TravelPod.com Recent Updates The 25 most recent entries on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com en-us Copyright (c) 2007, TravelPod Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0400 http://www.travelpod.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use. Our Hong Kong experiences - Hong Kong, China http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/l2pNXIBIo0Y/1246552759.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246552759&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=chinahopelive#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552759.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:19:51 -0400 chinahopelive's Great Adventure
Hong Kong, China

Read about our Hong Kong experiences here.  We also have two photo galleries (here and here).

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552759.html San Jose del Cabo, Yuca Inn & Suzy Q's - San Jose Del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/PyadfqtymxE/1246578889.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246578889&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=leggesnbaja09#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leggesnbaja09/1/1246578889.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:18:33 -0400 Happily Home-less and Heading South...
San Jose Del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico

We arrived in San Jose and chose 1 of our top pick hotels we'd marked in travel book, Hotel Yuka Inn, Poco a Poco. Great place, very low key or should I say VERY low key. 

http://www.loscabosguide.com/yucainn/

Very basic room, $400 pesos a night ($31 bucks or so) with super friendly owner, interesting grounds and offerings and Suzie Q's, an upstairs café.  The hotel has some beautiful greenery along with a vegetable/herb garden in the center, an upstairs palapa with hammock and swap library, free wifi and a community kitchen available for those who want to cook meals.  Suzie Q’s is run by Rene, her mom Claudia, and two guys, all whom seem to be good friends. Rene went to chef school in Europe and prides herself on tasty food served in a very comfy setting.  Pretty hippie-ish décor, and super welcoming.  I had breakfast there following my free coffee both mornings and we had a beer or two in the evenings – but since Rene is a chef, 'no tacos’. :)

I enjoyed an online chat with Beth while Paul talked with Rene and then we headed out for tacos. We walked up through town once everything was pretty much closed down and found El Fagon, a recommended taqueria which was very good, indeed.



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leggesnbaja09/1/1246578889.html Returning Home - Kuranda, Queensland, Australia http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/FUiBL6xyY_o/1243502940.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1243502940&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=vicki.illsley#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vicki.illsley/1/1243502940.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:17:01 -0400 An Adventure of a Lifetime
Kuranda, Queensland, Australia

I arrived back at the hostel in Kuranda and went 'Honeys Im Home' it was so nice to be back there. Many of the old faces were still around and over the next two weeks i had fun catching up with freinds and partying.

There were many partys as normal on the weekends, and cos i had no work this time to think of, i was able to go along to most of them. It was so nice to go to duff partys again, partys outside in the rainforests, theres very surreal for me as id never do it back home cos it would just be raining all the time or too cold.

One day i met up with Eileen from Cairns and we had a day trip up to Port Douglas and Mossmun Gorge which was nice.

It was so hard to leave, as ive no idea when i will be going back to see my freinds again, but im sure its a when and not an if.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/vicki.illsley/1/1243502940.html Hans Wong - No reservations - Shanghai, Shanghai, China http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/nmKBWS4Kdmo/1246513810.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246513810&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=hwong#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hwong/1/1246513810.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:16:22 -0400 Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Shanghai is a city filled with many food choices.  One can go to the numerous McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and Papa John for a meal or be more adventurous in trying the many chinese restaurants in the city.  For the Mardarin challenged, many restaurants have menus with pictures of the food being served.  This helps out alot when deciding on food choices.  In general, eating chinese food is inexpensive in Shanghai.  My average cost for 3 dishes (meat, chicken or seafood, vegetable) is $14.00 USD.  It cost me $25.00 USD for a breakfast buffet at the hotel. 

Also, food courts are popular in Shanghai and many of the food courts are located in the shopping  plazas.  Eating in a food court is inexpensive.  One can get beef noodle soup or  duck with rice for under $7.00 USD.  In all the food courts, the food vendors have pictures or the food on display.  All one has to do is point to the choice and within minutes, you will have your food.  Food courts are a good option for sampling different food choices. 




]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hwong/1/1246513810.html Vacation from the Vacation - Miraflores & Santiago - Miraflores, Baja California Sur, Mexico http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/Yo8Ub-Xp_zs/1246576395.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246576395&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=leggesnbaja09#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leggesnbaja09/1/1246576395.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:15:44 -0400 Happily Home-less and Heading South...
Miraflores, Baja California Sur, Mexico

woohoo… Paul coined thes few days, 'vacacion del vacacion'.  We drove south hoping to stay in San Jose del Cabo if it worked out.  Stopped in the towns of Santiago and Miraflores on the way and took pictures of the sights in these two rural towns.  We agreed that either place would be great for an extended stay to see life in a farming community.  Both have water access and concentrated areas of palm trees and agriculture.

Then on to San Jose...

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leggesnbaja09/1/1246576395.html We blog Tianjin! - Tianjin, Tianjin, China http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/Jxxtw1cxgtc/1246552740.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246552740&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=chinahopelive#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552740.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:15:44 -0400 chinahopelive's Great Adventure
Tianjin, Tianjin, China

See all our Tianjin photos and adventures here.  Our Olympics stuff, with photos and videos, is here.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552740.html All our Beijing adventures and photos - Beijing, China http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/8RObCb2gxcc/1246552750.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246552750&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=chinahopelive#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552750.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:14:38 -0400 chinahopelive's Great Adventure
Beijing, China

For all our Beijing adventures, click here.  For our Olympic experiences, including photos and video, go here.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chinahopelive/1/1246552750.html I cant catch my breath! - Cusco, Cusco, Peru http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/nq6K-U8u0Jw/1244692800.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1244692800&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=corinneandluke#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/corinneandluke/1/1244692800.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:10:31 -0400 Every stop we make, we make a new friend, Can't stay for long, just turn around and we're gone again!
Cusco, Cusco, Peru

So, Cusco should really come before the Inca Trail as we actually arrived here 3 days before we started the trek as we needed time to acclimitise to the altitude of 3300 meters but as we spent a couple of days here after the trail, it comes after it!

The bus journey from Ica was a whopping 17 hours long, but as it was overnight and we went with Cruz del Sur - the gringo favoured company with seats which recline really far back, leg rests, blankets and films in English, the time passed quite quickly. As I woke in the morning however I soon realised that I felt sick! Now what you must realise is that it takes only 1 hour to fly from LIma to Cusco but it takes over 20 hours on the bus because it is right in the middle of the mountains, and the roads to Cusco are incredibly windy. So I wasnt sure if it was travel sickness or altitude sickness that we had heard so much about, or a combination of both! It wasnt nice whatever it was though and we were glad when we finally got off the damn bus and made it to our hostel. 



