http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/jackbloggs/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from jackbloggs en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:13:19 +0000 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:13:19 +0000 Taking some time off from the difficult life sprawled on Rios beaches to update this bad boy. From pretty tranquil rabiddog infested Colonia we headed to Montevideo the spectacular capital of Uruguay. My travelling style of go now plan later although offers spontaniety excitement and flexibility can spectaculary go wrong at times. This began to look like one of those times as the direct b http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/blog-429001.html Back to Auckland and back to another Nomad hostel with a feel of a tower block in a run down council estate. A vibe that seems to work if you are taking advantage of the power hour available in the rowdy bar downstairs but not so great when you feel rotten and can only really lie around a 10 bed dorm all day. The pain killers were doing little to shift the pain at night and the icing on the a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-423952.html From Wellington the vibrant capital of culture and wind I headed on up to a quaint little place called Turangi where I met Liv a mate from the Oz travel days and where we proceeded to wait for 3 days in vain for the weather to clear move out of the guaranteed suicide category on The Tongariro Crossing. It is meant to be The best day walk on the planet but as experienced guides were even r http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-422408.html I left off at the furthest South I went on the South Island Te Anau. I had an incredible tramp the kiwi term for trek or in this case hugemountainslog as I spent a night above the tree line and experienced my first real alpine conditions which really should have been done with crampons and an emergency beacon... but they were a bit pricey. I took an ice axe though having sought some grea http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-418073.html So a rapid fire update. I spent a Saturday night in Sydney which is as eventful as can be when you are in bed by 1030pm thanks to Goon boxed wine and the ridiculous invention of 1 hour free drinks... mistakenly interpreted by me and Dane Canadian mate I know from Tubing in Laos who happened to be in Sydney for the same time as me as meaning 1 hour all you can drink. Anyway you can see why http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-415318.html It feels miles away where I last posted a blog in Western Australia actually a town called Geraldton using the free wireless of a restaurant term used loosley called Mc Donalds. Ever in an adventure moments after updating the blog Lancelot made an entrance fit for a knight who has failed in slaying a dragon and rather sheepishly announces that Ze keys are locked in ze van. Brilliant. Aft http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-412743.html It lies there motionless. An incredible creature strangely beautiful. Even with its wings lying limp against the tarmac its power in those knifesharp talons and perfectly crafted beak seemed to demand respect. Seeing such a spectacular eagle this close made you almost feel lucky. A privilege to be face to face with the king of the skies. Hours before it would have been soaring high over the Au http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/blog-407160.html So Kirsty and I made it to Broome where we headed straight to Cable Beach. We were greeted by a perfectly blue sky merging with an even bluer lapis lazuli sea with surf washing up on an incredibly wide white beach dotted with sunbathers and surfers. After we exhausted the waitresses at a nearby caf with our repeated demands for free ice water refills we set off to start advertising for peo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/blog-405153.html Okay so MASSIVELY missing out a couple of months I thought I would add how Kirsty my long lost sister who has been terrorising Australia for the last year and a half me and our Mitsubishi StarWagon called Kitty Killa is getting along.We set off about 4 days ago from Darwin after buying the beaut from a likeable English guy called Chris for a bargain price of AUD 2600 about 1300 squid. Consi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/blog-402179.html I hate to admit it but as feared these blogs have died a bit of a death. In India I had hours of long rattly train rides to reflect on the experience of a lone traveller amidst such diverse and rich culture. I had a rough draft of how the blog was going to read before I even found a functioning computer and looked forward to documenting my experiences and being able to share my stories online. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/blog-391820.html Lets try a bit of a catch up to where I left the parents.So in Luang Prabang we stayed a day or two more than most slow boaters and did a bit extra. Dad and I rented a motorbike more like a scooter really and tore up the countryside on it. We also did a night as a Mahoot trip where we had an elephant each went for a splash with them took them into the jungle and tied them up with a 30 met http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-384102.html BangkokSo Bangkok the second time mainly consisted on trying to bring down the daily spending average which consisted of watching the free films being played from every restaurant trying my best not having to buy any food or drink and living off the food vendors reverse osmosis bottled water. February the 14th brought something a bit different as I was able to get a bit off the beaten tourist t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-376063.html Continued....Back on the road to the islandsIn an effort to save 200 baht which works out to about 4 poundage I turned down the tour operators offer of an aircon 4 hour minibus ride to Champhon ferry port for the local bus which took twice as long unbeknownst that is a cool word if it exists to me due to there distinct lack of English and my debilitating inability to learn Thai. I was con http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Pha-Ngan/blog-374510.html Ok so its been a few hectic weeks of lying on beaches basking in the sun and the occasional bucket so as I await the imminent arrival of The Parentals to join my jaunt for three weeks around Laos and Cambodia I thought it would be a good time to try and get some wordage down. In the format of a well organised essay I will structure it with a sophisticated framework of subtitles possibly unde http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-373764.html So I have tried to acculmulate a few days since the last blog in the hope of stuff to write about rather than I lay on the beach.... I went for a swim in the sea.... I ate some plain steamed rice.... I lay in a hammock.... I walked along the beach.... I considered another swim but it was really too much effort.... just easier to lie on the beach again. Not the most exciting of posts. But this i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Railay/blog-368612.html A lot to say some real corkers but my bus is leaving for Krabi in South Thailand in half an hour so I may be posting a few days late. To start off with writing my last blog nearly stopped me getting to Thailand in the first place it is a mere miracle with my time management skills that I made the flight. As I was typing away delighting you with stories of Bollywood I completely forgot that t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-366570.html Just a quick post for the last couple of days as my plane to Bangkok is leaving in a few hours and I want to complete India as it were. It still has not really hit me that I am leaving this part of the world after being in it for 14 solid weeks. Although I cannot imagine early morning Bangkok will be that different than a lot of India's urban sprawl it is still Asia and there are still tukt http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-365691.html A well of tears brims each lower eyelid causing a film to form over a pair of spectacularly glistening irises. Eyes that have depths of green so radiant that they seem to have soaked up every shade of colour in every light from the the Keralan tea plantations. Shining pupils surrounded by an explosion of gold so great that they must have been stolen from the sunsets over the sand http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/blog-364951.html After lazing away the days on the beaches of the Arabian Sea the culture vultures in us has made for quite a contrasting few days around old skool buildings and historical sites. From where I left off after checking out of our authentic Portuguese family guest house at the painful hour of 8 am we had a day to burn before our overnight bus to Hampi and thought we would check out Old Goa. A fair http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/blog-361934.html Goa. The title of this blog works best when said in a clear deep voice over the incessant backing beat reverberating from one of many beach shacks nestled amongst the swaying palms touching the edge of the pure white beach that I would be stretched out on. It is not because I don't like Goa quite the opposite in fact as with only a couple of weeks left in India Amy and I were dangerously close http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/Anjuna-Beach/blog-360924.html