http://www.statravelblogs.comMost Popular Blog Entries from STA Travel BlogsenWed, 22 Feb 2012 11:43:17 GMTWed, 22 Feb 2012 11:43:17 GMT60http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1dc7777/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cnikki74740Cblog0Cargentina0Cel0Echalten/story01.htmOn Saturday we flew down from Boneus Aires on a reasonably undelayed flight for South America and landed in El Calafate - luckily the pilot could see the runway as we couldn&#180;t spot it! The amazing senery was just a taste of what was to come over the next couple of days with beautiful snow capped mountains and crystal clear lakes. After the best nights sleep ever in my own room with a double bed - think I&#180;m going to like this this tour we headed down to El Chalten by bus. We&#180;ve quickly discovered we are the only people on the tour and are yet to find the tour guide! A taxi dropped us at a bus station and after being asked for more vouchers we don&#180;t have we found a bus that seemed to have our names on a list! The drive was beautiful with our first view of Fitzroy Mountain a spectacular peak we were going to hike to the next day. There really is nothing in El Chalten it exists merely to serve the hikers and climbers who come to the Fitzroy range. On our first day in the town we were picked up by Pepe our hiking guide. Certianly was not loving his hello kiss on the cheek with his massive scratchy scary beard! He&#180;s definately of the traveller way with his dreadlocks under a tea cosy, sexy clingy walking trousers and chewed nails - eugh! Really nice guy though! He led us off on our first ever hike - a mere ten miles of hilly mountain terrain. Pepe did seem a little concerned when he asked how much hiking we&#180;d all done and got a unanimous reply of this is our first! We headed (well I tripped and stumbled most of the way) to the base of Fitzrtoy mountain seeeing a pecking woodpecker, a giant hare, an eagle, and condors. The viewpoint we made it to was spectcular and we were lucky to have a beautifuly clear day with no clouds obstructing the mountain. On the way back we headed off the walking trail along the horse trail - pushing through bushes and mud we made it to a cool waterfall which made a beautiful photo with the mountain in the background. We also stopped off at a amazing (running out of awesome words) lake which was perfectly clear. Every stream and puddle is crystal clear and apparently perfect drinking water - although gave that one a miss personally. That evening we collapsed and watched a film! The second day saw our second hike - safe to say 13 hours hiking in two days has definately killed us. Especially as i&#180;m refusing to eat the pre packed sandwiches - managed a little bit after Lisa opened it and wafted the yucky aeroplane smell away! Living on cereal bars at mo. Today the trek was much more up and down and pretty tiring - especially when Pepe pointed out where we were heading an hour in - on the horizon! We made it round to the side of Mount Fitzroy to a frozen lake with two glaciers stemming from the base of the mountain to the lake. Despite the ice it wasn&#180;t deep enuogh to walk on the lake, so we entertained ourselves trying to get the perfect photo of each of us in front of the glaciers! Given our complete lack of photography skills this took quite a while! On the way back Lisa had a small incident with a log but made it through relatively unscathed, given her rather dramatic slide down the stairs to dinner last night she&#180;s beating me in the falling stakes - sure my time will come as soon as we try and walk on ice!<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1dc7777/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/nikki7474/blog/argentina/el-chalten&link=El Chalten, Argentina" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/nikki7474/blog/argentina/el-chalten&link=El Chalten, Argentina" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386014/f/7277/c/321/s/31225719/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386014/f/7277/c/321/s/31225719/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMTnikki7474_92008-09-10T23:00:00Zhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/d0d9d5/story01.htmComing out of the hotel (more properly, casino resort) this morning, a guy walked past with a slogan on his T-Shirt which I thought nicely summed up many people's experience of Las Vegas: "One Casino, Two Casinos, Three Casinos, Poor." Actually, though, Vegas it quite an easy place to visit on a budget. The casinos seem to make something of an assumption that anyone coming here is going to be spending tons of cash and therefore should be enticed into doing so with lots of freebies. I found that it was quite easy to walk into the restaurants within the casinos and tuck into three course meals for silly prices - the longer they get you to stay under their roof, the more the casinos will make out of you in the long run. Or so they figure. Hang around long enough and stand in the right place and eventually a pretty girl with a tray of drinks may well come up and give you one for free. I probably could've phrased that better, but you get the idea. If you're looking for free entertainment, you can do a lot worse than check out the range of shows on offer to anyone simply walking the length of the strip - every hour or so, most of the casinos put on some sort of spectacular display outside their main entrance to draw the crowds in. In fact, with Vegas being the size it is these days, I reckon there are probably enough free attractions outside the casinos to keep anyone occupied simply walking from each one to the next for a couple of days - I can only hope to list my favourite two or three here and leave the rest for you to discover for yourself. The Mirage, for example, has a giant volcano in the middle of the forecourt surrounded by ponds and covered in vegetation, palm trees and cascading waterfalls. Every hour or so, there is a deep guttural roar from within the volcano followed by a full scale eruption - flames leap high into the air, the waterfalls turn to steam, lava pours down the sides of the volcano and turns the water in the ponds into a lake of fire. This is all quite a shock if you happen to be walking past at the time and aren't expecting it! The Treasure Island Casino stages a mock sea battle hourly in which the British Navy takes on pirates on a large lake next door. The ships, which are each probably several times the size of a car, sail out onto the lake and start hurling cannon balls across the water at each other for about eight minutes before the pirate ship suddenly bursts into flames and the British ship splits in two and sinks out of sight beneath the waves. My favourite free attraction, new since my last visit, is the fountain display in front of the Bellagio casino. This really is one show which it's impossible not to stop and gawp at. Every fifteen minutes or so, to the sound of various well known tunes, a line of coloured fountains begin to shoot jets of water over two hundred feet into the air in time to the music. It really is spellbinding to watch the quarter mile of jets pulsing with colour and creating intricate patterns in the air to the sound of popular hits. The best way I can describe it is to compare the fountains to the visualisations that come with computer music players such as Windows Media Player. Except that you're watching an actual live visualisation right there in the air in front of you - it's like fireworks made out of water. The Bellagio fountains cost over forty million dollars to construct, contain one thousand nozzles from which the jets can be shot to any pattern or any height by specialised computer software behind the scenes, and five thousand multicoloured lights to bring it all to life. They were built by the amusingly named WET design who specialise in fountains and are also responsible for my other favourite water display - the leaping fountain at EPCOT centre in Florida, where a jet of water from a nozzle appears to repeatedly bounce at various angles across lily pads on a lake and over the heads of passers by the disappear down a hole on the other side. Also worth a visit in Vegas are the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. This massive shopping mall has been constructed as miles of Roman roads underneath the casino itself, and entry is via a moving walkway which quite literally makes you feel as though you are being transported back in time into the days of the roman empire - except that there weren't quite so many branches of Planet Hollywood open back then of course. Wandering the authentic streets below the casino, the most striking thing you notice is that the ceiling is curved and painted to look like the sky - or at least, you think it's painted until you realise that it's all done with clever lighting which changes throughout the day so that the sky always feels like the sky and not a static image. As with all things in Vegas, the Forum is hard to describe without seeing it. There are streets of cafes, market squares dominated by roman statues within circles of pillars in the middle of each market square and stretching up to the sky that isn't a sky, paved walkways and roman pillars along the walls. The effect is simply mind numbing and it really is easy to forget that the sky isn't real and that you're not in some old town that has been carefully preserved for two thousand years. The Forum is also home to a fifty thousand gallon saltwater aquarium where you can watch divers feeding the sharks twice a day. And there's even a free show at the Forum. Using unbelievably real robotic characters, the story of Atlantis is told right in the central square by the statues of King Atlas and his children, scaring the willies out of everybody in the area. The voice of Atlas booms out without warning, echoing across the courtyard and causing people sitting at coffee shops to choke on their cappuccinos and small children to dive behind the nearest statue. Unfortunately, these statues then begin to move and creak into life, an arm twisting here and a leg lifting there until they appear to be under their own free will as though in a scene from Jason and the Argonauts. The children argue over who is the better ruler and, unable to decide which of his greedy children should govern over Atlantis, Atlas orders the destruction of the city and we watch it first burn to the ground (Vegas seems to like fire illusions) and then sink beneath the waves as a twenty foot animatronic dragon appears over Atlas shoulder to watch the destruction. Lasers, steam and fountains are used to great effect to create the impression that Atlantis is sinking into the depths, and then another disembodied voice announces that the next show will be in one hour and everything returns to normal. Or at least, as normal as anything can be in Caesar's Palace. Today, I went along to see the new Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton, something I had seen advertised on television before I began my trip and had then totally forgotten about until I got here and saw it being advertised everywhere. In true American style, this is another attraction which is so fabulously over the top that I don't really know where to begin. Stepping through the back of the ticket office, you find yourself rather spectacularly standing on the promenade deck of the Star Trek space station Deep Space 9, complete in every tiny detail and curving off in both directions - it was actually like being in the show. Strange creatures scuttled up and down speaking gibberish, and the windows looked out into space. In Quark's bar, I had my evening meal from the Star Trek menu, served by a Dabo-Girl (sexy casino hostesses from Star Trek) and surrounded by Ferengi waiters and bartenders. Of course, if you've never seen Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or have no interest in Science Fiction then this will all mean nothing to you, but just take my word for it that it's all totally immersive and one hundred percent realistic in every detail. And if you happen to be engaged to a fellow Trekkie, and the two of you really have stepped across the fine line between fan and fanatic, you can actually get married at the Experience - they'll set you up with alien witnesses, you'll be married by a character from Star Trek, and you can even have your reception at Quarks bar. But let's be honest, if any of this really gets you excited then you're probably not likely to be getting married any time soon anyway. When I had taken my fill of the Promenade with its shops and restaurants, I was led through to board my shuttle for a quick ride around the galaxy - and this is where things really got seriously good. Before boarding the shuttle, my group of sixteen people were led into a small, square, unremarkable room with four doors in the opposite wall and a single television monitor mounted in the corner. Anybody who has been on a motion simulator ride at any of the major theme parks in America will recognise this setup: they line you up in four rows of four in front of the doors, and then after watching a brief introductory film on the monitor, the doors open and you shuffle forward into four rows of seats inside the simulator to begin your ride. However, something quite different and unexpected happened at the Star Trek Experience - something so remarkable that I'll probably spend the next ten years trying to work out how it was done. As our group stood in our four neat rows in our bland little square room watching a guy dressed in a Starfleet uniform telling us on the monitor about what a fantastic shuttle trip we were about to have, all hell broke loose. Mid-sentence, the monitor suddenly flickered and died. A second later all the lights went out, plunging our featureless little room into pitch blackness. Immediately, there was a jabber of voices in the dark: "Emergency. Get those people out of there." We felt compressed air shoot across our legs and faces, followed by millions of blue twinkling lights all around us and the sound of a