http://www.travelblog.org/ Live Travel Journals, Diaries and Photos from real Travellers en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:42 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:31:42 +0000 Well it has been just over a week since we have had internet access so this could be a long one..buckle in for the ride or jump out now As I write this first part of the blog we are on the overland truck heading to a small town called Eldoret in Kenya and aiming for Kampala in Uganda so please forgive me if the spelling is a bit rough as the roads in Africa aren39t exactly smooth. Wow the last http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-792167.html It has been a while ... From Iguazu we took a bus to Buenas Aires BA. By bus you cross the 39Tierra de los grandes rios39. Amazone forest full of wood companies roads are not that good. 20h busride.BA is a great metropolis european architecture atmospheric neighbourhoods bustling nighlife and proud welcoming habitants and they speak spanish with a funny accent.... In BA w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/Mendoza/blog-792161.html 0 locks 200 in total. We stopped off quite early on at a farm shop called Wedges and the towpath telegraph was right a lovely place quite small but wellstocked with much of the food homemade. We bought cheese and onion pasties a quiche sausages bread and a chocolate swiss roll we like to eat healthily On the move again this time through a very long wooded cutting we could s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Warwickshire/blog-792158.html Special preview of photos from Machu Picchu entry to come soon http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-792154.html Sorry for the lack of updates once again there was no internet access where we stayed in the Grand Canyon I guess they want people to enjoy the views.We travelled from Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon on Sunday which turned into a longer journey than expected as one of the roads we were planning to take was closed resulting in something of a detour. Unfortunately our sat nav insisted on taki http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon/blog-792145.html Salam Alykom I39m hoping this says Hello in Arabic otherwise this could be awkward.Yes folks it39s that time again to start up my blogs as I39m off again But this time the destination is Dubai and the purpose is work. Since being back in the UK for just over 7 months it seems my travel bug still hasn39t gone away After several skype interviews for a full time http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-792144.html Leo originally agreed to write the blog for today and yesterday but then he wigged out. So here I am again. I write to you from Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan. We arrived here this afternoon on our drive from Sawai Madhopur where we spent two nights in a safari lodge just outside of Rathambore National Park.During our stay we had the opportunity to go on three separate safaris. Our 12 hours o http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Sawai-Madhopur/blog-792141.html Today was a day of travel.Firstly we said goodbye to our fellow guests and swapped addresses and then goodbye to one of our hosts Lisa. It feels a bit strange as for the past 10 days we39ve felt part of the families we39ve stayed with. It39s really a home away from home.The thunderstorm last night has caused some flooding in Hallstatt we heard with water and mud running down the mountain http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Tyrol/Innsbruck/blog-792139.html Our departure from uyuni was slightly delayed due to me being ill but a trip to the chemist in which I resembled a rock star on a bad day escaping the paparazzi soon sorted me out. We went literally onwards and upwards to one of the highest cities in the world Potosi.We spent a couple of days in Potosi its narrow streets lined with balcony clad buildings definitely had charm. As did the pla http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/blog-792138.html 19 locks 200 in total. We motored our final mile for the moment on the Grand Union to Kingswood Junction. We turned left here onto the Lapworth Link which then divides to the left again takes you onto the South Stratford Canal to Stratford upon Avon but we turned right onto the North Stratford to Birmingham. The whole area around Kingswood Junction was eyecatching old canal build http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Warwickshire/blog-792136.html Hey everyone Sorry I havent blogged in a while you had to pay for the internet in the hotel we stayed at in Shanghai and the wifi in the lobby was pretty sketchy.The three days I spend in Shanghai are such a blur that I think I will just give a general summary. It was sooooo humid in Shanghai everyday it was like walking in a sauna so we didnt spend too much time just walking through the city. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-792128.html 18 June 2013We didnt want to leave beautiful Lake Bohinj but the end of our trip was fast drawing near and we had to move on. Before we left the area we went to see a nearby waterfall Slap Savica. Then it was the short drive to Lake Bled far more commercialised than Bohinj but something we thought we ought to see. We set ourselves up at Camping Bled and in the afternoon went to see Vingar Gor http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/blog-792120.html Dear FollowersHello I hope today has been a good day for you I write to you from Ave Maria University in Ave Maria FL near Naples. This Catholic university is home to FOCUS New Staff Training for the next few weeks and it39s great to be here It is really hot and humid here worse than Kansas and I39ve made best friends with alligators huge spiders and millions of gnats. There is at http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Naples/blog-792117.html I honestly didnt know what country Stonehenge was in seriously I knew it was in England but I didnt really know like where abouts. I happened upon finding out it was only like an hour or so ride from the city so I had to go see this. I set out and I am like 5 miles outside the city just cruising along on the M3 and my bike al of a sudden freaks out and starts running like crap so I freak o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Wiltshire/Amesbury/blog-792116.html Hello againToday we are in Belfast. We took a taxi tour of the city. We went to a Protestant neighborhood the Peace Wall and a Catholic neighborhood. While we were in the Protestant neighborhood we saw several murals. They were really cool. One mural had a picture of a man in a ski mask holding a gun. The cool part was that the gun pointed at you no matter where you were. That was my favorite p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Northern-Ireland/County-Antrim/Belfast/blog-792113.html HelloToday we left Derry and headed for Belfast. We made a few stops on the way. The first stop was at Dunluce Castle. The Castle was pretty cool. It didn39t take long to go through it. My favorite part was the prison like room. That was pretty cool. It was a small round room. We also got to go under the castle. That was neat. After Dunlice Castle we headed to Giants Causeway. That was fun W http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Northern-Ireland/County-Antrim/Belfast/blog-792109.html We wanted to make sure we introduced some of our friends. Mark and Karen Higgins are awesome and amazing We39ve loved getting to know them and working alongside them at the Center. Here39s their ministry information below. You can read up about their work in San Rafael and if you want to you can send a donation too.Mark and Karen Higgins Living Stones Ministry Mexico P.O. Box 218Lukev http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Sonora/Puerto-Pe-asco/blog-792108.html Hello again Today we left our hostel in Donegal and came to Derry or Londonderry. On the ride to Derry I had an interesting conversation with Claire and Alicia. I learn a lot when I talk to Claire. We always have interesting conversations. Once we got here we met up with our tour guide Adrian at our Bed and Breakfast. He took us on a buswalking tour of the city of Derry. He did a wonderful job http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Northern-Ireland/County-Londonderry/Londonderry/blog-792104.html HelloToday we left Sligo and headed for Donegal. When we got to Donegal we had a walking tour. We learned about the history of the town. That was pretty interesting. It was a fairly small town. The tour did not take long. We saw a couple of churches a castle and an old school. The school had one class downstairs and the teacher lived upstairs. When the tour was over we went to the castle and lo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Ireland/County-Donegal/Donegal/blog-792100.html Day two headed out of town with Abdul Driver and Abdul Guide we found the Chinese. Like Bole a massive modern city is in the making. Guangzhou has moved in pouring huge amounts of money into apartments industry businesses etc and it was mentioned as in Bole 80of every train in is Han Chinese who arrive here and seemingly disappear to their new city ghettos so to speak.Every time we drove d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Xinjiang/Kashgar/blog-792092.html Hi All ... its us again I think we have adjusted to local time as we all slept in today and finally we had others at breakfast with us Most days so far we have been the first to arrive at breakfast ... which of course has its advantages when Scott and I can get our coffee made as soon as we order and enjoy the service of 56 staff for our family of 5 Thailand is 3 hours behind Brisbane s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Samui/blog-792091.html A beautiful day on the water took us to the Beauharnois Locks where we waited for three and a half hours to lock through. There was an other couple from North Carolina locking through with us on their 36 foot Mariner called Tumbleweed. These two locks require that you moor to the port wall which is not North Star39s preferred she pulls to starboard. Pleasure crafts on the St. Lawrence Seaway a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Quebec/blog-792083.html Last year I spent a week in the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia China and I met quite a few Chinese tourists who showed me pictures of a place in Gansu Province where mountains were a palette of warm colors. This place was Danxia 45 km from Zhangye and I knew it would be on my bike route for 2013.So here is Dan Xia Geopark. It is a unique place and I spent the whole day with my mouth wide open d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Zhangye/blog-792082.html April 18 April 25thThe Langtang TrekIn a departure from my usual day by day trek blog I39ve condensed this entire trek to a summary style entry It was taking me so long to get the story out. Anyway I hope it is still enjoyable to read. There are still lots of photos they39re hard to cull down 145 for this blog post. So without further ado.....Trekking beginsTrek 3 was a 9 day 8 ni http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Langtang/blog-792068.html