Madrid, Spain - Madrid

The trip through beautiful, balmy Spain continued, and was rounded off with visits to Sevilla, Cordoba and the grand finale, Madrid. Word of caution to any future travelers to Spain: severely guard your pockets on the Metro, as we had our camera pick-pocketed, and we were incredibly vigilant during our entire trip. This vigilance didn’t mean a thing on the Metro unfortunately. Put locks on your pants if possible! Ok, that may be uncomfortable, but you get the idea.

Sevilla was the first time since arriving on the European continent where we took a breather by staying in one place for 3 nights! Whoa, 3 whole nights, just imagine our elation! By this point in our 4 month trip Scott and I started to get a bit tired, or better yet, lazy. We just didn’t want to HAVE to go out and do something, which is why Sevilla was perfect. I have no specific sights to report, and no flamenco shows to rave about because we made the conscious decision to just hang out. Sevilla is a gorgeous city though, lined endlessly with orange trees, shopping to make you weak at the knees, restaurants and cafes, medieval buildings, gardens, cathedrals… such an incredible Spanish city to visit, even if you are just being lazy, choosing to only hang out. However, with a bit more energy there is so much to see and do in this traditionally Spanish city, you really can’t go wrong. Time for a sigh: Ahhhhhhhhhhh……..

Off to Cordoba! Officially, after some discussion, Scott and I have decided that this is our favourite place in Spain and where we would live if we were Spanish citizens. Which we are not. Cordoba is best and simply described as cozy, medieval and fun! We could not get enough of the Moorish influence on the city. The intricate mosaic work we saw in the Alhambra was also present throughout many buildings in the city, including our gorgeous guesthouse. There is something about Cordoba’s casual eateries and little streets that make you feel comfortable, like you should linger a little longer and take in the relaxed, historical atmosphere around you.

The Mezquita, built in the late 700’s is one of the most unique places we saw on the trip. The inside is cavernous and comprises of two-tier arches made of white and red brick and this continues along the entire place. However, very oddly in the 1600’s a Roman Catholic Cathedral was built inside the Mezquita and so a giant centre section was destroyed to make way for this church inside a Mosque. A very, very, very strange sight. The entire Mezquita is fortressed, and within the walls there is a courtyard saturated with orange trees. Having seen orange trees lining the streets in Granada and Sevilla, Scott and I could resist no more! Scott jumped up and plucked a couple of oranges (we had spent our time just hoping one would happen to fall conveniently in front of us). After peeling through the two-inch thick peels we finally reached the juicy orange, took a bite and… spat! Ugh! Sour, sour, sour, sour, sour! And not in a good way. Sour. That would be why you don’t see the locals plucking oranges, maybe we should have taken their cue.

As we were wandering the lovely streets and the main centre of Cordoba Scott noticed a little market stand down a small alley. We made our way there wondering what it was and found a little square with several tables set up selling the BIGGEST cotton candy we’d ever seen, hand-made jewelery and odd crafts. But wait, how strange, the vendors are dressed like medieval peasants. We continued to walk, following banners hanging over the streets and discovered a yearly, massive Mercado Medieval, or Medieval Market! The main square of Cordoba was riddled with stalls selling everything imaginable. You could barely move there were so many people. It was ridiculously crowded but too much fun to miss. Acrobats juggled, beautiful women belly-danced, “court jesters” cracked jokes and purposely wreaked havoc, and knights in armor jousted. It was mad, it was fun, it was a total accident that we found it, even though it was enormous. The mulled wine made us a bit weak at the knees as well as the soft loaves of bread being baked in an outdoor stone oven. The line up to buy the bread was at least 6 people deep by 8 people wide, and understandably so, could bread possibly look more appealing!?!? We also tried a stiff shot called Aliento de Dragon (Dragon’s Breath) which had vodka, scotch, honeyed rum and chili flakes. You downed it and then breathed in the fumes left in the shot glass, and let us tell you, we did breathe fire and choke a bit. My eyes began watering it was so strong, what an insane drink.

Happy to have discovered a bit of Cordoba (remember, it’s our favourite Spanish city!), and sad to leave it so soon we took the lightning fast AVE train to Madrid, the grand capital. We arrived at our hostel to discover that the centre of Madrid is measured from a statue of a bear at the base of our pedestrian street, Calle del Carmen. We were literally at km zero in Madrid; it couldn’t have gotten more central. Madrid is a beautiful city; it’s clean, open, modern, people friendly and accessible. More importantly though, it may hold the unique title of being the only city on the planet to house the “Museo de Jamon”, or in English the “Ham Museum”. Huh? “The conversation went something like this:

Scott: “Um, does that mean Ham Museum?”

Jenn: “Huh? Where? Oh! Yes, bizarre. There’s no way it’s really a ham museum!

Scott: “Ah, of course, ham museum must be a metaphor for something, surely it is not a museum of ham!”

Jenn: “Surely not, that would be ludicrous, ha ha ha!”

We arrive at the window of the ham museum

Jenn: “Ew! There are pig legs hanging everywhere!”

Scott: “Hmm. It really is a ham museum, ha ha ha!”

Essentially the Museo de Jamon is a large deli, specializing in ham if you didn’t get that bit yet, and there are pieces of pig hanging from the ceiling, mainly legs. Mmmm, weird. But, in fairness to the Museo de Jamon, many restaurants have pig legs hanging from hooks, it is obviously a very Spanish thing. The Ham Museum, however, just takes it to the next level.

Apart from the ham museum which really captured our imagination, we did a self-walking tour of Madrid and saw many of its sights, the highlights being the Palacio Real and another lovely urban park (Spain is very good we notice at creating amazing public spaces) called the Parque del Buen Retiro. Over a lake where families and couples paddle, successfully and unsuccessfully in rented rowboats as the sun sets is a giant pillared monument where people lounge and sun-bake (yes, even in January, Spain has incredible weather) and picnic. It’s such a beautiful park, we said we’d spend lots of time there if we were Spanish. Which we’re not.

The diamond of Madrid however, was the Museo Nacional del Prado which houses a world-renowned art collection. Visiting it was overwhelming, there was so much to see and how do you discriminate between seeing one masterpiece over another? The painting that really caught our attention and we have not forgotten is Fusilamento de Torrijos y sus companeros en las playas de Malaga, 1888 by Antonio Gisbert. You can check it out on the Prado Museum website. Seeing it on there won’t do it complete justice so keep in mind this painting is 3.9 m x 6 m in size, so the reality of that painted moment in time is almost tangible. You feel like you can read the thoughts of the condemned men. Incredible, incredible painting. Another fantastic one is El Jardin de las Delicias, h. 1500 by El Bosco. You can check that one out as well on the Prado Museum website. AND, last but not least are the more surreal paintings by El Greco.

Two anecdotes before signing off Spain: as we wondered the streets we came across a Colombian coffee shop (I found so many Colombian foods in Spain, Scott sometimes had trouble controlling my excitement) where they were selling pandebono and almojabanas (I don’t know if I spelled it right). I bought four, I was beside myself. The second anecdote is the adorable little old man that stopped Scott on the street and said to him (I’m translating obviously), ”A girl like her (he points at me), you have to hold and carry, like this (he puts his arms up like he’s carrying, well, a woman).” And then he says to me, “If he doesn’t do this for you, you hit him! Give him some sense!” How funny was that? Just out of the blue, very random, and very sweet I think. Sweet for me anyway, not for Scott as I was instructed to hit him if he didn’t carry me. Anyway, it’s a nice comment/compliment to take away…

So, in short, here is what we feel about Spain. If we were European and could live there, we’d have lived there yesterday! It is easily our favourite European country. If you can’t live there and you haven’t visited, go!! And make sure to visit the Mirador de San Nicolas in Granada as mentioned in the last blog, one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Madrid, Spain

Hossegor, France - Saving a dog near Vox Bacow

We have returned to Hossegor for two reasons. Firstly for the simple fact that we liked it the first time around, and secondly because the swell charts forcast a solid swell to hit in a couple of days. Our first few days were spent at the beach enjoying glorious sunshine and temps in the high 20’s. Small waves kept me and my 250 mates I was surfing with occupied and there was plenty to look at on the beach as well. From large groups learning to surf getting smashed in the shore break, topless women everywhere, large European men in (too) small speedos, and dogs everywhere.