Star Trek Transporter being operated. The lights came back on. Less than five seconds after the lights had gone out, we were all now standing in the transporter room of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The grey featureless walls and the monitor had gone, the doors had disappeared, and the room we were in was much larger than the one we had been in five seconds previously. More to the point, we were now standing on a totally different floor - something which could not possibly have been changed without lifting us from it. With a swish, the transporter room door slid open and a bridge officer came in. He explained hastily that we were no longer in the 20th century and were instead on board a Starship in what we would call the future. He told us that the commander would explain things, and proceeded to lead us out of the transporter room and along the corridors of the enterprise to the actual bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation. As bridge officers bustled about, we were lined up around the room and told to watch the viewer. Riker, the Enterprise first officer from the television show, appeared and explained that one of our group was an ancestor of captain Picard. The Klingons, it seemed, had attempted to kidnap us from Las Vegas in order to change history and the Enterprise had rescued us. The crew would attempt to return us to the temporal rift from which we came in a shuttlecraft, and so get us back to the 20th century. When the message had finished, an officer led us to the turbolift where an exciting ride to the shuttle bay ensued - including a mid-ride lights-out power failure which caused the lift to go into freefall and drop several floors, tilting on its axis and throwing us all around. We were then taken into the shuttle bay and placed on board a shuttle where the motion simulator ride we had been expecting in the first place began. I'll say it again - the Americans don't do things by halves! Las Vegas really is a compact entertainment oasis in the middle of an otherwise forbidding desert. People either love it or hate it. Some people talk endlessly about what a den of vice Vegas is and how anyone coming here is a terrible person, others cannot resist the pull of its bright lights. Whatever you think, the idea that Vegas is all about throwing your money away on Craps tables and Slot machines is old fashioned - the strip contains more entertainment venues and shows than you can shake a stick at, and you can easily spend as long as you want here without seeing half of what it has to offer and without spending a penny on gambling. There's even a Wet and Wild water park here, so you could spend a day riding the flumes and ignore the rest of the town completely. On the other hand, if you like a bit of a gamble, they don't exactly stop you - there are slot machines in the toilets, slot machines on your table at breakfast, slot machines in the car parks for people who can't wait to get inside. The casinos don't have any windows or clocks, because if you knew what time it was you might go home. Photography and videotaping inside the casinos is strictly forbidden because the management is scared that you might capture on film somebody whose wife doesn't know he goes to Vegas, and he might get in trouble and not come back. Seriously. And it is possible to win - a woman with whom I used to work came to Vegas once, put a quarter in a slot machine and was immediately surrounded by flashing lights and the sound of running feet - she'd won ten thousand dollars. There is, of course, a seedier side to Vegas as there is in any city - but it's easy to ignore. To see what I mean, just walk along the strip at night and accept every magazine, flyer or brochure that is offered to you by guys standing every couple of hundred yards along the way. By the time you get to the other end, you'll probably be holding about three years worth of pornography, courtesy of Vegas - mainly adverts for massage parlours, out of town ranches and any other vice you can think of. Although prostitution is legal in Nevada, it seems that it's not legal to do it within the city limits - so everywhere you go you'll find guys peddling places out of town. The first time I came to Vegas, I naively assumed these peddlers were handing out leaflets for fast food restaurants and electronics shops or the like - and as you can imagine, my jaw nearly hit the ground when I realised what they were actually doing. http://www.vegas.com/http://www.startrekexp.com/<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/d0d9d5/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/globalwanderer/blog/nevada/las-vegas&link=Las Vegas, Nevada" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/globalwanderer/blog/nevada/las-vegas&link=Las Vegas, Nevada" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386013/f/7277/c/321/s/13687253/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386013/f/7277/c/321/s/13687253/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/globalwanderer/blog/nevada/las-vegas2008-03-29T00:00:00Zhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860e/story01.htmHello. Today is our last day in Cusco. We've been here for what seems like a long time - about 9 days - primarily because I was diagnosed with amoebic dysentry, which has somewhat slowed us down! Anyway, I'm fine (having caught it early), and Simon has taken great delight in telling me that I have eaten someone else's poo...! Argh!Onto more pleasant topics...(!), we've done some lovely things here. We know the centre of Cusco, the Blueberry Lounge and it's menu, and this internet caf&eacute; just nextdoor to the Backpackers Family House where we've stayed with Carola and her family all very well...!! But we have managed to venture beyond the city, too. We had a cracking day in Pisac, north of Cusco, visiting its very colourful and happening Sunday market where we decided to do a bit of Christmas shopping! The ruins perched high up on the hill behind Pisac are brilliant too, largely because of their position (Simon has a much greater appreciation of what we're actually looking at at these archaeological sites!)... and the paths that are cut into the hillside that run between the various parts... the fort, the temple, the old village... We really enjoyed our day there...We also had an afternoon walking up to Sacsayhuaman (you can work out&nbsp;how the non-Quechua speaking tourists pronounce it!), the nearest ruins to Cusco, just up behind it on the hill, and where there are enormous rocks (weighing up to 120 tonnes) forming part of the remains of the old Inca fort. We also that same day wandered around the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art... also very good with lots of intact beautiful ceramics, including one that reminded me of you, dad!For various reasons including illness, expense, knowing that we'd done the best of the treks already in Peru anyway(!), we opted out of doing the Inca Trail up to Machu Picchu (perhaps a tinge of regret will always hang over that one for me), and instead went up in a day on the train yesterday. The train takes four hours from Cusco (even though it must only travel about 30 miles!!!) up to Aguas Calientes, from where you get a bus up hairpin bends to Machu Picchu. The train we got was 'Backpacker Class', the cheapest one that tourists can get and it was FULL of us! Tens of coaches met us off the train to take us up to Machu Picchu and my suspicions that this must be one of the most touristy places on earth were all confirmed! There were crowds and crowds at the entrance once we got up there, too... Nonetheless, Machu Picchu has left a lasting impression. Its setting is incredible, perched on a ridge and falling away extremely steeply on both sides, all the way down to the tiny river and trains at the bottom on one side. The famous picture of Machu Picchu has Waynapicchu rising in the background and&nbsp;I was determined that we would climb it, knowing that Pete, Cal, Jo, Jonny&nbsp;and Graeme all had! It was well worth it: a hard climb up to sit at the tippy top, knowing that in several places you really had to watch your step so as not to just fall off the mountain. It happens, apparently. If it was England, nobody would be allowed up. Fortunately, it isn't (even if I do wish the restaurants here were all regulated by our health and safety laws!!). The views were fantastic and it was exciting being up somewhere so scarily high!We're back now and just about finished here in Peru. Tomorrow we're catching the train to Puno on Lake Titicaca. For once we're travelling during the day (the journey is supposed to be lovely). Yesterday we met a German-Austrian couple on the train who had hired a car and driven around Peru and got to see a lot more of the landscapes than perhaps we have on the night buses! (But then they hadn't been to the Cordillera Huayhuash!)Lake Titicaca lies on the border between Peru and Bolivia, our third country, and our fourth month. See you there. Lots of love, L &amp; S &nbsp;xxPS If&nbsp;it makes you feel better at this the beginning of November, the weather reports for Puno and La Paz are as cold and rainy as they are for you!!!<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860e/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/lindsandsimon/blog/peru/cusco&link=Cusco, Peru" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/lindsandsimon/blog/peru/cusco&link=Cusco, Peru" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386011/f/7277/c/321/s/11699726/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386011/f/7277/c/321/s/11699726/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/lindsandsimon/blog/peru/cuscohttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860d/story01.htmWe spent a couple days in Paris before we jumped on a flight back to the US.&nbsp; We stopped here once before over a month ago on our way from London to Interlaken.&nbsp; Over a month ago, that seems so weird to say.&nbsp; When we stopped before we spent the day at the Louvre and the Touleries?&nbsp; There are a lot of beautiful parks in Paris.&nbsp;This time we went to the Eiffel tower and took a trip to the top.&nbsp; All in all about two hours of waiting in line.&nbsp; You wait at the bottom, then at the second floor elevator, then to go back down, then one more time for the next elevator.&nbsp; Worth it for the best view in Paris?&nbsp; I think so, Lindsay would disagree.&nbsp; We walked down the Champs Elysee (though most of the stores were closed on Sunday) to the Arc de Triumph.&nbsp; We ate at a restaurant that Lindsay loved along the Champs called L'Entricott.&nbsp; Good steak frites with bernaisse sauce!!&nbsp;I got tickets for the Moulin Rouge.&nbsp; A little pricey since the movie came out, but it was a lot of fun and included a bottle of champagne.&nbsp;&nbsp; Before the show we had an amazing dinner at a little cafe that we found near the Moulin Rouge.&nbsp; Awesome duck and scallops for dinner and creme brulee and chocolate truffle for dessert.We're actually back in the US now.&nbsp; It feels really weird.&nbsp; It's a little bitter sweet, there are some things we missed while we were gone (like Gator Football), but now we're sad that it is over.&nbsp; If only&nbsp;I could get paid to travel!!!&nbsp; I've settled back into work and look forward to returning to several of the places we went someday, but not all at once.&nbsp; For now, I'll have to just look forward to seeing everyone and watching the Gator's and Bears have tremendous seasons.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860d/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/bporak/blog/france/paris&link=Paris, France" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/bporak/blog/france/paris&link=Paris, France" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386009/f/7277/c/321/s/11699725/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386009/f/7277/c/321/s/11699725/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/bporak/blog/france/parishttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860c/story01.htmToday was my last full day in India and I packed a lot in! I woke up early and jogged over to the queue for the Taj Mahal&nbsp;bright and early. Of course this is India so randomly one of the three gates (the one I picked to go to) was closed so I ran over the other gate but it made no difference - 6:00 or 6:05 there was no way I was going to be first inside as the book suggested (so you can hear the silence in the tomb - supposed to be stunning). There were tons of people in line. But we were all still in early and it was still nice to be there before it got too hot and while the light was still beautiful from the recent sunrise. The Taj Mahal is much hyped in all the books and poetry. I have to agree its beautiful and it is very obvious how much thought went into the design (like putting&nbsp;the Taj on a&nbsp;raised platform so when you look at it all you see behind it is blue (theoretically) sky or building the&nbsp;towers&nbsp;surrounding it just a little turned out so in case they fall they won't hurt the main mausoleum) and the detail in the marble and inlaid stonework is impressive. But it is just a mausoleum and a nice garden. Maybe I have a hard time feeling romantic about a gift of love build by a man who killed his older siblings to obtain his position. Call me unromantic. The Taj is worth seeing if you are in the area and a relaxing and tranquil place compared to the surrounding city. After a hearty brunch and a relaxing morning by the pool, I headed out for more sightseeing. Agra was the capital&nbsp;long before Delhi and has some great sights. I hired an air conditioned car and&nbsp;driver which made a&nbsp;huge difference.