Missouri tucked in her shirt tied her shoelaces and wore her prettiest hat for us today under blue nonhumid skies. We changed plans and decided to try route 76 west today with no destination in mind. We continued to ride through Mark Twain39s forest and then mostly countryside on this quiet two lane road. The road was fantastic and several times we were able to reenact the Ikea commerc http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-792067.html After our last stop in SA we headed to the GOR. We had arranged to do more WWOOFing in Lorne in a holidayretreat place called Allenvale. We were also waiting to hear back about a farm job in NSW but until then continued on our journey. We travelled along the coast passing other towns before we got to the GOR. It39s a bit of a drive if you see everything The first of our 2 days we travelled http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Great-Ocean-Road/blog-792066.html To begin with it39s only 515pm here and I am ready to crawl into bed and pass out i.e. jet lag sucks. Putting that aside however today was a pretty busy start to our stay in Bangkok. After a lengthy trip here 3 hours to Denver 12 to Tokyo and 6 to Bangkok excluding layovers we didn39t arrive in Bangkok until past 11pm. The first thing we noticed was the humidity and heat for sure as i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-792065.html Today I plan to head out farther afield. I had my first French breakfast from the coffee shop EIGHTY STEPS yes much less than China below us. Megan you would be proud of me I had Cafe con Leche but I did score it in decaf though. Drinkable way more so than home. I got one of those flat donut peach from the fruit stand and then my con Leche and crissant from the Cafe. The croissant w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/Barcelona/blog-792064.html Woolly says it seemed like only moments before we were back on the road still 1200 KM to go and Ollie was off on his mission. France was empty and we were grateful for it being a Sunday we watched as the landscape flew past with hot air balloons taking to the early morning skies an odd dear having breakfast in the fields and the sun slowly rising. I kept seeing names of places we had been http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/West-Midlands/Stourbridge/blog-792063.html Splnilo sa to co som ocakaval. V noci som nemohol zaspat. Do postele som zaloahol uz o 2100 no nakoniec som zalomil asi az nieco po polnoci. Prekvapivo mi nebola zimapreto ostal sal aj mikina v pohotovosti odlozene len na batohu.Na ranajky som vybehol opat k metru k pojazdnemu stankuten tam este nebol tak som sadol do restiky. Po 10.min cakania ked nikto o mna nejavil zaujem som sa pobral bez http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-792052.html I liked Zhangye. Its a charming little city with many pedestrian streets lined up with colorful oldlooking buildings. It combines modern shopping malls and ancient temples. People there were very welcoming and helpful and the fact that Zhangye is so close to Ma Ti Si and Dan Xia Landform photos to come tells me I will definitely be back here.Unfortunately on my first night in Zhangye I must http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Zhangye/blog-792022.html Well we are here and the weather is not fantastic but a bit better than what you are expecting in NZ. Arrived Saturday after a good flight through but of course I did my normal no sleep routine and decided to get a head cold to make myself miserable. Helen and Pete picked us up at Heathrow and delivered us to the hotel then spent the rest of the day wonderingas you dowith us around old St Pau http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-792015.html SPHe salido a las 9 hoy luego he ido hacia el noroeste hasta cruzar el rio Lech luego hacia el oeste por la bavaria profunda hasta casa de Kathrin. Mucha gente piensa que Bavaria es plana y el cacho que queda entre los alpes y el Danubio no lo es son todo colinas rompepiernas. Ademas estamos con ola de calor en alemania unos 34 grados hoy.ENI started at 9 todayltspangt then I went no http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/blog-792003.html SPHoy he entragado la casa a eso de las 5 de la tarde despues de varios dias de desmontaje pintar tirar cosas etc... Luego he salido de Munich para Dachau por el camino por el que siempre he ido a trabajar. En Dachau me quedo en casa de YerayENToday I gave the house up at about 5 pmltspangt after several days of removalltspangt paintingltspangt throwing thingsltspangt http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/blog-792002.html On my second day at Ma Ti Si I rode to another grotto 13km away. The Tibetan guesthouse owners had told me there was a road to go to Guan Yin Dong. What they didnt tell me or did I miss it was that the road was unpaved and VERY bumpy It took me 90 minutes to cover the 13km. The scenery was splendid though I took too many pictures and I imagined building a little summer mud house for the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Gansu/Mati-Si/blog-792001.html Depart a 10h15 de Las Vegas. 