Ryan Taylor and Ailie Moir
Four months of slavery at ASDA and Lloyds TSB are finally over and now the fun begins!Ryan and Ailie
Travel Blog Posts
Homeward Bound
Published: June 7th 2008South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro » Rio de Janeiro » Copacabana
June 7th 2008
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that this is to be our final travelblog. Thanks to everyone who has made the effort to read our entries. We had hoped to update you all over the past week or two but what with lying on Copacabana beach and the Iguacu falls we did not manage it! We fly home from Sao Paulo on Monday afternoon and should be back in Glasgow early Tuesday afternoon. Lots to do just now so must go. Thanks again and see you all soon!! Ryan and Ailie... read more
Across Argentina in a Renault Kangoo
Published: May 22nd 2008South America » Argentina » Río Negro » San Carlos de BarilocheMay 14th 2008
Our initiation into the land of Diego Maradona, Carlos Gardel and Evita Peron was anything but uneventful. The journey across the border from Pucon to Bariloche involved switching buses in Osorno. But when i raised my eyes from my book to gaze at the scenery it was hampered by plumes of smoke billowing from the back of the bus. A 45 minute wait for a replacement bus to arrive was to leave us late for the second bus to take us over the border. But, with some cobbled together Spanish and eccentric hand maneouvres, the driver got the picture and phoned ahead to Osorno to have the bus wait. Needless to say we made the bus, not without some nasty stares from the passengers i may add. Bariloche was very enjoyable. Our hostel had a panoramic ... read more
Buenos Aires and Mendoza photos
Published: June 7th 2008South America » Argentina » Mendoza » Mendoza
April 21st 2008
Nine hours south of Santiago is Pucon, a mecca for adventure sports. The town sits at the foot of the Villaricca volcano, an active volcano. At 4am on our first night, the town´s siren went off. We thought we were in a real life Dante´s Peak! But it turned out to be the summoning of the town´s volunteer firefighters. We can now say that we have climbed a volcano, an active one at that! Having had no previous climbing experience, we were a bit phased about what lay ahead. Crampons, what the .... are crampons?! Every time you look at the top you think "Ach, i´ll be there in a jiffy," but no, it´s another two hours! As we reached the summit finally, the putrid odour emanating from the massive crater choked us. However, the thick ... read more
Santiago/ San Pedro de Atacama
Published: May 3rd 2008South America » Chile » Antofagasta Region » San Pedro de Atacama
April 18th 2008
Asia was good, but South America has proven even better! We have been enjoying ourselves so much that the task of writing a blog has become more arduous. Detail will have to wait until our return! We spent around nine days in Santiago (not consecutive). This was not wholly down to an immedaite fondness for the city but that we loved our hostel so much. As for Santiago, we did the usual tour of musuems which was fine. Took a tram up to Cerro San Cristobal, where a huge statue of the Virgin Mary overlooks the city. It also serves as an open air arena for mass. Blah Blah. Spent a day in Valparaiso which is described as South America´s Venice waiting to be discovered. Some people love this place, we did not. Within minutes of ... read more
Whistlestop tour of Australia/New Zealand
Published: April 7th 2008Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Christchurch
April 7th 2008
Since our last entry in mid-March, we have been in Singapore, Cairns, Melbourne and New Zealand's south island. Singapore is a complete waste of time if you are backpacking. Whatever sights it does have i.e. Sir Stamford Raffles landing sight and the Parliament building is overshadowed by the fact that they are total pish and there is hee haw else to do apart from shop, buy a beer for four frigging pounds or make a dodgy deal on the local stock market. Oh aye, penalties are pretty severe here. Fart in public and you could be spending the night behind bars. To sum up, DO NOT VISIT SINGAPORE! P.S. After being urged by anyone and everyone to go to Raffles Hotel "just for the Singapore Sling and to say you've done it," we decided to be ... read more
March 13th 2008
Sabadii, If you have never visited the Mekong region, i heartily recommend you do. The past month has been magnificent. From feeding elephants in the ancient city of Ayuttaya, meditating in the mountains of northeast Thailand, hanging on for dear life as a over zealous tuk-tuk driver takes a sharp bend at top speed, taking a slow boat down the Mekong river, watching the sunset over Luang Prabang in Laos. It has been time well spent. Safe to say this beats an all inclusive in Benidorm or working! A short word for Bangkok: HOLE. Three days in Singapore awaits us which i want to pass quickly. I am not particularly interested in spending my time in a giant air-conditioned City of London. Still, i am sure there will be an Irish pub somewhere! The way things ... read more
February 15th 2008
Goodbye China! A bizarre country. Thanks to a snowstorm that stretched from X'ian in the north to Guangzhou in the south (basically top to bottom if your not up on yer Chinese geography!) we only scratched the surface of this gargantuan nation. The China leg of the trip ended with a ten day stay in Hong Kong. It is a spectacular city but ten days was far too long. Three Irish pubs within walking distance was a big distraction but when charged almost 3.50pnds for a pint and 5.00pnds for a glass of wine, there were obvious limits hence the old buy a few cans from the off-licence, plant it up your duke and discreetly pour into an empty glass!! As for doing something productive. The rah-rah brigade from Britannia came ashore over 150 years ago ... read more
February 3rd 2008
While Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier, flies around the country pointing at maps asking the 'people' to dig his governement out of a huge pickle, millions of people are stranded at bus stations, train stations, and airports. TWO BILLION FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MILLION JOURNEYS are being attempted in what is the busiest time of the Chinese year. To put it bluntly, but not so bluntly as to drive my family to their rosary beads to pray for my sin....China is Donald Ducked. Today, we jumped on the metro (best thing about Shanghai is the metro, very wheelchair friendly) from Zhenping Lu to Shanghai Railway Station. Cue bedlam. The station was closed. Barriers surrounded the building from where a heavy police presence held back thousands. There were no public announcements via loudspeekers, nada. Every single person ... read more
January 19th 2008
FIRSTLY， THE COMPUTER IS FORCING US TO WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS。 IT HAS BEEN A STRANGE BEGINNING TO A FIVE MONTH TRIP。 IT BEGAN WITH AN AWOL BACKPACK IN LONDON AND CONTINUED WITH THE ALARMING NEWS THAT THE PLANE WE ARRIVED ON IN BEIJING CRASH LANDED ON ITS RETURN TO LONDON。 AS FOR BEIJING？ THERE APPEARS TO BE SUBURBS BIGGER THAN GLASGOW！ THE ROADS ARE SO WIDE A BULLET FIRED FROM A GUN WOULD FAIL TO REACH THE OTHER SIDE。 PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS DONT COUNT FOR MUCH HERE。 BEIJING IS A VERY DIRTY CITY。 THE BULK OF OUR FIRST FULL DAY WAS SPENT EXPLORING TIANAMEN SQUARE AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY。 THE SQUARE WAS ONLY IMPRESSIVE IN THAT IT IS SO VAST。 LOOKS LIKE SOVIET MOSCOW。 MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE GORDON BROWN WAS IN TOWN BUT THERE WERE ... read more
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