http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Carolyn09/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Carolyn09 en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:12:36 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:12:36 +0000 This is one of a number of epiblogues which I plan to add to my blog to give some feedback on the hostels we stayed in along the way. So let's start at the very beginning Beijing China. We stayed at the Haina Hostel which gave very clear instructions of how to reach it on the Hostel World site. From memory we found it without too many problems and it was very nice. Situated on a street f http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-455428.html This is gonna be weird cos I'm writing it from home sweet home dear old Adelaide. Couldn't let the blog go without giving a review of Hawaii but we have been back home since Sunday landed at 10.30am in Adelaide to 36 degrees and looks like those temperatures are going to continue for a while.We decided that as Hawaii was our last spot we would upgrade from a hostel to a hotel. We stayed in http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Oahu/Waikiki/blog-452594.html Halloween is big in the US but particularly in San Francicso. A few days before there were queues at the costume shops because in San Fran Halloween is for the big kids not the little trick or treaters. The Castro area is famous for having the most outrageous costumes and used to host a huge party where all the streets were closed down. However something big went down there a few years ago so http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-450396.html New York was cold and wet and guess what Vancouver was pretty much the same. Perhaps not as cold and not as wet but we didn't get to see much sun New York was freezing cold and we got quite a lot of rain and guess what Same story in Vancouver. I think the weather in a country you are travelling too has a lot to do with your enjoyment of the place itself. I am sure if we had visited Vancouve http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-449784.html Or is it Not for me I'm afraid. Everyone had said to me how I would love New York maybe they don't know me as well as they think they do. We arrived late afternoon after an uneventful flight and caught a bus then metro to the centre. Our hostel the Big Apple was easy to find as it was only minutes away from Times Square. Once again we dumped the bags and headed out. It was just as cold http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-447598.html Au Revoir Paris and hello Toronto. Bit of a shock to arrive there as it was freezing cold we had some cold and rain in Paris but this was bone chilling cold. First impresions were that it was very like Australia streets set out in grid patterns big wide roads but there were a lot more skyscrapers that what we had been used to.We were only in Toronto for two days. On our arrival day we did http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-447596.html We arrived in Luxembourg late afternoon got off the train then onto a bus to the hostel which we knew was sistuated near the casemates. We got off the bus and had to a long walk down a steep hill to the hostel. Long walk down meant long walk back up when we left and lots more times in between The hostel was really nice and very new. There was a bar and a restaurant so we had ourselves a be http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-444195.html Beige BelgiumOr perhaps I should say grey Belgium. We flew out of Pisa airport on a cheap Ryan air flight had to make sure the baggage was under 15kg mine was 14.7kg phew We flew into Charlesroi in Brussels caught the bus into Brussels then the train straight to Bruges. We had tried to get accommodation in Brussels and Ghent for 3 nights they had availability for 1st and 3rd night http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-441514.html Finally we reach Cinque TerreWe had been going to Cinque Terre in August but were unable to book any accommodation so we decided to do Spain and Portugal and tag CT onto the end of the trip. Had to return to Barcelona to pick up our flight to Pisa. Was raining cats and dogs in Pisa but we still got off the bus to take the obligatory photos not that flash but at least we got them. Headed to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-441331.html Which country are we in It must be Portugal. Ginja is the cherry liqueur that everyone has to try there is a shop near one of the squares in Lisbon where they serve it up in disposable plastic cups always lottsa people hanging around there and it is not a bad drop. Pastis de Nata are the famous custard tarts which we tried in a few places in Portugal but the best ones were purported to be http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-438493.html San Sebastian Yes you all thought it was on the plain didn't you. We left Pamplona in bright sunshine and halfway to San Seb it was aleady looking grey and by the time we arrived it was raining. We had heard a few stories about the rain there but we have been complaining of the heat for a while so a bit of rain was quite a godsend really. Well it might have been had we not been walking the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-433367.html So we 'did' Rome and I managed to contract a cold whilst there so as we were both running on very low batteries it was decided that we would find somehwere quiet and just do nada nothing niente rien du tout. We thought we had found the ideal spot at Lago Trasimeno at La Casa Sul Lago but unfortunately they had no beds available. We did however find a nice litte farmhouse in Umbria just http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-431687.html Could it be because we arrived on 15 August a public holiday in Rome but more of that later firstly the story of the trip from hell aka Cairo to heaven aka Amalfi Coast.Just a short flight a short train journey to Naples on a very smart train and then an interesting trip on the Circumvesuviano and we were in San.Agnello just 10 mins out of Sorrento. We were booked into a Hostel called 7 whi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-428909.html These were the words of Hani our guide for the Intrepid tour in Egypt and we had already discovered this on our arrival at the airport. The flight was exciting in that we saw the Pyramids from the air but Cairo was a shock to the system. As soon as we arrived we were grabbed by a guy who said he would get us a taxi some young guy loaded our bags onto a trolley and we followed him to the taxi. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/blog-426956.html Well think last update was Selcuk Pamakale and we were heading to Dalyan mud baths. We had a crazy guy called Ati who took us and we were only 2 aussies on a bus full of poms who were all burnt funny that..... We had a great time at the mud baths and in the sulphur pool and of course now look at least 20 yrs younger yeah right. After Dalyan we had to say goodbye to Fetihye and head t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-426937.html Bus from Istanbul dropped us in Ecabat and we headed to Gallipoli very hot day and not a lot of shade around. It was very interesting and the guide told a lot of the history of Gallipoli which I didnt really know about. All seemed such a waste of so many lives really war it's a mugs game. Following day we headed to Troy and had our pics taken in the Trojan horse not the original one of c http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-421073.html We arrived into Istanbul 2 hours later than we expected and the place looked huge and scary. However once we got of the bus and started asking people where to catch the Metro and how to get into the city they were just so friendly that I though this place is going to be OK.We had to fight our way through an indoor market to the cash machine tuikish lira this time 1.23 to the dollar and all the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-418877.html Bucharest was uneventful we only went there to catch the tra305n to Varna 305n Bulgar305a . We found the hostel fairly easily but it seemed to be in a rough part of town. Hostel owner insisted the area was ok so we felt reassured. Hostel was nice and had these amazing showers with huge shower heads. Only probelm was when you went to use them they didnt work which Lyn discovered tha http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-418572.html This is my first blog. We are in Romania on our way to Turkey. Its been very hot and humid most of the time. Tropical thunderstorms nearly everyday.Since Tallinn we spent a night at Joesuu east of Parnu in Estonia. We had intended going bogwalking and canoeing at Soomaa national park near Joesuu however when we arrived there was nobody in sight and the hostel hadn't been stayed in for over a y http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-417168.html OK I think we left you in Krakow on last blog and it was a short one sorry about that but time and interenet access wait for noone. From Krakow we caught the overnight train to Budapest in Hungary we got lucky and had a 4 berth cabin to ourselves so great sleep. We stayed at a lovely hostel the Budapest Bubble google it with a lovely girl called Olga in charge.We had a great time at th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Transilvania/Brasov/blog-417140.html