Paulie and I are currently resting back in civilisation in our quaint little 1 bedroom apartment after an exhuasting 10 hr overnight bus ride from the town of Uyuni (quite a desolate place and was only notable for it´s airport and train cemetery) to La Paz which is the 2nd capital of Bolivia. According to the safety pamphlet, the total distance between the two towns is only 560Km, so here I was thinking it won´t be as long as our previous overnight ride but as we soon discovered, our ride was over uncovered roads!
The first 3 hours of the ride before the bus hit sealed roads was something similar to flying when the pilot says put your seat belts on due to turbulence! Lucky I had charged my Iphone at the bus depot so was able to listen to a few trance sets, imagining the dimly lit green lights of the bus shaking were like lasers in a club, else I would´ve had a massive headache :) The rest of the trip was fine though I was constantly being woken up by people going to the toilet at the back of the bus. We felt sorry for a Belguim couple since one of them got carsick and they asked if they could swap with us right at the front. I hope our generosity is paid back later in the trip!
So what have we been doing for the past 3 days, you might ask? Well we have trekked across the driest desert on earth - San Pedro de Atacama, with our spanish-only speaking tour guide/driver Fabio and saw spectacular natural scenery all unscathed, and without the use of the satellite phone I insisted on having as part of the tour.
There were giant volcanos towering over numerous coloured lagoons, stone rocks that were the inspiration for Savaldor Dali, geysers that bubbled up smelly gas (which of course I blamed on Paulie), and the Salar de Uyuni which is the blinding white salt flats that strech for miles in the distance and make you lose your sense of direction. We even managed to go swimming twice, once in a lagoon that was unique for the fact it had a higher salt concentration that the Dead Sea (so we couldn´t sink no matter how hard we tried) and could stand in the water upright, and another at a thermal hot spring.
We saw so many lagoons that they all start to blur together however it was seeing the flamingos (that weren`t statues in front of someone´s garden or golf course) that impressed us. Considering we were in a desert and there wasn´t much wildlife around, the sheer number at the lagoons were such a sight that both Paulie and I were a little trigger happy with our cameras taking up close shots/videos of these birds (so much so, we`ll probably have to cull a few to have enough storage space for the rest of our trip).
The next chapter of our journey is on to Copacabana, (not the one in the Barry Manalow song) but the Bolivian town where we head into Lake Titicaca, and then onto Cusco where the real trekking begins. All I can say is that I´m lucky to have Paulie as a travel partner and hopefully she won´t leave me on the side of the mountain :)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
The first 10 days (Paulie´s version)
Dave wanted to upload his post first, so you can read his take of the holiday in the previous post, below is my recollection of our holiday thus far...
We have now overlanded into Chile and after 10 days we finally got to sleep in and not wake up in a mad rush to make our next connecting flight or bus ride. Ahhh bliss to enjoy a coco leaf tea that Dave went to brew this morning, time in front of a proper PC to finally respond to emails and write in this blog, and some time to reflect on our incredible trip so far.
The first few days of our holiday were spent in airports and on planes but it was all worthwhile when we finally arrived at the desert oasis of Huacachina and finally took to the sand dunes in a wild and bumpy buggy ride. The driver purposely drove over stomach-dropping hills and troughs and laughed when we all screamed in fear. We finally arrived at some sand dunes where we could sandboard down at terrific speed, controlling the direction of the board with our feet, trying not to eat too much sand on the descent. We purposely chose the afternoon sandboarding so we could enjoy our first sunset in the desert.
The next day we took a ferry ride around Isla Ballastos, touted as a mini-Gallapagos with sea lions, pelicans and beautiful coastline. I was able to enjoy about half the ride before seasickness struck. The combination of sea lion stench and choppy waters made me feel sick. As everyone else was admiring the view, I hung my head over the boat and puked. With my head in my hands, I thought the tour couldn´t get any worse until I felt a plop on my head. The seagulls overhead decided to bless me with some good luck...dave tried to make me feel better by saying it was lucky I was wearing my hat...I say it was his good luck he didnt have to clean out the poop from my hair.
