corbandkel

From Vancouver I headed North along the stunning Sea-to-Sky highway to Whistler. Arriving at the Southside Hostel in Whistler Creek I immediately found myself some drinking buddies in the form of Susanne (Stuttgart), Steve (NYC) and Andy (UK), it was a Monday night after all! A crazy night ensued thanks to 80s night at Tommy Africa's which led to a late-start Tuesday.... not much of a problem as it was raining outside :( Ever hopeful I donned my sunnies and suncream and set off along the valley trail towards the village. I passed by lakes and through the trees and every so often the sun would shine and the birds would sing. Arriving at the village I explored but decided against heading up the mountain as it was surrounded in cloud. I headed to the cute ... read more

But I hadn't quiet left South America... there were still a few more suprises left for me on my flights out. Ham and Cheese Tortilla. Ham and Cheese Bagel. Oh and being detained for Swine Flu. Nice. Arriving into Seattle I could hardly believe it. It was sunny! The city shone as we flew over head, the waters sparkling as we descended. I found Erika outside the airport, and after 6 years it was still the same. We headed for Queen Anne for brunch. Eggs Benedict I missed you! Driving through the city was great, with important plces being pointed out to me it was almost like having my own personal tour guide. That and it kinda felt almost like being in Grey's Anatomy... but without McDreamy :( Erika's parents live on the shores of Lake ... read more

In search of a little quiet time we headed down the coast to Paraty, a cute little town that was once central in the gold route from Minas Gervais mines to Portugal. The drive down was one of the most stunning of the trip as we swerved our way round jungle-clad bends, overlooking peaceful inlets with golden sand, picturesque rocks and waves that gently lapped the shore. We arrived in the evening and quickly settled in to our hostel where we met some friendly faces from our time in Florianopolis. A short walk along the beach as the sun set and our rumbly tummies demanded attention. Bring on the Pizza rodilla.... all you can of varying flavours with the convenience of never having to leave your table. I love Brazil. Next morning we awoke to fresh ... read more

From Iguacu we decided we needed some beach time, and a little bit of a relax post-BA so we headed up the coast to the Island of Santa Catarina and Florianopolis. As soon as we had arrived in the city we jumped on another bus and headed across the island, finding ourselves a nice possie overlooking the lake and just minutes walk from Mole Beach. It was supposed to be sunny and quiet and relaxing. Day 1 involved far too many cocktails, thanks to Caleb the Aussie barman and Caitlin´s fondness for cinnamon. Thankfully day 2 involved pizza, but sadly for us, the sun barely poked his head out for more than 20 minutes at a time. We remained pasty white, with very sad haviaina tan lines on our feet. We needed a plan.... ... read more

So if you recall, as we arrived in the wonderful city of Buenos Aires some luggage was deftly thieved from the luggage compartment of the bus whilst we were still moving. Well, barely had we departed and it had happened again. This time two of the bus staff jumped out and ran off to chase the dirty bugger into the night and we circled the station while it was reported to the company. With no idea what had been taken we fretted in our seats: 8 passengers on board, 2 of us, the odds weren´t good. Half an hour later we pulled up outside the police station and were finally allowed to check out the damage. Our bags were safe. Phew! (again). A little old lady had lost her bag (full of sweets and gifts for ... read more