Finally, it´s carnival time. We had a taster of it in Rio and Paraty when the samba bands were practising but now for the real thing... We stayed at another lovely poussada in the Rio Vermelho area called Catherina Paraguacu. It´s a traditional portuguese / colonial place and was a great retreat in a pretty crazy city. We met lots of fun people here including an eccentric, fun german guy called Reinhart who showed us around the city. If we're still having so much travelling when we're retired we'll be doing well! Salvador was much bigger than we expected and was also pretty run down and poor. The old town, Pelhorinho, was stunning, although in many areas the buildings are crumbling away. We stopped in lots of cafes and visited a lovely church - sao franciso, ... read more

A flight via Buenos Aires and we arrive in Sao Paolo late afternoon. The shuttle coach into the city gives a good insight of the the sheer size of the place. Contrary to the many reports that we received the place seems friendly, modern, clean and relatively organised compared to the concrete mayhem of Bangkok. The Golden Tulip is a really smart modern hotel right in the heart of the shopping and commercial area and thankfully has a decent aircon unit in the room. During our 3 days we manage to find our way around the interesting regions of Jardin and Pireinhos with their mixture of cafes, colonial houses and high rise buildings. The climate here is seriously hot (30+ degrees during the day) so even walking around is quite an effort. One thing that really ... read more

Hi everyone..here is the next instalment!, have had an amazing few days travelling round. NZ is such a great place and the van has been a good way of getting to see it all. We've been staying in camper van sites though as they make it a bit more sociable (and have showers and toilets). We travelled up the tropical west coast and stopped in to Franz Josef glacier which was not visible to the human eye due to the dense fog (didnt feel too disappointed as we'd already seen Mount Cook). Went for a few beers in the evening and met an interesting yocal who told us (in detail) about how he'd killed and hung a wild boar that day and complaining about what a hard life they have in NZ. Needless to say we ... read more

Another smooth flight from Bangkok to Sydney once again landing in beautiful sunshine. Our hotel (Sebel Pier One) is right by Harbour Bridge with the Opera House just a short way across the harbour. Flights and time differences playing havoc with our bodyclocks! 11th January Up and early and bought daytripper ticket and jumped on the 8am ferry to Rose Bay. Quick and healthy (?!?) Brekky in Berlascino's cafe and then on to Watson's Bay. Great chilled beach. Took a walk round part of the coastline to South Head which has stunning views and then sampled the legendary fish and chips at Doyle's back at Watson Bay before jumping on the bus to the famous Bondi beach. We decided to do the Bondi to Coogey coastal walk which provides some wonderful coastal views. Another scorching day ... read more

A glorious 3 days spent in the city of Venice from 13 to 16 November 2006. Covered the whole place by foot using our trusty 'Lonely Planet' to guide us around. Spent a day using the Vaparetto to do some island hopping across to the beautiful islands of Burano and Torcello. Glorious sunny weather for the whole stay. Bellissimo!!! Everywhere you look and walk is a masterpiece. If you get the chance just go and experience the sheer magnificence and splendour of this floating dream of a city. And don't forget to try the gelato too!... read more