Ah, Australia, Australia, Australia! What a fine place! How I've missed you.

No sooner had we touched down in Sydney's Kingsford Smith airport than an irrepressible grin started to spread across my face at the thought of where I was and what awaited me here. The friendliness of the natives made itself apparent even BEFORE I'd cleared immigration. In fact, I was barely off the plane when customs officials made us line up in single file so they could pass the sniffer dogs along us. It was the affable cry of "Good Boy!" that one of the handlers let out as his hound reached the end of the queue that started my grin. Then the guy whose job it was to tell people which passport control queue to queue in was warm & humorous. The guy at the desk who checked my passport was friendly too. Even the people scanning the luggage were chatty.

So it was no surprise to me at all that the lady who sold me my first Aussie coffee was a hilarious, cheeky chatterbox. And so it went on: the super smiley guy at the Vodafone counter who actually told me the truth about it being cheaper to buy a SIM card in the supermarket, the random guy in the lift down to the trains, the lady behind the train ticket counter, the guy in Kings Cross station who I asked for directions. They were all SO cheerful! And not in that American, seemingly forced way either. I was reminded again and again how genuine Australians' niceness really is.

So anyway, after changing out of my skanky travel clothes at the airport I caught a train into Kings Cross and headed on foot downhill to Woolloomooloo. There I waited in a small park (okay I slept for a bit under a huge gum tree) for Johannes to come home and let me in. As it turns out, I ended up staying with his friend Alan who lives in the same building. That way I could have a room of my own, rather than crashing on the living room floor.

I lad lunch with Johannes at a place up the hill in Potts Point, where we had a super friendly waiter called Stefano. Next I bought a SIM card and contacted everyone I know in Australia to give them my new number, then went back to Alan's to settle in (okay I slept a bit more - well I was a bit jetlagged). That evening I took a taxi with Johannes (with a super friendly driver) to a pub in the south of the city and had a beer with him there (with a super friendly waitress). Then we went to a tiny theatre round the corner (where I met a super friendly South African) to watch a production of As You Like It. We finished our evening with a drink & gelato and then caught the train home.

On Wednesday I had an early start to meet Kate at Circular Quay. I walked across the Botanic Gardens to get there and was amazed first by all the bloody flies and then by all the swallows that were swooping around at knee-height eating said flies hurrah! My meeting with Kate was one of those ones where you're so busy looking everywhere find the person you're meeting that you totally don't see them when they creep up on you!

We walked around to the Marriott hotel on the waterfront for brekky, sharing a delicious portion of eggs benedict (ah! I haven't had them since the last time I was in Oz, I think!). Then we wandered around the city, catching up on all our gossip. I ended up doing all sorts of shopping: for a new camera case in a Crumpler store, for an Aussie Akubra hat in the QVC (okay I didn't actually buy it), for shorts & a cap in the Haymarket.

We had a delicious noodle lunch at my all-time favourite noodle bar near Haymarket. Oh what joy it was to be there again!!!! After the huge food we were super full, so we waddled to the nearby Pumphouse pub for a posh drink, then strolled through Darling Harbour and on into town. We bid each other farewell at Hyde Park, whence I walked down the hill to Woolloomooloo. That evening I had a German dinner at Maggie's with Johannes and Alan and their friends Robert, Mark & Tony. We followed this up with gelato in Potts Point and then headed home.

Thursday was a bit of a housekeepingy nothingy day, with lots of emailing etc. (Yes folks, that's the last time I updated my blog.) I had dinner that evening at Johannes' place with his houseguest Suzanne and his friend Mark who I'd met the night before. Johannes cooked a lovely risotto and we talked about all sorts. It was great! After dinner Mark, Johannes & I headed up the hill to grab some more amazing gelato, and on our long meandering walk back to Woolloomooloo we visited the flat where the latest series of a cult Australian drama programme is being filmed. Mark is the props manager for the filming, so the overnight security guard recognised him and let us in for a look around.

On Friday I did the long walk all the way round Mrs Macquarie's Chair to Circular Quay, then caught a ferry to Parramatta to see what all the fuss is about. (Parramatta doesn't have a very good press amongst Sydneysiders who live in more salubrious parts of the city.) The ferry journey was delightful, taking me from the hustle & bustle of Circular Quay under the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and then along past all the posh waterfront housing. I was surprised when we started sailing through mangroves, having forgotten how warm Sydney really is.