31105 miles au compteur.Nous prenons la direction de Barstow que nous passons rapidement apres etre entre en Californie. Nous nous arretons pour faire le plein 9411 gallons pour 4000 et 31266 miles au compteur c39est ici que nous trouvons l39essence la plus chere.Nous traversons ensuite la fameuse vallee de la mort qui n39a rien de mortel. Il y a une v http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Corona/blog-791999.html This morning we visited the Cowra Visitors Information Centre to watch the 9 minute hologram which recounts the tragic story of the Cowra POW camp breakout in 1944. This is very interesting and very well done.We then drove out to the remains of the POW camp to have a look. It is hard to imagine the sadness and horror that took place in this peaceful and beautiful area.We set off home driving via http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Cowra/blog-791998.html In that order From Melbourne 9 12 hours to HK then 12 hours had us arriving in Frankfurt Main at around 6 am. Shuttle to terminal 2 easily achieved found the Reisezentrum travel centre purchased tickets for Marburg which is a 1 12 hour trip by regional train from Frankfurt Hautbahnhof main station. So train from Airport station then change to regional train for Marburg. Then a leisure http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Hesse/Marburg/blog-791993.html On the roadOn the 8th of june i took the Great ocean road tour was amazing. A few days after that i found a ride to Alice Springs.We headed of at the 11th of june. Long ride of 7 hours to Adelaide with a stop in Port Augusta a quiet place. After arriving in Adelaide Pete and I were looking for a pub to watch the football match of the Socceroos vs Jordan. We ate some food over there and after the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-791991.html Another motel room for the night.Travelled across the valley on busy duel carriageway in high winds. The terrain starts to change as one starts to climb up over the hills before you reach the coast. Initially I thought the hills were large sand dunes but realised as I got nearer that it was just brown grass As we rose over the first few I realised yet again that my perspective was way off and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Simeon/blog-791989.html Arrived in Katherine and we are becoming acclimatised to the beautiful weather. Every day has been between 29 33 degrees no flies nor mosquitoes Lesley is loving the lack of insects. Have spent most of our time enjoying relaxing by the pool or in the pool with a bit of touring thrown in. Not hard to take. Katherine was to be our R R time after being on the road...and we have really enjoyed http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Katherine/blog-791987.html Late in our travel planning we decided to add in Cambodia specifically Siem Reap and Ankor Wat. We only had a few days to spare and given our backpacker budget we had to take buses instead of flying.Taking the bus across the border was definitely an experience. Matt with his new found travel agent research skills read numerous blogs so we would know what to expect. We knew there would be some cha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-791986.html Photos Great ocean road http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-791984.html Photos of blue mountains hostel http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-791978.html I spent a weekend camping in Sequoia National Park with my friends Tiffany and Beren.We drove through Kings39 canyon. We stopped by the cave that39s on the way. There one can see very nicely the river that courses through the bottom of the canyon. It is potent and lively with roaring white waters. We had lunch there and dipped our feet in the icecold water.We decided to camp at a high e http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Sequoia-National-Park/blog-791970.html Today is my Dad39s birthday and it was Father39s Day yesterday so as usual I have missed both so Happy Birthday Dad and Happy Father39s Day They are touring somewhere in America at the moment so Dad will have to wait for his cards.Well today we had a plan and part of that plan was to include a short drive into Hahndorf yet another beautiful part of the Adelaide Hills that would benef http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Hahndorf/blog-791966.html We started out the day with breakfast at the Sunrise Bistro. Then we went to the Sea Island Habitat office for orientation. Sea Island Habitat for Humanity is the third oldest Habitat affiliate Then we headed to the community of houses we will be working on this week. Five of our group headed to another site to do deconstruction work to salvage materials that the Habitat affiliate will sell in th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Carolina/Charleston/blog-791965.html Sydney Airport after 15 hours in the air. It is 6am and we are nearly home. Our last day was a complete contrast to the high tech modern experience of Dubai as we took ourselves down to the old market across the creek. Sadly it was Friday i.e. their Sunday so most of the shops were closed and the spice souq was deserted.Never mind we peered lustfully or at least I did I dont think Dav http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-791963.html Well there was no rush this AM to beat the rain....it succeeded in arriving with a vengence at 5 AM.or possibly before. Ralf slept in while we packed up and headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and the futile hope for sunshine. My carfeful routing went south when I discovered a sign stating detour for bridge on 141. Bypassed the exit and on to the conventional route to Gatlinburg. This entaile http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/North-Carolina/Asheville/blog-791962.html As I said earlier yesterday the guys went to the transportation SS Klondike and Whitehorse Weather Vane. I finally took the time to download all of the those pictures. Today we had a very easy day. We ran a few last minute errands this morning in preparation for leaving