tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4851626229133404902024-03-07T21:23:07.253-08:00Fred's BlogThis is a blog where I'll document what I get up.Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-50964837944093965712013-08-05T10:14:00.001-07:002013-08-05T11:09:30.990-07:00Weeks 19-20 – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia<p align="center"><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Weeks 19-20 – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia</u> <p>29<sup>th</sup> of January until the 15<sup>th </sup>of February 2013 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Arrive at Kota Kinabalu and meet the rest of the Raleigh international Project Managers.</p> <li> <p>Settle into the Raleigh Borneo Fieldbase house where all the training will happen. </p> <li> <p>Plenty of intro lecture, team games, induction sessions and a swim test.</p> <li> <p>Take our new skills out for a demo trek into the jungle and back.</p> <li> <p>Plan and carry out our project planning visits getting things ready for the venturers.</p> <li> <p>Fancy dress evening and Raleigh Olympics games at Raleigh house.</p> <li> <p>Explore Kota Kinabalu city centre for the food, music and culture. </p></li></ol> <p>Hello and welcome to my blog. For those that are wondering what is Raleigh international? (<a href="http://www.raleighinternational.org/">www.raleighinternational.org</a>) Well … Raleigh International is a well established organisation that takes 17yr to 24yr old people out of their comfort zone and takes them to unique places around the world to do meaningful projects. Projects include a community phase building a school or a water supply for a village. An Environmental phase where they either help out in a national park or partake in a biodiversity research project catching animals for a survey. The third phase consists of adventure expedition where they get to get a scuba diving qualification and then spend the rest of the phase trekking and sleeping in hammocks. To enable Raleigh to do this they need a number of group leaders or Project managers (PMs) and medics. I took on the voluntary position for both roles. <p>These first two weeks they put us through our paces with lectures, teaching sessions, 6am swim tests but we also had lots of fun and games along the way. <p>Below are the official Raleigh blogs for the first two weeks: <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/selamat-datang-welcome.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/selamat-datang-welcome.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/hello-from-fieldbase.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/hello-from-fieldbase.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/introduction-to-raleigh-borneo.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/introduction-to-raleigh-borneo.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/meet-fieldbase-team_26.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/meet-fieldbase-team_26.html</a> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Yuac6zBgXcE/Uf_qVRzqxBI/AAAAAAAACAQ/1hIvoegI-68/s1600-h/project_managers%252520%2525281%252529%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="project_managers (1)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="project_managers (1)" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zVaHZ4rQbMQ/Uf_qWIjWFBI/AAAAAAAACAY/wX7p_wiBmZE/project_managers%252520%2525281%252529_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="169"></a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/situation-and-project-update.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/situation-and-project-update.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/drum-n-basecamp.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/drum-n-basecamp.html</a> <p>Project allocations: <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part1-community-pms.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part1-community-pms.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part2-environmental-pms.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part2-environmental-pms.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part3-adventure-pms.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/allocations-part3-adventure-pms.html</a> <p>Project planning visit: <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/adventure-ppvs-alpha-9.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/adventure-ppvs-alpha-9.html</a> <p><a href="http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/hcv-arrivals-and-start-of-expedition-13c.html">http://www.raleighborneo.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/hcv-arrivals-and-start-of-expedition-13c.html</a> Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-62815602811514044712013-02-13T18:54:00.001-08:002013-07-23T18:50:49.314-07:00Week 18 – Brisbane, Australia to Borneo, Malaysia<div align="center">
<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> </div>
<u>Week 18 – Brisbane, Australia to Borneo, Malaysia</u><br />
26<sup>th</sup> of January until the 1<sup>st</sup> of February 2013 <br />
<u>In brief:</u> <br />
<ol>
<li> Fly back to Sydney from Brisbane.<br />
</li>
<li> See the Darling Harbour fireworks.<br />
</li>
<li> Finish the job paperwork and buy the last few bits for the Borneo expedition.<br />
</li>
<li> Go see and intimate 'La Soiree' at the Sydney Opera house.<br />
</li>
<li> Fly to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia (Sabah Borneo)<br />
</li>
<li> Meet up with the rest of the Raleigh international project managers.<br />
</li>
<li> Begin an intense 2 weeks of Raleigh lessons, exercises and trekking.<br />
</li>
<li> Happily hand over the duties of blog writing to the pros at <a href="http://raleighborneo.blogspot.com/">http://raleighborneo.blogspot.com</a></li>
</ol>
This week starts with a little lie-in and yep, you guessed it, a huge buffet breakfast! We made our way to the airport to fly back to Sydney. At this point we hadn't been having the best weather but that is nothing compared to the rain that the Whitsundays and Rockhampton are getting. Record rainfall apparently! We were so lucky to have had such great weather when we were up there. Once back we went straight to Bondi and caught up with Tony and Daithi. That afternoon because its Australia day we headed to Darling Harbour to see the Australia Day fireworks. As I've been here before I managed to sneak us through the cinema and up to a great spot to watch the spectacle. They were really good because they include fireworks, laser show, lights, and music. Great way to experience my first Australia day. The hoards of people was incredible. <br />
The Sunday was a bit of a blur for me. It was long and hard trying to get all my paperwork and packing done because at 7pm I booked Chris, Tony, Daithi and I some tickets to go see The Soiree show in one of the studios in the Sydney Opera house. Mark also got himself a ticket and we luckily were able all to sit on the front row. It was really good, with plenty of weird and wonderful things not to mention getting wet because of a gymnast doing acrobatics around a bath full of water! <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bVkDIRoPMO4/URxRquEYGgI/AAAAAAAAB8s/6mgdMP3uhcY/s1600-h/IMG_2758%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2758" border="0" height="140" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2BY74ORO4UA/URxR70ME66I/AAAAAAAAB80/F3eZxbpjPWI/IMG_2758_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2758" width="244" /></a> </div>
Monday I was off to Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia. I was sad to say goodbye to everyone in Australia, nervous about the next three months of Jungle medicine but also very excited. <br />
After meeting the fieldbase team in Kota Kinabalu at 11am on the 29<sup>th</sup> of April they took us to the the Raleigh house. At Raleigh Fieldbase is where for the next 2wks we would be inducted and moulded into the perfect Project Managers on Raleigh International's 3month expedition '13C'. <br />
The venturers won't be arriving until Valentine's Day (14<sup>th</sup> of February) <br />
Let the fun begin! <br />
This is where I sign out for 3months (official duties end 27/4/13) and the Raleigh blog takes over. So for all the updates head to <br />
http://raleighborneo.blogspot.com <br />
That's all for now, see you at the end of April. <br />
Fred <br />
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<br />Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-19160120668822606172013-02-13T17:10:00.001-08:002013-07-23T18:51:09.563-07:00Week 17 – Great Barrier Reef to Brisbane, Australia<div align="center">
<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> </div>
<u>Week 17 – Great Barrier Reef to Brisbane, Australia</u> <br />
19<sup>th</sup> until the 25<sup>th</sup> of January 2013 <br />
<u>In brief:</u> <br />
<ol>
<li> Take a large catamaran to the Great Barrier Reef.<br />
</li>
<li> Go in a glass bottomed boat and have a marine biologist talk about the reef ecosystem.<br />
</li>
<li> Take a helicopter flight over the reef and see the famous heart shaped reef.<br />
</li>
<li> Snorkel Hardy reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef).<br />
</li>
<li> Hire a car and head on a road trip down the coast to Rockhampton.<br />
</li>
<li> See the Capricorn caves of Rockhampton.<br />
</li>
<li> Cross the line of Capricorn.<br />
</li>
<li> Go on a day trip to Fraser island the largest sand-only island in the world.<br />
</li>
<li> Take a short plane flight over the island.<br />
</li>
<li> Swim in the freshwater lake on Fraser island.<br />
</li>
<li> Go to Steve Irwin's Australia zoo.<br />
</li>
<li> Hug a koala, stroke a kangaroo, feed an elephant and see a Crocodile display.<br />
</li>
<li> Sightsee Brisbane and go out to sample the nightlife.</li>
</ol>
One of the most amazing places on earth and apparently the only living thing visible from space is the Great Barrier Reef! It even has a heart shaped reef right in the middle of it. The best way to see it was to catch a huge Catamaran for 3hours out to the Reef with 'wave cutting' and 'stabilisation technology'. Despite the high tech claims people still got sea sick! :-) on the boat they explained to us all the different activities that you can do from the pontoon just at the reef. They all sounded amazing including the helicopter flight over the Hardy reef. Once on the Pontoon we got on a glass-bottomed boat to see the reef and have a biologist give us some interesting facts. After this short tour, it was time to hop on a helicopter! For some extra money you can get to fly over the great barrier reef and admire this huge ecosystem from the air. Not only that but you can see the heart shaped reef which I never realised was actually here. That was a very special surprise. The views were incredible and it was really worth getting that other perspective on the reef. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WUsYGPMtxw4/URw42xWuIoI/AAAAAAAAB6M/RuhGu-C8hBM/s1600-h/SAM_5181%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_5181" border="0" height="291" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fDeXYPEZeBQ/URw47cR4CQI/AAAAAAAAB6U/ns-1T_q4_k4/SAM_5181_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_5181" width="387" /></a> </div>
Once back on the pontoon we wasted no time in getting our wetsuits, fins and snorkel gear to explore the majestic structures and wildlife of the reef. The views were spectacular and I couldn't help dive down and get that different perspective of the overhanging parts of the reef. Really great. We saw huge clams, colourful hard and soft reefs as well as plenty of beautiful fish. One fish happened to be very territorial and started charging at me to my surprise! Although it had no teeth, when a fish starts charging at your face or bite a finger it does make you jump out of your flippers. I probably didn't help the situation by hanging around longer to capture that moment on video :-) <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dWhh8V9_tQg/URw49YHenkI/AAAAAAAAB6c/W2LRny8fzVo/s1600-h/IMG_2449%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2449" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KbH2Du5LM_0/URw4-f-ljdI/AAAAAAAAB6k/YZr0LEYhuz4/IMG_2449_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2449" width="244" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CKYi9IsF5NI/URw4_5P2i_I/AAAAAAAAB6s/LyQMbMUn0Sk/s1600-h/SAM_5213%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_5213" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FkfuDWbF6wA/URw5BC4vXjI/AAAAAAAAB60/Nx1DwRSq1yk/SAM_5213_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_5213" width="184" /></a> </div>
At around 2pm I was getting hungry and the catamaran put up a great buffet spread of food which is just what was needed before heading back out to the reef via the slide of course :-) Not long after that we had to board the boat to start to head back to Airlie beach. One night in Airlie and a car rental agreement later we were heading down the coast of Queensland on a road trip. This day I happened to have received an offer for work in Canberra so I had plenty of documents to print out and complete when we arrived at our destination for the first night, Rockhampton. This was great news but it did mean I would need to get my original documents posted from England because of the complexities of getting certified copies. My parents were amazing at finding and posting the required documents to Australia. Thank you so much guys. <br />
The next morning we headed to some nice caves called the Capricorn caves and we took a tour. We walked around this network of caves that were at one point harvested for its huge quantity of bat poo also known as guano. It also had a chamber with high ceilings and apparently it makes a great place to have weddings. When they have a wedding they light up the entire cave in candles and the music played out is perfectly resonated in the aptly name 'Cathedral' cave chamber. The acoustics here from music are second to none and they gave us a taste with all the lights off which was a nice touch. Just outside I also managed to get a glimpse at a Rock wallaby which is basically a small kangaroo that's very agile. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dAa5zProoNE/URw5Ca8PPhI/AAAAAAAAB68/XpgBT_dsjRs/s1600-h/IMG_2470%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2470" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7hqElbWuKvU/URw5Dc_cX5I/AAAAAAAAB7E/POrF4hYzQJU/IMG_2470_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2470" width="107" /></a> </div>
Back at Rockhampton we crossed the line of Capricorn and took some pics next to the landmarks. En-route south we stopped at a seaside village to eat some fresh fish which was nice. Then once we arrived at Hervey bay and checked in to our hotel we went for a tapas dinner. The next day we were booked in on a long day-tour of Fraser island. Its apparently the biggest sand-only island in the world. It is also home to the Dingos, a dog like animal with killer instincts and a reported love for small children! Chris and I were both keen to see them. After a ferry ride across the 4x4 bus took us along sandy roads to a jungle walk to explore the jungle that had somehow formed over the years and made this sand-only island a home. The rain and a water supply from the freshwater table below made this a viable habitat for plants. We saw some enormous trees and impressive vegetation such as the staghorn that lives on the branches of trees. They have a purely symbiotic relationship and don't harm the tree in anyway unlike the strangulating vines. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zmCS8aAJjNA/URw5Glwh_NI/AAAAAAAAB7M/XGCZJNJw6K4/s1600-h/SAM_5290%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_5290" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RVCCT-1JZlc/URw5HqU6nxI/AAAAAAAAB7U/RM9Pk7Zvtfk/SAM_5290_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_5290" width="184" /></a> </div>
Next the bus went to the beach and drove along the 70mile beach which was pretty cool. This stretch of beach is classified as a road in Queensland, it has speed limit signs and around the festive period police monitor it for drink drivers or speeders. Our next stop was a ship wreck of an old cruise liner built in Scotland. It navigated the seas during the world war and for years after until it was decommissioned. En route to Japan, when it was being towed for scrapping, a big storm washed it ashore. All that remains sticking out of the sand and water is the bow and the top-deck. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZvLBfSYOsv4/URw5SKt4rOI/AAAAAAAAB7c/Q3MotaAVfdU/s1600-h/SAM_5301%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_5301" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qTMk8ZOXz9o/URw5TISQZtI/AAAAAAAAB7k/ZA7c9QOPbgY/SAM_5301_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_5301" width="244" /></a> </div>
Next we stopped at some sand-cliffs with multiple colours and that's where I took a plane ride. This plane took off from the beach. Apparently there are only two places in the world where this is possible. The other is in Scotland. Again like the Great Barrier Reef getting this alternative perspective was amazing. The sea was multi-coloured because of the sediments, the beach long and the views over the island forest was great too. All it all a very special flight. <br />
From there I joined Chris and waded our way along a cold freshwater creek supplied by a source pumping hundreds of litres per hour from the underground water table. Around 2pm we headed back south along the beach to where we would get treated to the biggest buffet lunch! Perfect! Always a bonus in my book! For the afternoon we went to the biggest lake on the island for a swim which I'm not sure was the best idea straight after a buffet lunch. Nevertheless it was a great place to swim with a white sandy shore and pristine clear water. Also it was appealing that there have been plenty of dingo sightings on the shore when they come to take your clothes away or your children! Unfortunately no Dingo sighting for us and no children were harmed. ;-) <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AeSJdttWCOg/URw5VKOH3qI/AAAAAAAAB7s/n6RIOEFQoDA/s1600-h/SAM_5379%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_5379" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iusPlNDj-yE/URw5Vyqc7bI/AAAAAAAAB70/sot9ZxFFOMU/SAM_5379_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_5379" width="244" /></a> </div>
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this is the lake shore </div>
