Tuesday 23 November 2010
Sunday 21 November 2010
Thursday 18 November 2010
Monday 15 November 2010
A new day a new country and a new continenet!
Hello people! Greetings from new Zealand!- so we made it...finally, nothing could be simpler than going to an airport and getting on your plane to your next destination...well throw in a 13 hour flight delay, check in staff who don't know about the delay and being forced to stay in santiago in a swanky hotel for an extra night, and you will realise how much of a farce we actuall had getting here, courtersy of the airline we felt the need to indulge in ransaking the mini bar in the room, but failing to declare it as we feel the airline should have to pay!
Time warp,
In south America we were always between 3-6 hours behind the uk, but all of a sudden we are now 13 hours ahead of you guys, all pretty disorientating and my body clock is hammered!
Fail of an ATM
So in chile I tried taking some money out of a cash machine...didn't work, didn't think much of it till I checked my online statement...good one they took £140 from my account thinking the transaction went through! What's even better my international travelers cash card...you know designed for use abbroad, the customer help line is only open 9-5 uk time! Good one! So I'm basically in an ongoing argument through emails getting them to give me my money back!
Small world syndrome
So walkin down the main high street in auckland you don't expect to see anyone you know, maybe at a push other travelers who are following a similar route...deinatley don't expect to bump into someone you used to go to secondary school with! Pretty surreal to be honest but cool to catch up!
Auckland needs clubs!
Now we have been reassured that Auckland does have night clubs...but all me and Adam can say is "Where the f**k are they" lots of pretty swanky smart bars but no clubs! We gave up in the end and called it an earl night...probably for the best considering pints are like £4.50 each
Las Vegas! So some how in our quest for a club we found our selves in the biggest casino I have ever seen, without even knowing it was a casino at first...traveling on a budget this was probably a bad idea, either way after 15minutes I walked away with $200nzd about £100 and a smile on my face...every litle helps!
Irish bars everywhere
After 8 weeks of looking, 8 weeks of constant disapoonent, 8 weeks of foul mouthed insults towards pretend Irish bars we have fianally had a pint of guinness, even if it did cost £4.50 a pint! I've never seen Adam smile so much!
Auckland is a pretty cool city, full of large corporations and shops you would recognise from home and incredibly diverse! A great starting point for us!
So basically we pick up our campervan tomorrow for the next 3 weeks! So I will be pretty uncontactable, if I haven't already got you then add me on skype, now I'm in a more developed par of the world, if anyone is missing my voice I'll happily arrange a chin wag! Tara for now! Xxxx
So that would have been the latest post for last week, if I could have actually managed to upload it, so here is the next bit cottoned on to the bottom!
Happy campers!
So someone still thinks that it was a good idea to let me and Adam loose in this pimp wagon! What can only be described as a converted decorators van we are letting loose on kiwi roads!
After initial glitches in working out how to use the stove and locating other essentials we are now cruising happily finding random seedy car parks to set up camp each night.
Hot water beach
So mine and Adams motto for this
Campervan banter is "go somewhere see what the fuss is about, and fuck off!" that's exactly what we are doing, firstly a beach that is located on top of volcanic springs, so when the tide goes out you dig a pool and it fills up with boiling hot water! Great bant but the novelty soon wears off!
Mario karting!
Next stop was rotoura where they have something called luging, basically an unpowered go kart down steep mountain tracks! Great fun even if Adam did beat me 3-2 but I spanked him the last time...his excuse a slow luge...bore off!
Rememberance day,
11th November, traditionally the day to pay respects to fallen soldiers in previous conflicts, however this date will always remind me of a small town on a very big lake called taupo. Why? Because if you haven't already seen my facebook pictures and video, this is the palce me and Adam thought I would be a good idea to jump out of a plane at 15000ft! An unbelievably unforgettable experience and something I'm so buzzed at for doing! Everyone should do one! A heart stopping thrill I am desperate to do again! Shame it cost £250!
Road kill-everywhere! Enough said
Wellington-capital of nz-pretty dull place nothing really exciting here apart from the endless amount of "gentlemans clubs" but this is where you get to south island from...just another £75 each!