The best part of that day for me was getting back to the oasis and finding a shady spot on the grass. We lay on our backs looking up at the palm trees and laughed at the absurdity of the day whilst taking silly photos with a little mascot we picked up at Sydney airport dubbed ´Rosie the Dinosaur´. I did have a reason for picking Rosie up, which I will reveal when we head into the Chilean desert in a few days time.
We took an overnight bus into Arequipa after this desert oasis, a stark contrast to the sleepy little town we spent 2 days in. We did the traditional sightseeing around this colonial city with beautiful architecture influenced by the Spanish, built with white stone from the nearly volcanoes. We wandered about the streets, spent a few hours in the famous Santa Catalina monastery that was so big it had its own winding streets and buildings. The view from the top of the monastery was beautiful, as were the bright blue and red painted stone walls that lined the citadel.
The next 2 days were spent heading into Colca Canyon, reaching altitudes of 4910m. Surprisingly Dave did not suffer from any altitude sickness, a fact he kept exclaiming throughout the trip. He even enjoyed a pisco sour that evening while everyone else nursed their headaches! To all those disbelievers out there (including me!), I dont think Machu Picchu (at 4400m) will be too painful for him. We spent the evening in a natural thermal pool relaxing in waters of 40 degrees...a nice way to cap off a long day.
The next morning we set off for the canyon to hopefully see the flying condors native to that region of Peru. There is no guarantee of seeing the condors in their natural setting and in the first half hour of waiting in the freezing cold and seeing a couple gliding in the distance, we thought that was the best we would see. To our surprise, we were treated to an amazing aerial show that was the highlight of our trip so far. It took our breaths away to see these huge birds dipping and diving so close to us.
So where to from here? We still have a packed adventure ahead of us, including a trip into the San Pedro de Atacama desert to see some stunning geysers, lagoons and the constellation unfettered by city lights. We are overlanding in a jeep through the desert from Chile into Bolivia for 3 days through freezing temperatures and altitudes of 5000m, it´s going to be physically difficult but as I keep reading, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We have now overlanded into Chile and after 10 days we finally got to sleep in and not wake up in a mad rush to make our next connecting flight or bus ride. Ahhh bliss to enjoy a coco leaf tea that Dave went to brew this morning, time in front of a proper PC to finally respond to emails and write in this blog, and some time to reflect on our incredible trip so far.
The first few days of our holiday were spent in airports and on planes but it was all worthwhile when we finally arrived at the desert oasis of Huacachina and finally took to the sand dunes in a wild and bumpy buggy ride. The driver purposely drove over stomach-dropping hills and troughs and laughed when we all screamed in fear. We finally arrived at some sand dunes where we could sandboard down at terrific speed, controlling the direction of the board with our feet, trying not to eat too much sand on the descent. We purposely chose the afternoon sandboarding so we could enjoy our first sunset in the desert.
The next day we took a ferry ride around Isla Ballastos, touted as a mini-Gallapagos with sea lions, pelicans and beautiful coastline. I was able to enjoy about half the ride before seasickness struck. The combination of sea lion stench and choppy waters made me feel sick. As everyone else was admiring the view, I hung my head over the boat and puked. With my head in my hands, I thought the tour couldn´t get any worse until I felt a plop on my head. The seagulls overhead decided to bless me with some good luck...dave tried to make me feel better by saying it was lucky I was wearing my hat...I say it was his good luck he didnt have to clean out the poop from my hair.
The best part of that day for me was getting back to the oasis and finding a shady spot on the grass. We lay on our backs looking up at the palm trees and laughed at the absurdity of the day whilst taking silly photos with a little mascot we picked up at Sydney airport dubbed ´Rosie the Dinosaur´. I did have a reason for picking Rosie up, which I will reveal when we head into the Chilean desert in a few days time.
