BnDxplore2006

blog by Dave Mendoza After figuring out a rough schedule for the remainder of our rapidly diminishing time, we established that our first port of call in Argentina would be Mendoza, which is Argentina's 4th largest city with 22 million inhabitants. This is a city that sits in the shadow of Aconcagua, the highest peak of the Andes range at 6960m, but yet the dry climate provides the ideal conditions for wine production all year round. In fact, Mendoza province produces 70% of the country's entire wine supply. There is an intricate irrigation system dating back to Inca times that funnels snow-melt from the Andean mountain range into the city, which enriches the production capabilities of the vineyards in what would otherwise be a very hot and barren desert land. As we arrived by bus from ... read more

blog by Dave BOLIVIA We had no idea what to expect from Bolivia. It was one of those countries that we had pencilled in to our world trip whilst looking at the map without much thought really. It made a convenient short break en route between the mountains, ruins, adventures and exertions of Peru, and the spectacular geography we would experience in southern Chile. There was a touch of the unknown about it which attracted us. Having left Puno by bus, we only had a couple of hour drive until we reached the border crossing point, or so we thought. As is fairly common in these parts an impromptu strike had closed several of the roads around Lake Titicaca, causing our driver to go 'off road' in order to avoid the barricades. The barricades where made ... read more

blog by Dave NOTE: If you want to see all the pics we've taken, you're best bet is to double click on any pic and from there you can get a slideshow through them all. Galapagos Islands When I was a little lad, I used to be obsessed by wildlife programs. So much so that my family still think I missed my calling as the next David Attenborough. On demand, I could name any animal that appeared on screen, such was my fixation with the natural world. There was one particular place that especially captivated me with its mysterious creatures found nowhere else on Earth - and this place was the Galapagos Islands, formed over millenia by volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean. You can therefore imagine my excitement as the next part of our trip ... read more

blog by Bronia... so grab a cup of tea/coffee cos you know it's going to be a long one... New York Where on earth do you begin describing a city like New York? Famed all over the world, the winter-summer-anytime-of-year destination for thousands, the "city that never sleeps", the "big apple" etc. etc. To try and describe New York would be to simply repeat the words that you've probably heard a thousand times, so I won't even attempt to as I'll end up making clichés. What I can say, is that everyone who comes here will have a different experience, as there is literally so much to do during your stay that I cannot imagine people leaving and saying they didn't enjoy it. Here's some stuff you might not know about New York that we found ... read more

blog by Bronia Please note: this site keeps changing it's format (it's not us -we promise!) so further pictures/text may sometimes be hidden - look for arrows or signs indicating 'next' to guide you. Seattle Going to Seattle signified for us being on the move again. Vancouver had been part of our trip, but it had been a sort of 'trip hiatus' or luxurious break as staying with family and friends had been just like being home again with all the home comforts. So as we packed our bags and said goodbye from Vancouver it signaled the second and last phase of our travels - the four month section that remained through Canada, the USA and then into Latin America. Our plan for leaving Vancouver originally meant taking a train or bus for the three hour ... read more