So for your first couple of days at altitude you are supposed to take it easy and let your body acclimitise so all we really did was sleep, and eat for the first 24 hours! One night we ate out and I wanted to try the local delicacy - gunea pig! but found it was too expensive for our budget so I tried Alpaca instead, which is similar to a LLama. It was very tasty, and just like beef I would say!

We also paid for the Inca Trail and went shopping for necessary items - for example my fantastic alpaca hat and gloves which were to keep me warm during the cold nights - highly important as temperatures were very low in Cusco and due to be even lower on Inca trail. Total bargain at 16 soles for both = around 3 pounds!



We also bought Luke´s fantastic cowboy hat, which he needed to keep the sun off him during the hot days on the Inca trail. I wasnt so sure about it myself but at 20 soles = just over 4 pounds, we were happy with another bargain!



The night before the Inca trail we had a meeting at the office and met the rest of our group, who turned out to be a good bunch of people so we were lucky.  Then after spending more money on altitude tablets, water purification tablets etc etc it was time for bed and ready for our 4am start!

After the Inca trail was over we returned to Cusco and slept for a good 13 hours, highly necessary!! and did some laundry, also highly necessary!! One of the guys from our group arranged for us all to meet that night for a drink, but half of the group were making tracks that day and the others just didnt turn up - so it was just me, luke and the guy Enrico. The only trouble was that Enrico is Italian and spoke barely any English, and we speak almost no Italian!! On the Inca Trail there had been another Italian guy who spoke very good English and had acted as a translator but without him we were a bit stuck! We had a few drinks though and in the end it was a good night!



Our last day in Cusco was actually a national holiday, Corpus Christi. Everyone in Cusco had the day off, and they all make their way to the main square where representatives from all the nearby churches walk around the square parading the Patron Saint of their church. It was good to see all the ladies in their traditional clothes and the guys carrying the really heavy statues.



We decided our next stop would be Copacabana in Bolivia so we went to the bus station to buy tickets. The night before the buses had been cancelled to due to road blockades but we heard that they should now be off...so we hopped on the bus to Copacabana hoping that we would have no troubles getting there...!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/corinneandluke/1/1244692800.html Glen Canyon - Flagstaff, Arizona, United States http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/ld4KkrzgE5I/1246578999.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246578999&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=avsent#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/avsent/1/1246578999.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:08:07 -0400 avsent's Great Adventure
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States

Ok, I was like so busy, I didn't even make an entry yesterday.  Yep, went from SLC, UT to Flagstaff, AZ through Page, AZ and by lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.  What a site this lake is.  And, not far from the Grand Canyon the mountains and canyon walls are awesome.
     Anyway, got to Flagstaff and got my hair trimmed and then headed to LA.  Sitting back in Perris, CA now and headed back to home sweet home-Phoenix, AZ.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/avsent/1/1246578999.html Talleria Artesania and Artes en Las Calles! - Valparaiso, Chile http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/EIuR_DV1lCU/1246577055.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246577055&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=etroesch#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/etroesch/1/1246577055.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:59:13 -0400 My Adventures in Chile!
Valparaiso, Chile

Happy July Everyone!  Time is just flying by, and it's hard to believe that this is my third week here in Chile.  My classes are starting to pick up now, and I've had to do quite a bit of homework this week.  Yesterday, July 1st, I spent the evening studying for a grammar test that I had today and working on a presentation about Chilean Music (my presentation partner and I have chosen to discuss Inti Illimani).  The 10 to 15 minute presentation will be tomorrow (Fri. July 3), so I'm still trying to practice everything I want to say.  Chilean music is a very interesting topic, and my bro Oscar seems to know quite a bit - which helps a lot.  I spent a while watching various music videos on his computer yesterday and learning all about different music styles and their political and social issues/messages.

Yesterday, I went to my classes, home for Almuerzo in between classes, and afterwards to a talleria artesania de cuero (leather making workshop).  This workshop is part of my ISEP program, and there are two parts to the workshops.  One week, a group makes something out of leather while the other group makes something out of glass.  Next week I will be doing the glass workshop, but this week I had a blast making a bracelet and a key chain out of leather.  First, we went into this little workshop/store/house where we were taught how to go about making designs in the leather.  We were able to hammer the stencils into the leather to make designs.  Thankfully, we practiced on scraps of material before beginning our projects.  The first step is to wet the leather in order to make it soft and easy to hammer the designs.  Next, you get creative and make the designs.  Then, you die the leather and attach the fasteners for the bracelet or the chain for the key chain.  It was so much fun.  Even though some of my designs didn't turn out the way I expected, I am still proud of the finished products because they are mine (and not everyone can say that they've made something from a scrap of leather before)!!!

As mentioned before, I spent the rest of that night on school work.  :(   Unfortuneately, I'm not sure my studying made a difference on my grammer test today.  It was a bit difficult, but hopefully my score won't be so bad.  I stayed at school over lunch today to work on presentation stuff in the computer lab.  After my second class, our Chilean culture professor and his friend - Charkypunk (an amazing graffiti artist) - took us on a walking tour through Valparaiso to view some of the most incredible works of graffiti around!  Graffiti here is known as las artes de las calles (the arts of the streets).  We walked up many hills, many stairs, down the hills, and up again.  It was very tiring, but well worth the effort!  (Just check out the pictures - I took lots, but there was so much more I didn't have time to capture in a photograph.  That's okay, the photos probably wouldn't have done the graffiti justice.)

Well, wish me luck on my presentation, and I'll be sure to fill you in on my weekend adventures soon!  This Saturday I will be traveling to Ritoque for a horse ride through the dunes.  (Hopefully it doesn't rain on us!)  Enjoy the 4th of July and be safe!

Erin

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/etroesch/1/1246577055.html The good, the bad and the ugly of lobsters - Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Canada http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/EihIMY6F-y4/1246578126.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246578126&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=cmbottrell#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cmbottrell/1/1246578126.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:56:53 -0400 cmbottrell's Great Adventure
Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Canada

I had my first lobster ever on Grand Manan and it was totally and completely....awful! Will was so excited for me to try them as it is one of his favorite foods but the woman who fixed it did something that we can't quite figure out and it was awful! She roasted the lobster, which Will had never heard of and then drowned it in some sauce - it was rubbery and strong and yuck! Will asked me if I would ever try lobster again and I said "NO!".

He promised me they weren't all like that so we found another place on the island that served lobster dinners - he made reservations for us and with a bit of trepidation I tried it again and what a difference!

