Part III: End of the World
1 January 2011 – 31 January 2013
Days 725-762: Where Have You Been?
26.12.10-01.02.11: Well, I was hoping to be back on the road by now, but as anyone who’s been watching the news in the last couple
Days 763-815: The Three Most Amazing Things About You
I’ve been “off the horse” for the past couple of months as my older sister Nikki was diagnosed with terminal cancer a short time ago.
Days 816-882: But I’m Still Here
27.03.11-01.06.11: I’ve been in a state of enforced hibernation for the last few months and I guess I owe you all an apology and an
Day 883: A Breath of Fresh Air
02.06.11: For somebody with my fun-seeking personality traits it may come as a shock to some of you that I’ve never knowingly taken an illegal
Day 884: A Greenpeace of My Mind
03.06.11: There’s a movie that I implore you all to watch: Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man. It tells the story of an incredibly stupid guy called
Day 885: The Frog and The Scorpion
04.06.11: It cracks me up that so much positive emphasis is put on stuff that is ‘natural’. Talk to your average punter in the street
Day 1,000: Wewak To The Future
27.09.11: It’s Day M. As I stand outside Wewak aerodrome on the northern fringe of Papua New Guinea, I dip my hat on the morning
Day 1,001: Hey White Man!
28.09.11: When I say the Papua New Guineans are the friendliest bunch of people you’ll ever come across, I hope you don’t take me for
Day 1,002: Fire and Brimstone
29.09.11: Righty-ho Graham you great big travelling monkey, it’s time to hit the road. Tony called me out of bed at 6am as the PMV
Days 1,003-1,005: A Weekend In Madang
30.09.11-02.10.11: The Lutheran Shipping ferry slid into Madang port bang on 7am, which was the exact time the captain told me it would arrive. I
Day 1,006: As I Went Down In The River To Lae
03.10.11: In the morning Mums Singin was good enough to pick me up from Katherine’s flat for a quick tour of the museum that she
Days 1,007-1,013: The Lae Delay
04.10.11-10.10.11: Well I haven’t gone anywhere but by jingo it’s been a fun week here in sunny old Lae. Ah, it’s not as bad as
Days 1,066-1,067: The Canary in The Coal Mine
02.12.11-03.12.11: Meet Tuvalu, the modern day Atlantis. If anyone fancies their chances taking on my Guinness World Record, you better get your skates on because
Day 1,068-1,070: My Lucky Underpants
04.12.11-06.12.11: The less said about Sunday, the better. Hangovers are not something I tremendously suffer from unless a) I drink more than my bodyweight in
Days 1,071-1,073: Futuna and Glory, Kid
07.12.11-09.12.11: We left Wallis in the afternoon and headed for the other island of Wallis and Futuna: Futuna! We arrived at Dawn’s crack the next
Day 1,074: Alofa Tuvalu!
10.12.11: So then back to Tuvalu to pick up those containers we left here last weekend. This all reminds me of a riddle involving taking
Day 1,075: The Big Seven-Five
11.12.11: An early departure saw us clear Funafuti’s lagoooooon by 8am and once more we long afloat on shipless oceans. I did all my best
Day 1,076: Business In Great Waters
12.12.11: We’re at sea, so now’s a good time to give you some sort of timetable of my movements over the next few months. It’s
Days 1,132-1,133: Under The Bridge
Mon 06.02.12 – Tue 07.02.12: As dawn broke over the eastern horizon, the Sea Princess eased herself under the Sydney Harbour bridge, bringing to a
Days 1,134-1,137: Taking Over The Asylum
Wed 08.02.12 – Sat 11.02.12: The bus arrived in Melbourne at 6.30am, so I got to surprise Mandy before work with my presence. For Mandy’s
Days 1,138-1,145: The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time
Sun 12.02.12 – Sun 19.02.12: After a spot of brekkie at Mandy’s mum’s gaff in Ballarat, Mand and I returned to Melbourne and caught up
Days 1,146-1,149: The Road To Nauru
Mon 20.02.12 – Thursday 23.02.12: Monday morning and I arrived in Sydney bright and early. After picking up a $1 coffee from 7/11 (I live
Days 1,150–1,153: Piercing The Gloom
Fri 24.02.12 – Mon 27.02.12: So I went from the Papuan Chief to the Pacific Pearl to the Southern Pearl to the Southern Lily 2
Day 1,154: Such A Pretty House
Tue 28.02.12: Today I turned 33 years old. Too old, Yoda would say, to begin the training. By the age of 33, Jesus had convinced
Day 1,213: Sing Us A Song
Fri 27.04.12: It’s been seven months since I re-booted The Odyssey Expedition after my enforced sabbatical and I’m pleased to announce that I have now
Day 1,215: A Big Fat Croc
Sun 29.04.12: On our way to Hong Kong now, but we still have a couple of pitstops along the way. First up, Davao on the
Day 1,216: General Santos
Mon 30.04.12: After arriving in the port of General Santos I met with Vincent, the local agent for Mariana Express, who took me to see
Day 1,221: Ping Pong King Kong Hong Kong
Sat 05.05.12: It took a few days, but on the evening of Friday 4th May you could see the bright lights of Hong Kong from
Day 1,222: My Fellow Liverpudlians
Sun 06.05.12: After the lunacy of last night, it was time to get back on track. Myself, Dino and Mandy have written to numerous shipping
Day 1,223: You’re A Dick!
