alexexplores.com

USA Life

2006-10-24T16:30:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of AlexExplores

Firstly, an apology for the massive delay in updating this website. The past six months have been incredibly busy:- getting married, getting a green card, moving house (twice!), buying a house and starting a new job - phew!!!.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed asking if I am still alive. You will all be pleased to hear I am very much alive and well here in the USA. Read on for the full details of what we have been up to since the last update - be prepared for a long read.........

A Wedding In Hawaii And A Reception in LA:

Sara and I decided early on that we wanted to have a small wedding and make it something very personal to the both of us. So after months of planning we set off with our families to the beautiful Hawaiian islands. We chose to have the wedding on the island Kuauii. It is called the Garden Island due to the amount of tropical vegetation and was the location for the Jurassic Park movie. We arranged the wedding on a Friday which gave our families a chance to enjoy the island and relax.

So on March 24th 2006 Sara and I said "I do" on the lawns of the Plantation House over-looking the ocean. It was a beautiful setting for the ceremony and a wonderful way to end our week on Kuauii. Here are some pictures from the wedding:

After the wedding Sara and I went to the main island of Oahu for a week as our honeymoon. We had arranged a big reception party in Los Angeles a week later for more friends and family to come and celebrate. Oahu is the main island with the capital Honolulu and the famous Waikiki beach. We had a good time but the weather was a bit rainy so I couldn't show off my crazy surfing skills.

So a week later we flew back to Los Angeles and prepared for the reception party. It was another great night with family and friends. Much food and drink were consumed and dancing long into the night:

Alex shows the US crowd his world famous dance moves!!!

Heading North

We just had three days to recover from the reception before packing up our possessions and gifts and heading north to......... "Seattle". Sara had managed to secure a travel nurse position at the Children's Hospital in Seattle which included housing. Neither of us had ever been here before so we thought it would be fun to try out. Before you all start shouting "what about the weather", yes we know the rain rumours and it is not quite California but this summer was fantastic. Anyway, coming from England it is like a home from home!!!

We are really enjoying living up here and still have much to explore. There is the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains to the west, the Cascade mountains to the east and Mount Rainier to the south, it is all spectacular (when the sun shines of course!!!). Canada is only a short drive away to the North so if things get too bad we can always make a break for the border!

The famous Seattle skyline with Mt. Rainier in the background

Our top five things to do:

Pikes Place Market - to watch the fish being thrown
Space Needle - for the view of the city
Boeing Factory tour - see a 747 Jumbo being built!!
Visit the first ever Starbucks for a coffee
See salmon leaping during spawning season at Ballard locks

The Green Card Interview

So far my status here in the USA was that of a "married fiancee" and as such my visa did not permit me to work or travel outside of the USA. The first thing we had to do after getting married was to apply for a Green Card which allows me to become a permanent resident. After three months of waiting we were invited for an interview back in Los Angeles.

The interview was pretty straight forward and they asked questions about how we met and wanted to see photos etc. The immigration officer approved me and welcomed me to the USA and my Green Card (which is actually white) arrived in the mail two weeks later. This was a big relief, after ten months of forms, security checks, interviews and mountains of paperwork I was finally a permanent resident. The next item on the list ... find a job!!!!

Starting a Job

The economy up here in Seattle is pretty strong with companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon and Starbucks all based up here. I went for the usual approach of blasting out the CV (or resume as they say here) to websites, agencies, job adverts etc. I wanted to work in the IT support area which is my background from the UK.

After about three weeks of interviews I accepted a position with a start-up company based in downtown Seattle. It is a small company (about 30 employees) that provides on-call doctors for companies and individuals. All our doctors are mobile so I support the systems they use plus all the office support staff. It is a real change from my last job at the London Stock Exchange but with all new challenges and new technology. So what is it like working in the US? Actually very similar to the UK and I have found the transition pretty easy. My accent always surprises people on the phone so that funny.

Buying a House

Not content with the stress of moving to a new country, getting married and starting a new job we decided to embark on buying a house. We were both tired of living in rented accommodation and just wanted a place of our own. So our summer was spent house hunting and learning the American way for buying houses.

We eventually found our place which is located about 20 minutes from downtown in an area called 'Green Lake'. The house is in a great location with a large lake (hence the name) just a minute from our back door. It is a three bedroom house which includes a large converted basement and small back yard.

The new house

Life in the USA

After the craziness of the past year life has settled down (somewhat) and we are enjoying living here in the Pacific North West. USA life is also treating me well. I am enjoying living in a new country and learning new ways to do and say things. 'Garbage' has replaced 'rubbish' and the 'pavement' is now a 'sidewalk' but the accent is very much intact and holding up.

So that is a brief summary of the past four/five months. Treat this as an open invitation to anyone heading out this way. I can highly recommend the area and there is always a spare room at hotel Davis - we would love to see you. I will try to keep the next update more timely with news of Halloween, Thanksgiving and a trip to Whistler (Canada) - my first visit outside of the USA!!!

I hope you are all well and look forward to hearing from you.

Alex and Sara

My First Month in USA

2006-02-22T17:30:00.000Z

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest installment from alexexplores.com. Sorry it has been so long since the last update, life has been pretty busy!! I have been here in California for exactly one month so I thought it would be a good time to update the website and tell you how it has been.

After six months of waiting for a visa it was finally approved on January 10th at the US Embassy in London. I had to go in person and have a "sort-of" interview. It was more like standing at the window in a bank but nerve racking all the same. So with visa in hand I booked my ticket to Los Angeles and flew out on January 16th. As you can imagine it was an emotional day leaving the family in England to start a new life in America with Sara. The immigration officer at LAX gave me no hassles and wished me good luck with the wedding and life in the USA - so far so good.

Here is a map of where I am living, red dot is me.....

Sara's parent's house

So what have I been doing since arriving? My priority has been to file the next packet of paperwork to the immigration department. This is essentially an application for a Green Card but also gives me work and travel permits. Once the work permit comes through I will then be able to get back into the wonderful world of work!! Sara is continuing to work so I am enjoying being a kept man at the moment. Other paperwork has involved getting a Social Security Card and also a drivers licence.

Even though I hold a full UK licence I still have to take a test, both written and practical. I have passed the written test and have the "behind-the-wheel" test next week. Driving here is pretty straightforward, there are just a few differences mainly the ability to turn right on a red signal and no round-abouts. Instead they have the four way stop junction in which the first to arrive has right of way - I have to say it is all very civilized. The freeway however is another story and more of a white knuckle ride here in LA.

We have also been planning the wedding ceremony and reception. We are having the wedding ceremony in Hawaii (yes you did read that correctly!!) on March 24th. It will be a small ceremony on the island of Kuaii with close family. After a weeks honeymoon we then head back to LA for a big reception/party on the 1st April. So if anyone would like to come or will be in LA around that time please feel free to come on over.

Las Vegas Trip
It has not been all paperwork and planning, we also spent three days in Las Vegas (a.k.a. Lost Wages). Sara had bought tickets to see Coldplay perform at the MGM Grand and I had never been to Las Vegas before. We had a great time; lost a few dollars on roulette, walked "The Strip" and generally soaked up the Las Vegas atmosphere. The Coldplay concert was fantastic and highly recommended if you are a fan.

The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas - we stayed in the giant pyramid!!

Ice Hockey and "Tailgate" Party
The weather here has been glorious since I arrived with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, not exactly a UK winter. Sara's brother and his friends invited us to see the LA Kings ice hockey team play at the famous Staples Centre in downtown LA. To get the tickets for the game we had to take part in a charity 5k run in the morning. After the run we all headed back to the car park (parking lot) for a US tradition known as a "tailgate-party". This involves hanging out around the tailgate of a truck with a BBQ and beers. It was great fun and the perfect way to get ready for the game. I always enjoy going to a US sporting event and this did not disappoint. The Kings (playing Chicago) won the game in overtime so that was exciting. Here are some photos of the day....

The runners prepare for the off

A good ol' US "tailgate" party in the car park

Eric keeps one eye on the BBQ and another on lookout for police!!

At the LA Kings game

Sara's Shower Party
Last weekend was Sara's shower party. A shower is a bit like a civilized hen party which family and friends attend. I went for a round of golf with Sara's brother and then made a big entrance later on. All was going well until a game called "pin-the-kiss-on-Alex" was produced complete with "photoshopped" poster of me, I think this photo explains it all......

This is what a month in California can do to you!!

So that has been a very brief review of my first month here. So far everything is going well and everyone has been very friendly and welcoming. Here is a little list of the good and not so good:

The Good
Service in restaurants and shops - outstanding
Price of fuel compared to UK - about half!!
They just love the British accent
Free refills in restaurants!!!

The Not So Good
TV - full of commercials and just not the BBC
News is very USA focused
Requiring ID all the time to buy alcohol or go in bars
LA traffic - ugh!!

That is all for now. The next update will probably be after the wedding so stay tuned for that. Look forward to hearing from you...

Alex :-)

The Long And Winding [Visa] Road!

2005-11-15T22:30:00.001Z

Hi all,

Firstly apologies for the unacceptable delay in posting an update to the website. I have no excuse except a bit of laziness!! As a result of the delay however there is lots to update you with since my return back to the UK. Read all about how the US visa is progressing, Sara's visit in October and what I have been up to.

The Visa

Well the update on this is that we are progressing but at a pace very beatable by the average garden snail. I am applying for a fiance (K1) visa which allows me to enter the USA, get married and then remain as a permanent resident. The K1 visa is in two parts; part one is filed in the USA by the US sponsor. Once part one has been approved then all the paperwork moves to the US embassy in London for part two. Part two involves more form filling, medicals and an interview at the embassy. There is one thing you need for this process - patience!!!After filing on 1st August we have completed part one and I am awaiting the paperwork for part two to turn up from the embassy any day now. We expect my interview to be some time in January - the visa is normally approved at the interview. I would then be free to enter to the US.

Sara Comes Back To England

After three long months Sara managed to drag herself away from work and make a visit to her English bloke in October. It was not only one American I had to contend with but two as Sara's friend Robbin also came over too. It was a fantastic ten days which, as you can imagine, flew by. We started by spending a couple of days in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. I had purchased a couple of tickets to see Jamie Cullum in concert there. The concert was great and highly recommended if he is in your area. We were also blessed with great weather so a perfect start for Sara's visit.

Robbin flew in couple of days later and so we visited Windsor and also Oxford, as well as sampling the English delights of the "Sunday Roast" and the "Ploughman's Lunch". For those not in the know here is a Wikipedia link for the Ploughman's Lunch!!! In return for this english food we were treated to a Halloween breakfast complete with pumpkin pancakes and scary masks - great fun.

Our Halloween Pumpkin

We then boarded the Eurostar for three days of (rioting) sightseeing in Paris. We did all the usual tourist stuff (Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, Notre Dame) but also just enjoyed sitting in the french cafes and munching on the odd Pain-Aux-Chocolat!! Our new favorite cafes were "Pierre's" in Place De La Republique and Angelina's next to La Louvre for the best hot chocolate. Here are some pictures from Paris:-

Eating Pain-Aux-Chocolat by the Eiffel Tower

It was meant to be a kiss but turned into a raspberry!!!!

It was then back on the Eurostar for the return journey through the Channel Tunnel to London. We spent two days (thanks again Andy for the use of the accommodation) in the capital seeing the sights, shows and shops. As a birthday surprise for Sara I bought tickets to see the show Guys and Dolls. The show was the best I have seen and cannot recommend it highly enough - "a must see". We were also in town for November 5th and therefore visited the Battersea fireworks display. For the US audience on November 5th we celebrate an event 400 years ago when a plot to blow up our parliament was foiled. It sounds odd but is good fun with fireworks and a large bonfire.

Crossing the millennium Bridge to St Pauls Cathedral

The Christmas Lights on London's Regent's Street

We finally made it back to my parents house for a Sunday Roast before the girls flew back to LA on Monday morning. It was a flying visit but a fantastic time. Sara has already bought her ticket to come back at Christmas so only a few weeks before she will be back. I need to start planning more surprises again!!!

So What Have We Been Doing?

Well that is a good question! I have finished work now in preparation for moving to the US however I have spent the past three months bringing my IT skills up to scratch. I have completed three exams and am now Microsoft (MCSA) and Hewlett Packard (HP APS) certified. I am currently studying for a further Cisco qualification (CCNA). Hopefully this will stand me in godd stead when applying for work in the US.

Sara has resumed nursing and is currently on a three month contract at a hospital north of LA in an area called Redlands. Her contract is due to expire just before she returns here for Christmas.

Well that is just about all the news from me here in the UK. I hope you are all well and I will try to provide more timely updates in the future ;-)

Back in the U.K.

2005-08-09T15:30:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest update from alexexplores.com. I have been back here in the UK for four weeks now and my trip is starting to fade into the distance. Sara visited me here in the UK for two weeks before heading back to the United States. Read all about her visit and the latest on my visa application below....

My parents held an engagement/welcome home party for us on Saturday 23rd July at my parents house. It was a fun evening and the weather was kind allowing everyone to relax in the garden. It was great to see lots of friendly faces, many of whom have been following our story on the website. Many thanks to you all for coming and making it a great night. Dad said there would be no speaches and then promptly made one!! We then drank a toast and cut the cake...

Cutting our engagement cake

We had more partying on the Sunday when the family descended and Sara got to meet all the Davis clan. I think it was tough going for her having to meet so many people and remember lots of names - I hope it wasn't too bad? In true US home style cooking Sara made us all a large batch of chocolate and banana muffins. Don't worry Mrs. Peterson the secret receipe is still safe!!

Just like mama used to make - ummmm !!

