jamieborley

Hello, again. It’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about this site, let alone written anything - until I was reminded of it recently by a man called Mike from Swansea who’s bored with his job and prefers to read my stories. So, I suppose you may or may not want to know what’s been happening down here in Santiago, Chile for the last four months. In October we went down south to visit Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Isla de Chiloé and the a few other places and it was lovely all the two weeks long. Jessica had a few days’ work to get through which, in reality, took about 39 minutes of the two weeks. So, we were happy. And I was especially happy and content with the weather down south because it ... read more

Well, it's been some time since I last put finger to keyboard in anger and now it's time for that to change. For one reason or another, I haven't seen some of you in a long, long while. Maybe it's because we live on different continents or we've inexplicably lost touch in this modern communication age. Maybe it's because we've changed addresses, lifestyles, phones and friends. Maybe we've just changed? Anyway, here's an almost chronological update of what's gone on in the previous sixteen months since I returned from my Latin American adventure... I arrived back at Heathrow - that giant shopping mall/high security prison with an airport attached - tired of international travel and still quite ill from the mysterious Guatemalan/Colombian stomach bug that had did for my insides what Chernobyl Power Plant had did ... read more

For those of you who know me best, you will know that I change my mind often. And after the last blog where I was almost defeatist and slightly down-beat about coming into New Zealand and simply finding a job after the memorable adventures of South America had passed... Things have changed. I have now bought a little mock camper-van, fitted out with a bed, gas stoves, cutlery, plates, cups, cupboard and curtains. I am going to get out there on the open road of New Zealand for the next few weeks and see what it's all about. The mountains, the beaches, the glaciers, the lonely mountain roads, the forests, the rivers, the lakes, the fresh air, the wind, the sun, the rain and so much more. It would've been a shame to just come here ... read more

It's a strange little fact that not that many people know about, not even most Welsh people, but deeply tucked away in south America there are small Welsh colonies in the Patagonia region of Argentina, nestled away off the usual beaten gringo-trail. Being from Wales and travelling south America anyway I decided to pay them a visit for a few days. And here´s the brief story... The first band of Welshmen and women arrived in Puerto Madryn in the year of our lord 1865, on a ship called Mimosa that set sail from Liverpool docks a few months earlier with the hopes and aspirations of 153 Welshmen and women on board. The long and the short of it is is that they left Wales because they thought the Welsh language, culture and tradition was being ... read more

So what have I done? Another year over and a new one just begun. I spent my christmas and new year's eve in that small dusty beach town called La Paloma in Uruguay. It was so low-key and relaxing. It was perfect. A sweet antidote to the usual drunken, debauched, foul-mouthed, thumping-music and untenable hungover times of years gone by. And so here we are... 2006. Buenos Aires: I travelled here, by super-fast ferry, from Colonia in Uruguay with Patrick the old Irish-American guy from La Paloma. I cannot say for a second that I particularly liked Buenos Aires; staying in the centre meant staying in the centre of the incredible din whipped up by the voluminous traffic, the hordes and hordes of flashy Porteños going about their daily business, the dirty streets and plazas and ... read more