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. Back home... - Effingham, New Hampshire, United States http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413061927/1220987760.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1220987760&tweb_tripID=malbetinstates2&tweb_UID=malbet#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/malbet/malbetinstates2/1220987760.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:22:07 -0400 On the road in the USA once more, North to south, back again and beyond...
Effingham, New Hampshire, United States

 
Today we head 'home' that is back to New Hampshire where our adventures began back in Nov. 2006, back to our very good friends Doug & Trish. They have very kindly been storing/minding the rest of our gear since we were all together in Florida, where we subsequently left Bree in store. (We secretly think they offered to take it just so we would have to go visit them again! ...well it's nice to think so!) Anyway we are calling there on our way north to Nova Scotia. As seems usual, our route was strewn with road works and some signs that gave us handy hints along the way! After one 12 mile stretch of bollards which had closed an entire lane the whole  way, with not even a shovel in sight we eventually came upon a lone worker, no wonder we see so many road work areas if their man power is so thin. Actually he was kind of normal size, but you know what I mean :)

There were rock falls to avoid, but thankfully we made it safely into NY state, where we met...well more road works but returned to some wonderful scenery. Now as some of you may recall Malc will not spend 50p where 25 will do and on a similar theme we have been known to detour around toll roads. Today this thrift was nearly our undoing! We decided to drive through Schenectady to avoid one such toll. It's a nice little spot and I add this link because it has a noteworthy past, http://cityofschenectady.com/ however I digress...
We needed to make a left turn in town in order to negotiate our way through and to pick up the freeway again, as we approached said left turn the traffic slowed and so thankfully did we. Glancing across to where we were going I noticed a railway bridge whose clearance was 8'6" (sorry in the ensuing uncertainty I failed to get a picture of this, but it was there I can assure you) now you may remember that Bree is quite a large vehicle - 12'6'' tall in fact, so we drove on looking for the next left only to find that this had too low a bridge. In our early days of travel the air in the cab would have been blue by now, and I would have been a useless mess, but calmly we carried on and after a short distance came up to a T junction - fine go left here...well this bridge's clearance was marked as 12' 6" now it doesn't matter how far we shrink into our comfortable seats, Bree's forehead does not drop! But Malc was confident that all would be well, so edging forward slowly and both holding our breath, we made it. Huge sigh of relief and we were back on our main road - having parted with no toll fee, nor any roof repair money!








Not long after this we came to our first sign to Canada - we were indeed on our way! However there were still some scary moments to be had...it's amazing how many dark green Subaru's there are and when one overtakes us it is a bit disconcerting! We drove on past the ski areas that will soon be buzzing and past some amusing signs. Doug had told us about a pretty stop in Vermont just before border with NH and it was a good tip because otherwise we might have driven straight past it. Quechee Gorge was lovely it gave us the chance to have some lunch and to stretch our legs before the last bit of our journey. 










http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/quechee.cfm
It has been a great ride up through Vermont, upstate New York and finally New Hampshire, the scenery has been wonderful, we really are tree and mountain people - give us those over the cities any day! We are glad that we deliberately avoided the freeway route further east and all the built up areas that it would have taken us through.
We arrived at Doug & Trish's to a very warm welcome and Bree finds himself parked next to their rig - at least for a while.
 

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/malbet/malbetinstates2/1220987760.html Leave the ship for a new adventure - Verona, Italy http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413025836/1222366080.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1222366080&tweb_tripID=4&tweb_UID=teamcc#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/teamcc/4/1222366080.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:21:39 -0400 Connie and Carol go to Italy, and a few more places!
Verona, Italy

  6 am and we are up and showering. Our last meal on board, breakfast, recheck our room for 'stuff' and be ready to leave ship a bit after 8 for customs. It looks cool and windy out there-the sun is just coming up. On closed circuit TV we watched a video taken on this cruise and found us in a few scenes. Hope they offer it for sale at a later date. Back to our room for last minute check- brush teeth and close our door for a final time. Oh, sad! They had taken our luggage last night to somewere so only had our backpack and small pack to carry. Down to the lobby/reception to wait and at 8:50 headed off the ship for the last time, picking up our luggage and heading towards customs when Marie, carrying a neat sign for her American 'sister', spied Carol-they hugged and cried and hugged while, GP (GianPiero), her husband and I stood by.  At last we all got introduced and hugged and headed out to their car, where our luggage completely filled the trunk of their Renault. Maria had also brought Carol a bouquet of roses. Off we went heading north with our first stop in Verona where we hunted a long time for parking and then even longer finding the place to pay for the parking. We walked through town, they are fast walkers and we had to hustle to keep up. They took us to a coliseum that was built in the 13th century - complete with moat and draw bridge.  Veneto or Venetia (Vèneto), is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 4.8 million, and its capital is Venice. Once the cradle of the renowned Venetian Republic, then a land of mass emigration, Veneto is today among the wealthiest and most industrialized regions of Italy. Veneto's natural, historical, and artistic beauty makes it, by far, the most visited region of Italy, with about 60 million tourists every year . Cassanova and Marco Polo lived here.   A treat here was going to the home of Juliet, as in Romeo and Juliet; we saw her house and the balcony-Where for art though, Juliet!  We also went to the original town center of Verona where we could still see the old walls, still a market place in the middle but upscale shops all around. We had lunch in a very upscale little eatery, wine and all, then rushed back to the car, driving through town to see the coliseum from another view. Toilets are strange here-and they charge .50 Euros to use one! Since I drink tea in the morning I spend a lot on WC's! Now on north toward Riva del Garda, but GP took the scenic and winding road - hard on Carol and had to finally stop and let her out for a bit and move to the front seat.  We arrived high above the town - a spectacular view, drove down and in and they took us to Grand Hotel Liberty, built in 1910 - very upscale and least expensive room is over E100. After getting settled in and a short nap they returned to take us for a walk through the town- Very old town, with interesting old building - -  At dusk back to the hotel and sat in the lobby to talk, we gave them the gifts we had brought, and said our goodnights, when they said we had reservations at the 4.5* restaurant in the hotel. What a meal-and they do not serve water with the meal- they serve a bottle of sparkling water, then a bottle of Merlot, huge appetizers, another huge course, a huge dinner and dessert. Great food great service. At last this long day was over and we are off to bed. We are sharing a very large bed here but will be moving to another room tomorrow.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/teamcc/4/1222366080.html Goodbye Surrey :D - Surrey, British Columbia, Canada http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115741/1223324280.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223324280&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=mcfadyen#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mcfadyen/1/1223324280.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:21:25 -0400 My Quest for Thai Fish and Longboards
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Goodbye Surrey,  I don't think i'll miss you much. I will however miss my great friends and family..I've never looked forward to 2 full days of buses, airplanes and sleeping in airports! Anyways, keep your checkin this site out I'll try and update as much as possible.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mcfadyen/1/1223324280.html Voss - Voss, Western Fjords, Norway http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413001691/1087833600.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1087833600&tweb_tripID=8&tweb_UID=k6eid#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/8/1087833600.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:21:25 -0400 Norwegian and Danish cruise and side trips
Voss, Western Fjords, Norway

