Ha!

What I really wanted to talk about was grief - yeah, now you've stopped reading, I know...

Sadness
Loss
A hole inside you
Anger
Despair

Then what?

Is it acceptance?

A kit kat?

Right....

Urphhhhh 

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he called that a negative phone call the next day - well yeah dips*it

left him feeling down, what a joke

nothing to say after that

enjoy hurting me

I've had enough

he's pushing me away

I don't need it.

If he wanted me he had me.

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I wanted a fairy tale and didn't get it.

That's OK, I know.

I just wanted it to be simple. I don't deserve this.

I wish he could've been part of it. It's OK and it isn't.

Why don't things turn out how you hope them to? I'm not someone full of insecurity.

I don't doubt, I don't scrutinise. Why doesn't it work out?

I'm OK, but I just had a different door open, a door that could've led to other things. But it's closed, it's not enough, it's not what I want,

He just represented that door. A false door.

Why do I want someone to share my life with. Why can't I just not hurt and be myself and not need or want anyone.

It's OK.

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It was really odd, I was going out with someone for 2 months and not only was it weird during the relationship, but it's the relief I felt when he broke up with me!! I obviously wasn't that into him... He was the most unfulfilling person emotionally and the most silent person about his feelings that I've ever gone out with. In hindsight things may have been different if we'd have been friends before we started seeing each other, his way of putting it when we broke up was 'you were too unsure of yourself' well of course I bloody was, I never felt I knew where I stood with him and if you don't say nice things like 'i think you're sexy / pretty / have the best eyes...' or even ' you make me feel hot / great / ..' blah blah etc etc then nothing can grow... What did he expect??? I said a few things that I felt - and I'm not normally the first to reveal my feelings - but it clearly didn't help! The sex was great though!!

Was and still am bit curious about an ad I saw in the local paper. It was for a high class escort where you choose the hours and the people... I won't do it. I think deep down it would end up making me feel worthless, or it would when I was down and I don't need any help feeling worse in that area!!

I feel like being a bit mysterious tonight. I just bought a new dress, black, with a sweeping neckline. I now have black hair too which looks good with a plum / wine red lipstick. I also have an invite to a new bar...

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Have now settled in New Zealand in its amazing landscapes and views. The people are fun and nice. I have knitting to do, studying of tourism, studying to add value to my job. It's good but I wish I wasn't so damn tired! I never sleep well and it's been going on for 2 years at least.

I'm really proud to have got my job. I worked very hard at interviewing. I've found an area that really suits me. I'm an online coordinator, maintaining a dynamic website and getting involved in online projects. Things are going slow but it is week 2. Think it's time to shed light with my boss on where I'd like to be in a month's time or so and see what she has to say. I've vaguely been told I CAN get involved in the content development of a revamp project, but I want to know it'll happen. I'm already reading artivles on the web about it. This one seemed really informative - look at the left hand navigation and go to content. The links just to the Information Architecture. http://websitetips.com/ia/ I also found www.w3schools.com invaluable for basic web skills tutorials for free! No - noone's paying me commission, I'm just interested in my job!

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I'll be back for more rants soon.

Still in Wellington New Zealand. Still maintain it's the greatest place to live ever! Apart from the weather! Had a quirky turkey Christmas, and focused on my hunt for the job I WANT! (Web content editor, publisher, manager)

I'll have my own site up soon - ooooh! Will unveil the URL when I'm ready! Like a bit of mystery every now and again!

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Yes and yes to all below!

Well done!

------------

Said my boss

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Taupo's a 4 hour drive from Wellington. I missed Dom a lot.

The last time we'd talked, he wasn't going to leave his new job in travelling about NZ but based in AKL. I wasn't going to leave wlgtn, why should I? Megan had said some time ago, 'if he loved you he'd be here'. It's not like he has a burning 'cannot live without her' attitude when I talk to him. It's more like an 'I don't know what I'm doing and I like doing what I'm doing' attitude.

