http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Kimberley-Green/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Kimberley Green en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:55:42 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:55:42 +0000 So from galapagos went to quito for the night and then made our way up to Columbia to Cali where there is a massive 5 day festival with salsa bullfighting parades and just general mayhem. thought we would leave on 23rd spend 1 hour or so at border and be there morning of 24th. eh...not quite the way it worked out. The ecuadorian border was mayhem 1 queue for both getting your exit stamp and en http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/blog-361518.html So...after being upgraded to business class probably 1st and only time in my life arrived on santa cruz island. Plan was to try and get a last minute deal when i got here but on looking aruond prices not massively cheap. Decided to just do a few day trips to some islands and mooch around the main santa cruz for a while. Went to the Charles Darwin centre where the giant tortoises are and u can http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-361181.html Ok so had a few problems with my photos and crappy computers and just generally being rubbish so will try to cram 2m into 1 page After inca trail hung around in cusco for another week or so going out lots and went on a 3 day raft trip on grade 35 rapids on the apurimac river. Good fun although camping was very normal compared to luxury of inca trail washing my own dishes i dont knowFrom cus http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/blog-361145.html Sorry for the 2m delay but here they are finallyGot to Puno and managed to negotiate both leaving Bolivia and entering Peru ok only 1 armed man shouting at me to come backall for no reason in the end but made everyone stare. Had a few hours to kill in the bus station so went on a tour to the floating reed Uros islands which were actually pretty cool everything is made out of reeds and folks http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/blog-343811.html Well managed to negotiate chilean customs and immigration with my lack of spanish but not too much else Oh well all adds to the experience i supposeLanded in Santiago after a 10h flight on which even the air hostesses didnt speak english and my wee tv was broken so no movies Santiago is alright a few cathedrals and museums to see and lots of ice creams and hot dogs to eat Seems to be the nat http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/blog-335548.html Kia Ora everyoneRotoruaThis town is famous for being the most active geothermal area in NZ. The crust is so thin that you wander round the town and steam is rising from the ground. Tried not to think about standing on top of all the lava and stuff Wandered round a few parks with some cool geysers the big one Pohutu is 30m tall. Some pretty cool boiling mud pools too. Had to wait a few days to r http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-328035.html WellingtonFerry journey across was luckily nice and calmdon't think i could've coped with more seasickness Really nice coming out of the Marlborough Sounds. Wellington is really nice and chilledplenty of cafes with lots of yummy food and nice harbour to wander round. Seems a lot warmer as well...or maybe it's my imagination. Spent 2 days here doing the sights the national museum Te Papa which http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-315747.html Sorry its been so quiet for the last 2months Been busy and sometimes not so busy working away in 3 little practices earning some pennies to keep going. Kiwis that i meet think i have been working in the strangest places and they're right but it's all money and that's what counts...WestportFirst stop Westport small town on the west coast funnily for 3weeks. Mixed practice with lots of dairy http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-313826.html WanakaPretty little town but quite quietthink it only really gets going in the height of summer. Decided I had to start getting fit if I was to do any of the Great Walks so went on a day walkfairly beasted it and did in 5 hours what should have taken 78. Was a bit knackered by the end especially after a 2 hour straight up and down glacier walk at the endHad my first run in with the DOC Depart http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-283237.html ChristchurchArrived a lot more smoothly in Kiwiland than Oz. First on my to do list was buying a car as till then couldn't leave the city. Cue several days of fruitless searching despite everyone telling me it was a buyer's market. Nearly talked myself into buying a campervan but thankfully the guy pulled out on me and i bought myself a nice old estate Tis an automatic which i was a bit wary of a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/blog-273673.html 2930th March CairnsArrived in Cairns and had a bit of a shopping splurge the day before the dive trip. Decided to get an underwater housing for my camera which I had decided against in the UK due to cost and size Also decided that I had to have my own mask and snorkel. So quite a pleasant day as it always is when I am shopping 31st March2nd April Pro Dive liveaboard Great Barrier ReefDive trip http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/blog-262828.html 1823rd MarchRainbow Beach and Fraser IslandStarting point for my Fraser Island trip is Rainbow Beach supposed to have coloured sand cliffs but I couldn't see any. Place is tiny and everything geared towards the Fraser trips. You are randomly put in groups of 1011 and have a big 4wd truck thing with all your camping gear and food for 3 days and then they wave you off onto the ferry...Somy grou http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-260535.html Fri 7thSat 8th March Surfers Paradise.Had heard horror stories about this place being a concrete jungle and party central so was all prepared to hate it. Was staying in the YHA which was at the beach up from the centre and was actually really nice loads of decking and overlooking a posh marina. Got given a free pass from my room mate to Dreamworld which is a big theme park bit of a bonus as n http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-256271.html Byron Bay is surf centrallots of tanned bods on show. Makes me feel like a pale blob Went sea kayaking to see dolphins was pretty cool to see them up close but best of all was riding the waves in and out on the breakers. Sooo much fun when we managed to get on one and ride it all the way most of the time however we ended up squint and totalling itlucky the sea is so warm Although we did mana http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Byron-Bay/blog-252968.html Well finally made it here. Flight not so bad despite all the stressing Think I'm getting better with long journeys managed to snooze most of way but did put on my sexy DVT stockings and did get up a few times you'll be glad to knowGot a bit of a telling off from immigration for not declaring my chocolate stash but they just gave me a ticking off and no fine thank god. Checked into my YHA whi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-252949.html