Let the adventures begin... :)

Hey y'all!
Welcome to my blog!!! Yes I've finally made it to blogdom thanks to my mate Rick's wonderful Mac... will seriously miss this luxury when I start my travels.
This is my very own little corner of cyberspace which will house my rantings and ravings regarding the 10-month round the world trip (well, more like half-way round the world and then back again) I will be undertaking from Aug 1 2006. So please, mi casa su casa - make yourself at home but don't forget to wipe your feet before you enter! :)
I'll be keeping everyone updated how I'm getting on with planning this mammoth exercise, what I hope to see, who I'll be hooking up with when and detailing all of those much dreaded moments when I'd give anything to swap a cold hostel shower for a hot bath.
I am currently still in Deutschland - return to the UK on April 6 :( It has been great chillin here for a few weeks (as always) and I'll miss the independence once I get home but not long til I jet off for my excursion now... :) Talking of 5-star luxury, Rick and I stayed in a 5-star Le Meridien hotel in Stuttgart a couple of Saturdays ago - VERY NICE! There was a pool, jacuzzi, spa rooms and the room itself had lit-up works of art. I don't think the hostels I'll be visiting will be quite so bespoke but at least I'll have the memory of that to keep me muddling on! :) The town was quite nice - a few nice squares, art galleries and a schloss (not the traditional turrets kind, more the 17th/18th century formal kind), however, it was a struggle to find a nice restaurant and there didn't seem to be that many bars about either. We did in the end though and that's another German city to cross off my very long list....
My round the world itinerary reads thus: Manchester to Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia, China and St Petersburg (via the Trans-Mongolian Express).
So far I've pretty much sorted out where I want to go in China and South East Asia. My flights are booked and I've also booked the organised tour I'll be taking of Japan. I'm heading to Japan first as I will be attending the wedding of one of Rick's former housemates. He is marrying a Japanese lady in a traditional Shinto shrine on Aug 4. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not to be missed so I'm not! ;) And as most of you know, I'm nuts about Japan so I will certainly be starting my trip on a high.
More soon. :)
CJ x