Anyways I like what I'm doing here too. Mentoring, buddhism, swimming... work.

So we were both tired while driving up and argued towards the end as I asked him if he could keep the music off for 40 minutes, so I could sleep. He thought I was being unreasonable as he needed it to keep awake (fine fine)... And he was disparaging about my habitual 20 minute morning grumpiness, when I need to keep myself to myself.!!

We arrived at about 6.30pm at Burke's backpackers (quite average and guy at desk was friendly - John)and saw people being turned away as there was no room at this inn no more. Blonde guy lent me his charger. Scouted out a Thai restaurant he'd been impressed with last time he was there. It was a nice meal, I had some sweet chilli thing with less rice than I wanted!

Chang beers x 2. Tired. Checked out pub and had jager bomb - had to promise going in for food (easter drink restrictions). Tried other place (Finn's??) and wouldn't serve - awful live music anyway! Cat fight in alley, "u were everything to me", wee in bush, long way home! Back, little sleep in 8 bed dorm, bed sharer, snorer.

Up at 9am, threw hat playfully at Dom, tired, showered, drove to viewpoint - played dumb, piggy back, drove & walked to Lord of rings venue (another one!) up in Whakapapa. Ate at cafe there - a veggie panini, orange and hot cross bun. Outside at table. Then did 2 hour walk, heath land, forest, pished the birds (tom tits), wanted to listen to the tom tits making the noises!! waterfall, cold, forest again, heath.

Grabbed some beers from pak n save and extra food supplies for dinner at hostel later. Hot spings, a worry, a swim and near swept by current. Cut all veg, Showered, saw easter eggs from backpackers, Dom cooked, I washed up. Met Kieran and Tom Tom the Isreali. at Tike Tike Lodge for absynthe. Kieran arrogant & treated Tom Tom a bit like stink pooh. Then went to Finns, had cigarette, sat outside, spoke to Luciano, who'd just travelled SE Asia too. Danced w Tom Tom. Came back 1st time and lesbian there. Danced and left.

Bed, snorer, bed couple again. Got up, Felt sad that last time seeing Dom. went on net to check bus location. Ate brunch. Bought another paua ring, left last one in toilet of cafe in Whakapapa. Made Dom put dollar towardsthe 3 dollar cost. Dom sad. "I love you". I love him too. Long bus journey back. Felt upbeat and sad??

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I'm just gonna post my pics n it'll all be sweet as!

Except this Internet cafe doesn't let you use half the friggin' software that's on here to view your pics...

Oh well this'll have to be a 'verbal' catch-up, n leave the images for later.

'Kay, so. I'm in Wellington, NZ and, roughly, on the surface, liking it!! It's happier than I've had almost ever before as far as being settled in one place goes!

I'm living with a bunch of lovely people in a house on a hill overlooking a beautiful piece of NZ landscape and wondering how I got to be so lucky!! (kind of!)

I'm well on my way to learning the guitar. I'm on Hotel California for the minute, practising strumming patterns n bar chords. Then I've got into rollerblading too, would you believe?!! I'm going backwards, doing spin stops n such like. It's been the cause of a good few bruises and muscle aches, but it's all good ;-) And my housemate is kindly teaching me to knit (so my first scarf is coming my mother's way...). How does a rollerblading guitar-player sound? Who knits too?! (As long as the wool doesn't get caught in the strings, I don't see any problem... ;-) )

I have to say this single thing is good for the soul. I'm happy to remain this way for some time yet!

I've discovered some top places here for a good night out (e.g. Motel - down a dodgy alley, press a red button for access - and into a maze of 3 rooms full of peeps; live music in one, DJ in another, & an Asian restaurant stuck in the middle!)

The social scene's a bit weird as a foreigner. I've got the group of original backpackers who've come here to work like me. They kinda have this superficial 'lean on each other, but not really' friendship, where no-one really talks about how they really feel, they just get drunk together and talk (loudly n drunkenly) at each other. It's quite comical; I choose to sit somewhere on the sidelines by the hot dog seller... You catch my drift...