It was a small dining room in a lodge down by the wharf - the man's wife had taken a holiday to Cape Cod and he was running the lodge and the dining room by himself. It was raining so we couldnt' sit out at the picnic tables to eat them which is what he preferred as they are a bit messy, so he sat us inside. Will asked him if he had any beer and he said yes and left and came back with two - no selection, just what he had on hand - they were ice cold and good!

When brought the lobsters they were steaming hot and served wtih coleslaw and corn on the cob! I knew from what Will said it was messy so I asked for a towel or something - he came back from the kitchen with a dishtowel and tied it around my neck and off we went.

I have to admit I didn't tear the lobster apart - Will was kind enough to do that for me! Just something about the face that bothers me! But my oh my oh my...delicate and light and flavourful! Yummy! I swear I could have eaten two!

We were game for dessert and asked about what he had - he took a breath and said berry crumbe - we were waiting for the next selection but there wasn't one - so we took that and it was wonderful! The nice thing about Grand Manan is that everything is made from scratch and is wonderful!

My third lobster was in Nova Scotia at Hall's Harbour - we went there to see the tide come in and raise the boats off the ocean floor. Now this was the kind of place where you pick out your lobster and they weigh him and then you take him to the pot - I was really going to try this but once I saw the lobster waiving his claws at me I bolted for the doors and said no way! Will had to talk me into it and said he would take care of it all so I sat down and waited - he could tell I was a bit on edge with the whole thing but did a good job of talking me through it all.

This lobster wasn't quite as good as my second one - cooked just a bit too long but ok. Will is much pickier as he has grown up eating Maine lobsters and knows lobster - I knew enought to know it wasn't as good as my second one! The fun thing was we were sat outside by the wharf and got to watch the tide come in and raise up the boats which was really cool!

So there you have my lobster experience on this trip!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cmbottrell/1/1246578126.html Dublin Day Two - Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/ppWv-b2zWwM/1246482239.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246482239&tweb_tripID=5&tweb_UID=sproutfamily#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sproutfamily/5/1246482239.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:56:33 -0400 Ireland
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Hello From Dublin,

We rode a Dublin tour bus today and also visited Trinity College, the Book of Kells, the Kilmainham Jail, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The bus tour was a great way to enjoy the highlights of the city and the wonderful, cool, damp weather.  We had great tour guides all day, including Trinity College where students give the tours (ours was hilarious).

It is 10:45 pm right now and it is finally dark.  The days are long!

Enjoy the pix,

J, M, S, S, S, and J

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sproutfamily/5/1246482239.html Dublin Day 3 - Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/QfKCnLS3Mpw/1246567282.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246567282&tweb_tripID=5&tweb_UID=sproutfamily#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sproutfamily/5/1246567282.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:55:30 -0400 Ireland
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Written by Jeff and Jamie.

What is the number one tourist attraction in Dublin?  A.  One of the many cathedrals?  B.  Homes of Nobel laureate writers?  C.  A famous restaurant serving Irish grub?  D.  Getting your picture taken with a leprechaun on Dame Street?  E.  None of the above.

The answer is E!  The number one tourist site, by far, is the Guinness Storehouse, the original site where Arthur Guinness stopped making ale and started making porter/stout in 1799.  A wise man, he purchased a 9000-year lease costing virtually nothing for the massive factory site.

The Guinness factory was our first stop today.  We learned how barley, hops, water, and yeast (they still have strains from the beginning times) are mixed together.  They let us eat roasted barley and I thought it tasted like rotten coffee beans - others like it, though.  One of the coolest parts was when they showed us how they used to make barrels for fermenting/transporting.  Silas was also chosen to press the "magic button" to start the next brew.  At the end of the tour, you go to a bar that has a 360 degree view and a free pint...we had coke instead.

After that, we had a great lunch at Gruel in Temple Bar.  They had outstanding Irish stew, very yummy pizza, and amazing cinnamon rolls that tasted like apple pie. After that mom and dad went to the Beatty Museum while us kids went back to the apartment to put are feet up and watched T.V.  After we watched some T.V., we got bored and decided to pull a prank on our parents. We put away all our shoes and  jackets and turned all the lights back off and went into Sam and Silas’s room to wait . After a hour or so we heard them come in we tried to hold back laughter (Sam did that quite easily because he fell asleep:)after a while we went out and all had a good laugh.

After that my dad and I played Frisbee and I managed not to break any windows☺.We came home and had grilled cheese sandwiches and coke for dinner. Then we took pictures on our balcony with a amazing view.

Thank you for reading this, please keep praying for us.  Tomorrow morning we head down to Cork to begin our service on the Logos Hope.

Jamie

PS from Jeff:  The Beatty Museum has some of the oldest intact new testament papyrus codex, dating back to 150 AD...it was amazing!


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sproutfamily/5/1246567282.html 4 Aussies, 4 Hens parties, 4 Floors, 4am Finish... - London, England, United Kingdom http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/6xFygSHEkY0/1246405909.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246405909&tweb_tripID=2&tweb_UID=mickeyj07#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickeyj07/2/1246405909.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:51:00 -0400 Around the World in 183 days!!
London, England, United Kingdom