The following week I turned tour guide and showed Sara around some of the local attractions and we also spent three days in London. First stop was to Stone Henge, actually I had never been here before so it was new to the tour guide. I was really impressed and the audio guide gave lots of info about the stones and their history. The only downside was the weather which whilst dry was windy and cold. I tried as hard as I could to convice Sara that this was not normal for July but I don't think she was too impressed.

Sara at Stone Henge

After Stone Henge we headed east for good old London Town. It was a great three days seeing the sites and shopping. We spent our first afternoon going to London's Hatton Garden area to purchase an engagement ring. We walked up and down looking at all the shops and in the end went back to the first ring we saw. The picture below is the mighty "rock" we chose. For those diamond ring geeks here are the specs - platinum band, 3 diamonds set in rub-over setting, total weight 1.2 carats.....

That evening we went to see the musical "The Producers" which was really great and laugh-out-loud funny. Based on the film by Mel Brooks it follows two Broadway theatre producers who try to put on a "flop" musical when they realise that there is more money in flops than successes. Of course their plans go wrong and their musical about Hitler is a huge success!! Very funny and well worth going to see.

The next day we went for a ride on the London Eye. The weather was junk so visability was not too good but it was fun all the same. We then headed off to the Tower of London to see the Beefeaters and of course the Crown Jewels. Sara was then disappointed by the size of her diamonds compared to the Queen's!!

Drinking a last minute hot chocolate before lift-off on the Eye

Crossing Westminster Bridge to see Big Ben

A Beefeater at The Tower of London

That evening we met up with a great friend of ours, Tom R. who was there at the beginning in Africa - great to see you mate. The following day we hit the shops before heading back home. We had a mad last minute photocopying session of the visa forms before Sara flew back to LA and posted the application off.

So what now......

As I write this I am in the UK awaiting my United States "fiance" visa to be processed and approved. We are currently on Day-9 of the process - the US Immigration Service has the application and more importantly our money!! We think it will take about three months for the visa to be issued. In the mean time I am at home preparing to emigrate and conducting a long distance relationship. For those in the tech world - MSN messenger and Skype are a real life saver!!!

I will be keeping alexexplores.com going, except the focus now will be on my journey to the United States and everyting that involves. I hope all is well with you and I look forward to hearing from you, stay tuned for more....................

The Last Leg

2005-07-26T23:15:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest installment of our travels. As I write this both Sara and I are back in the UK safe and well. Apologies for the lateness of this posting, as you can imagine it has been pretty crazy for us since arriving back. Since the last update Sara has completed her tsunami relief work in Thailand and I have travelled through Malaysia and Singapore. Read about our adventures below:-

Sara in Khao Lak, Thailand with Habitat for Humanity

I spent two weeks in Khao Lak, Thailand doing Tsunami relief building homes with the non profit organization Habitat for Humanity.

Khao Lak is a one hour drive north of Phuket island. It was an up coming resort area that pre-tsunami had 72 hotels and resorts and now has seven. There were 4222 people killed in this town alone and another 1800 are still missing. I worked with a group of 12 volunteers from the US and Canada for 2 weeks building a home for a family who lost theirs in the tsunami.

Resort on the beach as it stands after the Tsunami

Our first day in Khao Lak we took a tour around the area of some of the damage done. I was surprised to see that many of the resorts, and homes are still as they looked just a few days after it hit. There have not been enough workers and money to clean up the debris and the beaches are strewn with debris and personal belongings.

A photo of a fishing boat that was swept by the tsunami and landed 2 kms from the shore. It will remain here as a reminder and memorial to those lost.

Feeding the elephants bananas from our mouths!!

Before we got down to work we took an hour long elephant safari through the hills above Khao Lak. It is monsoon season and the mud was so thick it would have been up to our knees had we been the ones walking. Luckily the elephants are much steadier but they were even sliding around the hills a bit!

First day on the work site and eager to make progress!!

Habitat gives the chosen family funds to buy supplies to build their home and hire workers and then volunteers like us come to help with the hardest bit of work which is setting the foundation. Our first day we dug trenches for the foundation cement and dug the holes for the septic tanks.
Thanks to the awful monsoon rains we spent much of day 2 and day 3 filling in these very holes and then re-digging them. Very frustrating to not make progress when you are working so hard. I also served as team medic being the only nurse and spent most mornings dressing all the wounds and doing first aid.

The rain finally abated for an afternoon and we poured the cement, nasty stuff!!

By the end of week one we had the cement trenches filled with cement and the partial foundation cinder block walls up to dry. It would be a difficult week two to finish the foundation so we had two good days of R&R to prepare us.

Saturday the team relaxes down in Phuket on the beach in the sun!

Phuket is much more rebuilt as it is a major tourist destination for Thailand. You could tell there was still a lot of construction going on but you would be hard pressed to really notice a tsunami had hit just 6 months ago. The beaches were clean and many tourists were already out (including us).

Sunday we went on a boat and kayak tour of Phang Nga Bay.

Back to work Monday morning!

It was hard to get back to work monday morning after such a relaxing weekend. Finally we were begining to see progress on our site. We really enjoyed working with the locals and had several Thai men as the site foremen and some workers from Mayanmar. None of us spoke each others language but you seem to get along with smiles, thumbs up and shaking the head "no".

As you can see, we just had to work through the rain. So many days we were soaked to the bone for much of the day.

During our weekend in Phuket the whole team got matching tattoos of the habitat for humanity symbol on our arms! Don't worry it is just henna ink!

Finally progress is made and we are ready to fill in the foundation with dirt and then pour the cement floor. Only catch is we have to build wheel barrow ramps and move all the dirt by hand!

Last day on the site we completed the cement columns for the roof.

While we would have liked to see the walls and roof go up, we had to settle with finishing the foundation. It was a great sense of accomplishment and our team bonded into great friendships during the two weeks. Without a sense of humor this two weeks could have been miserable and if there was anything lacking in our group it was not a sense of humor.

Our final team dinner

The whole team flew back up to Bangkok and celebrated together with a boat cruise and dinner at a wonderful restaurant by the river. It was a bitter sweet gooodbye as I left right after the meal to head to the airport and off to London. Next stop is Oxfordshire and back with Alex and his parents!!!

Alex's Malaysia and Singapore adventures:-

After leaving Sara in Bangkok to start her trip I caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL) the capital of Malaysia. The map below shows the route I took for my last ten days of travel before heading home to the UK:

After a rather hectic arrival in KL (no accomodation booked!!) I made my way into town and to my hotel in the China Town area. The hotel was fine and served perfectly for my three night stay in the city. Malaysia is now a very developed country and even has one of the worlds tallest building - the Petronas Towers. At 88 floors and 1400+ feet it is very tall:

I spent a great four days exploring the city and its colonial history. Malaysia is also a very multicultural society (Malay/Chinese/Islamic/Indian) with with some fantastic Chinese and Indian restaurants not to be missed!! After leaving KL I took a local bus to the coastal town of Malacca. Malacca was once the greatest trading port in South East Asia and today is a major tourist destination with its mixture of Dutch, Portuguese and Islamic architecture. I spent two days in the city exploring the old backstreets and visiting many of the temples and churches.

The only way to get around Malacca

Last stop Singapore

A short four hour bus ride (and immigration check) from Malacca took me to the final stop for my round the world trip - Singapore. What a fantastic city!!! I arrived the day after London won the Olympic 2012 bid and the city was full of banners and celebrations. After becoming independant from Malasia in the 1960s Singapore began and ambitious transformation into a modern city. It is the cleanest and most efficient city I have ever visited and incredibly safe. This does come at a price with strict regulation on social behaviour, for example chewing gum is banned in Singapore!

The old with the new in downtown Singapore

One of the Olympic banners

I spent four days in the city visiting the various districts (china town, little india etc.) and of course a visit to the famous Raffles Hotel!

Main entrance to Raffles Hotel

A Hindu temple in Little India

So after leaving the UK almost ten months earlier I made my way to Singapore's Changi airport for my flight back to Heathrow. Tweleve hours later and Dad met me at arrivals and welcomed me home. It has been the most fantastic year of my life on so many different levels, the highlight of course being meeting Sara and getting engaged. "So what next?" you ask!!!

Well, stay tuned for the next update of "alexexplores.com" including Sara's travels in the UK, engagement parties and visa preparation!! All this and more........

Back in South East Asia

2005-07-02T17:30:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone and greetings from South East Asia. Firstly, a million "thank yous" to everyone who sent me and Sara congratulation emails following our engagement. It was wonderful to hear from you all and so many kind words. Following all that excitement in China our trip had to continue and the next stop was to South East Asia. Read all about our adventures below including a visit to the famous Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia......

After leaving Beijing we flew (via Hong Kong) to Bangkok. Both Sara and I have been here before but for me it was the first time back for about fifteen years. All I can remember from that last trip was terrible traffic and an argument between my Dad and a Tuk Tuk driver. Well there are less Tuk Tuks around now but they have been replaced by cars and the traffic is as bad as ever. We met up with a friend of ours, Kimi, whom Sara travelled to Africa with back in August. It was great to see her and we had a lot of news to catch up on. As Sara and I had been to Bangkok before we decided that we would rather spend our time in neibouring Cambodia. Kimi was also going to join us for the first part of the trip. So with fresh plane tickets in hand we flew to Cambodia and the city of Siem Reap.....

The map below shows the route we took in Cambodia:

Courtesy of Lonely Planet

Siem Reap is a large town that is centred entirely on the tourist trade. The temples at Angkor are spread out over some 40 miles around the town. They were built between the 8th and 13th centuries and range from single towers made of bricks to vast stone temple complexes. The temples are in varying states of repair from a pile of bricks to stong standing structures. We spent three days in the area exploring a different part each day. It was very hot so we left early in the morning stopped for a long lunch and then continued later in the day. I won't rattle on about all of the temples we visited for fear you might browse elsewhere. Here are some edited highlights.

Our first stop was to the Bayon complex built between 1181 and 1220. It was an impressive introduction to the temples and features 3,936 feet of carving and mysterious Buddha faces carved on the towers of the third level.

Entrance to the Bayon

One of the locals

Sara and I next to one of the face carvings

We also paid a visit to Ta Prohm which is a very large temple complex enclosed by a moat. It is one of the most beautiful of the temples as it has not been restored. It was built in the later 12th century and as you can see in the photo below is covered by jungle vegetation (and tourists). This temple was also the setting for part of the movie Tomb Raider - Angelina Jolie is a local hero now!!

Me, Kimi and Sara at Ta Prohm

The jewel in the crown of the temples is Angkor Wat. It is a huge pyramid temple built by Suryavarman II between 1113 and 1150. It is surrounded by a moat 570 feet wide and about four miles long. We spent about two hours walking around and climbing the impossibly steep stairs to the top of the central tower.

Main entrance to Angkor Wat

The obligatory photo - altogether now ahhhhhhh!!

Outside of the temples we relaxed in town and all took part in a massage by a local blind charity. All the massures are blind and the money gives them a good income. I think I came away afterwards feeling worse than when I went in, oh well it was a good cause. We also visited a local butterfly garden and were entertained by traditional dancing at a local restaurant.

Kimi tries to attract the local butterflies

After Siem Reap Sara and I headed south to the capital Phnom Pehn while Kimi made her way back to the US. The bus journey took about seven hours and we were entertained by Cambodian karaokee on the bus all the way. Needless to say that the iPods were swiftly brought into service!!

Phnom Pehn is a small city with a busy heart - everyone is on the move mostly on small motobikes. The city still has a strong french feel with its architecture and influence in the food. We both loved the food in Cambodia and it is our new favorite. We visited the royal palace and also made the trip out to the Russian Market to stock up on DVDs and software, if it can be copied they have it. Cambodia has a royal family today and the Royal Palace is still used. It is an impressive construction although it is starting to look a little frayed around the edges. The centre piece to the Royal Palace is the Silver Pagoda which has a floor made up of thousands of silver tiles, most of them are covered however.

Typical Phnom Pehn building

The Royal Palace

After Phnom Pehn we took another bus south to the Coastal town of Sihanouk Ville (pronounced see-an-ook-ville). This is just a beach town and the plan was to spend a couple of days relaxing on the beach. Well that was the plan except the Cambodian food finally got the better of us. We did spend some time on the beach and relaxing so that was good - however no photos to prove it though, sorry!

We came back to Phnom Pehn for one night and then flew back to Thialand to begin the final part of our trip. As I write this I am in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) spending my last week sightseeing before flying back to London from Singapore. Sara has joined a trip with Habitat for Humanity (US charity) to undertake Tsunami relief work in the south of Thailand. Before I get loads of emails, don't worry Sara's trip was organised long before the whole engagement so we are still very much together!!!! Actually we are in training for the upcoming "time apart" during which I have to get my US visa - more on that in the next update.

Well that is all for now. My next update will be from London and the end of my trip (sob, sob). Sara will also publish updates on her Tsunami relief trip when she joins me in the UK. Stay tuned for more.......

Big News From China!!!!

2005-06-16T16:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone and greetings from Beijing!! Sara and I have been here in China for the past two incredible weeks. Read all about our adventures including Beijing, The Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai and....................Getting Engaged!!!!

Beijing was just a three hour flight from Hong Kong and we were immediately relieved by the weather which whilst still hot was much less humid. We checked into our hotel and set about planning our five days in the city plus side trips to Xian and Shanghai. Much to our delight the hotel was very modern and clean and served western breakfast. Who knew you would not really want to eat fried rice and dumplings at 8 AM?Our first stop was to Tian' anmen Square and the Forbidden Palace. The square is huge and it took us almost half an hour to walk from end to end. At the northern end of the square is the gate to the Forbidden Palace complete with the famous photo of Chairman Mao observing all who enter:

Entrance to the Forbidden Palace

The Forbidden Palace was built in the 1400s and covers an area of about 73 hectares. We took an audio tour which was narrated by England's Roger Moore of James Bond fame! Mind you, under the sign for the english language audio tour there was a picture of an American flag. I guess it should have have been the American language tour. The palace, formerly the residence of the emperor, was incredible to see as we walked from one huge building to the next. We spent nearly half the day walking in the palace and viewing the various state rooms and private quarters.

