Roo Takes Over! WARNING: Expect Rainbows…

I’ve been thinking for a while about how to do justice to this blog, when a) I’m incredibly busy writing the next book, and b) I’m incredibly lazy. Then an idea struck me – actually, it was Roo that struck me (though I still maintain that it didn’t hurt. It was the surprise that made me scream).

“Let ME do something!” she said. Which didn’t sound like a bad idea. And so, quicker than I could drop my trousers upload a photo, here we have it – our new, combined, shared blog! I know, I know. It looks exactly like the other one. But the point is, nothing has changed – Roo has been supplying me with the best photos for this blog for years, so now I’m making it official: Roo is my co-contributor, co-conspirator, and partner in (occasional) crime. She will now fill the gaps in my busy schedule by posting some of the best pictures from our travels around the world. I’ll continue to post overly-long, pointless rants about the random things that happen to us – and somewhere in the middle we’ll have… well. You. You poor sod! Here – have a biscuit.

So! She’s fabulous, she’s multi-talented – hell, she’s multi-coloured! A genius behind the lens, and not ‘arf bad in front of one; she’s the love of my life, and the only person I’ve ever known who can sing an entire song and not get a single lyric right. Without further ado, I give you my wife! (But you can’t keep her. So stop asking.)

Roo on snowy log

ROO: Well, we all know Tony is busy on his fifth book so I thought I’d sneak over here and have some input on the blog! Some of you may know me from my husband’s books ‘Kamikaze Kangaroos!’ and ‘Can I Kiss Her Yet?’. For the rest of you, I’ll introduce myself – and throw in a couple of my favourite traveling photos along the way 🙂

My real name is Krista but everyone knows me by my nickname of Roo, it makes sense since I am from Australia…

I started out as a shy 19 year-old travelling from my home in Western Australia allllllllll the way to Connecticut USA to be a riding instructor at an American Summer Camp. I was too scared to go actually, but my Mum pushed me to get out there and do something different. I will be eternally grateful to her for starting my love of travelling. I had a pretty tough time at camp… wild horses, sleeping in a tent for 3 months, coping with American teens… and the odd case of E-Coli poisoning! Luckily, I met my best friend Gillian there, as well as some other lifelong friends from all over the world. Gill and I travelled around the USA, Europe and Australia, and eventually we convinced her older brother to join us in Australia. And that, as they say, was the beginning of the end (just kidding!).

But yes, I may have fallen in love with my best friend’s older brother, sorry Gill! 🙂

Tony on Xian city walls at night
Here’s Tony – on Xi’an City Walls, in one of my first attempts at night-time photography! Kind of pleased with how it turned out 🙂

I can’t believe Tony and I have been travelling now for so long, these past 8 years of adventures have certainly tested us in so many ways. Luckily, we are scarily alike in some ways, and despite the stresses of travelling, getting lost and sick in strange countries and living in each other’s pockets, we are still happily married.

I’m not going to lie, travelling with someone as accident prone as Tony can be pretty nerve wracking! He seems oblivious to the fact that he is clumsy and instead believes himself to be a stealthy ninja – and that climbing up that pillar would be so very easy… I like to think that I am now the voice of reason and can (hopefully) rein in his most dangerous impulses!

Borneo Orangutan
Tony actually tried to hand-feed this guy with a mashed up banana he found on the floor! Does that count as dangerous?

I am a pretty colourful person. I have a hoarding instinct for brightly coloured or sparkly things, which is why my wardrobe almost entirely consists of an Australian brand of clothing called Black Milk. The crazy colourful clothes may at times clash with my rainbow hair, but I love it! I always try to be myself, which is great fun but can sometimes result in strange looks…

Traveling Pants beach
These leggings are Black Milk’s infamous Travelling pants – they’ve been around the world, passed on from person to person. I have them now, in Nova Scotia, Canada – who knows where they’ll end up next!

I have always loved photography. I saved for years to buy my first film camera, (with a TEN TIMES zoom lens – pretty good for the ‘90s!) Before we set off on our six-month trip around Asia I did loads of research and invested in a Nikon D5100, with a second-hand Tamron 18 – 270mm lens off eBay. I would love to say it was a good choice… but the lens came with a few issues and was so stiff it took a lot of elbow grease just to zoom in and out. I didn’t mind because I knew we would be hiking in the Borneo rainforests, and backpacking is rough on camera gear. But it was a great starter lens!

Saigon Cart in Rain
This shot of a street vendor pushing her cart through the rain in Saigon, Vietnam, is my first action panning shot – and my favourite picture with this lens!