That concluded our tour of the island, we got a ferry back and then jumped in the car and headed south to Caloundra for the night. This is where we managed to get a really good deal on a brilliant hotel near the beach. The breakfast was amazing and with a full belly we headed to Steve Irwin's Australia zoo. I avoid most zoos on my travels because they are usually badly maintained and the animals are clearly not happy. This zoo on the other hand was absolutely brilliant. Lots of walk-through enclosures to get up and close to animals, feed them, watch demonstrations, informational talks and then see a huge variety of creatures from around Australia. I fed an elephant, a kangaroo, stroked a koala and watched a demonstration of what crocodiles are capable of in the Crocoseum. Typical Steve Irwin style! Impressive stuff and a really great experience. You really need a full day to see and do it all. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rIC9Wchze44/URw5ckYwgBI/AAAAAAAAB78/Eh-2PxzO2PQ/s1600-h/IMG_2563%25255B2%25255D.png"><img alt="IMG_2563" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1hRURBW-M9s/URw5euLXR-I/AAAAAAAAB8E/xz_8dFhow5M/IMG_2563_thumb.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2563" width="164" /></a> </div>
We headed to Brisbane for our last two nights in Queensland. In that time we sampled the delights of China town, the night life and the sights that Brisbane has to offer. We even went up the equivalent of the London eye. A big Ferris wheel on Brisbane's South Bank. I did have to spend some time frantically finishing up some application paperwork because on Monday I fly to Kota Kinabalu in Borneo! <br />
That finishes week 17 of my epic round the world trip. Its been amazing and next week I fly back to Sydney for Australia day, watch yet more fireworks, go to the opera house to see another show there and then I plan to fly to Malaysia on Monday for 2wks of group leader training!! <br />
That's all for now, until next time. <br />
Fred <br />
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-1036345279745684642013-02-11T03:48:00.001-08:002013-02-11T03:48:35.174-08:00Week 16 – Sydney to the Whitsunday islands in Queensland, Australia<p align="center"><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 16 – Sydney to the Whitsunday islands in Queensland, Australia</u> <p>12<sup>th</sup> until the 18<sup>th</sup> of January 2013 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Show Chris around Sydney</p> <li> <p>Go to a unique club night in Sydney</p> <li> <p>Chill out in Bondi beach</p> <li> <p>Go see London's West End Dance spectacular 'Blaze' at the Sydney Opera house</p> <li> <p>Be amazed at the Latin dancing in a Hard Rock café at Darling Harbour.</p> <li> <p>Show Chris the five storey rubber duck</p> <li> <p>Visit Manly beach and walk around the park reserve</p> <li> <p>Fly up to Hamilton Island in Queensland Whitsunday national park.</p> <li> <p>Hire some camping gear and get transferred to Chance bay beach on Whitsunday island.</p> <li> <p>Walk along the pristine white silica sand of Whitehaven beach.</p> <li> <p>Snorkel and get a glimpse at the amazing coral and marine life just off Chance bay.</p></li></ol> <p>My friend Chris had started to get over his jet lag, with a little help from melatonin and he was keen to start exploring. What better way to show him the coastal path to Clovelly than by going for an early morning run! From there we headed over to Circular Quay and basked in the city's biggest tourist hub. We headed towards the harbour bridge to catch a good view of the Sydney opera house that Chris had never seen before. To get an even better view we went to the South east pylon of the harbour bridge where for a nominal fee you could go to the top of the pylon. Simply spectacular. The 360 degree view from there was definitely worth the effort and the money. Having deserved a good lunch we bumped into the gourmet market in the middle of the Rocks district. Previously an area built on the rocks of the harbour bridge has now turned into a florie of art shops, boutiques and cafés. A trendy little place but heading back down to circular quay to gaze at the street performers while having a great sorbet ice-cream was really great. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sRcLHFEghwA/URjZsBK0ssI/AAAAAAAAB3w/x6BFUfIk1b0/s1600-h/IMG_2328%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2328" border="0" alt="IMG_2328" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-q9r0o_I_XnU/URjZuXBlzbI/AAAAAAAAB34/8ydYuX3Ksb0/IMG_2328_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="434" height="198"></a> <p>From there we walked to the Opera house and got up close and personal with the thousands of white tiles that comprises the iconic roof. After some pics we headed to Mrs MacQuarries point for yet more great views of the harbour on a great day. It was totally different feel to when I was there for New Years eve. From there another 'must do' was to go through the botanical gardens and feast on the unique display of plants in the downtown garden. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lcTUIirKEUU/URjZ1DRtbhI/AAAAAAAAB4A/BN_bOZUMxSo/s1600-h/SAM_4811%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4811" border="0" alt="SAM_4811" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VcBu0ULU0j8/URjZ4JJPN5I/AAAAAAAAB4I/-iXAPRhsz0w/SAM_4811_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Saturday night in Sydney we definitely had to make the most of it so I managed to find a club night with an unusual theme that provided no end of entertainment. :-) one of the reasons I like Sydney! <p>On the Sunday we chilled out on Bondi beach with some of Chris' friends on a cloudy day but it was still fun. That evening I had managed to get some great seats for the Opera house to go see London's West End dance spectacular 'Blaze'. Its a cocktail of the worlds best dancers doing a huge mix of very impressive dance routines and killer breakdancing moves. We had a great time. I never expected I would get to go to see a show in THE Sydney Opera house. Let alone from one of the viewing boxes close to the stage! Granted it took me a long time and money to be able to get those tickets but it was worth it. To finish off we went to have a drink at the Opera bar with the harbour bridge and the Opera house as a backdrop to some ciders. Really nice. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PmpMJeUpEck/URjZ8t27d7I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/MQU4vSjUbn0/s1600-h/IMG_2380%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2380" border="0" alt="IMG_2380" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aaNpoqAtc0Q/URjZ9mju13I/AAAAAAAAB4Y/cbpKWPOztmQ/IMG_2380_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>We then started to get hungry and it occurred to me that the Hard Rock Cafe has a Salsa music and classes on a Sunday night. So we headed over there which was really fun. I was very surprised to see some great dancers of all nationalities pulling some great moves! Not only that but we were just next to Darling harbour to see the huge inflatable duck which I had to show Chris. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q89TQthT0Jg/URjaA8r6dyI/AAAAAAAAB4g/yQNQCMS_AYc/s1600-h/IMG_2399%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2399" border="0" alt="IMG_2399" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-k5jeAc2h6fs/URjaB5BPQyI/AAAAAAAAB4o/0bQnAvT6Kv8/IMG_2399_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>For Monday I had planned for us to head to Manly beach using the ferry. Not only did we get to see all the sights of the harbour from a boat but we went to see Manly and the difference from Sydney's hustle and bustle. We walked to the Manly north point reserve to sample some nature. What was sad but very common in Australia was the remains of a bush fire that burnt lots of the vegetation. As its fairly dry here it doesn't take much to set off a fire. Unfortunately this week there were multiple fires all over the state of New South Wales that were currently blazing out of control. Its sad to see so much of the inner territory getting destroyed and an unbelievable rate every day. Its apparently one of the worst fire alerts the state has ever experienced! <p>Once back in manly it was nice to grab some food and chill on manly beach before catching a ferry back to meet Tony and Daithi for dinner in Bondi. The plan after dinner was to pack our bags because the next day we were catching a flight to Hamilton island in the Whitsunday national park of Queensland. <p>The flight went via Brisbane and it was with Virgin Australia which was great. I really didn't have any complaints. However, my allegiance still resides with Virgin Atlantic the airline my friend Steve and his partner John work for. <p>Once at Hamilton island we immediately noticed the difference in temperature. The Catamaran ferry transfer had air-con so it was a blissful ride to Airlie beach where we would stay the night. Normally Airlie beach would be an amazingly busy backbacker area full of travellers using it as a base to go see the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier reef. Unfortunately the economic downturn has actually really affected tourism in this area. That evening we shopped for our food to see us through the next four days of camping at Chance bay beach on Whitsunday island. The next day we joined Scamper a company operating out of Shute harbour where we would rent all our camping equipment including snorkel gear. What we didn't realise is that the waters around here, especially this time of year is infested with jelly fish and can be lethal so the rule was to wear 'stinger suits' which was basically a lycra one-piece suit leaving only your face exposed! I couldn't wait to try these on and make the fashion statement of the century. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qk1y6dIuKsc/URjaFUPUCdI/AAAAAAAAB4w/sY_mDibjiyQ/s1600-h/IMG_2420%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2420" border="0" alt="IMG_2420" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DreHH51a5wk/URjaHf1yn9I/AAAAAAAAB44/qgH43m2emVU/IMG_2420_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="480" height="109"></a> <p>The transfer to the island was painless and saw us having the camp-site all to ourselves and hence also the beach. We set up our tent and made ourselves at home. We scouted the sea for jelly fish and there were none! Great start! It was very hot so a nap was in order. It then started to rain which worried me slightly because four days on a deserted island with rain might not be the experience we were after. Luckily it stopped and we were able to cook ourselves some dinner on the gas stove and enjoy some drinkies on the beach. <p>The next morning I thought it would be a great idea to walk the 4km to Whitehaven beach which is the very touristy beach on Whitsunday island for being a beautiful pristine white silica beach. When we go there we found a fair few people but this was nothing because within 40minutes one float plane with honeymooners landed followed by a barrage of ferries bringing tourists for a day trip to the beach. It felt like almost in an instant the quiet, peaceful and beautiful beach became a chaotic place filled with people in lycra! (stinger suits). <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dx7XBRovgBk/URjaKeWnLXI/AAAAAAAAB5A/3nE5Tr-2NH8/s1600-h/SAM_4931%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4931" border="0" alt="SAM_4931" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--2tK3JPNqFU/URjaLm36tSI/AAAAAAAAB5I/E-sUQTzH5Zo/SAM_4931_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="318" height="240"></a> <p>We made our way back to our quiet beach for lunch and then snorkelled the rocky shore from chance bay. The lycra suits were pretty special but it actually was great because not only would it protect us from jelly fish but also prevent us from getting sunburnt. We didn't see any jelly fish but I was surprised to see huge amounts of fish, colourful coral and huge living clams just off the shore! The sunset from the beach was also pretty spectacular. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Sd66A9L357Y/URjaZDYiQRI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/ej3Vhj7Q8wM/s1600-h/SAM_5025%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_5025" border="0" alt="SAM_5025" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Buy4ovQCwMQ/URjabNYVyqI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/VRGkSVUfsaE/SAM_5025_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IeWdY85mEFo/URjaej0_JkI/AAAAAAAAB5g/ZsE4-9CceXc/s1600-h/SAM_5010%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_5010" border="0" alt="SAM_5010" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-plmU4iPJttk/URjai0ar8KI/AAAAAAAAB5o/B-uXDS4A2gQ/SAM_5010_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next morning I thought it would be a great idea to head off to Whitehaven beach on a 4km morning jog. I soon regretted that decision because of the difficulty running on the sand, the heat and the multiple amounts of spired webs that had formed across the path overnight. I also saw the biggest spider and spire web right at head level that I narrowly missed catching right in the face! That day we did more snorkelling, chilling and having our last ciders for our last night on the island. <p>The last few days had been amazingly relaxing. The only annoying thing were the 'March flies' which were huge blood sucking flies that don't really get repelled by DEET despite that claim on the bottle. They were very satisfying to kill though because they weren't that quick! <p>That ends week 16. Next week we head back to the mainland, catch a boat tour to the Great Barrier reef for a day and go on a road trip down the Queensland coast. <p>That's all for now, until next time. <p>Fred Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-20852236308110536632013-01-28T08:08:00.001-08:002013-01-28T08:19:19.604-08:00Week 15 – Sydney arts festival, Australia<div align="center">
<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> </div>
<u>Week 15 – Sydney arts festival, Australia</u> <br />
5<sup>th</sup> until the 11<sup>th</sup> of January 2013 <br />
<u>In brief:</u> <br />
<ol>
<li> Do a 12km run with the local running club including a dip in Bronte beach.<br />
</li>
<li> Attend a huge free outdoor Soul music concert featuring the great Sharon Jones.<br />
</li>
<li> Walk the augmented reality trail through the national park of Middle head.<br />
</li>
<li> Listen to the sounds of the unique Chronometer.<br />
</li>
<li> See the huge five storey inflatable rubber duck in Darling Harbour.<br />
</li>
<li> Take part in 'quiet volume' a Sydney festival production within the beautiful State library of New South Wales.<br />
</li>
<li> Go to see an art exhibition … what a load of rubbish (literally) <br />
</li>
<li> See a theatrical dance/breakdancing/parkour/skateboarding/BMX biking show! <br />
</li>
<li> Have my second phone interview for a job.<br />
</li>
<li> Meet up with my friend Chris and show him around Bondi</li>
</ol>
With a packed week last week what better way to relax than by waking up early, taking a bus to centennial park and joining the running club on their 12km run to Bronte beach! :-) It was challenging, especially the 6:40am wake up for a 7:30am start. The Bronte swim was perfect and the group was, once again, very cool to chat to. This week I got my bacon & egg roll before grabbing a bus back to Bondi. For this week before my friend Chris arrives from England I was tempted to fly to Melbourne and sightsee. However, I then came to learn that the Sydney arts festival starts this week. This month long festival brings, artists, performers, shows and exhibitions to Sydney. It has a variety of weird and wonderful things to go see enough to suit any palate. I spent a fair bit of time researching and reserving tickets for various events as they were all going quickly. My first taste of Sydney festival was the free outdoor Soul music concert happening at the Domain park near Mrs Macquarie's point (where I went for the fireworks). The line up of artists was good and the atmosphere was great. The headline act was the famous Sharon Jones who gave an awesome vocal performance. The evening was truly soulful. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JPBhOnhtCpo/UQaiAP0Mz2I/AAAAAAAAB1E/9mqMFpFXY6w/s1600-h/IMG_22153.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2215" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-h6hXVXGrBiA/UQaiBI2OA7I/AAAAAAAAB1M/2vIKf9qkgkY/IMG_2215_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2215" width="244" /></a> </div>
This concert finished at 11pm and as it was a Saturday night I went to check out the Sydney night-life. I got chatting to a few people and the night flew by. We ended up in a club which brags to have Sydney's best light and sound system. Judging by the fun I had and the great music the DJ was playing, I would find it hard to dispute that claim. Sunday proved to be a gorgeous day, so I did some job applications and headed out to Circular quay. Circular quay is nestled between the Opera house and the Sydney harbour bridge. I met up with my friend Mark and we grabbed a ferry across the harbour. Its a great way to see the Sydney harbour, the bridge and the opera house. Once across the harbour we were only a short bus and a walk from the Middle head national park reserve. This is where '<i>Notes for walking</i>' was happening. The Sydney festival website described it was a '<i>pilgrimage, magical mystery tour and adventure trek rolled into one</i>'. The aim is to use location based augmented reality software to navigate around middle head reserve and find a set of short video notes. Basically with a special app you could point your phone's camera to an area and the digital GPS tagged content would be displayed on the terrain for you to click on. These interactive components would then play a short video on your phone filmed where we were standing and with some poetry. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h-7gTmPXS4s/UQaiCMK7geI/AAAAAAAAB1U/Y2zbod5gXsM/s1600-h/IMG_22394.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2239" border="0" height="124" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-39nsWi1BzKg/UQaiC1401_I/AAAAAAAAB1c/Xsc2usLyGB8/IMG_2239_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2239" width="462" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nesIZybJkEM/UQaiE1ScVCI/AAAAAAAAB1k/4kkeAF1zTuk/s1600-h/SAM_46393.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4639" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wZvMFoeZPsg/UQaiFraZZjI/AAAAAAAAB1s/h3ett9EGoww/SAM_4639_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4639" width="244" /></a></div>
We struggled to find all the markers but after sorting out the glitches off we went exploring the ruins of the old naval fortresses and the rest of this beautiful reserve. This was my first taste of an augmented reality tour and I wouldn't be against doing another one. <br />
From there we walked west along the coast to Georges Heights Lookout where we could observe the huge cruise liner exit the harbour and from where one could listen to the electronic work <i>Chronometer</i> by British composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle. This was recorded in 1971 and is a piece of audio played out of speakers tied to trees, railings and bushes on a loop. You could sit on bean bags and admire the spectacular view while listening to the 'unique sounds'. I say unique because it is comprises of percussive sample recordings of Big Ben and Wells Cathedral clock!<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nqlKNsmCyCE/UQaiH05oA9I/AAAAAAAAB10/o_bZdYtVbI4/s1600-h/IMG_22423.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2242" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ag-sAzPcQaE/UQaiI88RRZI/AAAAAAAAB18/TZEQFqx9z6U/IMG_2242_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2242" width="244" /></a> </div>