Yes, they even have a Starbucks in the Forbidden Palace!

I had a forbidden latte. It is very hush hush, a favorite drink of the palace concubines.
The photo above really sums up a lot about China at the moment. A country with so much history is changing so rapidly as communism is giving way to capitalism. Everywhere we looked change was taking place; huge building projects, teenagers with cell phones, flashy cars and everyone gearing up for the Olympics in 2008. In the next ten years this country will be very different! I think we expected conditions and travelling in China to be a lot harder than it was. While they have a long way to go we found public transportation very easy (although you barely escape with your life in some taxis) restrooms were pretty clean and people were friendly and eager to help. Maybe just eager to sell you a gucci bag and rolex watch!!!

In the evening we went out to see a perfomance by the Beijing Circus. If any of you have seen Cirque De Soleil it was a very similar performance although the production value was a little lower. Some of the performaces were staggering including the one in the photo below - we guessed the performers were less than twelve years old:

At the Beijing Circus

We couldn't come to China without visiting the Great Wall. We decided to visit a section called Simitai which was further out of the city but more authentic and less touristy - we were not disappointed. After the obligatory stop at a ceramic factory on the way we arrived at the Great Wall. It was about a fifteen minute walk to reach the wall from the car park. The weather was clear and we could see the wall stretching out in either direction, far into the distance - incredible:

Me and Sara's Dad

An amazing feat of construction

Walking The Great Wall

We spent about two hours walking along a short section and then made our way back to the bus for the return home. It was a long day and we were all pretty tired by the time we got back to the hotel. The next day we booked on to a tour of the Hutong area of Beijing by Pedicab. The tour was interesting if a little touristy. The best part though was the chance to go and visit one of the residents in his house. We spent about thirty minutes in his house and had the chance to ask questions and see how a Beijing family live. It is interesting to see what people say when you ask about politics.

Riding a pedicab.

We also stopped by at a local food market selling all kinds of strange foods - grasshopper on a stick anyone?

Yum.....

In the evening we were out again this time to see the Chinese Opera. We were warned that this would not be the same as western Opera. There was much screeching, crashing of symbols, banging of drums and bizare stage perfoming. It was a great experience and actually turned out to be one of of highlights of the city: In the old days all the actors were men, even the ladies roles. We had a good laugh imitating the ladies high screeching voices. We may put on a performance of our own!!

One of the performers at the Opera

The following night we boarded the train for the city of Xian (pronounced see-an). Not regarded as a large city by Chinese standards this place has a population of seven million!!! The overnight train was a great experience and much more luxurious than we expected. Each bed even had its own TV screen with six channels - try getting that on British Rail!! Again we were a little apprehensive about taking the 12 hour train ride but it was not bad. The soft sleeper compartment had four beds. It made no stops and had air conditioning. My dad was a trooper through all our travels and enjoyed taking the scenic route.

Our reason for visiting Xian was to see the Terracotta Warriors now dubbed the eighth wonder of the world. The whole exhibition is a wonderful experience and the Chinese have done an excellent job of allowing good access whilst protecting archeology of the site. The warriors were made and placed in various pits next to Emperor Qin's toomb to protect him in the afterlife. The pits on view in the museum represent only a small proportion of the nearly 8000 Warriors that were constructed:

The largest hall

The warriors up close - each one is different

Xian has little to offer after the Terracotta Warriors so we took another night train to the city of Shanghai. This time it was 16 hours. Alex and Dad bought instant ramen noodle bowls just like all the chinese do (I opted for peanut butter sandwich) and we watched the countryside and farms as we rolled along.

Shanghai is a gateway port to the Yangzi river and over the years has been colonised by both the British and the French. The result is a city with an old colonial history particulary on the Bund and French concession areas. The city sufferend from lack of investment during the communist period from 1949 but that has all changed and now it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is expected that it will overtake Hong Kong in the next ten to twenty years as a major financial hub. The skyline is magnificent if you catch it on a clear day. There is so much smog here in China it is unbelievable.

We stayed just off the Bund area and spent our fist day taking a boat cruise up the river to get a better view of the skyline. We also took the Bund Tourist Tunnel, a psychadelic train ride under the river to the Pudong area to visit the famous Orient Pearl Tower which marks out the city.

The Shanghai skyline

The Psychadelic Bund Tourist Tunnel

Engaged!!!!

As you know Sara and I have been travelling together for the past four months and have known each other since August of last year when we met on a trip in Africa. It has been quite a story for us both and a real whirlwind romance! Sara and I had discussed at length what would happen "post trip" and we both knew that there was only one thing that we really wanted. With Sara's Dad travelling with us we decided to make it official and I asked him for Sara's hand in marriage. We had a wonderful night at one of Shanghai's best restaurants - "M on the Bund". The restaurant has a rooftop terrace looking over the harbour and the Bund and it is night we shall never forget.

Offically engaged at "M On The Bund "

The view from the restaurant

Getting engaged is actually the easy bit and the harder stuff is about to begin. I am going to move to the United States where we will marry in the next six months. Everything is very much dependant upon visas so there is much planning and paperwork to be completed! We are both very excited and cannot wait to begin the next chapter of our amazing journey.

Well that is just about it for this posting, sorry it has been a bit long but there has been so much to say. We leave Beijing tomorrow for Bangkok and spend a few weeks in South East Asia before heading back to the UK. Stay tuned for more breaking news..........

Japan and Hong Kong

2005-06-08T15:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone and greetings from Hong Kong. Since the last update we have left the southern hemisphere and spent a week in crazy Tokyo and three days here in Hong Kong. Read all about our adventures below:

Japan

A seven hour flight from Cairns took us to Tokyo's Narita airport. The airport is a further hour and a half train ride from the city centre so by the time we checked into our accommodation we were pretty exhausted. We booked into a Japanese Ryokan (traditional guesthouse) which meant taking our shoes off at the door, wearing kimonos and sleeping on tatami mats. It was a fantastic place and a great experience. We didnt get many funny loks from the Japanese except when they saw us walking from the metro to our hotel with all our backpacks on in the rain, I am sure it was a sight to see.

Relaxing in the ryokan

The next day we set off to explore the city. Tokyo is huge and split into lots of different areas all connected by an excellent metro system. This made getting around easy and allowed us to divide our time up to visiting the different areas. Our first stop was to Asakusa which is famous for its 7th century temple called Senso-ji. The area also has a great street market where we bought freshly made rice crackers and a local delicacy similar to donuts. The "donuts" are filled with sweet bean paste. No Krispy Kremes here!!

In the afternoon we went to Shibuya area which is a large shopping area and has the famous street crossing. Shopping in Tokyo, bring lots and lots of money. One mall is at least 15 stories and full of designer brands. We window shopped. We had luch here in one of the many Ramen (noodle) shops. As with everthing in Japan the restaurant was technologically advanced whereby we had to choose our meal from a vending machine outside which then sent our order directly to the kitchen!! The Japanese love their technology and everything is automated with buttons to press and lights that flash, Saying this I think they only like technology for themselves as my cell phone didn't work and it was had finding an ATM to accept my card. Eating in Japan- bring lots of money! We didnt do too bad and even managed some sushi but we didnt know enough Japanese to order what we really would have liked. I guess they don't speak California roll.

The famous crossing at Shibuya

The next day we visited the local information centre and arranged for a local student learning english to give us a guide of the city. This was arranged for Monday so we decided to head off the Shinjuku for the afternoon. The area is famous for its bright lights and huge TV screen billboards:

Konichiwa from Tokyo!!!

On Friday we took the metro to an area called Odaiba which is across from Tokyo bay. The area is a bit of a tourist trap but has great views of the Tokyo skyline. Odiaba is a modern development with restaurants and shops. Sara jumped for joy twice, firstly to see a replica of the statue of liberty and then her favorite Hawaiian restaurant Kua 'Aina. All of you who have been to Hawaii, at least to visit me, will know that Kua Aina is definitely worth jumping for!!!

Fake statue of liberty

A piece of Hawaii in Tokyo

I subsequently jumped for joy on seeing the Sony megastore and the huge Toyota Megalux showroom. The Sony store was great with so many gadgets that we just don't see in the UK. No, he didnt buy anything. All the instructions were in Japanese and it probably wouldn't work in the UK or US. The Toyota showroom is also fantastic with every model on display and the chance to test drive anything you want. We took a river boat back across the bay to catch the metro home.

Saturday morning and there was only one place we could go Harajuku. At weekends this area is a big hotspot for Japanese teenagers to hangout. The Japanese really have no inhibitions and we saw fashions mixing little bo peep with punk rockers - weird but very funny. I thought we had all the wild ones at Venice beach in LA. They seem tame compared to these kids. On Sunday we decided to head out of the city for the day and took a train ride to Hakone. This is a volcanic area complete with bubbling pools and sulphur smells. We also took the cable car and pirate ship boat across the nearby lake. For me the best bit of the day was the train ride home on the Bullet Train. It has been a bit of a a boyhood dream and it did not disappoint (I am really a train spotter at heart).

The Tokyo skyline

A happy boy on the bullet train

On Monday we met with our Japanese guide Kumi. It was great fun touring the Ginza area with her and getting a real insight into Japanese life. Tuesday was our last day in Tokyo so we did some last minute shopping before packing our bags for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong and made our way to my Uncle Doug's and Aunt Lucia's home. They live up on a hill overlooking the skyline of Hong Kong. The views were unbeatable, especially at night. It was a bit of weather shock because we have had pretty mild weather and almost no humidity and Hong Kong was very humid. We picked up my Dad at the airport the first night. He had flown in from the US to meet us and see his brother Doug.

With Lucia as our personal tour guide we didn't even have to open a map. A nice break for Alex and I. She took us all over the city and we rode in the double decker tram for great views!!

Hong Kong's famous trams

Night skyline from Sara's Uncle's appartment

We took a nice air conditioned bus to the top of the peak for city views and then around Hong Kong island.

Hong Kong from the top of the peak

Our last night my Uncle and Aunt took us to the American club (they made an exception for Alex) on the 42nd floor of a high rise downtown. The food and drinks were wonderful and we had great views with a lightening storm. It was great to relax and be with family. My Dad will be visiting China with us for the next 10 days.

God bless America!!

The family at the American Club

That's all for now folks. We are in China for the next two weeks visiting Beijing, the Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Shanghai and more. Stay tuned for more adventures.............

Goodbye Oz!!

2005-05-23T16:40:00.001+01:00

Hello again everyone and welcome to the latest posting. Well, after nearly 4000kms and five weeks we have finally reached our last stop in Australia. Read all about our latest adventures since leaving Brisbane including a Whitsunday Islands getaway, the Great Barrier Reef and a chance meeting with Motley Crew drummer (and ex of Pamela Anderson!!) Tommy Lee!!!!

Our Australia route shown in red:

Courtesy of Lonely Planet

There is only one road in Australia

After leaving Brisbane we decided to put in some kilometers and hit the Whitsunday Islands as fast as possble to give us more time there. On the way we stopped in the towns of Rockhampton, Mackay and Bundaberg. Bundaberg and most of the surrounding area is given over to sugar cane farms. It is a huge industry and even has its own train lines to transport the cane. No trip to Bundaberg would be complete without a visit to the famous Ginger Beer factory. We have become quite addicted to the stuff over the past couple of weeks and had a fun time trying out all their latest brews.

Me holding up a giant bottle of the stuff!!!

Our next stop was the town of Airlie Beach which is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. There are about seven major islands in the Whitsundays of differing sizes and containing all types of accomodation. We arrived in Airlie beach on a warm Sunday afternoon and after some shopping around for last minute standby rates we found "the" deal. Three days and two nights staying on one of the top luxury resorts - Hayman Island (see - http://www.hayman.com.au).

We left at 7am the following day and caught the transfer boat to the island. From the moment we stepped ashore it was luxury all the way and quite a step up from the campervan!! We had the resort to ourselves (hence the deal) and spent three wonderful days relaxing by the pool, hiking round the island, snorkling and being thoroughly pampered. This is what a real vacation is all about!!

The beach on Hayman Island

Relaxing by the pool

All good things had to come to an end and we had to leave our paradise island and continue our journey north. Hayman did have one last surprise for us though. Whilst waiting to catch the boat home we saw the Motley Crew drummer Tommy Lee check in to the resort (penthouse suite of course!!). Sara and I sat open mouthed as his entourage walked into the bar, downed a couple of shots and continued on to his room - rock and roll at its best!!!

Our next stop was the city of Townsville. However our desire for more island life got the better of us and so we took the ferry to Magnetic Island, about 50mins from Townsville. The weather was glorious and we spent three great nights relaxing at the only campsite on the island. The island is a real tropical getaway complete with beaches, palm trees and all manner of bugs and creatures!! Creatures including many possum like animals that decided to climb up a tree and on top of our campervan in the night. I kept watch most of the night. Alex managed to doze in between me poking him saying ...do something, they are trying to get in!!!

Sara relaxes in a hammock on Magnetic Island

After arriving back on the mainland we headed straight out for our last stop in Australia - the city of Cairns. The city is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and firmly located in the tropics. We spent a day exploring the town and went for a swim in the lagoon swimming pool on the esplanade. Most of the cities north of surfers paradise have built huge lagoon pools in front of the ocean. Due to jelly fish half of the year you cannot swim in the ocean unless it is in a netted off area. A bit disappointing you can't fully enjoy the ocean.

Lagoon swimming pool - central Cairns

The plan was to spend a week here doing a diving course and exploring some of the reef. The plan however backfired when I failed to pass the required diving medical due to a previous history of asthma. They are very strict here on diving and there was no way out. It was a disappointment but undeterrred we booked onto a days snorkling trip on the reef.