&nbsp;Much less hassle by hawkers and I came back not feeling totally exhausted. First I went out to Fatehpur Sikri which was a city built by Akbar who was the great architect and statesman who rule India in the 1500s (and the&nbsp;grandfather of Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal). Akbar&nbsp;designed many of the great temples in the area (including a tomb for his father which is said to be the inspiration for the Taj - it is located in Delhi), was the first to use marble (which is much cooler than red&nbsp;sandstone, by the way - good&nbsp;choice here Akbar!) and who moved the capital to Delhi eventually. Before&nbsp;moving to Delhi, Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri outside where Agra is now. It is build entirely of red sandstone and is lovely. But&nbsp;the&nbsp;city's location was Akbar's one big mistake - there was not enough water to sustain teh city and it was abandoned after only 14 years. Today it is in great shape. You can see much of the palace, the outdoor parcheesi board where the emperor played with live 'pieces' and learned much about his guests by how they played, and the mosque which is still actively used. It was beautiful and interesting&nbsp;at Fatehpur but extremely hot. I see why the city was abandoned. I&nbsp;was so hot&nbsp;that I didn't even sweat, I was just dehydrating from the inside out like a prune =) I think the only time I've been hotter was in Chitchinitza, Mexico. But&nbsp;I had time to cool off in my air conditioned car (good choice today!) before we returned to Agra and I went to the Agra Fort.&nbsp;From this location many rulers ruled India over the years, most recently and famously were Akbar, his son Jahangir (apparently his&nbsp;wife really did the ruling though, he was reported to be a&nbsp;bit of a drunk), his grandson Shah Jahan (who built the Taj) and then his great grandson Aurangzeb who killed his siblings and imprisoned his father in Fort Agra for the last few years of his life. He was imprisoned in a tower in the fort so that he had a&nbsp;view of the Taj Mahal and could&nbsp;mourn his wife every day. - Great family stories huh? Makes Shakespeare look boring. Tonight I&nbsp;take the train back to Delhi but I won't even be in town for 6 hours before I head to the airport in the wee hours of&nbsp;the morning. I'll post some pictures&nbsp;and write one last journal with some memories of my trip when I get home. I do have fond memories of&nbsp;my time in each country and loved&nbsp;traveling to all of them. I learned so much from my trip, about myself (like that I don't really like traveling alone that much =) and how to be more patient) about&nbsp;the politics, geography, history, and social dynamics of this part of the world, and even about Australia and America. One thing about traveling is that although you go to see the interesting&nbsp;things abroad, you also learn alot and appreciate home. So its time for me to go home. I can't&nbsp;wait!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860c/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/stefanie/blog/india/agra&link=Agra, India" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/stefanie/blog/india/agra&link=Agra, India" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386007/f/7277/c/321/s/11699724/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386007/f/7277/c/321/s/11699724/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/stefanie/blog/india/agrahttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860b/story01.htmHi, We are in Koh Phi Phi now which is like paradise! It is a tiny little island and is it is really cute. The sea that surrounds the island is an absolutely amazing colour and it is surrounded by large rocks like the pic above. The film 'The Beach' was filmed on the other part of the island so if you have ever seen that you can imagine how beautiful it is here. The island got absolutely wrecked by the Tsunami but there doesn't seem to be much evidence of it now as everything has been built again. There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere to this island so it is only fitting that we are relaxing! We are staying at a nice resort that has a pool and is right on the beach front - the view takes my breath away every time I see it. Basically I love it here! Our last day in Chiang Mai was an interesting one. We got a tuk tuk and headed off to an area where they sell all the goods that are made in the area. We weren't exactly sure where we were going but the tuk tuk driver seemed to have an itinerary set out for us! Our first stop was the worlds largest jewellery shop - Mum would have been in paradise! There were people there making the jewellery and then they took us to the showrooms. Me and Caroline in our backpacks were looking decidedly out of place as we were followed round by the thai saleswomen. Some of the jewellery was ridiculously large and over the top and everytime we pointed at it to show the other one the salespeople would think we wanted to try it on! We didn't think we would buy anything in a million years but then the salespeople starting showing us things in our budget and i somehow ended up with a blue sapphire ring! It is lovley though and was cheap! Next we went to a place where they sold Parasols and umbrellas. That place was realy fun because the people that paint the umbrellas could also paint things on you. So I had a lovely elephant painted on the top I was wearing and a elephant at sunset painted on my backpack - it definitely adds a certain something! The painters were so talented and so quick, they look really cool. Then Mr Tuk tuk ferried us around to a few more places before we convinced him that we had had enough and managed to escape! After that we had our 12 hour overnight bus journey to look forward to! Luckily it was quite empty so we got 2 seats each so could spread out. We arrived back in Bangkok at about 5 in the morn which was weird as people were just going to bed after there nights out. We were dropped at the Kao San Road and it was really weird to see it so quiet without all the street vendors. After this we went to the airport to get our plane to Phuket which is one of the islands in the south of Thailand. We were pretty wrecked when we got there so we just had a relaxing afternoon by the pool and then headed out in the eveningi for a bit to see Patong. The beach looked nice and the place looked cool but we didn't really have the energy for it. The next morn we got a ferry over to Phi Phi and since then as I said we haven't been doing much. Loads of people tried to dissuade us from coming down here as the weather is supposed to be bad on the west islands at the moment but we have been lucky so far and have had two days of mainly sun. We are off on a boat trip tomorrow around the islands and to do some snorkelling so the weather is sure to take a turn for the worse for that! xxx<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b2860b/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/sarahmatthews/blog/thailand/koh-phi-phi&link=Koh Phi Phi, Thailand" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/sarahmatthews/blog/thailand/koh-phi-phi&link=Koh Phi Phi, Thailand" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386005/f/7277/c/321/s/11699723/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386005/f/7277/c/321/s/11699723/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/sarahmatthews/blog/thailand/koh-phi-phihttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28609/story01.htmWow, we're back in Canada. It's hard to believe that we are now embarking on our Canadian stint of the Fantabulous Trip. We lived out February 15th twice, as we boarded the plane for the 7pm take-off on that day. Of course, it was Air Canada, so we were late leaving :) We arrived in Vancouver at 7am on Feburary 15th. Just like the movie Groundhog Day! We had a nice time in Vancouver and got to see our friends--Carly, Fadi and Lucia. We also got to drink good wine and eat some delicious cake. mmmm...cake. The next morning we were off to Ottawa and we arrived at about 4pm. We're still catching up on sleep, but I think we've done quite well to get back on Ottawa time. It's been odd to be back in a city where we know the transit system, know places to eat, and can recognize the street people (although that last thing is a bit disconcerting, to be honest). Seeing the street people in the same places we saw them before we left has made us both realize how much we have been able to see and do over the past 10 1/2 months, while so many people lives didn't change at all. It's hard to describe the feeling. Since our arrival and recovery, we have been out searching for apartments. It's exciting, as it's the first time the two of us have actually looked together for a place to live! Can you imagine? But, that makes it just a bit more stressful as well. Luckily, we are having no problem finding potential places. The hardest part will be deciding which one we take! The housing market has opened up a lot in Ottawa, which is good news. It also helps that we're more grown up now (supposedly) and are willing to pay a little bit more. We also have a better idea of where we'd like to live. All of that helps. Hopefully by the end of this week we'll have our lease signed. Other than apartment hunting, we've just been visiting and going to all of the restaurants that we sat and drooled over while we were eating beans in Lesotho :) There are still more on the list, but that's okay. Something tells me we'll get around to visiting each and every one of them. Tonight Joel is going to a hockey game. *gasp* that means that we have to be apart for more than 10 minutes! I can hardly remember the last time that happened. On Saturday we head to Halifax for a couple of weeks. We come back to Ottawa for a few days to drop off stuff we had stored in Halifax. Then we'll load up on souvenirs and head West. If anyone wants to get in touch with us, e-mail is probably your best bet since we're sleeping here, there and everywhere over the next month and a bit. Hope to hear from you soon! :) m&amp;j<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28609/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/coteselig/blog/ontario/ottawa&link=Ottawa, Ontario" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/coteselig/blog/ontario/ottawa&link=Ottawa, Ontario" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386003/f/7277/c/321/s/11699721/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386003/f/7277/c/321/s/11699721/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/coteselig/blog/ontario/ottawahttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28608/story01.htmSo the last blog entry - On Mel's birthday we went to the pyramids. We took 2 camels around the pyramids and Mel wore her bellydancer headdres birthday present. As the camels sat down and stood up we both tried desperately to stay on! For dinner our lovely egyptian guide took us for a buffet at a restaurant where they were making a movie. We met Fifi Abdul - the most famous belly dancer - everyone was very excited she was there and we tried to be excited as they made us have a photo with her. &nbsp;We also visited a perfume makers befiore watching the sunset over the pyramids. Our last day saw us do some shopping around the market and finish reading our books in the park. It was sad it was all coming to an end. On our last day we got a cheap taxi to the airport and checked in 2 x 23kg bags, and had 2 x 10kg hand luggage but they didnt seem to mind. However they did mind that our ticket had the wrong date on. Despite us changing it online they said it had expired. Mel looked weepy and they finally did let us on the plane. The 6 hour flight was boring with no films or even a screen with our flight path. We arrived above london an hour early and then circled around the dome for abother 40 minutes! And then we were home after: 16 countires, 5 pairs of flip flops, 44 scuba dives, &pound;17,122 spent, 1 theft and 277 days away, Mel and stu x<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28608/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/melandstumissingyou/blog/egypt/cairo&link=Cairo, Egypt" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/melandstumissingyou/blog/egypt/cairo&link=Cairo, Egypt" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386002/f/7277/c/321/s/11699720/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386002/f/7277/c/321/s/11699720/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/melandstumissingyou/blog/egypt/cairohttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28607/story01.htmenough said. read the journal, enjoy<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28607/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/rachelklein/blog/spain/wish-i-was-in&link=Wish i was in, Spain" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/rachelklein/blog/spain/wish-i-was-in&link=Wish i was in, Spain" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386001/f/7277/c/321/s/11699719/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386001/f/7277/c/321/s/11699719/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/rachelklein/blog/spain/wish-i-was-inhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28606/story01.htm&nbsp;Had a great few days in Tokyo and now feel like I know the city pretty well! Had a great time when we went down to Tokyo bay! It was a fantastic sunny day so we had a great view over to the rainbow bridge and the Tokyo tower! Getting around Tokyo was pretty easy and Jo and me are now experts on the Tokyo subways and I think we must know most of the stops off by heart...the walking between tube stations has helped keep us fit anyway!Found that in Tokyo there is a&nbsp;definite&nbsp;trend with people's cats and dogs wearing clothing...yes CLOTHING!!! We even came across some shops which sold outfits for cats and dogs and these included fireman, squaddie and FROG outfits...BIZARRE but made us laugh alot!! Have even put a picture in the photos section to show one cute doggie we saw in fluffy pinky combat clothing!!! Enough on cat/dog clothing...We took a train to the Mount Fuji region where we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of the mountain and its snowy top on our&nbsp;way there...sadly as soon as we arrived the weather turned "Bognor" cloudy and the mountain disappeared behind dark clouds! Never mind we had a good day and&nbsp;when we did see the mountain for a fleeting second we were amazed how huge it actually&nbsp;was!!! A fab site!Today was my favourite day and I call it "Jens Japan day!!"