One dog in particular caught my attention as I was paddling across the channel to the beach, because he was out there with me, franticly paddling against the current heading out to sea. He appeared to be a good swimmer but had been battling this rip for some time and looked to be struggling a bit. I paddled over to him and grabbed him by the collar and dragged him ashore. Once back on firm ground he seemed relieved and thankful for the help. No worries mate! Funny thing was, less than 10 minutes later he was back out there, but this time had gone up the beach further to avoid the rip and had made it out the back to the outer sandbank and was trying to catch waves. Seriously, he was paddling to try to catch waves and doggy surf them then paddling back out the back again

Monday the weather turned grey and cool, and the swell went from dead flat at 6 am to ten foot plus within 4 hours. The swell had arrived, and with it 40 knot onshores to create a massive washing machine breaking 500 metres out to sea. We spent the next few days cruising around the area, found a café with Wifi so we skyped Mum for her birthday and Shane and Kate (Abu Dhabi) and caught up with the worlds news. We also found a street market in the main street of Seignosse, the town right near our campsite.

Our campsite had changed a lot since our last visit. We were one of about 6 or so tents in the hole place the last time and there was only 3 staff members. Now the shop, bakery, pub, and kids club had opened, there was about 20 staff, and the campsite was packed. We were camped next to a German couple who spoke a little English so we could have short simple conversations with, and another German bloke named Alex who spoke great English and surfed. He was camping in his 1982 Ford van that he had decked out with three sunroofs and a DVD player and LCD screen that drops down from the roof.

Mandy has taken to the French language with her own interpretations. A town to the north of us is called Vieux Boucau (pronounced Voo Backoo) but has now been renamed Vox Becow thanks to Mandy’s Aussiefication of it. ( Aussiefication is a word I just made up and encourage all Aussies to use freely).

The swell cleaned up but the banks had been destroyed after the swell of the previous days, so it was time to move on, towards the east and away from the temperamental Atlantic Ocean. Our friends Lozza and Seb awaited us in Luchon in the Pyrenees Mountains, about 3 hours drive away.

Beijing, China - Temple of Heavy Restoration

Met one other guy staying in the dorm this morning, Harvey from Australia, who arrived at some point in the night (like him already for being so quiet as to not wake me up) and who also happens to be the spitting image of Dominic Monaghan and does even sport some hobbit like hair first thing in the morning.

Continuing my tour of the Beijing sights it was the Temple of Heaven today which was on my hit list although like the Forbidden City the main building, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, was closed for renovation, darn Olympics.

Walking around the park grounds in the sun it was a bit strange feeling like it was snowing at times due to all the willow catkins drifting through the air which are these snow like pieces of fluff almost which fill the air at this time of year.

On leaving the temple grounds I noticed that the main building was closed for renovation from May last year till 30th April 2006, in other words tomorrow - bummer.

Back on the subway you can't help but notice the sheer number of homeless and beggars in Beijing many of whom seem to have some crippling abnormality or disfigurement which you wonder how they can cope with apparently no support system.

After my first sweet and sour chicken dinner in China (was beginning to think it was just a British Chinese take away speciality) I decided to head for the Great Wall tomorrow. Since it required us to rise at a painful 6am for the long bus ride to the wall I took it easy tonight and watched a little CCTV, no not the local supermarkets security system but China Central Television which actually has an English language news channel even if its reports are a little slanted.

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States - Get Daddy the Rainman Suite!

I arrived on a windy Wednesday, with turbulence all the way from San Francisco. The city came out of the middle of a desolate desert- just like in the movies. It really is a machine for extracting money from people, in the middle of nowhere!

On my first night, I decided to head from the downtown area of Vegas, a slightly rougher end of town, to The Strip, where the newer areas of the more commercial casinos and hotels are located- the hub of activity out here. Instead of taking the bus as everyone suggested, and thinking I knew better, I decided to walk to the strip.

Naive! As I headed away from downtown to what I thought was the strip, darkness came quickly, as did a severe sandstorm. And little did I know, that due to this, I was walking away from the strip, and into the very dangerous areas of the outskirts. One or two homeless people soon became a multitude, lining the streets where I walked, shouting some incomprehensible profanities at me. I of course reacted in my tried and tested way- I donned a cap and sunglasses (even though this meant I could hardly see) and tried my hardest to look menacing, whilst walking as quickly as possible. For of you who know me, looking hard is not my best talent! To top is all, there was a power cut due to the storm, plunging the area into darkness, meaning I was virtually blind in one of the dangerous situations I've been in on my travels. Having negotiated Cambodia and Vietnam, that's saying something!

Soon, out of the gloom of the sandstorm, and with my mouth and ears rapidly filling up with sand, the golden arches of Mc Donald's appeared! Never been so happy to see it in my life! I dived in and bought myself a milkshake and a cheeseburger to steady my nerves with a sugar rush, and asked the staff in my most polite English to call a cab for me. Needless to say, I took the cab home to the hostel, thinking if my luck was this bad in getting to a casino, I don't think I'll be in much luck once I get there! Not a great start, but I think I'll look back on this and laugh!

Cabs all the way from now on!

The following day, I took a trip to the Grand Canyon- One of my main reasons for visiting Las Vegas. To avoid a 12 hour round trip and get a better view of it, I paid the extra for a flight and tour with Papion alrlines to the west rim. This is in the deepest part of the canyon, but is also slightly more developed, having the 'skywalk' etc.

The flight was on a small 20 person propellor plane, which flew low over the canyon as we approached, showing its huge depth , taking millions of years for the river to carve out. The weather was perfect, allowing us to see for miles. The scale of it was breathtaking! After landing on the West rim, we spent some time walking around, going on the Skywalk, and trying not to stand too close to the edge as there's no protection from a 4000m drop! After taking in the dramatic beauty of the place for 3 hours and another all-you-can-eat buffet lunch (I often wondered why Americans are often overweight, and I think the all-you-can-eat concept is a significant factor!), we got back on board and flew into Vegas just as the sun was setting and the lights of the casinos were just coming on.

And so, it was finally time to hit the casinos, and loose some money. I headed to the classic- Ceasar's Palace- to try my hand at Blackjack. I still like to think of it as Pontoon, even to the extent of saying 'stick' or 'twist', which the dealer didn't really understand. Anyway, taking to the table the most I was prepared to loose, ($60), and taking full advantage of the free drinks, I soon found myself slightly inebriated and having accumulated over $200! Beginners luck, I guess, until I continued to play and lost the lot over an hour later! It's true what they say- in the end, they get it all! Still, fun while it lasted! I spent the rest of my time wondering while I didn't quit at the top, wondering around the casinos here, which are garish, immense and obscene buildings, designed for one thing- taking your money!

Paris, France - Bonjour Paris

General guidelines/checklist on how to spend a perfect 24 hours in Paris, in point form:

- Travel to Paris from Madrid on the overnight sleeper train and enjoy dinner onboard. Retire to your cabin to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep. Awaken just kilometers from Paris, but first indulge in your included breakfast in the dining cart.

