you an idea of how cool these people are. I want to do that without giving myself third degree burns.

My first taste of scuba diving in Koh Tao, with my Open Water buddies. Note the Irish man in the center of your screen - he's a cheater when it comes to diving and competition.

The Grand Palace of Bangkok and its exquisite attention to detail.

Australians in Hong Kong - c r a z y.

The pigeon is unfortunately the pansy's alternative to a cool pirate style bird. And I've got one.

The Roman entourage - fun people and a great night out.

Look it's the pigeon man! Wait, no, it's just Joe feeding rats with wings at St. Mark's Square..

A DHL Gondola floating down the canals of Venice - classic

Petra and I at their local bar

The Global Tour: coming up to half time

Friends and Family,

Having now seen a bit of the world and snap-shooting some memories with the old faithful camera along the way, it's time to share a few to those who've made it here for a peek or two.


September 2004 took me to a good friend's house just outside of Venice where I stayed for a week for sightseeing and a night out or two with her Italian locals.

It was on to South-East Asia at the end of September, starting in Hong Kong to see the post Commonwealth region at its finest, and the reckless gambling of mainland Chinese folk at the Lisboa Palace in Macau. They have far too much money.

October took me quickly through Bangkok to the island of Koh Tao in the South where I learned to scuba dive and met some good people as we lazed by the bars on the picturesque shores of the Thai Gulf. A quick visit to the comparative ugliness of "package tour" Koh Samui diverted me to the infamous Full Moon party in Koh Phang-Nan; a fantastic night with people who are just out for a laugh (and buckets of Sang-Som, "M-150" Red Bull and Coke.)

Before long it was November, the first four days spent in mesmorising Cambodia and the Angkor complex of temples and shrines - probably the most breathtaking sites I've seen since leaving the UK.

A week in Japan was spent sifting through bustling Tokyo, cycling round the peaceful city of Kyoto and witnessing the sombre horrors beatifully displayed at Hiroshima's centre. Having only spent my seven or eight days there, it was clear that Japan's cities are incredibly varied and unique - all amazing places.

My 21st birthday was had at the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane. I travelled with a friend from Saudi Arabia for three weeks around the East's major cities, making new friends in Adelaide and Melbourne, meeting old ones in Sydney, and having a laugh in the uber-relaxed town of Byron Bay.

New Year's Eve was spent in unsurprising fashion at Sydney's Harbour, where the fireworks were something to be marvelled at. And Field Day on the 1st January had some of my favourite DJs; James Zabiela and 2 Many DJs giving it some - a top couple of days which really hurt the wallet.

Claire and I met up in Sydney for a week, before I left the City for the beach of Coogee to live for three weeks with friends I made in Thailand and Australia.

The last part of January was spent in having fun in Byron Bay and a rough scuba dive at Julian Rocks before relaxing in Brisbane for the last days of my time in Australia. I need a job; someone will have the privilege of employing me when I arrive in Auckland in February.

That's the synopsis of the first five months of travel, nearly half way through the tour - it's been eventful, with good times, homesick times and more good times. Things haven't always gone to plan but one learns to deal with the uncertainties given to them as time goes on, and I'm glad to say I can look back on my travels with a smile and no regrets. I've had the opportunity to see some amazing things and I've made some great friends.

You can look at my past events in a bit more detail through the pictures here, hope you enjoy them.

Would be lovely to hear from anyone who's taken the time to pop in for a look - drop me a line, my email is "jzakzouk at gmail dot com" - just replace the "and" and the "dot", I'm sure you know what to do.

I hope you're well, wherever you are!

Love
Joe Zakzouk