A new format (and sibling) for A Surplice of Adventure!

I was fiddling around with this blog earlier in the week, and inadvertently upgraded the template on which it's based. That was all well and good, and the new format is much easier to edit and update, but it seemed to overwrite some stuff. Anyway, bare with me while I fix it up. I hope to keep the travels pics rolling in the mean time!

I've also recently launched a new blog - A Surplice of Spirit, which will document my voyage of discovery and entrepreneurship into the holistic therapies industry.

I've spent the last 18 months retraining as a massage therapist, and will be heading back to Australia shortly to start my own business. It's a hugely exciting adventure, although quite different from the ones I've been rambling about on this blog.

I will still enjoy playing tourist as I re-bond with my family and friends back home, and I'm hoping to thrash my trusty Canon DSLR, taking photos of what I reckon is the best country on the planet. Whoohooo!

A smattering of travel blogs

Time to do a quick scan of some of the funky travel blogs to see who's talking about what?

The Sydney Morning Herald's globe-trotting backpacker Ben Groundwater is discussing the backpacker's guide to being ripped off. His experiences remind me of having baby (dolls) chucked at me in Spain, as gypsies attempted to grab my bag, and a sneaky old english photographer in London who "volunteered" to take make photo outside Big Ben.

Mark Hayes over at the TimesOnline travel blog is discussing The Top 5 Cornish Pastries. Despite having spent last Christmas in Cornwall, and indeed, at the Lizard, where Mark is writing from, I am still yet to try an authentic Cornish pastry. It's on my to-do list!

The Guardian Unlimited's Katie Marsh is discussing her hilarious experience of Finland's Wife-Carrying World Championships. I also enjoyed Giulio Sica's post about Marrakech overtaking New York in Time Out's best selling city guide. I'm planning to be in Morocco this Christmas, so I might check it out.

And there's TravelBlog.org, which, with 371 updated blogs, 99 new bloggers, 3668 new photos and 38 forum posts in the past 24 hours....there's no shortage of new things to read.

Explore's travel blog

Ok, so I'm a bit slow on the update, but I'm liking Explore's blog. They seem to be in touch with their customers - highlighting their blogs, and participating in all conversations travel.



The folks there seem to like raising funds for charity, with the blog highlighting some of their employees most recent endeavours.

And I like that they've introduced podcasts. I think it's such a brilliant idea to be able to download travel podcasts and listen to them as you're wandering through the place being discussed.

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the 2008/2009 Explore brochure so I can ponder the next big adventure....South America!