http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Cooperman/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Cooperman en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:10:57 +0000 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:10:57 +0000 WalkingIrsquom just back from a very interesting weekend in Wales. I walked in the mountains and explored the valleys.I went with my companyrsquos walking club. Irsquove never been away with them before so everyone was a stranger.The club had hired a bunkhouse in the village of TalybontonUsk to the north of the Brecon Beacons National Park. I decided to take Monday off work in addition to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Wales/Caerphilly/blog-136746.html From the bus station I got a CUC ldquocolectivordquo taxi to my next casa particular. I had asked Dbora if she knew any casas particulares in which I could stay and she arranged for me to go and stay with her ldquogreat friendrdquo Isobel.Isobel lives near to the Universdad de La Habana with her daughter and elderly mother. They all seem very friendly. I was introduced to Juanita Isob http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Oeste/La-Habana/blog-122251.html The bus arrived at 7am in the morning. I walked past the small gaggle of people promoting their casas particulares and walked to the address Sofa had given to me.I was met at the door by two very friendly old ladies who gave me coffee then explained that theyrsquod let the room that had been reserved for me because Sofa had warned them I had stayed at Guantnamo and so may not have made the b http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Centro/Trinidad/blog-122249.html Well as tourist attractions go itrsquos a bit of a weird one. But I wasnrsquot going to pass up the chance to see one of the most famous and controversial places in the World right now the US Naval Base at Guantnamo Bay.It took a lot of arranging. When I was at Sofarsquos in Santiago I had asked her if any of her previous guests had been and how I could go. To my surprise no one had b http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Este/Guant-namo/blog-122245.html The next morning I got up early to catch the five hour bus to Baracoa.Waiting for the bus I got chatting to Phil a fellow Scot. We ended up spending the next day together.Hersquos an interesting guy. He helps run a recycling scheme on a Scottish Island.The five hour journey to Baracoa passes first through the town of Guantnamo then along the coast. Then it turns inland and goes through some http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Este/Baracoa/blog-122243.html My promised ldquo1012rdquo hour journey from Havana to Santiago de Cuba in the South East of the country actually took 16 hours Cuba is Long Itrsquos longer from tip to tail than the British mainland and my journey was similar to London to Aberdeen.Not much to say about the journey really. We travelled first along an empty motorway stopping at a few places on the way and then the roads http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Este/Santiago-de-Cuba/blog-122242.html Irsquove been in Havana for the past week learning Spanish and much more besides.Cuba is a country which has long fascinated me. It is somewhere which really does look unique in the modern world. Given that Mr Castro does not look in good health it seems to be about to undergo some change or other pretty soon so I think now is the time to come and see.Irsquove managed to get three weeks off http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Cuba/Oeste/La-Habana/blog-122241.html Koenig Solutions Pvt LtdSo that was the end of my four months travelling I returned to Delhi where I was to start five and a half weeks study for a professional IT qualification.Irsquom studying at a company called Koenig Solutions. They are a bona fide IT training outfit which offers programmes to westerners. I was there for an intensive 40 day programme to become a ldquoMicrosoft Certified http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-48619.html Itrsquos lovely being met at the airport. I am in India mainly for study and the training centre has sent a driver to meet me at the airport.Irsquom taken straight to the centre where I pay them their fees. They also hand me some train tickets to Rajasthan. I have two weeks before I actually start studying and had asked them if they could book these for me.I dumped the things Irsquoll not n http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/blog-49608.html Yet another country My flight from Bangkok was full of Indians as it had previously come from Mumbai I didnrsquot want to cause offence and was careful to use the new name but was told to call it ldquoBombayrdquo now Irsquom confusedAnyway itrsquos very exciting to be in Hong Kong SAR Itrsquos like a bonus prize to be here as it was not on my original shortlist of destinations http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/blog-48618.html We left early the next day to go and see Clairersquos Dad.HogmanayNow itrsquos quite a long story. Clairersquos parents are divorced and her Dad now has a Thai girlfriend. I should point out before you jump to conclusions that they met in the UK and that she is widowed. A lot of Dadrsquos friends in his provincial English town have Thai wives and it was through this circle that they met http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-48617.html Claire and I are taking the ldquoJourney through Laosrdquo tour with a UK based company called The Imaginative Traveller. This will be a real change for me and Irsquom looking forward to letting someone else deal with arrangements. Wersquore due to spend a couple of days in Bangkok then a day in Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand. Then we cross the Mekong into Laos and spend two days sai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-48614.html EscapeBeing in a retreat for 11 days makes you lose touch with the outside World. Rick and I suddenly noticed that it was Sunday and realised that if we were to get to Phuket that night we should make tracks.Just being in the outside world again seemed very strange. We had the freedom to talk and were making the most of that. But we also had responsibilities no one was going to provide meals or http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Phuket/blog-48612.html Nearly a year ago I read an article in the Sunday Times travel section entitled ldquoHolidays that will change your liferdquo. In it were featured mainly pampering spatype holidays. But one stood out a ten day silent retreat in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. My RTW trip was only a vague idea back then and I was open to suggestions. Something about it grabbed me and I decided to book my f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Chaiya/blog-48602.html Leaving New ZealandI think the only mistake I made in planning this trip was flying out of Auckland rather than Christchurch. Irsquove ended up on the South Island after a month and was hardly likely to do a ldquofigure of eightrdquo tour crossing the Cook Straight twice. Irsquove now had to buy a plane ticket to take me back to Auckland and effectively have lost a day on the South Islan http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-46694.html I left Wellington and got the ferry to Picton on the South Island.I traveled on the Interislander ferry Kaitaki. This particular ferry only started this year and Kiwis are very proud of it as it's the biggest yet in the country. It seems to have been bought from PO but I couldn't work out whether it used to be the Pride of Cherbourg of Pride of Inisfree. Hope it's not a cutandshut job http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-27903.html Irsquod heard that Customs are strict in New Zealand so was careful not to bring any food into the country. However I did have walking boots and had to declare these on my form. This meant that I had my boots cleaned for me by the friendly biosecurity people at the airport. They certainly needed the clean and what a nice welcome to the countryIt was 4am when I arrived and Irsquod completely http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-27902.html At the border between Tacna and Arica we drove the couple of kilometres to the Chilean border post. There we had our bags searched again just as at the Peruvian side but this time they had xray machines and this was a sign of what was to come Chile is very much more advanced and wealthy than Peru.We had to put our clocks forward by two hours Irsquove never had to do that at a land border http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-27901.html CuscoOn 19th October I had just over a week to go in South America. I have to get to Santiago on the 29th but still not been to Peru. I hadn't expected to spend so much time in Bolivia but have no regrets. However I did want to go and see the Inca capital of Cusco and the Lost City of Machu Picchu.I took the bus up from Copacabana. After a slightly farcical border crossing it would have bee http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-27900.html The RainforestThis trip is so fantastic After La Paz I flew to the Amazonian rainforest. Steamy low altitude and difficult to believe I'm in the same country as the altiplano.I stayed at the Mapajo Lodge near the town of Rurrenebaque known as Rurre. Rurre is the main entry point for tourism in Bolivian Amazonia. It's a bit of a frontier town and there are loads of companies offering tours of http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-27899.html