My housemates are quite a good source of entertainment. The cat's plain disturbed at times (as any cat would be living with 4 people and having moved twice by the age of 3). Sorry to sound so uninvolved. I am getting to know one housemate quite a bit better. She's a very lonely girl who you kind of feel is waiting for something to happen to her, who's not really living or alive, or has switched on her 'out of office' for the last few years... I've been there... It's not a nice place. So I go out with her and the others too, well, whoever'll put up with my inane banter and plethora of weird expressions as I attempt to sort out my facial muscles into the required positions in reaction to whatever they're telling me about!!

I have to say I am mostly talked 'at' and not 'to' over here in NZ. I feel like I'm on the set of ... what's that film n book called again??... The one where this guy works in an office talks about what people wear n who they're talking to n finally loses it n kills someone, except he hasn't really... Well, it's kinda like that. Superficial. N it kinda makes me sad, cos sometimes you just want to talk to someone about things that matter, that are important. And there's no-one there. Lights aren't on, etc. No-one's interested to ask, or go a little further...

I'm continuing to boycott McD's and Burger King from my veggie days (hah! veggie month was all it was; I didn't want to start a veggie thing without seeing a nutitionist first...). I only go into McD's to take pee, which I smugly smile inwardly at!! Spending a penny but not...! Hah, there's a joke there somewhere!

As far as human rights go, I haven't got involved with anything yet. It's downright scary the amount of abuses going on in the world. Where and how do you start to help? What's the best way to get involved? For me & who I am? These ones remain to be answered. But I've met some amazing people and don't intend to sit back on the couch of convention and do nothing, watching people continue to suffer.

Have a good one chaps n thanks to those who signed in

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Here's another below; a bit clearer...

And another...

But, yeah, the school; let me paint you a quick picture. I teach underpaid Burmese migrant worker children and orphans, escaping the horrors in Burma. Corrugated iron roof, 2 black boards on opposite ends of the classroom, 2 classes held at the same time facing their own black boards. The kids are between 7 and 16. They wear the same clothes everyday. Most of them also wear cheeky grins, a couple fight sometimes and another few cry at times. There's no chairs for the kids to sit on, so they sit on the floor in front of low benches used as desks. Anyway, I think these kids are great. I've taught english before in France and I may as well been trying to balance an ashtray on a moving motorbike - you get the idea... So they're really motivated. My only problem is the noise of the other class at the same time. It makes teaching really difficult. They get distracted. I have to shout to be heard. It really drains my energy. Nevermind. Giving something is better than giving nothing.

If the government is overthrown in these kids lifetime, they may be the ones re-building the country and that means participating in international affairs - and what's the language for that? English! Did you get the link there?!

Read underneath if you're curious and/or go to:

www.khrg.org
www.irrawaddy.com
www.burmacampaign.com

If anyone wants to help... Let me know and I'll do what I can.

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Did you also know that the people are fleeing to Thailand? But Thailand doesn't give them refugee status meaning they shove them in a camp with no access to education or healthcare. I get the impression that the camp is heavily over-crowded. Not unsanitary, but space-wise and things-to-do-wise, mental health is a big problem. So this has been going on for decades, kids have been born in these camps, but no-one's allowed out, as they aren't granted any papers. I guess they can go back to Burma if they like, I'm not sure on that score. Plus there's limits as to what ngo's can do. So far foreign countries have placed trade sanctions on Burma, only thing is that that just ends up hurting the people who live there too.

I'm teaching Burmese kids English in Thailand. I'm hoping that their future is one where they live under a democratic government and participate in international trade and politics. I think English is quite a useful language for them to learn. I teach class sizes that would make yer eyes water!! The children are great. They're motivated. They wear the same clothes everyday though. And they aren't the cleanest. They don't have chairs to sit on. They sit in front of benches on the floor instead. Their parents are poor, if they have any at all. I wish I could help more, but I have to live too. I can't put any more specifics here unfortunately.

