I´m 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 Española Island - The beach at the port ¨town¨of Isabela Island We were 11 persons on the boat with 5 crew members and 1 guide. I shared a cabin with Juliette from France (who didn´t speak much English so we spoke Spanish instead.... [View Full Entry]

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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 Metal scene of Quito I think... and I didn´t wear my black t-shirt :( I went in anyway since I had climbed all those [View Full Entry]

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I think it is official: of all the places I have been in the world Ecuador tops the list of my favourites (and I haven´t 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 couldn´t go (minimum 2 students). But I´m happy it didn´t because instead I went to Baños on Sunday with Mel, Michelle & Peter (which I met in the SAE-club my first days in Quito). It [View Full Entry]

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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 wasn´t 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 in the afternoon the dark clouds come rolling in and it can rain a lot. We are on 2.800 m which you [View Full Entry]

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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 ago for her work. We have had nice dinners as well as relaxing DVD nights at home, and I have tried [View Full Entry]

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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 ex-colleagues 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 area (great autumn colours of the leaves !) and as Nat & Pat are looking into opening up a Spa in the area we went to [View Full Entry]

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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 soon on my first part of the trip (Canada). Lots of love, Marie [View Full Entry]

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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 was going to celebrate his 40th. Little did we know that the planned Saturday party would turn out to be a week of great parties [View Full Entry]

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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 Español..... (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 with the amazing Mezquita mosque (a catholic ¨cathedral¨was later added inside the mosque !!). Very interesting. The room I had in the ¨hostales¨ was on the ground floor, facing [View Full Entry]

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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 nice:) The 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, but otherwise spent a lot of time relaxing at the pool or walking around the area. Thursday night we headed [View Full Entry]

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