Saturday - You know those days when nothing is planned but the most ridiculous storeys come of it. Or when out of the blue, a soon as one numb skull flaps his/her jaw, the idea is concreted and the rest is left for fate. Well this particular saturday tells a very similar storey and I'm bloody glad too because had it not, my life would have been lived through the Sky TV coverage of Glastonbury because I'm a retard and at times couldn't organise a root in a brothel.
My friday hadn't officially ended by the time most normal people's saturdays had begun. I did eventually make it home to 14 Wesley Ave limping from soft feet and tight new and SEXY i might add shoes. Lock up your daughters, Wives and Mother, these pair of moulded and light brown tanned cow hide foot covers are a pussy magnet, probably even a penis magnet is the right/wrong place. Moving on.....Brooke La Pine, my good friend I met in Turkey has kindly departed the UK early to sort VISA shit out so I capitalised the opportunity to snake his queen size bed. I did however check facebook and send some feelers out about random ideas and plans. It was only after I recieved a call from Dan O'D followed by Jezz that I decided to put my head down. That was my official end to Friday.
1.5hrs later its 1330hrs and The boys from She Bu are hitting the cans already, gearing up for the  20Twenty cricket at Oval, Middlesex Vs Surrey. My body springs to life....shit, shower, and shave (not nessessarily in that order but you get the drift). I puyt on a bit of pace in my stroll to North Acton train station but give up once I've realised it a million degrees and I'm dripping with sweat. The Bus shelter only acts as a placebo whilst I swelter and discuss random stuff with a fellow sufferer of the days amazing bright sun. The bus arrives late and the train following is full, hot and I'm not enjoying my first sat back in London suddenly. I finally arrived at Oval station and had missed the first half. Not to worry. I wasn't sure how to take the boys when they discussed Pimms as a beverage possibilty since Cricket = Beers in any language, sure enough, Pimms and Lemonade became our drink of choice for the 2nd half and suddenly i had to squat to pee. That was a joke!
It was actually nice so we continued our thrist quench at the nearest pub, The Hanover Arms. They got all 'Ladida' on us and fruited up our Pimms, very cosmopolitan we are!! It was actually nicer again but how much more can we appear to lack testostorone so we drew the line there. The  ideas flowed as to where to from here and logically we decided to head into the guts, try some more pubs. Dan at one point realising that he'd 30min this morn looked upon with concern explaining the need to do shots to pick up our game. I regarded this with upmost confidence in our stamina replying 'That shouldn't be a problem'. We did manage to laugh our asses of momentarily and some nearby fellow commuters decided it better than hang around 4 getting charged men in shirts and thongs when it cold and wet. We got off the tube at Bank Station and stumbled upon JD Wetherspoon. dan hit up the order with a another jug of Pimms. "Only "1 the bar woman said, so ofcourse Dan's reaction was "okay, 2 then!". That again set us off. The jugs were filling and our game plan had to evolove with our location. Ads might suggest something and we would raise our voice and match that with another more hair brain random act. Buckets put in his 2 bob but Dan came up with winner......Hit up Lampe's Bar then the Strippers. Our faces went blank with a stunned but excited look, we all half crouched as if to brace for the impact of the ingenious Dan exhibited. SHIT YEAH, ITS ON NOW!!!! almost in uinison, we were cheering and high fiving how this nothing day was panning out.
I recieved a phone call from Samuel Smed Den Doon Dennals Denley at Glastonbury and it was rather sobering.....I should have been there but I'm a poo organiser and missed out, thats a different story. The Pimms helped put me back on track for the random state of affairs and soon enough we were walking on route to Lampe's bar. There was minor hurdle however, more of a speed bump. More pubs on the way so we chose one that appeared cozy enough and was something of a Labrynth once inside to find the toilets. It was scalled the Woodenspoon I think, on George St down past the Gurkin Building and the walk to the gents opened up through doorways into a uber technological foyer with suits (swanky business type people) cruising around and conversing with what appeared to be customers. Then we walked through a small section that had fancy bowls of olives and biscuit sticks. They did look tempting but my bladder took priority. The beers were going down better and better and eventually we did getto Piccidilly Circus and ushered for Adrian Lampe at the red carpet entry. My thought initially were how good will this place actually be? Lamp arrived and his fellow workers laughed at our attire - shorts, thongs, t-shirts etc. We nearfly hit up a shoe store for some cheap get ups to suffice tonight but were saved by the bell when Lampe buzzed Dan and said get in now before 8 and its too busy. YES!!! Kick ass!!!
We were served Tequlea slammers and beer to start and informed by the manager (our good friend Adrian Lampe) and shown to the 2nd floor. Awesome, te whistle gets wet again, free this time, YOU LITTLE BEEEEEUTY!!!!! A moment passes and Adrian swings past asking if we approve, a audible yes is sang in unison over the cranking house beats. Then we are told that we have to wait for the top 2 floors to open up at 10pm......WHAT THE? as if it wasn't good enough.
So find a lounge area with 2 large 3 seater leather upholstered couches and nestle in, helped by the next round of free piss Lampe fills us with....wait for it....1 bottle of Vodka in a jug with ice, 2 caraffes of red bull. Fuck yeah!!  I let you in on a little secret....it tasted bloody brilliant!!!!
The good news kept flowing as quick as i lubed my mouth with sweet sweet alcohol. Lampe topped off this ridiculous turn of events with the words....'In about 5 sec you will in-undated with 30 women'. This didnt even really register and I look to my right and see a wall of confident sexy dressed broads strutting wall to wall at our direction!!!! I had to drain the snake and fled as quick as could but was ambushed by red caped vixens from all sides. It wasn't at all unpleasan either dont worry.
The Hen's night game's began and us 4 under dressed Aussie blokes we the complete subject to their games and envy of all those nicely dressed up hob knobs in there 100 quid shirts etc. HAHA, double pluggers work even over here.....well I tell myself that. The Brides twin and younger sister (of the first Hen's party) needed to create a aluminuim foil bikini and somehow became to subject. Naturally the clothes weren't appropiate and impeded the realism and practicality, doubling also as a catalyst for my love of getting nude. I did feel a little violated when I was twiste and turned and pushed into the right direction so they could create some sort or wide mankini.....NOT!!!!!!!!
That hen's party became intermingled with another and then another. We did not struggle to find a smile. We did split up often and at one point I couldn't find Dan and Ads and discovered the 4th floor, some kind off ski lodge set up with logs and wood every where, also another Hen's Party. YES!!!
4am came around almost as quickly as each amazing spin on the night and we were on the street laughing about how that could have happened and the stars aligned so. The last drink that Lampe offered us I managed to not be around for and the glass of red wine was tainted with a shot of Vodka. Dan had the luxury of enjoying mine and then the luxury of see it again....all over the footpath in view of all the 1000's of other ahnibriatted bodies staggering about looking for a reason not to go home yet. Ad's and I took turns in using a council board to shield us from view of the 2 bouncers at On Anon on the door. Little did we know that on the other side railing from our impromptue outdoor bathroom facility, was the main road for London's busiest circus and countless on lookers.
McDonalds seemed the only answer and after smashing some McShit drunk food, we dominated to back section of the night bus screaming 'Your the voice' by  John Farnham and countless versus of "wish that all the ladies..." from rugby, regardless of anyone else listening. 