From there we caught the last ferry back to circular quay and it was perfect as the sun started to set. Then next on Mark's and my agenda was to go see a rubber duck in water. Not just any rubber duck. This rubber duck is floating in Darling Harbour and is five storeys high and five storeys wide. It is the work of Florentijn Hofman from the Netherlands. Sydney festival describes it as '<i>Surprising, whimsical and a whole lot of fun for no apparent reason</i>'. Again that's pretty accurate! <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BAQbcnrP5MQ/UQaiKKpt7kI/AAAAAAAAB2E/T2P5Lmy7a6Q/s1600-h/SAM_47153.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4715" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XT-khFawhqY/UQaiLCPwuHI/AAAAAAAAB2M/Kk2r_ycxJM4/SAM_4715_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4715" width="244" /></a> </div>
For dinner I went to join Tony, Daithi, Brendon and Darrel as well as some other of their friends at an Indian restaurant in Kings Cross which was nice. When I think of Kings Cross I think of the London train station but in Sydney it is a big party area with bars, restaurants and clubs to cater for everyone. It is also the home of the huge, and apparently famous Coca Cola sign. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GiHUX86FCcc/UQaiM_TKY9I/AAAAAAAAB2U/BVO8h_ypuG8/s1600-h/IMG_22253.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2225" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UiJKlyTbgCE/UQaiNus0tYI/AAAAAAAAB2c/rw_Nol8Cuok/IMG_2225_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2225" width="244" /></a> </div>
Over the next few days before Chris arrived on Thursday I spent time relaxing, going for some runs, doing some more shopping for expedition gear and first aid kit purchases for Borneo. I also went to see some Sydney festival stuff. Monday is when I went down to the State Library of New South Wales. The oldest one in the state that was the home of Sydney Festival's 'Quiet Volume'. The bio of the event says '<i>The Quiet volume is a whispered, automatic performance for two people at at time. Given headphones, participants are asked to follow instructions as they sit at a table with a stack of books and a notepad. Sitting side-by-side and immersed in the written word, they respond to the private rituals and space around them. Suddenly, the conjuring magic of language and the quietest sound can become vivid and mind-blowing, even deafening. Best of all, the librarian will never know.'</i> <br />
Not really expecting much I was pleasantly surprised by the sounds, the instructions given, the interaction with the unknown person taking part next to you and the frantic flicking of pages. I left thinking I should pick up a book and get immersed in a fictional story although I doubt it could surpass this audio-visual treat I just experienced. From there I popped my head into the gallery upstairs before heading home. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TfkM0zCLoHY/UQaiPx3XNHI/AAAAAAAAB2k/2-kjl2rAHr0/s1600-h/IMG_22533.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2253" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YHcqz_DvajU/UQaiQo_h0MI/AAAAAAAAB2s/CRuFTh_5Sks/IMG_2253_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2253" width="244" /></a> </div>
Tuesday's treat was on Sydney's hottest day so far, but that didn't stop me from getting to the '<i>Waste not</i>' exhibition by artist Song Dong at Carriageworks. This exhibition represents the process of mourning and remembrance of the artist's mother following her husband's (his father's) death. It is basically is a collection of rubbish collected by his mother over the years following her husbands death. The collection includes shoes of all sizes, plastic bags, empty toothpastes, empty bottles, tools and so much more. It was a combination of China's 'waste not' mentality and the mother trying to fill the void. The artist then took all the possessions and he now regularly puts them on display in galleries all over the world as a travelling expo! Weird and fascinating at the same time. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Fnw1-3cyIu4/UQaiTatL7pI/AAAAAAAAB20/HLO0monWznw/s1600-h/IMG_22793.jpg"><img alt="IMG_2279" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-K9ugv_hzgA0/UQaiUZeO96I/AAAAAAAAB28/vZCVk_yflOo/IMG_2279_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_2279" width="244" /></a> </div>
For Wednesday, Mark and I got tickets to the '<i>Concrete and bone</i>' show at Dulwich hill skate park. The description lists it as '<i>an exiting confrontation between bodies and wheels set among the concrete, cracks, curves and graffiti of a skate park</i>'. It was my favourite event so far encompassing and impressive mix of theatrical dance, amazing breakdancing, crazy parkour with a mind blowing display of skateboarding and BMX biking! We managed to get front row seats at the edge of a half pipe where several times during the show a BMX bike would be catapulted 6 foot in the air right in front of us! Very cool. <br />
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On Thursday the 10<sup>th</sup> my friend Chris arrived from England and on the Friday he was keen to explore Bondi beach and the surroundings. We did just that right after my phone interview with the heads of the emergency department at Canberra hospital. I think it went well and it ended with 'I think you will fit right in here'. Sounds promising... I'll keep you posted. <br />
That ends week 15. For my 16<sup>th</sup> week I show Chris around Sydney, go see London's West End Dance spectacular 'Blaze' at the Sydney Opera house and fly up to Queensland for some camping at the Whitsunday islands. Take care and as always let me know if you like the blog or you have any questions by using the comment box bellow. <br />
That's all for now, until next time. <br />
Fred <br />
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-54327501627937564692013-01-25T19:52:00.001-08:002013-01-25T19:52:17.070-08:00Week 14 – Sydney new years & Wollongong, Australia<p><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 14 – Sydney new years & Wollongong, Australia</u> <p>29<sup>th</sup> of December until the 4<sup>th</sup> of January 2013 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Do my first 5km run with local running club.</p> <li> <p>Go see the Freemasons DJs live in concert and get to the front of the stage.</p> <li> <p>Visit the Sydney Olympic park and swim in the Olympic pool.</p> <li> <p>See my first ever 20/20 cricket game in the Sydney Olympic stadium.</p> <li> <p>Queue up for hours to get in the perfect spot at Mrs Macquarie's point for the world famous Sydney harbour new year's eve fireworks. </p> <li> <p>Snorkel in the nearby Gordon's bay.</p> <li> <p>Meet up with Sana and Dan, friends from university for lunch in Sydney's Chinatown.</p> <li> <p>Visit nearby Wollongong and do the Illawarra Fly treetop walk.</p> <li> <p>Explore the surrounding forests and coastline of Wollongong including a 'blowhole'.</p> <li> <p>Sample the Wollongong night life with a 'retro' themed night out.</p> <li> <p>Go to a real Buddhist temple and learn calligraphy. </p> <li> <p>Watch a pro's polo match at the world famous Iceberg Bondi pool.</p></li></ol> <p>I have started to feel like a resident and less like a tourist here. I hence stumbled across a local running club that meet up at centennial park on Saturday mornings. They run together in two groups. One does a 5km loop of the park and the other a 12km run. The latter start at 7:30am and run to Bronte beach for a quick dip in a sea pool then back to the park. Once back, both groups go to get a bacon and egg roll from the park cafe. To ease myself in, I did the the 5km run first. The pace was ok for a chat as you run and then the breakfast was an amazing way to get to meet new people with similar interests. Unfortunately for me I still had a 5km run back home so I skipped the food and left it for next week when perhaps I would do the 12km run. Other than that my first day of this week consisted of going into the centre for yet more shopping for expedition gear. What is extra frustrating is that on one street several shops sell the same thing but with a huge variation in price. Sometimes half or even a third of the price so I did plenty of comparing for the best deal. Once back at Bondi I went to the fitness first (<a href="http://www.fitnessfirst.com.au/">www.fitnessfirst.com.au</a>) Gym for probably my last time on Tony's free December guest pass. What was great about this gym is the size of it, the variety of equipment and the outdoor shaded workout terrace! Not only that, but the view from the terrace while you workout is fantastic. Australians really know how to do gyms (on top of several other things)! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NboEff2-1Dw/UQNRwPmDMcI/AAAAAAAABxs/37isPMGzen4/s1600-h/IMG_2018%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2018" border="0" alt="IMG_2018" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RehaPJlVFok/UQNRwztHVxI/AAAAAAAABx0/8NoYewleGME/IMG_2018_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="526" height="185"></a> <p>For Saturday night I stumbled across an advert for the well know Freemasons DJs from the UK. They were doing a gig in Sydney and the tickets hadn't sold out yet! So brilliant, I got myself a ticket and as I couldn't get anyone keen enough to join me I went alone. That didn't worry me though as I met lots of people at the front of the stage where I stayed pretty much all night. Freemasons came on and did an amazing DJ set and I really enjoyed myself. So much so that I lost track of time and decided that by 5am I probably should head home ;-) . What was also funny is that this night club is called 'HOME nightclub' and the event was named 'HOMEsexuals featuring the Freemasons'! As in, sexual beings in love with HOME nightclub. I thought was quite clever play on words. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Gvp-9L17kyw/UQNR1Rhz8SI/AAAAAAAABx8/FO2WkwMGlhE/s1600-h/IMG_2049%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2049" border="0" alt="IMG_2049" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EQJy2oESf94/UQNR2gJY1DI/AAAAAAAAByE/9mt6hhaSERE/IMG_2049_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next day I had organised with my friend Mark to go visit Sydney's Olympic park where the 2000 Olympics were held. Mark showed me round this iconic sight including the real Olympic flame cauldron which has now been made into a fountain. I also saw the names of Brits that won medals immortalised in stone at its base. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mwMbCRSP9G8/UQNR6j_6-ZI/AAAAAAAAByM/tfb9ClJaJYU/s1600-h/SAM_4340%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4340" border="0" alt="SAM_4340" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aMdF4HL5fnY/UQNR9N4EtJI/AAAAAAAAByU/GJWFDgiE7WE/SAM_4340_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>We also went to see the aquatic centre and swam lengths in the pool not to mention traverse the inflatable obstacle course. Both Mark and I kicked ass on the obstacle course by the way. What was a shame was that the diving area was closed so I couldn't pretend to be Tom Daley for a moment. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8iBieZXjpw8/UQNSBsa4ZlI/AAAAAAAAByc/uRb9H5bNrac/s1600-h/SAM_4354%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4354" border="0" alt="SAM_4354" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rmtVARX3ay8/UQNSDi1ehJI/AAAAAAAAByk/pTwmwkCXRBA/SAM_4354_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oOCn4L2fMIo/UQNSI1pXNvI/AAAAAAAABys/180JnLj7oJ0/s1600-h/SAM_4375%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4375" border="0" alt="SAM_4375" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-E_SwL3dNlms/UQNSJ3qf1xI/AAAAAAAABy0/KLO-30lI8B4/SAM_4375_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p align="center">Mark and I on the podium <p>After the swim we caught a quick bite to eat and headed to the Olympic stadium where Marks' name was on the 'thank you poles' outside the entrance. As as sign of gratitude for Mark's donation and volunteer work his name was immortalised by being engraved on these decorative poles still standing outside the stadium today! Very cool. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-N53r7Unc8Hk/UQNSTRGcOeI/AAAAAAAABy8/L-MsWmBPWf0/s1600-h/SAM_4377%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4377" border="0" alt="SAM_4377" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XFIFqhs5P1E/UQNSWTl_qKI/AAAAAAAABzE/i8q-BhjeU9Q/SAM_4377_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Mark also managed to get us tickets to see my first ever 20:20 cricket match between the Sydney Thunders and the Sydney Sixers from premium seats! It was very cool. The atmosphere was electric, the live music entertaining and the seats perfect. It was a win for the Sixers but I still left the stadium holding a cool green thunderbolt in support of the Sydney Thunders! :-) <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dupeI6CRriQ/UQNSdj6h7aI/AAAAAAAABzM/x4qT3WRdrZw/s1600-h/SAM_4402%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4402" border="0" alt="SAM_4402" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xOvRhHH2Pg8/UQNSedJL5QI/AAAAAAAABzU/gu981Lx0U6w/SAM_4402_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The 31<sup>st</sup> of December 2012 was the day that I try to make my way to the best point in the harbour to observe the New Years fireworks. These fireworks are world famous so I wasn't expecting it to be easy. The queue to get into Mrs Macquarie's point was almost 2km long with people having camped out the night before to get the best spot. I made my way over about 11am and by 3pm I was inside and lying under a tree killing time. Lots and lots of time! I brought food, a book and picnic blanket. The original plan was for Tony and Daithi to come and join me but as the queues were horrendous they stayed home which was probably a wise choice. The time soon passed. There were aerial plane acrobatics, boat jet-water display, warm up fireworks at 9pm and a lit up boat parade to help keep us entertained. By this time I had packed up my picnic blanket and made my way through the crowds to the very tip of Mrs Macquarie's point! Pleased with myself I was able to appreciate the 9pm fireworks from the front row and be in the best place in the world for the midnight fireworks. They definitely didn't disappoint. It was epic! They went on for 20mins and I was so close my ribcage shook with every bang. The colours were breathtaking, the views impeccable and I managed to get great footage on my camera to remember the occasion. Once it was all finished I was pleased with myself that I had invested all the time in getting to this amazing spot. I even got chatting to some nice Columbians next to me. They had queued from 10pm the night before! I took some still pictures before being quickly ushered away from Mrs Macquarie's point. The Opera house and harbour bridge were lit up and there was a smokey haze that remained from the fireworks giving that extra nice touch to the pics. All in all a great experience. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LYr9vMHGLAA/UQNSh2FAm9I/AAAAAAAABzc/DqY034Hs9JE/s1600-h/SAM_4488%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4488" border="0" alt="SAM_4488" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tTuBsSepOEA/UQNSisOElsI/AAAAAAAABzk/9eYnlguEAbo/SAM_4488_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>To finish my new year in style I walked with the crowds to some bars and got a few drinks before getting my tired soul to bed. En route I sent out all my New Years wishes to my friends and family most of which were bemused by my messages because they still had 12 hours to go. <p>The first day of 2013 was spent recovering from the events of the last few days, relaxing in the sun, playing on Tony's Wii console and also going to Gordon's bay with Daithi for a snorkel. It is so nice to just be able to drive 10mins down the road and be snorkelling Australia's rocky shores! <p>On the Wednesday I was also fortunate enough to meet up with two of my friends from med school who had come to Sydney for the fireworks. Sana and Dan had recently got married and moved to the Gold coast to work for a year before starting specialist training back in the UK. We had a great little catch up over some tasty Chinese food in China town. I then left them to get some sightseeing done with the hope of catching up with them again in January when I go visit Queensland. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DmdAQhqtVUM/UQNSnLOMyeI/AAAAAAAABzs/F3jCrQEezLI/s1600-h/IMG_2176%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2176" border="0" alt="IMG_2176" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WoKghY2f6G0/UQNSoKtPeCI/AAAAAAAABz0/E9XQsRa1aE4/IMG_2176_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>For the last two days of week 14 of my round the world trip I spend more time applying for jobs and headed to a town south of Sydney called Wollongong. I met up with my friend Mark there. 'Gong' (as the locals call it) is where Mark works so he showed me around. We checked out the beach and then headed into the mountains to walk around the lush green forests that surround the town. One of the best ways to see this is with a huge elevated walkway that allows you to walk high up in the tree canopy. <a href="http://Www.illawarrafly.com/">Www.illawarrafly.com</a> is just that. The impressive metal construction also has a huge tower which takes you much higher than the tree tops and give you a great view of Wollongong and the surrounding area. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FRiuPhi7Vz4/UQNSsM8KM5I/AAAAAAAABz8/_2RsNwveWAI/s1600-h/SAM_4527%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4527" border="0" alt="SAM_4527" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j17QMeyhMNA/UQNStW69npI/AAAAAAAAB0E/Vov4dYcff38/SAM_4527_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a> <p>From there we headed to some walking trails and saw a big waterfall. At this point we realised that Australian park rangers, here at least, grossly overestimates the time it takes to do a walking trail. A sign that said a trail would take 3hours took us less than one hour! Made us giggle. Its the other extreme from Bolivia where a '5 minute' walk would take forty-five! <p>Curious by the name and also this apparent 'costal phenomenon', Mark and I headed to the 'Blowhole'. It was a great coastal rocky point to appreciate the coast in the afternoon. The Blowhole however was not that impressive. I'm sure in the right weather conditions the might be a big jet of water projected into the air from the natural hole in the rock but on this day I could’ve made a bigger splash by jumping in the water myself! :-) <p>From the 'amazing' blowhole we went to the pool for a quick swim, had a great fresh fish dinner and went out to sample the Wollongong nightlife at a Retro themed night. The locals definitely brought their best dance moves which was pretty entertaining to watch. <p>On my last day I went for an early morning 5km run along the gorgeous Wollongong coastline. I have definitely got to love these ;-) and what better way to start the day than with the world's best poached egg breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised. Our first stop today was to explore a big Buddhist temple and walk around the grounds. Bizzarely there is this huge temple here but you don't see me complaining as it was stunning and I really enjoyed the Caligraphy session. We sat in a beautifully decorated classroom and copied some chinese characters holding the special pen in the special way. It was unexpectedly quite satisfying. <p>We then took the coastal road back to Sydney which was very impressive and we managed to get to Sydney in time so that I could go watch a waterpolo match. It was taking place at the iconic Iceberg salt water pool in Bondi. A mixture of international level players were playing against the local club the Aussie Sharks. The 'international all stars' consisted of three times Olympic gold medallist Tamas Kasas, Olympic silver medallist Deni Fiorentini as well as other world champions. It was a great setting to watch my first pro waterpolo match. I didn't pay the fortune to watch the game pool-side but got a great view from the coastal path that runs just above it. The result was 9-8 to the Aussie sharks in case you're wondering. A lot can be said for team play in this case because the All Stars team haven't really played as a team together before which I'm sure is why they lost. Remember everyone, there is no 'I' in team! ;-) <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JnUN82L8Scg/UQNSySbSp-I/AAAAAAAAB0M/xShiH45Lyqk/s1600-h/SAM_4619%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4619" border="0" alt="SAM_4619" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hebc1AVsHsM/UQNS0ilUYCI/AAAAAAAAB0U/EvFnc3AYVgw/SAM_4619_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4XuL0EdGSbk/UQNS6G893iI/AAAAAAAAB0c/NG2bHSoX-hM/s1600-h/SAM_4623%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4623" border="0" alt="SAM_4623" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eBKbLiwZljI/UQNS7m2-SJI/AAAAAAAAB0k/KLVPa26VRmE/SAM_4623_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a></p> <p>That ends my 14<sup>th</sup> week. Next week I go on a 12km run to Bronte beach with the local running club, sample lots of the Sydney arts festival events and of course persevere with job applications. Let me know if you like the blog, feel free to comment below or send link to a friend. That's all for now, until next time. <p>Fred Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-33131608088125308792013-01-21T04:42:00.001-08:002013-01-21T04:42:18.636-08:00Week 13 – Christmas in Sydney, Australia<p align="center"><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 13 – Christmas in Sydney, Australia</u> <p>22<sup>nd</sup> until the 28<sup>th</sup> of December 2012 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Feed cute little possums in a wildlife animal rescue centre.</p> <li> <p>Shop for Christmas presents while listening to carols in the mall on a 32<sup>o</sup>C sunny day!</p> <li> <p>Experience my first Aussie summer Christmas.</p> <li> <p>Watch the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.</p> <li> <p>Make the most of the sales and go expedition gear shopping for Borneo.</p> <li> <p>Attempt to burn all the Christmas junk that I consumed.</p> <li> <p>Watch Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman sing their way through Les Miserables.</p></li></ol> <p>My visit to Canberra last week was great and I could have stayed longer. However, I made a promise to help out with feeding some possums at the animal rescue centre with Daithi. So after a long morning 12km run I went around the local neighbourhoods with Daithi cutting a few branches off trees and sticking them in the boot for the possums. Daithi is part of WIRES which is a charitable network of carers to rescue and support injured wildlife <a href="http://www.wires.org.au/">http://www.wires.org.au</a> . They take it in turns to feed the animals at the rescue centre and also take care of an injured animal in their own homes. For example a bird injured by a dog or a cat would be picked up by a volunteer and nursed to good health until it can be released. Daithi had recently acquired a tiny chick bird after a dog found the nest. Daithi has had to feed it through a pipette every 40mins luckily he's already on holiday. With a boot full of branches and an ice-cream container made into a makeshift nest off we went to the rescue centre. We changed the possum's water, chopped up some fruit and put in the new branches for them. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5qMYsjxTdWA/UP03Vf0wLMI/AAAAAAAABvk/4qHuz0mOhEE/s1600-h/SAM_41893.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4189" border="0" alt="SAM_4189" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QkZY5Dg_wfc/UP03XDzt8hI/AAAAAAAABvs/NLdCAqMNwTg/SAM_4189_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>There was also an aviary with three baby kookaburras who were simply beautiful and make the most unusual calling sound: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ZbykXlg6Q">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ZbykXlg6Q</a> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GbIzkqs1z2E/UP03ZKgpUOI/AAAAAAAABv0/Kakmp8CiZs8/s1600-h/SAM_41953.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4195" border="0" alt="SAM_4195" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-q1WG24SNJGI/UP03aQYQneI/AAAAAAAABv8/QgdGzKl7DNU/SAM_4195_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>After feeding the possums we went to where the bird Daithi is caring for was found. Daihi explained that sometimes if you go back to where the chick was found within 4days the parents would still be around and may 'take it back'. After an hour of trying there was no joy so back home we went. Later that week the chick started to refuse feeds and gently passed away. From the way he was moving around the box it looked like the dog had broken its leg and severely damaged its wing so it might have not survived long anyway. Daithi gave it the best chance. <p>With the run up to Christmas we went out to dinner with some of my hosts' friends and I did some Christmas shopping for the Kris Kringle we were having at the house on the 25<sup>th</sup>. It had a 10 dollar maximum and we had to get three gifts each. On Christmas day itself my hosts went to a family lunch but then would return in the evening. That left me to go for a run to Bondi beach, get a picture with the beach Christmas tree and talk to the volunteer lifeguards working on Christmas day. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day but that didn't detract from anything. There was even a cute infant dressed in a Santa costume at the base of the tree on the beach! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DCDgyHHbpLg/UP03c3NuLKI/AAAAAAAABwE/gkO2jFaIi1U/s1600-h/IMG_19833.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1983" border="0" alt="IMG_1983" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e2J_lvQonW4/UP03eBB2kXI/AAAAAAAABwI/Z5mRxIZx4e4/IMG_1983_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>After a small lunch I was keen to go for a Christmas swim on Bondi beach as I heard that normally there would be thousands of people on the beach in their swimwear and Santa hats. Unfortunately after the cloudy skies of the morning came a thunderstorm bringing with it lots of rain and lightning. Halfway to the beach I decided to turn back as it seemed to be getting worse. Oh well. So much for that Christmas day swim! That evening was great. I did miss being with my family as this was the first time in my whole life that I was without them on Christmas day. My hosts made me feel part of their family and I had a great day regardless. The food was impeccable, the conversations entertaining and the presents comical. What more could one want in Australia?... well, a sunny day would've been nice too. Despite the rain I still got to cook some ‘shrimp on the barby’ on Christmas day! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--mU_nilU4C0/UP03fqnNFYI/AAAAAAAABwU/8KzmTzKiJPE/s1600-h/SAM_42163.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4216" border="0" alt="SAM_4216" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-p6h_XB8xVuo/UP03g2I-TCI/AAAAAAAABwY/X-gkiEaMRHk/SAM_4216_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Boxing day was completely different in terms of weather. The sun was out, the breeze was gently blowing and it all made for the perfect day to go out and watch the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. This is a race that happens every year starting on boxing day in Sydney and arrives into Hobart, Tazmania a few days later. Its 1,170km long trip and the record is 1day, 18hours and 23min set by Wild oats XI. Wild oats is evidentially the biggest and faster craft but there are plenty of smaller ones that take up to 7days to get there. I go to the south head of Watsons Bay about 1hour before race time. The walk towards the very tip was beautiful with the clean sandy beaches of Watsons bay and camp cove having the striking Sydney down-town skyline as a backdrop. Once at the tip I managed to get a great spot with view of all the boats 'warming up' near the start line. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-K70O0rjVyXs/UP03ivGR8WI/AAAAAAAABwk/qE7tH_IrKKI/s1600-h/SAM_42783.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4278" border="0" alt="SAM_4278" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tdAOOAcKCZc/UP03jsRH4AI/AAAAAAAABws/zIL0noySync/SAM_4278_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>At 12am the starting gun went off and the boats tacked across the start line. Soon the colourful jibs were up and flying. The chaotic swarm of spectator boats were following the action from outside the designated raceboat channel which simply added to this seaborne spectacle. This race is not only world famous for its long distance and technical difficulty but for the armada of boats of all sizes that take to the seas on this one day a year. Truly impressive. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gJ7chusLcIU/UP03lpkP9YI/AAAAAAAABw0/G3hqsGt9gsk/s1600-h/SAM_43013.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4301" border="0" alt="SAM_4301" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3PWPdo8r7ZU/UP03mrkZYqI/AAAAAAAABw8/i1VcYXwApjw/SAM_4301_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>With no hope of getting a bus away from the south head I laid on the fortress wall and relaxed watching the boats get smaller and smaller as they got further away. I then made my way along the coastal path south towards Bondi. The path here is on the top of the beautiful high cliffs. I does have multiple information boards giving counselling advice and phone numbers for those that feel they want to commit suicide. Unfortunately this area is know for this. There are messages written on the rock with words such as 'goodbye' and 'sorry' from people that have previously jumped off! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YnpcexHEcj8/UP03oaTj6pI/AAAAAAAABxE/eD9MJbeWKW8/s1600-h/SAM_43293.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_4329" border="0" alt="SAM_4329" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-92pdMU60b28/UP03pvzJHgI/AAAAAAAABxM/-qjGhVkztz4/SAM_4329_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>I then managed to catch a bus back. Nothing could be nicer on Boxing day than eating left over Christmas food and enjoying a good film. The next few days of this week I spent trying to not eat more chocolate and failing miserably. I also went shopping for Borneo expedition gear in the January Sales and I attempted to compensate for the overeating by going to the gym or running. I also met up with my new friend Mark for food and go see 'Les Miserables' film with my buddy Simon. Watching Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman sing their way through a film and being in a cinema where 80% of the people cried was quite the experience! :-) <p>Once again a brilliant week that just flew by. Next week I go see the Freemasons DJs group, visit the Sydney Olympic park, see my first ever 20/20 cricket game, attempt to watch the Sydney harbour fireworks from a good spot and visit the town of Wollongong. </p> Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-33941023107617376862013-01-08T05:44:00.001-08:002013-01-12T21:34:03.258-08:00Week 12 – Sydney and Canberra, Australia<div align="center"><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> </div><u>Week 12 – Sydney and Canberra, Australia</u> <br />
15<sup>th</sup> until the 21<sup>st</sup> of December 2012 <br />
<u>In brief:</u> <br />
<ol><li> More beautiful runs, gym and chillaxing.<br />
</li><li> Attend a traditional Australian family birthday barbecue in Australia's semi-outback.<br />
</li><li> Travel to Canberra the Nation's Capital.<br />
</li><li> See Australia's oldest bonsai trees.<br />
</li><li> Visit the inside and stand on the roof of Australia's parliament house.<br />
</li><li> Trek up to the Telstra tower for a perfect view of Canberra in the setting sun.<br />
</li><li> Visit Australia’s best galleries and museums.<br />
</li><li> Listen to the sounds of one of the world's biggest instruments, the National Carillon.<br />
</li><li> Watch an art-house film at the National film and Sound Archive of Australia.<br />
</li><li> See the light and video show spectacle at the War memorial museum.<br />
</li><li> Learn about Australia's origins and see the architecturally splendid National Museum.</li></ol>It feels like the last two weeks have absolutely flown by and I've loved every minute. Well... having said that... calling lots of hospitals and making multiple applications without being too fruitful has been quite tough. Regardless, while the job search continues I enjoy more beautiful runs along the coast and also to local parks like Waverley or Centennial park. I spend time with my hosts, cool down in the waters of Bondi beach and get some vitamin D by chilling in the morning sun. <br />
This week I also got invited to accompany my hosts to a birthday party in the countryside. It was for Rosie's birthday who is Tony's brother's wife. It was a 2hour drive due north-west towards a place called Campbell town along route 5! The party was at a farm house and because Tony has a big Italian family it was a pretty big gathering. I got the opportunity to chat to a fair few people, try my best Italian to talk to Tony's relatives and sampled the food at this authentic Australian 'barby' with an Italian twist. The food was plentiful and the desserts magnificent. This was my first taste of the Australian outback and because its comparatively not too far from Sydney apparently it can't be called the 'outback'. So... as I couldn't really see many other houses nearby and it was pretty hot I'm going to refer to this place as the 'semi-outback' :-) <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i--TIuHdg5k/UOwiGJg8sXI/AAAAAAAABsQ/BjYIGVXqOlc/s1600-h/SAM_3921%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_3921" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-km5-c7rXCT4/UOwiHo4lwUI/AAAAAAAABsY/M7M_bDOmprk/SAM_3921_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_3921" width="244" /></a> </div>However amazing the last two weeks have been by simply living in one place, my tourist cap was starting to get sad. So off I planned a trip to the Nation's capital, Canberra. It was a three and a half hours away from Sydney on a wi-fi bus so I couldn’t complain. Canberra is Australia's capital city and its in the state called the Australian Capital Territory (funnily enough). It is actually a purpose built city. In 1901 when the colonies were federated and became states there was a strong rivalry between Sydney and Melboune as to which one should be the capital. It was then decided to build a new place halfway between both cities and by 1927 Canberra took over from Melbourne as the capital city. Canberra is strategically planned to make the most of the hilly wilderness. Its clearly divided in zones centred around an artificial lake. Famous for its political assembly and cultural richness. There are more museums, galleries, sights, activities, shopping and night-life than you can shake a stick at. Absolutely perfect for a tourist but has the reputation of being dull by the locals. At first glance I can't imagine why (not sarcastic by the way). On my arrival I headed straight for the youth hostel passing the shopping and bars area and was hugely impressed. There were lots of activities for adults and the kids. They even had rides on camel which I thought was strange. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bykMd-x0PXg/UOwiKDBCCkI/AAAAAAAABsg/HISR-2fCpwg/s1600-h/SAM_3941%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_3941" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cBSbyPb2Gv0/UOwiLd-dYKI/AAAAAAAABsk/Y2MNpHW1hcA/SAM_3941_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_3941" width="244" /></a> </div>At the hostel I checked in, read the guidebook a bit more and planned a route. With sun cream on, sunglasses, hat and a bottle of water off I went into the mid-day heat. It was pretty hot but I was on a mission. My first stop was the Commonwealth park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The artificial lake was the vision of Burley Griffin that wanted to turn the most undesirable place in Australia into the vibrant city it is today. Within this park there was a Bonsai garden which was serene and housed the oldest beautifully shaped bonsai trees in Australia. From there I toured the shores of the lake and was shocked to see people running and cycling in the mid-day heat here but good on them. I passed the Captain cook memorial and crossed the road to the government zone where I saw the world's embassies in one place. Each architecturally designed by their respective countries which is rare I believe. I particularly like the Papa New Guinea embassy. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-x68wGbvxI8w/UOwiNTo-a_I/AAAAAAAABsw/6q4O0uGvevI/s1600-h/SAM_3954%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_3954" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0VEHlSxpSNI/UOwiOxWs2-I/AAAAAAAABs4/s_gfCA5xXuk/SAM_3954_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_3954" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-etoNvGUjaNs/UOwiRtjp24I/AAAAAAAABtA/ih6XsBvkXX4/s1600-h/SAM_3961%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_3961" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eJXBqXThoBc/UOwiS1zKtjI/AAAAAAAABtE/vu8s31GFKYI/SAM_3961_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_3961" width="244" /></a></div>I then walked to capital hill to the hugely impressive parliament house. Set to look like it was built within a grassy hill. You can even walk on the slopping grass sides. Almost like a modern day hobbit house from Lord of the Ring :-) After a few pictures outside I managed to join the last guided tour. The really entertaining guide took us round the house of representatives and the senate. He showed us some interesting decorative ancient tapestry and gave us interesting information about the objects in the different places. For example, did you know the two highly decorated boxes either side of the centre table in the house of representatives were traditionally used to deliver the results of the discussion to the king for his approval? Now completely obsolete obviously because the monarchy has no power in the house of representatives. Also did you know on their coat of arms there is a kangaroo and an emu? It turns out that this is because both can't walk backwards. Interesting. This place also holds one of the four surviving copies of the 1297 <i>M</i>agna<i> Carta </i>which is a 700yr old manuscript that is the 'foundation stone of constitutional and parliamentary government'. This manuscript basically details in writing that <i>'no one in society is above the law; not the king nor his subjects, not the government nor the governed</i>'. (ref 1) <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Sw3GKZrxKqw/UOwiVi-X3YI/AAAAAAAABtQ/s52zUdYed9o/s1600-h/SAM_4000%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4000" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QO1g_DAbgEI/UOwiXANN0cI/AAAAAAAABtY/TMpdRdzX8Gw/SAM_4000_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4000" width="244" /></a> </div>After this it was getting late so museums were closing I hopped on a bus to the university and walked the empty campus streets to the base of Black mountain. This mountain is 812m tall and at the top it has the Telstra communications tower, restaurant and viewing platform. With no means of public transport off I walked just in time to catch the setting sun over Canberra. The not so densely laid out city around the lake can easily be admired from there. The sunset was pristine. A long walk back to the hostel ended with a meal cooked by me and a chat to fellow travellers at the hostel. This was then promptly followed by a well deserved sleep. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-So_5q_iA0xw/UOwiYpVF49I/AAAAAAAABtg/jIgcYVyeO-A/s1600-h/IMG_1874%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1874" border="0" height="93" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Oij56pZlk_I/UOwiZ2IlTwI/AAAAAAAABto/7KWiAJiZypk/IMG_1874_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1874" width="244" /></a> </div>My second day in Canberra started with and early breakfast and a visit to the old parliament house, which is basically the same layout at the 'new' parliament house only smaller and with a lot more history to it. Unfortunately the guide was not as entertaining as yesterday and in fact overran by 30minutes which didn't help my ambitions schedule for the day. Nevertheless worth the visit if only for the million dollar interactive display exhibit at the back! <br />