..Got up&nbsp;very early and went to a fish...yes a fish market!! Was actually a real laugh and it was the biggest fish market in Asia (A fact there for you!!),&nbsp;so was a real experience.....never seen so many huge fish/crabs/lobster!&nbsp;The fishermen were even&nbsp;cutting up massive tuna fish bigger than me! And there were squid as long as my arm.&nbsp;Also watched sumo which was&nbsp;amazing and when&nbsp;I get back to Bognor perhaps we could organise sumo events.....just a thought!!!Looked around Shinjuku which is&nbsp;where you find the designer shops&nbsp;of Tokyo...was loving the Gucci shop and still cant believe we went looking around their lovely shop in our smelly travel gear!Loving the Japan vibe and the fun things they do! We travel back to Shanghai tomorrow by ferry (fingers crossed its smooth!)...we will next travel&nbsp;up to&nbsp;Beijing by&nbsp;over night train. In Beijing&nbsp;where we hope to visit&nbsp;The great wall of lovely China!!Send you more news and photos very soon!&nbsp;Lots of love to all,&nbsp;hope your all&nbsp;fine and cool,&nbsp;from Jen xxxxx&nbsp; &nbsp;<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28606/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/jenniedean/blog/japan/tokyo&link=Tokyo, Japan" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/jenniedean/blog/japan/tokyo&link=Tokyo, Japan" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386000/f/7277/c/321/s/11699718/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001386000/f/7277/c/321/s/11699718/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/jenniedean/blog/japan/tokyohttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28605/story01.htmNy lyckades vi fa ihop det till att vi befinner oss i Cairns. Sa tekniska ar vi. Hur som helst har vi slagit oss ner i Thailand nu. Och till och med lyckats p**** in regnperioden. Men det gor oss ingenting. Har dragit med oss var hollandska van Anne som vi traffade nere i Melbourne. Tillsammans har vi inga problem med att fa dagarna att ga. Det blir mycket kortspel och paraplydrinkar nar regnet oser ner. Det galler att gora vad man kan. Och varannan dag har faktiskt solen skinit och vi stekt pa beachen. &nbsp;Om du trodde att Australien var avslappnat hade du fel. Eller ratt... det ar i alla fall annu mer chill har. Landade i Bangkok&nbsp;och&nbsp;akte dagen efter till Koh Samet, mycket trevlig o. Kostade oss hela 300 bth, med andra ord ingenting. Priset ar helt klart den storsta skillnaden nar man backpackar runt. &nbsp;Nu har vi hamnat i Koh Phi Phi. Har ar det lite mer party. Vilket ar bra. Vi gillar verkligen buckets, hinkar med drinkar. &nbsp;Efter detta blir det Koh Samui, Koh Pah-Ngang och Bangkok igen. Vi har totalt tre veckor pa oss. Very niiiiice. Det ar perfekt med ett litet stopp halvvags innan hemkomsten. Anne har tva veckor mer an oss och ska upp till Laos och Kambodja. Hade inte bangat men nu ar vi ratt glada att snart vara hemma. &nbsp;Tjing Tjong Langkalsong<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28605/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/mathandfrie/blog/queensland/cairns&link=Cairns, Queensland" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/mathandfrie/blog/queensland/cairns&link=Cairns, Queensland" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001385999/f/7277/c/321/s/11699717/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/18001385999/f/7277/c/321/s/11699717/a2.img" border="0"/></a>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/mathandfrie/blog/queensland/cairnshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28604/story01.htmThe name of the park sounds nice-Knotts Berry Farm, but they have some crazy rides there!! The ride in the photo is the silver bullet, and when we came off of it, i nearly fell over as i was so dizzy its crazy! We were dropped from 252ft which definately scares the crap out of you, and we went from 0-80mph in 2.5 seconds!They have a ride like that at thorpe park which is wicked, but this one has an extra rollercoaster bit on the end, just to scare us even more!We bought a photo which is funny, i look like im about tocry, and frank looks pretty normal! They had a few water rides, the best of which was perilous plunge, when you are in a boat and you go down a vertical slide thing, we got drenched! Looked like we'd been swimming! There was a ride called ghost rider which was good, but im not even kidding, i thought it was going to break! It was a wicked theme park, never been on such crazy and scary rides! It was only when we got back that Kyrstie told us about all the people that had dies on those rides, so don't think we will be going back there in a hurry!!It was good though! Yeaterday we went to Kyrstie's Grandparents house as they have a swimming pool and a diving board! It was wicked, but think we need to work on our dives, specially me as i was pants! We are off to a football (soccer) game this afternoon, so we will see if they are any good out here! Franks played a few times with Shane and his friends, and he says there not too bad, so we will have to see what this team are like today! Only a few days left till were back, ive seen the weather in England and its raining, not very impressed, never mind though!<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/b28604/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/franknbex/blog/california/knotts-berry-farm&link=Knotts Berry Farm, California" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=http://www.statravelblogs.com/franknbex/blog/california/knotts-berry-farm&link=Knotts Berry Farm, California" target="_blank"><img src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.statravelblogs.com/franknbex/blog/california/knotts-berry-farmhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781b5/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Crachyroo0Cblog0Csingapore0Csingapore/story01.htmOur short stay in Singapore was definitely rushed but well spent. We saw as much as humanly possible in one day, spending 13 hours out and about, getting the mono-rail from one place the next. Our feet and legs hurt like hell by the time we got back to the hostel We first headed to the New City area where the sights to visit consist of the esplanade, the merion, marina bay sands, the flyer (like the london eye) and the art science museum. We saw it all and went in as much as we could. Marina bay sands, for me, was the most interesting. It is a hotel consisting of 3 tower blocks which support a boat-shaped structure on the top. It has 57 floors and you have to pay to visit the top. Yeah right! You just walk in as if you're a guest and get in the lift with an actual guest so they use their card to work the lift and you're sorted! Some good views of the city from up there and the boat-shaped structure, well that's actually the hotel swimming pool, absolutely amazing. Would be sooo cool to stay there. The esplanade is also pretty fun, it reminded us of an armadillo, would love to watch a show in there! Was we had exhausted this area we walked and walked until we arrived at Orchard road (Singapore's famous shopping street). On the way we visited the fountain of wealth (maybe that helped with the insurance??!!) which is a weird and wonderful structure in the middle of a roundabout that presents the 12 chinese animals around it's circumference and apparently, if you touch the water, helps you with wealth and good fortune. I'll give anything a go!!! Haha. Orchard road is simply large mall after large mall with every kind of shop you can imagine. We even found River Island in there which we haven't seen before. With empty hands we left here and took the mono-rail to Chiatown. Chinatown was like every other Chiatown we have visited. Small, quirky shops full of souvenirs and chinese lanterns. We actually stopped for half an hour and had a drink here then had some noodles at the hawker stall before heading to the final leg of our Singapore tour, the cable car night ride. The cable car took us to a island called Sentosa. It is basically an area of land they have created and built a huge theme park there consisting of hotels, rides and universal studios. If we had had more time (and not gotten as little lost!) we would have gone on the new transformers ride in the universal studios but instead we only had time to take a couple of pictures and leave for the cable car ride back with our free drink and popcorn. Exhausted and the battery exhausted on my camera we arrived back to the hostel at 9.30pm, packed our bags again, ready to leave for Indonesia the next day. Very productive few hours i would say.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781b5/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Singapore%2C+Singapore&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Frachyroo%2Fblog%2Fsingapore%2Fsingapore" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Singapore%2C+Singapore&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Frachyroo%2Fblog%2Fsingapore%2Fsingapore" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTrachyroo_8http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781b1/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Calicat20A120Cblog0Cflorida0Csouth0Ebeach0Emiami/story01.htmArrived into Miami 2 nights ago after a long flight and a 2 hour queue at passport control (the queue was only about 20m long, they were just that slow!!). After a slice of pizza and a beer we konked out and awoke to what the weather forecasters described as 'a much cooler day'--it was 25 deg! Spent the morning on South Beach after pancakes mmmm,and spent most of the day walking along the promenade with all the joggers and roller-bladers (not all as buff &#38; bronzed as we see on TV thank god!). After an early evening jog along the beach (well, we had to say we'd done it) we had an amazing dinner in a Cuban restaurant. And now off to Costa Rica......<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781b1/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=South+Beach%2C+Miami%2C+Florida&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Falicat2012%2Fblog%2Fflorida%2Fsouth-beach-miami" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=South+Beach%2C+Miami%2C+Florida&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Falicat2012%2Fblog%2Fflorida%2Fsouth-beach-miami" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTalicat2012_7http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781af/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Csudhanshughij0Cblog0Cindia0Crajasthan/story01.htmWildlife tour Packages India offers to experience the adventure from the open eye while on safari; it can be on Elephant back, through the boating and watching from the hill tower. The wildlife national park and sanctuaries are spread all over the India that rich in amazing flora and fauna. India has preserved a wide range of Forest and habitats in its wildlife sanctuaries. The record says that India has 441 wildlife sanctuaries and 80 National parks and some famous wildlife sanctuaries are Gir wildlife sanctuary, Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary, and Periyar wildlife sanctuary. These sanctuaries are a home for many wild animals and birds, by which people gets excited to see it.Bandhavgarh national park, Corbett national park, Ranthambore national park, Kanha National Park, Sariska national park, Sunderban national park are named few which is basically known for the tiger preserved. The wildlife tour packages India is for wildlife enthusiasts who want to see wild animals in their habitats. From Elephant grass to lush small green grass you will be taken by the jeep just close to the amazing creatures of God. Visiting one of the national parks without living for two or three days, certainly it will make some kind of dissatisfaction inside you. So, it will be good to book an accommodation in one of the India wildlife resorts to experience the life of forest in a complete way. Just Imagine, living in a wildlife resort or a tent in the midst of dense forest and waking up early in the morning to the dance of Peacock or the roar of the lion. Really, such type of things will make you crazy in your tour. A day tour alone is not enough to show you all the mystery of Forest. So, why not you try to stay here for few days and explore all the hidden history about these places.A trip to wildlife sanctuary should be customized and under the budget so that we could choose this without thinking too much and this is fit perfectly here in Go Heritage India Journeys which not only determined to give complete satisfaction to its travelers but also at the same time assist them to spend their best time to achieve quality and memorable moment.