]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickeyj07/2/1246405909.html Perito Moreno Glacier!! - El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/pqeAw7sNSpM/1246559622.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246559622&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=sharor#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sharor/1/1246559622.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:50:28 -0400 Sharon, Rory and the Big Wide World!
El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

On Monday we took off for the glacier-the main reason we flew down south to El Calefate.
We were told it was defo worth the trip down as the glacier was supposedly meant to be unreal.
We stopped on route to take pics of Lago Argentina which is in El Calefate and a lake you can skate on. Once we reached the park we paid the usual park entrance fee of about 10 euro which believe us is well worth it for what you see.(its alot better value than that park in Millstreet we joked where you see nothing but deserted land and shrubs).  Perito Moreno glacier is only 1 of 2 advancing glaciers in Argentina and the best known.  Our guide was brilliant - full of info.  At one point we were only 10km away from Chile.  Years ago Argentina wanted to open a road through the mountains which would lead to Chile but Chile did not want this as they were cheaper than Argentina.  Now the tides have turned and Chile is more expensive than Argentina and Argentina do not want to open the road - apparently relations are not the best between the two sides.  So instead of what should be a 100K journey it is now 300 odd kilometers - why I don't know. 
The mountains were covered in snow on route and we got pics of the mountain-sides with their reflection glistening in the lake beside it which was pretty class. We made it to the first look out of the glacier from 2 km back and it was a class sight to see from this far back-the most amazing thing about the glacier we taught was the colour of it-apparently alot of the colour is due to the colour of the sky and it hitting off the glacier but it was such a vivid blue in the misty grey skies that morning-it was stunning. From here we went in closer and decided to pay 7 euros to get the boat ride up to the glacier which was then followed by the balcony viewing(which i taught was the best view of it).
First the boat ride, we headed out for an hour ride to the glacier and ventured out on board as we approcahed it. This without doubt has been the best thing we both have ever seen and we were delighted to have made the flight down. Its hard to describe really but its so peaceful out there. Its in the middle of nowhere with mountains covered with snow all around and then on the water is this enormous glacier that travels well into the mountians-the colour of it was mesmorizing and its one of those things that pictures cant do justice to. It was BITTER up on board but well well worth it.  It is amazing to think that much of the world was covered in ice and glaciers as we were looking upon now during the ice age and how they have carved so much scenery in the world - its fascinating!
Off we went then to the balcony where we were above the glacier and able to look down on it. Here for me was the best views. It was just incredible seeing the overall size and scale of it and we got some class pictures. We headed further down the trail to get closer to the glacier and we met up with a couple who we had met in Bariloche-they had been to New Zeland and the glaciers there and said that this one just blew them away (they also told us, as many others have, that New Zeland was their favourite place and it blows everywhere else aside in terms of beauty and things to do). Anyway as we headed down wards to a lower view of glaicer we started to hear bits of it crack-it was deafening but so cool as it was so peaceful there and then you would hear this deafing noise of glacier cracking and if lucky might see a bit on the side crash off down into the water. Luckily we did see one but it happened so quick- one second the roar came from the crack and the next it was like an avalanche of ice crashing down to the water with a roar.  It was bubbling in the water for a few seconds and then there was quiet again.  It was one place we really didnt want to leave and could have stayed watching all day but shar and myself had to leg it come ten past 3 for the bus which was leaving-everyone on bus felt the same as us-that it really was mind blowing. Hopefully the pics will do it justice but i doubt it.
Back we got that night and went to the town to eat out in a trendy bookstore type bar and we booked our next days excursion to Chalten which was to be a very very tiring long day!!!!!

Brief update on swine flu here; Apparently Argentina has the 3rd most deaths in the world and the government of Brazil has even told Brazilains not to enter here but Argentina is a huge country (7th biggest in world) and has so many people living here that it may be abit exagerated. We are seeing alot of peolppe though wearing masks to protect themselves-loads of taxi drivers and at airports and places like that. But so far so good for us on the swine flu!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sharor/1/1246559622.html So how'd you get the name, "Sly"? - Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/Hq1p4ztu6xs/1246464841.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246464841&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=horvathck1#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/horvathck1/1/1246464841.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:49:44 -0400 horvathck1's Great Adventure
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Standing feels weird after sitting for almost 20 hours straight.
I can't imagine how the lame men felt in the New Testament... we're talking more like 20+ Years.  That is a precious gift alright.

Anywho, Marisa and I were instantly welcomed by entire wall murals of World Cup excitement! This country CANNOT WAIT to host the biggest sporting event on earth next summer.  Preparations are being made rapidly, and the people are absolutely thrilled! But we'll get to more about that later...

Traveling through customs I saw one of the most hilarious women ever--definitely someone I would want to safari with.  Probably about 65 years old, bright blonde, hair-sprayed, curly hair, flaming red lipstick so liquid it looked as if it was about to drip any second, and COVERED in leopard print from head to toe.  This woman was decked out.  We're talking leopard hat, shirt, vest, PANTS, and even her purse.  Suddenly my thoughts of being "prepared" were dwindling... I didn't hold a candle if this was required in Africa.

As Marisa and I stood in line talking to a few other Americans, I could already feel that I wasn't even close to being a native in this place.  People were returning home, and it was clear that was not my story.  I got my passport stamped, was asked if I was bringing any foreign food (the attendant only went through Marisa’s bag, though, so the black beans and Reeses are safe, Marti), and then we continued to push our massive cart of luggage out to the waiting area.

The sight was truly like something out of a movie.  A huge line of people stood behind a waist-high gate holding signs—family, friends, colleagues, or in our case, STRANGERS.  As Marisa and I scanned the line for our names, we finally found ours close to the doors.  Waiting for us were two black men with smiles on their faces.  They lit up when we made eye contact and began walking toward them.  We introduced ourselves, and they did too. 

The first, Isaiah, “like from the Bible” --a ripped, athletic VAC intern (like ourselves) with a huge smile, who just arrived 10 days ago from the Bronx, NY.  The second, Sly--a short, quirky South African with a full head of dreads who works for VAC, mainly transporting interns to and from the airport.  At first I wanted some confirmation before just walking out into the night with these two, so we made some conversation, and I asked them a lot of questions.  They were legit, so we went out to the car, shoved our bags in, and joined them.

Everything was backwards—WEIRD.

Also, it was like 70 degrees at 10:00 pm… winter? Really?

We drove through downtown Observatory, or “Obz” – the student-oriented section of the City where we are living.  They pointed out some of the top hang-out spots

So we were told that we were staying at the River View Lodge—not quite what we expected (we thought we’d be taken to our houses), but we were staying together, so we felt okay about it.  Isaiah assured us that he’d stayed there his first night, and that it wasn’t so bad.  We were greeted by a white South African woman who spoke so quickly, I could hardly understand her English! The accent is absolutely beautiful, though.  I am growing to love it already!!

She took us to the room, and, long story short, this “hotel” really felt more like a hostel.  But Marisa and I were together, we were given a key to lock our door, and there was a security guard patrolling around downstairs.  I’m describing it a lot scarier than it really was—it had a homey feel! Breakfast was to be served for us in the morning in one of a few lounge areas on the lower floor.  It was a cute place, just not the most comfortable.  Especially after discovering the lack of hot water.

So, we set our alarm, hoping we’d be able to fall asleep at 6:00 pm American time… who were we kidding—no problem there!! At 8:45, we awoke to the sunshine and the sound of the busy South African 2nd of July outside. 