The arrived in Voss.

We walked around the town visiting the church and some of the shops. . There is a monument to Knute Rockne, former Notre Dame coach, who was born in Voss.

We then headed to Fleischers hotel for lunch in their Terrace Restaurant overlooking Vangsvatnet lake.

After lunch we boarded the train to Myrdal.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/k6eid/8/1087833600.html Into Asia - Istanbul, Turkey http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115753/1223342220.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223342220&tweb_tripID=number38bus&tweb_UID=spooky388#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223342220.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:20:02 -0400 Taking a double decker bus from Weymouth to Addis Ababa
Istanbul, Turkey

After a brief stop in a Serbian hypermarket for some non-essentials I took over the driving for a brief non-motorway section in to Bulgaria. It turned out to be an incredibly intense session, leaving me frazzled.
The road started off flat but then cut through hills and then steep sided cliffs. There were tunnels aplenty 4.5 metres high, allowing only 30cm clearance. That had the top deck passengers ducking. A narrow road, steep drops and a safety barrier 18 inches high was raising the heart rate. We then met a bridge 4.2 metres high. With Bill hanging out of the door we limboed under with an inch or two to spare.
Finally the Bulgarian border arrived and we had a cup of tea and cake in the drizzle, watched by the surly border guards as we waited to leave Serbia.
The Bulgarian side was a beaurocratic nightmare too with checkpoint after checkpoint to negotiate. We smoothed the way by offering fruitcake and tea.
It was dark before we entered Sofia. Cobbled streets, debris, no street lights, unmarked roadworks and few signs and I was already shattered. Concentrating hard on avoiding some piles of rubble on the right, I couldn't avoid a road sign that had fallen over in to my path. There was a loud thump and we had another chunk taken out of the bus. With huge relief I pulled over just past Sofia to let Kev take over.
Even the motorways are rough and bumpy in Bulgaria. The effect upstairs on a double decker is magnified. This meant that the contents of the beer fridge were frequently scattered over the floor and it also meant that a game of hopscotch on the top deck was more challenging than usual. Tibbs won but I was playing with a slight alcohol disadvantage. This wasn't just normal hopscotch, this was extreme hopscotch. We have also discovered extreme washing up and extreme tea making.
I awoke later at the Turkish border of which I had heard bad reports. They were justified. After the paperwork we joined a queue of about 15 buses. Each one was emptied of passengers and luggage and thoroughly searched. This could take a while, we're loaded to the gunnels with all sorts of stuff. I tried to explain why we were carrying medical equipment and so much sports gear but they couldn't work out the reason of the trip. After 3 hours of queuing one of the officials came on board. I showed him some of our cupboards and drawers. He said "I have seen nothing" and stamped my passport. We were through in under 5 hours !
I awoke again just after sunrise to watch us cross the Bosphorus at Istanbul. We were out of Europe and in to Asia ! And, as if by magic, it had stopped raining and the sun was out. T-shirts, shorts and sandals on and the beer terrace was in full use !
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/spooky388/number38bus/1223342220.html Before the BIG Day - Mandello del Lario, Lombardy, Italy http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115756/1223323920.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223323920&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=coralv#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/coralv/1/1223323920.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:19:59 -0400 Wedding in Mandello Del Lario
Mandello del Lario, Lombardy, Italy

