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Travelling Jim - James Blackwood

This has been a bit of a year out from normal life and work - I left to go travelling in October 2006 for what I thought would be a couple of months - but ended up being six. (Travelling through India, staying in a Kung-Fu school in North China and working on a Turtle conservation project in Thailand.)

After a few months' working back in London it's onto the next leg in South America, this time with my friend Bernard. We're starting in Columbia in September and working our way down to Argentina / Chile by the end of the year. Please keep in touch, it's great to hear from everyone, also anyone I haven't met but is travelling or planning a trip and wants to compare stories!

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Joined on: October 12th 2006
Last Login: August 29th 2009

Blog Entries: 17
Photos: 374
Recommended by 1, Recommends 1

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Travelling Jim, order by Date newest first.

By Travelling Jim
December 14th 2007

From the End Of The World back up to Buenos Aires South America » Argentina

Southern Right Whale - Tail-Fin
We were lucky to see a mother and her calf swimming together a couple of miles from shore. The calf seemed playful and inquisitive, vanishing beneath the surface before leaping out of the water momen... [more]

When I said "it's back into Argentina" at the end of my last blog, what I really meant was "back into Argentina but then through Chile again before re-entering Argentina and then crossing once more into Chile in order to get back into Argentina". The reason for this is that we'd reached "Tierra Del Fuego" (literally translated the Land of Fire), the archipelago of islands at the tip of the continent whose southernmost part forms Cape Horn, long considered one of the most treacherous areas in the world to sail around because of its storms and gusting winds. Both Chile and [View Full Entry]

Orcas (Killer Whales) patrolling the beach

By Travelling Jim
December 3rd 2007

The Three Towers South America » Chile » Magallanes » Torres del Paine

The Three Towers...
...very Lord of the Rings-esque! The iconic landmark of the Torres Del Paine

I’m going to cheat slightly in this blog as although I’m focusing on a trek we did in Chile, I’m going to have to mix in a little bit of Argentina from our southwards journey to get there. And what a journey. You know you’ve acclimatised to travelling in South America when 72-hours of back-to-back bussing no longer phases you… but I’ll come back to that later. In Mendoza, Argentina’s famous wine region, we met up with our fellow compadres from Bolivia - Sarah, Clinton and Noelia - and it was great fun to be a posse once again. We had [View Full Entry]

Distant shot of the Perito Moreno Glacier

By Travelling Jim
November 13th 2007

A week in Brazil... South America » Brazil » Rio de Janeiro

Butterfly in front of Iguassu Falls

... really isn't enough time to see much of the country! Whilst in Bolivia we had decided we were just going to skim the surface - to really get to know Brazil would take several weeks if not months and would have jeopardised the chances of us making it to Argentina, Uruguay and Chile before the end of the year. So the plan was to stick to a week, see Rio and Iguazu Falls and then move onto the next stage. As a result I can't really write much this time, any more than someone who has been on a week's [View Full Entry]

Cable Car on its way up to the Sugar Loaf

By Travelling Jim
November 1st 2007

Surviving the world's most dangerous road (but picking up unwanted hitch hikers) South America » Bolivia

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, it's off to work we go...

Another three weeks have passed and our journey through Bolivia is now at an end, leaving just Brazil and Argentina to cover before I head back for Christmas and put a fullstop at the end of my travels. For now at least… Firstly I survived “Death Road” and looking back I'm glad we did it now. When I was working in London back in July, someone sent an email slideshow with vertigo-inducing photos of this treacherously winding road where apparently lorries and buses regularly career off the vertical drops at the edge. Not to mention the odd mountain biker. My reaction [View Full Entry]

Jim and Bern in the land of giant totties...

By Travelling Jim
October 12th 2007

Chapter 14: in which Bern and Jim eat a Guinea Pig and turn into Human Icicles at 5,000 metres South America » Peru

Andes Village Children on the Lares Trek

WARNING: This blog contains scenes of Guinea Pigs in mild peril. If you are of nervous disposition, or perhaps just eating your lunch, you may wish to avert your gaze from the photos at the bottom of this page... Gruesome isn't it? I really didn’t expect it was going to look quite so horrific. I mean we’d decided we were going to try it - you know, “when in Peru” etc, but somehow when you see Baked Guinea Pig on the menu you imagine something that’s.... well I don’t know what precisely, but just not something that as you can plainly [View Full Entry]

Soldier guarding President´s Palace, Lima

By Travelling Jim
September 22nd 2007

Coffee and Evolution - Colombia and the Galapagos Islands South America » Ecuador » Galápagos

Galapagos Iguana

It’s been just over three weeks since I landed in Bogotá, Colombia where I met Bernard for the beginning of our South American travels. Right now I’m actually in Lima, Peru (but it could well be Glasgow in Scotland - how it can be cold enough for me to have to keep breathing on my hands when we’re at sea level just below the equator on the Pacific coast is something I’ve yet to work out) but I thought it wise to write everything down now as we’re off early tomorrow for a three week tour of the Andes. And my [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Jim
March 22nd 2007

Captain Bern's-Eye and Skipper Jim: Adventures across the Andaman Sea Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Phuket

"Oil Painting of a Boat at Sea"
...the other boat (skippered by Paul) off our starboard side

Captain's log 22nd March in the year 2007. Arrrrrrr. Shiver me timbers 'tis been o'er a week since Captain Bern's-Eye left port to return t' England. Before he sailed o'er th' horizon we spent a week on th' Andaman sea fightin' off poisonous jellyfish, stingin' sea-lice, mutant mosquitoes an' th' ugliest fish ye've ereseen. Aye, my parrot concurrs. Okay enough with the pirate speak. But we certainly packed in quite a bit in the week that Bernard - aka Capt Bern's-Eye - was here. For anyone new to this blog Bernard is one of my best chums who i've known since [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Jim
March 4th 2007

Turtle Conservation Project Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Ko Samet

Dr Blackwood - he talks to the animals

Hi everyone - I hope you are all well back home. I've just finished a months' volunteer project working with Sea Turtles on a small island about 4 hours' drive South of Bangkok. Right now I'm sitting at the airport with Bernard waiting for a flight to Phuket where we are doing a week's sailing course (and I've forgotten all my theory - doh!) - but that will all be part of my next update! Without sounding smug and annoying, I have to say the last month has been paradise compared to the travels so far: white sandy beaches, amazingly friendly [View Full Entry]

A rather reluctant patient gets an antisceptic bath

By Travelling Jim
January 31st 2007

Shanghai Showdown Asia » China » Shanghai

Claus and James:
On the bank of the Yangtze river, looking over the financial heart of the City

I can't quite believe this is my final night after nearly three months in China: tomorrow it's off to Bangkok to start a month's volunteer work on a turtle conservation project (I'm no stranger to charidee etc..) I've now been in Shanghai for about a week-or-so. It feels strange being on the move and having my "freedom" again - I'd really got used to the routine at the academy: when you first arrive it's a shock and you consider how to quit and save face (conclusion: you can't...). I was really sad when the moment came to leave - as you [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Jim
December 25th 2006

Merry Christmas! Asia » China » Jilin » Siping

Merry Christmas!!
What a wonderful picture, 10 out of 10 for this christmas tree...

Merry Christmas everyone - hope you are all having a fantastic and festive yuletide back home! I have to say I've had a great time here - there are about 25 of us left at the academy and we all went out and got truly soussed (is that how you spell it?) on the 23rd in Changchun. Amazing how a bit of alcohol can help people bond, although I had the worst hangover in about ten years on Christmas Eve morning... For Christmas Day we played "grab bag", a game similar to Secret Santa but with the added twist of being [View Full Entry]

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