Victim of corporate bullying, now why is it you can't walk into a weatherspoons and not order a burger and a pint for a fiver, or walk into a burger king an not order a whopper or a mcdonalds without asking for a bi mac? It's hypnotic corporate bullying that is getting the better of me now and I'm going to complain, I don't actually think burger king have anything else on the menu besides the whopper? But the point is that after eatin so much crap badly cooked food in south America it's like being in heaven over here not having to run to a toilet at short notice on a refualr basis, and whilst now living on tinned soups I did have a relapse of eating shit in Auckland.
Less than a week in the van and we have already picked up a parking ticket-wuuu
In bed by 8pm-so what's the greatest thing about having nothing but the open road at your hands? The beautiful scenary? The endless amounts of places you can stop at or the apriciation of
Blaring out some banging tunes and bellowing them out?...nope none of these it is in fact, we are tending to be wrapped up in bed most nights around 8pm- there is f**k all to do when it goes dark and we are in some random lay by lane-great bant!
Random carpark attracts random guests! Whilst parked up in another conspicuous carpark in Wellington, rewarding ourselves with a well deserved crate of lager, there was a strange/depressed looking guy hurled over a bench supping something from a brown bag...paying not a great amount of attention to him I made the passing comment to Adam that he had probably just broken up with someone and contemplating killing himself, and no matter what we should not attract his attention...wise words? Well as the beer took it's toll on our bladders it was only a matter of time till we needed to leave the van...Adam first , I say "do not bring him back"...2 minutes later we have a slightly psycotic middle aged guy in the camper with us...further more he is from sunny Doncaster, and further more just going through a messy divorce contemplating a few life decisions...good one! Putting up with him for a while I soon made an obrupt comment how I was going to have an early night...after initial refusal to leave the van we managed to shake him off...cheers Adam for your new found friend!!!!
Random quote on a random campervan we passed "why does the rain drop but snow falls?" -just the crazy world we live in!
Fran josef glacier-big glacier pretty cool but the non stop rain put a dampner on this one- problem resolved with 40degrees glacier hot springs...just what we needed considering we hadn't showered for 4 days and I had ran out of clean boxers 4 days ago...all fixed by a random garage on thestreet with washers in...love this trampy life!
Well that's the last 2 weeks guys! Been out here for 10 weeks now only 7 and a half months left! Missing everyone greatly! Xxxx
Hello people! Greetings from new Zealand!- so we made it...finally, nothing could be simpler than going to an airport and getting on your plane to your next destination...well throw in a 13 hour flight delay, check in staff who don't know about the delay and being forced to stay in santiago in a swanky hotel for an extra night, and you will realise how much of a farce we actuall had getting here, courtersy of the airline we felt the need to indulge in ransaking the mini bar in the room, but failing to declare it as we feel the airline should have to pay!
Time warp,
In south America we were always between 3-6 hours behind the uk, but all of a sudden we are now 13 hours ahead of you guys, all pretty disorientating and my body clock is hammered!
Fail of an ATM
So in chile I tried taking some money out of a cash machine...didn't work, didn't think much of it till I checked my online statement...good one they took £140 from my account thinking the transaction went through! What's even better my international travelers cash card...you know designed for use abbroad, the customer help line is only open 9-5 uk time! Good one! So I'm basically in an ongoing argument through emails getting them to give me my money back!
Small world syndrome
So walkin down the main high street in auckland you don't expect to see anyone you know, maybe at a push other travelers who are following a similar route...deinatley don't expect to bump into someone you used to go to secondary school with! Pretty surreal to be honest but cool to catch up!
Auckland needs clubs!
Now we have been reassured that Auckland does have night clubs...but all me and Adam can say is "Where the f**k are they" lots of pretty swanky smart bars but no clubs! We gave up in the end and called it an earl night...probably for the best considering pints are like £4.50 each
Las Vegas! So some how in our quest for a club we found our selves in the biggest casino I have ever seen, without even knowing it was a casino at first...traveling on a budget this was probably a bad idea, either way after 15minutes I walked away with $200nzd about £100 and a smile on my face...every litle helps!
Irish bars everywhere
After 8 weeks of looking, 8 weeks of constant disapoonent, 8 weeks of foul mouthed insults towards pretend Irish bars we have fianally had a pint of guinness, even if it did cost £4.50 a pint! I've never seen Adam smile so much!
Auckland is a pretty cool city, full of large corporations and shops you would recognise from home and incredibly diverse! A great starting point for us!