When we reached Parramatta I walked along a jacaranda-lined path into town and then visited Old Government House, the first seat of the leader of the original colony of New South Wales. To be honest, there's really bugger all else in Parramatta except cheesy dollar shops and scary-looking people, so I took a train back to Sydney and comforted myself with bubble tea in a Chinese place near the station.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just walking all over town. And then, just as I reached home, I saw Johannes & Suzanne leaving together so I caught up with them to ask where they were off to. It turns out that for a short time only there's an art trail through all the little back lanes in the CBD, with art installations at strategic points to make you reconsider your relationship with the city. Thankfully, there's an arty-alternative bar at the last installation where you can grab some arty -alternative cocktails (served in jam jars) and consider the walk.

I had walked past a Japanese noodle bar that caught my fancy, so I headed there for dinner after the walk, then met up with Johannes to go for a few drinks on Oxford Street that evening. We caught up with his friends Robert, Richard & Peter, had a few beers, then walked home.

And so I came very quickly to my last day in Sydney. I just about had time to pack my bags and have a quick breakfast up the hill (at Stefano's place) with Johannes, Suzanne & Mark, and then it was time for me to catch the train back to the airport. Destination: Melbourne!

Greetings, my mostly northern-hemisphere chums, from Down Under! Yes, I've made it all the way round to Australia, where I shall be spending the next couple of months getting hot and sweaty in the southern summer sun.

I just thought I'd write a few words about the week I spent in Thailand, half-way here more or less, and leave the start of my Aussie stories to the next blog. So here goes:

It all started with a series of rather risky flight connections that were all under two hours. The things we do to save money! On Monday I flew from Munich to London Gatwick, from Gatwick to Dubai, from Dubai to Bangkok, and from Bangkok to Phuket. Only the Dubai-Bangkok connection was guaranteed; the rest was all with different airlines! But I got away with it - this time...

I arrived at my final destination, Phuket, on Tuesday afternoon. I was met at the airport by my friend Andrew, who I'd last seen - fittingly enough - on my last day in Australia, just as I left to go back to Europe back in '05. Andrew & Chris were kind enough to invite me to stay with them in their gorgeous house on Phuket island, where they now live.

The weather was a bit grey and wet - but it was HOT HOT HOT! Such a change from the wintry stuff I'd left behind me in Munich. But then again, we're practically on the equator here so it's no surprise that it's tropical and steamy.

After a very welcome shower & a quick swim in their pool, Andrew & I went to pick up Chris from his work in Phuket City, where he lectures to students who are learning to be TEFL English teachers. From there we drove to the Phuket Brewery, a restaurant and bar with its own brews which is housed in a building that looks like a ship. I didn't dare try their Weissbier or their Dunkel, but their Pilsner was very refreshing.

The food at the Phuket Brewery was delicious! Oh how I love Thai food! I had a spicy squid salad that after the first mouthful I thought might defeat me it was so chilified. But in fact it was just that I managed somehow to get a huge piece of chili on the very first forkload. From there on in, once I'd regained sensation in my tongue, the salad was spicy but delicious.

My first full day, Wednesday, was very relaxed. I had some fruit for breakfast, did a spot of emailing, and then basically lounged by the pool. We drove Chris into work at lunchtime, stopping briefly to pick up some super tasty pockets of chili pork and vegetables wrapped in fresh rice paper, then Andrew took me to the Lighthouse restaurant at Chalong bay. This is where most of the dive boats leave from, and it's very much a working port, with hundreds of boats bobbing in the clear turquoise waters.

After lunch, we drove south to Rawai, the area in the bottom lefthand corner of Phuket, to see the beautiful beach at Rawai bay. Then we went inland to Wat Chalong. This temple is not very old, but it's quite a big complex altogether, with all the ingredients of a buddhist place of worship: temples, a bell tower, a huge urn for incense burning, gardens, palaces, and a little market.

That evening we picked up Chris from work and drove across the island, past the "honking temple" (where people toot their horns as they drive past for good luck), through Patong on the west coast and up to Surin beach, to one of their favourite beach bars. The plan was to have cocktails and watch the sun go down, but alas it was raining! So we just had a quick beer or two and then headed to dinner at a restaurant called Black Cat which is owned and run by a Frenchman and his Thai wife - whose name really is "Miao"!

Thursday was similarly relaxed to Wednesday, with a morning of fruit, pool and sun lounger, a light lunch at home, and another sightseeing drive courtesy of Andrew. This time we went down the west coast to the Karon Viewpoint, from which you have a huge view back up the coast over Kata and Karon beaches. Then we stopped for a quick drink at Ao Sane beach, a tiny little beach with just one drinks shack and a handful of bathers.

From there we drove along Rawai bay again and then up to the Big Buddha, currently being built up on the second-tallest hill on the island. Standing at his enormous feet, you get fantastic views over the whole of the east coast, from Phuket City down across Chalong and all the way to Laem Phromthep, Phuket's southernmost point. And, most excitingly of all, we saw a troupe of macaques feeding in the trees around the base of the Buddha platform!

