http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ErinandJames/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ErinandJames en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:03:57 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:03:57 +0000 These are the first pictures of our unborn baby.. aged 12 weeks Size is only 5.31cm from crown to rump but already at that size is causing many changes for both of us... hold on it's going to be a fun old ride Due date 25 April 2010. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-455002.html These are a load of pics taken at different places different stages in the week or so before our wedding. They feature most of the extended Rolfe Clan and some of our friends. Most of them are taken in and around Narrabeen. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-396966.html We had a fairly quiet Christmas this year. It was just me James Mum Dad and Gowzaaaaa and on Christams Day we all met under Roseville Bridge for a picnicMum and Dad went to church while James and I did the present thing at home and I think we even went for a run on the beach and got some exercise in as there was definitely going to be none of that later.We all went BYO on the lunch food and http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Roseville/blog-396974.html The Sound Relief concerts were held in Sydney and Melbourne to raise funds for the vicitms of the Victorian bushfires the biggest natural disaster Australia has ever experienced. I think they raised nearly 2 million from the Sydney concert alone.The lineup was awesome these band were spread between Melbourne and Sydney and they had one band on stage while the other was on the massive video http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-396968.html My work has sponsored a scholarship at Charles Sturt University Bathurst for about 15 or 20 years but every year has declined the invitation to go out there and present the scholarship to the lucky student at their annual presentation ceremony.This year however I accepted the invitation to do so seeing the double opportunity of the honour and the chance to visit my old stomping ground from my ow http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-404881.html We had an awesome five days up in Cairns with Leithal and Phillma Erin's sister and brother in law and James' too now and it was extremely relaxing. I hadn't been to Cairns for five years approximately and had never been to their new house in the rainforest in Bayview Heights. Wow what an amazing place it's seriously like a treehouse amongst the tropical rainforest. It is all made of http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/blog-396973.html I had a call from Dad last night asking me what I was doing tomorrow. Never sure where these questions might be leading I told him I had a date with the furniture... sanding it all back in preparation for a paint job and makeover. When he invited me to come out on a little boat with him and a few others on Sydney Harbour instead the decision was tough but after.. oh about 0.03 of a second... http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Rose-Bay/blog-332127.html Who's ya daddy My daddy Spending a beautiful sunny Spring day with the other man in your life is good thing. And what a wonderful day we had. Gowza threw on her maxi dress and transformed into the hostess with the mostess and set the special day for daddies off in style. James and I rocked up with a few bits and pieces mum and dad did the same and we all moved the table into the sunshine http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-321174.html The City to Surf is one of THE most fun things I've EVER done. YOU SHOULD ALL DO ITFor the record it started way back in 1971 but this year was my third or fourth time. I joined more than 70 000 people in the annual 14km Sydney race which has become the largest timed running race in Australia. The course starts in four groups. We were in the Back of the Pack group which is for anyone wal http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-321211.html This is my 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia... aint she a pearl..Her name is Marilyn. I bought her about 4 years ago imported from California. She had a ground up restoration which took about a year and was finally ready just before I decided to leave to go on my OS trip. So she went into storage for a little sleep. Of course I didn't know I was going to meet James a week into the trip and not http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-312953.html Montanita is on the north coast of Ecuador. Ecuador is right up near the top left of the South American continent and is the world's largest exporter of bananasArriving in Montanita was very very exciting. It was the first time we'd been at a real beach since........ Copacabana Brazil I think and that was in the first week of March nearly 3 months before. We were ready to leave the Andes http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/West/Montanita/blog-289967.html After our Galapagos experience we were really happy to land in Quito Ecuadorrsquos capital to find our land legs and to sleep in any sort of normal bed that wasnrsquot built into the side of a curved wall like a shelf. So Perry Jennie James and I headed straight for The Secret Garden Hostel.. four weary backpackers who just wanted to stay in and take part in the hostelrsquos lsquoThai http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-308181.html We arrived with a plane load of World Youth Day loud mouths in matching red sloppy joes who couldnrsquot seem to stay in their seats. Tens of thousands of them were pouring into Sydney to take part in the festivities the Pope was the guest of honour which all turned out to be a huge success and a wonderful display of cooperation and people getting together to share the strength of the huma http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-308182.html For the next couple of weeks we got stuck into finding a place to live buying a car catching up with friends and family buying some normal clothes and stuff I was sooooo over my daggy backpacking gear after 6 months I didnrsquot care if I NEVER saw them again doing wedding stuff and introducing James to life in Sydney and how it all works.. Benjirsquos housewarming party on the first w http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-308184.html Well... new for us The old girl might be getting on for sweet 16 but she still knows how to hold her curves. We picked up our excellent little 1992 Mazda 323 Astina for just under 4000.. and it has everything that opens and shuts surprising for a car of this vintage but I guess the Mazdas have always been good on those little extra flashy things. It has been invaluable already in getting u http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-308191.html After loads of looking around at potential new homes for us to live in loads of open days and viewings of units around the northern beaches of Sydney putting in long winded and detailed tenancy applications etc we finally got one. And it was the best of the lot. Right ON Narrabeen beach and with views looking south down to Collaroy beach and Long Reef Headland we moved in to the Marquesas b http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-308186.html We had very high expectations for the Galapagos. It was the last blast on our trip and one of those things that people save for and dream about their whole lives only a few lucky enough to actually get there. So we made that part happen and for the most part werenrsquot disappointed.The islands and the animals were amazing. Everything they say about the Galapagos Islands in that respect is http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-289970.html Lima gets a bad wrap. We didnt even intend to go there but were persuaded to stay one night en route to another destination by some crazy Dutchies and an Australian. Never ones to turn down the prospect of a memorable night out in a new city full of possibilities we accepted the offer temptation and met them all in Miraflores the nice part of town in the centre of Lima.We all went out for di http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Miraflores/blog-289955.html After the Nazca lines we bolted for a bus with our backpacks on in the heat and managed to get it. It was a dodgy local bus so we were on high alert especially as it was packed. My goodness it was boiling in there. Two or three hours and we arrived in Ica north of Nazca on the coast.The reason loads of people go to Ica is actually to go to the tiny town of Huacachina about 5 mins away in a tax http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Huacachina/blog-289954.html Much has been said about Lake Titicaca.. and all of the reviews we received were mixed usually contradictory so we didnt have much idea what to expect. As it turned out we liked what everyone else thought was tacky and disliked what some even said was the highlight of their trip. I guess it proves that you really do have to see for yourself.Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the wo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Lake-Titicaca/blog-289015.html