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781af/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Rajasthan%2C+India&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fsudhanshughij%2Fblog%2Findia%2Frajasthan" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Rajasthan%2C+India&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fsudhanshughij%2Fblog%2Findia%2Frajasthan" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTsudhanshughij_3http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781ac/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cdomjade0Cblog0Cvietnam0Chalong0Ebay0Econtinued/story01.htmHalong Bay Continued! We arrive at the Sunflower Hotel on Cat Ba Island. Before we check in dinner is served and we find ourselves sharing a table with the same guests, food was such a treat again! The hotel is quite dilapidated; the Germans said they had &#34;mushrooms&#34; growing on their walls! We are staying on the 5th floor too, the rooms were so dated, nice floral duvet covers but Jade and I were still in such a bubbly mood. We head down to the main town area of Cat Ba Island, apparently there was a night market? All we found were little shops selling all kinds of pearl jewellery. It is really eerie as it is so quiet and not like the busy Vietnam we have been used too. Armed with Choco pies, we headed back to get our heads down for the evening, as we had to be up for 7 for breakfast then trekking in the National Park after. Breakfast was minimal, delicious all the same! Our guide comes to tell us we will be going to do the trekking in the afternoon, and that we had some free time to explore Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba itself is attractively situated around a bay teeming with small boats We sit down on the harbour front of Cat Ba and enjoy a Vietnamese coffee! We are getting addicted to them! There is no one around, it's like a ghost town, and what did we expect? We are here out of season for Vietnam. . It is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on tours to Ha Long Bay We have lunch at the hotel and are now told that we have to wait till 4 pm to do trekking! We are a little bit annoyed as we could have made the most of the day. Jade and I decide to head to the beach. Cat Ba still has the dramatic and rugged features of Ha Long Bay. The beach is fantastic, you can just imagine what it would be like if were to be a sunny day. We walk around the coast and down on to another beach. There seems to be a path around the rugged coastline but it seems to be in disrepair so we opt out and write messages in the sand and use the hundreds of shimmery little fish to decorate (no one call RSPCA please, they were dead BEFORE we arrived!) before heading back to eventually go trekking. Now on our way trekking! The scenery and greenery is just fantastic as we make the climb on the bus trip there. At the national park there seems to be a few small houses scattered in this forested area but it is otherwise quite desolate. As we start the trek we are faced with what seemed like about 2000 steps before we got on to the muddy part of the trek. As much as it was cool here, Jade and I were both sweating so much. I am so proud that Jade is the only female making this trek, I am not sure why the other girls didn't do it. We make our way through the dense forest and up steel make shift ladders, it is real hard work. I am following 2 Czech guys who are speeding off up the climb and Jade is just behind me with a Malaysian guy. As we reach the top of the stairs you can really see what an achievement we have made and we are still not at the top. WE MADE IT! The view is just spectacular Jade takes a sit down as we both catch our breath. This was so worth all the hard work and effort! A region of rugged mountains with elevation 500 m, we are 286m up, of which most are in the range 50-200 m. Cat Ba island is mainly limestone alternating narrow valleys running along the northeast-southwest. There is a metal tower that you can climb here at the top of the view point. The Czech guys rush right to the top, I decide just to go to the first ledge as it is making my legs wobbly. Now making the descent of this hill and we seem to be going a different way , a much more difficult and steep way with no walk ways or path, just sloppy mud , Jade and I are holding on to branches just to clamber down. It is quite treacherous to be honest. And forgetting to mention that Jade really didn't come dressed for the occasion, as she has got her long dress tucked into her knickers! I didn't notice to be honest I thought she looked amazing! As always. We reach the bottom at last, Jade is shaking and I am literally sweating buckets we are both so exhausted… so pleased we achieved this climb, and just before nightfall! Back on the bus and making tracks for our night's stay on the boat! Two super excited people en route.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781ac/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Halong+Bay+continued%2C+Vietnam&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fdomjade%2Fblog%2Fvietnam%2Fhalong-bay-continued" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Halong+Bay+continued%2C+Vietnam&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fdomjade%2Fblog%2Fvietnam%2Fhalong-bay-continued" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTdomjade_2http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781aa/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cosminic0Cblog0Cnew0Ezealand0Ckaikoura/story01.htmWe didn't feel that Wellington was very welcoming in the first place. The weather was grey, there was much traffic going on and our hostel smelled as if they have mopped the carpet (which they probably have). We tried to stay away from the hostel as long as possible and therefore we visited the national museum &#34;Te Papa&#34; which is highly spoken off. The museum was decent but not really extraordinary. Nothing was really exciting, except for the giant squid. The afternoon on the second day passed without anything mentionable. In the evening, we went to an irish pub, had a drink, played 5 games of pool (Oscar 4 - Dominic 1, which was pure luck on Oscars behalf) and enjoyed the live music. On the next morning, we had to catch the ferry to Picton which lies on the south island. We were very happz to leave Wellington although its second impression was better than the first one. The journey on the ferry took about 3 hours which went by fairly quickly because the scenery around the ferry was very beautiful. Oscar forgot his pullover in the car and therefore he was covered with goosebumps, trying to find a sunny spot on the ferry's veranda. We stayed for two night in Picton in a great hostel, called the &#34;Jugglers Rest&#34;. It was a lovely house with juggling gear on the outside and they baked their own bread every morning. They even made their own jam which was delicious. Oscar didn't really think the bread to be that good. (Oscar missed the bread on the first morning because he didn't want to get up when I woke him. Maybe that's why he didn't like the bread on the second day). We met two fun people who were from ... Germany (of course). They had no car, so we took them with us for a hike in the &#34;Queen Charlotte Sounds&#34;. There was no cloud on the sky and especially the bays were beautiful. We walked on a hilly track and admired the ocean on our left and on our right. All of us were having a great time. We all were hungry on the way back and decided to have a BBQ. It took Oscar and Fabio 10 mins in front of the meat section to decide which and how much meat they needed. The result was about 1 kg of meat (for two persons). In addition, we had vegetable sticks, salad and garlic bread. I don't know how Oscar didn't burst after everything he had eaten. When we left Picton, we gave Steff (the german girl) a lift to Nelson which was on our way to the &#34;Golden Bay&#34;. Nelson seemed like a nice little relaxed city, so we decided to stay there for one night after we get back from the &#34;Golden Bay&#34;. The hostel &#34;Shambala&#34; (which means &#34;Paradise&#34; or &#34;state of consiousness&#34;) is surrounded by nature. An unmounted road leads to the hostel. There is a meditation room as well as a tea room in the garden. On two days a week there is even a yoga class taking place. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed. We heard that the &#34;Wharariki Beach&#34; would be a wonderful beach. The different landscapes were so close together: grass hills, bush, sand dunes, strangely shaped rocks and the beach. We combined our trip with a detour to the &#34;Farewell Spit&#34; but most of the spit was not accessible to humans because it was mostly reigned by birds. We left the Golden Bay with the intention to rent a kayak near the &#34;Abel Tasman National Park&#34; and paddle around the south island within a day. The road we initialy wanted to take was closed due to heavy washout. There we had to take another road and drive around the peninsula. When we finally arrived at a kayak rental store , the grumpy, unfriendly woman said that we were too late and can't just rent a kayak right then. As we wanted to leave, Oscar discovered on the map a place which was called &#34;The Split Apple Rock&#34;. According to his two friends (Anders and Anton) who had been to New Zealand a month ago, the &#34;Split Apple Rock&#34; was a really cool place. So jumped in the car and headed off to this rock. It was a 10 minutes walk through the bush from where we parked our car. We couldn't trust our eyes when we walked out of the bush. Everything was just perfect. We were so excited to be standing on such a wonderful beach with a funny shaped rock in front of us. It felt like being in the caribbean . We exchanged our shorts for our bathing trunks and swam in the blue-green water to the rock. That was certainly one of the best places in New Zealand, from what we had seen so far. We are staying right now in Nelson, in a small, homey palce. As I am writing these lines, Oscar has just finished his second dinner (apparently a pizza wasn't enough for him, so he needed to buy two pieces of meat to cook. He claims that he's always hungry and I'm starting to believe him.) We are sitting around the table and talking to Dr. Glorius (such a cool name). This doctor is a 25 year old german girl who finished her doctor theisis only a month ago. It's astounding what kind of people you meet along the way.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cd781aa/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Kaikoura%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fosminic%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fkaikoura" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Kaikoura%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fosminic%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fkaikoura" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTosminic_1http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fd/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Csamant0Cblog0Cthailand0Cbangkok/story01.htmSo far so good...... We have been in bangkok for two days, just trying to adjust to the new time zone and weather. Today we went on a tour of the Grand Palace and temple and for a boat ride along the canal. Everyone in our tour group seems awesome. So far the food seems ok, managing to find veggie options. Our hotel is right in the heart of the backpacker district and next to KhaoSan road so at night its very lively, lots of street stalls and open air bars lit up by lanterns and fairy lights.We are constantly being asked if we need a tuktuk or a hand made suit (also one offer of a ping pong show) but otherwise Bangkok is a lot of fun, a blend of temples and markets and very busy! Tonight we will be on the overnight train to CHiang Mai so 16 hours, plenty of time to get to know everone and catch up on our sleep! Sam Ant<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fd/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Bangkok%2C+Thailand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fsamant%2Fblog%2Fthailand%2Fbangkok" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Bangkok%2C+Thailand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fsamant%2Fblog%2Fthailand%2Fbangkok" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTsamant_7http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fc/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cdomjade0Cblog0Cvietnam0Chalong0Ebay/story01.htmHalong Bay Day 1 3 days, 2 Nights in Halong Bay! We cannot contain our excitement. So it's Valentine's Day and we are making our way from Hanoi to Halong Bay. We have been told that the weather is going to be cloudy but nothing could put our enthusiasm in the shade. We arrive to Halong City's harbour, to board our Junk boat. We set sail and there is a hint of blue sky... Jade and I keeping our fingers crossed! On board for lunch, sharing a table with some Spanish doctors and a lovely German couple, the food arrives! Our eyes light up as we see Fish, Meat and a mountain of rice; such a treat for us, as for the last 3 weeks we have been on a sole diet of choco pies and Noodle soup- with 3 strands of beef. The food is scrumptious and we now love a new food in the form of fried tofu. With our bellies filled we get to relax upstairs on the &#34;sun deck&#34;- not that there is any sun , and it is pretty chilly too. We cruise through the &#34;Bay of the Descending Dragon&#34; which is what Halong bay means in Vietnamese. So we have seen many spectacular limestone karsts in Thailand, but in Halong Bay these are so much more spectacular. The tiny islands are dotted around the bay, with beaches and grottoes created by wind and waves, and have sparse forests on many of them too. So beyond the breath-taking vista, we stop off to explore a cave-The second largest in Halong, some of it is beautifully illuminated. It is a huge empty space filled with stalagmites and stalactites; it's fantastic as we follow our informative guide. The Cave was found by a fisherman trying to catch a monkey for his dinner and stumbled across the hole only in 1993. Jade and I are taking many pictures. Leaving the cave at the top we are hit with aerial views of the bay, seeing the junk boats that fill the harbour… it is just breath taking. Our boat is now on the move again, making tracks through these limestone monolithic islands. I could only imagine what it would be like to be sunny … Oh wait a minute just as we pull up to the floating village Jade seems to have brought some Baxter magic with her again! We cannot believe our luck, now the sun has come out to play you can see just how far these tiny islands stretch into the distance. It is really a special Valentine's Day, Kayaking is the next part of our tour. Jade is a little bit nervous about this part of our adventure, but after some stern reassurance she boards the Kayak with me and absolutely loves it. The sun is shining, it is really warm, we just cannot believe it, Jade has taken to kayaking like a duck to water! We paddle around the huge karsts and they are towering over us both. I find a cliff overhang and paddle under it, but Jade didn't like this part one bit and screamed until I moved us away! The silence. The sun. Not being able to see anyone else for miles. It gave us goose bumps!! My silly mungus seems to be doing more photography than paddling of the kayak , Its ok, I guess I'll be the gondolier on our little valentines love boat ! What an experience for us both so special. Our junk is now creeping through the bay, en route to Cat Ba Island. The sun is setting over the huge mountainous islands and it is just amazing. What a perfect end to a perfect Valentine's Day!