A whole lot has passed since my last entry. We have all had such a great time. Travelling from Zermatt to Mandello del Lario was much better than our Paris/Andermatt experience. Rod and his boys worked out a system and we all followed along. We all arrived safely in Mandello within 5 hours. I was very impressed and wish I had those boys with me all the time; I would never be late for (or miss) appointments again! My life would be completely different.
The trip over the Alps was amazing, just breathtaking scenery. And the instant difference between the views in Switzerland and Italy is unbelievable. The two countries are worlds apart. On first impressions Italy looks tired and old, not in the good way. The buildings are near condemned; there is graffiti on every available surface and it really is quite unappealing. In our first stop in Milan (3min to run between trains) even the central station looked bad, and I had heard such great things about it. By the time we arrived in Mandello I think most of us had already been turned off Italy.
And then we arrived...
WOW!!!!!!
Mandello Del Lario IS heaven on earth!
It was raining when we got there but I still went for a walk around town. The most beautiful town in the world, I have no doubt. I walked down the street past the church and thru the archway (I just needed to duck down) and to Lake Como. I know I have said it already but... WOW!!!!!
As I was walking along the lake admiring the gorgeous buildings an Old Italian man stoped me and started talking to me rather loudly and fast (in Italian of cause) gesticulating as only old Italian men can do. I told him I could only speak English, he smiled and reached past me pulling the elastic band out of my hair, tussling my hair he kissed me on the cheek, called me "Bella" and walked away singing... well, I was sold. Mandello del Lario is the best place in the world (sorry Switzerland). I continued to walk along the lake and into a park that I know Cilla would fall in love with. By now it was starting to rain a bit heavier so I started to head back to the hotel. I could never explain the feelings of that walk; I was safe, happy, so very contented. It was amazing. When I was just around the corner from the hotel it really started to rain and even hail, Now anyone who knows me knows how much I love the rain, so it really was the single most perfect walk of my life (so far). We unpacked and settled in to the beautiful hotel. The same family has run this hotel for over 50 years, grandmother, mother and now daughter, and you can tell. It is so full of love and caring. They are lovely people. We all had dinner in the restaurant and some drank a bit too much, which made for loud laughter, carpet burn, and room swapping (not as raunchy as it sounds). It was a fantastic night but nothing compared to the next day!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/coralv/1/1223323920.html Our First Visit to Paradise - Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands British http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/412867953/1223303520.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223303520&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=capchas#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/capchas/1/1223303520.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:16:06 -0400 A Sailing Vacation in the Virgin Islands
Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands British

We had always wondered what sailing in paradise would be like. So to find out, we chartered a bare boat from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

We landed in the airport in Beef Island, Tortola and took a cab to where our charter sailboat awaited. It was a hell-ride through the mountain roads with a very laid back driver blasting Reggae music on the radio.
When we arrived, it was dark and after hours but we found our boat and entered the cabin where we saw all the provisions that were left by the charter company.

We put every thing away in the storage compartments and went to sleep.

The next day we were briefed by the charter company and we became familiar with the idiosyncrasies of our home for the week, a 37-ft C&C sloop.

We soon found ourselves sailing in paradise towards Norman's Island.

The mountains rose from the sea and we were entranced with the scenery. The weather was clear and the wind was moderate as we sailed on a close reach to the Bight.

Norman's Island is known as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is here that the famous travel adventure writer referred to when writing his famous adventure story.

As soon as we anchored, we went snorkeling in The Caves. There were so many colorful fish all around us. We could see numerous fish every time we put our faces in the water. The underwater scenery of marine life was stunning.

That evening we carved our names in a wooden post at Billy Bones, a beach bar that later changed names and is now called Pirates.

Next day we made our way East beating into a 15 knot wind and zig-zagging up the Drake Channel where we arrived for lunch at Machioneel Bay. And what an incredible scenery it was! We could see a white sand beach studded with palm trees... just like our sailing dreams. There was no doubt about being in paradise!

After lunch we continued on to Marina Cay and took a mooring for the night.

Exploring Marina Cay the next morning was a special treat of beautiful sights, flowers and stunning scenery of the local islands from the bar on top of the hill. At the bar we had our first taste of a Pain Killer. It is a special mix from the islands guaranteed to change your attitude. And that it did! When we got off the bar-stools we stumbled down to the boat and crashed for an hour or so.

Our next port-o-call was the Baths in Virgin Gorda. We took a mooring and went to shore to explore.

As we waded in with the dinghy, we noticed an old man sitting by a rock who yelled out, "Hey! Your blocking my view!" I looked around and realized instantly what he meant. The most amazing colors and shades of blue and green were behind us in the spectacular tropical waters. He wanted to remind us where we were in a most humorous way.

The baths are an amazing setting of rock, boulders and pools of water. Crews from old schooners would come here to bathe in the warm waters a century or more ago. We took plenty of pictures and explored until it was time to go.

Next stop was Spanishtown a couple of miles up. We took a mooring there and went to shore to explore.

What a quaint little town it was with numerous shops and a couple of restaurants.

Next morning we proceeded over to Gorda Sound where we exoplored the famous Bitter End Yach Club and other resorts.

After an overnight stay we moved on down the North side of Tortola and over to Cane Garden Bay.

Cane Garden Bay proved to be one of those perfect post card gem kind of place. The arching beach had white sand and numerous palms with numerous beach bars. Beautiful place.

From there we proceeded to Jost van Dyke where we stayed over night visiting the famous Foxy's.

Next day we stopped at Soper's Hole for some shopping and stayed for an evening meal at the restaurant by water's edge. A caypso band played while we ate. There was no mistake that we were in paradise.

On our last morning we sailed up the Drake Channel completing our circumnavigation of Tortola and back to Nanny Cay for the conclusion of our bare boat sailing vacation in the Virgin Islands.

After many years, we returned to the Virgins and now sail the islands every winter providing Crewed Charter Sailing Vacations aboard our charter boat Islander.

See our website
www.islanderchartervacations.com

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/capchas/1/1223303520.html More from Guadalajara - Guadalajara, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115760/1223324040.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223324040&tweb_tripID=2&tweb_UID=dmwalsh#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dmwalsh/2/1223324040.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:15:31 -0400 Living the Questions
Guadalajara, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Mexico

I'm here in the hostel in Guadalajara, under self-imposed house arrest.   Feeling pretty lousy with the same kind of a cold or allergy thing- the same thing I had a few weeks ago in Mexico City, and this time it's back with a vengeance.  (The drastic changes in elevation and temperatures haven't been kind to my body.)  I'm okay though.  Perhaps TMI, but it's mostly just a lot of snot, not Africa sick, which is something to be grateful for, believe me.
 
