http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Neil and Nicky/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Neil and Nicky en-us Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:35:54 BST Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:35:54 BST Nicola For most of our trip we have been seeing places in the offseason. It has meant the weather hasnt always been great but the tourist sights havent been as busy and things have generally been cheaper. However at the moment Perus high season is just getting under way. Hotels and bus comapnies put up their prices which is annoying but it also means there are hundreds of fantastic festivals a http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-301182.html NeilOlaMachu Picchu the seventh New Wonder of the World and something both Nicky and I have been looking forward too since the off It has a lot to live up to our expectations are high and we're lucky enough to compare them with some of its fellow wonders Taj Mahal Great Wall Terracota Warriors and Christ the Redeemer.We landed in Lima and shortly after took a 22 hour bus ride to Cusco http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-300667.html NeilHaving dragged ourselves away from the tropical paradise of Ilha Grande we made our way along the coast in the direction of Sao Paulo. Before we hit the metropolis of SP we have dropped into the small colonial town of Paraty.Paraty is one of the local holiday destinations of Sao Paulo residents and is a picturesque seaside town with cobbled streets 300 year old buildings and beaches all s http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Paraty/blog-298099.html NeilOne overnight bus and a boat ride later we have arrived in Ilha Grande a tropical island off the south coast of Brazil blessed with white sandy beaches and covered with atlantic rainforest.The island is quite large but only about 3000 people inhabit the island plus a few hundred tourists. Weve decieded to stay for a week and soak up the sun and relax before the final leg of our round the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Ilha-Grande/blog-294929.html Happy Birthday MumI hope you have a great day and were sorry we cant be there but we will be home in a few weeks.Hope the video works...Love Neil Nicky. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/blog-294565.html Nicky It is great to be back on the road again it is the first time we have experienced buses in Brazil And it is brilliant to be able to see a different side to Brazil as we have found out over the last few days there is some fantastic history and architecture and culture.Our first bus ride in Brazil was overnight from Rio to the mountain town of Ouro Preto. The bus didnt leave until 11.30pm http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Minas-Gerais/Ouro-Preto/blog-292121.html Nicky I hope everyone is ok we cant wait to catch up when we get home only one month to goAfter all this time lugging our bags around and not sleeping in the same place for more then three days we decided we needed a holiday so after a few days in Rio we have spent the last week in Buzios. It is a beautiful village about two hours from Rio that was made famous by Brigitte Bardot. We re http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/Ipanema/blog-287796.html Nicky In the dimlylit brickwalled basement of a 19th century cafe which over the years has been visited by diplomats ministers and celebrities three couples accompanied by a singer a pianist a violinst a celloist and an accordian player perform nightly for locals and tourists alike the Argentine tango. The music is provactive loud and passionate and the dances doubly so. The costume http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-286478.html Nicky In true travelling style we decided that while we were this close to Uruguay it would be criminal not to hop across the Rio Grande and see what it was like. We took the boat from Buenos Aires last Friday to Colonia on the south coast. It is a beautiful seaside town full of cobbled streets stunning squares and views out to sea and back across the river to Argentina. On Saturday the sun was http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Uruguay/West/Colonia-del-Sacramento/blog-285545.html NeilAfter experiencing the stunning beauty of the Iguazu falls in northern Argentina our journey has taken us south towards Buenos Aires stopping via the cities of Santa Fe and Rosario. Before we headed south however we couldnt resist a quick trip over the border into Brazil our objective being to see the Brazillian side of the Iguazu falls or if the sun stayed in bed we had the backup of vis http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Santa-Fe/Santa-Fe/blog-285539.html NickyI think after four months away we are starting to get used to long journeys on public transport. Our 20 hour bus ride from Cordoba to Puerto Iguazu was relatively painless and was a great way to see the countryside changing. When we left Cordoba it was lots of cities and towns by the time we woke in the morning it was rolling farmland full of cows and cowboys on horseback and by the time we http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Puerto-Iguaz-/blog-282619.html NeilHola everyone. We have finally left the miserable wet conditions in Chile and crossed the Andes into a wonderful sunny and warm Argentina and to a town called Mendoza.Mendoza is one of Argentinas most famous wine regions and the glass or two weve had already have been excellent the best wine of any country weve been to so far. More on this later...We found ourselves a brilliant hostel http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-280865.html Nicky In an attempt to escape the rain in Chile which you may have heard on the news is the worst they have ever had and is flooding lots of the main cities we headed south from Talca to Pucon. It is kind of like the adventure capital of Chile and we hoped it would be cold but at least dry so we could see the lake and volcano on which it is set. Apparantly the volcano frequently belts out smok http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Valparaiso-Region/Valparaiso/blog-280044.html NeilWe've now moved south from Santiago into a small university town called Talca. The hostel we're staying at is a 10 minute drive into the countryside from the main town and is set in beautiful surroundings a great find. The hostel was built by German couple who extensivley travelled Chilie and then set up the hostel and a travel agency. The place has a real homely feel to it and meals ar http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Maule/Talca/blog-278381.html Nicky I have never had jetlag before and I can safely say it is not fun. Neil and I have been struggling with keeping awake for the last few days not made any better by Neils flu and then lying awake most of the night becuase our bodies think it is lunchtime very frustrating Thats not to say we havent managed to see some of Santiago. It is a lot more European than I expected and actually r http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-277032.html Nicky Hi all So this will be our last blog from NZ. We have a great time the last week exploring the bottom of the south island although it has got so cold It is not nice to hear that England is bathed in sunshine it is supposed to be us that is on holiday ha haIt got so cold last night that we wimped out and rather than staying on a remote campsite next to a beautiful lake we drove i http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-275616.html NeilHello everyone. Since our last blog we've made our way down the west coast of the south island of NZ passing two of New Zealand's big glaciers before swinging inland and climing towards Mount Cook Oceania's tallest peak and then across to the East coast and south.New Zealand is all about scenery and sheep. There are around 4million people who live on the island and most of them live in http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-273696.html Nicky Hello Hope everyone is ok Thankfully we have been able to see a bit more of the south island than we did of the north although the weather is still decidely British From Picton which is where the interisland ferry lands we have headed along the east coast. Our first main stop was at a place called Kaikoura. It is the most beautiful seaside town which is famous for its wildlife. Alon http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Kaikoura/blog-271682.html Nicky Hello I am going to start by apologising for the shortness of the last entry. We had only been in NZ a few days and we hadn't really fitted too much in but we wanted to let everyone know we were ok. From the Bay of Islands which is where I think we left off last time we headed across the far top of the north island to the west coast and spent a few days checking out the scenery there. T http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Taupo/blog-270053.html Nicky HelloWe have arrived in NZ and it is absolutely beautiful It is alot like England with rolling green hills and lots of sheep and every now and again we turn a corner and hit an amazing sea view We spent our first few days in Auckland which is a great city. We killed several hours in the museum which is really good lots of Maori people wandering around in traditional dress. We also a http://www.travelblog.org//Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-267497.html