The water was calm, the weather hot and sunny - perfect for a trip to the reef. The ride out took about 2 hours but was well worth the wait. The reef was teeming with life, the highlight for me was swimming with a turtle!! We also fed Wallie the giant wrasse, and I mean giant - he was about six feet long and just as tall. Of course we also saw some nemo fish!!

One of the many dive boats on the reef

We spent the rest of the week exploring the city and also took a side trip further north to Palm Cove. I would love to come back here and stay in one of the luxury hotels on the beach front, not enough time (or money!!).

Sara and I have both loved Australia and the friendliness of the people. Do not underestimate the size of the country - it is huge and there is never enough time to see it all. Our next stop is Asia and Tokyo. I think it is going to be quite a change from g'day mate, surf boards and chilling out on beaches!! Stay tuned for more updates................

Back in Oz!!

2005-05-06T11:30:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, apologies for the slight delay in publishing this update it is been a busy couple of weeks. Since the last posting we have begun our journey up the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns - nearly 3000 kms!!! As I write this we are in the town of Bundaberg which is about halfway. Read all about our adventures below:-

Blue Mountains

After arriving in Sydney we picked up our campervan and headed straight out for the Blue Mountains. This camper van was brand new right out of the factory, along with our $5000 deposit this made me quite nervous. At every tight parking spot or road one of us would say remember...$5000. Our base for three nights was the town of Katoomba in the heart of the mountains. They are referred to as the blue mountains because of the blue haze created by all the eucalyptus trees. Our first day we hit bad weather so spent the day doing the usual traveling chores. Unpack, find a spot for everything, stock up on Ginger Beer and WheetBix etc. Luckily the weather cleared up and we spent the second day at one of the many lookout points and hiking to into the canyon. The worlds steepest incline railway brought us out of the canyon.

View from one of the lookout points

View from the front of the railway - pretty steep!

The Pacific Highway

Our campervan developed a fault with the lights so we had to make an unscheduled stop back at the depot in Sydney. I was bitter we had to go all the way back into the city. Typically the fault couldn't be fixed so a new van was brought into service. I was even more bitter we had to unload the van and reload it into another van!! At least they compensated us with a free lunch -ham sandwhiches!! We set off again, this time north to the Hunter Valley - wine region. We spent a day touring (and tasting) some of the local brew and of course made the usual purchases.

Our second campervan - the mighty Toyota Hiace!!

Next stop was to the Port Stevens Peninsula and the town of Nelson Bay at the very tip. It was fantastic weather with beaches practically to ourselves. Now we were finally hitting the groove, blue waters and white beaches. We continued our journey north up the famous Pacific Highway (Route 1) to Port Macquarie - again great weather and great beaches. We also stopped at the local koala sanctuary for the obligatory stroking:

Don't worry Sara he won't bite!!

A long day of driving took us to Byron Bay. This is a mecca for backpackers and surfers alike. Don't forget the hippies. Are dreadlocks still in fashion? No they never were in fashion. The town and beaches were packed and the place was buzzing. We spent some time on the beach and also hiked to the local lighthouse passing Australia's most easterly point along the way:

Who are these dorks?

Our final destination before hitting the city of Brisbane was the Gold Coast just over the border in Queensland. As the saying goes "there are only two states to be in - drunk and Queensland!!" The Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise were - different! High rise apartments, shopping malls, theme parks and fantastic beaches. Ahh just like Waikiki beach, home sweet home! We spent the afternoon on the beach (again!) but the weather turned so we decided to head north for Brisbane. I think Alex is really catching on to this lifestyle. He has developed a fantastic farmer tan, he really is getting quite brown, and you can't keep him out of the waves. Boogie boarding will be his next new hobby.

Me at the famous Surfers Paradise

Brisbane

A short drive from the Gold Coast is Brisbane - Australia's third largest city. It was good to be back in a large city again and as always we did the usual shopping and sipping lattes - even had my hair cut. We hit borders, again, and stocked up on new books. I finished most of the ones we bought in Auckland. I should start an online book club. Next book is Nelson Mandela's biography if anyone wants to join me.

As you can see it has been a busy couple of weeks with many towns, beaches and petrol stations!! We are now heading further north into Queensland with the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef in our sights. Stay tuned for more updates......

Goodbye New Zealand!!

2005-04-19T14:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone, we are in Auckland again having spent a hectic ten days exploring some of New Zealand's North island. We leave here tomorrow to head back to Australia for a few weeks so this posting will be the last from NZ!! The map below shows the route (in red) we have taken over the past six weeks. As you can see, we gave the South Island a good going over but still left much to be explored in the North Island:Thanks in part to both of us having friends from the south island who assured us we needed to spend the bulk of our time there. As always in travel too much to see and not enough time.

Courtesy of Lonely Planet

Bay of Islands

We left Auckland and headed north for the Bay of Islands. The base for our travels was the town of Paihia which is where all the tours and trips run from. After much to'ing and fro'ing (Me to'ing and Alex fro'ing) we decided to book onto a trip called "The Rock". The boat, called "The Rock", takes you for an overnight trip into the bay. The trip was leaving the following day so we decided to spend the night in the town of Russel (accessible only by Ferry). The town was very quiet with not much to excite us, put it this way - we read a lot!!

The next day we packed our overnight bag and boarded The Rock. The boat is a converted car ferry which took the owner two years to complete. The downstairs is the day area with bar and seating and the upstairs hold the bedrooms. It was pretty cool and we had a good mixture of people on the boat which added to the fun. No this was not the "booze cruise" we were expecting (or hoping for?)

"The Rock"

The first day we left the town of Paihia and cruised for a couple of hours to a small bay where we moored up for the night. There was lots to do onboard including a shooting competition (airgun!!) and fishing. We both caught snapper but didn't have much luck hitting the plastic bottle target in the shooting.

Sara even managed to hit the water!!!
Sorry if my upbringing didn't include firearms!

Landing a snapper!!
Which was quickly tossed back because they were all too tiny to keep. I think it was actually a fish farm we moored in as everyone caught a red snapper.

The crew (mostly British) served us up a good old BBQ including some of the fish we caught earlier in the day - yummm! It was then to bed to prepare for more activities the next day. We both slept pretty well having been lulled to sleep by the gentle swaying of the boat (which got worse during the night!!). The next day we continued our journey through the bay which contains loads of small islands some of which are even contain holiday homes.

We moored up again in one of the bays and headed to one of the islands to explore for a couple of hours. We hiked to the top which gave us fantastic views of the the bay and also out to the Pacific Ocean.

The view from the top of our island

We all spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, kayaking, snorkling and playing a bit of cricket. It was then back to the boat for the ride home. On the way back we were escorted by a few bottle-nosed dolphins - it was amazing just to watch them leaping out of the water a few hundred feet from us. We got to experience the "gentle sway" of the boat as Alex calls it for the next few days as we felt like we were still on water!!

Rotorua

After the boat trip we made our way back to Auckland for the night before heading further south to the town of Rotorua. The first thing that struck us upon arriving in the town was the smell - sulphur! Rotten eggs anyone? The town sits on a lively thermal area and is the main reason for visits. We spent the afternoon relaxing in one of the thermal spas with one of the pools at 41degrees!! It was great fun leaping out of the pools and into the cold showers but it does make the skin go a bit funny!!! The next day we made our way out to see the Lady Knox geyser which we were told erupts at precisely 10:15am every day. Well it does, but nature is given a little helping had by the local staff!!! Unlike good Ol Faithful they pour soap down this geiser to make it errupt each day! I think it is a dirty trick! When it is going the geyser reaches a height of about twenty feet and is pretty spectacular:

Lady Knox Blowing Off!!!

We then walked around the rest of the park (Wai-O-Tapu) which contains lots of bubbling pools and steam vents. It is like walking into another world, with stange smells and water coloured red and turquoise.

Me next to the Champagne Pool

We then headed off to a second park (Waimangu) for a two hour walk through the forest to see more steaming pools and one of the biggest thermal lakes in the world. It wasn't as good as the first park but the walk was good and yet again we had fantastic weather.

A view of the steaming lake in Waimangu Valley

With our days rapidly running out we decided to make our way back to Auckland via the Coromandel peninsula for two nights. Along the way we passed through one of New Zealand's main kiwi fruit growing areas and stopped for the obligatory photo:

Me and a genetically modified kiwi fruit!!

We spent two nights in the Coromandel Peninsula relaxing in the town of Whangamata. The town has a wonderful beach and as such is a big surf town. We also went to the local cinema to see the film Sahara - whilst the picture and sound were great the theater was needing a little attention to say the least. It amused us though and we both enjoyed the film. We were just lucky the town has a cinema as most don't!

We are just back in Auckland for today and then fly to Sydney tomorrow. You will all be pleased to hear that the Chinese have granted us visas, so I guess those background checks are not as bad as we thought!!!Or as thorough??? We have had a wonderful time here in NZ and so many great memories it will be sad to leave. So with a tear in our eyes we are off for more adventures - next stop Oz..................

South NZ to North NZ

2005-04-12T15:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest thrilling installment of our travels!! Hey stop rolling your eyes!! Since last writing we have completed our grand tour of New Zealand's south island and flown to the north island. Read all about our travels below:-

We reluctantly left Milford sound and headed back to the east coast and the city of Dunedin. The name Dunedin is Celtic for Edinburugh and the city was founded by Scottish settlers. As a result the city has a very scottish feel to it complete with shops selling kilts and a statue of Robert Burns in the main square. We spent two nights in the city and also spent a wonderful day out in the Otago peninsula. Highlight of Dunedin- bowling- they had a bowling alley and since it has been years for both of us we could miss it! Alex won by one point, and I am glad too. I didn't want to play best out of three if I had won!!

It was then north to our last big highlight of the South Island - Mount Cook. The area is spectacular with a very alpine feel to it. We were blessed yet again with great weather and set off for the three hour hike to one of the many lookout points.

On the road to Mount Cook

Me and Sara hiking to the lookout point looking properly granola I think.

After a couple of hours we reached the lookout point and had great views of the summit and glacial lake. The whole area is dotted with glaciers including the largest in New Zealand The Tasman glacier. Once again, dirty glaciers, but this lake had huge muddy ice blocks floating around it.

Alex at the lookout point - amazing! His "I'm the king of the world pose!"

We made our way back home (our campervan!!) and after a stormy night we set off the following morning for the Banks Peninsula southeast of Christchurch.

Waving goodbye to Mount Cook from the Campervan!!

We stayed in the town of Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular which was founded by French settlers. As a result all the street names are in french and many of the shops have a french feel to them. We had great weather and spent our last couple of days in the South Island relaxing here. We also made a visit to the local cinema which is kitted out with big comfy armchairs and serves crepes and lattes and shows budget art house movies. A great way to end our time on the South Island.

The view from our campervan to Akaroa bay Can you believe, a view like that and we only pay about NZ$25 a night!!!

Hello Auckland!

After four weeks of staying in small towns in our campervan it was a nice change to be back in a big city again when we flew into Auckland. Not to mention the luxury of our hostel which had en-suite room!! Of course we did all the usual things like ummmmm stocking up on books in Borders and sipping lattes in Starbucks. We both loved this city and had a good wander round including a look at the famous Sky Tower landmark. As is everywhere in New Zealand - if it is high you can jump off it. We avoided leaping off the top, oh well there is always next time!!!!

Auckland's famous Sky Tower

The Auckland skyline

On Sunday afternoon we took a ferry across the harbour to the town of Devonport. The ferry ride gave us a great view of the city and allowed to view New Zealand's other passion (after jumping off high things) - sailing. There are boats everywhere and also many references to the Americas Cup which they are preparing hard to win back off Europe!!!!

Taking the Ferry to Devonport

The town of Devonport harks back to the Victorian era with its old houses and shops. We spent a quiet afternoon walking around and enjoying the beatuiful Autumn sunshine with the locals. We also had to gobble up the local delicacy of boysenberry ice cream - yummmmm!!

Glad to see the Britsh Empire influence is thriving!!

"Look Owen it is a post office box just like your pen!!! "

Monday morning and we headed straight to the Chinese consulate to apply for our China visas. It was as crazy as we expected with people everywhere and and not much organisation. We will be going to China in May so this was the time to get our paperwork sorted.This also gave us a small taste of how fun China will be. I never had so much fun sitting in a waiting room before. We have to return next week to collect so we will see if either the Yank or the Brit get rejected - I know who I am betting on!!!! Nice that I have to pay $100 for my visa and the Brit pays $60. I guess you get for what you pay for and I'm not cheap!!!

We are off to explore the Bay of Islands next and then south to experience so thermal activity in Rotorua. That's all for now folks, stay tuned for more and we look forward to hearing from you.....

Glaciers, Jetboating, Fjords and Gloworms

2005-03-31T12:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone and Happy Easter......

Hold on to your seats because this is going to be an action adventure packed update. We are headed to the adventure capital of the world....Queenstown!! Sky diving, paragliding, bungy jumping.......none of which we did.

Since our last update have traveled down the west coast stopping at the Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers. I should also point out that we made an unscheduled stop on the way with the local NZ policeforce, where I picked up a nice $NZ120 speeding fine!!! We arrived at the town of Franz Joseph just in time for a huge rain storm. We spent most of the day in the camper van trying to stay warm and dry. It looked like we weren't going to get to hike up the base, let alone hike on the glacier at all.

The next day we had decided to move on but stopped at Fox glacier in the morning and caught a pocket of blue sky and sun, just in time to hike up to the base and see the glacier. It was a tough hike, we barely made it and had to cross roaring rivers to get to the base. (Only the little Japanese lady along side us managed to do it in high heels carrying her Gucci bag and an umbrella so it couldn't have been that bad. Maybe I embellish a little.) Whilst the Glaciers were great to see I think I have been spoiled by the ones in Chile and so didn't find them that spectacular.