- Upon arrival in Paris, gain orientation and begin using your French to realize that people really do understand you and are very helpful in the train station.

- Arrive on a misty, drizzly morning to your Parisian hotel room walking distance to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe and from which you can glimpse the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, as it is completely covered in fog!

- Depart to the Musée du Louvre, arguably the grandest museum in the world.

- Gaze upon the cheeky Mona Lisa (did she wink?), the sensuous Venus de Milo and wander through the opulent and majestic Napoleon III’s apartments. Consider some of Napoleon’s decorating tips should you ever become a gazillionaire.

- Walk to cathedral Notre Dame along the river Seine under a clearing, pink twilight sky mottled with grey and yellow clouds.

- Head to the top of La Tour Eiffel, now under perfectly clear skies to glimpse the end of the sunset and the lights of the city as night arrives. Purchase glow-in-the-dark Eiffel Tower condoms as souvenirs for your friends back home.

- Stroll back towards your boutique-like hotel and stop in a little restaurant with individual table lamps for a late dinner and a glass of wine. Brag to your partner about your ability to communicate with the waiters in French!

- Jump on the Metro to see the Moulin Rouge from the outside. Gaze upon its well-known windmill lights and choke when you discover the price of admission.

- Back to the hotel after a long, perfect day.

- It’s early morning, 6 a.m.!! The sun is yet to rise, but the streets begin to bustle

- Take a brisk walk to the Champs Elysees for sunrise and breakfast

- Allow speechlessness to take over. The Champs Elysees at sunrise near the Arc de Triomphe is one of the most beautiful sights a traveler can experience, and you are there!

- Take pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures!! Did I say take pictures?! Impossible to let it all soak in, it’s just too beautiful!

- Discover the revelation that is the Parisian café overlooking the Champs Elysees as you feast on the most wonderful breakfast of café au lait, fresh croissants, and warm baguettes with butter and preserves. Confirm croissants and baguettes really are THE BEST in Paris.

- Brag to your husband again about your wonderful French skills.

- Back to the hotel to pack but ensure to buy some freshly-baked pain au chocolat for the train ride to Calais.

- Realize how lucky you are to have spent the most perfect 24 hours in Paris and begin to plot your return as you wave a sad goodbye to this inherently romantic city and your penultimate stop on your round-the-world journey.

Hossegor, France - Camping, Broken Noses and Frisbee

After the havoc of yesterday, we were both ready to get down to Hossegor and set up camp for a few days. We took the long way along the coast through a number of small towns, all with there own camping grounds, some really nice places but most of them not open for the summer yet. We settled in at Seignosse, just north of Hossegor. The waves were looking pretty good but we decided to go for a walk along the beach and wait for a surf in the morning. In the evening we realised that we had no lighter or matches to light our gas stove so we headed into town to pick one up, but no where was open so in desperation we went to an Irish pub and the barmaid gave us her lighter. It was almost empty but we gave her some change anyway. It wasn’t until we were walking out the door that we realised that we had just paid 3 euros (almost 5 bucks) for an empty lighter. Then we proceeded to get hopelessly lost on the way back to camp, mainly because someone didn’t have the map open most of the time, Amanda. In frustration we got to an intersection and I said “left or right?”, “Left” came the reply. So I turned right and we were home in 2 minutes flat. Nothing like driving for 45 minutes to buy an empty lighter for 5 bucks.

The next morning we woke to a thick fog making it hard to see what the waves were like, I could barely make a couple of surfers already in the water, but it looked OK. So I raced back to camp to get ready for my first surf in the Atlantic Ocean. I opened my board bag only to find that KLM Airlines had creased my nose and put a big hole in the bottom of my board. Well done KLM, you tools!!! Unfortunately we still have to fly with them to Mexico. Great.

So the morning was spent finding a ding repairer to fix the damage. My brother Mick and his mate OJ were due to arrive later in the day, but Mick would have to surf alone, because my board wasn’t going to be ready until tomorrow afternoon. By the time he had arrived though, the swell had virtually disappeared, and would remain that way for our entire time on the French surf coast. Not once did we even contemplate trying to ride the tiny wavelets for 4 days. Our main form of entertainment was Frisbee and some beer drinking as well. Our Frisbee skills have developed rapidly and we have now achieved almost perfect control of the Frisbee’s direction, bending it around trees and skimming hedges as well. We did venture from our campsite in different directions each day. We lunched in Hossegor at the Rock Food Café on the beachfront during a particularly thick fog. Middle of the day, warm and sunny in the main part of town 500 metres back from the beach, but on the beach itself thick fog, and cool. After lunch we played Frisbee. We had to do something, we’re all getting really fat!!!

On our last night in Hossegor we were lashed by a violent thunderstorm, and another first thing the next morning. We were camped under these massive pine trees and lightning was cracking all around us. We survived the night and made the decision to make a move south into Spain, to a place called Zarautz, a bit past San Sebastian.

Until next time…

Beijing, China - My Mandarin Stretched to the Limit

The crowds from yesterday had convinced me to cancel my hard seat ticket to Pingyao. Hard seat, especially during the May holiday week, effectively means no seat, and with a 12 hour journey I did not wish to stand the whole way or share the floor with the no doubt piles of discarded chicken feet, sunflower seeds and a layer of hocked up phlegm.

If trying to book a train ticket in China can cause an anxiety attack I would advise not trying the reverse, getting a refund.

I knew it was possible and even with the small charge I also knew they would take I was determined to get but that made it no less straight forward and so I set off on my perhaps Mission Impossible minus the fancy gadgets and the slow motion effects sadly (though I was sure the long queues would make up for that)

Back at Beijing West Train Station and with the crowds no less dense I ventured forth to find where I get some Mao's back for my ticket. My first attempt at a counter labelled 'Sell Platform Ticket' led to a quick ushering away by the less than cheery looking women on the other side so I next tried the information desk. It always leads you into a false sense of hope when seeing a sign in English but on closer inspection you find the person working there probably does not even understand the English sign they are standing under.

After failing to explain as best as I could with gestures (how do you mime refund anyway?) I left with a little hope that their pointing to go downstairs meant they had at least an idea what I wanted, either that or they were just trying to get rid of me which was probably more likely.

Again finding no where to sell the ticket on the ground floor I stepped outside and noticed a sign saying to go to the transfer counter for refunds in the underground level, maybe I was finally getting somewhere. So there appeared to be no transfer counter in the underground level, typical.

A little more wandering and I finally spotted a sign way out of sight almost indicating ticket counters 11 & 12 dealt with refunds. On joining the queue/mass of people I was immediately offered 50 CNY for the ticket by a guy who was soon halted my a near by policeman, guessing they are doing something to clamp down on the black market ticket sales.

Getting my refund minus 20% charge I headed to Wangfujing Snack Street but thankfully I had already eaten as the range of scorpions, sea horses, crickets, squid skewers, grasshoppers and starfish did not really take my fancy.

Walking towards the subway I met a Chinese guy who like so many wanted to practice his English but since he was going to London next week on an exchange program I gave him a little time and he let my check my email on his school's computer which we were just outside after one of the other students stopped playing games on it as they all seem to do.

Just before reaching the subway I stopped to watch some people playing table tennis in a nearby park and after a quick invitation I was soon representing Scotland in quite a few games I'm sure were just as skillfully played as those that will be played here in two years time.

Airlie Beach, Australia - The Whitsundays

This has to be one of the highlights of my trip so far. 10 great people, an amazing little boat and a great Italian chef for a skipper, who shouted 'Simon!' so much at his first mate (assistant), we're all thinking of having it as a ring-tone!

