http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Bega/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Bega en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:42:35 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:42:35 BST Well here we are again ... time has gotten away on me and I haven't got this blog out for quite a while However it might be getting a little repetitive as the first thing I have to report is yet another trip to Buenos Aires and also to Delhi so it's a slight case of deja vuBack to Buenos AiresWell it was with great pleasure that I appeased work by traveling back out to Buenos Aires for anoth http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-279765.html Well I originally held off publishing this next blog until I had enough new material but it now turns out I have more than enough In the past month I've been travelling a lot for work including going to Delhi for 3 nights New York for 1 night Buenos Aires for 2 nights and then for pleasure rather than work to Scotland for 3 nights .... so lots of places but all very quickly Despite the ex http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-267504.html Hello everyone Well I have decided to continue with my blog now Irsquom back in London just to keep family and friends updated on what Irsquove been doing as well as share a few pictures from time to time so I hope you enjoy my first 2008 blog To continue where I left off in my lsquofinal blogrsquo from my 2007 South American adventures I arrived back in London in January and have qu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-265063.html Well the inevitable happened and of course my year in Central and South America drew to an end and I found myself heading back home to Australia to spend a week with my family over Christmas and then onto the UK hopefully ready to start work after a year of adventures abroad...It was absolutely fantastic flying into Sydney seeing the beautiful harbour and the sun trying to poke it's head throu http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Bega-Valley/blog-234340.html So ... as I mentioned at the end of my last blog Fran and Hannah recommended me a fantastic place in Chile to spend my last few days in South America. The only problem being that from where I was it was quite a distance to get there... And so it was that I spent two nights and around forty hours travelling on buses to get to Talca all in a bus with seats that barely reclined as there was nothi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Maule/Talca/blog-231070.html Well I am now into the last 10 days of my yearlong adventure it's crazy how time flies So... since the very beginning of my trip I had been looking forward to seeing the whales and their calves in Argentina during their breeding season. And finally the time came when i arrived in Puerto Madryn hoping these gigantic mammals had not yet migrated to Antartica. Oh my god the whales are a jumping http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Chubut/Valdes-Peninsula/blog-229956.html So ... finally after a very long bus ride a boat ride and two border crossings now i'm up to seven border crossings between chile and argentina ... we arrived at the southern most town in the world Ushuaia pronounced Oosh why ah. Ushuaia is situated at the bottom of the island called Tierra Del Fuego or Land of Fire in english. It was so named as the sea explorers who rounded the peni http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Tierra-del-Fuego/Ushuaia/blog-228074.html So ... it was after a day of rest in Puerto Natales after the big Wwalk that we headed across the border again this was crossing number five at this point We arrived at the town of El Calafate which is a town that is built solely on the basis of the Perito Moreno glacier that is nearby Catching up with Emma and Andrew in El Calafate It was great timing that my old flat mate from London Em http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Santa-Cruz/El-Chalten/blog-228065.html Well ... here commences one of the highlights of my trip this year the 5 day4 night trek through the national park of Torres Del Payne in the south of Chile. Why is it called the WwalkThis popular walk has been given this name as the shape of the path resembles the letter W. It takes usually 5 days and 4 nights to complete the walk with camping sites all the way along most of them free The http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Torres-del-Paine/blog-227810.html So ... in Bariloche we were trying to find out what would be the best way to cover the next long stretch of land going south from Bariloche down to Patagonia Argentina or ChileThe Argentinian road down Ruta 40 is supposed to be one of the most boring 3 day road trips in existence so we were going to try our luck down the Chilian side called the Carretera Austral. However upon arriving at the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Magallanes/Puerto-Natales/blog-227798.html Well hello everybody a long time out of action I know I am currently in the last few days of my year long adventure and am spending my time chilling out at a gorgeous hostel in the heart of the Chilean wine district and also catching up on a bit of bloggingFirst stop ... Pucon in Chile Volcanos Bikes and Hotsprings So ... after we left the wines on bikes tour of Mendoza we crossed over http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Araucania/Villarrica-Volcano/blog-227343.html I was so excited to be in Mendoza home to 70 of the countrys wine production Mendoza is a great little city not too big to feel like a city and with massive wide streets that in a way give it that small town feeling. The first day we spent exploring the town and also I discovered a great vegetarian allyoucaneat buffet ... which was a fantastic change from the meat meat and more meat on http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-218208.html So after seeing Iguazu we embraced our longest bus journey in Argentina I hope 28 hours And if it wasn't for the police checkpoints the trip would have been rather uneventful At one of the checkpoints the sniffer dog got so excited over Petes big backpack that the police got Pete off the bus and off he had to go to get his bag checked for drugs in one of the examination rooms I didn http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/blog-216593.html Well first stop on our 2 month trip around Argentina and Chile was the magnificent Iguazu Waterfalls on the border of Brazil and Argentina.We cheated slightly and flew up to Iguaz from Buenos Aires as there will already be enough 20 hour bus trips in the next two months so one less is always a bonus So we arrived in an hour and it was nice to be seeing a different part of this massive count http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-215281.html Well ... my time in Buenos Aires has sadly come to an end and although my first two weeks were amazing my time here has only got better and in the last few weeks I've been having such an great time that's it's tough to leave So ... a few things that I've been up to of late ... A day trip to UruguayDymutsja and I embarked on a day trip across the giant mouth of the river separating Argentina an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/blog-211870.html So it was in Buenos Aires that I decided to stop backpacking for a month and try to live the life of a Portea a person from buenos aires. And all I can say is that my first two weeks here have just been totally crazy or Loco as they say in SpanishI have been going to spanish classes for 3 hours a day going to the gym exploring the city and trying big emphasis on the trying to party l http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-211814.html Well after the bliss of being at home with my clothes all laid out in a wardrobe and sleeping undisturbed in a proper bed ... I once again am getting around with all my earthly belongings on my back and sleeping in a dorm room with 6 others most of whom find it necessary to rustle their plastic bags of clothing at ungodly hours of the night Yes I am back in the backpacking game My first http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-210712.html Well ... here I am home sweet home in Australia just in time for my sister Felicity's wedding I have decided to put mostly just photos of my trip in Oz as I think that sums up my trip It has been wonderful catching up with family and friends even if I was home for winter in Oz .. who said it doesn't get cold hereBefore I get onto the highlights of my trip I thought I would just mention a f http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Bega-Valley/blog-195200.html Before I start this blog just to explain that I am doing a bit of 'blogcatchup' at the moment as time got away on me and I haven't had a chance until now to get them all updated I am currently in Australia but here is my last instalment from Colombia before I arrived home in Oz. Adrenalin packed rafting expedition in San Gil... The closest i've felt to drowning So after dragging ourselves awa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/San-Gil/blog-195192.html Well .. Colombia is the first country that I've ever arrived at on a boat It would have seemed very easy to just get the dinghy to shore and then disappear without the hassle of immigration... that was until we were told that the Colombian police regularly go into bars and shops and not only do body searches but also demand to see everyone's ID and for foreigners their passport and immigration http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Cartagena/blog-194943.html