Alex starts off the hike strong and brave.

At the base of the glacier. I think it is a little too muddy to be picturesque.

Alex thinking..."Nice Glacier and all, but not as good as Patagonia."

After conquering the glaciers we drove all day to Queenstown - New Zealand's adventure capital. We spent a traditional Easter in Queenstown; sunday morning church service, a speedy ham sandwhich and off to adventure. We started off by taking the gondola ride up the mountain to ride the luge!! We had beautiful sunny weather and spectacular views of Queenstown and the lake from the top.

Alex took the "advanced" course on the luge - one handed!!

In the afternoon we had booked a ride on the jetboat in Shotover river canyon!! While the ride only lasts about 30 minutes it is like a roller coaster. The driver takes you up close to the canyon walls and does 360 degree turns. I have to say that this was a fantastic experience and left me grinning ear to ear. The jetboats run off 2 V6 Buick engines and because they don't have a propeller they are able to spin and change direction very quickly - a highly recommened experience...

Can you pick out where we are??

Next stop, Te Anau and the Fjordland National park. This is home to much of NZ famous movie filming - The Lord of the Rings. We did not take the Lord of the Rings offroad tour but you can tell by the scenery why they chose this area. Again we were lucky with clear blue skies, although the weather is much colder here in the southwest coast. The drive to the fjords was amazing with waterfalls, gorges, tunels and snowcapped mountains. After arriving in Milford we took a boat ride out to the fjords to get a closer look, just one word can describe it - spectacular!!!

Stunning scenery in Milford Sound

Waterfalls abound

Sailing through the Fjords

We drove back to Milford that evening to take a tour of Gloworm caves. We were unsure what to expect but weren't disappointed. After a boat ride across lake Te Anau we were escorted into the limestone caves along walkways and small gondola style boats. Inside it was pitch black apart from thousands of tiny pinprick lights from the gloworms hanging from the ceiling. It was a magical experience and a great way to end our time in the fjordland national park.

Our next stop is back to the East coast and the city of Dunedin before heading north towards Christchurch. Stay tuned for more adventures...................

Continuing Adventures in New Zealand

2005-03-23T12:30:00.000Z

Alex has earned a well deserved break from web site updating (other than editors comments) so I have offered to lead this one. (I knew Sara would come in useful on this trip!!!)

We left off in Kaikoura where we drove further north to the town of Blenheim. This is the "wine country" of NZ. We spent two nights there tasting wines and relaxing. It is much like the Sonoma Valley we visited in California a few weeks ago. The area is known for its Chardonnays so we tasted many and bought one. We also found a little chocolate boutique where they hand make all their chocolates. You can watch through the glass and have a free taste. It doesn't get much better than wine and chocolate.

We also stopped in a local discount store called the Warehouse to get a warmer duvet for the camper van. We have very few complaints about our campervan (aside from some plumbing issues) but it is a bit cool at night and the linens provided are quite thin. As we head south towards the glaciers and it gets later into Fall it is going to be even colder. (Sara will say "we" were cold but I think we all know who really wanted the extra quilt!!!)

From Blenheim we headed to the northernmost city on the south island called Nelson, near the Abel Tasman National park. The roads here along the coast are beautiful with fantastic views but very windy and cliff side. If you don't get car sick you will once you drive these roads in a camper van!! We camped a few kms outside of Nelson and walked around the town. We were lucky to be there for their Saturday morning market and got some wonderful fresh fruits and veg. Then it was off to Marahau, a small town closer to the Abel Tasman.

Alex at the start of the trail (where we actually finished our tramp)

Our first day in the park we took a water taxi up the coast to a small bay called Torrent bay. The national park is the smallest of the ones in NZ but also sees the most visitors each year. We hiked (they call it tramping here in NZ) from Torrent bay about 14kms along the coast and evergreen mountains to the start of the national park and back to our van. The coast is beautiful with sandy beaches and blue/turquoise waters.

We stopped for lunch at one of the beaches and had a swim. We had the whole beach to ourselves for most of our break.

More views from the tramp.

The park has fantastic paths that you can tramp and camp for several days in the park. It is only accessible by tramping or boat. Several lucky people even have holiday homes in the park which are rare and very expensive.

After a long day of tramping we returned to camp and hit the hay early. The next morning we had booked a kayak trip with a local company called Kiwi Kayaks. We would be kayaking up the coast of that national park about 15 kms with several other couples and a guide.

Taking a break at one of the beaches along the way

We had morning tea and biscuits at a beach called sandfly beach. Note to self- they wouldn't call it sandfly beach if it wasn't true. Too bad we didnt have any repellant. We are paying the price now, several days later. Alex and I have the bite marks all over our legs to prove it.

We couldn't ask for better weather. It was warm but not too hot and the sun was out all day. We all took time for swims off the beach during lunch break.

I think we could both get used to this life!

No we didn't tip the boat and Alex did a fantastic job steering (Naturally!!!). Maybe we will trade the camper van in for a kayak and see the rest of the country by boat?

From Abel Tasman we head to the west coast and glaciers!! Stay tuned.

Melbourne to New Zealand

2005-03-15T17:00:00.000Z

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest installment of our travels. Since the last update we have visited Koalas, watched the amazing Cirque De Soleil, visted chez Palmer and been whale watching!!! Phew, it has been a busy few days - read all about it below:

Phillip Island and Cirque De Soleil

Following the noise and excitement of the Formula One we decided to take a break from Melbourne for the day and head south to Phillip Island. The island is about a two hour drive from Melbourne and is famous for its penguin colony and the koala bears. We headed straight for the koala reserve first and were not disappointed. The reserve has built treetop walkways that allow you get right up next to the bears. It is impossible to not say "oh they are sooooo cute"!!!! One (stupid American) visitor became so carried away that they ignored the signs and began stroking them.

Me and Koala photo (oh well,stupid British tourist didn't read the no standing on railing signs either)

After the koala reserve we explored the island further before taking an early dinner at a "mexican" restaurant. Yet another country gets mexican food wrong. On goes my never ending quest to find good mexican food abroad. My time in south america clearly counted for nothing as I nearly died after eating some chilli seeds!! He is being overly dramatic about the experience per my superb nursing skills, but he did turn bright red and nearly choke. It was then on to the penguin colony for sunset to watch the penguins come out of the sea to retire for the night. We were both really excited about the prospect of seeing hundreds of penguins running up the beach. In actual fact there were less then twenty and they plodded rather than ran. We did get very close to view them making their way to the nests which made up for it. So what if the number of tourist out-numbered the penguins ten to one right?

It was then back to Melbourne for our last day in the city before flying on to New Zealand. After completing all the necessary travelers chores (internet and laundry) we went to see Cirque De Soleil which is touring there at the moment. If any of you get the chance to see the show DO IT!!! It was the best show I have seen for a long time and the performances were incredible. It was a wonderful way to end our last night in Melbourne. Alex and I are actually just perfecting our performance for the upcoming auditions (for those of you still wondering about our post-trip plans.)

Christchurch - New Zealand

A three hour flight from Melbourne took us to our next destination of Christchurch, New Zealand. After a slight issue at customs (always declare any foodstuffs you have, including peanut butter -me and Marmite -him!!!) we picked up the rental car and headed into town. We were spending four days at chez Palmer before picking up our campervan to tour the rest of NZ. Chez Palmer aka the wonderful Chris, Lynne and Finlay are some friends of mine from the UK who now live in Chirstchurch (don't think they could handle the crazy UK pace!!). Is was great to meet up with them again and experience some NZ family life. Aside from being whipped at golf by the bandit Palmer Sara and I spent the next couple of days exploring the city.

Christchurch is a large city but has a small town feel to it. Aside from exploring the city we visited the Antarctica Museum. Christchruch serves as the US base for supplies to Antarctica and so is an important jumping off point. The museum was excellent and even includes an "experience the Antarctica" exibit. Here you put on thick coats and are plunged into Antartic storms with temperatures of minus twenty six!!!!

Me and Sara in the Antartic

A million thank yous to Chris and Lynne for putting us up and giving us a great introduction to New Zealand. Thanks guys.

Me Chris and Finlay

Whale watching in Kiakoura

We picked up our campervan on Monday morning and set off for four weeks touring the South Island.

Our first stop was the town of Kiakoura about three hours north of Christchurch on the east coast. The town is famous for whale watching so we decided to spend two nights here and join an early morning whale watching trip. We rose at 7am to clear skys and set off to spot the mighty Sperm whales. We did not have to wait long before our first sighting. The size is amazing even from the surface and here we only see 10% of the whale! Overall we saw five whales spouting water and diving - amazing. Slightly different from whale watching in Hawaii. The boats here have GPS and a huge flat screen TV to watch your location and learn about the whales and ocean. In Hawaii you get a dirty old boat staffed with surfer guys and da kine shouting out Whale! Whale! when they see a spout!

Our first whale

On our way back to port we stopped at a seal colony and then ran into hundreds of dolphins. They were leaping into the air and swimming under the boat. It was all Alex could do to hold me back from jumping in the water to swim with them, although the people swimming with the dolphins have wet suits...I'm not going in without that. It will be a highlight of my trip and something I will remember for a long time.

Dolphins

We leave Kiakoura tomorrow and head further north to the town of Blenhiem to partake in some wine tasting and see if it compares to that Californian stuff!!! Stay tuned for more news of our travels soon..........

Ayers Rock, Ocean Roads and Formula One

2005-03-07T16:00:00.000Z

Hi everyone and welcome to the latest update on our travels in Australia. Since the last posting we have traveled to "The Red Centre" of Australia to see Ayers Rock. It was then south to Melbourne to drive the Great Ocean road and see the first race of the 2005 Formula One season. Read all about our adventures below......

The Red Centre

One word describes our trip into the centre of Australia - HOT!!! I could think of a few other words to describe it. We left a cool Sydney and flew three hours west to Alice Springs. We spent the rest of the day exploring the town and trying to get used to the heat. It was so hot though that we soon headed back to the hostel to cool down by the pool. It was an early night as the next day we were joining a three day Outback camping tour to Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon.

This photo was taken at 7:30am, already 102degs in the shade!!!

The next morning we rose at 5am to join our tour group for the three day outback adventure. The first morning we drove southeast to our campsite at Ayers Rock, our base for the first night. After exploring our tents and a brief lunch we headed out for a walk around the Olgas (dome shaped rocks) and then on to Ayers Rock to catch sunset. The rock stands alone in the flat desert and can be seen for hundreds of miles. It is a sacred Aboriginal site and access to it is limited. As the sun set over the rock it was incredible to watch how the colour changed almost minute by minute from bright orange to dark purples. We headed back to the campsite for a traditional Outback BBQ. It was then an early night as the next day we had to be up early again to catch sunrise over the rock. After the first night our tour group had already lost one couple. They decided the trip was too much for them and they opted to fly out in the morning rather than finish the trip. It was like being on survivor only you dont have to vote people off, they leave on their own.

Sunset at Ayers Rock

We rose early again to see sunrise over the rock and walk the two hour path around the base. Apart from the heat of the Outback the other major annoyance are the flies. Apparently they are worse then ever this year but if you are outside between sunrise and sunset you are attacked by them. There are 101 flies per person and their number one goal is to fly up your nose, in your eyes, ears and mouth. Luckily they don't bite but is just very annoying having to constantly swot them away from your face. Mind you, we had contemplated buying those fly nets for your hat while in Alice Springs but decided it was too silly looking for us "cool" people.How cool did we look swatting at our faces 12 hours a day while almost EVERYONE else had them on!! We left Ayers Rock at lunchtime and drove for the rest of the afternoon to our second campsite at Kings Canyon. The campsite had a pool so we jumped straight in there after arriving before relaxing around the camp fire.

Relaxing around the campfire at Kings Canyon

An early start greeted us again for our third and final day of the tour. We drove out to Kings Canyon to trek the four hour path around the rim. The Canyon is pretty small but made a pleasant walk (apart from the flies). We were pretty pleased to complete the walk and get back to the airconditioned coach by the end.

On the rim of Kings Canyon

At the top of Kings Canyon!!!!

After the Canyon we drove back to Alice Springs for a last night in the town before catching the morning flight to Melbourne. It was much cooler weather that greeted us in Melbourne which made a refreshing change.

The Great Ocean Road

The plan for the first three days was to drive The Great Ocean Road south of Melbourne. We picked up our rental car at the airport and drove out to the start of the drive, about four hours west of the city. It is said to be one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world, and certainly did not disappoint.

The start of the drive

The coast was spectacular with steep limestone cliffs and rough ocean seas. The most photographed part is called the Twelve Apostles which is a section of Twelve rocky outcrops.

The Twelve Apostles

Amazing beaches

Part of the drive takes you through a national park most of which is forest. Sara and her wildlife spotting eyes even managed to see a koala bear high in the trees. Must be a talent I picked up in Africa. We took photos of the koala in the tree and it is even hard to find him among the trees in the photo. After spending nights in the towns of Port Cambell and Lorne we arrived back in Melbourne and prepared ourselves for the Formula One Grand Prix.

Watch out for wildlife on the roads

Formula One

After checking into our hostel (the last bed left in the city) we went out to explore the city. Melbourne has gone Formula One mad with many fans on the streets and the Albert Park (the circuit) area totally closed off. It was an early start on Sunday morning to get to the circuit for 10am and the second qualifying session. We had great seats on the main straight next to the pit lane exit. After an exciting qualifying session we had a quick bite to eat before preparing ourselves for the race proper.

JP Montoya on the drivers parade lap

The race was pretty exciting although I was disappointed that we didn't have a Brit on the podium. Need I even mention that my pick for winner stalled his car in the warm up lap and delayed the whole race and had to start last! Boy can I pick them huh?After the race the crowd are allowed onto the circuit so we made our way down to the podium to see the traditional post race champagne spraying.

