http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Pontefract/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Pontefract en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:06:55 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:06:55 +0000 Meet the ArayaGonzalez family There's Nidia the hardheaded politician who's constantly having to choose between her career and the husband she idolizes. There's Mari the glamourous nurse and daughter of Oswaldo and a previous flame. Also Stephanie the shy 14 year old obsessed with boys and shopping and Karina the reserved stressedout medical student with a talent for dance. Living on t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/blog-172583.html As luck would have it my dwindling bank balance seems to be in direct correlation with the amount of freeloading I managed to do in Brazil. After the excesses of Rio which had been planned to last 4 days and then turned into 2 weeks it was definitely a good thing I arrived in Florianopolis to a deserted hostel I mean seriously deserted. I think there were 3 guests in total. Under any oth http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Sao-Paulo/S-o-Paulo/blog-166015.html Bullshit exclaims my friend Shelley after I have extolled the virtues of the caipirinha and the lack of hangover that it brings. Although we disagree on this point we are firmly in cahoots that this cocktail is capable of transporting you from a place of sobriety to a place of sozzled delight in the time it takes to get a Brazilian bikini wax. And believe me in the spirit of crucial cultur http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/Ipanema/blog-163104.html Iguazu FallsThe Iguazu Falls Straddling Argentina and Brazil the Iguazu Falls may not be the largest waterfalls in the world but they are said to be the most beautiful. Surrounded by national parks filled with tropical rainforest these 275 falls are sights not easily forgotten. And it is this place that Amanda Shelley Pancho and I endured a 20 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to see. My first http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Paran-/Foz-do-Igua-u/blog-160105.html Although Australia and New Zealand had been great the pace of adventure was a lot slower than we had grown used to in Asia. Both of us had been massively looking forward to going to South America and thankfully that was rightfully so. Over the past week I've fallen in love with travelling again. Although Cambodia stays firmly top of the list as my favourite country so far Buenos Aires is now http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/blog-159118.html We finally managed to get out of Wellington on Monday morning and caught an inordinately early ferry across to Picton on South Island. We then hopped on a bus to Nelson a city which is approximately the size of Esher. However if you would like any information on the area I would be only too happy to oblige we were treated to another one of those bus drivers that chatters away for the enti http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-152107.html We arrived in Auckland with a freshly toppedup tan eager to see what New Zealand had to offer. We stepped out into the fresh air...and had to resist the urge to turn on our heels and scuttle back inside again. It was FREEZING and we hadn't been anywhere cold in about 2 and a half months. After checking in to our hostel my first port of call was a pharmacy I was running out of practically http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-149793.html After an uneventful flight we arrived at Downtown Backpackers Nadi Fiji a bit of a hole but the staff were friendly. After checking in we had our first taste of Kava which was aptly described to me by my friend Netta in Sydney as looks like mud tastes like mud she was bang on. I thought I was drinking ditchwater but the Fijians are obsessed with it. Water mixed with ground tree root http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/Viti-Levu/Nadi/blog-147769.html When I arrived in Brisbane I had a little fun finding the right local bus stop but eventually got on. I got increasingly panicked as I tried to work out how everyone was 'dinging' to get off the bus I couldn't see a nice pretty red button to press or anything. As we neared my stop I was getting frantic and saw a friendly Aussie girl to ask it turns out that there was a black strip running a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-147764.html I'd been sad to leave Brisbane but happy to go back to Sydney where I had some good friends so that my sprained foot could recover and in the meantime they could look after me. Unfortunately not everything turned out as planned because both the rooms I requested which had people I knew in them were full so I was stuck in Room 1 an absolute nightmare largely because it's right by the ter http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-143309.html After Byron Bay and Sydney I wasn't looking forward to Queensland that much everybody had said that Brisbane was duller than dull. However I was literally skipping with excitement at the prospect of seeing Oscar again we'd all become very close travelling around Thailand together and we'd really missed each other. Han was very happy she'd get to see him on her birthday The bus journey wa http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-141100.html The bus to Byron Bay was uneventful except for being unable to sleep because of very upright seats that literally reclined about 2cm only. I'd been told great things about Byron Bay by the people we'd met in Sydney and had been particularly recommended a hostel called the Arts Factory. We got off the bus in sweltering heat but warmish clothes which we'd needed for the AC on the bus. Using my gu http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Byron-Bay/blog-138703.html I had been massively massively excited about going to Australia particularly Sydney. For years I have lusted after the Opera House Harbour Bridge and beaches of Manly and Bondi. Unfortunately upon arrival my expectations and experiences didn't quite match up.Hannah and I were seriously knackered after our flights and food poisoning so when we staggered into our hostel around 8am and were to http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-136118.html After the experiences of Phnom Penh Hannah and I debated whether we should go to Laos for 10 days which we'd heard great things about or whether to head down to the southern coast of Cambodia. We decided on the latter for a few days of relaxation on the beach. After all it only meant we'd have to return to do Laos and Vietnam another tripOn the bus we were sitting across from an English guy http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Sihanoukville/blog-132405.html We've spent the last few days exploring the recent Cambodian history in Phnom Penh with Andreas and Simon. After an uneventful bus journey spent listening to the wailing of the Khmer ballads that are so infuriatingly popular we arrived in Phnom Penh to the rugby match of the bus stop as soon as the vehicle nears the stand Khmers are hammering on the windows thrusting brochures of guesthouses http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-131804.html The journey to Cambodia is a novella in itself and what we've done since probably another one I was glad to leave Thailand although I had loved every second.Our first bus of a 29 hour journey was late no surprises and we ended up chatting to a slightly dull Aussie called Rachel...well at first I thought that was all but then she told me that the Killing Fields weren't as impressive as she'd http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-130375.html Han Oscar and I have had an absolutely awesome time in Krabi...we arrived tired but had a gorgeous meal at about 11.30pm which cheered us up no end We are staying at Mr Banana's which are bungalows in the middle of a jungle a short way from Ao Nang beach. At first we were frustrated to be out of the town it was prebooked but we really appreciate the gorgeous setting the food's great the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ao-Nang/blog-128218.html So today we have arrived in Krabi for the last leg of Thailand but I thought first I would fill you in on our adventures on the islands...After island hopping to Phangan to see Alex and Newt going back to Samui seemed a bit of a let down and we were glad to get to return to the island of the Full Moon Party The ferry ride was easy and then a short taxi trip to our resort on the beach closes http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Pha-Ngan/blog-127805.html After the fun of Chaing Mai we arrived in BKK at 5.30am and spent the early morning feeling really tired. Hannah lucky girl is somehow able to fall asleep at the click of her fingers so she got a little shuteye on top of a keyboard in a 24 hour internet cafe. In the morning we headed to the Grand Palace we had deliberately waited until now so that we could go early before mammoth crowds hi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Samui/blog-123914.html My expectations for Chaing Mai were good but not amazing I couldn't have been more wrong. It's been an incredible few days and a real contrast to our time in Bangkok BKK. So this entry will be a long oneWe spent our last day in the city doing literally nothing lazing about a lovely openair restaurant with comfy chairs that let you sit as long as you wanted. We read chatted to other backpa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-122386.html