This got lost in the kerfuffle of my rough move to Perth…but I actually won third prize in the Solas Awards’ Young Traveler category for my story Why I Beat a Girl With a PVC Pipe. Not too bad, considering I entered it quickly without any time to edit it! As a reward, I get a certificate, free copy of a Traveler’s Tale (the company sponsoring the awards) book, and the chance that they will publish my story in an upcoming collection.

While we’re on the subject of writing, I’ve noticed that I haven’t mentioned IgoUgo in a while. This is probably because I took an extended break from writing because of the end of uni/Christmas break/my trip to New Zealand. Anyway, I’m back to writing and have started trying to make a dent on the 20+ journals I have piled up from NZ, plus 2 or 3 from Perth. The two I’ve written so far are Christchurch: The Gateway to the South Island and
New Zealand Essentials (which is still missing a few entries).

Also, while I was in New Zealand, I was chosen to be in the IgoUgo Hall of Fame. I was really excited about receiving this honor, since only the top contributors to the site are chosen.

IgoUgo also writes its own travel blog (and I made the list of their “Go-To Blogs”…yay!). In their weekly site update on Friday, they noted that my journal Stonehenge: Wiltshire’s Most Famous Pile of Rocks is now one of IgoUgo’s top 10 most-read journals.