<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fc/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Halong+Bay%2C+Vietnam&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fdomjade%2Fblog%2Fvietnam%2Fhalong-bay" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Halong+Bay%2C+Vietnam&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fdomjade%2Fblog%2Fvietnam%2Fhalong-bay" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTdomjade_3http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fb/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cglobe2see0Cblog0Cindonesia0Cbali/story01.htmBlog day 74/75/76 - 18th/19th/20th February 2012 (Bali) You know when you are in luxury accommodation when they have a &#34;fitness centre&#34;. Such a dream to workout in air conditioning and there is equipment, such a difference to the last couple of weeks. This is always closely followed up by glutinous (is that a word) eating at the all you can eat buffet breakfast. First time I have found protein for breakfast instead of white bread, cereal, milk, coffee and jam. Heaven. Our days are filled with sun, swim, reading, pool (dad is such a hustler, should take him to Vegas - 70 year old man and innocent young girl take huge payout - no one would see us coming!!!), table tennis (winner still to be determined), aqua gym, stretching, coconut palm hat making (yes u read right), egg painting (therapeutic), flower arranging (uha), Balanese dancing, movies, more eating and COCKTAIL HAPPY HOUR. What more could you ask for. Oh yes, steak for dinner and wi-fi access. Pictures to follow. Still to do: Massage Facial Massage Pedicure Massage Hair cut Massage Manicure Massage More cocktails Eating Massage and shopping, before I hit Oz (apparently super, super expensive as is NZ and the states).<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1ccf94fb/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Bali%2C+Indonesia&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fglobe2see%2Fblog%2Findonesia%2Fbali" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Bali%2C+Indonesia&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fglobe2see%2Fblog%2Findonesia%2Fbali" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTglobe2see_2http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87799/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Ckateandalan0Cblog0Cnew0Ezealand0Cwhangarei/story01.htmHello Everyone! Its been along time since we wrote on here...I guess we have been busy living and working. To quickly fill you in we had a lovely day at Shirely and Ians Hawaiian themed BBQ on Christmas day and then a very lively night at the dance party at Matamata for New Years with a few friends we have made along the way. Since then we have spent a few weekends at the beach, on a boat, at the rugby or up some kind of mountain and a few weekends planning for the real adventure. Our current plans are fiji for a week in june, then to travel the rest of New Zealand for a few weeks then spend some time in Queenstown for the Ski Season. We will then head over to Sydney for a few days then head back via Dubai for a night or two. We are finding there are some major differences over here but its really interesting to experience another culture. Where we are is also very very humid, which we are not so used to and when its sunny it is very very hot!!!! We will continue to upload new photos and promise to write again soon!!! Kate &#38; Alan<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87799/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Whangarei%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fkateandalan%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fwhangarei" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Whangarei%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fkateandalan%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fwhangarei" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTkateandalan_8http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87798/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cashandindia0Cblog0Cbrazil0Cparaty/story01.htmHi ladies and gents Having left Ilha Grande we caught the ferry back to the mainland and got on to some dodgy, hot and sweaty bus for 2 hours to a colonial beach town called Pararty (India is officially a sleeping ninja and literally sleeps EVERYTIME we get onto some sort of public transport!!) Its Carnival all over the country now so as you can imgaine everything is pretty crazy and everyone is in high spirits. We have jumped straight on the bandwagon and have been partying in full force since we arrived here on Friday. Yesterday we had one of the best days ever, words can not describe but we can try - imagine lots and lots and more mud!! Soft, non-smelly, thick paste like mud! The 2 of us along with about 1000 Brazilians spent about 2 hours wallowing like pigs in s*** - literally! The day turned into a mini festival on the banks of the beach with live bands and four hours of constant dancing covered in the mud. At about 7pm, the mud covered locals (and us) paraded through the town chanting ´Uga Uga Ha Ha´ like some weird tribe from Tonga (according to Miss Blake). It was a very interesting but amazing experience to say the least! The last two evenings we have spent at street parties, dancing to Samba and joining in the festivities with all the local people who are so friendly.We have made some really nice friends at our hostel too who are from all over the world. The weather has been incredible and today got up to 36 degrees!! Tomorrow we are going on an organised Jeep trip to see some and swim at some of the towns surrounding waterfalls and to visit some local distillaries which we are both looking forward to. Hope you are all well and sending lots of love A &#38; I xxx PS. We have just tried to put up some photos but apparently the internet connnection is not strong enough so we will keep trying and hopefully have them up in the next couple days.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87798/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Paraty%2C+Brazil&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fashandindia%2Fblog%2Fbrazil%2Fparaty" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Paraty%2C+Brazil&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fashandindia%2Fblog%2Fbrazil%2Fparaty" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTashandindia_7http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87797/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Czowiep0Cblog0Cnew0Ezealand0Ckaiteriteri0Eto0Equeenstown/story01.htmSo got to the ferry and set off at half 8 for the 3 hour trip to the South island.Arrived in Picton and got onto our new bus.Our old driver Grumpy Pete didn't come over with us so we met our new driver Guy.Soon discovered that we were now on the party bus!!!!He has certain rules on the bus, including the last two people on the bus get handcuffed together!Also the words that, mine, flip flop and thong (they call them jandals here) are banned, and the fine in 10 push ups or sit ups! Stopped one night at Kaiteriteri in the Abel Tasman national park, nice scenery although we didn't do very much except have a well needed early night.Monday we set off for Westport, a small town on the west coast.On this evening we did a 3 legged pub crawl!Except there were way more girls than boys so some guys had to be strapped to 2 girls.I was with one of those unfortunate guys!!Poor Alex had me one side and Harriet the other, he had very sore ankles by the end!Tom got very lucky and was only attached to one girl and they marched on past us all shouting 1, 2, 1, 2, in Danish! Tuesday we left Westport and our first stop was Tauranga Bay, where we saw some seals, including baby ones aww!Stopped off in Greymouth for lunch and then went onto Lake Mahinapua which was our stop for the night.We stayed at a very old school pub owned by an 84 year old man, where we had a steak dinner and then a fancy dress valentines party, we were a bit boring and didn't dress up but it was still good fun. Wednesday morning Tom and I got up and went to see the Lake before we had to leave, very beautiful like a lot of the scenery in New Zealand.Our first stop was the Bushman's centre, a little museum where they show how the people made a living before all the tourism, deer hunting.Basically by jumping out of a low flying helicopter onto the deers back!!!They showed us quite a crazy video of this!In the afternoon we arrived in the town of Franz Josef, apparently called this because it was discovered by an Austrian who decided to name it after his emperor at the time.Before tea we tried out the glacier hot pools, not quite as amazing as you imagine (Tom had visions of sitting up on the glacier in a natural hot pool!Its more like just 3 swimming pools but hotter!One 36 degrees, one 38 and one 40.The 40 was a bit much for us and we didn't last long in that one! Thursday we set off to hike up the glacier!I was quite prepared for this after the mountain crossing we did, but also quite relieved that it wasn't actually as difficult!We had to walk 2km to the start of the glacier, it used to come a lot further down but at the moment its receding.Here we got given crampons to walk on the ice more easily.We had a really good day for it as the sun was out so it wasn't too cold. Tom spent the whole day with his trousers rolled up!On the way up we got to go into some ice caves which were really cool inside.Altogether we spent about 6 hours on the ice and another 2 hours walking there and back.Yet another amazing thing to do in New Zealand!In the evening we met back up with our pal Ruth and they both entered the air pong tournament in the bar, this involves a ping pong ball and two hair dryers!Well Tom managed to win and Ruth came second!It worked out well for all of us as Tom won a canyoning trip and Ruth won a 2for1 jet boat ride so I get to do that with her while Tom does his canyoning! Friday we headed to Lake Wanaka, on the way stopping to see Lake Matheson with Mount Cook in the back ground.It was lovely but a little disappointing as it was cloudy and on a clear day there is a perfect reflection of the mountain in the lake.We just had to buy a postcard of it instead!Wanaka is so beautiful and our bus driver organised a cheese and wine evening by the lake which was great! Yesterday morning we left Wanaka, destination Queenstown!Everyone on the bus very excited!Not sure if it was the excitement or what but when we stopped half an hour outside Queenstown at the first ever bungy jump site, I suddenly decided I should do one!!!!!I have never had this thought before its always been a NO WAY so I really don't know what happened to me, crazy 5 minutes!Not brave enough to do it on my own, Tom and I did a tandem jump.When we got up on the bridge and some man started tying my feet up I started to panic big time!We shuffled up to the edge and I was holding onto the rail for dear life, shouting 'no, I'm not doing it anymore!' quite a few times!Somehow the man persuaded me to let go of the rail and hold onto Tom instead!He was so brave and just went for it, and I had no choice but to go too, screaming all the way down!!!!The actual feeling of falling was really amazing, its just the fact of having to throw yourself off that I couldn't handle!Well you'd think that would be enough for one day, or lifetime, but no, 5.30pm we were up on another platform looking down 109 metres to the Shotover River in Queenstown.This one is called a canyon swing so I thought it wouldn't be so scary. However, it still had a 60 metre free fall before you go into a swing so it really jusy as bad as a bungy!I insisted on another tandem and for some crazy reason we decided to do this one backwards!Being pushed off by some stranger and not being able to see where your going is SO scary! That really is enough for me!Tom is so brave, or mad, and is doing another jump as I'm writing this.Hes going big and doing the Nevis bungy, 134 metres (compared to 43 yesterday!) I'm almost nervouse for him aaahhhhhhh!!!