We took an overnight bus into Arequipa after this desert oasis, a stark contrast to the sleepy little town we spent 2 days in. We did the traditional sightseeing around this colonial city with beautiful architecture influenced by the Spanish, built with white stone from the nearly volcanoes. We wandered about the streets, spent a few hours in the famous Santa Catalina monastery that was so big it had its own winding streets and buildings. The view from the top of the monastery was beautiful, as were the bright blue and red painted stone walls that lined the citadel.
The next 2 days were spent heading into Colca Canyon, reaching altitudes of 4910m. Surprisingly Dave did not suffer from any altitude sickness, a fact he kept exclaiming throughout the trip. He even enjoyed a pisco sour that evening while everyone else nursed their headaches! To all those disbelievers out there (including me!), I dont think Machu Picchu (at 4400m) will be too painful for him. We spent the evening in a natural thermal pool relaxing in waters of 40 degrees...a nice way to cap off a long day.
The next morning we set off for the canyon to hopefully see the flying condors native to that region of Peru. There is no guarantee of seeing the condors in their natural setting and in the first half hour of waiting in the freezing cold and seeing a couple gliding in the distance, we thought that was the best we would see. To our surprise, we were treated to an amazing aerial show that was the highlight of our trip so far. It took our breaths away to see these huge birds dipping and diving so close to us.
So where to from here? We still have a packed adventure ahead of us, including a trip into the San Pedro de Atacama desert to see some stunning geysers, lagoons and the constellation unfettered by city lights. We are overlanding in a jeep through the desert from Chile into Bolivia for 3 days through freezing temperatures and altitudes of 5000m, it´s going to be physically difficult but as I keep reading, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The adventure so far!
To all of Paulie´s devoted readers, her account has not been taken over by some crazy loon here to embelish her blog, rather I'm her new (some might say foolish) traveling partner on her great south american trek. I can surely say it has been quite an experience so far! It´s day 10 of our trip and today is the first day we have managed to get some down time at a place with internet access and reflect on the adventure to write in the blog. So far we have checked out 6 airports ( Sydney, KL, Taipei, LA, Panama city, Lima), numerous bus rides (one of which we lost our tickets temporarily just before boarding, gave me a mild panic attack), and one crazy ass taxi ride crossing the Peruvian/Chile border with 3 Austrian tourists.
In between all the exhausting travelling, the highlights have been so far: Huacachina - a small oasis in the middle of the desert where we experienced a beautiful sunset at the top of the desert dunes after doing a couple of runs of sand boarding... though lying flat on your stomach sliding down since it was too steep wouldn´t really be classified as that :) We also had our first proper Peruvian meals of deep fried chicken and beef with fried potatos and rice at the oasis. After this meal Pauline was craving some Asian food so the next day she decided to eat a Thai curry for lunch - against my advice, and boy did she pay for it. Lucky we had stocked up on Imodium back in Sydney so we were covered and spent the afternoon chilling out under the trees by the water.
The other highlights have been Isla Ballantos where I got to see some amazing wildlife up close of pelicans, peguins, dolphins and sea lions, and the condors at the Colca Canyon. The David Attenbourough documentaries didn´t do it enough justice. Unfortunately Paulie spent most of the time at Isla Ballantos with her head pressed against the side of the boat seasick and even had a massive drop of bird poo land on her head! Lucky I managed to get a lot of videos and photos so that she could catch up on what she missed out on.
So the adventure continues and my concerns about altitude sickness on the Inca Trail have faded as we have reached up to 4900 metres on our way to the Colca Canyon and I was fine! I even jogged a bit on the spot to which Paulie gave me the exasperated school teacher look of disapproval!
Now the pressure of writing the first blog post has finally been relieved, hope you enjoyed it and it lived up to your expectations OTFOM :)
ps. I can´t help fight this feeling wasn´t playing at any of the airports but was shown in a movie on one of the bus rides in Lima.
