Emma Jota

Well..... it's official, I am the worst blogger alive. I think about blogging, when i do stuff I draft blogs in my head, when I email people I tell them about things I do and then write "but I'll blog more about that later" and then I never do. Well, todays the day I finally restart my blogging, theres tonnes to catch up on. So much has been happening since Ive arrived in Melbourne, so maybe I'll backdate a few blogs to bring you up to speed however, theres is something im bursting to tell you all.............I MET HAROLD!!!!! I'm not kidding, I met him and he gave me a big hug and I got my photo taken with him! How wicked is that??!! Its kind of hit home now that I am, indeed, living in ... read more

Ive finally made it to Sydney and have met up with Gil and Laura. Its so crazy to be on the road again and be with friends and in hostels. I'd got far too comfortable in Lori's backhouse in California and then at Kathy's in Adelaide but Sydney beckoned and the girls had been hanging around for 5 weeks waiting for New Year. We're staying in a Sydney suburb called Manly, its a 45 minute ferry ride from the City Centre. After a plane ride and a train ride I boarded the ferry and it pulled out of the harbour in time to see the sun setting behind the Opera House and the CBD. The sun shone through the skyscrapers and made the Opera House glow, it was totally stunning. On my flight from LA I ... read more

Its halloween night and im sitting on the internet in Loris parents house and i keep getting interrupted with all the neighbourhood kids coming to the door and chiming in unison "trick or treat" some of them are cute and remember their manners but some of them are just plain monsters! (literally) i started off just offering the bowl thats pilled high with chocolates and popcorn but the kids were grabbiing handfuls and i started to fear that there would be none left for me!! Lori suggested that i just hand out one candy to each kid and thats been working much better. Everytime i answer the door i also get a candy so its all working out fine! Its a bit of a fight with the dog, Lulu everytime the doorbell goes though. She gets ... read more

Hey everyone, I know this is old but I had to publish something from Argentina so I could colour in my world map (have you looked at that part of the website yet? I only discovered it not that long ago!) would you believe I have 10 blogs from Argentina to complete and publish? This was the most complete one! Enjoy..... Ive made it safe and sound to the centre of argentina here in Cordoba. Its bigger than i imagined and Titi lives just on the edge of town. Her family are all lovely and mostly speak spanish with me although they are all fluent in english. Its quite hard work but its just what i need! I only have another 2 months left of spanish speaking countries and want to pack in as much as ... read more

After a day in Asuncion Ive discovered that the lonely planet researchers probably havent visited here for a couple of years. Almost everything in the "backpackers bible" is out of date!! the first hostels that we went to that are recommended are closed down, the restaurants dont exist and the travel information is all wrong!! Its the first time Lonely planet has failed me but were getting by ok! They did get one thing right though, the breakfast in the hotel were staying in is described as "unremarkable" and they certainly got that right! After the fabulous breakfasts in Brazil (brilliant coffee, fresh fruit juice, ham, cheese, rolls, cornbread and fresh fruit and nobody minds you making up a packed lunch) this breakfast is a little depressing. A teaspoon of yucky jam each (i think it ... read more

I made it, after only a slight palava, safe and sound to Asunction, the capital city of Paraguay. Although I am minus a Brazillian exit stamp for Brazil and an entry stamp for Paraguay, so I am ilegal but Ill cross that border when i come to it, literally! I arrived at the dodgy port on the Paraguan side of the Rio Paraguay an hour before the boat was due only to be told that the boat wasnt coming until 5am!! The tiny town (about 3 houses, one bar and one hostel) was super dodgy and I didnt fancy waiting on the dockside for 6 hours so I invested in a room at the only and very delapitated hostel. there was no baño, bedsheets that hadnt been changed for about 5 years and i could watch ... read more

Ive spent the best part of the last two days waiting around for buses and boats. Im leaving Brasil tonight and heading for Paraguay on a cargo ship. It should be quite exciting and im looking forward to getting into a spanish speaking country again. Its quite frustrating not being able to speak the lingo. Sometimes if the brasillians speak very slowly i cant understand and its the same if i speak spanish slowly but at times its quite difficult. Portuguese is really quite hard. Paulo tried his best to teach me some phrases but it was just beyond me. Sometimes it sounds like spanish with a welsh accent! I've been in the Brasillian border town of Puerto Murtino for two days now waiting for my ship. Im the only tourist in town and a source ... read more

Hello Blog subscribers! I'm stuck in a border town in brasil just now waiting for a cargo ship going to asunction. Ive had plenty of time to update my blogs with all my gossip from the pantanal and ive also edited my bonito blog becasue i forgot to tell you about the rodeo i went to. ive also managed to put photos on to every blog since i bought my camera so have a look back and you can see what ive been rambling about. oh and i also finally finished writing about the inca trail so check that out oo. im sorry but the inca trail blog and the pantanal blog are monsters so put the kettle on before you start! If youre enjoying my blogs then let me know! theres an option for comments ... read more