So basically we pick up our campervan tomorrow for the next 3 weeks! So I will be pretty uncontactable, if I haven't already got you then add me on skype, now I'm in a more developed par of the world, if anyone is missing my voice I'll happily arrange a chin wag! Tara for now! Xxxx
So that would have been the latest post for last week, if I could have actually managed to upload it, so here is the next bit cottoned on to the bottom!
Happy campers!
So someone still thinks that it was a good idea to let me and Adam loose in this pimp wagon! What can only be described as a converted decorators van we are letting loose on kiwi roads!
After initial glitches in working out how to use the stove and locating other essentials we are now cruising happily finding random seedy car parks to set up camp each night.
Hot water beach
So mine and Adams motto for this
Campervan banter is "go somewhere see what the fuss is about, and fuck off!" that's exactly what we are doing, firstly a beach that is located on top of volcanic springs, so when the tide goes out you dig a pool and it fills up with boiling hot water! Great bant but the novelty soon wears off!
Mario karting!
Next stop was rotoura where they have something called luging, basically an unpowered go kart down steep mountain tracks! Great fun even if Adam did beat me 3-2 but I spanked him the last time...his excuse a slow luge...bore off!
Rememberance day,
11th November, traditionally the day to pay respects to fallen soldiers in previous conflicts, however this date will always remind me of a small town on a very big lake called taupo. Why? Because if you haven't already seen my facebook pictures and video, this is the palce me and Adam thought I would be a good idea to jump out of a plane at 15000ft! An unbelievably unforgettable experience and something I'm so buzzed at for doing! Everyone should do one! A heart stopping thrill I am desperate to do again! Shame it cost £250!
Road kill-everywhere! Enough said
Wellington-capital of nz-pretty dull place nothing really exciting here apart from the endless amount of "gentlemans clubs" but this is where you get to south island from...just another £75 each!
Victim of corporate bullying, now why is it you can't walk into a weatherspoons and not order a burger and a pint for a fiver, or walk into a burger king an not order a whopper or a mcdonalds without asking for a bi mac? It's hypnotic corporate bullying that is getting the better of me now and I'm going to complain, I don't actually think burger king have anything else on the menu besides the whopper? But the point is that after eatin so much crap badly cooked food in south America it's like being in heaven over here not having to run to a toilet at short notice on a refualr basis, and whilst now living on tinned soups I did have a relapse of eating shit in Auckland.
Less than a week in the van and we have already picked up a parking ticket-wuuu
In bed by 8pm-so what's the greatest thing about having nothing but the open road at your hands? The beautiful scenary? The endless amounts of places you can stop at or the apriciation of
Blaring out some banging tunes and bellowing them out?...nope none of these it is in fact, we are tending to be wrapped up in bed most nights around 8pm- there is f**k all to do when it goes dark and we are in some random lay by lane-great bant!
Random carpark attracts random guests! Whilst parked up in another conspicuous carpark in Wellington, rewarding ourselves with a well deserved crate of lager, there was a strange/depressed looking guy hurled over a bench supping something from a brown bag...paying not a great amount of attention to him I made the passing comment to Adam that he had probably just broken up with someone and contemplating killing himself, and no matter what we should not attract his attention...wise words? Well as the beer took it's toll on our bladders it was only a matter of time till we needed to leave the van...Adam first , I say "do not bring him back"...2 minutes later we have a slightly psycotic middle aged guy in the camper with us...further more he is from sunny Doncaster, and further more just going through a messy divorce contemplating a few life decisions...good one! Putting up with him for a while I soon made an obrupt comment how I was going to have an early night...after initial refusal to leave the van we managed to shake him off...cheers Adam for your new found friend!!!!
Random quote on a random campervan we passed "why does the rain drop but snow falls?" -just the crazy world we live in!
Fran josef glacier-big glacier pretty cool but the non stop rain put a dampner on this one- problem resolved with 40degrees glacier hot springs...just what we needed considering we hadn't showered for 4 days and I had ran out of clean boxers 4 days ago...all fixed by a random garage on thestreet with washers in...love this trampy life!
Well that's the last 2 weeks guys! Been out here for 10 weeks now only 7 and a half months left! Missing everyone greatly! Xxxx
Sunday 7 November 2010
Tuesday 2 November 2010
The final chat of south America.