In between all the exhausting travelling, the highlights have been so far: Huacachina - a small oasis in the middle of the desert where we experienced a beautiful sunset at the top of the desert dunes after doing a couple of runs of sand boarding... though lying flat on your stomach sliding down since it was too steep wouldn´t really be classified as that :) We also had our first proper Peruvian meals of deep fried chicken and beef with fried potatos and rice at the oasis. After this meal Pauline was craving some Asian food so the next day she decided to eat a Thai curry for lunch - against my advice, and boy did she pay for it. Lucky we had stocked up on Imodium back in Sydney so we were covered and spent the afternoon chilling out under the trees by the water.
The other highlights have been Isla Ballantos where I got to see some amazing wildlife up close of pelicans, peguins, dolphins and sea lions, and the condors at the Colca Canyon. The David Attenbourough documentaries didn´t do it enough justice. Unfortunately Paulie spent most of the time at Isla Ballantos with her head pressed against the side of the boat seasick and even had a massive drop of bird poo land on her head! Lucky I managed to get a lot of videos and photos so that she could catch up on what she missed out on.
So the adventure continues and my concerns about altitude sickness on the Inca Trail have faded as we have reached up to 4900 metres on our way to the Colca Canyon and I was fine! I even jogged a bit on the spot to which Paulie gave me the exasperated school teacher look of disapproval!
Now the pressure of writing the first blog post has finally been relieved, hope you enjoyed it and it lived up to your expectations OTFOM :)
ps. I can´t help fight this feeling wasn´t playing at any of the airports but was shown in a movie on one of the bus rides in Lima.
Friday, August 12, 2011
A lesson in life
7 years ago I did a pilgrimage in Japan. It took me a month to walk the island of Shikoku; days of ceaseless walking, contemplating and living in the moment. I encountered innumerable kind and genuine strangers while I walked that island and I also came across people that, whilst not so kind and genuine, did teach me a valuable lesson in human nature. It was the third week of my walk when one such encounter springs to mind. I was sitting down to dinner with a table of strangers. The dinner was hosted by a kind person who would take pilgrims into his home and give them shelter for the night. The generous human spirit was common in this island of Japan where pilgrims had walked the same trail for over a thousand years. It was a polite dinner, as is often the case when a group of strangers sit down together. I conversed in my broken Japanese to those around me and it was clear I was a foreigner to the country. It took me a while before I felt the tension in the air. I could see the man at the other end of the table getting more and more agitated. As the table went quiet, I realised this old man who was in the midst of an angry tirade, was directing his anger at me. He took umbrage to the foreigners entering Japan. I, as the only foreigner on the table, became his target. The dinner was an uncomfortable affair whilst this man stood on his soap box holding forth his diatribe; as though the louder he spoke, the greater the truth. The host and others tried to intervene but the innate politeness of the Japanese meant there were no overt confrontations. I sat quietly throughout the dinner and let his baseless words roll off me.
That night I thought about this old man and how I could avoid him the next morning. Alas, the pilgrim’s trail is a well trodden path and later that morning, whilst I was alone on the trail with only trees and nature around me, I saw the old man sitting on a rock up ahead. I kept walking as there was no other way but forward and as I passed the old man, I looked him in the eye and nodded a greeting at him. He looked slightly taken aback but instinctively nodded back. And with that, I continued on my path.
That pilgrimage felt like a tiny microcosm of all the ups and downs in life, squeezed into a month. 7 years later, I can still draw on the experiences I had on my pilgrimage to guide me in the present day.
This is what that experience has taught me: it doesn’t matter how loudly someone proclaims their truth; it is still only their version coloured by their experiences and perspective in life. There are those who will take at face value what they hear. Then there are those who will listen and hopefully seek the truth. I could have held onto my anger at the injustice of this old man’s words but instead I chose to acknowledge it and continue on my path. I did not let that one bad encounter ruin all the good I experienced during the pilgrimage.