Mon 07.05.12: Up early for a meeting with Chris at Wallem Shipping, a friend of Stuart Jackets from the Queen Victoria pub in Wan Chai.
Days 1,244-1,248: The War At Sea
Mon 28.05.12 – Fri 01.06.12: There’s a war going on. Did anyone tell you? Bet they didn’t. The UN wouldn’t tell you, because then they
Day 1,249: Why I’m Not A Republican
Sat 02.06.12: Today marked the start of the 4-day Diamond Jubilee celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year as Head of State of The United Kingdom,
Days 1,251-1,257: The Isle of Serendipity
Mon 04.06.12 – Sun 10.06.12: AT LAST! COUNTRY NUMBER 198! And in the grand tradition of saving the best till last, it is my duty
Days 1,258-1,264: Arrack Attack!
Mon 11.06.12 – Sun 17.06.12: After a quiet weekend in Negombo, I found myself in a bit of a rut. I wanted to go and
Days 1,265-1,271: The Long and Shorts of It
Mon 18.06.12 – Sun 24.06.12: After returning to Negombo late on Sunday night, things were looking good. The ship leaving this weekend was going to
Days 1,272-1,276: The Cultural Triangle
Mon 25.06.12 – Fri 29.06.12: And so it came to pass that Monday morning involved waking up with a monster can’t-believe-we-lost-on-penalties-AGAIN!!! hangover and as I
Days 1,380-1,383: The Beginning of the End
Fri 12.10.12 – Mon 15.10.12: I said thank you and goodbye to Shaun and was at the RCL offices for noon. After more photos with
Day 1,384: To Chai For
Wed 16.10.12: I’ve been here before. I’ve done this exact same thing before. Travelling down from Bombay to Cochin on the train. Madness, I know.
Day 1,385: The Ally-Ally-O
Thu 17.10.12: After firing off my blog on Wednesday evening I met with Niall Doherty, a fellow overlander who has been suck in Cochin for
Day 1,387: The Maldeviants
Sat 20.10.12: Friday was spent at sea, familiarising myself with the ship. Good news: the bars are open until 2am. Bad news: I don’t have
Day 1,390: The Costa Living
Tue 23.10.12: The two days at sea passed like some velvet morning (when I’m straight). For the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to be
Day 1,391: I Sell Seychelles
Wed 24.10.12: Country 2-0-0. Friends, can you BELIEVE IT? Nope. Neither can I, which is good, because Seychelles is quite an unbelievable place. In a
Day 1,427: Ain’t No Fat Lady Singin’…
Tue 27 Nov 12: IT’S NOT OVER YET!! I’ve still got to get from here in South Sudan back to my hometown of Liverpool. And
Day 1,428: The Same Thing We Do Every Night Pinky…
Wed 28.11.12: I was supposed to be heading back to Uganda this morning at butt crack o’ clock, but it wasn’t to be. I just
Day 1,429: Exiting 201
Thu 29.11.12: It was 5am and I was up and showered, ready to begin my long journey back to the UK. Remarkably, in terms of
Day 1,430: Call My Bluff
Fri 30.11.12: Up at 7am and down to DHL for 8.30pm. Passport – avec Ethiopian visa – in hand (praise be to Lindsey!), I bought
The Return of The Ging!
PIER HEAD, LIVERPOOL: 2.45PM SAT 22 DEC. BE THERE! If you didn’t already get the memo, I will be returning home to Liverpool in time
Day 1,431: Carry On Nairobi
Sat 01.12.12: So after a night of almost no sleep I find myself in Nairobi, ready to get this 6am bus to the border. For
Days 1,462-1,468: An Unexpected Email
Tue 01.01.13 – Mon 07.01.13: 2013 began, as all good years should, with a kiss. The cute redhead (that isn’t me) is my new girlfriend,
Days 1,469-1,475: I Didn’t Do It
Tue 08.01.13 – Mon 14.01.12: Dear Graham Hughes, Thank you for your application for ‘First Surface Journey To Every Country in World’. Unfortunately, due to
Days 1,476-1,482: Life In Limbo
Tue 15.01.13 – Mon 21.01.13: I was hoping to be in Russia today. But since when has The Odyssey Expedition run as smoothly as you
Days 1,483-1,489: Man of the World
Tue 22.01.13 – Mon 28.01.13: I finally heard back from the Russian visa guy this week. He hadn’t received my original email, so I’ve had
Days 1,490-1,493: The Last Leg
Mon 29.01.13 – Thu 01.02.13: Monday morning saw Casey and I silently creep out of Lindsey’s place around 7am. I was in an epic rush
Day 1,885: The Last Post
Fri 28.02.14: It’s taken over a YEAR of deliberation, but it’s official: Guinness World Records have sent me notification that I am, without a shadow