It isn't easy to be sick and alone though, no matter what.   Problems that come into play are mostly mental and emotional.  My modus operand of being completely and utterly dependant on myself (and no one else) gets called into question when I'm sick.   Knowing that my body can "fail" like this scares me deeply.  If I don't have me, who do I have?  Dramatic questions like "will anyone notice if I don't make it back to the hostel tonight?" surface, and thus a cold morphs to certain death in my mind.   I'm the first to admit I put a lot of pressure on myself.
 
But hooray for fresh mango juice right around the corner.
 
So even though I just wrote in the blog, I thought I'd take this opportunity to say a bit more about Guadalajara and what's been going on with me.
 
I think I'm coming to the realization that I'm not going to be in any kind of shape to run the half marathon in two weeks, and it breaks my heart.
 
I've been running for almost two years, and in formal training for about four months, with a goal of running a marathon.... and I'm getting there.   I run slow, but I do run, and I love it.  I've gone from being able to run for no more than a matter of minutes, to being able to run 8 miles.   Most of my training has been in Mexico, which has been a huge challenge- landing some place I've never been and having to find swimming pools for laps and safe places to run straight away, all while having a million other stresses common to travel to deal with- but still, I've done it.
 
Last weekend, I went for a 10 mile run around beautiful Parque Viveros in Mexico City.   I pushed through about 12 kilometers before I decided that something was wrong.   To get back to the hostel, I had to take the metro, but I couldn't hold myself up.   I slid onto the floor, and got off to rest of the platform at one point.   It could have been a million things (most likely not eating well), but at the end of the day, all that really matters is that I didn't make 10 miles.
 
Then yesterday (an 8 mile day), I went to Bosque Colomos, yet another beautiful park, this time in Guadalajara.  I packed my running clothes, but quickly realized all I was capable of was lying in the grass, oozing snot.
 
That's how I've come to miss two long runs in a row, and have started to think that it might not be realistic or wise to attempt the Guadalajara Marathon on October 19th.
 
I have a little notebook where I clip out pictures, quotes, and write about my training.   One of the first things I wrote in it was this:
 
"You'll know you're a runner when you begin making decisions about when to run based on the collaboration between your mind and body." -John Bingham

It sucks (a lot), but that's where I'm at.  Could say a lot more about that, but why?  Running is simple, harsh, wonderful, honest- you do or you don't, you can or you can't.  Some "don't"s and "can't"s are demons, but some just are.
 
And I'll get there someday soon... there's a race in November in Yuma that I'm eyeing.
 
Meanwhile... Guadalajara.
 
As I wrote a couple of days ago, it's beautiful.   One of the highlights thus far has been the 3-story Mercado Liberdad- think pirated CDs/DVDs, clothes, saddles and other various charro (cowboy) accessories, and lots of lots of food stalls, all surrounding a courtyard of men selling cotton candy, kids blowing bubbles, and strolling mariachis.   Suffice to say, I couldn't dream up anything this good.
 
Even though I wasn't feeling good, I also loved the park I was at yesterday.   Although there are lots of things you can do there (rent horses, run, etc.), I mostly hung out at the picnic ground.   I snacked on my 7-11 provisions, sprawled out on my kanga, and watched impromptu handstands, chicken fights, games of baseball and volleyball, etc.   For the first time in a long while, I didn't feel the least bit foreign.  I forgot I was in Mexico, by not trying to escape.
 
...and there's the food.    I think it would be impossible for me to find food in this city that I wouldn't love.  I know that sounds exaggerated, but really...  My biggest complaint is that my hostel provides a breakfast of toast, yogurt, and cereal- an issue because I've grown accustomed to buying my own "desayuno," usually consisting of high-cholesterol deliciousness like eggs and chorizo.  I'm sure my heart will welcome a few days of yogurt.
 
I'm here for about another 2 weeks.  (I'm on the search for an apartment.)   On the 22nd, I fly to Ecuador to see a Peace Corps friend (from Tanzania).   After a week in Quito, it's on to Peru, for a week with another Peace Corps friend (from Tucson).  Then it's back to Guadalajara, a 26 hour trip to the border, a week or so back home, and on to Idaho.
 

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dmwalsh/2/1223324040.html Riva de Garda - Riva Del Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115764/1222459740.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1222459740&tweb_tripID=4&tweb_UID=teamcc#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/teamcc/4/1222459740.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:14:36 -0400 Connie and Carol go to Italy, and a few more places!
Riva Del Garda, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

  We slept sooo good last night-I don't think either of us moved all night! Very tired. Finally got moving, showered, and drowned the bathroom floor- no shower curtain! We packed, Carol went to the reception desk where they told her we could leave our stuff in the room, go out for a walk, and return after 10 to our new room and all our stuff would be in it. We walked into town, finally had breakfast- a croissant for Carol and a yogurt for me, walked more around the town and returned to the hotel at 10:30 to our new room-on the second floor, beautiful, a corner room with 2 balconies, one overlooking the pool and one into a garden. This is a beautiful place!  Maria came by later and we walked back into town and later GP joined us, back to the hotel while he waited in the lounge while we freshened up, Maria had already gone home on her bicycle; then we walked to their apartment several blocks away for a wonderful home cooked Italian meal. There apt is larger than we had expected and contemporary Danish decoration. The meal was memorable - Sparkling water, white wine, Brucchetta, Vegetable crepes with cream cheese, Tiramisu for dessert.   All of these were new to me and I enjoyed all, especially the dessert! GP left to visit his 103 year old mother and Carol, and Maria reminisced-Maria has all the letters, pictures, everything from Carols family including the diary she kept while living with Carols family-It was happy and sad and tears and joy for all of us!  When we were ready to head back to the hotel GP insisted on walking us all the way-he didn't want us to have any problem. They are just great to us. Oh, they didn't tell us cause they thought we knew that all European hotels are Bed and Breakfast and we were to have our breakfast here this morning. We will do that tomorrow. Now we are dressing to go out to dinner with them again. They will not let us pay for anything! Maria bought a picture for Carols kitchen wall this morning and now wants to buy her clothes to have remembrance of this trip!  We did go out to dinner in Torbole at Surfers Grill and it was wonderful. We met GPs brother Atailio there. He is in 70's, the typical Italian Gigolo/ladies man that you see in movies. He arrived in a new Alfa Romero convertible, dressed to the 9's, flirted with us, with the gal at the table next and her male escort, with the wait persons, bought Carol and I roses, just everything you would expect of an Italian guy from all the movies we have seen! The dinner was superb- though not sure what we ate-We had a trio platter of
Pastas-just perfect! Lots of vino, limoncello, and who knows what else. Interesting evening
 

