http://www.travelblog.org/ Live Travel Journals, Diaries and Photos from real Travellers en-us Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:41:12 +0000 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:41:12 +0000 Atsikls i ryto susipakuoju visus daigtus palikdamas visk kas nereikalinga ir ko negalsiu pasiimti su savim lktuv. Kadangi namo gryiu su Ryanair i Frankfurto Kaun ir tik su rankiniu bagau toki daigt yra nemaai. Dar prie ivaiuojant vikietei merginai jai atidaviau krem nuo sauls bei purkal nuo uod. iandien veicarui palieku 3 sim korteles Ekvado http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-792249.html Due to the crap Internet signal in the apartment which keeps dropping out this was missed off the end of last blogDeciding not to join the local winos for Meths and White Lightning in the park we returned home for a siesta before crossing the road to the Alliance Hotel a Gastro pub of some renown. We intended to eat and watch the Brumbies vs Lions game on the big screen. Being a bit slow on the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/Spring-Hill/blog-792243.html We39ve arrived at our final destination on our USA trip and are staying in the marina area of San Diego.Our hotel has two seals in a pool fortunately not the swimming pool that they have adopted after they were found along the San Diego coast and were unable to fend for themselves. I39ve attached some photos to this blog of one of the seals called Billy.This evening we took a stroll alon http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Diego/blog-792242.html HOW TO GET INTO GLASTONBURY 2013 FOR FREELETS GO VIRAL Yes I know its an unusual blog. But Im gonna keep it short for now will update. THERE WILL BE A FACEBOOK PAGE SHORTLY UP called GLASTONBURY CRASHERS IT IS A ANNUAL TRADITION to get or try to get into the Glastonbury festival for free...and we will be sharing the more traditional methods as well as trying to encourage and inspire you http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Somerset/Glastonbury/blog-792236.html After a few days on the volcano island of Ometepe we were due to head to Granada and managed to get as far as half the way to the jetty for the ferry back over the lake before we were peer group pressured into returning to San Jaun del Sur for another Sunday Funday a pool crawl run by The Naked Tiger. With 8 of us in total we managed to get quite the discounted taxi ride back to the town which a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Northern-Pacific-Coast/Leon/blog-792227.html Off for the train to France and ultimately St Jean Pied de Port1st John 31 we must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God39s children which is what we areGrace and peaceLinda http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/Barcelona/blog-792226.html June has been a busy busy month in general Certainly things have really picked up at work now that I39m receiving more and more responsibility... but socially things have been exploding as well. Recently I39ve felt that I had kind of run out of things to report on in my blogsphere. But a friend pointed out that it39s not that I39m running out of things to say it39s just that http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Hangzhou-/blog-792225.html Some nice pics http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-792222.html We stop at Ubirr to check the view into Arnhenland. Andi goes to the facilities and seems to be taking a long time only to find out she had found a snake in one of the 2 toilets At Cahills crossing into Arnhemland we spot a foreign tourist fishing on the crossing causeway Matilda champion crocodile spotter points out a rather large fiend lurking not too far upsteam pretty sure I know who my mo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Arnhemland/blog-792221.html We head from Mataranka to Kakadu via Kathrine and Pine Creek. Just as we leave Mataranka we fill up with fuel but need to push past the Brolga's milling around the bowsers. hope they are getting cheaper fuel than me Much to Reuben and Matilda's pleasure we do some more hiking to lookouts Jim Jim Falls finally get to push the 4WD button and check out some Billabongs. Haven't had to use the B http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Kakadu-National-Park/blog-792218.html Hello everyoneNot quite sure when this blog will be out on as have no Internet at the mo so it may be a little out of date by the time it reaches you.An update since our last blog...we found regional work on a farm in Koorda and have been living here for the past few weeks. It was sad to say bye to Perth somewhere we have both grown to love we have lots of great memories which we won39t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-792216.html ltstrong stylefontsize 1.4remgtDelhiThe flight from KL to Delhi 4hrs 50 mins goes smoothly C feeling much better thanks to the restorative effects of a BK double whopper with cheese at KL We get to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine yeaah At last cries C and M a whisky or 2 before arriving in Delhi 40 minutes early. Its hot but seems less humid than Manila.We get a cab to N http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-792208.html Photos of Melbourne http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Alice-Springs/blog-792207.html I just finished my last and it finally hit me that I am leaving Australia in 4 days and I haven39t