After taking SHORT advantage of the freezing cold showers (which we interpreted as, “welcome to Africa, sissies”), we had some breakfast (toast, oatmeal, etc—not too bad!!), packed up our bags, and waited for Sly to pick us up “around 10, 10:30, okay?”

South Africa time is interesting.  We asked Sly the night before if he realized we had to be checked out by 10:00.  He said, “Yes, I’ll be here.”

We checked out at 10… like good American girls do, and sat on a bench right outside with all of our bags until about 10:45 when Sly pulled in the parking lot.  I have now come to find out that checkout isn’t really as strict as it seems.  Neither is pick-up.




]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/horvathck1/1/1246464841.html Day 3 - Buenos Aires - First Spanish Lesson - Buenos Aires, Argentina http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/3Uhp6akXQcQ/1246306138.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246306138&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=casebrownfamily#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246306138.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:46:38 -0400 casebrownfamily's Great Adventure
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today arrived with icy cold rain, and a stiff breeze. I am congratulating our decision to go north early but we would not be eager to leave except for the weather. There is a real friendliness about the place that makes you want to stay, but we miss the constant warmth and sunshine we are used to in Brisbane. As the Buenos Airians set off for work we were getting ready for our first Spanish lesson, which is a short 20 minute walk from our homestay. Our Spanish is very basic but improving by the day. Jody and Niamh had their own teacher, Christie and I were in our own group. Two hours was just enough. By lunchtime Christie had developed a sore throat that was causing some distress. First stop the pharmacy, inside there was some dialogue between the chemist and Christie which could have been anything but she managed to workout it to take a pill every 8 hours.

We stopped for lunch at a Pizza place, they make good pizzas and pasta here. A filling lunch for 4 with coffee and we were sixty pesos lighter (about AUD$20). We went back to the homestay, Christie crawled into bed whilst Jody and Niamh set about their first maths schoolwork. About mid-afternoon we had a powercut which lasted about 4 hours. Today wasn't too adventurous for us but we have plenty of time. By late evening Christie was showing signs of a recovery thank goodness. Something that struck me today is that very few people can speak any English at all. Maybe it's the area we are staying in but it really is making us work hard with the phrasebook. Not least of all Jody, who at dinner in the evening often has our host in stitches as he practices some of the more amusing phrases.  At the pizza restaurant today, without any encouragement he went up to the waitress as we were leaving, and who couldn't speak any english at all, and said quite well in Spanish "my compliments to the chef!" She really appreciated it.

Jody's Story

Today we had our first Spanish lesson at our Spanish school in Argentina. It was lots of fun. We mainly talked about different colours like Blue is Azul, Black is Negro, White is Blanco etc. After the Spanish School we went to a place called Pizza Bum! At Pizza Bum we ordered a Pizza and some spaghetti bolognaise. The Pizza had a piece of capsicum and an olive on each piece. There were 2 pieces each for Me, Dad, Mum and Niamh! After Pizza Bum we came home and played for a while. Mum was a bit sick! After dinner mum read us some of a book called The Subtle Knife and after we went to bed!

Niamh's Story
Today was rainy and very cold, so I had to wear 4 layers of clothes. We had Spanish lessons today. Jody and I were together for Spanish lessons, but mum and dad were with a different teacher. Our Spanish 

  Teacher spoke only a little English, but was still very fun. After Spanish Lessons we headed back to where we stay. On the way there we stopped at a place called pizza bum, to eat lunch. We ate a Mozzarella Pizza with some capsicum and an olive or two on top of each slice of pizza. We also ate some spaghetti with salsa sauce. After lunch we went back home. We had a nice dinner and went to bed.

Just to let you know what I don’t like about Argentina is people leave their dog poo everywhere and other people trod on it. The thing I do like about Argentina is I saw someone pick up their dog’s poo today. Another thing I don’t like about Argentina is that cars don’t stop when people are crossing the road.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246306138.html Going to the Puffins - Machias Seal Island Bird Sanctuary, New Brunswick, Canada http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/Ac7ZBejm7NM/1246576366.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246576366&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=cmbottrell#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cmbottrell/1/1246576366.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:41:50 -0400 cmbottrell's Great Adventure
Machias Seal Island Bird Sanctuary, New Brunswick, Canada

This was truly an amazing experience. I have known about Puffins for years - I was first introduced to them by my sister in law when I visited the Northwest in the 80's, so I couldnt' pass up a chance to get up and personal with them.

We drove to Seal Cove and had to be there by 6:45 AM sharp as the boat was leaving at 7 and we quickly found out why - the boat had to leave before the tide got to low. We were on a lobster boat that had be fitted with benches and had just been taken out of use for lobstering earlier that week.

There were about 15 people on the trip, including a couple from St Louis! Couldn't believe it that someone from back home would be on the boat! We had a nice chat but they were serious birders and wanted to watch for all kinds of birds as we traveled to the island. It was kind of hard to see much as it was foggy again - the captain used GPS and radar to get us there and wasn't sure we would be able to land because of the tide.

The captain was good and was able to get us close enough to anchor the boat and then take us ashore four at a time in a the skif which was being towed behind us on the entire trip. We had to step out onto seaweed and hope not to slip into the water but we all made it.

Then we were taken to the blinds - sort of like a duck blind where we spent the next hour. They were putting 8 people to a blind which was a little tight for me so we were lucky to get into one with one other couple. Then we open these little windows and wait and then...there they are - the puffins - up close and personal!

You could hear them in their burrows - it sounded like a chainsaw. They were never really still, always hopping around and not making any noise. At times I would swear they were just staring at us staring at them. They even landed on the roof of the blind and you could hear them running back and forth - which made us all laugh. There were also razorbills - which I wasn't familar with but were also pretty and very affectionate with each other.

There were supposed to be terns there to but they have abandoned the island but no one knows why and they are trying to bring them back because provide protection for the baby puffins.

There is also a manned lighthouse there - the only one on the eastern seaboard. The island is only about a mile long and half mile wide and it's more or less a rock but it's ownership is disputed by the Canadian and American government - the Canadians have it and the American's want it - more for the fishing rights around it than anything. So the Canadians keep a lighthouse keeper there all the time - they know if they don't have someone there the American's will come and take it! So the lighthouse keeper is there 28 days at time, or more if the weather is bad. They are taken on and off the island by helicopter and if it's foggy they can't leave until it clears - sometimes 28 days extends out to 40 days or more.

The tide was coming in and there was a narrow window of time to get us off the island - a bit treacherous as the tide was up and the wind was blowing so the captain had to come in between waves and between two rock outcroppings - I have to say I admire how he did it!