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/teamcc/4/1222459740.html Arrivare in Roma............ - Rome, Lazio, Italy http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115768/1225980000.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1225980000&tweb_tripID=2&tweb_UID=pinkpixipetals#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pinkpixipetals/2/1225980000.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:14:22 -0400 Ciao Bella!! Entrando a meraviglioso mondo de Italia.........
Rome, Lazio, Italy

Coming soon.......

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pinkpixipetals/2/1225980000.html Celebrate - Aqaba, Jordan http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/281428794/1209094200.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1209094200&tweb_tripID=thehoneymoon&tweb_UID=byrnedm#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/byrnedm/thehoneymoon/1209094200.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:13:02 -0400 The Honeymoon, for the 1st half at least.
Aqaba, Jordan

· Aqaba, Jordan
· GMT +2:00hrs

This is an extract from our guide book on travel in Jordan and on the Jordanian people -

'Veterans of travel in Egypt or Morocco will be pleased to learn that, as far as hassle from the locals goes, Jordan is a breeze: your experience of Jordanian people is likely to be that they are, almost without exception, decent, honest, respectful and friendly.'

Super. Awesome. **ck yeah! All that loveliness aside, the fact that this, thank Allah, isn't Egypt means that it has already done enough to make fans of us. In fact, we might actually have been willing to publicly stress our undying love for the place a few minutes ago if it hadn't have been for the unscrupulous taxi driver who, by driving us around Aqaba's dense network of downtown streets and alleys, unnecessarily, shamelessly and quite obviously extended our taxi ride from the ferry terminal to our chosen hotel (thus jacking up his fare). It was a shock to the system once we realised what he had done (we immediately assumed there must have been Egyptian blood in him somewhere) but we were prepared to let it slide because 1) the deed had been done and he was gone, 2) it was somewhat of a relief that, his disorientating antics aside, he didn't try to 'deliver' us to a hotel of his choosing, and 3) well because we were just on a happy, let-it-slide buzz having finally escaped Egy... well, you know where.

Celebrate
It's 2am & we are here in our Aqaba hotel room savouring an Amstel beer (or two), recalling how we spent the whole day - yep, 12 God damn hours - getting here from Nuweiba in Egypt, a mere 60km away. The Egyptians finally let us on the ferry at 5pm, it departed soon after and we finally got to Aqaba port, the only port in Jordan on the Gulf of Aqaba in the south of the country, at 6:30pm this evening. We then embarked on the 'extended' taxi ride and had the finding-a-hotel-&-bartering-for-a-fair-price chore out of the way by 8pm, meaning we've spent the last few hours taking a look around downtown Aqaba and buying beer for hotel room consumption. We isn't just Pat and I anymore. Nope, Brandon, an American we met waiting for the ferry in Nuweiba ferry port, has joined up with us and he, whether he likes it or not, will be part of 'the honeymoon' for the next few days, turning it into a threesome in the process. Brandon looks like an Arab (we're not sure yet if that is a good thing or a bad thing), he just doesn't sound like one. He's a 100% Californian boy, complete with the accent, and he seems to fit in well with us - meaning he has a sense of humour, he complains about Egypt and, most importantly, he likes a beer (or two). So you see, we've lots to be celebrating. Beer, new friends... and no more Egypt (and all that it entails). Oh, and we've Wadi Rum to look forward to tomorrow. Aggh yes. Things are looking up.

Jordan
A little bit on Jordan before I get to the first of the Jordan observations. Bet you can't wait.

It's a small Biblically historical, water-starved (85% of the country is desert), attraction rich but natural resource poor country at the heart of the Middle East. It has a population of some 6 million, 98% of which are Arabs, 92% of which are Sunni Muslim and 40% of which live in its modern capital, Amman. The history of the country is one of occupation. Never the seat of an empire, the country has always been a Europe-Asia-Africa crossroads for the Middle East's great civilisations - the Nabataeans, the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Christian Crusaders and the Ottoman Turks to name but a few of the heavy-hitters who have left their footprints on the land. The indigenous population, largely comprising of desert dwelling Bedouin (nomadic Arabs) tribes, tended, until independence from the Brits in 1946, to live under the thumb of governors sent from Jordan's larger and more powerful neighbours. An outwardly progressive country, its present government is stable with leanings towards democracy under a constitutional monarchy (established in 1952). It somehow manages to be simultaneously pro-Western, pro-Arab, founded on a bedrock of Muslim authority and dedicated to ongoing peace with Israel, who, as any Arab worth his keffiyeh (Arab headdress) will tell you, is to blame for the unrest in the region (although not so in Jordan itself). The present King is Abdullah II, who took over from his much loved and diplomatically adept father, King Hussein, following his death in 1999 (if the scene here in Aqaba is any indication - and I'm sure it is - then posters of both men smiling back at you are to be seen all over the country). Abdullah II has impressed most observers with his ability to protect and advance the democratic legacy of his father, although many of the tensions between tradition & modernity and Islamisation & Westernisation that grip the rest of the region remain unresolved and, as always, are a cause for concern. That said, and its turbulent past aside, Jordan is widely regarded as a peace advocating beacon in a sea of instability (it is the safest country in the region by a long way) and its people, who have an unmatched reputation for hospitality, are only one of the reasons the people who do visit Jordan rarely come away with anything but fond memories.