We started out from Airlie Beach- another great spot- and headed out for 3 days and 2 nights of paradise on the Ileola, a 50 year old yacht, found sunk 15 years ago and raised and restored by the present owner.

Basically I spent 3 days sailing around the beautiful islands of the Whitsundays, snorkeling in some amazing reef, visiting the whitest beaches I've ever seen, drinking great wine and eating fantastic Italian food. The nights were spent on deck, looking up at an upside down star sky, with thousands more stars than normal! The tan is also coming along a treat and I'm as brown as I've ever been!

I brought a Santa hat with me- everybody took turns having their photo taken with it on. As everybody was European, we're all struggling with the concept of Christmas with the weather being is like it is out here. Not that that is to be taken as a complaint in any way of course!!

Not alot more to report than that really! I think the photos are self explanatory. It really is this good!!!

Rome, Italy - When in Rome...

This entire journal entry is an understatement for what we saw, the heights of history, art and romance, one of the zeniths of past civilizations in the world: Rome. We had visited individually before, but this is a city well-appreciated when more mature and, well, sober.

We whirled our way through Rome’s spectacular sights including the Colosseum, the Forum, the phenomenally preserved and still used Pantheon (my favourite), the Palatine, the rich and glorious Vatican (technically another country), the numerous charming and well-known piazzas, and the Spanish Steps where – you need to follow closely on this one – a man obviously trying to con Scott into something (not sure what) simultaneously accused me of accusing him of trying to steal from us because I was grabbing our bag to get to my camera. Huh? I know, bizarre, we’re not sure what he was onto. Whatever.

Now, imagine a perfect evening in Rome: the weather is breezy and pleasant, and you take a stroll to the Trevi Fountain down cobbled alleyways and glittery streets. Once there, you ceremoniously through a coin over your shoulder to ensure a return to Rome, and then buy a genuine Italian gelato to have while sitting at the magnificent fountain as you watch the night take shape and the world go by. THAT was our first night in Rome.

The first time I ever came to Rome, the weather was ghastly; rain was pounding down so heavily you could not see a couple of meters in front of you. For Scott the weather was sweltering hot, almost unbearable. This time around it was overcast and occasionally rainy, and so a different experience for both of us. I was desperate to see the Colosseum in dry weather and my wish barely came true, as it started to rain minutes later. We did tours of the Colosseum and the Palatine which were led by two men, one an older Italian man that got so deeply involved in describing the barbarity and carnage of the games he would close his eyes when describing them, and the other, a New Zealander earning a Masters in History that was so animated, loud and excited about his topic that spit would sometimes gather around his mouth when talking (interestingly enough, this exact thing also happened to the PhD student that was my excellent T.A. in first year History, maybe it’s a physiological reaction to being a happy History major!). So, here are a couple of incredible facts. The underground labyrinth of the Colosseum had holding cells for animals and people alike which were winched up onto the main Colosseum stage by elevators. Incredible! Also, in the 100 day inauguration of the Colosseum the grounds were flooded to recreate naval battles, clearly to the death. If a seaman (ha ha, yes, get it out of your system) decided not to fight, jump into the water and swim away, hordes of crocodiles imported from Egypt no less awaited him below. So, the human enemy, or the croc? All took their chances with each other, even clambering onto “enemy” ships rather than become croc chow. Wouldn’t you? The barbarity of the other ground battles held there I won’t go into, just imagine the most inhumane (for man and beast) and vile clashes you can, and you are probably correct. As for amazing fact number two, the Palatine, which was the palace on top of Rome’s highest point, is acres in size and was completely covered by a roof which at points was 50 meters high, had a mirror fountain room and an indoor sports stadium, or as the spitty guide so amusingly described, the Roman version of a flat screen TV with a recliner for the Emperor. Needless to say, history in general is such an interesting focus but it’s all the better when being described by aficionados.

Rome restored our belief in Bella Italia. We were so shocked by Naples, we thought time had possibly changed things for the worse, but no, Italy is as glorious as ever and Rome couldn’t possibly disappoint, it is just too rich in everything sensory.

Speaking of richness, I believe we “discovered” a secret. Quickly, think of Italy’s famous cities… Done? You named Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan didn’t you? Did you mention Verona? That is the secret. Maybe not so mysterious, it is the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but we did not know of it as a must-see destination. It MUST be seen. Verona is inarguably beautiful and quaint with its perfectly preserved historical buildings, immaculate cobbled and tiled streets, mouth-watering bakeries, faultless piazzas and river views to rival those of Rome.

After a two hour wait to get into our guesthouse (long story) we bused it into Verona for the evening and were dumbfounded by how beautiful the city is. Fair Verona is an understatement, you could spend hours simply walking around its streets taking in the views. This city is a postcard come to life, and the people seem to have a healthy and relaxed attitude towards living, walking their dogs, riding their bicycles to the cheese shop, sitting at outdoor tables, drinking wine, eating olives... the drinking at an outdoor table experience was a no-go, as it costs up to four times more to drink or eat while sitting. An example was a coffee we purchased, it cost 1.20 Euro to take away or drink standing up (at the “banca” as they call it) or 4.50 to drink it at the table! So, take away and standing was the name of the game for us in Italy. Maybe one day, when we grow up, we’ll get to sit!

There were two highlights to our Verona visit. The first was Juliet’s balcony and house, who’s gated entrance is an eruption of graffiti from people professing their love for each other. Now, it’s not really Juliet’s balcony, but it’s the house that has been traced back as belonging to the Capulets of literary fame, and Shakespeare apparently did research into the feuding history of Verona and these two families (names were spelled a bit differently) were bitter enemies. If there are any literary geniuses reading this, and I’ve recounted this all wrong, you can correct me in the comments. Also, a bit on the morbid and strangely appropriate side, the balcony was originally a sarcophagus. Hmm. Why not? I’ve always been one for recycling, why NOT sarcophagus…es? Sarcophagi? I think the second one’s right.

The second highlight, a complete visual delight was the Arena, or old Roman amphitheater in a large piazza which is still used for concerts this day. It is stunning, amazingly preserved, and to add a modern, glittery touch, a white shooting star is seen to be coming out of it. At night it is all lit up and gives an enchanted appearance to the plaza. Gorgeous. Inside the amphitheatre people had written the countries they had come from in the sand, Australia and Colombia already represented! Down I went to do my patriotic duty, and in giant letters added “Canada, eh” to the sand list. One problem: the jump down to the arena base was quite high and there was no way for me to get up again, it was horrifyingly funny. Scott came over to try to pull me up, but nope, not possible. I tried to use my wall climbing skills (if they’re called that!) from when in university, but nope. Big surprise. Finally, another girl jumped down into the sand, turned out she was also Canadian and wanted to add Quebec below the Canada I’d written in the sand, so her boyfriend and Scott pulled us up one at a time. Too funny, I was getting ready to camp out in the sand!

Oh, I almost forgot, how could I? No food to report, except a very important one: it is called a something or other “mela”. Ok, get ready: it is a whole – peeled and cored though – apple filled with custard, baked and enveloped in thin, soft pastry, sprinkled with icing. That is a dessert dream come true! Even Scott snarled like a rabid squirrel (a rabid dog is an overstatement, he didn’t look that scary, plus he likes squirrels, which has nothing to do with this) if I even glanced at his and he doesn’t love apple pastry-type things as much as I do.

And then we were off to Barcelona, Spain. Pretty uneventful stuff on the train really… we played “Spot the model” during our layover in Milan. We only spotted 3! C’mon! Then Scott kindly reminded me that models don’t do trains, they do planes, in first class. Ahhhhh. Of course, what was I thinking? Once on the overnight train we sat behind two older Argentinian ladies that were like little children, couldn’t sit still, looking out the window (and taking pictures with a disposable through glass, at night, from a moving train), exclaiming with excitement! Such talkers they were, and very sweet. It was really fun being in the same compartment as them, they made us smile.