On the circuit after the race

Parc Ferme - millions of dollars of F1 cars!!!!

We are here in Melbourne for another three days before flying off to New Zealand for the next leg of the trip. Stay tuned for more news of our travels........

Another Day Another Continent

2005-02-21T12:00:00.000Z

Hi everyone and greetings from a sunny Sydney Australia. Since the last posting I have been in Los Angeles with Sara preparing for our trip to Australia and beyond. We had a fantastic time visiting friends and famly and showing me the sights of LA. Read the latest update below of our time in LA and our first few days in Sydney. (Note that Sara has now assumed the role of deputy contributor to alexexplores.com, her contributions are in pink!!!)

Sara and I spent about ten days in the LA area most of which seemed to be spent on the infamous 405 freeway. That's a secret hot spot, they don't put that highlight in the tour books ladies and gentlemen.The traffic here is terrible which often means leaving hours before you plan to arrive. The weather was pretty good although we did have one day of rain, compared to the UK though it felt great. Aside from having a great time meeting up with Sara's friends we spent a day in the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica areas doing some serious people watching. It was a bit of a culture shock from the cities in South America to see so much wealth and extravagance but a great experience and very funny. We also went down to Santa Monica and went for a long walk along the ocean to venice beach.

Rodeo Drive - Beverly Hills

Of course I fitted right in here on Muscle Beach Santa Monica!!! Made famous by our "Governator" Arnold Schwartzeneger.

We took Sara's nephew Owen to Hollywood to catch the latest Winnie the Pooh movie at the famous El Capitan cinema where the Oscars used to be held. It was great fun being in the heart of "movieland" and walking the "walk of stars".

Hit me baby one more time

John Travolta's hands and feet

Goodbye USA - Hello Australia

So after a very busy ten days in LA, Sara and I packed our backpacks and headed to LAX airport for the fourteen and a half hour flight to Sydney. After jumping the international date line and never having lived the 16th February we arrived in a sunny Sydney on Thursday morning. After checking into our hostel we set off to explore the city. Our first stop was to Circular Quay to get our first view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was a great feeling to be here at last and looking at one of the worlds most famous landmarks.

Me and Sara at the Sydney Opera House

First view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The next couple of days we spent aclimatising and walking the city to get our bearings. We both love the city with an almost west coast USA feel to it. The weather has been warm and sunny although we have had a couple of days of cloud. Saturday started hot and sunny so we both packed our beach towels and headed off to the famous Bondi Beach. It felt really great to be back on a beach again soaking up the rays and watching the surfers. The beach is much like California with hot sun and cool water. The surf was minimal maybe 1-2 feet but that didn't stop 101 people from renting boards and riding the white water. I think we will wait for better waves and less crowds.

Lifeguards on Bondi Beach (stop gazing Sara!!!) It is hard not to with those funny little caps. What purpose do those caps serve anyway? I think they would strangle you in a big wave. They don't float so you can't throw them to aid a drowning person. Maybe they should watch more baywatch for pointers? At least Pamela Anderson has personal floating devices!

On Saturday evening Sara had booked tickets to see Tosca at the Opera House as a valentines day gift. It was a wonderful surprise and a once in a lifetime experience to see opera at such a famous location. It was the first time either of us had been to the opera before and we were both a bit aprehensive. We didn't have to be though, it was very relaxed and easy to follow. The music, singing, acting and the whole atmosphere was incredible. The highlight of the evening though was seeing Nicole Kidman at the opera,. She was sitting just four rows behind us and stood just feet away during the interval. Sara spotted her first due to years of star spotting experience living in LA!!! All-in-all it was an amazing night to remember and something we will remember for a long time.

Going to the Opera House to see Tosca

We are here in Sydney for another four days before flying to Alice Springs for a tour of Ayers Rock. It is then off to Melbourne to see the start of the Formula One season begin with the Australian Grand Prix. Stay tuned for more updates................

Goodbye South America. Hello North America!!

2005-02-09T11:00:00.000Z

Hi everyone and greetings from California! After nearly five months traveling around South America I have finally finished that leg of the trip and have headed north. As I write this latest posting I am in Los Angeles having spent the past week traveling down the coast from San Francisco. Read all about my last few days in South America, meeting up with Sara again and exploring California:

After completing the Torres Del Paine trek in Patagonia we all made our way back to Punta Arenas to "freshen up". It was then an early start to catch a twelve hour bus journey into Argentina to the town of Ushuaia. Ushuaia is at the very southerly tip of South America and is known as the "end of the world". We spent the final three days of the group trip here relaxing in the town, visiting Tierra Del Fuego national park and having our final goodbye meal.

The picture below is of the main street in Ushuaia which is a very touristy town. This is mainly due to it being the starting point for cruises to Antarctica. It was good to relax in town for a day - sipping coffee and buying some last minute souvenirs.

Main Street in Ushuaia

The next day a group of us went for a day trek to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. The bus into the park took us to the end of Route Three which is as far south as you can drive in South America. The picture below is of us at the end of Route Three in the park:

End of Route Three

The weather was really great and it was a refreshing change not having to carry a huge pack for once. We walked for about four hours in the park exploring some of the lakes and even saw beaver dams!

Tierra Del Fuego National Park

So after four months traveling together through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina it was sadly time for the trip to end and goodbyes to be said. We all went for a meal in a local restaurant and then on to a club for a bit of dancing. The trip was an amazing experience and something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was not just the treks, the sights and experiences but mainly the great people who made the trip. A million "thank yous" to Paul and James for your expert leadership and making the trip such a success.

Paul, Me and James celebrating on the last night

I woke the next morning (complete with hangover) and began my twenty four hour journey to California. My flights took me back to Buenos Aires for a few hours, so that brought back some good memories and then on to San Francisco via Dallas.

Hello North America!!!!!

I arrived in San Francisco on January 27th - a day Sara and I had been counting down to for four months!! It was an emotional reunion at the airport mixed with excitement for the new phase in our trip which was about to start. We are spending two weeks here in California before flying off to Australia. So far we have spent ten days exploring San Francisco, visiting wine country and driving south to Los Angeles. My parents are also in California at the moment so we also caught up with them for a couple of days too.

The weather in San Francisco was glorious with warm sunshine and clear blue sky - not typical I am told. We hit all the sights in San Francisco including riding the trolley cars, visiting Alcatraz and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Me and Sara at the Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz Island

Riding the trolley car

We stayed at the Sir Francis Drake hotel which is decked out in "British style" right down to the doorman dressed up like a Beefeater!! The picture below is me, the old man and Beefeater:

After six days in San Francisco we headed north to spend a couple of nights in the Californian wine country tasting some of the local brew. The weather remained warm and sunny so it was a great time driving around the countryside and getting steadily drunk!!

Alexander Valley - Wine country

Sara and I then began our journey south to Los Angeles spending two nights in Monterey on the way down. We also drove the famous Seventeen Mile drive along the coast past Pebble Beach golf course and a brief stop in Carmel.

The coast along the Seventeen Mile Drive

The next day we left Monterey for Los Angeles. We spent the afternoon watching the Superbowl at Sara's Brother and Sister in law and then arrived at her parents house where we are staying for the next week. It is good fun experiencing "real" American life and having some good home cooked food. It makes a nice change from the hotels and hostels of the past five months.

Sara and I are in Los Angeles for the next week before we fly south for Australia. Much visiting of friends, seeing the LA sights, sorting and organising to be done!!!!! Stay tuned for more updates of our adventures in Los Angeles and our next stop - Sydney!!!

Adventures In Patagonia

2005-01-21T18:30:00.001Z

Hi everyone. I am currently in Patagonia, southern Chile, in the town of Punta Arenas. Since my last posting from Pucon I have traveled south and just completed a ten day trek in the Torres Del Paine national park. Read all about my adventures below:

After leaving Pucon we took a six hour bus ride south to the town of Puerto Montt. This is a port town on the coast and is a jumping off point for boats heading south down the Chilean coast. We stayed in the town for two nights before flying to Punta Arenas in Patagonia. It was then a quick transfer onto a bus for the journey to Puerto Natales where we spent 2 nights preparing for our ten day trek in the Torres Del Paine national park. We would be walking the "circuit" and the "W" which are the two main treks in the park. We would also be spending one day on Glacier Grey exploring and ice climbing.

So it was on a typically Patagonian "wet and windy" morning that we set off for the start of the trek loaded down with tents, stoves and ten days of pasta and "beanfeast" - yum!!!!

Loaded down at the start

The first two days of the trek the weather remained wet and windy and we all got a good soaking on the first night. I was pretty exhausted after day one and wasn't looking forward to another nine days.

Struggling against the wind on day two

Taking a break on the trail

By the end of the second day we had reached the campsite of Dickson which is set on the shores of lake Dickson. They had a shop and refuge here so after a cold shower and some food we all sat in the refuge to warm up before another night under canvas. Day three was much shorter and took us to the campsite of Los Peros which is located next to a glacier of the same name. The picture below is of me standing on some mini icebergs that have broken off the glacier behind me:

We all headed to bed early as day four was to be the hardest of the whole trek. It was not a huge distance but involved crossing a bog, climbing a steep pass, descending through steep forest and finally walking for four hours along the side of Glacier Grey. We left camp at 7am and after a tough morning getting wet in the bog and climbing we reached the pass at 11:30am. The wind at the top was incredibly strong and nearly blew me over on several occasions!!! The view that greeted us at the top however was breathtaking as we could see Glacier Grey stretching out below us.

Crossing the pass

Glacier Grey viewed from the pass

The front of the glacier

After the pass we descended through forest and walked along the side of the glacier to arrive at the campsite around 8pm. The campsite is on the shores of Lake Grey and would be our base for two nights. On day five we went for a day trek onto the glacier. This started with a boat ride across the lake in an Zodiac inflatable boat before being kitted out in crampons, harnesses and ice axes. It was a great trek on the most bizarre landscape. The trek lasted about four hours and we saw deep cravasses, waterfalls, streams and even went ice climbing - an amazing experience.

Trekking on the glacier

Down a cravass

Ice climbing with crampons and ice axe!!!

Day six of the trek and we continued further round the circuit to the campsite of Italiano, about a six hour hike from camping Grey. We were also now trekking on what is called the "W" part of the circuit which is a more popular trail and was much busier. We even stopped for lunch at a new hotel that has been constructed in the park. We arrived at Italiano in the pouring rain and cold - decided to retire early!!!

Day seven we did a day hike from the campsite up the Valley Frances to get views of the mountains (Cuernos) and the glacier Frances. It was a beautiful day and we had fantastic views of the Cuernos:

At the viewpoint (Mirador) at the top of the Valley Frances

On day eight we left Italiano campsite a trekked to our final campsite called Las Torres. The trek took most of the day following a trail along a lake in open countryside. We arrived in camp at around 4pm in beautiful warm sunshine. Las Torres is the main resort in the park and has a hotel, restaurants, hostel and camping.

Day nine we did our last full day trek to see the famous "Torres". Yet again we were incredibly lucky with the weather and were blessed with no wind and warm sunshine. The trek took about three hours the last part of which was up steep scree slope to the base of the Torres. From the top we could see the Torres rising vertically up, amazing to see.

Kieron, Me and Rich at the Torres

We arrived back in camp around 4pm and relaxed in the campsite enjoying the weather. Everyone in the group agreed that it was a fantastic experience and something we would all remember for a long time.

Back in camp - getting a brew on!!!

Day ten, "the final day", started with a late breakfast before a final two hour trek to the bus stop where it all began ten days previously. Yet again it was a beautiful day with great views of the Torres:

Hiking to the bus stop - The Torres behind me

Phew, done it!!!!!

After a well deserved shower and change of clothes we all headed out for a celebratory meal. It was a tough but incredibly rewarding ten days and one of the highlights of my trip so far.

After two days here in Punta Arenas we head even further south into Argentina and the final destination of Ushuair - at the southerly tip of South America. Only one more week left in South America before I fly north to California where the next chapter in my travels begins!!!

Santiago, New Year and Volcanoes

2005-01-04T17:30:00.001Z

Happy New Year everyone and greetings from Pucon in Chile. Since my last posting I have traveled south through Chile stopping in Santiago, celebrating New Years on the coast and climbed a Volcano here in Chile's adventure capital Pucon. Read all about my adventures below:

After a gruelling 24 hour bus journey from San Pedro we eventually arrived in Chile's capital city Santiago. What a great city and so different from what we have been used to in Bolivia and Peru. Santiago is a great a city and very western - it has a european feel to it much like Buenos Aires and even has its own metro system. We spent two days here exploring the city and its sights. One night we visited the Santiago horse racing course for an evening meeting. A chance for me to blow a few Pesos on some South American nags:

Studying the form

The finishing line - lost again!!

New Years in Valparaiso

I was bit sad to be leaving Santiago as I really enjoyed the city and would have liked to have spent more time here. However time was pressing and the plan was to visit the city of Valparaiso for New Years eve. Valparaiso is located west of Santiago on the coast and is Chile's second largest city. It is famous for its New Years Eve fireworks and the local paper was estimating a million people would be descending on the city. After settling into the hostel we went for a wander around the city for the afternoon and rode on one of the many funicular railways which climb the surrounding hills.

After a pre New Years beer and a short stop at the off license to buy Champagne it was back to the hostel to prepare for the big night. We all went out for food first (less said about that the better) and then descended to the main plaza to join the crowds for the fireworks. The fireworks were let off from one of the Chilean Navy vessels in the harbour and are the best I have ever seen. The display was incredible with a huge finale:

Luke and Vicky celebrate in the Plaza

The incredible fireworks

The plaza after the fireworks

New Years day started a bit later than usual!! However after a bit of breakfast/lunch we all headed up the coast to the town of Vina Del Mar to relax on the beach. The weather was hot and sunny and it was just the best way to spend the first day of 2005. I also had my first dip in the Pacific Ocean for this trip, although it was a bit nippy!