Whitehorse tomorrow. We have decided to head north to Dawson City Chicken Alaska then Tok. It39s supposed to be the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Yukon/Whitehorse/blog-791961.html Well we finally made it to ICDDRB the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research of Bangladesh despite all of the hartals that constantly disrupted our plans. There we spent a day observing the different areas of the centre including the emergency triage station which was somewhat of an overwhelming place. People of all ages who are suffering from extreme dehydration due to diarrhea ar http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Bangladesh/Dhaka/blog-791958.html Tuesday June 18th 940pmWell last night was really lame. Everybody tells me how good this party is at Snorkel Park in the dockyards but it wasnt great last night. I met Francine AJ Devon and Jeremy at midnight and we walked over there expecting a big raucous party and there might have been 80 people there I guess it is better when two ships are in port. We hung out for an hour or so and t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Bermuda/blog-791954.html W podr z Los Angeles do San Francisco udalimy si synn Pacific Coast Highway biegnc w wikszoci nad samym brzegiem oceanu. Przewodniki opisyway ja jako niebezpieczn drog dla kierowcw o silnych nerwach z wsk jezdni i lichymi barierkami gdzie rzadko wieci soce i we mgle mona si naje strachu. Nic bardziej mylnego. W naszym przypadku pogoda znw sprawdz http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Oakland/blog-791952.html Well we just made it through out second night in Kuala Lumpur which was not difficult considering the hostel we are at is called Back Home. I would not consider it like back home but they do think of everything. The beds are really comfortable and everyone is genuinely nice. No wonder it was rated the number one hostel in Malaysia. However we wanted to stay another night but there is no room th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/China-Town/blog-791951.html what shall i say friendsI had a work daythat is enoughI learnedand that is enoughI droveand that is enoughI woke upand that is enoughor is itjust read the idea of a mouse becoming a fish or perhaps always wasfree in the water to swim as one wisheswith easehow niceto swim freeare you still playing at being a mouse tiredworking does this to youdidn39t sleep well last nightthat tires yoube http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Knoxville/blog-791948.html After a casual start Friday 14th Junewe motored to Keppel Bay Marina Yeppoon. Naomi was nervous as she returning to her homeland for the second time by boat. There we were met at the jetty by Don and Cheryl Naomi39s parents. They helped us tie up gave us a warm welcome and our car keys.Naomi39s brother Andrew and owner of CQ Sailmakers was coming later that day to measure up the boat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Yeppoon/blog-791947.html 5 nights in this lovely place Cannot wait to wake up here and explore the wonders of London http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Newcastle/blog-791946.html Today we picked up our travel documentation Cash passports with 200 on them already international student cards travel insurance confirmation of Naples accommodation and of course our flight tickets Into London and out of Milan with 5 weeks of travel across Europe in between it is feelingso real now152 days but who is counting http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Newcastle/blog-791945.html No trip to SouthDakota is complete without a visit to the majestic sculptures on the Mountains. We visited Mt. Rushmore twice. Once during the day to see George and Abraham in the sunlight and then at night for the lighting. Each time was unique. But the evening was the most special. All active and former service men were invited on stage to introduce themselves and Troy was one of them. Here were http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/blog-791944.html Early start up at 0600 as we are going to Cochrane for 5k run and Duathalon On the road by 0640 stopped for muffins and coffee at the local breakfast bar At Cochrane we met Shelly Ben Eric Age 8 and Matthew Age 10Carl and Colleen39s daughter husband and family. Matthew and Ben were entered in the 5k race. Melody was entered in the duathalon ruuning 6k cycling 37k the running 10k. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Banff/blog-791943.html After a restful day in Custer Troy and I took off for the Badlands. Part of the fun was the drive through the ranch lands of South Dakota. Spring was at her best with purple flowers and baby animals everywhere. Perhaps the most fun were the frisky colts that would suddenly come to complete rest and lay down beside their mothers for a sunbath before beginning to frisk around again. Their mamas kep http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Dakota/blog-791942.html Another year has passed and it39s now only 5 days till MexicoSo much to do there visiting the Incan sites bit of snorkelling some beach bumming and a few beers on the way.And a business class flight to look forward to on the return nice.So expectations...a nice resort good food damn hot and a chilled out 12 days.Chocks away http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Yucatan/blog-791941.html Today we set off towards the Rocky Mountains. We drove to Airdrie where we stopped and viewed some very large camper vans and caravans RV39s and Trailers talk about everything but the kitchen sink But at least the fridge in our new van was alike. On then to Cross Iron Mills Bass Pro Shop. Wow One for you Jason guns fishing anything and everything that an outdoor person would require. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Canmore/blog-791939.html Today had some high points and low points literally and emotionally as we tackled our biggest hiking day yet up to Machu Picchu. Olly broke out in song the second earliest all trip 355am I sprang out of bed in anticipation for the adventures ahead. Rach on the other hand didn39t share my excitement moving about the hotel room like a Galapagos tortoise.ltbr stylecolor 454545 fontfa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-791938.html We were all a lil annoyed this am as we had been told we needed to be up at 6am even though we had an 39easy39 day But up we got and met each othe all down at the local restaurant we had dinner at at 6.30am. Everyone was pretty tired and sore after yesterday39s super long and strenuous day but also very excitednervous for some about ziplining this morning We got given pancakes with c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Aguas-Calientes/blog-791937.html We were awoken by heavy footsteps pounding away on the floor above us at 5am. Together with everything Rach mentioned last night this would have to be our worst accommodation so far this trip. We didn39t sleep too bad considering except I woke up a bit stuffed up and with a sore throat. Think the Canadians have kindly given me their cold.We met for breakie at 630am cold pancakes with banana a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/blog-791936.html We both woke to olly at 5.20am after having a really good sleep It was pretty hard to get up cos we were both dead to the world But Ben got the ball rolling while I stayed out to it for about ten mins. Our usual early morning routine. We went down and cheekily asked where we could leave our luggage for the next 4 days knowing full well we wouldn39t be staying at this place again But meh th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/blog-791935.html Thurs 13th June64 today Easy morning packing for our move to Edberg. Colleen drove us to the farm and Rod was loaded onto a huge John Deere sprayer to sit by Carl who was spraying a 160 acre field. Good chatty dinner with Colleen and then a meals on wheels service to Carl at the sprayer. A trip around Edberg a hamlet no shop or school. Return to the farm for birthday cake Delicious home ma http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/blog-791934.html It has rained overnight. Further north form us at Fort MacMurray they have had floods we are again on tornado watch and experienced a heavy thunderstorm at lunchtime. Gail is off to a meeting in the afternoon and evening so we are heading for the local Chinese restaurant this town of 800 inhabitants has everything http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Daysland/blog-791931.html We went to La Carpio this past Tuesday a sort of refuge for people coming to escape from Nicaragua. We went there expecting to help them but I feel personally that they helped us as well. When we first went there we went in for an orientation. We didn39t just get the job assignments however we got the entire back story for the whole organization. Gail a truly amazing woman entered the Pea http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/San-Jose/blog-791930.html More pics The area around the cathedral is called el Gotic or someGotica. Don39t know what the difference is just as some call it a Rambla and some La Romblus http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/Barcelona/blog-791929.html 17 June 2013There was a cable car close to the site rising to about 1500m and leading to the Vogel ski area. We went up it in the morning and had intended to walk down on a footpath shown on our map. Unfortunately we couldnt fond it and ended up using a ski run. We discovered that walking down a steep red run on loose scree is much more difficult than skiing one. After a reviving swim in the co http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/blog-791926.html scotland seems to make romanticism out of defeat.. whilst i despite my scottish ancestry tend only to create defeat out of my best attempts to be romantic now on a cold april day in 1746 the highland clans u know kilts big red beards stuff nobly led by charlie boy pretender stuart prince charles edward stuart lined up for the last time on the battle fields of culloden moor. on a cold may http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Inverness-shire/Culloden/blog-791925.html So much to tell such an assault to the senses So much so that now that I have had a chance to unwind and glass of wine in hand it is rather overwhelming and a bit muddled in my mind.Let me just start with overall impressions. CHINA OMG so much of this takes me back to China. From the train ride into town to the way the apartments are built straight up in little squares around each other to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/Barcelona/blog-791923.html 18th JuneHi guysWe had the best time before we left London. We went to the Queens horse guard show at which ........wait for it.........the Queen was at. Chris and liz managed to secure the best seats so we were quite close to her. I am sure she gave us a thumbs up sign coz she was so glad we were there. Bath was so amazing so historic and so interesting. After travelling through the beautiful co http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Oxfordshire/Oxford/blog-791922.html Waking up slowly on our last day of vacation. We have a half day to play on the beach