San Vicente, Spain - San Vicente in the North of Spain

Once again it rained overnight to leave us with a wet tent to pack, at least when we woke up there was not a cloud in the sky. The weather has been quite cool at times along the coast, but today we had the sun. We were up earlier today compared to usual. It’s very easy to sleep in past 9, mainly because we just don’t seem to go to bed before midnight, and because we’re on holidays and we just don’t have to get up. We were on the road by 9 and headed further west. We stopped off at Santander, which I think is the capital of Cantabria, the region we were heading through. We stopped here to stock up on food and to visit Decathlon, the store where we have bought most of our camping gear. The pump we bought to inflate our airbed had carked it after only 3 inflations. They swapped for a new one no questions, so no more manual pumping for me… hopefully.

Our camp for the next few days was only another hour up the road. San Vicente is a small coastal town, complete with a 16th century bridge, a castle and a monastery, and a beautiful white sand beach, which gets good waves apparently, but as it’s still flat so I’ll never know for sure….

The campsite is sandwiched between the beach and the river. Upstream from the bridge at low tide there’s mud flats over 200 metres wide, then you go for a drive a bit later and the whole thing is river. The tidal variations are massive. Surf or no surf, it’s a nice place to be.

We arrived here Friday, and since then have explored the area in both directions, including the far end of the beach, where livestock enjoy million dollar views. They were good enough to share the view with us while we had a picnic of fresh ham and salad rolls. We’ve walked the beach, town and monastery and thought we had seen all there was to see, until Sunday morning broke clearer than the previous days to reveal the Picos de Europa mountain range just inland to the south of us. We were lying on the beach (warm as), swimming (cold as) and behind us were snow covered mountains. Tomorow we leave the coast to go and explore them…

Beijing, China - Beijing Blitz

Unlike back home the streets here are already buzzing with activity with vendors selling their wares from the back of bicycles, street stalls cooking up a variety of early morning snacks, people ball room dancing and others heading off for a little Ti Chi and some people walking backwards. Now the ball room dancing is a little weird but perhaps acceptable if that is your thing but the walking backwards, which I first saw in Chongqing and took it as a one off, had me do a double take. On seeing a women walking backwards down the street at 6am carrying a bag of shopping, as if it we all walked this way, I wondered what side of the bed I got out of this morning especially when everyone else seemed to treat it as perfectly natural, guess I'm the odd one then.

My flight with China Eastern Airlines was as cheap as any budget flight back home but with far greater service and legroom and even some complimentary snacks and drinks. Landing at Beijing airport though I waited ages for the flight number to appear on the board telling you which conveyor thingy to pick up your luggage at but after 30 minutes I gave up and lucky just noticed it going around on the conveyor marked as Chengdu (where the heck had my luggage been).

With the May holiday fast approaching I wasted no time in cramming in as many sights as possible before the craziness started so after checking into the very nice Red Lantern Hostel I headed straight out for the Forbidden City.

Beijing immediately struck me as very different but also very similar to Shanghai, gone is the modern subway system and western feel about the place to be replaced with a more aged metro rail (no ticket machines here, you have to actually buy a ticket from a real flesh and blood person, weird) and many more bikes but at the same time it still had the same busy feel about it even if you were more likely to be knocked down this time by a cyclist carting a load of chickens rather than a taxi cab.

The Forbidden City is big, very big. After walking a good 10 mins from the Gate of Heavenly Peace with Mao's mugshot hanging above it I finally reached the entrance of the palace with the huge walls reminiscent of the city of Troy or some such.

Although certain parts of the city were closed or covered in scaffolding as it undergoes renovation (the main hall is completely covered) the city is still an amazing place. Walking around the grounds for hours I was still finding whole areas I had not explored with the yet to be renovated sections looking far more impressive than the bright, colorful painted sections that look brand new and really kind of tacky.

Walking past a group of soldiers drilling, no doubt just as a show of authority, I soon reached Tiananmen Square spread out in front of the city. I did a lap of the square and saw plenty more soldiers marching about among the crowds which is quite a sight given the history of the place.

Heading back to the hostel the government certainly lets you know that the city is hosting the next Olympics with countdown timers and huge posters and billboards everywhere (don't think I saw a company advertised that was not an official sponsor).

Met the only other guy staying in the dorm room, John from Canada, who seemed to keep himself to himself which was fine by me tonight as I was too tired to go through the whole where you from/been/going routine.

Gili Trawangan, Indonesia - Paradise Island

I caught the speedboat to the Island of Gili Trawangan for 2 days to escape the hassles of Kuta. This took 2 hours at high speed and I got completely soaked on route as the boat smashed through the waves! The boat broke down about halfway along and I wasnt really sure if we'd have to swim ashore, but the assistant driver managed to pump water out of the engine that had cut out. The best part was seeing a pod of dolphins that must have been 50 strong, swim alongside the boat.

The Gili Islands are a kind of secluded, but by no means quiet as there's lost of water sports on the go, as well as bars and restaurants, including an Irish bar of course! There's a population of 500, intermittent electricity supply (everywhere has candles for the daily switch off!), and no cars. Everybody gets around by horse or cycling.I've spend my days snorkeling and hanging around the beach mostly, but I'm looking forward to catching up with my friends in Kuta for one last night tomorrow before heading off to Sydney.

Granada, Spain - Granada and the Alhambra

For some really odd reason, or lack of, the only thing I really remember about the first time I visited Barcelona is the post office near the waterfront, and Scott vividly remembers Las Ramblas. Imagine our surprise then when we finally arrived in this strange and amazing city to really discover it. First of all, the weather was incredible, sunny skies, warm weather, lovely breezes, etc. The winter jackets came off, yeah! And I could talk to people! Language barriers gone, at last! However, since my Spanish is limited to that of an eight year old, I quickly discovered I didn’t remember ridiculous words like “track” (it’s “via” by the way, duh), and change room (I forgot the name already, it was weird, I think it was a Spanish from Spain thing). Also, I was being thrown off track by words they use to refer to common things like “zumo” for juice (I know it as “jugo”), and bocadillo for sandwich (I know it as, well, “sandwich” ha! And bocadillo to me is a guava sweet from Colombia). Anyway, it was a good lesson in the Spanish language for me, and I even tried sometimes to mimic the accent, es muy dramatico

Speaking of language lessons, I had NO idea how prominent the Catalan language is in Barcelonan life. Catalan, from what I understand is a bit of a hybrid of French and Spanish and it is bizarre. The n’s or vowels get dropped at end of words, abbreviations are common and sometimes words appear to be a perfect mix of French and Spanish, for example the word “exit”. In Spanish it’s “salida” and in French it’s “sorti”. What does it equal in Catalan? Sortida! Taa daaa! It’s very cool.

Before I go into where we went, I have to introduce you to some people we met known as: the-couple-that-really-really-really-needs-to-get-their-own-room; the-rumbling-snorer-that-sounds-like-he’s-about-to-choke-to- death; the-obnoxious-and-loud-drunk-British -guy-that-wakes-everyone-up-at-4a.m.-and-brags-about-it. They are also known as our roommates in the Barcelona hostel, the absolute worst people we got stuck with. Without ado, we checked out the next morning and went to a cheap hotel.

