http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Coffeecat/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Coffeecat en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:30:01 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:30:01 +0000 THE BABE WITH A BACKPACK IS BACKOkay folks I'm on a roll now Following the success of my 2 Vancouver shows I am now hosting 2 more nights in Victoria The venues are fab the Event Center has a funky bar filled with as many drinks as you can handle and the Metro Theatre has the ultimate stage area.So COME TO HEAR AND SEE MY TRAVELLING TALES730 THURSDAY MARCH 8THTHE EVENT CENTER1415 BR http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver-Island/Victoria/blog-135558.html I've been settled in Vancouver for a couple of months now so I suppose it's time to inform everybody what I'm up to. However it may be easier to tell you what I'm NOT doingI am hosting another 'Around the World' talk as the 'Babe with a Backpack' on THURSDAY JANUARY 18TH again on THURSDAY JANUARY 25TH. The tips and tales have been revamped and all of the photos have been reedited for a j http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-118486.html Day One Robin Hood's Bay to Littlebeck When my RTW trip came to an end last May I immediately began racking my brain for something challenging that I could plan in my near future. I organised the travel talk in a London theatre was a fab night but still felt that I needed a physical and geographic challenge within the UK. What I came up with had never been something that I had aspired t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/West-Yorkshire/blog-88745.html I'll be the first to admit I've not been so hot at writing blog entries for the end of my trip but I have a good excuse I'M TALKING ABOUT IT I have actually managed to put together a wild night in London called AROUND THE WORLD...TALES OF A BABE WITH A BACKPACK. I know there are enough of you subscribers based in London so you have no excuse to miss out. And for those of you based in B http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/London-City/blog-77199.html Canada has it's fair share of unusual town names Moosejaw being the first that I've hit. Whilst sitting on the Greyhound from Alberta the image of a goofy looking horse with horns talking non stop on the seat next to me kept popping into my head. Of course it never came to life which is clearly a good thing as I don't really want to be that crazy on my travels. After a not so restful sleep r http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Saskatchewan/Regina/blog-52303.html My journey across Canada has continued eastbound to Manitoba first setting foot in Winnipeg. Nothing immediately grabbed me about the streets of this city so I found a donut shop and ran my finger down my list of nearby hostels. Most hostel owners seem to find locations nearest bus stations which I greatly appreciate considering my map reading skills. I circled the winning write up and set http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Manitoba/Winnipeg/blog-52841.html I arrived off the lovely Greyhound experience from Kelowna at 6am. Dealing with a time zone change in addition to daylight savings caused a brain confusion that I hadn't planned on for my start in Alberta. I chowed down on some breakfast before venturing off to the hostel in town and planning my time in Calgary.I hid in the hostel with a book in hand trying to sort out some computer issues b http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Calgary/blog-50640.html Having returned to Vancouver so many times over the last few years I was excited to be arriving out of character. I wasn't rolling a suitcase behind me through the gates at the beautiful Vancouver airport nor was I jumping off of a seaplane from the Island. The train transport was a great ending to my American journey as I had watched an Oscar winning movie and filed my nails to perfection wh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-49649.html Growing up in Vancouver Seattle becomes an easy place to visit and as a result wasn't a place that I felt a great need to explore further. But then it's always friends that make a place and I had a couple of people to hook up with. I left my hostel rather early in the morning as I had been told that catching the setup of Pike Place Market was interesting to watch. I was thankful it wasn't as http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Seattle/blog-46583.html The train pulled into Portland station only 3 hours behind schedule. This isn't out of the ordinary for Amtrak but always annoying when you have plans. I had kept in touch with a friend from Texas and was eager to see her digs across town. Kari has a great apartment across the Willamette River on the south east side of Portland with one of the most attractive features I have seen in my world http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Portland/blog-46557.html I looked out of the window as often as I could whilst on the bus and train journey from L.A. to Yosemite National Park. The landscape changes were extreme and I was leaving the city life behind me to embrace a bit of fresh air. Being on the road as a solo traveller again caused me to grip my pack with more caution than the past couple of weeks. Best to be safe right There didn't seem to be an http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Yosemite-National-Park/blog-45142.html Having said farewell to the endless esculators in Vegas and the speed chasing cop from the unknown Area 51 Chris and I greeted our venture into California's Death Valley with slight apprehension. It's not every day that I get to tour an area known as the hottest place on earth. Although being March I expect we'll be okay. The first scheduled stop hit the heart strings for both of us as it w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/blog-43943.html How the hell did I end up back here It's hard to pass up an opportunity to cross the border and the Mexican was the easiest to cross from San Diego so why not Tijuana it is.Chris and I met up with Mark in the hostel and hopped into the car moments later. The plan was without a map this time as we figured we could head south until we could drive no further. We had actually read up that it's http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Baja-California/Tijuana/blog-44145.html I hit the road for Nevada with two lads from the UK. As I have a rail pass is this a mistake Will I be excluded from half of the camaraderie as I 'wouldn't understand' Well I did have my quiet moment when they showed their gangsta moves to the tunes and when Joffie wrote a few naughty words in the crusty dirt on the car doors but apart from that the cruise to Vegas was a blast. The strai http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Las-Vegas/blog-43866.html Okay...major catch up nowEven though it's still winter I was apparently quite lucky to get a bed at the hostel in Flagstaff. I continue the trend of not booking ahead and counting my lucky charms I suppose. The staff and surroundings at the hostel were very welcoming so I booked for a tour of the Grand Canyon for the next morning. Go go goI joined Aussie Emma Americans Jen and Eva and a cl http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Flagstaff/blog-42406.html Travelling through America I kind of define each state as a country on it's own as everything is so darn spread out. My time in New Mexico is without a doubt the quickest visit yet just one day I didn't really get a chance to explore but sometimes one event can trigger a quick exodus. I arrived in Albuquerque at midnight on the bus from El Paso Texas. In hindsight perhaps I should have st http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/New-Mexico/Albuquerque/blog-42046.html As I continue the search for Mr. Right the idea that he might be wearing a cowboy hat is quite appealing. And riding a bull even more appealing. So when I stepped into Dallas airport full of anticipation I was quickly jolted back to my senses transport accommodation and food. Maybe when I grow up I'll plan these things ahead of time but who really wants to grow up that fastI scoured the b http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Texas/Austin/blog-41667.html I hadn't read up on anything for my start into America so as I peered out of the window from Miami's airport shuttle I couldn't hide my pleasure at seeing the abundance of art deco buildings in South Beach. What little knowledge I knew of Miami started to flood in Miami Vice Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine and CSI. Television and music really didn't sculpt my youth but at least I http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Miami-Beach/blog-40504.html I arrived in Merida in the wee hours of the morning and was lucky enough to find some decent accommodation immediately. The owner of the hostel was actually hanging out at the bus station at 6am with free rides so it was an easy decision. I had a moment of doubt when I saw my pack being roped onto the roof of a gas guzzling 1970's jalopy but after a coughing start we finally made it. I then o http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Quintana-Roo/Tulum/blog-40498.html So a massive blog catch up time seems to be the only routine I've maintained over the last 9 months But at least I eventually catch up. Procrastinating until the final deadline is a characteristic I've always had so why change nowI signed up for a day trip to the surrounding sights of Oaxaca pronounced Wahhawka. It's definitely not possible to see everything without a car as there are m http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Chiapas/Palenque/blog-39950.html