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The most boring blog entry ever?
Published: January 23rd 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Blackheath
January 23rd 2010
My challenge should I choose to accept it... ...find an interesting way to write about towels. Hmmmmmm - wish me luck! It's actually more interesting than you might think. Well, it is for me (because I'm the one who's got to carry around everything that I need to live for 3 and a half months)! So, those who've been avidly following this blog so far will know that I actually bought a super lightweight, super quick drying towel from Itchy Feet. I've not tried it but, by all accounts, it will do the job nicely. However, before I went there, I'd actually already ordered some of these lightload Towels. Allegedly the only towel that doubles as a survival tool. Well, they arrived yesterday (I got two packs of 3, together with couple of the bigger brother ... read more
Kit Out (Part 2)
Published: January 21st 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Blackheath
January 20th 2010
More Goodies! Tuesday I got a call from Alex at Itchy Feet to tell me that they'd got my sleeping bag in. So I went down to pick it up. Alex was just as helpful and friendly and knowledgebale as Nir was (see ). It's amazing how little sleeping bag there is (considering it's supposed to keep me comfortable down to about minus 2 degrees). It comes in a mesh bag (which is what you're supposed to store it in to stop the fibers from getting combressed). It also comes with a "stuff bag" which is what you stuff it in! It collapses to a really small size. Most impressive. And it fits nice and snug in the bottom of my hiking pack. I also took the opportunity to get myself some convertible trousers. Basically, you ... read more
Spanish Fly
Published: January 18th 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » BlackheathJanuary 18th 2010
...Well, more Spanish Flight, really Makes for a good title though, don't you think? (For those who don't get that, check out this wikipedia article or - more importantly - this...EVH - you're a legend!) Any way, back to business. It's done! The flights are booked! There's no turning back now! (Well, not until May at least). I got (what I think is) a decent deal from Journey Latin America. I went through these guys rather than booking directly because they can arrange an "open jaw" flight - apparently this refers to a ticket type where you arrive in one country but depart from another. (All this new lingo is already making me feel like a seasoned traveller) Also, they appear to have pretty knowledge... read more
January 18th 2010
Not an article detailing how to eject a cat from your house... Geddit? Kit Out?.... Cat? Oh do try to keep up! Yesterday was a productive day! I headed off to Itchy Feet on Wardour Street, credit card in hand (it's now sadly wilted). I have to say that I'm so pleased that I made the effort to go to the shop rather than buying directly from the website. If all customer service were as excellent as that demonstrated by Nir (that's the guy's name), the UK would be a much nicer place to shop. I simply wandered in and explained my situation: I'm a first time traveller, heading off to South America, don't have a full itinerary yet so don't know exactly what I'm going to be doing, have no idea what I need to ... read more
Speaking the Lingo...Still a Gringo
Published: January 17th 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » BlackheathJanuary 17th 2010
I've been looking through some other blogs on this site (and of course, the discussion forums), trying to glean any information that I can about good places to visit, where to stay, what to pack - even what level of spanish proficiency other travellers have had when setting out. As a first time traveller, this is all totally new to me. What type of luggage should I use? Should I take my DSLR camera? What about my iPod? Grrrr, a billion questions. So I thought that it might be useful to post occasionally with the lowdown on how I'm preparing for this trip. Hopefully if there is anybody setting out on a similar journey with similar levels of experience, you might find these posts useful. As an added bonus it will help to convince my family ... read more
Begin at The Beginning
Published: January 16th 2010Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Blackheath
January 16th 2010
It's a miserable January afternoon. The slate gray sky is reflected a thousand times in the raindrops that crawl lazily across my window. My head is aching from a night well spent - a night in the company of friends. It all seems so far removed from the adventure that awaits me. I ask myself again if I've taken leave of my senses. My hesitant response indicates that perhaps I have. In less than one month I will be landing in Bogotá. Half a world away from the lush green expanses of Blackheath. Behind me will be my life, my friends, my flat, my family, my job. And ahead of me a journey that, despite my best research, I struggle to imagine. The continent of South America - peppered with Post It planning - screams proudly ... read more
Unaccustomed as I am to public writing, I'll keep this short.
So the plan is to jet off to Bogotá 15th February, take in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina...and maybe a quick dip into Uruguay for good measure. I just have to make sure that I reach Buenos Aires on or before 31st May for my flight home.
And this is where it's going to be documented...the good bits and the bad bits...hope there won't be too many of those!
I'm pretty useless at keeping things updated so Im going to try to get into the habit by starting now - 1 month (ish) from de... full info
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My South American Adventure
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Where my tour will take me...
(notice how I cheekily included Spain, even though I'll only be seeing the inside of the aiport!)
(notice how I cheekily included Spain, even though I'll only be seeing the inside of the aiport!)
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