Anyway. Hostel aside, Barcelona is incredibly interesting and quirky. One of Europe’s best known streets, Las Ramblas is lined with “human” statues, people dressed up as fairies, pirates, trees, the grim reaper, etc. Every day they are there for hours on end, it’s their work and they look amazing. We wandered the street and the neighbourhoods of La Ribera and Barri Gotic for hours and helped ourselves to some tapas and paella in a couple of restaurants while people and human statue watching. We also, unfortunately and fortunately developed a bit of a sangria problem, we pretty much felt compelled to help the Spanish economy by drinking some everyday. One variety we bought in the supermarket, Don Simon, states on the bottle it’s the best in the world. Please, who are we to argue??

Quirky is an understatement when describing Gaudi’s influence on Barcelona. The Sagrada Familia, an insane-looking, exceedingly elaborate cathedral still under construction after 100 years, is a major landmark. There is also Park Guell, also of Gaudi’s design and originally intended as a playground for the rich. Abstract and psychedelic are the words that come to mind to describe this beautiful park overlooking Barcelona, there really is nothing like it. It looks like you could eat it, like it’s made of gingerbread.

After four easy-going days in Barcelona, it was off to Granada on the overnight train. Now, when I was 13 years old, I read a historical fiction novel from the school library called “Alhambra”, the Moorish palace situated in this city. I never got over the descriptions and the history of this place and decided back then that one day I would see it. Guess what??? Done! A tick on life’s “to do” list! It is everything I imagined it to be. As would be the recurring theme in Spain, we had balmy, sunny weather, and the Alhambra grounds were phenomenally preserved and magnificent to look at. Water flows through the entire palace, in fountains, down staircases, along canals… The Generalife which means the “architect’s garden” is a work of art with stone mosaic grounds, fountains, hedges, orange trees and flower beds. The jaw droppers though were the Alcazar which was the original fortress built within the Alhambra walls and the Palacio Nazaries where the Sultans and then the ruthless Spanish royal family lived. Mosaics cover every wall, mirror pools reflect the grounds, and courtyards splashed with trees and fountains are visible from the rooms. The Alhambra is a phenomenal place to visit, the ultimate high in beauty and history. If seeing the inside of the Alhambra is a lifetime treat, seeing it from the Albayzin, the old Moorish quarter on a hill opposite the Alhambra, is the bonus of two lifetimes. Amongst its many cobbled and mosaic streets, filled with wine and coffee drinkers and flamenco guitar players, you arrive on a courtyard called the Mirador de San Nicolas overlooking the white-washed city of Granada, and in front of you on the opposite hill is the Alhambra. It is difficult to describe this sight, except to say that I couldn’t believe such a thing could be real. Accompanied by the sound of a guitar player (just playing for his own enjoyment), we sat on a bench of one of the most beautiful courtyards overlooking one of the most stunning sights in the world. After all that we have seen on this trip and throughout our life, I can easily state that it is one of my favourite places on the planet, and I found it very difficult to leave.

Once Scott pried me away from there, we headed down to town for dinner. We found a self-serve restaurant with a lovely waiter that was more than happy to speak Spanish slowly for Scott so he would understand. You should have seen Scott go! He understood everything the waiter described and answered in Spanish too. I was super impressed, and I must admit, I purposely put Scott in situations where he had to use his little bit of Spanish. He did know what I was up to obviously! The end result was fantastic though, he did incredibly well in Spanish, muy muy bueno!

Luxor, Egypt - Crazy heat in the Valley of the Kings

To get from Hurghada to Luxor is an interesting process. We had to be on the road by 5.45am to get to the meeting place by 7.00am. All tourist buses making the trip to Luxor have to go in a police escorted convoy that leaves at various times throughout the day, the earliest being at 7am. We were given a number of lame ass excuses as to why, but security was barely mentioned. Driving in Egypt can be fairly sketchy but even more so when you’re in a convoy of 50 tourist buses of varying sizes and speed capabilities. Being overtaken by a coach with oncoming traffic closing in is fairly scary, so we decided we would be better off not watching out the front. Halfway to Luxor we stopped off at a toilet and refreshment stop, all 50 busloads of us, so tranquil. You could even get a camel ride here if you want to. The good part about the convoy was that the local police close down the traffic along the way so there is no stopping or traffic problems. We arrived in Luxor in one piece and were immediately hit by a wall of heat. After a few days on the Red Sea coast the heat here is a shock to the system.

Late in the afternoon, after it had cooled down to only 39 degrees, we were taken by Calesh (traditional horse drawn carriage) to the Karnak Temple. It’s a remarkable place that dates back 4000 years, consisting of 134 giant pillars rising 20 metres, etched with hieroglyphics. Two massive solid granite obelisks tower over the ancient site. It can be easy to get blasé about the Egyptian monuments but then you stop and think, pharaohs have walked where we walked today thousands of years ago…amazing.

Early Sunday morning we walked down to the River Nile to catch a boat to the west bank. From there we were picked by a 1970’s Peugeot taxi which we somehow squeezed 8 of us in for the 20 minute drive to the Valley of the Kings, where over 60 Pharaohs were entombed.

All the big names are here Thutmose 1-4, Rameses 1 - 10, and the star of the show, Tutankhamen. (That’s why they charge an extra 80 pounds to enter his tomb) We went into three tombs – Rameses II and Rameses III, both quite large tombs containing clear and colourful hieroglyphics. The third tomb was that Thutmose III, and it was a different story altogether. After walking up a large metal staircase, you enter the tomb via a staircase that descends back down into a narrow low tunnel. About halfway down the lights went out and we were plunged into darkness, absolute pitch black. Mandy started to freak out a bit but after 15 seconds or so they came back on. A guy on his way back out said it was the third time it had happened since he went down. Great!

The tight tunnel opened up into a large room with a massive stone coffin and more hieroglyphics. The air was very hot, humid and stale so we didn’t stay too long, and by the time we climbed all the way back up and out we were all overheating but at least the lights stayed on.

Another 70’s Peugeot took us to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (pronounced Hat Cheap Suit – just like a day at the races). By this stage the temperature was over 40 degrees so we didn’t last too long here. The setting of this temple is what really makes it special, with a back drop of a sheer cliff face and the front staircase it’s main feature.

On a day of interesting transport our next form probably takes the cake. To get back to the restaurant for lunch we spent an hour riding …..Donkeys. Enjoyable at first, bloody uncomfortable after 10 minutes, and downright painful after an hour. As I was the largest of our group weighing in 5 kg’s above the recommended maximum weight, I was given the biggest strongest donkey, the alpha male, to ride. I had to be forceful because he didn’t like taking orders or being at the back. At varying intervals he started eeehaawwwing very loudly, especially when he noticed a particularly attractive female donkey tied to a post at one of the farms we went past, that’s right I got the horny donkey to ride. Mandy wasn’t the most proficient donkey jockey, and went to pieces a bit when another girl went over the handle bars of hers, landing with donkey on top of her. (It was quite serious but looked very funny from behind). From then on Mandy had the donkey guide assist her. She hung off the right side of her donkey so she didn’t fall off the left side, that’s how she explained the logic anyway. Upon dismount at the end the pain and relief were incredible. With no stirrups, your legs just hang down each side and when you try to get out of this position after an hour, that’s where the pain and relief are simultaneous.

Our last dinner as a group was at a riverside restaurant on the Nile. The next day we all went our separate ways. After a great trip with our new friends, we are ready to see some greenery, maybe a cloud or two and leave the heat and sand behind. We’re off to Amsterdam to start the next leg of our trip, 4 months in Europe…

Chengdu, China - Hunting Panda

The train actually arrived an hour early at 5:30am but that still did not stop the train attendant grabbing my leg and shaking it to the point of almost pulling it off at 4:30am probably so the Chinese have time to make their breakfast instant noodles.