started packing so hasn39t fully hit me but once I start packing it39s gonna hit me and I39m not sure how I39ll react. Will post about The Great Barrier Reef later http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/blog-792206.html I made it I am finally in Boston Today it took me 12 hours to go from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to Boston Massachusetts. I drove 4 through states today Pennsylvania New York Connecticut and Massachusetts http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Massachusetts/Brockton/blog-792205.html Sore and tired after cycling down the WMDR yes we are feeling our age we sensibly had an early Saturday night in preparation for a 7.45am bus ride to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We thought La Paz was chilly but Copacabana takes the mickey at just over 3800m the air is thin and cold and when in the shade with a breeze blowing positively freezing.Copacabana is only 100km or so http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Copacabana/blog-792204.html Day two is complete. We had most of the group working on some finish work in a couple houses and starting the trim work for siding on other houses. It was yet another hot an humid day to work outside but we all stayed hydrated and finished the day safe. There was once again a group of five that was able to help with some deconstruction today. Sounds like they are almost complete with that job.To http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/South-Carolina/blog-792203.html Yesterday had planned to visit the Grand Palace however got to Wat Pho first so slight change of plan. The day started I with a short trip on the BTS Skyrail which is a great way of getting around Bangkok quick easy and cheap you avoid all the traffic. Arrived at Sachan Taksin which is the stop which gets you to the Chao Phraya river. Walked under the bridge and on to the jetty which was very wo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-792202.html Wednesday June 19th 918pmIn the ditchSea days on the back end of the cruise are always a little slow for me paperwork emails a lesson here and there and some time in the gym.Today was no different as I rolled up to the desk at 10am and went through some emails for next week. I then started editing pictures from the last couple of days on the golf course. I took about 320 this week so it was g http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Atlantic/blog-792199.html ltstrong stylemsobidifontweight normalgtROBERT L. SCOTT Affectionately known as the Peashooter the P26A seems like a good place to start. It was designed and built by the fledgling Boeing Aircraft Company and brought into service with the army air corps in 1934 as our first metal bodied monoplane fighter. It was the beginning of a new era in aviation and is the only fighter tha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Michigan/blog-792198.html Hey guys paris blew my mind Unbelieveble xx http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/Sarcelles/blog-792197.html Sunday 17 JuneWe were up and around early again for a full days sight seeing. Egan Mel Sophie were joining us. First stop breakfast at the very popular Breakfast Caf in Canmore. Lots of coffee two eggs sunny side up sausage has browns toast and grape juice delicious. Next stop was Johnston Canyon a trail up to Upper Falls. 3 miles round trip beautiful We saw some dippers and a well http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Banff-National-Park/blog-792196.html I was unable to post a blog post yesterday because my internet was being picky but I39ll try my best to post for yesterday and todayYesterdayI went grocery shopping with Selah and Hope. I mostly bought vegetables broccoli cauliflower lettuce tomatoes cucumbers bananas and peaches. I ate a peach and had a salad with olive oil and vinegar as dressing for lunch my first meal that I ma http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-792186.html Great couple days in Paris with our Youngsters We have been crazy busy. Our first day we were jet lagged so we struggled a bit with energy but saw so much. We visited Notre Dame and enjoyed a lovely uphill walking tour of Paris. We all basically crashed last night and woke up fresh this morning. Today we had a relaxed morning and enjoyed breakfast of French baguettes and got chocolate and then he http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-792185.html In Vicksburg MS Kota waoke up at 1040AM wanting to go to the pool. We all made the pool and then Aleta went to the casino while Shelby Dakota and Briar went to the Vicksburg Military Park renamed to be politically correct I guess. Aleta made her donation and returned to the motorhome. Shelby Dakota and Briar enjoyed the park the cannons the monuments the Cairo an ironclad whic http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Mississippi/Vicksburg/blog-792182.html Tommorrow I leave early for the train. I have to admit after being lost in the train station when I got here I am more than a little worried about a repeat. I can39t afford to miss my train tomorrow. Remember this is the train to Irun walk to Hundai and train to Bayonne and then bus to St. Jean Pied de Port. My train leaves at 735 am and I arrive in St. Jean at the same timeish in the pm. The http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-792181.html Today we went to Windsor Castle Bath and Stonehenge. We went in a big bus