That night I thought about this old man and how I could avoid him the next morning. Alas, the pilgrim’s trail is a well trodden path and later that morning, whilst I was alone on the trail with only trees and nature around me, I saw the old man sitting on a rock up ahead. I kept walking as there was no other way but forward and as I passed the old man, I looked him in the eye and nodded a greeting at him. He looked slightly taken aback but instinctively nodded back. And with that, I continued on my path.
That pilgrimage felt like a tiny microcosm of all the ups and downs in life, squeezed into a month. 7 years later, I can still draw on the experiences I had on my pilgrimage to guide me in the present day.
This is what that experience has taught me: it doesn’t matter how loudly someone proclaims their truth; it is still only their version coloured by their experiences and perspective in life. There are those who will take at face value what they hear. Then there are those who will listen and hopefully seek the truth. I could have held onto my anger at the injustice of this old man’s words but instead I chose to acknowledge it and continue on my path. I did not let that one bad encounter ruin all the good I experienced during the pilgrimage.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A rebirth
In anticipation of our misadventures together; this blog has been resurrected and reclaimed as the 'Adventures of the AoA'. For our dear friends (particularly of Soviet descent), we shall endeavour to amuse, inspire and bring you along our journey.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
1 season to freedom
77 more days before we bunk off for 2 months to travel around the Americas!
For the past few years my to-do list remained unfinished. My wanderlust took me through every continent but South America. Every trek I finished I would promise myself, just one more...Machu Picchu will be the last. Come September, I will be able to test this theory. Will the 4 day Inca trail be the final trek before I hang up my hiking boots? For one thing, my knees will thank me. As would Dave, who I can safely say, is not exactly as excited as I am to be camping and crossing at high altitude (the hopefully inapt), "Dead Woman's Pass".
So the slow countdown begins. I need to tamp down my excitement of finally traveling through Peru, Chile, Bolivia. As a foil to the cultural odyssey, we will take another 2 weeks to cruise down the Californian coastline, followed by another 2 weeks relaxing in a couple of tropical resorts in Asia. A perfect balance between activity and inertia, ancient wonders of the world and sprawling malls, deserts and floating islands. It's going to be amazing. Can't wait...
For the past few years my to-do list remained unfinished. My wanderlust took me through every continent but South America. Every trek I finished I would promise myself, just one more...Machu Picchu will be the last. Come September, I will be able to test this theory. Will the 4 day Inca trail be the final trek before I hang up my hiking boots? For one thing, my knees will thank me. As would Dave, who I can safely say, is not exactly as excited as I am to be camping and crossing at high altitude (the hopefully inapt), "Dead Woman's Pass".
So the slow countdown begins. I need to tamp down my excitement of finally traveling through Peru, Chile, Bolivia. As a foil to the cultural odyssey, we will take another 2 weeks to cruise down the Californian coastline, followed by another 2 weeks relaxing in a couple of tropical resorts in Asia. A perfect balance between activity and inertia, ancient wonders of the world and sprawling malls, deserts and floating islands. It's going to be amazing. Can't wait...
Monday, January 10, 2011
Nepal & India (or how to appreciate the simple necessities in life)
A 12-day high altitude trek (5412m) in the middle of a Nepalese winter at sub-zero temperatures gave me a new appreciation for the simple things in life.
My diary contains woeful daily posts of the trek, with my writing becoming steadily unreadable due to the rigor mortis that set into my cold fingers. The entry on completion of this trek contains these scrawls as I laid prostrate on the bed, unable to move due to the pain in my legs and stomach:
Top 10 things I am grateful for -
1. The tingling sensation in my fingers and toes when I finally get feeling back
2. A lukewarm shower after 6 days of cold wipes
3. The sun
4. Running water (hot water an added bonus)
5. Being able to sleep without being woken up from near suffocation due to mucus blockage
6. Having the skin grow back under my nose after being rubbed raw from the constant nose blowing
7. Toilets that flush (toilet paper an added bonus)
8. Not needing to sleep in 4 layers of thermals, plus a down jacket, in a sleeping bag, under another 2 blankets
9. Not dreading the thought of waking up in the middle of the night to pee in an outdoor squatter toilet where the water in the bucket for a makeshift flush has frozen into ice
10. Electricity
This was the Annapurna Circuit and it's been billed as one of the top 10 treks in the world. I think this would have been true had it been about 6 days shorter and in the middle of peak season, where the relentless scenery would at least be relieved by some people and colour. Don't get me wrong, Nepal is a friendly lovely country. Had I not hyped up my expectations expecting the shangri-la I experienced in Tibet, it would have been more than adequate as a holiday destination. I blame my waning travel bug, though its a poor excuse for the jaded sullen attitude that I couldn't shake off for the entire trip.