So guys this is it, the end of the first chapter of our world adventure, the first 8 weeks tallyed off, pumped up for nz!
My last post took us upto getting back to la Paz, well it was an interesting few days there, everyone seemed to follow us from Loki in cusco and before we knew it we were up dancing on the bars again! Although this time there was no 7shot challenge, just the familiar shouts of "bloodbomb!!!" to get us going!
Salt flats
Sharing a room with possibly the most arrogant guy on the planet, he began to grief me and Adam that he was actually doing stuff whilst me and Adam were drinking and sleeping, however as I promptly reminded him we were socialising whilst the nicest thing people could say about him was that he was a prick!
But anyway not taking inspiration from him, we did however book the 3 day salt flat tour from uyuni, I'm sure many of you have seen the photos from this place before but now it was our turn, leaving quite late at night we had been forwarned about the last 6 hours of unmade gravel road and how it's imposible to sleep...that is until andy meadowcroft walked into a pharmasist and did the sleeping action with my hands an head...what's that they just gave me some random tablets...good one, wikipedia even informed me that these tablets are illegal to posess in most European countires without a prescription, either way I slept like a baby that had been gently rocked to sleep, Adam however refusing to take these chill pills, didn't sleep and was feeling rough!
The first day of the tour with our amazing non English quide! Took us onto the salt flats themselves where it is just simply incredible the sheer vastness of them. Just endless flat White salt plains where beyond the horizon is just more salt. Naturally everyone tries taking the distorted photos between the foregroud and the background,( there a lot harder than you think to do) but we had some fun and eventually found ourselves at a hostel for the night that was made out of...yes you guessed it...salt!
The second day took us to higher altitudes amougst the volcanic regions, seeing endless blue and red lagoons all swarming with wild flamingos, pretty cool to see, although the smell of the sulpher from the volcanic springs was almost as unbarable as the smells that leak from Adam!
Staying at an altitude of 4900ms the final night was a struggle. Getting hot and cold flushes, stomach cramps and a racing heart was not what I had signed up for, I had a resting heart beat of 120bpm! Altitude sickness? No...just another dose of Andean food poisioning! Fortunately I wasn't in it alone, the two Ozzie lasses got hit pretty hard, waking up for half 4 had never felt such a tourture.
The final day was meant for seeing hot geizas and being rewarded with natural hit springs and watching the sun rise, unfortunately the only hot spring I felt was what was coming from my insides! Not nice and I didn't leave the jeep until we got to our drop off point on the chillean boarder!
24 hour bus ride...easy, arriving in San pedro in northern chile we eventually managed to book a bus from here to Santiago in preperation for out departure, just another 24 hour bus ride...simples
Santiago! Probably the least south American place we have been to, a real modern high class place, very few stray dog, clean streets, qwerky shops and bars, expensive! Everything south America hasn't been in places! We've got a nice hostel in the middle of the drinking district, kind of what eccy road is to sheff but a lot nicer. Me and Adam found ourselves smashing 720ml bottles of corona in a random Mexican bar.
South America reflection
So here it is guys the last 8 weeks have flown...so for budding people what is my summary message
•worst quote heard "I never met many brazilians before I came to south America"-some random Ozzie guy-idiot!
•food poisioning is fun- Andean food isn't a delicacy just basic stuff that ruins you
•iguazu falls still remains one of the coolest natural things I have ever seen
•the death road is not that scary
•the inca trail is one of my greatest achievements
•rich southners who travel are arse holes
•south America will always be about the people we have met rather than the things we saw
•the 7 shot challenge will never be beat and a part of me is left in cusco!
•my Spanish has grown beautifully to the point I can count to 100, ask for the bill, the time, how much something costs, order beer and speak shit when I'm drunk.
•me and Adam have been labelled the cool version of dick and Dom, and have met some amazing people,
•not being allowed to flush your toilet roll is rubbish and we welcome the advanced sewer systems of Australasia!
•lopez mendez on Ilah grande will always remain the best hidden gem discovered by talking to other travelers.
•the lonely planet quides are for people scared of nto knowing what to expect and only ruin the eye opening experience.
•finally, me and Adam have made it from brazil, through Argentina, Bolivia Peru and found our way into chile- pretty impressed with ourselves and welcome the next challenge!