and then off we go to head home.We stop at the Golden Lyon in Flagler Beach for the best lunch ever. 20 years of the best fish n chips everA great trip perfect weather a perfect first vacation for the grandparents and Lorelei together. Now we are Home Sweet HomeNext year our next oldest granddaughter Morgan http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Flagler-Beach/blog-791920.html Buvau susiruos vienas vaiuoti aplankyti Pasuchoa gamtos rezervato bet pasiliau Mia ir jisu visa eimyna nutar prisijungti nes patys ten dar nra buv. Man nuo to tik geriau nes iki ten nusigauti tekt apie 2 valandas vaiuoti vietiniais autobusais. Tad dar prie piet susiruoiam ir ivaiuojam. Atvaiavus iki miestelio alia kurio turt tas parkas bti kiek pabldinja http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-791918.html Now with pictures Post by MikeHi all I know it has been a while since I last posted. We have been in some locations with dodgy or nonexistent Internet connections and also doing a bit of trekking which by design is sans WiFi. But now that Jess and I are comfortable in Cusco for the next couple of days I am going to try to get some posts in highlighting som http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-791916.html Hello AllIt has been awhile but a busy while I never actually finished our trip but I have something more recent first.This past Saturday I went to Rundu by myself I had called the kombi driver and arranged to be picked up at 600 a.m. Had breakfast and a coffee milkshake in my favorite little cafe bought some flannel pajamas and went to Edumeds the teacher store where I found a copy of http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Rundu/blog-791911.html Ok so here goes. End of day one. We have crossed the Pyrennes from France into Spain. 31km with a 1200m climb. Took 10 hours and rained from the moment we left St Jeanne until we arrived in Romscevalles. Hotel amazing refurbished 12th century monastery. Fantastic value at 100. 3 course dinner for 28.A pilgrimage is an opportunity to reflect. Today I got no further than contemplating how the ALP http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/blog-791906.html I almost turned off the alarm this morning and went back to sleep. I39m so glad that I didn39t. The mosque and cathedral are well worth an early start. At 830am the gates and doors are opened for visitors who do not want a tour. The entry is free and the information I had read said that you were supposed to make your visit in silence. The exterior wall of the mosquecathedral is imposing an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Andalusia/C-rdoba/A-Mezquita/blog-791904.html We said goodbye to Thessaloniki and headed south to Kalampaka. We stopped in Veroia Beroea in Biblical times at the Altar of the Apostle Paul. The white marble steps lead to beautiful mosaics that tell the story of Paul39s call to the people of Macedonia show him preaching to the people here Acts 1711. We stumbled onto a 14th Century church while walking to the town center. The faded fre http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Greece/blog-791903.html Ancient cities of Troy Breakfast at the Tusan Hotel was at 730 and we were loaded on the bus by 800 and ready to ride the short distance to the ancient city of Troy. Silly us we thought Troy was in Greece and it was. However this spot of Turkey and much of Anatolia had belonged to Greece during the Trojan Wars.There has been a city on this spot for thousands of years from the early Bronze A http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Troy/blog-791900.html We were awoken by a group of drunks getting home at 5.30am. Whilst I have no problem with fellow hostelers staggering back at all hours they could at least not sit down right outside our bedroom door and chatter at the top of their lungs. To make matters worse they were American...typical. Thankfully the 24 hour receptionist moved them on before I started yelling abuse like an old man telling th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-791898.html We woke up this am by ppl coming back from being out at 4am running and yelling through the main area of our hostel which unfortunately we happen to be right beside. Thankfully after shoving my earplugs in even deeper I fell back asleep and woke up at 8am when they open the front door to the hostel and there is no chance of any more sleep. Ben got up really quickly and showered and changed like http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-791897.html On the way back to Thessaloniki we decided to drive to Mount Olympus. What the heck...we are only here once We found Olympos on the map but would you believe the GPS kept saying no results found So we headed southwest we figured that we couldn39t miss it Olympos is actually a range of mountains Olympus being the tallest. Our poor little car chucked sputtered up the mountain. The speed http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/blog-791895.html Since it was to be another scorcher of a day we decided some more shaded paths would be a good idea and since we had not been in the valley above Obertraun we headed off up the road that would normally lead to Bad Aussee but it39s still shut. There is more to Obertraun than initially takes the eye as it is spread right up the valley.Where the rail and bike path entered the gorge we parked our b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Upper-Austria/Obertraun/blog-791892.html Continuing our journey up the Blue Ridge Parkway we39ve been driving North about 40 miles a day and hikingcamping along the way. We39re in Lynchburg VA