So what can be done about this? Well, you can give your time to teach just about anything. IT, English, women's rights, politics even. Where can you do this? Mae Sot. You could check out the 'Free Burma' organisation in your country, see what they say.

But really it's in their own country that the problem lies.

The last political party set up in opposition, has had its leader in house imprisonment for the last 20/30 years - her name is Aung Sun Suu Kyi (I think that's how you spell it). She was educated in England and dared to establish an alternative to vote for. Only she got too many votes in 1988 and was jailed as a result.

Human rights, eh? What a contrast to the society I came from.

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A total 'about-turn' is what's happened. Anyways back to that in a mo...

Itinery since Pakse...
Arrive Pakse. Stay in overpriced shabby room. No mosquito nets. Run by Asians from India. Discovered the one next to 'Jasmine'. 'uuurrggghh' (the funny noise Homer makes when he's in food ecstasy!), drool, dribble - the BEST curries I've EVER had!! Share room 3 of us. (No, none of that!) Bus (to my total disappointment - i.e. not boat) to Sii Phan Don (4 thousand islands). Arguements. Boyfriend attracted to girl we're travelling with AND tells her (without me there of course), but then tells me too.... Arguements.
Pakse again, by bus AGAIN. More curries. Motocycle for me - Brilliant! To 2 beautiful waterfalls. Then to Champasak by motorycle from Pakse, crossed river on raft with bikes, to see ancient ruins ex-Hindu temple converted into Buddhist one. Pakse to Tha Keak (I think)by bus. V tired. 5 day idyllic motorcycle round trip from TK. Mahaxai ('ma ha chai') met land mine (UXO - unexpl ordanance) disposal workers. Grubbiest GH EVER. Cockroaches (paid no rent). Peeling wall paint. Hairs on sheets of last person. Ban Thalan. I joined volleyball game with locals in pm. 5 punctures. Non town where ate across street & saw mkt. Then 2 nights at most excellent caves, 3 or 4 kms long, in boat with spot light. Homestay with locals. Great sticky rice. Vientiane. Dom ill. Bored. Luang Prabang. Street mkt. OK GH. Lamp shades. Local theatre. Boring caves with small buddha statues.

That's enough of that for now. I came here to discuss other stuff, but then I realised I hadn't done my itinery.

So yeeeaaahh,

Things I have learnt over the last 4 months (briefly)
* I need to give myself time
* I'm coming to terms with bad stuff (no, will not explain)
* I didn't deserve what I got (again, will not explain right now...)
* I don't have to please everyone all the time
* I don't have to like everyone all the time.
* Not everyone has to like me.
* It feels great, awesome, fulfilling to CHALLENGE YOURSELF - JUST DO IT - TO TEST IT - TO SEE IF YOU LIKE IT, TO SEE IF YOU DON'T, TO LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF - TRY IT and see.
* I'm a bit calmer
* I've affirmed that I respect other's opinions.
* I'm fun, I make ppl laugh with my spur-of-the-moment jokes
* I give everyone the benefit of a doubt. You don't know them. Where they've come from. What they've experienced. It might be less or more informed than yours.
* I'm a bloody good inspiring teacher when I know how.
* I give myself and others credit where it's due
* I'm not arrogant
* I'm getting older........ and that's goood.

What I personally need to do to keep this in mind:
* Meditate
* Challenge myself
* Write myself a letter about how I am, how well I'm doing.
* Write problem ppl a letter who have upset me (not to be sent) to say how I feel, how I've been affected by them, what limits I'm going to set on how they treat me