My next stop was the National Portrait Gallery, I was probably more impressed by buildings architecture and the bus-sized painting of the queen during her jubilee than the other face paintings/photos. Each one to their own, but taking pictures of people from around the world and displaying them doesn’t really constitute art in my book. I might need to be educated on that one. All I know is that the coffee shop did make an amazing cured beef and mustard baguette! <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SUIHPgi8WPY/UOwibgMxS8I/AAAAAAAABtw/Sgy1WsYmPrM/s1600-h/SAM_4047%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4047" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5MB4mht7gC0/UOwicz1uFAI/AAAAAAAABt4/sMkV26RbpyM/SAM_4047_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4047" width="244" /></a> </div>Once I satisfied my belly I was off across the walkway to the National Gallery of Australia. This was an overwhelming mix of artefacts, paintings, sculptures and outdoor exhibits that made one wish there was more time in the day to see it all. Even before going in I was impressed by the sphere flying in mid-air (actually it was suspended between the High Court of Australia and the Gallery). The outdoor <i>'skyspace, within without'</i> by James Turrell made for a placid and tranquil start to my visit. I won't try to describe it. Its probably better you check out the pictures or google it. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OXMF_Ha3xUo/UOwieyUT4QI/AAAAAAAABuA/rR-MC_-lbAk/s1600-h/SAM_4054%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4054" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iW3c-7qV-yc/UOwigNgLywI/AAAAAAAABuE/7TvkTTJEg6s/SAM_4054_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4054" width="184" /></a> </div>Once inside I made my way around the highlights including the Aboriginal memorial, the sacred bull Nandi vehicle of shiva statue (11<sup>th</sup> - 12<sup>th</sup> century), the Arthur Streeton painting '<i>Golden summer, Eaglemont</i>' (1889) and my first Claude Monet painting '<i>Waterlilies' </i>(1914-1917) The spectacle didn't finish there. The gardens has Rodin replicas dotted around, a miniaturised version of Antony Gormley's <em><i>Angel of the North</i></em><em> which stands in full size </em>at Gateshead in England and other astonishing works. One pleasant surprise in the garden were the bells that I could hear across the water which was coming from the National Carillon. One of the world's biggest musical instruments. It comprises of 55 bronze bells and was a gift from the British government to celebrate the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the nation's capital. I supposedly missed the recital yesterday so it was nice to be able to appreciate the loud and polyphonic sounds of this huge towering instrument. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--e74hOLKA20/UOwii6RBIdI/AAAAAAAABuQ/b3xsWOm7ZhI/s1600-h/SAM_4085%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4085" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-o5BKo7g-Mgs/UOwikLM3aaI/AAAAAAAABuY/iCeSfx_woXM/SAM_4085_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4085" width="244" /></a> </div>From the Carillon on Aspen island to the oldest remaining cottage of the Blundells. The Bundells were family that worked on these lands for generations when it was farm land and not the metropolis you see today. The house still stands as one of the only ones in the area which enables us to appreciate how they lived in those days. <br />
With time almost out for my second day I managed to get a seat at the film theatre of the National film and Sound Archive of Australia. They were playing the art-house documentary of a Japanese film maker who followed a family after the Tohoku earthquake that brought a tsunami and that caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima power plant on the 11<sup>th</sup> of March 2011. There was a Japanese film-maker introducing the film and then they played the film. What is really good about all the things I went to see today is that they have all been free including this film. Well there was a small fee of $2 for the old parliament house. <br />
On my last day I woke up fairly early to meet a friend of a friend for breakfast and then quickly made my way to the Australian War Memorial museum. On the hour they have a spectacular display of lights, video and sounds around real war machines. They had a Lancaster bomber, world war one fighter planes and a Japanese mini-sub that exploded in Sydney harbour The museum also educated me about the wars that occurred over on this side of the world something that I hadn't learnt much about at school. The memorial part of the museum was pretty impressive too. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IL36G5o9RLQ/UOwimI-KcyI/AAAAAAAABug/LGoNLb2uyWI/s1600-h/SAM_4127%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4127" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SkpdMjBoZKE/UOwinm16G-I/AAAAAAAABuo/_zYM0xyPVUY/SAM_4127_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4127" width="244" /></a></div><div align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OQbgB5C1YyI/UOwipzoq9QI/AAAAAAAABuw/t26exQ12j9c/s1600-h/SAM_4128%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4128" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2icnSWV5usg/UOwir7vtufI/AAAAAAAABu4/dM_2ZDq4EBE/SAM_4128_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4128" width="244" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB">The war museum also had a brilliant temporary exhibit called '</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><i>Rememberme: the lost diggers of Vignacourt</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB">'which tells the story of a photographer that took pictures ofsoldiers passing through the village of Vignacourt during world warone. This French village was near the front line and gave passing soldiersthe opportunity to send a photo-postcard back home. Unfortunatelynone can be identified by name as this was never recorded. Most onshow were Australians. <a href="http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/remember-me/">http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/remember-me/</a>'</span></span></span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-GB"><br />
</span></span></span></div><br />
I then took a bus across town to the National Museum of Australia. The Lonely planet called this place a '<i>big abstract Australian storybook using creativity, controversy, humour and self-contradiction</i>' (ref 2). I would say that is a pretty accurate description of what I saw. One moment I was seeing how they preserve and restore museum pieces and then the next I'm watching videos on all the killing of rabbits that plagued the landscape after introduction from Europe. I posed next a real Olympic relay torch and cauldron from the Sydney 2000 olympics, sat in a huge digger scoop and finished by staring at the marvellously odd architecture that houses this museum. My day then finished by a bus ride back to Sydney and an early night to prepare for the weekend's events. All in all it was an amazing week. <br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lbtxT9IrpiY/UOwiuJ28ptI/AAAAAAAABvA/NohdLUMxt6A/s1600-h/SAM_4158%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_4158" border="0" height="59" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nFmaDRmehRQ/UOwivXfkB_I/AAAAAAAABvI/2RInUq3Ylmo/SAM_4158_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_4158" width="244" /></a> </div>Next week I feed possums in a rescue centre, experience my first Aussie summer Christmas, see the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and shop for lots of Borneo expedition gear in the sales. <br />
References: <br />
<ol><li> <a href="http://exhibitions.aph.gov.au/magnacarta/">http://exhibitions.aph.gov.au/magnacarta/</a><br />
</li><li> Lonely Planet – Australia. 16<sup>th</sup> edition, Nov 2011</li></ol><br />
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-28143736066203709432013-01-06T17:11:00.001-08:002013-01-06T17:12:08.308-08:00Week 10 and 11 – Sydney, Australia<p><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 10 and 11 – Sydney, Australia</u> <p>1<sup>st</sup> until the 14<sup>th</sup> of December 2012 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Recharge the backpacker 'batteries'.</p> <li> <p>Run along the iconic Bondi beach.</p> <li> <p>Return to the gym for some long overdue fitness improvements.</p> <li> <p>See a musical show at the Sydney opera house.</p> <li> <p>Get settled into Australia and frantically job hunt.</p> <li> <p>Have my first ever phone interview for a job.</p> <li> <p>Swim in the idyllic setting of an Australian salt water pool.</p> <li> <p>Run and explore the coastal path from Bondi beach to Coogee.</p></li></ol> <p>I had a perfect farewell to Latin America with a big party in Santiago on Friday night and on Saturday the 1<sup>st</sup> of December 2012 I was off to Sydney. At the airport I stocked up with some traditional Pisco for my Australian hosts Tony and Daithi. Then, 14 hours later I landed! Tony, who is a friend of my friend John, came to pick me up from the airport which was really great of him. Tony, Daithi and their dog Joey had kindly offered me a room in their beautiful house in Bondi. I had the grand tour of the area including the stunning coastal path from Tamarama beach to Bondi beach. It weaves the unique rock formations and hugs the cliff all the way. Its filled with keen runners and outdoor gym equipment along the route. This epitomises the perceived Australian culture of healthy living, exercise and high quality of life. Of course the weather helps with this situation. My hosts naturally still had work during the week so I would explore on my own the surrounding area and join them for dinner in the evenings. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KVehCpuMJM0/UOoggHGZMSI/AAAAAAAABq4/Ub6syawSG5Q/s1600-h/IMG_1699%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1699" border="0" alt="IMG_1699" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eA1VYmqnDUM/UOogh5x1u5I/AAAAAAAABrA/u_YiLQD0Uek/IMG_1699_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next two weeks I spent recharging my batteries. It was nice to be able to stay in the same place for a longer period of time and not have to worry about packing up or booking the next night's accommodation. I absolutely loved running along the coast to the iconic Bondi and exploring the surrounding area. I relaxed, in their garden, walked their dog and made the most of Tony's free guest gym membership he had managed to get for me. I went out to dinner events; Daithi's sister's birthday party, met up with some other of John's friends and overall had a great time. One of the highlights of my first week was going with my hosts and their friends to the Sydney opera house for a musical. It was such a beautiful location I was permanently in awe of the place. Its hard to appreciate the grandiose of the white tiled sail-shaped roof of the Sydney opera house. The show was funny, entertaining and in some parts flamboyantly weird! It all made for a great first experience of the opera house. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tUWF_Ycas4Y/UOogj_gT8OI/AAAAAAAABrI/cDSHJgaJtA0/s1600-h/IMG_1747%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1747" border="0" alt="IMG_1747" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MwlyPYiz5R4/UOoglPgMzvI/AAAAAAAABrQ/Ho2JxiqdqD8/IMG_1747_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wFvAwu7KwH4/UOognKZ_hLI/AAAAAAAABrY/xzyg7z9qBDQ/s1600-h/SAM_3895%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3895" border="0" alt="SAM_3895" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X-3k8eyHAi0/UOogoicPZ-I/AAAAAAAABrg/WsHarTJsXok/SAM_3895_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>However nice this all was I couldn't forget why I was actually here. The plan initially was to work December and January but unfortunately I was let down by my work agency that I have been in contact with since January. I wasted no time in getting on the internet and phoning hospitals in New South Wales (the state). I received plenty of rejections and realistically I wouldn't be able to work because I hadn't registered with AHPRA the registering medical organisation. The problem for me was that I couldn't register without a job offer that my agency promised me. So currently no one would consider me for work until May after I return from Borneo. Not only that but AHPRA registration process can reportedly take six to ten weeks. In light of this information my focus changed from trying to get a job for December to lining something up for May and in doing that I managed to get a phone interview plus secure an offer for work in Tamworth subject to a reference check. As my first two years of employment have all been application based I've never had to do a medical job interview let alone over the phone. Despite the nerves it all went well. All I needed to do now was wait but in the mean time I still continued my search for jobs which I then expanded to include Queensland just in case this Tamworth offer falls through last minute. <p>You can see how the quality of life in Australia is higher. Not only are there these coastal runs which are incredible. There are also abundant salt water pools along the coast which is like being in the sea but with the ability to do lane swimming and have a few more commodities close by. One such pool is the Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool in Woolloomooloo bay or the Bondi Iceberg pool in Bondi. A perfect location to enjoy the afternoon. Over the last two weeks I enjoyed going to the gym, eating in or out with my hosts and challenged my self with longer morning runs along the coast. My last day of week 11 I ran to Cogee beach and back. What a great last two weeks. Completely different to the last 9 weeks in Latin America and yet equally as amazing. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-harTuAMMuyk/UOogro5KPVI/AAAAAAAABro/xn1RAeQix5Q/s1600-h/IMG_1700%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1700" border="0" alt="IMG_1700" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vWsyKHRAlvs/UOogtTUdSWI/AAAAAAAABrw/gmxeIDa7DvQ/IMG_1700_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Next week I attend a true Australian lunch party out in the countryside (almost the outback), continue applying for jobs and visit the nation's capital territory of Canberra. Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-36318165513504372912012-12-15T00:12:00.001-08:002012-12-15T00:16:54.623-08:00Week 9 – Santiago and Easter Island, Chile<p><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 9 – Santiago and Easter Island, Chile</u> <p>24<sup>th</sup> until the 30<sup>th</sup> of November 2012 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Visit the 'Museo de la memoria' and be horrified at what occurred in Chile during the dictatorships.</p> <li> <p>Go on a good old fashioned bar crawl for the first time since Buenos Aires.</p> <li> <p>Fly to <i>Rapa Nui (</i>Easter island) and watch the sunset behind the Moai statues of<i> Tahai.</i></p> <li> <p>Rent a mountain bike to explore caves, rugged coastline and the volcanoe <i>Rano Kau</i>.</p> <li> <p>Walk around the petroglyph infested ceremonial village of <i>Orongo.</i></p> <li> <p>Explore the island by bike going up the highest volcanoe <i>Terevaka. </i></p> <li> <p>Venture along the most bike-unfriendly area that is the north-west of Easter island. </p> <li> <p>Bike the length of the east of the island up to the north and marvel at the Maoi carving site of <i>Rano Raraku</i>.</p> <li> <p>Take a dip in <i>Anakena</i> beach where 1300 years ago Polynesians arrived in canoes.</p> <li> <p>Buy souvenirs and awe at the huge pacific turtles coming into the fishing port.</p> <li> <p>Go to a '<i>cafe con piernas</i>' (coffee-shop with legs) on my last day in Latin America.