The Journey Home

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All good things must come to an end!

Strange as it might seem, the next flight we take is the one home!

It´s the end of an amazing trip in which we saw new worlds, met great people and sometimes sampled dodgey food ;o)

Could you do it, I hear some of you ask?

Well, do you have the qualities for RTW!!?

Stamina: you´ve seen the glamour shots and the great locations! What you haven´t seen is the grimacing face when you´re packing your bag for the umpteenth time and are fed up with trying to get your 16 to 19kgs worth back into it. Average time spent at any one location, probably 2 days..... enthusiasm and energy required.

Patience: you can´t speak the language, you´re confused by the currency (Laos kip = millions!), you don´t honestly know if you´re going to get off at the right stop. The map and guide book CAN and will be wrong on occasion.

(Loving our bags!!)

Appreciation: as the poster in the loo of the hostel we stayed at in Lima, Peru stated: ´You are a stranger in a strange country, of your own choosing!´. Everywhere is different, but you will still look australian or north american :o)

Cop-On a tricky one: even if you had some before you left, it definitely becomes more honed; you learn to detect the scams, the rip-offs and yet try not to be rude!

IRL - Hong Kong - Thailand - Laos - Cambodia - Vietnam - Thailand - Malaysia - Singapore - Australia - New Zealand - Chile - Bolivia - Peru - Argentina - Uruguay - Argentina - Brazil -

IRL

(View over the English Channel at 6.30am)

Interesting Bits:

Places where we have spent most time (ie week or more): Chiang Mai, Phuket, Sydney, Queenstown, Santiago, La Paz, Punta del Diablo, Buenos Aires.

Number of sunglasses purchased (due to desire for more, or theft/breakage ergo requiring replacement): Michelle 1; Sancha 4

`Contributions to South America`: 1 digital camera, 1 pair prescription sunglasses, 1 Ipod, 1 cellphone

It´s not over yet, stay tuned for extras in the coming weeks as we tailor the site. And we apologise in advance if we bore you with our stories over the coming months... see ye soon!!

Brazil - Rio de Janeiro

Pictures speak a thousand words, so they say! We´d like to share with you some a famous image of Rio and the hotel we are currently lounging in :o) Three pools, spa, gym, tennis courts, direct beach access.



How´s the weather at home?!

Brazil - Florianopolis

I´m sure you understand that given the many trials and tribulations we have experienced over the last 8 months, we have decided to R&R on the beaches of Brazil for the remaining time of our RTW.

Florianopolis is a place designed for just those needs!

A few days back, on entering Brazil at Foz de Iguacu, we were welcomed with the words Dia Dhuit from the immigration guys! It was one of the most comical border crossings ever! Most border officials barely look at you, yet these guys were so informal... their Irish accents were excellent.

We spent two days on the Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls and about 2.5 hours on the Brazil side (Iguacu Falls). Kara and Sancha also took a helicopter ride over the falls - a moment of madness/ weakness/ insanity/ who knows! The whole area is just beautiful; butterflies everywhere, landing on you frequently. (view of some of the falls from the Brazilian helicopter!)

Our driver for the day, David, then brought us to the bus station where we endured a 16 hour journey to Florianopolis.

So now we are by one of the many beaches on the island of Santa Catarina which has 52 km of beach altogether, v famous surfing spots also. We are about 22 hours drive south of Rio de Janeiro so it´s almost obligatory for us to take a flight instead! Monday sees our arrival to where so many people call the most beautifully located city in the world. We shall let you know! (Sancha with the greatest gift Brazil has given to the world, the Caipirinha; Kara and Michelle enjoy pizza and an english/spanish/portuguese ordering process; man learns to surf, complete with Brazilian surfboard)

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Argentina - Iguazu Falls

Sancha with an amazing view

Rowan, Michelle, Ellie, Kara & David soaked at Devils Throat

















We have spent the last two days wandering around Iguazu Falls in the sweltering heat and humidity and loving every minute of it. The scenery is stunning, the waterfalls are amazing and the heat is wonderful - we only have a week and a half to go before we get back to the wintery weather of December in Dublin.

We "splashed out" and did a speed boat trip into the Falls and got soaked to the skin, we thought initially we would just get splashed on by a little bit of spray, but No ..... the guy took us right into the falls and soaked every stitch on us ...three times too. It was the best craic ever.

Back in BA

We´re back in Buenos Aires, now part of an impending posse of partygo-ers. Joining us in holding the fort (rented apartment for the week) on Rodriguez Pena Street are Rowan and Kara (who joins us for the remainder of our three weeks on the RTW). We have gained and lost: Barry is off on his travels around Argentina, whilst we await the return of Gareth & Vic and Ellie & David! Friday night sees this posse hit the tango tiles of this great city!!