with lots of other people. First we went to Windsor Castle. The Queen was there and Dad thought he saw her There were heaps of people and we had to wait for nearly an hour to get into the castle then we had to go around quickly so we made it back to our bus on time. We saw Queen Mary39s Dolls House which is huge it ha http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-792180.html I am loving being here. It felt like coming home... only better.I arrived I Guatemala City and collected the boxes of donated materials I brought from baggage and sailed through customs in 10 minutes with only one box opened and a Welcome to Guatemala. Rolling the boxes outside I was met by two women from UPAVIM who treated me like a princess. They took me by the bank to get my money changed a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Capital-Region/Guatemala-City/blog-792178.html What a busy day today we got up after a hot night we don39t have air conditioning in our room and since we arrived the temp has been in the mid 2039s We were able to walk to one of the starting points of the hop on hop off bus that we had tickets for so hopped on about 9.30 and set off.we went past the Natural History Science Museums and Harrods we just stayed on the bus until we got http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-792175.html Bright early we I mean the car climbed up the steep cliffs of Meteora to the Monasteries. Built in the 13th14th centuries they hang periously close to various cliff edges. I don39t know how they did it The monks fled to the monasteries to escape persecution from the Ottoman Empire. Even so many were martyred for their faith. We visited 4 of the 6 monasteries that are open to visitors. O http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Greece/blog-792173.html 19 June 2013Bled on a sunny day is one of the most picturesque places you could hope to see with its vivid blue lake surrounded by craggy mountains castle on top of a large rock bluff and island surmounted with a beautiful church. It was a fitting finale to this trip.Our day consisted of a walk along the quiet north shore a climb up to the castle a sandwich lunch sitting under the shade of an o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/blog-792169.html 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 So a quick story first. While walking thru Place de Massena I hear police sirens coming up behind me. First a police officer on a motorcycle. Then another behind him go whizzing by. Then a police car speeds pastand just when you think the police parade is over a van drives by the sliding door open and there sits a police officerfacing outside hard look on his face bullet proof vest and an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Provence-Alpes-C-te-d-Azur/Eze/blog-792166.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 O Beautiful for spacious skiesFor amber waves of grainFor purple mountain majestiesAbove the fruited plainHow y39all doin It39s taken me three days to stop looking over my shoulder every time someone says that to me.I got my kicks ... on Route 66. For 90 seconds no 3 minutes if you count the two Uturns because we missed the Route 60 signed turnoff.We39re back in the prairie badlands on http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Oklahoma/Woodward/blog-792142.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 After a good nights rest I was ready to tackle our last few days in Europe head on. Before getting to Paris we stopped in Luxemburg. I has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe and according to a study the residence there are apparently the most happy as well. It was a lovely little town but unfortunately we were there on a Sunday so everything was closed. Krissy and I just spent our free time http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/Sarcelles/blog-792135.html After my awesome day in Switzerland I wasnt sure how the rest of the trip would compare as we started our journey to Munich.We stopped at Dachau a concentration camp midway. It was a very somber experience. The weather was awful of course and it just added to the mood.After seeing their living spaces and gas chamber I was ready to get out of there. Im glad we stopped there though. It was im http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/Munich/blog-792134.html In between Barcelona and Switzerland we stopped at Pont du Gaurd and Avignon. Havent heard of it Me neither. Pont du Gard is actually a really famous bridge and I learned about it in one of my architecture classes but it was a 15 minute walk to get therein the pouring rainI normally would be all for it but I was actually really sick and didnt want to ruin the rest of my trip. There http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Switzerland/South-West/Grindelwald/blog-792133.html Barcelona was an amazing city. It was pretty cheap compared to the rest of Europe had great food amazing architecture and the night life was fantastic.Luckily we arrived on a Saturday night so we got to experience the prime night life of Barcelona. We got to the city and went to Antonio Gaudis building Sangria Familia I cant remember the exact spelling off the top of my head Gaudi is http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Barcelona/Barcelona/blog-792131.html We arrived in the French Rivera and it is absolutely beautiful. After taking a very scenic drive around the coast we stopped at Fragonard Perfumery. It was nice to smell everything but a littleee out of my price range.I went to bed pretty much right after dinner that night. The next morning Kristina and her mom went to Cannes Film festival and I stayed in Nice and explored the city. I met up w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Provence-Alpes-C-te-d-Azur/Nice/blog-792129.