The beach on New Years Day

Pucon

It was an early start the next day as a long bus journey awaited us from Valparaiso to Chile's adventure capital Pucon. The bus journey took all day and we arrived in Pucon at 8pm. Pucon is located inland about two thirds down the length of Chile. It is a real adventure place with its main attraction being the volcano of Villarrica which overlooks the town. We were booked to climb the volcano the next day so after a some food it was an early night.

Villarrica is an active volcano with its peak at 2800 meters. Its slopes however are snow covered and in the winter it is a ski resort. We left at 7am for our first stop to get kitted out with waterproofs and ice axes!! It was then off to the base to catch the ski lift to the start of the climb. The climb to the top took about four hours up the side of the volcano on snow and ice. I didn't find the going too difficult and the altitude was much lower than we have been climbing in previously. We reached the crater at the top around lunchtime but none of us were prepared for what we were about to see...

Villarrica - note smoke from top!!

Near the top - Villarrica lake in the background

When we looked into the crater we could see lava glowing red but the best bit was every minute or so it would blow huge volumes into the air. It was just like being in one of those videos we used to see in geography lessons!! Absolutely amazing to see and the guides said that it hasn't been this active for several years:

Moltern lava blown into the air

Me with the lava vent behind me

After lunch at the top and more lava watching we put on our waterproofs and prepared for the descent in the only way possible - on our backsides!!!!! We slid down channels in the snow much like a toboggan run and used the ice axe for brakes:

Sliding down

Stooooopppppppp!!!!!

Everyone agreed it was one of the best days on the trip so far and something I will remember for a long time. We all relaxed back at the hostel with well earned beers and a BBQ. The next day more adventure awaited as I was booked in for white water rafting! The rafting was down a nearby river that flowed into Lake Villarrica - the rapids were only up to a grade three so nothing like the grade fives that nearly destroyed me in Africa!!

Preparing for the rafting

I am here in Pucon for a couple more days - as long as my body can take all the adventure!! Then heading further south into Patagonia to prepare for a nine day trek in the Torres Del Paine national park. Stay tuned for more adventure.....

Dynamite and Deserts

2004-12-27T17:00:00.001Z

Hi everyone and Happy Christmas. I am now in San Pedro (Chile) having spent the last week traveling through Bolivia from La Paz. On the way I visited the mines in Potosi, exploded dynamite, crossed salt flats in a jeep and celebrated Christmas in the desert!! Read all about it here:

Potosi

After buying some last minute Christmas presents in La Paz we took the overnight bus to the city of Potosi. Potosi is the worlds highest city at over 4000 meters and its history is rooted in silver mining. Today the mines are much smaller but in its day the city was the richest in South America and was the second most populous in the world. After checking into the hostel we went for a tour of the mines. First stop was to kit ourselves out with miners boots, clothes, helmet and head torch and then off to the miners market. Here we bought presents to give the miners (coca leaves, soft drinks etc.) and I also bought a stick of dynamite!! It is openly available for anyone to buy and we were allowed to detonate it (under our guides supervision) at the mines.

After visiting the processing plant where the raw mined material is extracted (today this includes silver and zinc) we headed into the mines. It was not a pleasant experience - hot, smelly, dangerous and very claustrophobic. We descended down 4 levels (the mine has 17) which involved us crawling on hands and knees at times. We eventually reached one of the faces where two miners were working:

The whole experience was very humbling to see the conditions in which the they have to work. The miners know the mines are dangerous and even put up shrines to the devil as they believe they are entering his domain! We made our way back out having to avoid the constant flow of mining trains whizzing inches from our feet:

After leaving the mine we had the opportunity to let off some dynamite. This involved inserting the detonator fuse into the dynamite, packing it into ammonium nitrate (this makes the bang bigger!!), lighting the fuse and running!

Dynamite and fuse in one hand, ammonium nitrate in the other!!!

The crater after the bang!!

Uyuni

The next day we took the bus to the town of Uyuni in the desert. Uyuni would be the starting off point for our jeep trip across the Bolivian salt flats and desert to the Chilean border. The journey to Uyuni took about six hours and the landscape changed dramatically from high Andes to desert landscape. We arrived in Uyuni about 5:30pm and after checking into the hostel we all headed into the desert to the train cemetery. This is a graveyard for old trains that have been dumped. It was great fun climbing over all these old steam trains and also seeing the sun set across the desert.

Everyone aboard!!

Desert Jeep Trip

The next day we rose early to pack all of our kit onto three Toyota Land Cruisers, which would be our transport for three days across the desert. Day one of the jeep trip took us out onto the Salar de Uyuni or salt flats. It is a strange landscape - bright white, perfectly flat and incredibly beautiful. Here are some shots I took on the flats:

After lunch we got back into the jeeps and headed off the flats towards our hostel for the night. The hostel was in a small village in desert but was really comfortable and a great place to relax after a dusty day in the jeep.

The next day (Christmas Eve) we set off at 7:30am for the next leg of the trip. We had left the flats now and were heading south across the desert. It was hot, bumpy and very dusty in the jeeps - a real tribute to Japanese engineering that these vehicles didn't fall to pieces!! The landscape here is dominated by volcanic mountains which gives all the land a reddish/browny colour. Our first stop was at a view point where we could see one of the volcanoes still smoking. We then stopped for lunch at a lake which was populated by flamingos!

Active volcano behind us!!

Flamingos on the lake

The afternoon involved more dust and bumps as we drove to our hostel for the night on lake colorado. Along the way we saw lakes of different colours - red, blue and green all containing flamingos. The colour of the lakes is due to the minerals and algae within them and creates stunning views. We also stopped at some rocks in the desert that have been carved by the wind over the years into strange shapes:

Christmas Day and we all got up at 5am for an early start to complete the trip to the Chilean border. It was a bit of a strange way to spend Christmas Day but great fun as we all wished each other Happy Christmas in the desert. Our first stop was to some geysers and thermal vents, we then stopped for a brief paddle in some thermal springs before arriving at Laguna Verde (Green Lake) for lunch. The colour of the lake was stunning and it was the perfect way to end the jeep trip.

Putting my head into one of the geysers

James and Mike relax in the hot springs - complete with santa hats!!!

Lake Verde on Christmas morning - fantastic

Chile

We crossed the border into Chile and I was immediately struck that this was a more wealthy country as we were treated to tarmac roads!!! With a new stamp in the passport we made our way to San Pedro in the Atacama desert. This was to be our base for 2 nights before heading south to Santiago. San Pedro has a real frontier "desert town" feel to it. At 7pm we all gathered for the grand opening of the "Secret Santa" presents. We had a fantastic time and after opening the gifts we headed into town for food and drink.

A Santa hat - just what I've always wanted

Boxing Day started a bit later than usual after the events from the night before!! In the evening a group of us rented mountain bikes and headed into the desert to see the sunset in the Luna Valley. This is where NASA tested some of its luna vehicles and is an incredible desert landscape.

On my way out to the Luna Valley

View from the top of the dune over the Luna Valley

That's all for now folks. Next stop on my trip is to Santiago, the capital of Chile. Have a great New Year and come back soon to read all about my adventures in Santiago and our New Year celebrations!!

Choro Trail and Jungle Trip

2004-12-19T17:00:00.001Z

Hi everyone,

I am now back from a fantastic ten days spent trekking the Choro Trail and visiting the Bolivian jungle.

Choro Trail

The Choro Trail is a four day trek which starts at about 4600meters and descends to about 1500meters. The landscape and climate change dramatically on the trail from high Andes cold to the Yungus warm and tropical. We started the trail at La Cumbre, about one hour from La Paz, and the first day can only be described as wet. We were greeted by freezing cold and snow when we got off the bus, not the best start we were hoping for. Here is a shot of me at the start of the trail:

The first hour was pretty hard going in the freezing conditions, however once we made it over the pass we began to descend and the cold and snow just turned to rain. We arrived in camp by 4pm by which time the rain had stopped and we set to making dinner and and drying out. Day two again started wet and it was pretty miserable putting on damp clothes and striking camp in the pouring rain. However by mid morning it had cleared up and the sun came out. The lunch stop looked more like a Chinese laundry as we all dried our clothes.

The terrain was pretty hard as it was slippy under foot and all downhill, so progress was slow. The scenery was really beautiful as we descended the valley following the river. We eventually stopped at 5pm and made camp for the night. Day three started fine and clear and we set off across one of the many rope brides for our final campsite of the trail. Day three was probably the hardest day with more uphill and a greater distance to cover. We arrived in camp (run by an old Japanese man!) at about 5pm.

On the trail

Everyone crosses the rope bridge

Me crossing one of the rope bridges

Day four was very short and all downhill. We arrived in the town of Chairo by about 10am. The picture below is me at the end of trail, quite a contrast in climate from the picture at the start!!!

We managed to secure the services of a local truck driver to take us to the town of Coroico which was to be our base for the night before heading for the jungle. It was great fun traveling in the back of the truck although we did feel a bit like cattle:

The town of Coroico is set in the Yungas region and was a great place to relax after the trail. The weather was hot so we all hit the hotel pool to chill out and prepare for the mammoth sixteen hour bus journey into the jungle!!

The Jungle

The bus journey to the town of Rurrenabaque was as bad as it sounds. Sixteen hours on the bus along winding and very rough Bolivian roads - not recommended!! The picture below was taken from the bus window, the road can be seen on the right with a sheer drop down to the river!!

We eventually arrived in Rurrenabaque at 10:30pm. We checked into the hotel and prepared for our four days of jungle living. We would be spending two nights in a camp in the jungle and a third night at a camp the "Pampas" region. Both of which are in the Amazon basin. We left town at 9am and boarded speed boats for the three hour trip up river to the camp.

Boarding the boats

Our bedroom in the jungle!!

The first thing to say about the jungle is if you are not keen on bugs then avoid at all cost. The place is teeming with them so you have to watch everything you touch to make sure it is not about to bite you!! After arriving at the campsite and having a great lunch we went for an afternoon walk. It was fascinating looking at all the plants and trees many of which are used for modern medicine. We even got to play Tarzan as our guide made a great rope swing from some vines. We arrived back in camp at 5pm and after dinner tucked ourselves into the mossie nets for the night.

One of the many butterflies

After a pretty good nights sleep we all set off for mornings jungle walk. It was hard work in the heat and the terrain was tough at times hacking our way through the undergrowth. We did get to see some "Howler" monkeys which make the most incredible sound, similar to a jet engine I thought. The afternoon was free to relax so some of us went for a dip in the local river:

I think we were cleaner before going in!!

In the evening we went for a night walk along the river bank in search of caiman (small crocodiles) and other jungle beasties. We were not disappointed as it was not long before the guide was pulling out the creatures from the river banks:

Caiman

Toads

The next morning we left the campsite to travel to the "Pampas". This is still in the Amazon basin but contains more grassland rather than the dense jungle. The journey was pretty harsh with a three hour jeep ride and a two hour boat ride. The worst bit about this area though is the mosquitoes - millions of them. We all had to cover up and the air was thick with insect repellent. We arrived at the campsite by lunchtime and after a quick bite to eat we all headed out in boats to explore:

Pedro the crocodile in the camp!!

Relaxing at the camp

I thought the wildlife here was much better than the jungle. We saw Chuchillo monkeys, parrots, mackaws, turtles, crocodiles and even pink dolphins!! The dolphins are native to the area and have a pink colour to their skin, really amazing to see. There was even time for some evening fishing, our guide caught piranha and yours truly caught a catfish:

We spent the morning of our final day on the river again before heading back to Rurrenabaque for the night. In the morning we took a one hour flight back to La Paz, much better than more torture on the bus. The jungle was a fantastic experience with the most amazing wildlife - highly recommended (if you don't mind the insects!).

I am in La Paz at the moment, over the next week we head south to the towns of Potosi and Uyuni - where we will be visiting silver mines and deserts!! My next report will be in about a weeks time when we cross the border into Chile. Happy Christmas and stay tuned for more adventure..................

Cusco to La Paz (Bolivia)

2004-12-09T21:00:00.001Z

Greetings from La Paz in Bolivia. Since my last posting I have travelled from Cusco via Lake Titicaca to my current location here in La Paz. Here is a map (courtesy of Lonely Planet) of my travels so far from Lima to La Paz (red line indicates the route):

Cusco to Puno

We left Cusco for the last time on Saturday 4th December. It was sad to say goodbye after the time we have spent here but deep down I was glad to be moving on. The bus from Cusco to Puno took six hours and we were transported in real luxury - "Royal Class". So much so that Mike took it upon himself to use the oportunity for a wash on the bus!!:

The journey was also interesting as soon after leaving Cusco the scenery changed from the Andean mountain scape to the Altiplano - which is a large expans of flat land formely part of Lake Titicaca. It was a refreshing change from the mountain scenery we have been used to. The altitude is still high with Puno at approximetely 3600 meters. We arrived in Puno at 4pm and after checking into the hostel we hit the town.

On Sunday we left the hostel at 9am for a boat trip on Lake Titicaca to visit the famous floating reed islands - Los Uros. There are approximetely 40 floating reed villages each one containing about ten families. It was quite touristy but fascinating to see how people live in this environment. Each village sits on a reed base which is anchored to the lake bed to prevent from drifting off. Here are some pictures of the floating villages and a reed boat we took:

Floating island

Reed boat

Relaxing on the reed boat

Puno to Copacabana (Bolivia)

We left Puno at 7:30am on the bus to Copacabana (not the famous Brazil beach). The journey took us around Lake Titicaca to the border between Peru and Bolivia. After the usual officialdom at the border (two of our group had overstayed their visas!) we arrived in Copacabana. It was a good feeling to be in another country and have a new stamp in the passport. Everything is so cheap here, 1 Boliviano is about 6p. A beer and hambuger set me back just 1 pound!!