After a little accident on Cat Ba Island in Vietnam, where Tony dumped me off the back of a motorbike and squished my lens, I was forced to upgrade to a NEW Tamron 18-270. Or rather, he was forced to 🙂

Icy lagoon
This shot of the Icebergs in Jokulsarlon Lagoon, Iceland proves the new lens was worth every penny!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos – they are some of my favourites from the last few years. I hope to sneak onto the blog every now and then to break up Tony’s written ramblings with some cool pictures. As I am still learning the art of photography, please feel free to discuss my pictures and give me any tips you may have; like traveling, this is a hobby I intend to carry on forever! You can get in touch with me via the comments below, or on the Contact Page. Thanks for having me 🙂 xxx

Girl with machete
Great photo to end on – possibly the craziest thing we saw in Asia. I never let Tony play with knives this big!

20 thoughts on “Roo Takes Over! WARNING: Expect Rainbows…

  1. COOL! A voice of reason has arrived. Great shots Roo. Keep them coming, they are the perfect companion piece to Tony ‘s ramblings (oops. I meant writings).

    A new dynamic duo is on the scene.

    Looking forward to many many travel adventures with you two, luckily, it is a big, big world.

    CHEERS

    MARK

    1. Hi Mark,
      No no its quite allright to call them ramblings, we all do! 🙂
      It certainly is a big world, and so many adventures have already been had we have fodder for many blog posts. Thanks for reading x x x

  2. Oh fun!!
    I love your photography, and hope you can teach me a thing or two when you’re here! 🙂

    1. For sure I can, I love sharing photography skills, after all thats how I learnt tricks from other people 🙂

    1. Thats right, I will hopefully be sharing a little blog post ever now and then. And I will be spilling the beans on what it’s REALLY like to travel with the accident prone Tony! Enjoy the blog x x x

  3. Hi Guys
    Just finish all four of your fantastic books and was just wondering how long you have been married now

    1. Hi Malcolm! We got married on my birthday in July 2011, so… Wow! We’re coming up on four years now! Can’t believe how fast it’s gone. The year after the wedding we didn’t get much done – well, Roo cleaned the same set of bathrooms a few hundred times, and I just about managed to squeeze out one book. But things got interesting in 2013, with the trip I’m writing about now… and we’ve been busy ever since. Maybe that’s why it feels like we only got married yesterday? 🙂

  4. How fun to hear from Roo! I have read all your books but especially Kamikaze Kangaroos where I held my breath waiting to see if the relationship would stick! I loved seeing the gorgeous picture!

    1. Its sticking so far… 😉 Lol its great we have similar interests and travel bucket lists, thanks for reading Elaine x x x

  5. Since I am a professional photographer, I will gladly give you any advice I can. Love helping other photographers. If we cross paths, we can compare notes.

    1. Thanks Greg! Ive had so much fun with my camera, I know I still have so much to learn so it would be great to meet up on our way around the USA and talk tech! 🙂 x x x

  6. Well done Roo! Nice to get to know you a bit better in your own words. Lovely photos, can’t wait to see more.

  7. Dear Roo, Welcome – love the pictures and it will be fun to hear things from your side – I so enjoyed the wedding story. I admire both yours and Tony’s sense of adventure and the courage it takes to live your dream. I have been corresponding a bit with Tony on Facebook. Looking forward to the blog! Maura in New Jersey

    1. We are just so lucky to live in a time when we can follow our dreams, 50 years ago it may have been a different story! But then again who knows how we will travel, via instant teleportation and then everywhere can visit where they like! 🙂
      I am glad you liked the wedding stories, it was such a magical day for us and memories I will never forget. Thanks for reading our tales Maura x x x

  8. The bear just ate Tony’s pants (just finished the book last night). I’ve already followed you through Australia, so now I need to pick up your other books! I’m so glad you took the time to write down your adventures. Admittedly I spend most of my time while reading them simply shaking my head in utter disbelief while snort-laughing…. But I’m looking forward to the other two I haven’t read yet. Nice to meet you, Roo! I’m very excited to see what you two come up with while visiting the US.

    1. Hi Stephanie! Thanks for checking out the blog! Glad you enjoyed ‘Kamikaze kangaroos’. I think Roo is keen on recreating some of that trip in America – she’s already dreaming up colour-schemes for decorating a van! I tried to convince her that rental companies normally frown on this sort of thing… Writing down my adventures has become a bit of a habit, but I never expected it would become a living! But anything that allows us to keep on traveling is fine in my book (I know, terrible pun!)
      Hope you enjoy the other books! ‘That Bear Ate My Pants!’ has always been my favourite. You can get it free if you sign up to my patented No Spam Mailing List 🙂
      http://tonyjamesslater.com/home/get-free-book/

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