<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87797/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Kaiteriteri+to+Queenstown%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fzowiep%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fkaiteriteri-to-queenstown" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Kaiteriteri+to+Queenstown%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fzowiep%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fkaiteriteri-to-queenstown" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTzowiep_6http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87796/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cduckworthplc0Cblog0Cqueensland0Cnoosa/story01.htmAustralia Part II - 'Still down under'! Bed Count = 40 - 47 Here we go again with the second instalment of our Australian experience.If you haven't read the first Australian blog instalment ('Australia Part I -Finally down under')…shame on you!Only joking, but this follow on might make a bit more sense after reading the first one, but if utter confusion floats your boat then feel free to just read on! Last time out we left with smoking tyres to speed away from our interesting B&#38;B experience in the hinterland!We continued north through some country scenery, before feeling the brunt of the Brisbane traffic on the outskirts of the city. We decided to make an impromptu stop at the town of 'Buderim' for a surprise cup of tea with Melissa's Uncle and Aunt, Doug and Di.There was also a bit of method to the madness, as I had been working covertly with Melissa's cousin and partner (Sarah &#38; Mark) + uncle and aunt (Doug &#38; Di) to arrange a birthday surprise for Melissa later that month.Unbeknown to Melissa, we stopped 'randomly' at the 'Hungry Feel' café for a spot of lunch.This allowed me to quickly meet the owner whilst Melissa popped out to the car…I love secrets!After a good old chin wag with Doug and Di and a spot of cricket with Lewis and Jay (Sarah &#38; Mark's boys) we hit the road north to 'Noosaville'.Broadly speaking 'Noosa' is a great place to chill out in the presence of good eateries and shopping.However there is actually no such place as 'Noosa'!Instead it's made of various areas each using the Noosa name (e.g. Noosa Heads, Noosa Junction, etc…) but they all have a certain appeal.We had opted for a holiday apartment in 'Noosaville' this time and were pleasantly surprised by our clean and spacious abode after check-in.The evening was drawing to a close, so we decided to take a stroll along the promenade to investigate some of the bars.However as we walked along 'Gympie Terrace' the noise began to escalate and then quickly became unbearable.What the hell was all this commotion about?! It turns out that as the sun drops, every parrot in Australia descends to roost in the palm trees along this very terrace.I kid you not, it's like a scene out of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' and you really don't want to be the poor sole who catches a face full after the communal toilet break!Partially deaf by squawking, we returned back and settled in for the night. The next day, we did what all good Australians seem to do and hit the café for a coffee!However there was good reason, as we met up with Sarah and the boys and Mark joined us later on.We also spent the afternoon with Doug and Di at the Buderim Ginger Factory.Buderim is most famous for its ginger production, although the factory and distribution is at nearby Yandina which now supplies the bulk of the world's ginger!It was a pleasant afternoon, and we took the 'ginger train' around the facilities and perused the shop that sold every possible item that could be conceivably made with ginger! We returned to our apartment in Noosaville and utilised a good internet connection over the next few days to get caught up on the blog and book some internal flights for our onward travel.It was nice to relax again, although we did encounter a bout of stress upon ordering a pizza one evening.The takeaway menu that advertised 'delivery' was clearly outdated when we found out that it was 'pick-up' only.We ventured out in the pouring rain with a rough route to the destination.Both hungry, tired and frustrated, we made a host of wrong turns to eventually find the place which had near zero parking access for the alleged 'pick-up'.There was however two free 'disabled' spaces nearby and so Melissa pulled up into one of these, promptly putting on the hazard lights to show we weren't stopping. I hot footed inside to 'have it out' with the intellectually challenged server.When I returned, I caught a glimpse of angry wife screeching away and another car pulling into the space.After waiting for a few minutes my taxi returned, but the driver was obviously cheesed off.Melissa had just had a standoff with a disabled chap who had pulled up alongside and produced his card in some sort of top trump moment to stake a claim to the space.It would appear that the other free space behind was not to his liking and he wasn't going anywhere until Melissa vacated.I'm not going to take sides on who was wrong or right here, but all I knew was that I now had scolding hot pizza dangerously close to my leg and an angry wife who was now driving with the potential to inflict third degree burns to my manhood!However, it turns out that it was not the molten cheese that I needed to be worried about, but rather the pot of balsamic dressing they had thrown in with a side salad I didn't even order!Still hungry, frustrated by a multitude of events and lost again, our tempers were frayed and my T-shirt forever stained with salad dressing.We ate well that evening, but somehow the ambiance was lacking! After three days of mostly relaxing, we hit the road again towards Brisbane airport for an internal flight to the Whitsundays (more on that later!).However, we made a day of it by stopping at Steve Irwin's (Steevo's) world famous 'Australia Zoo'.Most men will be able to relate that it felt like losing a left testicule the day they announced Steve Irwin's death by a stingray barb to the chest.Simply put, the 'crocodile hunter' was a legend and we can only wish that he was still around today.However his legend certainly lives on at the zoo and his family have done a fine job of maintaining the place which is truly an enjoyable experience.We had the weather with us and it was a 'scorcher', with the potential burn time being only minutes in direct sunlight!Slightly hot and bothered we raced over to the 'Crocoseaum' for the 'feeding of the crocodiles'. This a coliseum like stadium, where the salt water crocodiles are led out and the keepers show just how quick they can strike from the water.It was a good show and I would certainly recommend, but they also had many other events during the day.The 'Koala corner' was a favourite of Melissa's as she got to pat one of the furry critters on the ass! Feeding the kangaroos was also a highlight, along with seeing the tigers further out in the zoo.Basically, it was a great experience and well worth the money, so make sure you do this one if you're in the area!We continued to a pre-booked airport hotel and got an early night ready for the next leg of our trip the following day. After an early start we boarded the plane bound for Proserpine airport near the Whitsunday Islands.After a short flight up the East coast, we got a connecting bus to Airlie Beach and settled into our hotel/motel.Whilst basic, it was cheap, clean and in a great location.We spent the afternoon walking round the town and surviving a torrential rainstorm.We also booked onto two separate cruises for the next few days in the area.The next day we embarked on the first of our trips, which was a day cruise to the nearby 'Hamilton Island' resort and the Whitehaven Beach.After a short and picturesque boat ride, we arrived at Hamilton Island.We had a couple of hours there, so we did what most people do…hire a golf buggy!In the most part, cars are banned around the island's roads so everyone gets around on golf carts!It was really good fun and we got around most of the island, admiring the stunning views, eating cherries and dreaming of one day owning one of the multi million pound houses!After this, the boat trip continued northwards to our next stop at the extremely picturesque 'Whitehaven Beach'.This is a white sandy beach with a difference as the sand is near pure silica (~99% quartz).A sample from the beach was actually used to make the lens of the Hubble telescope…Specsavers don't get a look in here!The sand is so fine that it actually does a pretty good exfoliating job and will bring any dreary jewellery to a sparking sensation…my wedding ring looks new again!After the main boat docked several hundred meters from the beach, the 'transporter' boat was used to ferry us to paradise.This involved cramming everyone possible onto a makeshift boat with a comedy step/ladder on the front.The first dilemma of the trip was to rescue the captain's hat which flew off into the sea after we reached a mere 2 knots!Lots of long pole prodding, interesting balancing acts and some unnecessary commentary from the Chinese contingency on board, the soggy hat was back on the skipper's head and it was full steam ahead.Once we landed on the beach and survived the panicked exodus, we stopped to admire the unbelievable view.This was closely followed by acknowledging the unbelievable heat and the fact that we were in 'paradise' without any shade for the next 3 hours!Preferring not to return in a shade of beetroot, we pleaded with the crew to give up a family tent, as there were a few going spare.These 'sun shades' are all the rage in Australia and it's basically a 'pop-up' tent.You know, the ones where you throw it up in the air to transform into a tent, only for a well-timed gust of wind to take it up into the jet stream!With the danger of a slight breeze in the air, I made land based construction which immediately tested my patience in the midday heat.To add further annoyance, I couldn't find any tent pegs to secure the structure to the ground?It so turns out that you actually use the beach as pegs and fill some flimsy pockets up with as much sand as you can muster.This results in a less than satisfactory structure that still struggles with a light breeze, although it does provide some more than welcome shade.It was from thereon in that we took refuge in our tent, only to be practically cooked alive as it acted as part shade/part oven.As we cast a sweaty gaze out to the pristine sandy beach, Melissa proclaimed that 'we were in paradise', upon which I promptly replied 'it's more like a living hell for me'!!!We did find time for quick splash in the sea, although a full submersion was out of the question, due to the very high threat of jellyfish or 'stringers' in the area.There was an alternative option (which the Chinese contingent took up much to my amusement) and that was to wear a full 'stinger suit'.I'm going to describe this outfit in more detail later on, but try to imagine a giant male prophylactic and you're getting close!So after 3h in the raging heat we returned back to the main ship and set sail back to our hotel in Airlie Beach. Now our Whitsunday Island adventures were far from finished, in fact they had only just begun!Not content with practically roasting to death on Whitehaven Beach, we had booked a two day sailing cruise (1 night) to return back there!Our vessel was called the 'Waltzing Matilda' and both the skipper and deckhand were good value from the start.As we set sail the next morning and spoke to the other crew members, I had a good feeling that this trip was going to be fun.The only negative is that Melissa has recently discovered that she suffers with a bit of motion sickness.Therefore a rocking boat across the choppy Whitsunday seas had the threat to evoke a bit of sea sickness.However, as we set off on a beautiful morning, our spirits were high and we were truly relaxed as we sailed effortlessly through some quite amazing scenery.Check out the pictures, but this trip was most definitely a highlight of the whole tour for me.Some first day highlights involved an island walk to get picture postcard views, wading through the waters with baby nurse sharks and body surfing.The latter involved us having to wear the comical 'stinger suits'!The waters around the island are teeming with many nasty jelly fish and a select few can kill or at least hospitalise you for a good few days.Therefore by dressing up like a giant condom, it really is safety first!Check out the inventive star fish jumps to test the lycra suits and I challenge you not to laugh! The meals on the boat were pretty top notch and there was also an abundance of alcohol!As we dropped anchor for the evening, we all gathered round on deck to chat and reminisce under the stars, life was starting to feel pretty good.When it came to bedding down for the night, the room was certainly restrictive but quite calm.This was until I woke at around 2am after a bad dream and I was convinced I had been buried alive...let's just say it's a little claustrophobic down there!When the engines started early the next morning, I must say I was relieved, but as the boat started to rock Melissa's sea sickness set in pretty rapidly.Without a thought, she shot upstairs and sat at the back of the boat taking in the morning air in her fancy pair of pyjamas!Street cred goes out of the window in such emergencies and after a bit of controlled breathing, the sea sickness was averted. During the day we managed to spot some friendly dolphins, sea cows (Dugong) and sea turtles from the deck.We also had chance to snorkel the impressive area around Hayman Island.The fish were plentiful here and reef is in good order and this was a really good snorkel.However, this was not the highlight here…far from it!That was down to Melissa, when she signalled to be picked up from the dinghy boat and swam over to climb on board.I have to admit that I had weighed up the potential for a comedy situation, but felt pretty powerless to stop it!Basically without the aid of a ladder, the entry into the dinghy was relatively high and this would involve some serious upper body strength to clamber on board.Undeterred by the obstacles Melissa set out to try to enter the vessel, only to engage in a ten minute ordeal that involved a lot of pulling/pushing/screaming and her flaying her legs wildly, whist protruding her posterior airborne!Eventually she entered face first and returned to the main ship to lick her wounds!Deciding a bit of space was required; I decided to snorkel for a bit longer, which proved to be a good move.Towards the end, we spotted a large turtle hiding underneath a rock.After a bit of persuasion he moved to the surface, which allowed me to literally swim along with him….quite remarkable and a moment I will remember for a long time.Eventually we all returned to ship and sailed onto the next destination.This was another snorkelling spot, but it didn't live up to the first location, as the reef was pretty damaged.I also managed to get stung through a small hole in my stinger suit, which provided a bit of a fright.Luckily it wasn't a bad jelly fish and after a bit of vinegar, I was back on form!After this we sailed back to Airlie Beach and took in some amazing views along the way.I really enjoyed my time aboard Waltzing Matilda and we also met some great people.Two in particular (James and Suki), we would meet again for New Year's Eve (more on that later).After returning to dry land, we all had our 'sea legs' for some time after which basically meant