We were met at the station and taking to the Mix Hostel but then immediately jumped into a taxi after checking in, along with a French guy who has also just arrived, to go to the Panada Research and Breeding Centre just outside of town (darn Panadas are only active in the morning and then tend to sleep all day, at least they have it half right anyway).

We got out of the taxi as fast as we could not so much to rush to the Panadas but to escape the French guys apparent dislike of soap. The center was deserted as we walked around so early which was great and got some good undisturbed Panda viewing in before going to check out the Red Pandas which were more like raccoons or foxes than bears.

Lihi got to hold and feed one of the Red Panadas for 50 CNY which we reckon may have been done under the table kind of since the park was so quiet as the cost just to have your picture taken with the Giant Panadas was 1200 CNY!.

Once back at the hostel, after sitting in the back of the taxi with my head out of the window rather than having to share it with the French guy's err...fragrance, I ended up having a little downtime after a really great shower.

Lazing around the hostel for a while and catching the end of Kill Bill Vol. 2 that some people were watching I had some grub before we sat down to decide whether or not to take the four day horse trek in Songpan to the North. Instead we decided we would head to Emei Shan to climb the mountain there as 4 days away was a fairly hefty chunk of time which Idan and Lihi were unsure they could manage with them planning on getting their visa extended soon. Truthfully I think we all know the reason why we chose not to as we checked the Songpan temperatures for the next few days - brass monkey time.

Christchurch, New Zealand - A New England?

I arrived in Christchurch yesterday, geographically on the other side of the world to England and wondered immediately if I had accidentally landed in Cambridge or Canterbury. The temperature was lower (16deg), it was overcast, and there was a real feeling of England here- an Anglican cathedral, statues of Victoria, Scott of the Antarctic and Captain Cook, cricket pitches and even punting down the river amongst weeping willows- it was all too familiar! I even asked for Vegemite and toast and got Marmite!

I'm here for 2 nights awaiting my pickup with a tour company called 'Stray', which promises to take me off the beaten track and show me the 'real' New Zealand.. along with the 100 or so others taking the same route! Still, it will be a good way to meet new people along the way and get involved in some activities.. not too sure about bungee yet though! On the down side, I'm back in dorms again, roughing it after the fantastic place I had all to myself in Sydney, thanks to my Cousin's parents in law!

Hurghada, Egypt - Ras Mohommed to Hurghada

Day 4 – Left Dahab early only to be held up at the Tourist Police station because our drivers didn’t have the right paperwork. After a hour of stuffing around we finally left for the dessert. We drove in two Landcruisers through sandy tracks that led us to a narrow canyon. We had to walk the last 1500 metres in 40 degrees heat but the scenery was just spectacular. (see photos) We had to climb under, over and around massive boulders and scramble up the canyon sides to get past them. The sides were vertical walls rising 50 metres straight and the gap between the walls was as narrow as 30 cm in some parts. Very cool.

We had lunch at an oasis, palm trees everywhere but not a lot of water. Then it was back on the road to our campsite at Ras Mohammed, a national park on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. We camped out right on the beach with dessert on one side and coral reef just off the beach. Spent the late afternoon snorkelling through the reef in crystal clear warm water. Very hard to take…

Day 5 – Woke up early enough to catch a spectacular sunrise this morning. We went snorkelling at another spot in the park in a deep bay. The coral was spectacular but there were a few stingers on the way back in. Mandy and I were both stung on the way back in.

More swimming and snorkelling after lunch until it was time to catch our ferry across the Red Sea to the port city of Hurghada. Walked down the road from our new hotel for dinner and found a cool restaurant called Café del Mar. Nice pizza’s.

Day 6 – Lazy Day…..oh yeah. No plans, nothing to do, beach 100 mtrs down the road, pool downstairs, lunch back at Café del Mar (where they offer free wifi internet if you have your own laptop, and where we are updating this blog right now) and what ever else we feel like doing. We have seen and done some amazing things on this tour and we have squeezed a lot in so far so a day of cruising is just what we need. We leave on the last leg of our Egyptian tour to Luxor tomorrow and the Valley of the Kings.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada - The End - for real this time

Ok, after procrastinating on finishing the last blogs, I am now in denial that our travels really are over and will follow through on my promise to write this last entry (the last, last) from Canada, “our true north strong and free”.

We literally squeezed into Toronto in between snow storms, as they had had a dumping two days before our arrival and then another storm of freezing rain and relentless, continuous days of snowfall to follow. It’s great though! There really is nothing quite as beautiful as waking up in the morning and seeing every single thing under a perfect blanket of white. Yes, it’s winter, and yes, we did miss it. However, Scott did not expect to have to shovel a driveway 20 times within a week, and I didn’t expect to have to re-learn to drive in deep snow conditions on the other side of the road the day after arrival. No time like the present though

This is apparently the most snow Toronto has gotten in just under a decade when the then mayor called in the ARMY (!) to dig us out. We were the laughing stock of the country. At least this time the high-maintenance Torontonians are toughing it out and the city workers are working around the clock to transport the snow to fields around the city (there is too much snow and there is no longer a place for the plows to pile it onto).

Anyway, a few things that make Canada so… well, Canadian that we once again get a kick out of:

- The weather being the top story of the evening news discussing the performance of the snow plows for about 15 minutes, how much more snow is to come and how much cold we have to endure. Honestly we were laughing so hard a tear rolled out of my eye. In Australia it’s like “Sunny all week, back to you Bob!”

- I bumped into someone by accident at the shopping centre and they said sorry to me

- Tim Horton’s coffee and apple fritters

- The hot dog vendors on the street, specially the dude at the corner of Yonge and Dundas that sells the BEST regular and veggie dogs with a million toppings

- A nation completely obsessed with ice hockey even when the home team is performing pathetically the current season

- Caesars! For those that don’t know it’s a drink

Ahhhhhh! To all of you in Australia though, we miss you so much… and we miss Australia too. Both places are equally our home. Please keep in touch...

Shanghai, China - Shanghai Noon-ish

Joan had offered to get her Dad to take me to the Captain's Hostel in Shanghai were I planned on staying, she was annoyed I did not visit her hometown for longer than a few hours and giving how kind the people I met there had been I wish I had been more than just passing through.

With the madness that is Shanghai train station at noon I was so glad to be chauffeured to my hostel where Joan's Dad was so concerned they would not have a room for me he was already inside inquiring on my behalf while I got my pack back out of the car.

The hostel is pretty good with a unique maritime like theme running through it as if I had not spent enough time in a seafaring atmosphere lately. The main plus for me at this point though was having the best shower I'd had all week and finally getting a load of laundry done - trust me it was a close one!

I headed out on the hunt for somewhere to check my e-mail that was less pricey than the hostel (20 CNY per hour) to get in contact with the outside world again.

Shanghai is definitely the most western feeling place I've been to so far in China and in many respects maybe more western than some actual western cities with more than enough McDonald's, KFC (the Chinese absolutely love KFC which out numbers even McD's here) and Starbucks to keep the capitalist bean counters happy no doubt.

No longer being the only foreigner around the attention has waned a lot here with many English speaking Chinese similar to Hong Kong, a city Shanghai desperately wants to trump.

Having a gander at The Bund, Shanghai's river front promenade, although impressive with it's heritage architecture and modern high rises across the river including the garish Oriental Tower (wonder what the approval board for that was drinking the day it got the go ahead), it still doesn't stand above Hong Kong for sheer wow factor or international presence despite having the city having a really good vibe about it.