Only 25 people a day are allowed on the island and only for a few months out of the year - so we both know what  truly special experience it was!

After we left Machias the captain swung by a very small island, ok it was more like a big rock - actually it was called North Rock and the seals lived there - that was fun! To see them slide into the sea and swim out to take a look at us - there were Harbour seals and Grey Seals - I like the faces of the Habour seals - they look like puppy faces.

I slept on the way back - which surprised me but the gentle rocking of the boat put me right to sleep! And I got a sunburn on my face because I was laying on a bench in the back of the boat - lesson - put on sunscreen even if it is a cloudy day!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cmbottrell/1/1246576366.html 12km Hike Day! - El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/72aLsmbTrCQ/1246561058.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246561058&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=sharor#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sharor/1/1246561058.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:40:52 -0400 Sharon, Rory and the Big Wide World!
El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina

Tuesday was our final full day in El Calefate so we decided to book a tour to go to El Chalten which is about 220km north of El Calefate.
We left on the bus in the pitch dark at 8am after legging it down from the hostel after leaving abit too late but thank god we made it with a min or so to spare.
We arrived in El Chalten about 11am not really knowing what to expect. We taught it would be an organised tour of the area which is mainly in the mountains with beautiful scenery etc.
We arrived and were greeted by a girl on our bus who i taught said she would be back in 5 mins to explain our day etc. 10 mins later we found out that most people had been inside the hostel for this talk so we missed the introduction which mainly gave advice on what treks to take and which treks were closed etc..
Now we learned it was no organised tour but we were on our own hiking to different parts to get views of the surrounding areas etc..
We decided to do the 12km trek (6km each way which was meant to take 1 and half hours each way). This leads you to a viewpoint of the Fitz Roy which is the highest peak in these mountains. The town was shut down as its off season here so before we began we eventually found a bakery to stack up on supplies for the trek ahead. The trek was fairly lethal from the start. Going to the viewpoint was mainly uphill and the trek was covered in snow and ice (there was a sign at the start saying turn back if ice or snow but we were not turning back after we had booked the day especially to see this mountain peak).
The trek uphill was fairly savage and took us 2 hours to get up, mainly due to the conditions. It was a beautiful day and the trek would have been fine if there was no ice on the ground but it was severe and we had many many a slip as we reached up but thankfully no fallers (on the way up anyway). We had 2 big fine sticks for balance so these helped alot!! We stopped off half way up to see a stunning scene of a valley below with a lake and mountains and then headed on for what seemed an eternity but we eventually made the top to the viewpoint of the Fitz Roy. It was good but nothing at all compared to the previous day so we just rested and had lunch up there before making our way back down which we taught would be lethal since it was all down hill.
In the end we flew down-parts of it were lethal and poor Shar took one hopper but she has lived to tell the tale and in the end we started going off trail to easier terrain to make our way down.
By the time we got down and walked the long street in the town to find a cafe shop, we had walked about 15km so as you can imagine, we were knackered. On top of this we were shattered tired, cold, wet and filthy and we still had to wait 2 hours more for the bus and then take a 3 hour bus ride home!! (Good times.... NO) but we made it back and were delighted to have completed the trek and be back in our warm hostel having food and an early night!!
The hostel we stayed in was one of best we have been in-views from the common area were across looking at the snow capped mountains and the place had underground heating which was very welcome as it was bitter outside. Even the poor dogs (which by the way we have never seen so many dogs roaming around anywhere-they are everywhere here just raoming the streets) sneak in and just collapse on the heated tiles before being chased out. Loucy really as its bitter out and they just want the heat.
We were off to Cordoba the following day so we did some packing and had an early night as we deserved it. An episode of Father Ted on the dvd player (which is coming in very handy) and we were conked for the night!! It was probably the most tiring day yet but great to have done it and good preparation for Machu Pichu and the Inca Trail!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sharor/1/1246561058.html Green, wet Ireland - Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/DCKfZMpM1Ug/1246575101.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246575101&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=wichitap2p#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wichitap2p/1/1246575101.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:36:27 -0400 Malta, Italy, and France--here we come!
Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Greetings from Dublin where we finally have Internet!   It has been a couple of fun -filled days.  Yesterday and today were especially full of activities and fun!  I asked the boys this morning in our group at the B&B to rate yesterday and Robert said "I'd give it at 10 but then I'd have to give the next great one a 12.  It was a fun day. 

We dug peat in the rain (we got very wet!),  Next we went to the community center where we were divided into groups.  Some of the groups got well acquainted with games.  Another group watched a video on the Ring of Kerry, the area where Caherciveen is located.  They also met with Mary & Anna who explained their system for caring for the elderly.  Their goal is to keep elderly individuals in their homes by taking meals to them and/or bringing them to the center for meals and day care.  We had a chance to interact with several of the indivuals who were there having lunch.

Aftrer lunch we were hiked high above the city to learn about some of the historical points of the area.  (It was quite a hike, too, with some really slipperty slopes coming down!)

Our next stop with the football field to play Gaelic-style football with the help of three local players.  We divided into three (pronounced like "tree") groups and after learning the fundamentals (ha!) we played.  It was great fun and the young, handsome Irish lads, made it pretty easy on the eyes.  (Just ask the girls!)

Next the delegates were divided into teams and sent on a scavenger hunt to learn about Caherciveen by asking questions of the local people. 

Our final event of the day (after supper) was to learn about Irish music and dance.  I have video clips.  After I get them loaded you can see what a great time they had.

And this was one day--and what a great day it was!

Following this are some of our "scribe of the day" comments:

Day 1 by Robert:

Today we are flying to Ireland and today I saw more peanuts and clear plastic cups than I ever have!  The layover in Atlanta wasn't too bad with the food and shopping.  It proved to be a good source of entertainment.  By the time I got to JFK in New York I was over airports!  Though known for being a big airport, it seems to be about the same as Atlanta, maybe even smaller.  But with this flight's end the layovers will be worth it as we are closer to the green pastures of Ireland and the adventures ahead.

Day 2 by Tashia

As the glimmers of day's beginning shine through a half-closed airplane window, it spurs the sleeping and annowys the one who couldn't sleep at all.  This is how we began our day-- flying from New York to Ireland.  Hours later we landed at Shannon Airport and sailed through customs like a breeze.  All the luggage was safely there awaiting us! 

Our first stop was Bunratty Castle, where we toured the centuries old rooms, tapesteries, and unique statues.  We learned from a guide some of the items that wouldn't be noticed by ordinary people, like that the walls have ears.  They had small circles carved into the stone which were used to listen in on conversations.  After lunch we started our journey to our guest housing, which were like bed and breakfast inns.  That evening we listened to our coordinator about what we would be doing the next day.  After dropping off each of the groups at their guest houses for the night.  And here I sit writing aboutg our day, dying to go to sleep, which is exactly what I am doing after I finish this sentence.