Day 255 Observations Continued (April 24th 2008)

· 1st Impressions
Jordan may be, for now, our new best-est friend but the relationship didn't get off on the sturdiest of footing. Our first look at anything Jordanian (apart from the straight-from-Estonia ferry itself, complete with posters of Tallinn's gorgeous Old Town) was the shoddy arrivals hall in Aqaba ferry terminal (come on guys... you don't have to try too hard to top the Egyptians but still, make an effort at least). The customs guys, once they eventually decided to man their posts, seemed totally indifferent to their chores, standing as they did having a good chat amongst themselves & smoking cigarettes as we all filed past. We were, as westerners, allowed to file past first, but only once we'd been reunited with our passports. We had to give them up upon boarding the ferry in Egypt and they reappeared, some 3 hours later in Aqaba terminal, in the hand of some awfully nice official who informed us that our visas were in our passports and that there would be no charge for them (all thanks to the port being part of a designated Special Economic Zone). Sweet. 1st impressions (the terminal) were not great but things got better after that, apart from the taxi driver antics & the fact that no ATM in the town wanted to dispense money to us.

· Differences
So a few stark differences between Aqaba (and thus, we assume, Jordan) and Egypt, differences you'd have to be Ray Charles not to notice having come here from there.

· It's more western
This may not be an accurate reflection on the rest of the country (or indeed it may turn out to be just that) but Aqaba in particular is very western, or at least more so than dusty, infrastructure challenged Egypt. As I mentioned Aqaba is the country's only seaport and in 2000, as part of a hugely popular and successful economic experiment, it was designated a Special Economic Zone, with tax breaks of all kinds attracting business & investment. It has had a dramatic effect on what we hear was, for years, a rather dowdy and uninspiring town. According to The Rough Guide to Jordan,

'business is booming, major construction projects are under way, the city is looking good, its population is growing, and there's a fresh, new buzz in the air.'

Believe me, it's a far cry from Egypt, even if it is only a few km's away.

· They use freshwater

Noun: freshwater 'fresh'wotu(r)
1. Water that is not salty

Hear that Egypt? Yes, they actually have fresh water coming out of the taps here. I swear to Allah, the water spewing from our hotel room shower faucet this evening was pure heaven-sent. It was the first time in a week that we washed with fresh water and it felt good... and we ended up feeling clean, again for the 1st time in a week. Okay, so the drain drained with the speed of an egg timer - meaning the place flooded like the Titanic - but we didn't care. Jordan on a whole suffers with severe water shortages but Aqaba bucks the trend; it sits on a series of fresh water springs, springs that allowed all three of us (individually of course) to wallow in freshwater with a guilt-free conscious (don't judge... you would have too).

· It's safer
We're probably not going to die here, especially if we managed to avoid that fate in Egypt. You see, Jordanians seem a more passive, relaxed, more laid-back race and no one, unlike the pinball Egyptians on the streets of Egypt, seems to be in much of a hurry to go anywhere (granted it was late in the evening when we made this observation but still, regardless of the time, it was observed and commented on nonetheless). Also, the Jordanians seem to respect human life & they even tolerate sharing their roads with same; they don't drive like maniacs, they don't sit on the horn and they actually use their headlights in the dark (and their cars don't look like they are fit to fall apart either). But the biggest and most obvious contrast is that the Jordanians, get this, actually stop for pedestrians at pedestrian crossings. I shit you not. We couldn't believe it this evening when cars came to a halt as we were getting ready for an Egyptian style 'take-your-life-in-your-own-hands-and-may-the-best-man/vehicle-win' dash across the road. The drivers even made time to return our 'thank you' wave with one of their own and an accompanying smile that clearly said 'Welcome to Jordan, Johnny foreigner.' One more safety advocating difference - there's not a gun wielding guard to be seen anywhere. According to The Rough Guide,

'no violent group exists within Jordan that holds any grievances against the country, its people, government or tourism policy and the political & religious make-up of Jordanian society makes domestic terrorism exceptionally unlikely.'

Exceptionally unlikely. How comforting. So not only are you less likely, compared to Egypt, to die here as a result of getting run over by a maniac motorist, but you're also less likely to die as a result of any sort of terrorism or civil disorder. All of which is great because we, all three of us, have the rest of this country to see... and we now like our chances of survival.
.
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ps: Okay okay... no more Egypt bashing. I promise, and I'm a man of my word. It seems, upon reflection of this entry, that I couldn't highlight a positive about Jordan without mentioning a corresponding negative in Egypt. I'm sorry. Enough. Go EGYPT! You rock.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/byrnedm/thehoneymoon/1209094200.html Going to Saltspring Island - Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099827/1223322420.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223322420&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=dith31#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dith31/1/1223322420.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:09:59 -0400 I am finally here - yay
Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada

Well on Sunday the 5th October, we went to Saltspring Island, where my friend Leah used to live. It is a beautiful place, lots of good walks and good views. Leah showed me her old school and where she used to live, we even visited her great aunt and uncle. It was good to see the island as I had heard Leah talk about it a lot. It was really cold on the day we went, but it didnt rain, which was a good thing!!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/dith31/1/1223322420.html Australia - Perth, Western Australia, Australia http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115772/1228176360.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1228176360&tweb_tripID=3&tweb_UID=inna#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1228176360.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:07:34 -0400 Ich bin dann mal weg
Perth, Western Australia, Australia

...