Uruguay - Punta del Diablo

Pics above ..... pub life in punta del diablo

homemade pizzas......we ate well

sancha chilling on the beach

the Uruguayan flag

more food...... a typical breakfast

diary writing

(Pics: dinner at El Viejo y El Mar - the old man and the sea; Mitster and Patrick; Michelle at Punta del Este)








First of all, it´s green here. This is a bit of a shock to the system having spent two months at quite high altitude, dry and deserty environments! Secondly, the spanish is spoken at the speed of light, so just when we thought we were making progress on the lingo, it´s like being back in Santiago in week one!

We caught the Buquebus ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, a pretty town which we hope to spend some time at on the way back to BA. From the ferryport, we caught the bus to a place called Punta del Este which is like the Marbella of this part of the world. The countryside en route is quite green and really flat. Except for the palm trees and occasional swamp areas, it almost looks like the Netherlands :o) In Punta del Este, we observed fancy shops like Fendi, Louis Vuitton and mercedes cars driving around. It´s such a change from the other side of the continent and felt quite odd being in somewhere so monied, but dead quiet. It´s not quite summer here yet!

We stayed one night and then decided to move on further up the coast to Punta del Diablo (Devils´s Point) where Rowan and Barry had been hanging out for a few days already. The place is described in the LP as "off the beaten track", so much so that the buses are of the "one-a-day" variety so we took to hiring a taxi instead....not exactly backpacker style, but in the interests of reaching the sunny beach in a good mood, you understand right? Rowan and Barry raved about the place and we have liked the vibe so much we are still here a week later! The locals are fab, so friendly and welcoming: "swing by for food and drinks later, my friends". We have found much to do with our days, including:

1) diary writing
2) book-reading
3) sun-tanning
4) shopping at a variety of stores so as to spread our pesos about town
5) cooking fantastic meals (all boasting aside, we have done amazingly well)
6) visiting the local border town in order to find an ATM
7) walking the local dogs, there are so many of them and they are so friendly. They include Duke (aka Mitty as his owner is called Walter) and Dago (neighbourhood puppy who is really clumsy!)
8) dipping into the freezing cold atlantic and fighting mega waves (the beach is a good surfing spot)
9) thinking about our return home on 10 Dec.

It´s a tough life!!

Where we are now: Brazil - Rio de Janeiro

We flew from Florianapolis (located by the island of Santa Catarina, below Curitiba in the south) to Rio on Monday 04/12.

IRL - Hong Kong - Thailand - Laos - Cambodia - Vietnam - Thailand - Malaysia - Singapore - Australia - New Zealand - Chile - Bolivia - Peru - Argentina - Uruguay - Argentina - Brazil - IRL

Argentina - Buenos Aires

We landed in this country at 6am on Monday morning after flying with the local Aerolinas Argentinas airline - not a bad airline either, the airport in BA on the other hand could do with a serious facelift !! Customs and visas were a walk through ... no bothers at all.

Argentina is famous for enormous steaks, the tango and of course Maradona. We have sampled the steaks, watched professionals dance the tango but havent met Maradona yet .. (He´s probably still in rehab!) We went to see the pink presidential palace where Evita made her famous speeches but have minimised our sight-seeing for the moment as we will be redoing everything in a couple of weeks when our friend K arrives so we checked out the city shopping/restaurants instead. Such a treat to find big stores (incl. Zara !), big pharmacies, shoe shops, bag shops and all things that girls love.

Buenos Aires is a city of 13 million people but its doesnt feel it and its very easy to navigate through once you understand that you have absolutely no rights as a pedestrian !! They drive like lunatics here especially the bus drivers who think they are driving Fiat Unos instead of 50 seater buses !! The city has a nice European feel to it and thats a nice change from Peru. Plenty of coffee shops around the city for the 4pm coffee and cake break in the day ! People go out to dinner here after 9pm - they are a bit strange that way !

Otherwise enjoying the sights and all that Buenos Aires has to offer.

Tips for Travellers

The following is a random list which we would like to share with you, some of which you will no doubt find useful in your future travelling careers. These items are those which we have benefitted from hugely on our travels. Feel free to add a comment or drop us a line sharing your thoughts and perhaps other recommendations.

So in no particular order of importance:

Lip Balm - used EVERY day regardless of clime, ensure spf-ed
Masking Tape & Sellotape - Masking for blocking holes in mosquito nets and screens, sellotape for sealing boxes and envelopes being sent home
Hot Water Bottle - for cold nights in New Zealand and South America
Needle & Thread - thread should be strong enough to repair a backpack
Antibiotic combined with hydrocortesone cream - for those UTIs (unidentifiable travelling injuries) and mozzie bites
Earplugs - useful for when the nightclub is IN your room... :o)
Scanned copies held on email of all important documents - a tip we have learned from others
Sarong - acts as towel, curtain, pillowcase and makeshift bathroom screen (when in the desert and you can´t even find a rock) amongst many things...
Moisturiser with spf saves you applying thicker sun screen lotion (which accumulates on clothes faster and adds to laundry pile sooner...)
Black Pepper or other condiments you really like, bring them with you or buy locally and carry, cos it´s amazing how rare they are!
Security (1) those climbing clips with which you can strap your wallet and bag to yourself, a frame, anything. (2) chain a la hood - you know the ones boys in baggy trousers wear, for same reasons as number one (3) padlocks with NUMBERS on them, preferably not from the local market, but a known brand ie Samsonite, ie strong! and carry spares...
Small bottles - cos they are just handy.. for side trips of 3 days etc.
Just get used to a different pace, the buses may not leave on time, accept it!
You will get used to dodgey bathroom conditions, as a result... always carry tissues, baby wipes and hand sanitiser :o)
Men do not carry covetable items such as sportshirts and jerseys, highly nickable by the laundry people!
Major brands such as Coca Cola, Pringles and Pantene are universal, fret not... author´s note: commendation goes to south-east Asia where toiletry bottles are supplied in easier-to-carry smaller sizes.
Buy drugs locally (save $$), but always check the drug name and manufacturer name online beforehand
Spare laces - prove highly useful when the zip holds on your bag decide to break.
Tiger Balm - acts as air freshener, bug repellent, decongestant, aids aches and pains and is simply a nice scent to fall asleep to!
Sleeping bag liner acts as sheet when the bed linen in situ is less than satisfactory, also acts as a sleeping bag liner!! (as in to add extra heat)
Get your frequent flyer membership organised in advance.
Ensure currency exchange rate check to ensure limited number of rip-offs
Plastic / Zip lock bags for leakable items, keeping items dry if you do not have a backpack cover, laundry etc.
Learn to live without: Boots The Pharmacy, "compulsory" cosmetics, full range of earrings, most things you have come to know and love in your habitual life
New USD dollar notes, small denominations, preferably ones, in MINT condition so they are not mistaken as fakes in another country
Baggage before purchasing your baggage, check the "day bag" for handy utilities such as external pockets to hold bottles of water and other need-to-access items. Ensure zips can be locked tightly, ie it has a socket for conventional lock. You may also consider carrying a "cheat bag", a soft foldable bag for occasional extra items.

(global brands "rule"!)

Peru - Arequipa, Nazca, Huacachina

We took an overnight bus from Cuzco to Arequipa - 10 hours, overnight. the over-eager travel agent that we booked the seats through put us upstairs in the front two seats...... well we nearly got "seasick" sitting there as the bus weaved its way over the Andes. To make matters worse the TV screen was in the middle of the aisle and we had sore necks from straining to watch it.

Arequipa is known as the white city due to sillar - a light coloured volcanic rock that dazzles in the sun and that is used in the huge cathedral on Plaza de Armas and other colonial churches and buildings across the city.

After a day of rest, we took a two day trip to the Canon del Colca, the worlds second deepest canyon at 3191mtrs. We stayed in Chivay the first night and after a dip in the hot srpings nearby we were entertained by local dances and music during dinner (think a peruvian bunratty !).

The second morning we were up at 5am, breakfast at 5.30am and left at 6am for our 2 hr drive to reach Cruz del Condor. We were not disppointed either, after waiting 20 minutes, we saw 4 condors flying low across the canyon, in total I think we saw 7 condors. These birds have a wing span of 3 mtrs and are very impressive as they glide across the canyon.

Another day of rest saw us visit the local Monastery - so called by the locals although its actually a convent, the "old part" is now open to the public and gives a glimpse of the life the nuns had back in the 1600´s - the second girl of every well-to-do family had to become a nun in those days !!! The eldest boy got the land/money and the second boy either had to join the military or become a priest !

Another uncomfortable overnight bus ride brought us to Nazca where we saw the famous lines, some of us from terra ferma and others from a tiny 4 seater (incl the pilot) plane. We travelled from Nazca to Ica (2hrs) in a big old american style car, emerald green and rusted brown. a true antique of americana, which fitted 6 of us in not including the driver (4 of us in the back and 2 in front with the driver), and all 6 backpacks fitted in his boot along side his sparewheel.

We can currently be found in Huacachina (4 hrs south of Lima), in a little oasis surrounded by huge sanddunes (great for sandboarding and driving sand buggies) ; Sancha was also found tutoring english to local secondary school girls for a day (nice school, had an outdoor pool, posh!); our really cheap hostel has a lovely back garden for sunning oneself and a pool to cool down when the afternoon sun gets a bit too hot for us !!

Peru - Machu Picchu

6.30 am - Dracula discovered at Machu Picchu ?





























After a 2 hr guided tour of MP in the mist and rain.... the mist starts to lift.














Michelle and Patrick admire the views














as does Sancha and Patrick......














the sun starts to come out about 9.30am...














the legendary Inca ruins affects people in different ways...

The local town/village nearest to Machu Picchu is called Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs) where all the shuttle buses to MP run from .... you cannot drive up there yourself. The little village is a hub of activity with plenty of tourists coming in by train or bus from Cuzco .....the train line that runs right through the main/only street in the village !

Running in Aguas Calientes....why ? ...why not !