From the Big Buddha we drove to pick up Chris, then headed to the beach bar at Hat Bang Tao, in the middle of Bang Tao bay, near where the enormous Laguna Phuket hotel & aparment complex has been built around the flooded tin mines which are now indeed lagoons. This evening, it was sunny so we actually got to see the sunset - hooray! Once it was dark, we headed home for gin & tonics and a spot of dinner.

Friday was once again relaxed in the morning. For lunch the three of us went to an expat pub at Tinlay Place. In the absence of any Thai food, but craving another chili fix, I had a chicken jalfrezi from the Indian section of the menu. It was good! After lunch, we spent the afternoon at Nai Thon beach on the northwest coast. The water was like a hot bath! Every now and then there were some enormous waves, but by and large it was calm and restful. I walked quite a way up and down the beach as well as swimming in those delightful waters. A real beach treat!

After a couple of hours there we drove home, had showers, then headed back out for sundowners at Layan beach, north of Bang Thao. At last I had a sunset straight into the Andaman sea! But the sun's timing was impeccable: less than ten minutes later, a huge rainstorm rushed down from the north and obliterated the entire view out to sea. It was so wet, we hesitated to leave the safety of the beach bar to go back to the car, but a very kind waitress took up a sun shade and escorted us across to where the car was parked.

We drove through pouring rain and along invisible roads to the airport to pick up my mate Matthias, who was starting a two-week holiday of his own in Thailand by catching up with me for the weekend. But by the time he was through immigration and had his bags, the rain had died off. We headed home to get Matthias showered & changed after his long flight from Munich through Singapore, then back out for dinner at Black Cat.

Saturday was a truly unrelaxed, hectic day! Poor Matthias, barely arrived from Europe, and I was making him get up at six thirty. But I had good reason: I'd organised a day's diving for us both. Chris' Thai friend Cam is a freelance tour guide and travel operator, and he had assisted me in sorting out some diving. He also chauffeured us to Chalong to catch our boat.

We dived with South Siam Divers, one of the biggest outfits on the island. The boat took us to three dive sites: Koh Dok Mai (where we saw ghost pipefish and nudibranchs); the King Cruiser wreck (which boasts Phuket's most famous toilets); and lastly Shark Point (which lived up to its name, because we saw not one but TWO leopard sharks!!).

It was a strenuous day - even for me, rested as I was from lots of lazy days, but especially for Matthias, who had only had about three hours' sleep. Cam picked us up and took us home, where we could have a little rest before heading out for the night: Chris & Andrew were taking us into Patong, that den of sin & vice...

The trip there was already exciting. We drove part of the way, then grabbed a tuk tuk into Patong. Our first stop was for dinner at Yo Yo, which has fabulous food and very friendly staff. Then we took a walk along Bangla road, where all sorts of people get up to all sorts of things - made all the more intriguing this weekend by there being 3,000 American marines on shore leave!

There was really nothing at all attractive about Bangla road or its inhabitants, so after gawping for a short while at all the drunk tourists and all the cheap prostitutes we headed for drinks behind the Paradise Hotel at Time bar (where we met the owners Dan & Jessica, friends of Chris & Andrew). We finished the evening with a halloween-themed ladyboy show at Boat Bar. It was quite disturbing to see ugly men dressed as pretty women disguised as hideous undead!

Sunday was blissfully relaxed. In fact, I didn't wake up until after 1pm! We lazed the rest of the afternoon away by the pool, and then went for sundowners and dinner at Laypang restaurant on Laypang beach in the middle of Bang Thao bay. This is Chris & Andrew's favourite restaurant, and it' easy to understand why. The location is idyllic, with tables on a raised platform stretching out into the inviting sands. The food is delicious and keenly priced. And the cocktails were the best I'd had all week - and cheap too!

Having missed the Vegetarian festival by one day (so I was spared the sight of priests in trance shoving pokers through their cheeks and then carrying baskets of fruit on either end), and being set to miss the Loi Krathong festival (where people honour the water spirit by the light of the full moon), I was most pleased when we spied lantern-sellers making their way down the beach! It meant I could take part at least in the build-up to Loi Krathong and send up a lantern (and a wish) into the night sky. My lantern was given extra oomph by having a tail made of sparklers attached to it, which made it look like a slow-motion space rocket as it rose up up and away.

After a delightful dinner, we headed home for a few more drinks and a midnight dip in the pool. What a lovely day!

And then it was Monday, my last day in Thailand. I got packed, had a final swim, and then headed to the airport with Cam to catch my AirAsia flight back to Bangkok. There I transferred my luggage to Emirates, cleared immigration and set out on the final outward leg of my journey - to Australia!