I had another one of my stray animal moments when a dog decided to follow me for 7 hours as we trekked from one village to another. This seems to happen at odd times during the course of my travels and it always feels like I've been bestowed with a rare gift of affection. Perhaps it was because we named the dog or maybe the altitude made me go a bit loopy but when the animal left me at our tea-house where we slept for the night, I missed him so much I wanted to cry. I think it's time I hang up my backpack and possibly take some meds.
So in quick summary because I am boring myself with this ridiculous recount of dogs and weeping: there was a safari after the trek where we came within throwing distance to a rhino and had to jump aside to avoid some stampeding buffaloes (or cows or bovine-looking creatures). We then overlanded to India where the highlight was the Taj Mahal (beautiful symmetrical architecture, albeit sterile). We rowed on the Ganges where a dead body floated by. We haggled and bargained for silk and jewellery where we invariably paid too much. And finally on the last day, to avoid being taken to yet another bloody museum or old fort, we decided to waste our time getting our palms read by some old guy sitting on the side of the road whilst an audience of Indians steadily amassed to laugh and giggle at the predictions.
It was an intense trip and one which will improve with age and hindsight.
My diary contains woeful daily posts of the trek, with my writing becoming steadily unreadable due to the rigor mortis that set into my cold fingers. The entry on completion of this trek contains these scrawls as I laid prostrate on the bed, unable to move due to the pain in my legs and stomach:
Top 10 things I am grateful for -
1. The tingling sensation in my fingers and toes when I finally get feeling back
2. A lukewarm shower after 6 days of cold wipes
3. The sun
4. Running water (hot water an added bonus)
5. Being able to sleep without being woken up from near suffocation due to mucus blockage
6. Having the skin grow back under my nose after being rubbed raw from the constant nose blowing
7. Toilets that flush (toilet paper an added bonus)
8. Not needing to sleep in 4 layers of thermals, plus a down jacket, in a sleeping bag, under another 2 blankets
9. Not dreading the thought of waking up in the middle of the night to pee in an outdoor squatter toilet where the water in the bucket for a makeshift flush has frozen into ice
10. Electricity
This was the Annapurna Circuit and it's been billed as one of the top 10 treks in the world. I think this would have been true had it been about 6 days shorter and in the middle of peak season, where the relentless scenery would at least be relieved by some people and colour. Don't get me wrong, Nepal is a friendly lovely country. Had I not hyped up my expectations expecting the shangri-la I experienced in Tibet, it would have been more than adequate as a holiday destination. I blame my waning travel bug, though its a poor excuse for the jaded sullen attitude that I couldn't shake off for the entire trip.
I had another one of my stray animal moments when a dog decided to follow me for 7 hours as we trekked from one village to another. This seems to happen at odd times during the course of my travels and it always feels like I've been bestowed with a rare gift of affection. Perhaps it was because we named the dog or maybe the altitude made me go a bit loopy but when the animal left me at our tea-house where we slept for the night, I missed him so much I wanted to cry. I think it's time I hang up my backpack and possibly take some meds.