that you continue to sway back and forward in the shower, even though things are fixed down!We also came by a bit of good fortune, as the friendly receptionist ungraded us to their honeymoon suite!As far as I could work out this basically meant the exact same room as before, with the addition of a sofa, however the gesture was well received!We ended the evening by having a tasty pizza with Suki and James at the nearby 'Mr Bones' restaurant and then on for a few drinks with the other crew members…good times! The next day, we took a bus back to the airport and flew back down to Brisbane.We then took a Greyhound bus to Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast), where Sarah and Mark kindly picked us up.After a bit of a tour around the area, we returned to their house in Buderim to enjoy an afternoon tea with Doug, Di and the boys, Jay and Lewis.After a good old catch-up, Mark and Sarah very kindly lent us their car for the next few days and I repaid the favour by demonstrating my inability to find reverse gear!After a bit of bad clutch control we were on the road again to stay in Noosa Heads for the next three day's rest and relaxation.This pipe dream was immediately shattered when Melissa checked into our posh apartments a little later than we anticipated.To say the woman was rude is a gross understatement and this served to make me most angry as a result.However, on the positive side the apartment was very nice and had a few more luxuries than our 'honeymoon suite' in Airlie!The next day, we managed to chill out a bit and spent the day relaxing in the coffee shops and finally finding some time for a spot of Christmas shopping!We also booked a day trip to 'Fraser Island' which is a 'must do' on the tourist circuit. When the alarm went off at 5am the next morning,I was unsure whether the experience would warrant my lack of sleep but when the 4x4 drive truck pulled up, we knew it was going to be a good day.We played the 'travel sickness card', which ensured us front seats (with the driver) and the best views in the house.After a bit of road driving, we veered off onto the beach and that's where we remained for the majority of the trip!There is some stunning scenery along the way and our first stop at the 'rainbow rocks' solidified this.After a coffee and a slice of homemade 'Lamington' (chocolate and coconut delicacy) we were back on the road (beach) towards Fraser Island.After a short ferry ride we made it to the island and after a short drive we spotted our first wild Dingo!It looked like an Australian 'Yorkshire Whippet' and in serious need of a good feed, but quite remarkable to see one up close and personal.We stopped at a few river tributes and then at the ship wreck of the 'Maheno'.This ship has quite a long history, that I don't have time to recount, but it basically finished it days by washing ashore Fraser Island.It is quite badly corroded now, but it's still impressive to see.After this we headed inland through the forest and very rough terrain to the pristine 'Lake McKenzie'.It was pretty refreshing temperature wise, but the water was azure blue, crystal clear and extremely pure.So pure in fact, that you couldn't survive on drinking it as it lacks the minerals! After a delicious BBQ lunch under the watchful eyes of the local Dingo's, we drove back out and found time to stop for a rainforest walk.After this, it was a race against time to beat the tide and catch the ferry home; otherwise it would be a night on the beach!The tides on Fraser Island can be a bit unpredictable and many a vehicle has been lost to the sea.Therefore, I'm glad that we had an experienced driver navigating the way back, although he wasn't holding back on the throttle!After the ferry ride back and a long drive, we returned back to our hotel tired but content with the day's events.The next few days were spent recovering and an evening watching the twenty/twenty cricket at the 'Gabba' ground in Brisbane.This was an opportunity to see Shane Warne in action, after he nearly burnt his hand off in the Australian version of Masterchef!His celebrity girlfriend, Liz Hurley was also in attendance and the camera crew did a good job of zooming in on her at every opportunity!The next day we checked out of the apartment, but we did find time for a lovely walk around the Noosa headland that provided some outstanding views.That evening we drove back to Buderim and checked into Sarah and Mark's for the next few weeks. Melissa was also starting to get a little excited as tomorrow would be a special day for her! The alarm went off the next day and after a birthday Skype with her parents, Melissa was handed her itinerary for the day's events of her 30th birthday!Through significant planning and stealth coordination, the day's events were ready and waiting, although Melissa was blissfully unaware.The initial activity was unveiled over breakfast, as Melissa found out that she would be going surfing! Sarah and Mark had kindly paid for a 1 on 1 surfing lesson, which would be an Australian present to remember!Whilst excited, it's probably fair to say that Melissa was a little nervous, as a previous surfing lesson in Hawaii was nothing short of disaster!However after donning her swim attire, we all headed down to the beach to meet the instructor, Catherine, (a friend of Sarah's).Melissa was instantly put to work by waxing up her board and then going through some drills on the beach.Soon after she was in the sea and living the dream!I think she actually surprised herself and despite some rough seas towards the end, she managed to catch a wave all the way back in!Despite a few scraped knees the whole event was a success and we returned back with some good memories.During the week we were staying at Sarah and Mark's, Doug and Di had kindly 'moved out' and were renting an apartment in nearby Mooloolaba and we all popped round for lunch. Melissa was presented a homemade birthday cake (courtesy of Mark's cooking) and after a 'happy birthday' rendition and plenty more cards/presents there were smiles aplenty!After spending some time chilling out, we returned back to Buderim to get ready for a relaxing meal later that evening.However before the meal, I granted Melissa access to a secret Facebook site where all her friends had posted birthday messages and videos.After some tears at viewing the lovely messages, we headed out for a meal with Sarah and Mark.However, as we entered the local 'Hungry Feel' restaurant, Melissa was faced with many smiling faces all wishing her happy birthday and the final surprise was unveiled!Several of Sarah and Mark's friends + family had made the effort to come down and celebrate this special day with her.After some great food, drinks and presents Melissa returned home with memories of a 30th birthday that she won't forget! The next day, Sarah took us all on a tour around the surrounding villages of Maleny and Montville. The views are apparently stunning down the valley, but unfortunately the weather was against us that day and all we could see was mist.However, the rain didn't deter us from gracing just about every shop in the area and we even found time for a 'funky pie' in a quaint little vegetarian café.To be honest, the only thing that was funky was the service but the pie wasn't all that bad!On the way back, we also stopped at the world famous 'giant pineapple' which stands proud just outside of Buderim.Although tired these days, it is still an impressive sight although its true use is still somewhat undefined! That evening we stopped over at Doug and Di's apartment and I found time to tune a guitar that Doug had purchased some time back.This rekindled my passion for playing and soon enough after a few wines we found ourselves in a little singsong!Apart from writing the blog, I also enjoy making up a few jingles from time to time and I made some songs up about the boys, Jay and Lewis.What initially began as a rough and ready jingle, turned into a full orchestral song with everyone joining in, me on guitar, Melissa singing and Doug playing a bit of cameo on his harmonica!The next day the rain continued to pour, but we kept with the plans to visit the famous 'Eumundi markets', which includes lots of local stalls selling just about everything.Despite the weather, it was well worth a look around and the local musical artists kept us entertained with their music and a bizarre love triangle involving the husband, wife and a celebrity singer!Then it was back to Sarah's again to head to bed ready for Christmas day! I must admit, it's a strange feeling celebrating Christmas in the midday heat, although Mark made a pretty good effort of making the day a traditional affair.This basically involved continuous eating, drinking and general merriment throughout!The breakfast was a day's meal in itself, but the full roast dinner that followed later was outstanding.It was great to spend the day with family and newfound friends that also visited.The boys got more than their fair share of presents and we all somehow ended up with a new pair of underpants (it's usually socks in the UK!).Jay made the most of his new present by parading up and down the living room reliving a scene out of the 'Full Monty'! It was great day and in true Australian fashion, we even managed a game of cricket in the back garden. The celebrations continued on Boxing Day - we had morning tea at Linda's and found time for another rendition of the famous songs on the guitar!After this we visited more extended family (Geoff and Kay) and had a relaxing afternoon with more overindulgence.The final day we hit the Mooloolaba beach, so the boys could try out their new presents….body (or boogie) boards!The swell was pretty high that day, so I thought I would catch a few waves myself.After missing one wave, I made the sorry mistake of catching the monster wave that followed and found myself washed ashore on my behind! Melissa was enjoying a bit of sunbathing, so I helped Jay build a sand fort, that he decided needed to withstand the fierce waves.Our efforts were close becoming futile, until the cavalry turned up and Doug offered a hand.Despite a pre-warning that the waves were pretty strong he threw caution to the wind and wearing his best cowboy hat turned his back to the elements.This turned out to be a bad choice as the next wave practically washed him up on the road and it's a miracle that the cowboy hat didn't bid a watery grave that day!After the sea, we spent the afternoon back at Doug and Di's apartment and enjoyed the swimming pool with the boys. The next day we awoke to the realisation that we would once again be moving on.It was with deep regret that we left everyone, but we carried nothing but fond memories of our Christmas time in Australia.Next stop Sydney and New Year's Eve, but that's just going to have to wait until the next (and final) Australian instalment…….<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87796/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Noosa%2C+Queensland&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fduckworthplc%2Fblog%2Fqueensland%2Fnoosa" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Noosa%2C+Queensland&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fduckworthplc%2Fblog%2Fqueensland%2Fnoosa" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTduckworthplc_5http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87795/l/0L0Sstatravelblogs0N0Cjohn910Cblog0Cnew0Ezealand0Cchristchurch/story01.htmNext stage New Zealand! but firs i would like to mention some facts about my time in Australia. All in all I've been there 5weeks traveled about 4000km mostly by hitchhiking and stayed With 10different couchsurfing hosts and about 5 nights in hostels and made countless experiences. So I'm absolutely pleased With the result of the first challenge .However my last host was not very nice and to be honest quite strange but that's also part of travelling and in the end just another experience to add. Anyway, my stay in Cairns was crowned by two incidents. Firstly, i met a guy from Birmingham UK which has become my second home since I've been there when i was 16. We had an awesome chat and saved us from getting homesick by talking about our homes. Secondly, i went snorkeling in the great barrier reef on the shores of Green Island. This was Amazing as it was poring down and i was alone in the water,swimming With fish and Stingrays. Nevertheless time was up and i had to make my way to the airport to catch my flight to christchurch via brisbane. This turned out to be a hassle cause there are no public busses going to d airport so i had to take a taxi for the first time since travelling. Arrival at Christchurch. i got there at 12pm so I decided to sleep at the airport for the first night. After an interesting night i got up and explored the city. As a matter of fact, i didn't find a host so the main thing to do was finding accommodation. The feeling i had when i got into town is quite hard to describe. The earthquake in February left a heavily damaged city 180 people died and u can still feel that. The centre is still closed and the people set up a few shops in big containers. However i met a really nice woman who offered me to leave my Big bag at her place and grab it later in the day. Then i was hoping for another wonder specifically finding someone who can host me for a night as the hostels were either kaputt or full. Suddenly when i was standing on the road looking on my map a man asked me if he can help and finally he invited my to his house. This was just Amazing at first but it turned out to be the opposite.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/321/f/7277/s/1cc87795/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Christchurch%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fjohn91%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fchristchurch" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Christchurch%2C+New+Zealand&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.statravelblogs.com%2Fjohn91%2Fblog%2Fnew-zealand%2Fchristchurch" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMTjohn91_4