Dan's Adventure

Three weeks, two islands, one birthday; New Zealand is going to be fun!
Continuing my adventures down under, I will be flying from Sydney to Christchurch on the South island at the end of March and will have three weeks to reach Auckland on the North island from which I be hitting the fourth continent of the trip, South America.
Shortly after arriving in New Zealand I will turn 28 so what better way to spend it than in Queenstown, New Zealand’s capital of extreme sports! I have suffered from a fear …

I arrive in Nairobi two days before the Kenya to Cape Town overland tour with Acacia Africa begins. I won’t arrive until after dark so I definitely want to have my accommodation arranged in advance.
A hotel has been recommended to me by Acacia Africa but its rather expensive compared to the accommodation I will be staying in for the rest of my around the world trip so I have been researching some budget alternatives. At the moment I am considering both Wildebeest Camp and Bush House. Both of these options …

In order to hire a car and drive abroad one typically needs an International Driving Permit (IDP). Its essentially a version of your own country’s driving license translated into multiple languages. The IDP is not however a license in its own right, it is merely confirmation that you hold a driving license in another country. It must therefore be accompanied by your original driving license when you use it abroad.
IDPs can be purchased from motoring associations in most countries. In the UK, both the AA and the RAC issue IDPs …

My passport was returned to me in the post this morning complete with a visa for Vietnam, the final visa that I needed to obtain before departure. I wasn’t expecting to receive it until next week as I only posted it on the 20th so another fast turn around. Its valid between November 15th and December 15th so I’ve got a bit of flexibility with my time there.
In other Vietnam related news, Lindsay has booked her flights! She will be joining me for six weeks to travel in Vietnam, Cambodia, …

“Aright mate, how ye daein?” is yelled in a nasal tone from the back seat as I board the over night Megabus to London. “Dae ye want some wine?” his friend asks as a bottle of Buckfast is waved in my direction. Its telling that the seats near them are all unoccupied, I also opt for a seat away from them.
As we try to sleep we have the pleasure of being serenaded by Rangers songs; “If ye cannae dae the bouncy yer a Tim! If ye cannae dae the bouncy …

Over the last two months I’ve made six trips to Monklands travel clinic and two trips to Strathaven health centre for vaccinations. Thankfully today was my final visit to Monklands where I received the last of my Rabies and Hepatitis B vaccinations. I have now had all the vaccinations that I require for my trip.
At Monklands I also picked up my prescription for anti malarial tablets. I left the hospital with a brown paper bag full of Doxycycline.It needs to be taken daily whilst in malarial zones, as well as …

Vietnam is one of the few countries for which I cannot get a visa on arrival. Unlike many other visas which are valid for a period after issue, Vietnam visas are valid between two specific dates. This is an advantage as it lets me apply for it now, but it also means that the dates I provide are fixed. I considered applying for a 15 day visa as I am planning to spend 2 weeks in Vietnam, but the 30 day visa gives a bit of flexibility if my entry …

As a British passport holder I need visas to enter Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. I had been planning to apply for all of them by post, starting this week with Kenya, but I have been advised by Acacia Africa that it will be cheaper to wait and get them on arrival at the respective borders. I wanted to get them in advance so that I wasn’t the one person on the Kenya to Cape Town overland tour that everyone was waiting on at each border. I’ve been assured though that …