So in quick summary because I am boring myself with this ridiculous recount of dogs and weeping: there was a safari after the trek where we came within throwing distance to a rhino and had to jump aside to avoid some stampeding buffaloes (or cows or bovine-looking creatures). We then overlanded to India where the highlight was the Taj Mahal (beautiful symmetrical architecture, albeit sterile). We rowed on the Ganges where a dead body floated by. We haggled and bargained for silk and jewellery where we invariably paid too much. And finally on the last day, to avoid being taken to yet another bloody museum or old fort, we decided to waste our time getting our palms read by some old guy sitting on the side of the road whilst an audience of Indians steadily amassed to laugh and giggle at the predictions.
It was an intense trip and one which will improve with age and hindsight.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Lucky number 45
Thanks to a little app on facebook that tracks the countries and cities I've been to, I can confidently say I will reach the grand total of 45 countries at the end of the year by adding Nepal and India to the list! Not a bad effort. My goal will be to hit 50 next year and rest assured, the plan is in motion. After all, there is an entire continent I have yet to visit and an entire year for which to make it happen.
But first! Nepal. Oh Nepal. The country has been on my hit list ever since I visited Tibet 6 years ago. On the itinerary is a 16 day trek around the Annapurna Circuit which as I keep reading is one of the top 10 treks in the world. Followed by a jungle safari, some villages, a national park and a brief foray via the Ganges into India to see the Taj Mahal and what not. Yes a little vague on India to tamp down the expectations. Crowds are not my forte but the Taj is next door and would be a waste not to hop over for a visit.
So in anticipation of busting out my hiking backpack, am counting down the many days left until this next adventure.
But first! Nepal. Oh Nepal. The country has been on my hit list ever since I visited Tibet 6 years ago. On the itinerary is a 16 day trek around the Annapurna Circuit which as I keep reading is one of the top 10 treks in the world. Followed by a jungle safari, some villages, a national park and a brief foray via the Ganges into India to see the Taj Mahal and what not. Yes a little vague on India to tamp down the expectations. Crowds are not my forte but the Taj is next door and would be a waste not to hop over for a visit.
So in anticipation of busting out my hiking backpack, am counting down the many days left until this next adventure.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
2009 - the year of bumming around
I've spent the better part of this year traveling around Europe in order to make the most of my remaining time living in London. It's been oftentimes exhilarating, sometimes frustrating but definitely up there as the year I did the most traveling (or bumming) around.
Here's a short rundown since my Eastern European trip in April:
- My last trip to Paris for a long while...bittersweet but lovely at the same time. The picture in flickr of the boy and his father sitting in the park was taken during a quiet moment walking around Paris and counts among my favourite photos of all time.
- Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Vienna - to be honest apart from Cesky Krumlov, this short trip was a bust, more so due to circumstances I found myself rather than destination
- 9 day road trip around Iceland - absolutely awesome. I drove around the country in my awesome 4wd encountering amazing natural phenomena such as smoking lava fields, beautiful lagoons, waterfalls, volcanoes...and cows with huge udders. Despite driving for an average of 8 hours a day for 9 days, the scenery was worth it.
- 2 weeks in Greece with Fiona and Kate, we ferried ourselves around the Greek islands gaining awesome tans.
- 1 week in Turkey, the highlight definitely Cappadocia, the lowlight definitely the icky men who wouldn't stop harrassing me
- 10 days around Morocco including Marrakech, Fes and Essaouira - ho hum, wish this place lived up to expectations but I just couldn't get over the constant hassling and unfortunate food poisoning.
I think my backpack will be taking a hiatus for some time, I hope for not too long however responsibilities call and I need to answer.
Trying to work out when I can pop over to South America for a spell, will update when that happens.
Here's a short rundown since my Eastern European trip in April:
- My last trip to Paris for a long while...bittersweet but lovely at the same time. The picture in flickr of the boy and his father sitting in the park was taken during a quiet moment walking around Paris and counts among my favourite photos of all time.
- Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Vienna - to be honest apart from Cesky Krumlov, this short trip was a bust, more so due to circumstances I found myself rather than destination
- 9 day road trip around Iceland - absolutely awesome. I drove around the country in my awesome 4wd encountering amazing natural phenomena such as smoking lava fields, beautiful lagoons, waterfalls, volcanoes...and cows with huge udders. Despite driving for an average of 8 hours a day for 9 days, the scenery was worth it.