</p></li></ol> <p>My 9<sup>th</sup> week was the week I had been looking forward to doing since I was about 13year old when I first heard about the mysterious Maoi statues of <i>Rapa Nui</i> (Easter Island). However, I first had a full day in Santiago before my flight. I started it by walking around the traditional plazas and parks of the area near the hostel, Barrio Brazil. I was making my way to the 'museo de la memoria' according to the tour I did it was a 'must do'. Nothing really prepared me for what this museum had in-store for me. I knew about the dictatorships that plagued Chilean history and that those that opposed the regime saw their freedom or lives taken away. On the other hand I had no idea of the scale of it and how extreme it was. This museum documents it all from start to finish. At the entrance they had lists of the gross human rights violations that occurred all over the world and Chile's one was no exception. The museum depicted with audio-visual splendour the events and some were very graphic indeed. Last time I felt this uncomfortable and with a shocked look on my face the entire time I was on a school trip to a concentration camp in Germany! The ending was uplifting and filled with songs, video clips and photos of celebrations nevertheless I couldn't help feel very subdued at the end. The video interviews with some that were tortured was simply haunting and has permanently been ingrained in my memory. What was a bit strange was the live hip-hop and rap concert that was occurring outside the entrance and under the archway of the museum! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kpX-1tvMCiE/UMwwIoDF4kI/AAAAAAAABmc/X0Of-r6MEX8/s1600-h/SAM_3040%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3040" border="0" alt="SAM_3040" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gtKNkB-r3SY/UMwwKIdGzzI/AAAAAAAABmk/QmjclLFnCQ0/SAM_3040_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>With a very hot day manifesting itself I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go back to the hostel to chill by the pool, chat to some other travellers and also pack my bags for tomorrow's flight to Easter island. I also signed myself up for an organised bar crawl of Bellavista, the party district of Santiago. Bar crawls are a great way to meet people, see places at night and sample the local drinks. In this case Pisco and coke or <i>Piscola</i> was the order of the evening among the free shots offered. The theme of the night was 'Grease lightning' the 1980s film with John Travolta. I was however, completely surprised when the organisers were puzzled by the T-Birds logo I had written on my arm and on the back of my shirt! After all, its the name of John Travolta's gang in the film! Despite this, the night out was great fun and ended around 6am leaving me 3hours sleep! Chileans know how to party. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Rl0u2lQ8RTQ/UMwwL0qpvQI/AAAAAAAABms/jJiKFdqvm0E/s1600-h/SAM_3042%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3042" border="0" alt="SAM_3042" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PQmC1y2ng-w/UMwwNNN7HGI/AAAAAAAABm0/mTdgrieMwG0/SAM_3042_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a> <p>Nothing could cause me to oversleep on Sunday the 25<sup>th</sup> of November 2012, for today I was catching the 5hour flight to Easter island! Like a little child I get very excited at air travel but this time it was extra special. The flight literally flew by, there is nothing I like most on a plane than to watch movies and seeing as I had been deprived of Hollywood films for the last 9wks it was bliss. Two and a half movies into the flight we were flying over the island before turning to land. Upon arriving I walked my way to the hostel seeing as it was only two blocks away. Unfortunately for me it wasn't located where the website indicated. It took a local builder in a pick up truck to offer me a lift to the hostel for me to realise where it was. Upon arrival it turns out the hostel has a meet and greet service that I'd managed to completely bypass at the airport arrivals. Oops. <p>I was checking in at the same time as a multilingual German called Sebastian that works in London so we spend that afternoon exploring the centre of town together. That's where we would eventually find our first Maoi statue with its back to the sea and facing the village. Moai are placed in this way as they would always be made to overlook their village. Naturally next to that there was one that contradicted that but turns out it was cemented in this way by a misinformed well intended person. From there we walked north-west of town to the Maoi platform of <i>Tahai.</i> This is where all guidebooks say you have to see the sunset from and so we did. No better way to end the first day... except if you count the delicious fish pie we had in a restaurant that evening with another guest of the hostel. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ySXbc9Yn3Nk/UMwwOuk0NTI/AAAAAAAABm8/ikhLdCzNueM/s1600-h/SAM_3096%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3096" border="0" alt="SAM_3096" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3fTKb9e-X-A/UMwwQV6IfDI/AAAAAAAABnE/UFXCceB8SOY/SAM_3096_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next morning I had to get some well deserved sleep to recover and to be in perfect form to see the island. Seb on the otherhand took up the opportunity to go see the sunrise on the other side of the island with three Argentinians that had rented a car. Unfortunately for them they missed the very start of the sunrise but it does mean they will be going again on Wednesday when I could join them. When I finally arose I went walking to some bike/car rental places and tour operators. I was convinced by a mountain-bike rental company who said that the island was explorable by bike because its only 20km in diameter and all I needed was a book. This book was written by the linguistic author and Rapa Nui resident from Scotland, James Grant-Peterkin. It explained all there is to know about the island and the ruins. Although tours are all encompassing going without a tour guide would make for a more pleasurable experience. Not only that but I was given a good offer on the bike rental too. Next thing I knew I was off exploring south from the town centre along the coast with a book, water and some bread rolls in my backpack. I stopped at various places en route that tickled my fancy and that the book recommended. I got to see Maoi statues, supreme caves with cave paintings and beautifully rugged volcanic coastline en route to the volcano <i>Rano Kau.</i> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i0uRhPDpp64/UMwwSGBh7cI/AAAAAAAABnM/b54XtnV23lk/s1600-h/SAM_3143%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3143" border="0" alt="SAM_3143" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pcjkhUUg7e0/UMwwTkGJq6I/AAAAAAAABnU/QDiqC6XC0No/SAM_3143_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The volcano trekking path seemed achievable by bike so up I went meeting plenty of hikers on their way down including Michael the Australia from the Hostel. From the top the view was spectacular. The main town of <i>Hanga Roa</i> on one side and a crater lagoon on the other. The lagoon was apparently one of the sources of fresh water for the locals. It is now now teeming with flora and fauna. Incidentally the reeds in this lake (<i>scirpus californicus)</i> are the same as those found on the floating islands of lake Titicaca in Peru. The soil in this crater was also, interestingly enough, the source of the immunosupressant drug Rapamycin discovered within bacteria here. This medication is widely used to prevent rejection of organs after transplant, particularly kidneys. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2y9SbSD3cH0/UMwwWGd8UoI/AAAAAAAABnc/vsRkqwVHk-Y/s1600-h/SAM_3161%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3161" border="0" alt="SAM_3161" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bJwLaASdzGg/UMwwXoM3RXI/AAAAAAAABnk/eG4uRrUXGew/SAM_3161_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>From the crater I biked along the North rim to <i>Orongo</i> the ceremonial village where round, grass roofed stone houses still reside. The great thing about this place is the beautiful view of the sea and the myriad of petroglyphs (carvings in rock) that were simply exquisite to see in the light of the evening sun. I came just at closing time but the guard allowed me in anyway which was very nice. In one of the houses here is where a beautifully preserved Moai was found and then taken to London where is still stands today in the british natural history museum! Odd to think I've seen that Maoi almost 8,500miles away (13,500km) in London and here I stand right where it was taken from. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1GbD97HOIJ8/UMwwaG6vycI/AAAAAAAABns/Ri2wwfqzFms/s1600-h/SAM_3178%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3178" border="0" alt="SAM_3178" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jbrQ11EFe_Q/UMwwbR8qbLI/AAAAAAAABn0/b0DmBy5Wfp0/SAM_3178_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>To end the first full day in Rapa Nui I went to a cultural dance show which involved a lot of shouting and people wearing very jumping around on stage. At one moment I thought the grandmother next to me might be having a heart attack at the thong-wearing Rapanui man! After the show I took a quick picture with the performers and then joined the guys at the hostel for pasta. I was carbo-loading for the next days' worth of epic biking. It was really great to get to know the others and generally have a good chat. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-spe3LA0LHjk/UMwweNAwRhI/AAAAAAAABn8/SvBChUwZ3Fk/s1600-h/SAM_3287%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3287" border="0" alt="SAM_3287" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ExWsV-fhSpw/UMwwf-0A2tI/AAAAAAAABoE/Gc62QAmi9pc/SAM_3287_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The day started with breakfast with the rest of the gang and then we parted ways me on my bike and they got in their car going in the same direction to climb <i>Terevaka</i>. As you bike you find yourself looking around and double-taking a rock thinking 'could that be a toppled Moai or their <i>Pukao</i> (topknots)?'. There are possibly thousands or archaeologically significant rocks on this island so its a high possibility that it is something worth stopping to look at. My first stop was one such discovery where I caught the glimpse of a head through some trees so pulled up to get a closer look. This was in fact <i>Ahu Huri A Urenga</i> apparently noteworthy for having four hands and for the fact that the statue faces the exact direction of the rising sun at the winter solstice (June 21<sup>st</sup>). These Rapanuis were a clever bunch! <p>From there I got back on my saddle and biked the hills to get to <i>Puna Pau</i> a small volcanic crater and quarry for the <i>Pukao</i> because of the red scoria stone. The topknots or <i>Pukao</i> were a later addition to the Maoi culture as there are only 100 in existence compared to the 1000 or so Moai. Although they look like hats they were considered to be more like a representation of the hairstyle of the time. The hairstyle consisted of long hair worn tied up in a bun hence the 'knot' part of the topknot. Each of these bad boys can weigh up to 12 tonnes! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dFxkTLVOFxY/UMwwiIiZl7I/AAAAAAAABoM/RcHegyrqJ1g/s1600-h/SAM_3307%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3307" border="0" alt="SAM_3307" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-blLsniegzqo/UMwwjiB6UmI/AAAAAAAABoU/EZovXdrU32U/SAM_3307_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Then on my ride I saw a mountain with three white crosses so naturally I felt inclined to hike up to the top. It turns out early Spaniards declared the island converted to Catholicism by putting these crosses up. Little did they know that as soon as their ships sailed the locals, in view of their wood scarcity, took them down and used the wood. The views from the top were pretty impressive. I could see the volcano <i>Ranu Kau</i> that I biked up yesterday and <i>Terevaka</i> the highest peak on the island that I was heading towards today. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AfLPZ17rcQE/UMwwlr2ciGI/AAAAAAAABoc/xRGNz4m7N7w/s1600-h/SAM_3315%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3315" border="0" alt="SAM_3315" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-32h24jLC8r0/UMwwm4q5jNI/AAAAAAAABok/71RlK-ANj9I/SAM_3315_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>At the starting point of the trail to <i>Terevaka</i> there was the inland platform with seven beautifully restored Moai called <i>Ahu Akivi</i>. I took a break and read my book about this location and also the section about national park preservation rules. Its a given that you should not climb on the platforms or touch the rocks. In the book in mentions that in 2008 a Finnish guy climbed to one of the platforms to take an ear lobe from a Moai! He received 3weeks house arrest in his hotel, $15,000 dollar fine and deportation from Chile. Then, within a few minutes I was shocked to see a guy climb on to the platform at <i>Akivi</i> to get a picture. I shouted in shock and warned of the repercussions but no doubt as soon as I left they would take that 'perfect picture' anyway. Shame. <p>With time flying by I headed up on my mission to the top of the highest point on the island, the <i>Terevaka</i> volvanoe. At 507 metres high I had my work cut out on my bike. I was expecting to see the others from the hostel walking down because they got there earlier. Instead I met them right at the top of the Volcanoe! Sebastian, Michael, Ariel, Guillermo and Mariana gave me an amazing welcome to the top. It took me 58minutes from start to finish and I was completely shattered so it was nice to see these guys there. They had even acquired a small labrador puppy as a companion that started following them at the start. Very cute thing, it needed carrying some of the way by Ariel (who's nickname was Legolas fitting as he looks just like the Lord of the Rings character). They left me to have some lunch and they made their way back down. After all it would take me seconds to get down by bike. Whoop whoop! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--ZyZKUPR_Rg/UMwwpaTsByI/AAAAAAAABos/mq0yTHjT1XE/s1600-h/SAM_3348%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3348" border="0" alt="SAM_3348" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HS6a5Hw7esA/UMwwqyK7rzI/AAAAAAAABo0/LsVXWfIawyU/SAM_3348_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Next I headed east towards some lava tunnels, some of which had caved in and formed caves. The Rapanuis (islanders from Rapa Nui) had ingeniously converted them into banana planting areas, the high moisture and protection from the strong winds made for ideal growing conditions. This wasn't to be my only caves that I would visit. I next went in search of a cave that opens out to the cliff by means of two holes. It took time finding the entrance but I eventually saw a dark hole barely big enough to crawl through and decided this was it. The book recommended a torch but armed with just my camera I used the focusing LED that gave me 2seconds of faint light at a time! Not ideal but I got through the six metres of dark small tunnel which then opened up to a bigger space and then the two exit holes. The book warned of the slippery floor when wet as you could find yourself falling straight out of the exit holes located 30m up from the sea! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J6IwN5X2Cbo/UMwwu_xVidI/AAAAAAAABo8/S1dtAqbO_5s/s1600-h/SAM_3416%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3416" border="0" alt="SAM_3416" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mf_4CaRGf7A/UMwwwQQqDUI/AAAAAAAABpE/iiIz9u-rkUk/SAM_3416_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>By this point it was 4pm and I toyed with the idea of going round the north-west part of the island. From what I heard it was uninhabited, not had a path to speak of, would take 5-6hours to complete and its definitely not recommended to be done alone or by bike..... so... off I went. The allure of plenty of toppled Moai combined with the isolated environment meant that I would be seeing sights very few other people have seen. Those were reason enough for me. My observation and biking skills where put to the test as I would be looking around to try and spot that, Moai, or petroglyph, or foundations of ancient houses. All at the same time as avoiding crashing my bike into the multitude of rocks. I was simply blown away by some of the derelict beauties that littered this side of the island. <p>The biking got progressively more difficult as more and more rubble dominated the landscape instead of the lush greenery found elsewhere. This therefore turned into a bike carrying adventure the more I progressed. What was also noticeable here was the multitude of cow and horse cadavers around the place in various stages of decomposition. As horses are left to roam free on the island I suppose nature takes its course wherever. Did you know one of the most common causes of road traffic accidents on the island is collisions with horses or cows and you can't get car insurance here! Any damages have to be fully paid by the driver and given that everything is super expensive here because it is all imported I would not like to contemplate the costs involved. <p>Three and a half hours later, with no more water, no more food left in my backpack and a broken body I reached <i>Anakena</i> beach. A beautiful sandy bay at the north of the island with palm trees and Moai to marvel at. The water was pristine blue but unfortunately for me I had little time to explore today as the sun was starting to go down. I purchased some water from the nearest kiosk that was closing up and then wasted no time in cycling the tarmac road to <i>Hanga Roa </i>(the main town). I was still one hour away from a shower, food and a bed. On arrival back at the hostel I met up with the other guys and went to get some chicken hotdogs or as they call it, an 'As de pollo'. Seb ended up by having two 'Asses' :-) (sorry Seb that was priceless). <p>A 5:50 wake up call was in order for my penultimate day in Easter island. Seb, Michael, the Argentinians and I were all going to watch the sunrise from the <i>Ahu Tongariki. </i>This location perfect to see the 15 Moai restored to their former glory on a 220m long platform also known as an <i>ahu. </i>This <i>ahu</i> is in fact the largest ceremonial structure anywhere in polynesia. It was restored at a cost of 2million dollars to the Japanese government and a private Japanese construction company. A Moai at the entrance is fondly known as the 'travelling moai' as it was sent to Osaka and Tokyo for trade fairs and returned. The same Moai was also used to test theories of how moai were moved from the site of manufacture to their <i>ahu</i>. The sunrise mas magical and well worth the early wake up. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-522vUVBPRXk/UMwwyGXvL7I/AAAAAAAABpM/PUhL5yJc7xo/s1600-h/SAM_3502%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3502" border="0" alt="SAM_3502" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-J5EBg3N-Z9Q/UMwwzUF-BdI/AAAAAAAABpU/TWqdcabKqIk/SAM_3502_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>En route back we saw an overturned car and rushed over thinking people were still inside as it wasn't there when we arrived earlier. Fortunately it was empty, remember what I mentioned about no insurance!! I hate to see the bill for that rental car! After a leisurely breakfast with the gang my third day's adventure was on! I donned the back pack with food, water and cycled to the museum which houses precious artefacts excavated from around the island including an original Moai eye and one of only a dozen female Moai. The eyes are made of white coral and the pupil of red scoria rock (same as the <i>Pukao</i>). From there I swung past the port to see if I could see turtles that the Argentinians spotted yesterday. With no luck off I went to the south-east coast of the island at the base of <i>Rano Kau</i> to see the impressive stonework platform of <i>Vinapu </i>which is often compared to the incas' wall construction. The moai statues here like on the north-west side of the island remain toppled over with their Pukao slighly further after having rolled away. <p>Then I ventured along the north-east coast towards <i>Rano Raraku </i>stopping en route at various derelict Moai statues and their crumbled <i>ahu</i>. After a while one has to realise that there is only so many pictures that you can take of a rock. This is true right up until you make it to <i>Rano Raraku</i> the quarry for all Moai. Here they are carved face up then lowered into a pit upright so the back of them could get decorated with carvings. They would remain here until transportation to their destined <i>ahu</i>. The hillside of this volcano is home to 397 moai in various stages of carving. Once work at the quarry ceased, time cause earth to bury half or up to two thirds of the Maoi making the hillside look like its littered with Maoi heads. There are plenty of unfinished ones in the rock face one of which measures 21metres tall and would have weighed 250 tonnes had it been completed. Ambitious Rapanuis! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2khZY_lWGq8/UMww1egbTXI/AAAAAAAABpc/N3ujZIL1p1k/s1600-h/SAM_3675%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3675" border="0" alt="SAM_3675" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-syXlb7J2N-U/UMww2leRDhI/AAAAAAAABpk/HiVpsI3mKmw/SAM_3675_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244"></a> <p>I spent hours walking round this location, admiring and fulfilling my childhood dream of walking with these giant sculptures. My walk took me into the crater lagoon when once again you could see unfinished carved Moai on the inside of this crater. I sat and read my book under the shade of a tree when suddenly a saw a heard of wild horses galloping up into the crater to have a drink from the lagoon. Such an idyllic setting to contemplate things. <p>With time simply flying by I still had a lot to see and do. My next stop was <i>Ahu Tongariki</i> but this time during the day and there was still plenty to admire. Including the petroglyphs on the rocks and the fragments of damaged moai behind the platform. If you weren't careful you could easily walk across the petroglyphs. They charge 30,000 chilean pesos to visit the national park here which is about £40 per person. However I fail to see what they spend it all on! With more than 70,000 visitors per year paying this amount that is in excess of £2.8million per annum in revenue. Yet I fail to see a small roped off area around petroglyphs or adequate signs along trails like the north-west part of the island. Most if not all Moai currently upright on platforms were either the work of charity or archaelogical funds from foreign countries so where is all this money going to I wonder? It saddens me really because almost if not all of the moai could be restored to their former glory on their <i>ahu</i>. If it took 2million dollars of the Japanese's money to erect 15 moai at <i>Ahu Tongariki</i> imagine what the last 20years worth of national park fee could fund?... Someone made a point in saying 'why would they invest in restoration if they could just pocket the money as tourists are going to come anyway'. Its the sad truth unfortunately. <p>My bike tour took me back to <i>Anakena</i> this time when I had a bit of time to enjoy it. I saw the statues there, relaxed on the sandy beach and took a swim in the refreshingly cool pacific water. Did you know that this very spot was used as a landing area for the polynesian's double hulled canoes some 1300 years ago? It was the end of the day so I had the beach pretty much all to myself. I didn't go as far as stripping off completely naked unlike my Argentinian counterparts earlier that day! Once I'd recharged my batteries I hit pedal to the rubber and cycled back to the main city in time to return my bike to the rental place. I met up with the gang and then we had a chilled out hostel-cooked group meal to celebrate my last night. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PUptwZMzDo4/UMww4XMzE0I/AAAAAAAABps/bA6bZ8Gyod8/s1600-h/SAM_3825%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3825" border="0" alt="SAM_3825" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zKed8TCjGgY/UMww54qAPoI/AAAAAAAABp0/u9bPE3gsU0k/SAM_3825_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>On my last day I caught a glimpse of the huge pacific turtles in the port, brought some souvenirs with the help of Ariel's negotiation skills and tasted some locally made blackberry ice cream. The flight was delayed by four hours so that gave me some more time to say goodbye to the wonderful island and LAN airlines paid for a delicious lunch at a French owed restaurant. Unfortunately because of the delay I arrived at Santiago at 2am in the morning but thankfully LAN also arranged my onward travel to my hostel which was nice. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iOKkZymKZTk/UMww7ujRcBI/AAAAAAAABp8/-hfGnNPiO-Y/s1600-h/SAM_3833%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_3833" border="0" alt="SAM_3833" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BOOEHuxxZ1E/UMww9Bxi03I/AAAAAAAABqE/2w-hCGzVkMo/SAM_3833_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>A long lie in at the Casa Roja hostel and then I met up with Michael (the Australian from Easter island staying at the same hotel in Santiago!) to go and explore the centre one last time. We also went to a '<i>cafe con piernas</i>' which translates as 'coffee-shop with legs'. Its not a fast-coffee type of place as you may think from the name but it actually means is that the waitresses have a lot of 'leg' showing. When the idea was first devised the coffee was bad tasting and one way to lure clientèle was with the opportunity to set eyes on pretty ladies. This has since escalated to practically a standing-up lap dance from pretty ladies wearing nothing more than bikini bottoms! Of course the amount of clothing varies according to the type of coffee-shop. They range from mild to extreme. All I can say from my experience of a Santiago coffee-shop is that the coffee has since improved dramatically. Google ‘cafe con piernas santiago’ to educate yourself if you wish. Be warned! <p>To finish an epic 9<sup>th</sup> week I went out to dinner in Bellavista followed by a <i>Piscola-</i>fuelled<i> </i>and C<i>aipirinha-</i>fuelled night out until 6am! With a 9am wake up, that's plenty of sleep ;-) <p>Next week I head to Sydney to have some downtime but also focus hard on job hunting seeing as my agency has so far let me down despite saying, 'We are 99% sure we will find you a job in time'. Remind me next time not to rely on agencies. <p>A big thanks and credit must be given to James Grant-Peterkin's book 'A companion to Easter island' second edition 2012. A must-read book before and during any trip to Easter island. £21 if bought on the island and I'm sure cheaper if bought on the internet before going. Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-57304803179899810622012-12-05T04:01:00.001-08:002012-12-13T18:59:30.653-08:00Week 8 – San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago, Chile<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <br />
<u>Week 8 – San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago, Chile</u> <br />
17<sup>th</sup> until the 23<sup>rd</sup> of November 2012 <br />
<u>In brief:</u> <br />
<ol>
<li> Nurse my thousands of bites.<br />
</li>
<li> Run to the ruins of Pukara de Quitor.<br />
</li>
<li> Float in la laguna de piedra, a highly concentrated salt lake much like the dead sea.<br />
</li>
<li> Dive into the 'ojos del salar' two freshwater holes in the middle of the salt flat.<br />
</li>
<li> Make it to the top of the supposedly 6,006 metre high, Sairecabur volcanoe on 2<sup>nd</sup> try.<br />
</li>
<li> Chill out by my first beach in 4weeks at the beautiful Bahia Inglesa. <br />
</li>
<li> Wonder the bohemian streets of the once thriving port city of Valparaiso.<br />
</li>
<li> Make it to Santiago and sample western infrastructure and night life once again.</li>
</ol>
This week started with a bitter day of arguing, complaining to the tourist office and negotiating a solution with the tour operator who's Sairecabur trek was plagued with problems from the start. Its not really my favourite thing to do but with the money paid and the disappointment, I felt I had to. Unfortunately for me the man in charge of the agency while the boss is away is the guide that fell ill! Awkwardddd! They were also left with no means to pay me back as the boss took all the cash. To cut a long story short, in the end they agreed to refund my bus ticket of the bus I missed and booked me on to a second attempt to summit on Monday. Of course completely dependent on interest from other tourists wanting to go. This time they promised a better car and a different guide. As I was running out of days on my trip I had to decide if it was worth the gamble of staying the extra days. With some ruins and other local 'treasures' still left to see I opted to gamble. That afternoon I booked myself to do some sandboarding the next morning with the guy that practically invented it and also a trip tomorrow afternoon to sample the lagoons on the salt flat. With the evening spare I decided to go for a run to some ruins 3km away. This proved harder than I anticipated. Not only is it still 2,400m above sea level but after yesterdays escapades of pushing the mini van out of sand twice and trekking 7hours with a mountain-guide suffering with altitude sickness my body was pretty drained. Nevertheless, the ruins were pretty and the sunset serene. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XEvJQhW7np4/UL83IqwMe9I/AAAAAAAABjo/F6rwG_8JNpM/s1600-h/SAM_2741%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2741" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cWiPKDGsx-I/UL83J8KG72I/AAAAAAAABjw/EZkWGRjpJvY/SAM_2741_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2741" width="244" /></a> </div>
The morning didn't go to plan as no one else fancied morning sanboarding so the tour group was cancelled. On a plus note I got to catch up with my blog and came to learn that there was interest for monday's Sairecabur trip but still nothing is guaranteed. I also found out from talking to my hostel receptionist that the 'mountain-guide' from the disastrous expedition is in fact a well known cannabis smoker, alcoholic and has not even got a hint of a mountain-guide qualification! Great to know I put myself in the hands of such a highly skilled professional to climb up to my first ever 6,000m peak! ;-) <br />
To make up for things the trip to the lagoons on the San Pedro De Atacama salt flat was brilliant. Our first stop was a salt water lagoon who's salt content is higher than that of the dead sea. After an explanation from the guide and a few scenic pictures we were invited in to have a float. The salt content is attributed to the thousands of years of high Andean snow melting and flushing down all the salt to eventually accumulate in this spot. The centre of the lagoon has an unknown depth which made for an eerie swim across the middle of it. The water was only a metre deep until the middle where the ground would dramatically end giving way to a deepest dark abyss. This was my first experience of floating like this in salt water and it was great. However I would not recommend crouching at any point in this water as the high salt content can cause 'discomfort' right where one would prefer not to have that sensation :-o <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-chiQND7PJWA/UL83LM9pJcI/AAAAAAAABj4/U3mUJtsOUXc/s1600-h/SAM_2749%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2749" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-g36T4bumvhA/UL83MbE3KqI/AAAAAAAABkA/lb0tGjJW0V8/SAM_2749_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2749" width="244" /></a> </div>
After rinsing the salt off our faces with a modified week-killer container the guide had, off we went to the 'Ojos del salar' (the eyes of the salt flat). Initially I thought it was going to be a mystical, all-seeing, spiritual place or something like that but actually its merely two to holes in the salt flat that resemble a pair of eyes. These two holes were filled with freshwater who's level was about two to three metres below the salt flat which of course required a jump. Again this also had an unknown depth however because of the freshwater if one was to drown the body would sink to a probable unrecoverable depth unlike the previous lagoon. Naturally I somersaulted my way in and let me tell you it was very cold that I swear my heart skipped a beat because of it. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rROvlOIda3E/UL83PnctIEI/AAAAAAAABkI/SvYGB8Qa04E/s1600-h/SAM_2791%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2791" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MjZT8DeQoLc/UL83QpfChwI/AAAAAAAABkQ/UCblqFq1nsw/SAM_2791_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2791" width="244" /></a> </div>
The last stop was a beautiful lagoon with a crisp white salty shore where we would see the sun set over the salt flat on one side and the Andes mountain range reflect in the water on the other side. The tour also included a pisco sour which is a traditional Chilean alcoholic drink to finish the weekend in style. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Kwas5uDa3-o/UL83SbezFiI/AAAAAAAABkY/yxPeEPAY1e0/s1600-h/SAM_2817%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2817" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oZ81uFTNPAo/UL83TfiHetI/AAAAAAAABkg/HxYllrMXoCw/SAM_2817_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2817" width="244" /></a> </div>
Upon my return to the city I went to the trek agency to confirm that the hike was happening tomorrow and to my relief it was! <br />
Excited to try and summit the elusive Sairecabur, my first 6,006metre mountain I was up and ready at 5:30am. The car was better, the guide seemed good and group was great. We had an American, a Spaniard, a Columbian and the Chilean guide. We made it up passed both places where the van got stuck previously so all things were looking good. Last time we started climbing at 4800metre and this time we reached 5,500m by car as our starting point. I could already smell the summit! <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gVYX4kxb2RA/UL83WqQHBHI/AAAAAAAABko/AHIYNDxV1D4/s1600-h/SAM_2828%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2828" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Xsz2B_j5LWc/UL83XldII8I/AAAAAAAABkw/cvWmtZA3GdA/SAM_2828_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2828" width="244" /></a> </div>
The climb was technically quite difficult, the altitude made things harder and the blistering cold was very noticeable. We persevered and in 2hours 20minutes, at 10:40am on the 19<sup>th</sup> of November I reached the summit with the rest of the group 20-30mins behind. I think because I did the trek from 4,800m to 5,555m two days ago I was more acclimatised than the others. The view from the top was magical. I could see the 'laguna verde' (that's not so verde) on Bolivian side where I was earlier that week and the salt flat of the Chilean side. The 360 degree view was beyond impressive and took time to digest. At the top there was a small book within an orange case for all the summiteers to sign. I checked my altimeter on my phone and unfortunately it showed 5,971m unlike the promised 6,006m from the travel agent! Surprise surprise. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2uNjiXUV1kg/UL83ZB82GeI/AAAAAAAABk4/vB43BRIpCE0/s1600-h/SAM_2875%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2875" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--6MIH0lAop8/UL83aJr7o8I/AAAAAAAABlA/BOx628i9nyA/SAM_2875_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2875" width="244" /></a> </div>
After some food and group pictures we headed down. The wind was picking up and for this reason summit attempts here are always done early morning. Our trek down took time as some of the group started to develop altitude issues. The only thing one wants to do in this condition is sit and rest but actually the best thing is to continue down the mountain where the symptoms would dramatically improve. <br />
The sense of achievement from the climb was immense and i'm glad I hung around to try to summit again even though the altitude was not actually a 6,006m peak as promised. Wikipedia also marks it as 5,971m peak. We got back to the city of San Pedro de Atacama around 3pm and I wasted no time in booking my bus for that night down south and making a few purchases. One of which was a few beer bottles for the guys at the travel agent as a thank you for sorting out the 'issue'. <br />
On Tuesday morning I arrived at Capoipo from my overnight bus, I transferred to the coast village of La Bahia Inglesa and spent the day on a white sandy beach sipping refreshing drinks and tasting the fresh seafood while listening to the waves crash. One of the dishes was 'cerviche' which is basically raw fish marinated in lemon. Very tasty. <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nkGP4Sd8kaM/UL83b2ntrtI/AAAAAAAABlI/bJXzzclgHMw/s1600-h/IMG_1629%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1629" border="0" height="56" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FHinpqckHXc/UL83c1WH4NI/AAAAAAAABlQ/AC4JJu7bk2o/IMG_1629_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1629" width="244" /></a> <br />
Soon that day was over and I had to catch my next overnight bus to Valparaiso the port town near Santiago. Once the economic heart of Chile as a stopping port for ships navigating from the Atlantic to the pacific. Valparaiso saw its wealth plummet overnight upon the opening of the panama canal. Its bohemian feel mixed with colonial architecture gave it a very unique feel. The sprawling houses over the steep hillsides was very marked. To help citizens move up and down them the Brits built 'elevators' and 'funicular' type constructs littered round the city. Unfortunately only a few of them are now operational due to the cost of maintaining them. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NzHtqwoE_6c/UL83egOM0uI/AAAAAAAABlY/hS3rAQh0-Po/s1600-h/SAM_2917%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2917" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eC7XCv7UF10/UL83f5OGvsI/AAAAAAAABlg/YKV5lBSyn9Y/SAM_2917_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2917" width="184" /></a> </div>
Having arrived early that morning it meant I was able to join a free walking tour which works based on tips. It was great. This American guy called Chris took us round some of the big sights and also quaint little unknown places. One of the nice touches was when we stopped at a woman's house where she's made traditional biscuits and gave us free samples. At the end we also sampled some Pisco the chilean alcoholic beverage. On the tour the graffiti art was special, the steep streets charming and overall the tour was a must as an intro to the city. All funded by generosity and tips. <br />