So yeeeaaahhh,

For 'challenge yourself'
- I'm now 'demi-vegetarian' - I believe animals are being mistreated in the UK and the USA generally speaking & unless I know that's been a happy cow, in a healthy place and been..
slaughtered without hiccoughs, then I'll eat it with a conscience.
I still eat fish though, but responsibly. Only species that are not on the endangered list or being threatened in some way. Hence 'demi-vegetarian/ pescerian' or I could pee off some devout veggies out there.
- Something I can't say here that I'm sorting out
- I'm APALLED at the crisis in Burma. Did you even know that in our 'day and age' there's a genocidal tyrant killing his own ppl, driving them out of their own country, raping kids & women, destroying homes. And this has been going on for surplus 20 years???? These ppl have nothing. The gvt isn't providing health care, nor accessible education in it's own ppl's language. In fact it's taking money from humanitarian orgs meant for the ppl. Well anyways, I'm a teacher at a refugee place for these Burmese kids who are either orphans, kids of underpaid migrant workers, or just refugee kids fleeing. I'm buying a couple of refugee artist paintings too. And they're damn good. Did you know that although Thailand has camps, it denys refugees 'refugee' status to avoid having to give them a basic education, basic healthcare, etc, etc. NIMBY I guess.

So yeah, you know, I'm enjoying doing things I care about.

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Mid October (half-term for the kiddies) had us cycling n karting along! My brother, James is in black with his mate, Jordan.

This is them in Thetford, having made a den. Dens are apparently exciting things for kids, and they were quite proud of this one!

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Around 5th October 2005.

Ha, ha! This is when I thought I had started travelling!!! I'm with Emily just before we set off on a light 5km race with most of Athens in tow, or should I say them with us in tow!!! This was a wholly Greek advertised thing in which we were some of a few if not the only non-Greek people running! I came in at 24 mins ish. Not bad considering I don't get much exercise!

More race pics!

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Laos
Arrived Savanhaket with no border probs. GH apparently VIP, more like LIP (Least... etc) with mosquitos added!!! Hitch hiking tomorrow to Pakse, 3 of us, I hope we find some ppl to take 3!

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Vietnam (Visa time ran out!!! Only 10 days here ...)
Ho Chi Minh City, ($8 new hotel on a par with 4*, fabulous pizza - cried with relief!)(Ben Tranh Mkt, city Pk & Mekong Delta river, VN toffee, nice ppl), Dalat (v Italian/ S France looking & climate, circled lake, saw funky GH, flower grdn, tiger falls tomorrow....)

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OK, so...

Thailand
Bangkok (Thai Hotel), Ko Chang, Ko Mok (Island Huts), Ko Chang, Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Bangkok (Chinese New Year - now year of the dog), Tratt
Cambodia
Kho Khong, Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Battambang (Samol the moto driver/ student), Siem Reap (Angkor Wat, Prek Tuol)

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(too much vodka...)

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Thai noodles
Gorgeous beaches
Food markets
Buddhas
Clear blue waters
Heat
Tuk-tuks

Wonder if I'll think differently once I've been there??!!

Bring on 8th January, that's what I say!

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Adi is an interesting humourous Romanian artist and well travelled enough already - I met him at Katelios sea turtle project - definitely worth checking out his blog. Adi's website is full of colourful magical pictures and paintings of his own - go see for yourself and say 'hello' at http://adrian-borda.blog.com or see http://adrian-borda .com too

Anyways, I have to be off now (back at home with family!)

Merry Christmas & Happy new Year to all

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"See, we do actually clean up from time to time" Protest Shana Pirhana above and Laura below!!

And Shana boasting to the new hatchling; 'Hey, you, you think you're so cool, huh, well it takes ME only 3 seconds to reach the sea from here mate'!!!

Hardcore Sara saying "Yeah, think you can catch me?!" I have no idea where she gets all her energy from - she walked the hills around Katelios one day then did Mt Aenos with me the next day!!

Will it rain?! Ask Camilla and Manu.

Yes, this was the night the zombies invaded, remember those weird animal noises coming from the swamp, well, these were our culprits!

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For the majority of people who weren't there in September - you missed some breath-taking sunsets. This was taken from Mounda beach.

The hill above Katelios gave some great views

I liked this one particularly.

Sara and I walked 26 miles that day just to see Mt Aenos!! Crazy Spanish girl that she is!