- 2 weeks in Greece with Fiona and Kate, we ferried ourselves around the Greek islands gaining awesome tans.
- 1 week in Turkey, the highlight definitely Cappadocia, the lowlight definitely the icky men who wouldn't stop harrassing me
- 10 days around Morocco including Marrakech, Fes and Essaouira - ho hum, wish this place lived up to expectations but I just couldn't get over the constant hassling and unfortunate food poisoning.
I think my backpack will be taking a hiatus for some time, I hope for not too long however responsibilities call and I need to answer.
Trying to work out when I can pop over to South America for a spell, will update when that happens.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Travel binge
Got back earlier this week from a month long adventure to the arctic circle and around Eastern Europe. I'm happy to be back in London and doing absolutely nothing!
I've been traveling a lot since Jan including quick weekend pitstops to Majorca, Madrid, Marseille and Lisbon with Lisa, and longer trips to Tromso in Norway to see the Northern Lights and 3 weeks around Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria with Fel.
The highlight of these trips has got to be seeing the Northern Lights in Norway with Fel, Anna and Jamie. Two nights out of 3 we saw amazing dancing displays of green lights across the dark sky. It took my breath away. For one of the days we took off to the border of Finland to embark on a wild bumpy ride on a sled pulled by the cutest huskies on earth. It was quite an experience flying along the pristine snow, trying not to laugh and breath in the smelly flatulence from these little guys. It's a marvel how the huskies can poop, pee, fart and run all at the same time! Unfortunately we were very much downwind from this... Suffocation aside, it was the best fun!
Eastern Europe was cool to do though to be honest, all the eastern european cities have blurred in my mind. We tried to fit in seeing natural scenery and that worked out really well. The scenic highlights were seeing picture perfect Lake Bled and Bohinj in Slovenia and the numerous waterfalls at Plitvice Lake in Croatia. The people of Romania were incredibly friendly and helpful and Peles Castle in Sinaia was gorgeous. I was also pleasantly surprised by Sarajevo, the people there were so friendly and upbeat and the old town had a wealth of beautiful architecture despite most buildings being riddled with bullet holes.
I'm looking forward to seeking out Clooney next weekend at Lake Como, until then I shall endeavour to get a tan with the unexpected beautiful sunshine here in London!
I've been traveling a lot since Jan including quick weekend pitstops to Majorca, Madrid, Marseille and Lisbon with Lisa, and longer trips to Tromso in Norway to see the Northern Lights and 3 weeks around Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria with Fel.
The highlight of these trips has got to be seeing the Northern Lights in Norway with Fel, Anna and Jamie. Two nights out of 3 we saw amazing dancing displays of green lights across the dark sky. It took my breath away. For one of the days we took off to the border of Finland to embark on a wild bumpy ride on a sled pulled by the cutest huskies on earth. It was quite an experience flying along the pristine snow, trying not to laugh and breath in the smelly flatulence from these little guys. It's a marvel how the huskies can poop, pee, fart and run all at the same time! Unfortunately we were very much downwind from this... Suffocation aside, it was the best fun!
Eastern Europe was cool to do though to be honest, all the eastern european cities have blurred in my mind. We tried to fit in seeing natural scenery and that worked out really well. The scenic highlights were seeing picture perfect Lake Bled and Bohinj in Slovenia and the numerous waterfalls at Plitvice Lake in Croatia. The people of Romania were incredibly friendly and helpful and Peles Castle in Sinaia was gorgeous. I was also pleasantly surprised by Sarajevo, the people there were so friendly and upbeat and the old town had a wealth of beautiful architecture despite most buildings being riddled with bullet holes.
I'm looking forward to seeking out Clooney next weekend at Lake Como, until then I shall endeavour to get a tan with the unexpected beautiful sunshine here in London!
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