Copacabana is small town on Lake Titicaca with a real seaside feel to it. After checking into the hostel we took a boat trip out to Isla Del Sol - which is an island on Lake Titicaca reputed to be the birthplace of the first Inca leader. The boat journey was quite long but the weather was beautiful so it was nice to be out on the water.

Copacabana

Copacaban Cathederal

Taking the boat to Isla Del Sol - the island is ahead of us

We arrived back in Copacabana in time for sunset and a group of us climbed a nearby hill for some amazing views of the sunset over the lake:

Copacabana to La Paz

We had a free morning to relax in Copacabana before catching the 1:30pm bus to La Paz. The weather was great so I just went to the waterfront to chill out for the morning. The bus ride to La Paz took about 4 hours including crossing part of Lake Titicaca. The scenery changed from the shores of the Lake to snow capped mountains. We arrived in La Paz at 5pm and had fantastic views of the city:

Our first view of La Paz

La Paz

La Paz was a bit of a shock from the places we have been used to in the past few weeks. It felt good though to be back in a city with all the hussle and bussle that involves. I even had post waiting for me at the central post office (thanks Sara!!). There is much to explore here including the famous Witches Market selling all manner of potions and spells. After checking into the hostel we went out for dinner and then onto the Sol y Luna bar for cocktails late into the night.

On Wednesday I spent the morning going to the supermarket getting provisions for the three day Choro trek we will be starting on Friday. It is amazing how similar supermarkets are to back home, I could have been in the local Tesco!! A group of us also booked up for a full days mountain biking on Thursday. In the afternoon I visited the Coca Museum which is dedicated to the coca plant . This includes everthing from the plant´s history to cocaine production and its uses for medicine. It was really interesting and well done. I also spent the afternoon having a wander around the local streets and the Witches market.

On Thursday a group of us went mountain biking in the Andes. We decided against the "Most Dangerous Road In The World" route in favour of a trail called "The Zonga Valley". This route starts at 4600 meters and drops to around 1500 meters. The entire route is down hill on a gravel road so it was pretty easy riding. It was fascinating to see how the scenery changed from high Andes cold and cloud to a warm high vegation area. It was a great ride although we could have done with better bikes to avoid sore the bottoms. Here are some photos of the day:

Preparing for the off

Me on the trail

Our lunch spot by a waterfall

The end of the trail

In the evening we all prepared for the next adventure!! Over the next ten days we are treking the "Choro Trail" and then going to the Amazon basin to trek in the jungle!! I will send my next update out when I return back to La Paz. Stay tuned for more .................

Inca Trail To Machu Picchu

2004-12-03T14:00:00.002Z

Hi everyone, I am now back in Cusco again having just completed the 4 day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu. It was a truly fantastic experience and something I will never forget. Here is my report.........

Day One (Monday)

It was an early start on day one as the bus picked us up at 4am for the drive to the starting point called kilometer 81. After a stop for breakfast along the way we arrived at the start at about 8am. We carried all of our own equipment on the trek apart from tents and food which were taken by our three porters. The picture below is of me at the start of the trek:

Eric our guide for the trek gives us a briefing before we set off

Days one and two of the trek are the hardest with some steep climbs. We made good progress and reached the start of the climb to "Dead Woman's Pass" just after lunch. Dead Woman's Pass is the highest point on the trek at over 4000m. Our plan was to reach the first camp site which is about 500m before the pass and then complete it day two. Along the trail we also visited some of the Inca ruins. These included temples, rest points and agricultural research stations.

Walking the trail - the scenery and ruins are stunning

The last shop before the climb!!

Being overtaken by porters on the climb

The boys reach the first camp site

It was a tough first day, particularly the climb with steps that seemed to go on forever. It was a great achievement to reach the campsite especially as we were carrying our own packs unlike most of the groups on the trail. The weather on the first day was fine with only light rain in the evening, it was quite cold however. After the usual dinner of pasta and tomato sauce we went to bed and prepared for day two.

Day Two (Tuesday)

We woke up at 6am and set off climbing to the pass at 7:30am. It was pretty tough going straight into a steep climb after breakfast but we managed to complete it in about an hour. It was a great feeling to reach the pass. The weather wasn't very good but it didn't dampen spirits:

9am at the top of "Dead Woman's Pass"

Eric brought out the rum and after a toast to Pacha Mama (mother earth) we all tucked in before setting off for the descent to the lunch stop.

Enjoying rum on the pass

For me I found the descents harder than the climbing, due to the constant jarring on the knees. The steps are very uneven and often slippery in places so it requires a lot of concentration on the way down. The picture below is of the climb down after the pass to our lunch stop:

After lunch we began the climb to the second pass on the trail. The weather had improved by now and I found the climb much easier. We stopped halfway to visit the ruins of Runkuraqay believed to be a rest point for the Incas on the trail. It was then another hour or so to the top of the second pass. After the second pass most of the trail is downhill to Machu Picchu so it felt good to know that the worst of the climbing was over.

Me a Kieron at the second pass

We descended the second pass and made for our camp site for the second night. Along the way we stopped at the ruins of Sayacmarca believed to be either an Inca agricultural research station or defense point. The picture below shows the trail below and the ruins just above me:

Our camp site was located in the flat area in the top right of the photo - amazing views.

Relaxing at the camp site on day two

Day Three (Wednesday)

We left camp at 7:30 am in the poring rain. Today was our final big trek to the last camp site before Machu Picchu. We were much lower now (about 3500m) and in an environment called "Cloud Forest". The picture below was taken along the trail and shows how this environment gets its name:

The walk today took all morning along some of the best scenery so far. By mid morning we had reached the ruins of Puyupatamarca after which we began the descent to the third campsite, only an hour from Machu Picchu. The steps down were very steep and great care was needed to avoid ending up in a heap at the valley floor!!

Walking the Inca Trail to Puyupatamarca

Negotiating the steep steps

By midday the descent had leveled out and we saw our first views of Machu Picchu Mountain. The ruins are located the other side of the mountain about an hours walk from the third camp site. The picture below shows the mountain over my left shoulder:

Views of the Sacred Valley from the trail

We arrived at the third campsite at lunchtime which was pretty good timing. The third camp site had more facilities so we all headed for the restaurant for beer and chips and I even treated myself to a hot shower! The third campsite is also located at the ruins of Winaywayna, so we took a short walk and explored these in the afternoon. They are located on the side the mountain and a quite small in size:

After an evening meal in the restaurant we all headed to bed to prepare for the very early start. It was to be a 4am start in order to be at "Sun Gate" at Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise, I couldn't wait.

Day Four (Thursday) - Machu Picchu

Wow what a day! Up at 4am and we were the first group to be at the entrance to the park. The gate was opened at 5:30am by which time a large queue had formed. It was a bit of a mad rush to walk the last 3km or so to the Sun Gate but incredibly rewarding. It was a beautiful morning and I arrived at 6am to see Machu Picchu appearing in and out of the mist. We also saw an amazing phenomenon of a circular rainbow created by the sun hitting the morning mist. Even our guide Eric had never seen this before so we felt very lucky. After the Sun Gate we walked the 20mins down to the ruins.

6am at the Sun Gate - the end of the Inca Trail!!!

The circular rainbow with my shadow - amazing

Looking back at the Sun Gate

At the ruins for the classic Machu Picchu picture

After dropping our bags off we spent the morning with Eric having a tour of the ruins and being told the history. After that we were free to explore on our own. A group of us decided to climb the mountain at the back of the ruins. It took abour 30 mins up very steep inclines but the view was well worth the sweat and gave a different perspective to Machu Picchu:

After a slightly unplanned detour to the Temple of the Moon (it took much longer than expected!!!) we headed down to the valley floor and on to the town of Aguas Calientes where we caught the train back to Cusco.

Catching the train back to Cusco.

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu far exceeded my expectations and were a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience - something I will never forget. I finished the trail exhausted but with a huge sense of achievement. We leave Cusco on Saturday morning to make our way to Lake Titicaca and then on to Bolivia. My next report will be from La Paz in about a week so stay tuned for more............

Second Community Project

2004-11-28T13:00:00.002Z

Hi everyone. I have just returned to Cusco after three weeks spent working in the Andes undertaking the second community project. This posting is a bit longer than normal due to the time away. I have split it into the three separate weeks, I have also added quite a few photos so apologies if it takes a while to load the page:

Week One

After a last breakfast (Marmite on toast for me) we left Cusco at 10:30am with all our provisions for the next three weeks packed into our bus and 4x4. The bus journey took about an hour to the drop-off point. Here all our equipment was transferred onto mules for the trek to the village of Cancha Cancha, our home for the next two weeks.

Preparing to leave

The trek up the valley took about four hours, in the pouring rain, not the best welcome to the village. Cancha Cancha is a small village located at 4000 metres in the Andes and contains about forty families. There is no electricity or running water, apart from the freezing glacial meltwater stream!!! We camped next to the local school building which we transformed into our kitchen and general living space.

Our backyard

Home for two weeks

The main work we were involved with was to help with the continued construction of a community hall (Salon Communal) for the village. This involved the construction of a roof, doors, windows and small groundworks. This took up our time for most of the first week. See the picture below of the community building before work started:

Working inside the building

We had a free day on the Saturday and six of us went for a hike to some nearby lakes. The scenery here is stunning and the climb was incredibly rewarding:

On Sunday we helped with the reforestation of a Polylepis forest. This was organised through ECOAN (an environmental charity) our partners throughout this community project. The Polylepis trees have been cut down by the villagers in the past, however they are an integral part of the environment. ECOAN are trying to show the locals how important it is to retain the trees by the reforestation work. The whole village turned out to plant the trees and it was great fun working with the locals.

A local child helps with the planting

In the afternoon we played football against some local teams although we were at a distict disadvantage due to the altitude (yes we lost badly!!!). It was a great way to end the first week of the project.

Warming up - for a thrashing!!!

If you can't beat them - join them!!!!!

Week Two

Work continued on the Salon Communal, we lifted all the roof trusses in place by Monday afternoon and also completed the exterior groundworks. Here some pictures of the roof taking shape:

Adding the roof trusses

Unfortunately I was laid low on Tuesday and Wednesday with a stomach bug, I guess it is one of the hazards of working in this environment (thanks for the words in the card Sara!!!). Practically everyone in the group suffered at some point or another. By Thursday I was up and running again and helped the ECOAN guys with some conservation research they were undertaking in a nearby forest. The work involved netting to collect statistics on the bird wildlife. Due to the weather we didn't catch many birds but it was wonderful being up in the forest seeing the all wildlife. For lunch we were treated to a meal of guinea pig and potatoes cooked by a local family. Guinea pig is a delecacy in Peru so we were all obliged to try it out:

At the end of the second week the play equipment for the school arrived and we set to constructing the swings and slide. We were also given the opportunity to visit the school and see some of the local children having their lessons. Here are some shots of the play equipment and the school.

Testing it out after construction!!

Saturday night was our last in Cancha Cancha and we all went up to the Salon Communal to celebrate the completion of the works with the local community. A lamb had been slaughtered and cooked in an underground oven along with the staple Peruvian potatoes. We all tucked in and drank some of the local moonshine called "Chicha". It was a fun evening especially when the dancing started - not sure I am a fan of the crazy "Wino" style them seem to love!!

The finished roof

Celebrating with the locals

On Sunday we left Cancha Cancha for a full day trek to the village of Quishuani where we would be spending some of the third week. The trek took us out of the valley and over a pass at 4600 metres. It was quite a tough trek but we were rewarded with great views and even waterfalls, a great way to end our second week.

Week Three

The village of Quishuani is slightly bigger than Cancha Cancha and even has electricity and a small shop - luxury!! Monday was a rest day after the trek so we settled into our new home and relaxed. We camped in the local school yard and again had the use of the school building for our general living. On Tuesday we all went to do some more reforestation of Polylipus trees with the local community. The whole village turned out again and it was great fun to be working with them.

I was on cook duty so our team had to russle up a meal for 21. It was starting to get a bit tricky as provisions were beginning to run low - tomato sauce and pasta anyone?

We left Quishuani on Wednesday morning for the short trek to a nearby lake where we would be camping for two nights before heading home. The lake was beautiful and it was a real priviledge to be able to camp in this area.

On Thursday evening we were all invited by a local family to visit their house and partake in a Rotichi ceremony. The ceremony is for a child to have his/her hair cut for the first time. Everyone cuts a small piece of hair and then donates some money toward the child`s future. We all squeezed into the family home complete with guinea pigs running around out feet. We each took turns to cut a small piece of hair from the son called "Wilson", not a typical sounding Peruvian name! It was a fascinating experience and gave us all a real insight into peruvian rural life:

Wilson is strapped to Mum's back

Cutting Wilson's hair

On Friday we prepared to leave the lake. All the local community arrived to help and we donated all our excess equipment to them. This included all our cooking utensils, leftover food and excess clothing. It was a good feeling to be able to give them something in return for their hospitality to us.

Giving away our kit to the local community

Our final destination was the town of Lares, about a 5 hour trek, where we spent our last night. The trek took us over a high pass and then down a valley to the town.

We camped at the hot springs in Lares which had three hot pools and "hot showers" too!!!! It was a wonderful way to relax after the three weeks community work.

Relaxing in the hot springs

On Saturday morning we packed up all our equipment and boarded the bus for the four hour journey back to Cusco. I was ready to head back to civilisation but will never forget the amazing experiences of the past three weeks. Next week we are off to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu before leaving Cusco and heading towards Bolivia. I will post another update after the Inca Trail so stay tuned for more news.........