You don't p*ss these guys off!

We led 13 tourists through Keffalonia's countryside, past some beautiful waterfalls and took the victim's, erm, sorry, tourist's money - not much though!

Do you like the sign Cleo and I painted?!

Some Keffalonia cats owned by the founder of the sea turtle project.

Well, we've all got to act the hippie and live in a tent at some point in our lives. Doctored t-shirt or no doctored t-shirt!

Aaron eatin some sand - hey, what was wrong with the stuff Shana and I cooked you on the beach hey?!!

This is Alexis on Mirtos Beach

Yes, this beach DOES exist and are these colours - I caught the splash of the wave!! (Yeah, after using up half the film trying to get the right picture!!)

Alexis at Mirtos with his Catalan friends.

Yep, the St. Tropez of N Keffalonia (with the prices that reflect it too!!)

This is Shana and Aaron on the beach we camped on.

That's all for now folks,

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(i.e. 'first estate' is religion, 'second estate' for modern times is government and justice system, 'third estate' is the people, the 'fourth estate' is the watchdog over these things)

Blogs are doing (albeit exposing, exploring, holding institutions to account) what the papers should be doing but aren't.

Money, money, money.

Which will sell their paper; a sensationalist story or a more boring one that's no less important but doesn't have human interest, self interest or a story that comes from a press release (from the very institution they should be holding to account) giving journalists an easier time???

(I do not wish to demean journalists; they have their own constraints they must work within)

In my opinion, we (the UK, Europe, USA) have not struck the right balance between free market vs regulation. (Aha, that old chestnut!!. Read Das Kapital yourself - I ain't spouting it here!!

http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/

I see it's transcendance down to my own situation with my mother, i.e. my utter disappointment with the mental health services; who do little, change little for my mother, have been found to be obstructive and patronising. Their excuse being to not create a dependency on anything at all, (drugs, home help, talking to someone) i.e. "feel like committing suicide?", "living in absolute hell daily?", "shaking with anxiety?" We won't do anything for you when you feel your worst, no, we'll just do nothing. Well, when CAN anyone have drugs, have home help, talk to someone then? When they're OK? When it's too late? When you're dead? OUTRAGEOUS!!
Why? Because it boils down to money, honestly, it does - I'll expand when I can articulate my thought process more clearly.

My concluding point is that blogs are not all money-driven, they are driven by thought, passion, compassion, anger, reason, the need for debate, sorrow; and sometimes if it is just 'feeling' driven - all the more effective it is at getting to the crux of a matter.

So there.

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"Wash yer mouth out ©"

Whadderya think??!!

Pretty cool, huh?!

Hmmmmm...

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A Ghurka Sword...
(needless to say - keep on the right side of the chef!!)

Til the next time...

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A) RTW ticket:
On this you select flights to/from several countries you want to visit, you pay before you go and can change dates. The ticket must be used 12 months from 1st departure flight.

Good quality/ value companies I would recommend are:

1. www.travel-nation.co.uk (as good as below travelbag and cheaper!)
2. www.travelbag.co.uk (v well-travelled and so well-informed staff slightly higher prices)
3. www.roundtheworldflights.com (good basic sort of co)

Pros -
1. Great cos you know how much money you have left to play about with while away
2. Fairly good value
3. Have proof of onward travel when entering other countries
4. You feel like it's all organised and you only have to waoory about what you gonna do when you get there.

Cons -
1. If decide that don't want to go/ can't go to one or two of the destinations, you can't get refund; you have to take the flights
2. If you want to be away for more than a year, you can't as it's only valid for 12 months
3. Miss out on spur-of-the-momentism

B.)Only buy outward ticket, buy others on the way during travelling: Say you arrive in Thailand, and are bowled over by the charm of Laos, but need proof of your onward journey - simple, just buy a refundable flight while in Thailand, from Laos to wherever!

