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 here?? Before I get onto the highlights of my trip, I thought I would just mention a few of the creature comforts that I'm really appreciating or noticing now I'm back at home and off the [View Full Entry]

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Before I start this blog, just to explain that I am doing a bit of 'blog-catch-up' 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 away from the gorgeous Caribbean Coast, we first headed down to the adventure capital of Colombia, San Gil. We stayed at a great hostel, run of course [View Full Entry]

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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 stamp ... so not wanting to get on the wrong side of the Colombian police, we waited for a few hours sorting out a stamp in the passport. Chilling [View Full Entry]

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It seems that crossing over to Panama is nearly impossible by land (and very very dangerous) due to a giant patch of jungle known as the Darien gap...so to cross over to South America you have to either fly, or take a boat. With time not being too much of a constraint, the 6 days and 5 nights on a boat seemed not only the most adventurous mode of transport but it also allowed us to enjoy 3 heavenly days in the island paradise known as the San Blas archipelago. So finally, on a Monday afternoon, after a full day of [View Full Entry]

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Well, as I see it, there are just two things to do in Panama city... firstly to see the world famous canal, and secondly to shop 'til you drop ... I was just amazed at the size and number of shopping malls in Panama city, it really was like being the States, and it would have been rude not to at least have a peek inside a few shops! What also blew me away about Panama was the skyline, it is just full of skyscrapers and massive buildings and reminded me a little of Sydney, especially as it was complete with [View Full Entry]

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I know this has been a VERY long time coming but here is the next instalment of my travel blog ... lo siento pero ahora no tengo tiempo para escribir en español pero espero que pueda escribirlo temprano. So, with great reluctance, I knew it was finally time to leave the cosy Costa Rican beach where I had been surfing for the previous month, and being so close (or so I thought) to Nicaragua I thought I should head north and check it out. Late night border crossings ... never again! My first adventure in Nicaragua would have to be the [View Full Entry]

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Well ... I apologise as I know it´s been a long time between blogs, but I can only blame it on my new love for surfing!! Surfers will tell you that it´s a very dangerous sport to start, as once you try it, it´s just so damn addictive that it´s difficult to stop! So, this therefore explains why I´ve been ´stuck´ in some gorgeous little surfing spots on the pacific coast of Costa Rica for the last month or so. As you can imagine, my last few weeks are a far cry from the episode with the wild pigs from [View Full Entry]

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Well ... hello again ... this time coming to you from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica where I am currently trying to improve my surfing ability! But first I must mention the first place that we visited on the pacific coast called the Osa Peninsula in the far south east of Costa Rica which is home to the Corcovado National Park and a spectacular, but challenging, 3 day walk where we really had a chance to bond with mother nature. This walk was definitely one of the ´remotest´ things i´ve done in my life and for example, on day 2 [View Full Entry]

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[url='/Videos/2904.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2904.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'] Me on the tarzan swing Well ... as a slight diversion from South America, in search of sun, surf (and the odd rainy season!) I have now headed back up to Central America and am currently making my way along the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica and Panama. I have been travelling again with Pete who I met at school in Guatemala and over the last 3 weeks, we've made our way from the capital, San Jose right along the Caribbean Coast and have just crossed the border into Bocas del Toro in Pan [View Full Entry]

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Well, I know that I signed off my last blog as though I'd exited Bolivia, but I have to make a short entry about our final day in Bolivia, where Lizzy and I embraced the challenge of climbing to 5,400 metres and reaching the summit of Austria Peak. We were advised that this was a hard day of trekking, although I think we thought that with all the walking we'd been doing, we'd be fine. However when our guide Julia stopped the car and pointed out a snow capped mountain lingering well into the distance ... Lizzy and I started [View Full Entry]

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