Day 3 by Hunter:

The wear and tear of the flights to Ireland have finally decided to relinguish the attitudes and minds fo the delegates who got a good night's sleep last night.  We awoke to a bright Irish sun, got dressed and ate breakfast.  Off to the turf fields, we went to cut peat which was very interesting.  Next we went to the Cahersiveen Community Center where we got to create a game with the locals.  Magnificient views of Cahersiveen from the side of the mountain were next.  The hike eventually turned slippery and several delegates had interesting falls.  After our adventure on the mountain we went to a 1,200 year old ring fort.  Tackling, throwing and kicking awaited us as we tried our hand at Gaelic football, which was amazing.  Next we undertook a scavenger hunt.  Chicken curry or beef casserole was our dinner.  We had a very entertaining Gaelic young people to teach us to dance and sing.  I'm going to bed now.

Day 4 by Chase:

In what seems only hours since our arrival we have finished our fourth day.  We woke up to see the sun shining but of course, lik,e every day we have been in Ireland, it rained--lots!  Our day started with breakfast and then we embarked on a cruise across the tranquil lakes--getting soaked!  After lunch we took a seven mile horse-drawn jounty car through the countryside and glaciers near the lake of Killarney.  We also saw colored sheep!  

Next we set off for Dublin, the capital of the Repubic of Ireland.  It rained the whole 3.5 hour drive where most delegates slept or updated their travel journals or wrote postcards.  We finally arrived in Dublin where we ate dinner and booked into our rooms.  After a long rainy day of site seeing and sitting we ended our fourth day.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wichitap2p/1/1246575101.html So here are some of the pictures I promised - Galway, Galway, Ireland http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/7XtEZtDYj-s/1247915003.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1247915003&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=meece#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meece/1/1247915003.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:36:14 -0400 Lisa's Ireland Adventure
Galway, Galway, Ireland

Having trouble posting the photos to this site.  I did these 5 to the wrong date, so let's try it again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meece/1/1247915003.html Day 6 - Buenos Aires - The Grip - Buenos Aires, Argentina http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/cQwMFoOM7WE/1246565372.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246565372&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=casebrownfamily#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246565372.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:34:01 -0400 casebrownfamily's Great Adventure
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Today we are out of clothes or rather I've got tired of wearing used items, remembering that I surrendered space in my rucksack for schoolbooks, medical kit and electronics items. Off to our first visit to the launderette before our fourth day at Spanish school. Without a tv and limited internet access we are almost ignorant of news and I have been curious by the growing number of masked clad locals. I was a little take aback when the launderette manager said in a disturbingly concerned tone "be careful". Until that point I was happily naïve and that has quickly been replaced by "extremely cautious" after I checked the internet at my next opportunity to find that 43 Argentinians have died from “the grip” (swine flu), 17 today and they have just declared a state of emergency in Buenos Aires. There were no deaths when I checked a week ago. Flights from Mexico suspended, we are going there in 10 days time, and all visitors from the US, Canada and Mexico have to report to the health ministry, nothing about Australians yet. Needless to say we wont be travelling on any packed commuter trains or buses anytime in the near future. Today we stayed simple, laundry, Spanish, a Spanish film at the school then back to the homestay, and extra homework for the kids. We may be here longer than planned!

Jody's Story
Today we had our 2nd last Spanish lesson of the week. It was fun like every other day. We played Ping Pong and talked about animals and did stuff like that. After our school we went to Pizza Bum again. We got Spaghetti, Pizza and Toasted Sandwiches. It was very yum. After lunch we went back to the school and did the afternoon cinema class. Me and Niamh played Ping Pong and Foosball while mum and dad watched the movies. After that we came home and did our homework. We had to do maths. It was muy boring. I did 7 pages easy peasy lemon squeezy. After that we played a bit, had dinner and went to bed.   
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246565372.html Day 5 - Buenos Aires - Dr Dolittle, Jungle Book - Buenos Aires, Argentina http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/_mAaroIjfoo/1246478961.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246478961&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=casebrownfamily#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246478961.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:33:15 -0400 casebrownfamily's Great Adventure
Buenos Aires, Argentina

A bright sunny day, barely cold. The morning spent with on our 3rd day of spanish followed by a sumptuously filling pasta lunch. We took the subway to Plaza Italia once more this time to visit the "jardin to zoological". The zoo was hardly auspicious and could do with a lick of paint but for its residents it is an oasis of wildlife encircled by heavily congested 6 lane roads, towering blocks one side and endless parkland on the other, and barely a 10minute ride to the centre of Argentina's premier city. The zoo was distinctly familiar, 'Madagascar' perhaps? Gloria, Melvin, Alex and King Julian were certainly here. The zoo was quite large and was filled with all the classic animals you might encounter in Jungle Book or Dr Dolittle, and I do mean all. I didn’t expect to see black and brown bears, zebras, giraffes, hippopotamuses, lions, tigers, leopards, monkeys, baboons and quite a number of snakes.

The subway ride back was untimely and typical of a rush hour journey, we were lucky to get on, despite this seats were offered to the children by Buenos Airians who were always polite and friendly.

Jody's Story
Today we had another Spanish lesson. We played lots of games like Guess Who? It was lots of fun. After that we had lunch. We had Pizza and Pasta. It was muy yum! After that we went on the subway to go to the Zoo! It was very good. There were Snakes, Crocodiles, Flamingoes, Elephants and much more. We had lots of fun! After that we went back to the subway and came home, played some games, had Dinner, did our night jobs and went to bed!



Niamh's Story
Today mum and dad went out with Jody and I to get some gloves. I got a pair of gloves with lots of different coloured stripes. Jody got black and white gloves. After we got our gloves we went to school. Again, it was fun.

We played a little ping-pong and foosball, then we went to the zoo, it was fun talking to the animals! The zoo was full of cute, dangerous, weird and ugly animals. After the zoo we went home had dinner,                                          brushed our teeth and went to bed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/casebrownfamily/1/1246478961.html Nasca 29th July 2009 - Nasca, Peru http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/WibYmZK2vWc/1246577156.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1246577156&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=dlz#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dlz/1/1246577156.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:30:26 -0400 Daniel, Laura and Zoe's round the world trip
Nasca, Peru


29th June 2009

We arrive at 6.30am to Nazca and were taken by mini bus to our hotel. We
checked in and showered and