Queenstown, New Zealand - Adrenaline Town

Our first stop in Queenstown was a sign of things to come- the AJ Hackett Bridge, as it's become known- the sign of the first Bungy. It's 45m high, plunging most people into the river below. Bungy is essentially an insane practice of tying elastic to one's feet and jumping off something that would otherwise kill you instantly. It's supposedly inspired by a Mayan initiation ceremony, but I would rather think it's down to the crazy nature of kiwis, pushing extreme outdoor activities to ever greater heights!

I chose to chicken out of the bridge jump, but would later undertake something far more extreme, as the addictive adrenaline rush of activities in Queenstown took hold. It started off with downhill cycling, but found that wasn't enough..

Fly By Wire was next.. sort of a human pendulum on a massive scale, fan powered to gain as much height as possible (80m or so), and swing from side to side inside a canyon. This was great fun, but more adrenaline was needed...

Next up, Hang Gliding- something I've wanted to do since seeing it on TV in the 70's. I went with Lise, a girl from Denmark on my Stray bus, to give each other some backing- something we needed when we got to the top of the mountain and saw the incline we had to run down, strapped to a canvas and aluminium wing with no engine! After a brief analysis of the conditions by the instructors (looking intensely at the sky and holding a wet finger to the air), they decided it was all go for launch.

We dressed up in some sort of heavy duty apron with a single rope ladder rung attached to the end, all of which was to be hung from the delta wing whilst we glided gently to the ground.

Soon enough, after a practice run and some brief instructions ('run like hell and keep up with me'), we moved the wing to the top of the hill/mountain, where I got very nervous.

'3..2..1.. Go!' And we were off, running like a pair of idiots at break neck speed down a mountain with a wing! Before long, my legs were running in the air as we gained lift, and the sound of pounding feet on shingle was replaced by the sound of the air against the wing as we soared upwards. Flight!!

The fear was replaced by sheer amazement as I was allowed to take control and precariously direct us where I wanted simply by moving the triangular tubing in front of me. It was an awesome feeling! Sweet as, bro! After some acrobatics and spirals shown to me by the pilot, it was time to land- a very fast approach quickly leveled off with my face about 1 feet from the ground which we maintained over some distance before touching down. One of the best landings I've ever experienced and equally exciting as the one with Laos Airlines! The whole experience was incredible.. If only being an hang gliding instructor was my day job!

Next up was the big one- a canyon swing. This is something I managed to persuade Peter to join me in, who is very afraid of heights on the premise that it's just a swing, rather than a more extreme bungee. The reality was far removed from this. It is a swing, but one that is 109m high, far higher than the statue of liberty by comparison! After jumping off one side of the canyon, you freefall 60m next to the canyon wall, reaching 100mph before finishing on a 200m arc at the base where the 'swing' kicks in. No Worries! After watching videos of others doing it, we were decidedly worried, but we didn't want to chicken out by this stage, so pressed ahead with our booking. After a restless sleep which of course involved my personal favourite recurring dream of.. falling.., we headed down to our fate on the awaiting transfer bus. In terms of an adrenaline rush, it didn't disappoint in the slightest, and to say I was scared is a massive understatement!

The jump itself was scary enough and I would have trouble jumping off at the best of times, but somehow the staff persuaded be to jump off.. backwards! Sometimes it scares me how gullible I am! 'You'll see more' they said, 'Much more fun to see the platform disappearing away from you'.

And wouldn’t you know, I took all this in and agreed that, yes- it's much better to jump 108m down a canyon, putting my life in a harness and wire, backwards!

As I approached the edge and the moment of truth, the best was yet to come. I must have had some of the most sadistic staff in charge of encouraging me to jump off! Instead of counting me down and letting me go, they held me backwards over the edge and told me to smile for the camera and then look down- one of the more terrifying sights I think I'm likely to see. They then started playing with my mind, saying that I wasn’t tied on properly, my harness was loose, worn out etc, then when I was ready to jump, they'd pull me back, to wind me up some more! Finally they let me go, and I underwent a few of the most terrifying seconds of my life, legs kicking and screaming, before the swing and harness kicked in and I realized I was still alive after all! Sheer exhilaration!! One of the scariest yet fun things I think I'll ever do! Peter joined me in jumping off shortly after, wisely choosing to go forwards, and let out an 'Oh Jesus!' as he jumped off in the true Irish way!

Finally, on our way to a return stop in Christchurch, we stopped off at the Rangitaga River for some white-water rafting. Luckily, the team consisted of all the people I have been closest to during travelling over the past few weeks including my partner in crime, Peter and his sister Sue. It was a great day with perfect weather, managing to get thrown out of the boat twice, on one occasion taking Peter out with me (see pics).

Sadly, after a final night out in Christchurch, I had to bid farewell to Peter and Sue, who are returning to Dublin and Australia respectively. It was very sad to see them leave, as they've become such great friends, although I hope to meet Peter (&Sue) again either in Dublin or London.

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New Zealand - Glaciers

After Kaihoura and swimming with the nicest dolphins I've ever happened to have met, I traveled around Abel Tasman National Park for 2 nights. I met some great people from Dublin County, Peter and his sister Sue, who I've been traveling around with since on the Stray Bus.

Unfortunately we arose too late for the sea Kayaking (I blame the Irish I'm traveling with!) and instead hired out mountain bikes for the day. We climbed 1500 meters before plummeting down over mountain bike trails through the National Park at high speed. We arrived at a beach with 'split apple rock', a huge rock that looks like an apple, split open!

We immediately jumped in and swam out for some photos, little knowing that there had been a rare sighting of a Great White in the area a few days before! Ignorance is bliss!

We finished the day by joining the others for a barbie and drinks by the camp fire, making many new friends also on the bus tour. The age group on the bus ranges from 18 to 45, with a very diverse range of nationalities, evenly mixed, so it makes for a very friendly atmosphere without one age group, demographic or nationality dominating.

After Abel Tasman, we headed down to a tiny village called Barrytown. However, the whole of the west coast of the south Island only contains 30,000 people, so it may be viewed as very large by NZ standards! Here, it was time for an overnight stop, and a fancy dress party! I chose carefully- going for a pimp outfit, complete with staff which was also a prop in the film 'Lord of the Rings' - Gandalf's staff! It was a great night, and everybody got into the spirit of it, from the youngest to the eldest (including the 32 year old pimp!)

The next day we were off again, this time to Franz Josef, another small town near some dramatic mountains and a glacier. After an early night (we all need one sometimes!), we headed off for a fill day trekking of the Franz Josef Glacier one of only 2 in the world to finish next to a tropical rain forest at the base! It was a hot day and surreal to be standing on 150m thick ice in shorts and a t-shirt! It was pretty dangerous in places and all of my fitness was needed (!) to scale up over peaks and crevasses, some over 60m deep. the weather was beautiful, with waterfalls coming off the valley hills, and a deep blue sky. I managed to fall twice leaving a couple of cuts on my arms and legs, but nothing to write home about! If anyone else plans to walk on a glacier, beware- ice is sharp! One of another party, however, managed to dislocate her arm and had to be airlifted off the glacier- a helipad was quickly carved out of the glacier by our guides, and we all watched as the unfortunate girl was rescued to what I'm sure would be a great view- if it wasn't so painful!

Taupo, New Zealand - A Sad Loss

I arrived in Taupo to the sad news of a backpaker's murder the day before in the town. Her name was Karen Aim. She was a young Scottish tourist who was on a working holiday over here. Many people here knew her personally and are extremely distraught.

It appears she was attacked on her way home from a night out. This is something totally unexpected in New Zealand, even more so in a town like Taupo, a laid back tourist town of 30,000 people. It is hard to think, even in a place as safe as New Zealand, a country of such beauty, in terms of both its landscape and people, evil like this exists. My thoughts are with her family and friends.