SOUTH EAST ASIA

South East Asia was our first destination and we had planned 6 weeks to do Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. We didn't want to start our travels off on our own and especially as it started in Cambodia so we booked a 10 day tour through STA again (G-Adventures) which took us round Cambodia and over the Vietnam border which I'm SO glad we did as it would have been a bit scary doing it on our own it was also a great way to meet new people!

Instead of writing out in chunks things we did I'll do it in bullet points so it's easier and quicker to read...

4 MONTH TRIP-PREP

I've recently just got back from a 4 month trip which was absolutely incredible all booked through STA travel. I've decided before I blab on about the experience itself, I'll do a post on useful tips and how everything was planned for anyone who is thinking of going backpacking...this may be very long and boring.

SPAIN-BARCELONA

Another 21st treat was a weekend away to Barcelona with my Mum and Auntie. We managed to pack so much into such a short trip but that included a hell of a lot of walking! It's a beautiful city and I would definitely visit again and enjoy being able to take my time seeing things rather than rushing around. Sorry if I am a bit vague with this post, I didn't really pay much attention to the name of places we ate or stayed, it was such a fast paced trip.

Parc de la Cuitadella

CROATIA-ZADAR

For my 21st my boyfriend at the time took me away to Croatia. Seen as though he's a guy...I planned it all. The original plan was to go over to Dubrovnik for a night (Game of Thrones fans-you know) and an island called Brac but it turned out for the time we had there, there was just not enough of it so we stayed in Zadar for a week.

Croatia is beautiful. It wasn't the first time I'd been but it was the first time I'd actually seen parts of it as the first time I went over was for Hideout festival on the island of Pag...so the majority of the time I saw vodka and my bed. That's why this time I wanted to see as much as possible. Even though we didn't get to travel around we still managed to book a trip to Plitvice Lakes which is the largest national park in Croatia and is AMAZING. I really don't think my photos do it justice as the water is so clear and blue it makes you just want to drink it- or is that just me that always thinks that? The walk takes a few hours and we were very lucky that the weather cleared up a little as it rained in the morning but I think even with rain it would still be undoubtedly stunning.

MOROCCO-MARRAKESH

Back in 2011 whilst I was still at University me and my flat mate decided to volunteer. It was something I had always wanted to do at some point in my life but never imagined it would be that soon! I REALLY would have loved to have done turtle conservation in Costa Rica or any wildlife rescue for that matter but it was way too expensive for my student budget therefore we decided on volunteering with children in Morocco through a company called 'Original Volunteers'.

Our journey took us via Madrid for a night so we tried to cram in a whole weekends worth of Madrid sightseeing into one day (and a bit of shopping obviously) but the Spanish protest or known as the 15-M Movement flooded the Puerta Del Sol square so we didn't quite get the views and atmosphere we were hoping for. Nevertheless the Spanish sun geared us up a little bit in preparation for Morocco and we tried our first Spanish omelette washed down with a desperado (well needed for a non buttered baguette and a dry omelette) whilst people watching at a cafe near the Mercado San Miguel which is one of Madrid's oldest and most renown markets.

                                                                                                                     

Hostel: Pension Apolo XI