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1228176360.html the flight - Mush, Turkey, Turkey http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099823/1219510800.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1219510800&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=soldatski#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/soldatski/1/1219510800.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:07:05 -0400 Подвизи отвъд Диарбекир
Mush, Turkey, Turkey

Качихме се на самолета за Муш с час закъснение, около 13ч. Нашето пътуване съвпадаше с периода, когато хората се прибират по родните си места за честване на (Шекер) Рамазан. Самолета беше боинг, претъпкан с турци, много от който държаха бебета. Моята приятелка получи място до прозорец, аз бях до нея, а до мене се настани мъж около петдесетте. Лазарина очевидно бе уморена и заспа набързо и не усети какво се случва, а именно страховити молитви от господина до мене по време на излитането, както и няколкото супер нехигиенични деиствия, които сполетяха химикала на въпросния човек.
Полета беше двучасов.
Летището на град Муш представлява малка, скромна, едноетажна постройка, разположена на 16 км. от самия град.
Посрещнаха ни двама от нашите турски водачи, които не знаеха английски (малко от младите изучават английски [аз лично не срещнах и такива]). Натоварихме багажа си в превозното средство, което щяхме да използваме в следващите дни (бус с недостатъчно седалки за групата ни от 20 човека) и потеглихме към града.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/soldatski/1/1219510800.html Bali - Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413115773/1227726300.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1227726300&tweb_tripID=3&tweb_UID=inna#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1227726300.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:35 -0400 Ich bin dann mal weg
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

....

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1227726300.html First Destination - Hong Kong, China http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099822/1227295800.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1227295800&tweb_tripID=3&tweb_UID=inna#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1227295800.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:05:13 -0400 Ich bin dann mal weg
Hong Kong, China

...

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/3/1227295800.html Shivery Zermatt! - Zermatt, Swiss Alps, Switzerland http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413085989/1222371120.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1222371120&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=no1pablo#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/no1pablo/1/1222371120.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:02:28 -0400 Adventures through Europe
Zermatt, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

What an interesting journey from Basel to Zermatt! Firstly Winnie got to go on a train for the 1st time (well we presume the 1st time!), as to get to Zermatt you need to get on a vehicle train, as you can't drive through one particular bit due to the mountains! So that was very exciting - if not a little frightening - as we were sat in Winnie on the train, rocking about all over the place in a dark tunnel - scary!! Anyway, we made it out in one piece but were very concerned about Winnie, as she had been making funny noises & had not been wanting to go up hills since we left Basel - oh dear!
 
Anyway, we found a garage on our way to get her checked over! He was a very nice mechanic, but could speak very little English so it was difficult to communicate with him. But, he did find the problem which was the exhaust had split in two & needed welding together - phew we thought, as Paul initially thought it may have been the turbo, which would have cost a lot of money to replace! Unfortunately, he couldn't do it for us as he didn't have the right equipment, but he pointed out a Renault garage a couple of minutes up the road, which he said should do it! Eventually we find a Renault garage that wants to help us with no mention of Winnie's size - yay! They had no problem doing it for us - we just had to wait a couple of hours, which was fine, & she was good as new & ready to hit the road again!
 
We were staying at a campsite in Tasch, which is the nearest place to Zermatt where you can take your car, as Zermatt in a motor free zone! The campsite was in a perfect location right next to the train station, where you take a shuttle to Zermatt, but unfortunately the facilities were less than impressive! Showers had to be paid for, internet was a ridiculous price & didn't even work, so we got our money back there - all in all not a great campsite, but best located for the shuttle which was really the most important thing for us! So, our intentions in coming to Zermatt, was to go skiing on the Matterhorn Glacier, which is Europe's highest Glacier, along with seeing the Ice Caves that are up at the top also!
 
So, the first day we decided to go up to the Glacier to visit the Ice Caves & suss out how easy it would be to get up there with all our ski gear on & carrying our skis that we bought in Austria! The answer - not very! They were doing a lot of work to the slopes in Zermatt ready for the winter season, which would have meant us having to walk quite far when we reached the top to eventually be able to ski, not to mention the bits before we got to the Gondola station at the bottom! So, after going up there we decided we shouldn't ski there, as it was just too much hassle for us carrying everything & we were both feeling a little under the weather, so it wouldn't have helped that either! We were a really gutted, as it was amazing up there, & there was lots of fresh powder snow - perfect skiing conditions & I'm sure much better than the slopes in Austria in terms of being a little less icy!
 
Anyway, we were still glad we went up there, as the views were amazing from the top & Zermatt itself is a very beautiful place - so picturesque! We were however slightly disappointed with the Ice Caves as most of the sculptures had melted so most of it was closed off, which was a bit rubbish but hey ho - you win some, you lose some eh (& we did get two free bars of chocolate, so it wasn't all lost!)! I imagine when the sculptures are done in the winter season the Ice Caves would be amazing & we would definitely like to come back to ski in Zermatt, as there are a lot of Pistes & you can even ski over the mountain into Italy - cool!
 
We decided to head off that same day, as there was no point hanging around in a crappy campsite when there was nothing else left for us to see or do here! So, we had some food in Zermatt, headed back, packed up our things & headed off at 4pm, which was when the last check out was! So, now to Lake Garda, Italy - country number 24!
     

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/no1pablo/1/1222371120.html Horribly HUMID! - San Jose del Cabo, Mexico http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099824/1221240600.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1221240600&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=pinkpixipetals#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pinkpixipetals/1/1221240600.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:57:25 -0400 My adventures in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico!
San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

First entry in the works...........

