http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Marie-Takes-Off/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Marie Takes Off en-us Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:42:25 +0000 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:42:25 +0000 Just thought I'd give you a final hello with greetings from the sun in Egypt. Malin and I had a very relaxing week with mostly enjoyabe days at the pool or the beach. At this time of the year in Egypt the days are warm in the sun but you need warm sweaters for the evening The best decision was to fly up to Cairo for one day the most incredible feeling to stand next to the Pyramids and the Sph http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-362004.html A final hello to you all.... I am actually back home now after just a short delay out of Buenos Aires and a sprint through Madrid huge airport with some 20 other fellow travellers trying to make the Amsterdam flight enjoying my sofa and being back home. Unfortunately it is minus 1 degrees and so so dark how nice was it not to enjoy the sunny evenings of Buenos Aires it was like being back in http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-358011.html Two weeks later and I am heading back from Patagonia to Buenos Aires tonight No more aching legs and sleeping in tents And no more wonderful mountains and glaciers The weather turned a bit more as expected for Patagonia the last week windy and a bit of rain. I finally got to wear those 5 layers of clothes that I brought with me. Very different to our first sunny week Sleeping in a t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Santa-Cruz/El-Calafate/blog-355827.html We have just recovering from 3.5 days of hiking in the national park in Patagonia. Our legs are aching and Im really not sure what I will feel like after next week our guide said this week has been a good warm up for what is to come When looking at the forecast for the area it has shown a maximum of 16 degrees celcius which I figured would feel pretty cold. But when the sun is out which i http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Santa-Cruz/Los-Glaciares-National-Park-/blog-353915.html Hi againHere comes an update from the days in Buenos Aires We have had such luck in staying at the Bed and Breakfast Ricks Place named from the bar in the movie Casablanca... owned by John from the UK who moved here 4 years ago. It is a lovely place with very homely feeling and I met one couple taking spanish lessons one morning another couple taking tango lessons in the living room an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-352435.html ... oh yes South America After seeing some amazing pictures from Iguazu Falls and Patagonia from friends travelling I figured I also had to go there one day. The fact that I could again practice my Spanish and that a girlfriend from Amsterdam headed down to Buenos Aires for 4 months settled it I booked my ticket sooner than I thought So after a 13 hour delay in Madrid a plane doesnt fly http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-351546.html I can hardly believe it my 5 months of travelling is coming to an end Where does time fly I am currently enjoying summer heat in sunny Lima almost 30 degrees. I like it here and apart from staying in a 6 bed dorm at a hostel I have felt less like a backpacker the last days... Went for a manicure pedicure paraglided off the cliffs at the beach wow had Chai tea Latte at Starbucks y http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Barranco/blog-238813.html Hola todos I wanted to update you on the weeks since New Years as I only wrote about the Inca trail in the last blog.The Intrepid tour started in Lima on Dec 28 with 11 other persons 6 from Australia 1 Kiwi 2 English 1 Dutch and 1 Russian. We started with two days in the Peruvian Rainforest where I saw some more monkeys and enjoyd a very luxorious lodge we even had a swimming pool . The r http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Yungas-Road/blog-235251.html Happy New Year to you all I am now in Cusco Peru and we got back from the Inca Trail yesterday evening. I will have to update you on the trip between Lima and Machu Picchu later because the Inca Trail needs a separate entry It was 3 days of pretty hard hiking but I can tell you it was worth every step of the way We celebrated New Years Eve in Cusco and the next day we went to Ollantayt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Inca-Trail/blog-233506.html Here comes Christmas greetings from Montaita at the beach in Ecuador The trip to the rainforest last week Monday started with delays at the airport flights had been cancelled the night before due to the weather in Quito. Mine and 2 others in the group TAME flight was only 3 hours delayed in the end for a 30 minute flight but the others were worse off the VIP flight should have left http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/East/Cuyabeno-Reserve/blog-229794.html Im currently at the internet cafe in warm Ayora Harbour Santa Cruz island Galapagos. Got so much sun on me yesterday when hiking around the volcano on Isla Isabela that I can stay out of it for a while today...Highlights of the trip Swimming with the sea lions on Sante Fe Island Wildlife on Espaola Island The beach at the port townof Isabela IslandWe were 11 persons on the boat with 5 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-227827.html The last week has been a good week of travelling around Ecuador and also some partying in the city due to the Quito day which means festivities all week not just one day.I headed to a free concert on Saturday last weekend that I read about in the paper. Getting to the queue at the park entrance I realised this would not be the normal pop concert in the park this was the alternative Death M http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Chugchilan/blog-226115.html I think it is official of all the places I have been in the world Ecuador tops the list of my favourites and I havent even been to the jungle or the Galapagos yet... This is such a beatiful and diverse country.This week I was supposed to go to the jungle with my Spanish school but since the other student cancelled the trip I couldnt go minimum 2 students. But Im happy it didnt becaus http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Banos/blog-221364.html Here a first blog from Ecuador I arrived last Wednesday night flying in over the houses of Quito in the dark. The airport is now located in the city when it was built the city wasnt so spread out. 2 days after I arrived an Iberia plane skidded of the runway in bad weather..... no one got hurt luckally but the airport has been closed for a few days . The weather is good in the morning and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-219052.html My trip to S.F. is almost at an end only 2 more days in this lovely city It has been fantastic weather summer warm most days. Great to just take each day as it comes and explore a new part of the city have been here before so no need to do all touristic things this time. I have staid with Sima from Amsterdam in the Mission feels like I'm in South America already she moved here 3 years http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-217019.html Hello to you all writing from a very sunny and summer warm San Francisco Started the travelling Monday 2 weeks ago by being picked up at the airport in Montreal and heading for a cottage at Lake Cameron with my excolleagues from Cirque Patrick Nathalie and their now 11 month old son Olivier. The place was super relaxing and had a great location by the lake. We went for some trips around the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Quebec/Montreal/blog-213856.html So it was time for the 5th Annual Wig Party and this time the location was Cafe Blooker in Amsterdam. As my departure is tomorrow Monday it was also the good bye party with the friends in Amsterdam. The turn up was fantastic we had some good dance music from George and it was too bad we had to end it at 3.... Thanks to you all who came both me and Julie had a great night I'll keep you posted s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-209206.html Back to reality for a short while.... sitting in a cold Amsterdam while yesterday at this time I was having lunch in a 35 degrees hot Seville The last week was spent in Seville and Tarifa in the sun sun sun. Julie and I were heading down to attend Lorries birthday party who used to live in Amsterdam but has now moved down to Madrid which she had organised with her friend Rick who also w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/Tarifa/blog-205472.html Hola todos After a week of relaxing by a pool with friends and speaking Dutch it was time for some days on my own walking walking walking and then walking. And speaking Espaol..... the little that I know. And most tourist are Spanish Italian or German....It is around 30 degrees during the day so pretty hot to walk around. But fun to stroll around new places.Cordoba was very pittoresque w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/Granada/blog-201822.html And so there we where. The 8 of us little Jasmine trying to figure out the best bedroom for the week I got one of the two rooms with a double bed in the end how niceThe villa was really great 5 bedrooms 4 bathrooms 2 living rooms and a great swimmingpool. We were doing just fine great start to my trip...... Made a day trip with the two cars we had rented around the south of Portugal http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Algarve/Albufeira/blog-201115.html