at the moment...not sure how the town got its name but im watching my neck. Rainy morning and it looks like it will continue to be a rainy day. Our hope was to explore and hike another section today but its 11am and we39re hanging out i http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Virginia/Lynchburg/blog-791891.html Dpart de Beijing pour Pingyao en train de nuit faute de places en couchette on passe 13h assis dans un wagon bond Et encore nous sommes chanceux d39autres voyageurs font le trajet debout Petite anecdote des toilettes chinois Jm a vecu la pire experience Wc dans la gare de Beijing les chinois ne tirent pas la chasse on vous laisse imaginer on vous dira juste qu39il y a avaler u http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-791890.html From Neapolis we headed to Ancient Philippi. Finding it was quite the adventure because it was called Filliopi on the map didn39t even register on the GPS But it was worth the effort. Phippi is named after Alexander the Great39s father. During New Testament times it was a busy Roman colony. It boasted a great library theater forum. Today it is ruins. Paul preached here established http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Macedonia/blog-791889.html Well first of all I have to say thanks so much for the lovely comments you have made ... it is great to know that people are actually reading this blog and enjoying hearing about our travels Sorry I have not replied ... just been SOOOOO busy doing SOOOOO much and yet still SOOOOO relaxed Also sorry for all the typos ... there is no spell check and lets face it ... I39m on holidays I can hard http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Samui/blog-791887.html Karen told us they serve lunch after the 1pm message so we planned on being at the Center around 1230pm for our first time there. That gave us all morning to enjoy the beach and water. I guess part of the luxury of being on any vacation is having the Mom and Dad39s fulltime attention for the kids it39s been extra wonderful at least for Geoff and I. Mary39s gotten her hair braided http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Sonora/Puerto-Pe-asco/blog-791886.html It39s been a long time coming At last the sun has come out in Pamplona So what did we do Well we had a very busy weekend so here goesFor three successive nights we went to the Tres Sesenta 360 Music Festival which was fantastic. Ok so we didn39t see every band because we need sustenance and without a siesta we would never have made it through to 1am let alone 2.30 when the final http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-791885.html It39s Sunday June 16 2013 Church in Mexico. We worshipped at Mark and Karen39s church La Samaritana Buena the Good Samaritan. We met Pastor Edgar and his wife Alma and their kids. We also met Eneida who works at the Center and her kids Alexia Rodrigo y Zabie. Pearl and Zabie were fast friends both 2 and 3 years old. Pastor Edgar preached about Joseph Mary39s husband bein http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Sonora/Puerto-Pe-asco/blog-791884.html i spotted a werewolf.i spotted a werewolf.it was just dusk on a dreary evening and the air was dead still but sticky from the days heat and afternoon shower.i was walking East towards home on a sidewalk id traveled many a times. it was a bumpy section of concrete pathway the kind you get when century old oak trees heave their roots upward. there was a dilapidated rockwall on my left that lead to http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Virginia/Lynchburg/blog-791882.html Bonjour tout le monde I have arrived in France and it is hot Got into Nice yesterday and took the bus 98 into the city to meet up with my next apartment guy. So far i can really see the french architecture standing out as well as that beach town feel. I meet up with Pascal the apartment owner to get settled into my new digs. This apartment I knew from time of booking that it was more simple http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Provence-Alpes-C-te-d-Azur/Nice/blog-791868.html Today we headed to Georgetown to do some shopping and enjoy the old town. Mum had given me a list of clothes to make sure that Joe bought whilst he was with us as he hates shopping with her He was actually very sensible and in the time he was with me we managed to complete the list and moreGeorgetown is a beautiful area of DC and has many shops and cafes. For lunch I insisted that we visit the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/District-of-Columbia/Washington-D-C-/blog-791864.html Sorry about the blog delays...we got back late yesterday then there was a stream of water flowing down from the ceiling in our room. By the time we finished changing rooms it was 1 am It39s never a dull moment Bright early Monday morning we took off in our car to Kavala the Ancient Port of Neapolis. Dodging motorcycles mopeds we explored the countryside of Northern Greece. The wheat http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Macedonia/blog-791863.html Le temple tibetain le plus reconnu hors du Tibet.Des toits merveilleux des scultures en bois des statues envoutantes une odeur d39encens qui plane dans l39air c39est un lieu rempli de srnit et d39apaisement l39cart du brouhaha de la ville. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-791862.html Un des autres lieux agrables de Beijing o nous avons pass une journe. Cet ensemble de galeries d'art contemporaines dans un ddale de vieux entrepts en dcalage avec le reste de la ville mrite le dtour. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Beijing/blog-791861.html