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pinkpixipetals/1/1221240600.html Quick Stop In Frankfurt - Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099825/1222876800.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1222876800&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=sponger42#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sponger42/1/1222876800.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:54:40 -0400 Next Stop: Mark & Pei-Chieh's trip there and back and there and back again!
Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

We stopped briefly in Frankfurt on a windy and rainy day looking for BBQ chicken. We couldn't find the resturant--it appeared closed for remodeling--and we were quickly driven back to the HBF to wait for our train. We caught an earlier train to Heidelburg, which gave us the oppertunity to do a little shopping.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sponger42/1/1222876800.html Fort Lauderdale - Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413099826/1225918260.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1225918260&tweb_tripID=2&tweb_UID=inna#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/2/1225918260.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:52:26 -0400 Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Fort Lauderdale

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/2/1225918260.html Visiting in Heidelburg! - Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/406192459/1222687920.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1222687920&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=sponger42#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sponger42/1/1222687920.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:51:44 -0400 Next Stop: Mark & Pei-Chieh's trip there and back and there and back again!
Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

We arrived in Heidelburg after a series of short train hops, including a quick stop in Frankfurt in the vain hunt for a BBQ chicken place which is presently shut down for remodeling. Frankfurt was windy, rainy, and cold, so we did not stay long before hopping back on the train.

After another regional train ride, we arrived in Heidelburg where we were greeted by our kind and gracious hosts who would allow us to stay for the following two nights.

The next day, we proceeded to ride the bus into the heart of the tourist district of Heidelburg where we walked the main pedestrian strip and climbed to the castle. Unfortunately, we had left the camera behind, so we took no photographs that day, which turned out to be he nicest day we would experience in Heidelburg--though it was quite windy and cold.

We wandered down by the river and around town a bit, browsing in the various shops and taking in the charm of the old village.

The following days were spent re-climbing to the castle and wandering the gardens and grounds. The grounds of the Heidelburg castle as impressive in their size and must have been beautiful in their heyday, though now they are a series of crumbling terraces and wide open lawns. The castle itself is likewise showing signs of it's age, with numerous collapsed sections and fallen walls. It sports and impressive moat and is very large, situated on a hillside overlooking the village.

Overall, Heidelburg had the feel of a pretty, small town doing it's best to tread the line between pandering to the hordes of visiting tourists while finding a functional mix of its old buildings and architecture.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sponger42/1/1222687920.html London - London, England, United Kingdom http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/413085979/1223495160.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1223495160&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=inna#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/1/1223495160.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:48:31 -0400 London
London, England, United Kingdom

Looking forward to :)

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inna/1/1223495160.html Ohh a storm is threatening........!!! - Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/411391380/1221917400.html http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/comments.pl?tweb_entryID=1221917400&tweb_tripID=1&tweb_UID=kingsandems#LASTPOST Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kingsandems/1/1221917400.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:48:07 -0400 Sunseekers - Chasing summer south ..... and then back north
Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

We arrived at Campo Grande (pronounced Cmpo Grannjggge in Porked english). The Hostel was right next to the bus station. Not bad all in as we were given some good advice on trips into the Pantanal. It even had a pool! We met an english chap called Andy who is a good laugh and we ended up and an eat as much as you can buffet where they bring you meat out on skewers every two minutes till you say stop. At 13 R$ (About 4UKP) it was brilliant and I ate for SA and England!

We opted for a tour to a Ranch/lodge that was 5 hours drive from CG leaving the next day and the trip out to the ranch had some great and varied scenery from reminding us of Harrismith in SA to the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
The lodge was nice and had much more than we had anticipated, with two pools, games rooms, hammoks, volleyball and badmenting courts and a football field. The area is very vaired with rivers and fields and teaming with so many birds. Huge quantities and kinds of parrots, Maccaws, Hawks etc....

People head to the Pantanal to see wildlife and we were not dissappointed! 4 days and 3 nights including river trips, Pirhana fishing, horse riding, forrest and savanna trekking.
Although we had hoped to see animals like Jaguar, Anacondas, and giant anteaters we saw plenty of Hyacinth Maccaws which were once near extinction, Armadillos, Capibarras, Deer, birds in their thousands, loads of black big Caymans, massive iguanas, Howler monkeys plenty and also little raccoon type things (South american coati).

All in all it was a great 4 days.... we had one incident which is worth mentioning hence the title of the blog.
It should be said that the Pantanal is hot and we had great weather.. on the second day we were told to take rain coats although there was no clouds in sight as they had been advised that the weather was changing. We enjoyed the 3 hour trek through the forrests and the night drive without incident. A good meal and we hit club duvet early around 9.

At midnight I woke up and noticed that the wind was howling outside. I woke Ems and we looked out the window to see the tree nearby was bent right over in the wind, there was plenty of lightening and thunder stanrting to brew. We nomally love this sort of weather so we stayed up and watched and listening as the impending storm approached... The wind got stronger and more threatening lightening and thunder...
Someone from the main lodge got up and ran across between the buildings and cut the power.... then pitch black... we waited as the wind got stronger...
The rain started and the wind continued to get stronger, we could hear the roof starting to rattle and the mood changed from enjoyment to a twinge of fear. The noise got much louder and I could hear debris flying and scraping over the roof. Ems started singing "Ooh a storm is threatening".....I grabbed her and told her to get under the bed! It was a comedy of errors with me shoving Ems, Ems telling me to get under the bunk as there was no room due to our rucksacks being beneath the bed, and her trying to shove our packs out of the way. We got under just in time... the roof had started to come off and debris was starting to fall into the room. Ems was convinced it was either the end of us or that they would have to dig us out of the rubble the next morning. Amusing now but terrfiying at the time.

More debris fell and water was streaming in through multiple points in the ceiling... After a c