Pros -
1. Absolute FREEDOM!!! So you don't pass up any opportunity cos you gotta catch that flight you bought earlier! And the things that are waiting to discover you, you're likely to experience, cos you haven't planned too much!

Cons -
1. May be a bit more expensive way to do it than RTW, though i've heard it can be cheaper to buy flights once you're there - as local travel agents know the best deals in their area better than a UK one. ( You always have back up of credit card, which can be repaid once back in the job market. This also assumes you want to return to the commercial 'survival of the fitest' frenzy...)
2. More open to scams perhaps???!

I want to choose (B.), though as I have little debt (except student loan), the credit cards were for emergency use where debit cards wouldn't work, and could be paid off from my back up funds, but if back-up funds are exhausted, cos I bought flights etc, then I can't pay off the credit cards, damn, damn, damn....

Aaaaah (Brainwave!!) Mr. Manager HSBC likes me, he speaks French and has helped me out in much more impoverished studenty times, aaah!!! Yesss, a visit to the bank is due, for a look at the old overdraft facility... still has to be paid back though... but no time constraint.... hmmm.

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The rhythm of the book reflected well the events. It did annoy me at times - I got so angry with the heroine! - when she gave in to Mrs Danvers' goading of her and made her own assumptions about Rebecca.

OK, now I have have my own take on it, but why do YOU think Du Maurier never revealed the name of her heroine???!

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At last I have loads of images which unveil the once in a lifetime experience that meant a lot to me with a little explanation underneath. (How corny does that sound?!!) As you know I went to Keffalonia for 2 months as a sea turtle volunteer, here it goes...

So yes, dawn on Mounda. This sight we took in every day! Us, sea turtle volunteers, had just walked the beach you see before you, a 7 km stretch, that we patrolled there and back every day. We scouted across the sand for evidence of new nests, hatched ones and picked up litter (great one for the CV, maybe not, and that wasn't the point!)

The volunteer briefing... Manu, the chap in red at the far end of the table, is the most laid-back philosophical Italian I have ever met, well compared to the 1 or 2 Italian sleaze bags I have met anyway! I'm the one in the pink top, 3rd in on the left side of the table. We all gathered here every night, ate dinner together, laughed together, and chatted. Manu gave us updates and advice on procedures such as excavations or told us off for not writing down our results yet!! Meanwhile, I enjoyed being able to use my french and some spanish as some of the volunteers came from Catalonia and Madrid. I'll introduce you to some of them once the other pics are ready.

This was our rota and Manu's nightmare! Volunteers stayed for 1 or 2 months, but of course they arrived at different times; I'm glad I didn't have the rota as one of my tasks! The tasks involved campsite cleaning, patrolling, tourist information/ education and beach cleans.

The dining area was where everything went on. You could always just go there, (not when you're working of course!) sit, relax, read, and people come and go, who you drift into conversation with. Or you can stay silent, eavesdrop a little (!), re-fashion your volunteer t-shirt so it actually fits!! Then make a gypsy head-band out of the cut off sleeves!! (My t-shirt was the last one and an XL, RIDICULOUS!)

This was the small colourful kitchen where 2 people would cook for 20 on a budget of 20 euros!! With many of the volunteers being marine biology students/ zoology students, they were mostly vegetarian, so it was mostly lentils and having to be create tons of things to do with tinned tomatoes, potatoes, rice or pasta! We actually came up with some tasty things. I'll leave the recipes later.

This was an excavation; the volunteers dug down to the nest, where there were often 100 Loggerhead turtle eggs. We measure the nest, note down the numbers of infected eggs, deaths, live hatchlings, unfertilised eggs etc, erase any tracks to the sea and fill the hole again.

This was the last beach party (not on Mounda, as it's a protected turtle beach) - All of them were very bad for my health... and my memory!! (I wonder why?!) This was near the start and the music hadn't arrived yet - A must-have at any beach party if no-one has a guitar! I may tell one of the stories... watch this space!

I'm losing my patience now, so I shall return fairly soon, with more stories and pictures... wait til you see the sunset!

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