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 ltspangtltspangtThe first stop in Italy was Venice. The city was beautiful but unless youre there on your honeymoon there wasnt much to do there. We got in to the city around midafternoon and headed over to the islands.ltspangtFirst priority ITALIAN FOOD. Ive been waiting my whole life for this. We found a place that gave you a slice of pizza drink and 2 scoops of gelato http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/blog-792127.html I havent updated in forever. Italian hostels do not provide wifi so I have been without it for the past 5 days.Ill try to be as detailed as I can remember. We got up and left for Vienna. Unfortunately we only had about 12 hours there. It was rather unfortunate because so far Vienna is my favorite city. This surprised me because other than the Lipizzaner Stallions being from there I did not http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Vienna/Vienna/blog-792126.html We left Amsterdam bright and early in the morning and had a long 8 hour ride to Berlin. Germany is absolutely beautiful though and it made for quite the scenic drive.The language barrier was ever so present in Germany. We stopped in a little suburban town for some lunch and trying to order food was probably the most difficult experience on the trip thus far. My prior German speaking knowledge only http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/Old-Town/blog-792125.html after having an awesome night out in London I was so sad to leave the city and my new friends. But it was time to travel on and start the next adventureI met back up with Kristina and we headed towards inland Europe. We took the underwater train to France. She was a little freaked out by being underwater but I think my countless trips to Canada from using the underwater tunnel prepared me. On http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-792124.html After what seems like years of planning our Eurotrip has finally arrived Kristina and I are so excited and to think that the trip has only begun. I am only done with day two in London and I feel like I have experienced so much already. Not to mention how sleep deprived I am.Monday Morning I wake up at 6 AM in order to get all of my last minute ducks in their rows. My portfolio review for my p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/Camden-Town/blog-792123.html http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Michigan/Lansing/blog-792121.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 Jolie ville mdivale traditionnelle chinoise comme on se l39imaginecharmante avec ses remparts ses lanternes rouges et ses maisons sublimes cours rectangulaires dcores de toute part. Quelle belle dcouverte M. et Mme Deng propritaires de l39Harmony guest house o nous sejournons nous ont organis une excursion en dehors de la ville. Nous commenons par la rsidence de http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanxi/blog-792110.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 Early doors alarm set for 5.45am to be packed up and at the bus station for 6am blimey we hadn39t been up this early in a long time But it was for a good reason we were crossing the border into Cambodia very exciting. We had been told countless horror stories of the border crossing it can be dangerous be careful you could be there for ages corrupt officers fake visas etc so we were bo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-792089.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 was mu 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 The flight to Brisbane was full but we were away on time. They have a really easy and speedy automated check in at the Sydney Domestic terminal. We flew up the east coast in glorious clear skies with the surf breaking on the beaches almost uninterrupted all the way to Brisbane. However we had to circle for 12 an hour due to air traffic issues. Temperatures in the low 2039s on arrival and loc http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/blog-792062.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 Monday 10thJune 2013. Well here we are back in the big west island. Our first two nights in the Midland Budget Motel were fine fortunately we werent expecting anything flash and we werent disappointed. The rooms though were perfectly adequate clean and recently renovated. All accommodation is expensive here in Perth. These units were attached to the Commercial Tavern a workingmans pu http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Kalgoorlie/blog-791960.html Today I drove to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. It took me 10 hours to get here and it was 650 miles. I drove through 6 states today Missouri Illinois Indiana Ohio West Virginia and Pennsylvania. These states are smaller then the other ones I drove through that39s why I drove through so many today.Tomorrow night I will be in Boston I39m very excited driving so much is tiring http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Pennsylvania/blog-791959.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