So guys this is it, the end of the first chapter of our world adventure, the first 8 weeks tallyed off, pumped up for nz!
My last post took us upto getting back to la Paz, well it was an interesting few days there, everyone seemed to follow us from Loki in cusco and before we knew it we were up dancing on the bars again! Although this time there was no 7shot challenge, just the familiar shouts of "bloodbomb!!!" to get us going!
Salt flats
Sharing a room with possibly the most arrogant guy on the planet, he began to grief me and Adam that he was actually doing stuff whilst me and Adam were drinking and sleeping, however as I promptly reminded him we were socialising whilst the nicest thing people could say about him was that he was a prick!
But anyway not taking inspiration from him, we did however book the 3 day salt flat tour from uyuni, I'm sure many of you have seen the photos from this place before but now it was our turn, leaving quite late at night we had been forwarned about the last 6 hours of unmade gravel road and how it's imposible to sleep...that is until andy meadowcroft walked into a pharmasist and did the sleeping action with my hands an head...what's that they just gave me some random tablets...good one, wikipedia even informed me that these tablets are illegal to posess in most European countires without a prescription, either way I slept like a baby that had been gently rocked to sleep, Adam however refusing to take these chill pills, didn't sleep and was feeling rough!
The first day of the tour with our amazing non English quide! Took us onto the salt flats themselves where it is just simply incredible the sheer vastness of them. Just endless flat White salt plains where beyond the horizon is just more salt. Naturally everyone tries taking the distorted photos between the foregroud and the background,( there a lot harder than you think to do) but we had some fun and eventually found ourselves at a hostel for the night that was made out of...yes you guessed it...salt!
The second day took us to higher altitudes amougst the volcanic regions, seeing endless blue and red lagoons all swarming with wild flamingos, pretty cool to see, although the smell of the sulpher from the volcanic springs was almost as unbarable as the smells that leak from Adam!
Staying at an altitude of 4900ms the final night was a struggle. Getting hot and cold flushes, stomach cramps and a racing heart was not what I had signed up for, I had a resting heart beat of 120bpm! Altitude sickness? No...just another dose of Andean food poisioning! Fortunately I wasn't in it alone, the two Ozzie lasses got hit pretty hard, waking up for half 4 had never felt such a tourture.
The final day was meant for seeing hot geizas and being rewarded with natural hit springs and watching the sun rise, unfortunately the only hot spring I felt was what was coming from my insides! Not nice and I didn't leave the jeep until we got to our drop off point on the chillean boarder!
24 hour bus ride...easy, arriving in San pedro in northern chile we eventually managed to book a bus from here to Santiago in preperation for out departure, just another 24 hour bus ride...simples
Santiago! Probably the least south American place we have been to, a real modern high class place, very few stray dog, clean streets, qwerky shops and bars, expensive! Everything south America hasn't been in places! We've got a nice hostel in the middle of the drinking district, kind of what eccy road is to sheff but a lot nicer. Me and Adam found ourselves smashing 720ml bottles of corona in a random Mexican bar.
South America reflection
So here it is guys the last 8 weeks have flown...so for budding people what is my summary message
•worst quote heard "I never met many brazilians before I came to south America"-some random Ozzie guy-idiot!
•food poisioning is fun- Andean food isn't a delicacy just basic stuff that ruins you
•iguazu falls still remains one of the coolest natural things I have ever seen
•the death road is not that scary
•the inca trail is one of my greatest achievements
•rich southners who travel are arse holes
•south America will always be about the people we have met rather than the things we saw
•the 7 shot challenge will never be beat and a part of me is left in cusco!
•my Spanish has grown beautifully to the point I can count to 100, ask for the bill, the time, how much something costs, order beer and speak shit when I'm drunk.
•me and Adam have been labelled the cool version of dick and Dom, and have met some amazing people,
•not being allowed to flush your toilet roll is rubbish and we welcome the advanced sewer systems of Australasia!
•lopez mendez on Ilah grande will always remain the best hidden gem discovered by talking to other travelers.
•the lonely planet quides are for people scared of nto knowing what to expect and only ruin the eye opening experience.
•finally, me and Adam have made it from brazil, through Argentina, Bolivia Peru and found our way into chile- pretty impressed with ourselves and welcome the next challenge!
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