With pointers of places to go from Chris, the guide, my first stop with a swiss couple was the house of Pablo Neruda the famous Chilean poet. Perfectly placed and with 5 floors of unique interior design. The audio guide was a fascinating insight into the man that became a national treasure. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ykwXkNqwOYU/UL83hSLj8pI/AAAAAAAABlo/XrqadG1gDho/s1600-h/SAM_2941%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_2941" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8VrCDZR4eBc/UL83iD5A3rI/AAAAAAAABls/1i6AoIx5yXc/SAM_2941_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_2941" width="184" /></a> </div>
From there I walked towards the hostel via the upper road soaking up the city and once back in the hostel I enjoyed a shower, a flat bed and a kip before heading out to dinner with the guys from the tour group to sample local delicacies. <br />
My last day in Valparaiso comprised of seeing some more graffiti art that was fresh from a recent competition, a boat tour and riding another elevator. <br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4M7mEjkbhhs/UL83jwoHoTI/AAAAAAAABl4/uk8ANzkEYLA/s1600-h/SAM_3001%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_3001" border="0" height="184" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yOfjIiCw3rM/UL83lkZqZvI/AAAAAAAABmA/j7RxTBu2znE/SAM_3001_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_3001" width="244" /></a> </div>
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wining graffiti competition house </div>
Satisfied I had 'Valpo' covered I headed to Santiago that afternoon on a one and a half hour bus journey. The hostel was a brilliant, red, colonial building recently refurbished in Barrio Brazil. It had a pool, huge communal areas and a great group of people. To finish my epic week I spent friday on a 'tours for tips' walking tour of central Santiago and tasted the typical Chorillana (French fries, finely cut onion, spicy sausage, beefsteak and, crowning it all, one or two fried eggs). The afternoon I spent time by the pool chatting with other guests and then we all had a huge barbacue meal at the hostel which was very filling. I
then went out and sample Santiago's famous night life and met some
cool locals.<br />
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Next week I head to Easter Island to marvel at the Moai statues and spend my last days in Latin America before heading to Australia. <br />
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-70438798470520203612012-11-20T07:13:00.001-08:002012-11-24T05:38:31.460-08:00Week 7 – Uyuni, Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile<p><u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u> <p><u>Week 7 – Uyuni, Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile</u> <p>10<sup>th</sup> until the 16th of November 2012 <p><u>In brief:</u> <ol> <li> <p>Cross the Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia.</p> <li> <p>Stay in a hostel built entirely out of salt.</p> <li> <p>Be amazed by the landscapes, fauna and altiplanic lagoons of south west Bolivia.</p> <li> <p>Walk around a Geyser field in the early hours.</p> <li> <p>Dip in a natural thermal bath at 4,000metres</p> <li> <p>Learn about the night skies with an astronomer and use the £30,000 telescopes.</p> <li> <p>Suffer for two nights while hundreds of bedbugs feast on me!</p> <li> <p>Crawl through the salt caves of “Valle de la luna” created by water thousands of years ago.</p> <li> <p>Attempt to summit my first ever 6,000 metre mountain but instead end up by pushing a stranded car for hours and treating our mountain guide for altitude sickness.</p></li></ol> <p>This week starts with a leisurely 6hour bus from Potosi through the vast expanse landscapes of south west Bolivia en route to Uyuni. With beautiful deserts, mountains, rock formations and wild vicunias (the more graceful type of llama) I'm glad I did this journey during the day. Uyuni is the starting point for most 4x4 car tours of the surrounding salt flats, mountains, lagoons and geysers. On arrival I had the mission of finding a three day tour starting tomorrow. With over 500 agencies selling apparently the same route but with varying levels of quality I had my work cut out. On my first stop I bumped into Chris, also a lone traveller from England, looking for the same thing. Then after talking to the first operator together I turned round to find Miriam and Eric the two Dutch couple on an eight month honeymoon trip that I got to know on the death road bike ride in La Paz. They were also looking for the same trip! What a coincidence. In the end we all found one operator that we liked the sound of but of course you never know with these things. Most of the time they just say things you want to hear and later once the tour has started you find out the little fibs they were telling. For only £75 we were all set to go on a 4x4 Toyota Land cruiser three day, two night tour of Bolivia's desolate south west. The morning of the tour we were joined by two girls from London, Julia and Dawn. Our first stop was the train graveyard. A place were mainly steam locomotives were sent to die. Due to the low humidity levels here the steel is really well preserved and some had even been converted into swings to form an eerie playground. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-D0L1WjfVg_E/UKudPMypcVI/AAAAAAAABg4/BVxwWeU0Mk4/s1600-h/SAM_2133%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2133" border="0" alt="SAM_2133" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UPU5H2DU_Fo/UKudQK59v5I/AAAAAAAABhA/zT1KpNM-fxY/SAM_2133_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>With cameras at the ready we headed off to the edge of the Uyuni salt flat to where they mine or collect salt. Just below the surface there is 'wet' salt so they scrape away the top layer into a pile and allow it to dry fully before collecting it in big trucks for processing. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-woAkCRtCPEE/UKudViIQyVI/AAAAAAAABhI/5pnNSEYl620/s1600-h/SAM_2140%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2140" border="0" alt="SAM_2140" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IW9O98JalXw/UKudWx5wcQI/AAAAAAAABhQ/SwzN3JQTshE/SAM_2140_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>From there we drove straight into the middle of the flat on what looked like an endless trail into the white distance. Half way to the centre of the flat we stopped to walk around the pristine white salt flat. The first thing you notice is the salt is shaped into hexagonal 'tiles' measuring around half a metre across. They form after crystallising in this way during the evaporation of surface water. Each made with incredible precision only mother nature could create such a spectacle. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-A1xoSOA-E1w/UKudZ7vmYYI/AAAAAAAABhY/re3jR7u_11Q/s1600-h/SAM_2168%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2168" border="0" alt="SAM_2168" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MwK0cnjxWFg/UKuda3wjI3I/AAAAAAAABhg/rKXvP2ssUVM/SAM_2168_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p> Naturally this iconic landscape called for us to take some silly pictures. Some worked better than others. :-) you wouldn't thing it was that hard to co-ordinate 6 people to jump at the same time to take a mid-air picture.... well let me tell you, its pretty hard. Then came lunch. It was the most amazing lunch comprising of a thin T-bone stake, quinoa and boiled vegetables. It was really unexpected and was a perfect compliment to the amazing backdrop. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7AavA4m4iQE/UKudeHRPm1I/AAAAAAAABho/fe-Xmpsx9Aw/s1600-h/SAM_2175%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2175" border="0" alt="SAM_2175" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vieCDdu_TTA/UKudfbBzU2I/AAAAAAAABhw/b4wm5PhbNwU/SAM_2175_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next stop was 'Osla del pescador' also known as 'Isla Incahuasi' an island in the middle of the salt plain with huge <i>Tritroreous</i> cactus dominating the mound of rock. It looks so out of place that again, only mother nature could have conjured this up. What was also strange is that despite the strong beating sun, the arid air, the desert vegetation and the fact that its mid-day, the temperature is surprisingly mild due to the altitude. Which is actually quite nice. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oiOXKGZhBnM/UKudjVGutcI/AAAAAAAABh4/xMZqmLVtHeM/s1600-h/SAM_2224%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2224" border="0" alt="SAM_2224" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2r_HHkxLvHA/UKudkue7hnI/AAAAAAAABiA/7tVGCFt9CC8/SAM_2224_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>From there we went due south to the salt hotel where everything from the tables and chairs to the chandeliers were made out of salt. I've never stayed in a salt hostel before. The floor was simply large granules of salt like a sandy beach indoors, brilliant! As we were just a short drive back onto to the salt flat we ventured back out again just in time for sunset. With more moisture the salt flat here has a different texture to the flat hexagons. Very knobbly and actually sounds like broken glass every time you take a step. Dinner was again surprisingly great and after a long day we hit the salt early (get it??). Its tiring having so much fun with great people! :-) <p>The next morning was an early start to make it across the vast expanses of desert terrain, winding round active volcanoes and stopping at idyllic altiplanic lagoons. Each lagoon different in colour due to the algae and minerals. Flocks of flamingoes... well... flock to feast on the salty water delicacies. We also stopped at the world famous 'arbol de la piedra' which is a rock that looks like a tree and that's it... however its strangely very appealing. It was also in an area full of rock formations that just called to be climbed. Like children in a playground we did just that. The end of the day finished next to 'La laguna colorada' where we would spend the night in a dingy hostel. With a 5am departure we didn't stay up to late. The reason for the early start was to catch the geysers during sunrise when the cool air would amplify the sulphurous steam coming out of the ground providing a marvellous spectacle. The geyser field was shaped by boiling mud-pools and sulphurous fumaroles. The lonely planet warned about not getting to close to these because the slippery mud and slope could result in you falling into the geysers. I thought to myself that no-one would be so stupid to do that and lo and behold a Korean chap wanted to get an up-close photo and started slipping into a fumarole! Luckily he managed to get some grip and get himself out of trouble. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Xi5HPB9lL8o/UKudn8W61vI/AAAAAAAABiI/Bf_q75LAphU/s1600-h/SAM_2493%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2493" border="0" alt="SAM_2493" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tGQ1A6_LfKI/UKudpEhaXTI/AAAAAAAABiQ/UJk_XsS7Wr0/SAM_2493_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>The next stop was a natural hot springs of <i>Polques</i> supplied by a constant flow of 30 degree water oozing from the ground. Although it was the stop where every single tourist stopped and got it. After two days of not showering we didn't care too much and soaked in this thermal hot-tub at 4,200 metres above sea level. The shimmering reflection of the morning sun on the lake next to it made it hard to imagine being anywhere else in the world right at that moment. As the water fed straight into the lake it was completely forbidden to use soaps, detergents etc... which is why to my surprise I saw three of the tour drivers taking a dip in a different thermal pool using shower gels and shampoo. I chatted to them asking them why rules were different for them than for tourists and why they didn't really care about the fauna or flora of the area that actually form their livelihood. Their reply was simply that I should 'F*** off gringo, we can do what we want in our country'. Charming chaps really! <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-niSQF_oS7mg/UKuduWYc-FI/AAAAAAAABiY/gr4ikE68tCY/s1600-h/SAM_2531%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2531" border="0" alt="SAM_2531" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XtBPVrNTFn4/UKudvxdp4MI/AAAAAAAABig/GHtNGgA4Uwk/SAM_2531_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Once back in the Jeeps we headed to some altiplanic lagoons including the 'laguna verde' (green lagoon) that is not so verde because the change in the algae this year! This didn't detract from anything as it still gave a glistening reflection of the volvan Licancabur 5,930m. This was also the last stop and made for a perfect goodbye to Bolivia as we approached the Bolivian-Chile boarder en route to San Pedro de Atacama. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-J_gePvEwebE/UKudzTjmoZI/AAAAAAAABio/q4AnCvO-9WM/s1600-h/SAM_2568%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2568" border="0" alt="SAM_2568" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ftJTJiFSIi0/UKud0s7RIuI/AAAAAAAABiw/MvASEOGgjSw/SAM_2568_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>Chris, Miriam, Eric and I had got to know each other well for the last three days so we all went to the same cheap hostel and then signed up to the stargazing tour together. This took place at a French astronomer’s property who moved here a long time ago due to the perfect stargazing climate of dry air, barely any clouds year-round and the low light pollution. On the tour, we spent an hour learning about the southern hemisphere's glorious night sky, the constellations and some history behind the names. For the second hour we got the chance to look through some very expensive £30,000 telescopes at different stars, planets and galaxies. We also got to see plenty of shooting stars. The average here is ten per hour but I saw almost twenty. Did you know that a fragment the size of a grain of rice can cause a shooting star effect?! <p>The next morning proved to be the low point of my holiday so far... I realised I hadn't had the best night sleep what I didn't know was why until I looked at my arms and in the mirror. I was covered in bed bug bites!! I showed the hostel owner and he said that it could not have been from the beds because its been recently fumigated and its more likely to be mosquitoes from the stargazing. I didn't feel any mosquitoes bite me last night but I gave him the benefit of the doubt nevertheless. After a fairly relaxing day recovering from the Uyuni tour we got an early night. That's were it all went wrong. It gave the bed bugs plenty of time to attack again despite me being in a different bed. I couldn't sleep because of the itching. It was simply horrible. In the morning I was 100x times worse. The cleaner looked under the mattresses and found hundred of 'chinches', as they call them, with plenty more eggs waiting to hatch after the mothers feasted on me! Suffice to say I decided to change hostels, put all my clothes in plastic bags and take them to the laundry to be washed at high temperature. The owner of the hostel had the cheek of offering me mosquito repellent to spray on me for the following night. “No thanks” I said and off I went to a different hostel. <p>The bedbug bites sure did itch but I wasn't about to let that dampen my spirits so I booked myself on to a tour of the valle de la muerte (death valley) and Valle de la Luna (moon valley) which included a walk through the salt caves. It was pretty cool to walk round the desolate landscapes with unusual geology and we also got to hike through the salt caves which were tunnels in the salt mountains carved by underwater rivers thousands of years ago. The group was really cool too and what better way to finish the day than by watching the sunset from the overhanging 'piedra del coyote' (coyote rock). <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tXhFwNKSai8/UKud3dUsSoI/AAAAAAAABi4/hPBc5pmkuzg/s1600-h/SAM_2649%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2649" border="0" alt="SAM_2649" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ud7cH_Hhr8s/UKud4xAUrvI/AAAAAAAABjA/GkgeyxS0Y0w/SAM_2649_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p>For the next day I had booked myself on to a one day trek of the nearest 6,006 metre peak, Sairecabur. With a 5:30 am start, well 6am because the guide was late, I was raring to go. We stopped to watch the sunrise and the continued up the road right up to the point when the guide started to read a text on his phone, he took the bend to sharply and ended up by hitting a rock on his front tire and swerving off the road until the van was stuck straddling a sand bank on the side of the road. Seeing as the sand was soft, the van was not a 4x4 and the fact that the tires had no tread left on them we were not going anywhere! It took lots of pushing, sand in the face and stones under the tires to finally get the van free after two hours. Which of course meant we were two hours late starting our ascent. This was until the van got stuck again 10km away and 650m below the starting point! After multiple failed attempts to get the car free the guide decided we should still head off and try and make summit. Little did we know how far away we actually were and realistically stood no chance in making the summit in one day! Climbing over boulders, slipping on scree and getting breathless from the altitude Sedric, the other tourist, and I were doing surprisingly well. The guide on the other-hand was going very slowly and keen to get lots of breaks along the way. It didn't take long for us to realise that he was suffering from altitude sickness! He was adamant it was his viral illness so we continues up to 5,500m when, at 3:30pm, he fainted and could not go on! As it was getting late and the rescue car was coming at 5pm we nursed him down back to the van that was still stuck and had no rescue car insight. Worried about the impending darkness and cold temperatures Sedric and I persevered to get the van free from the soft sand. Once we succeeded that's when we noticed that both front wheels weren't pointing the same way! It must've been damaged in this morning's incident which meant we not only had a two wheel drive van with no tread on the tires but we also had reduced steering capabilities! Perfect for a cliff hugging dirt track back to town! Luckily we arrived safely to town at 9:30 pm. Unfortunately because I was told we'd be back by 3pm it meant I also missed my bus out of town that cost me 17,000 Chilean pesos. All in all it seems I'm not having much luck in this town. <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XgLUeO2nyF0/UKud-YXCzvI/AAAAAAAABjI/yYF22LyLFLc/s1600-h/SAM_2700%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="SAM_2700" border="0" alt="SAM_2700" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WT8sZpZtQJk/UKud__m2tDI/AAAAAAAABjQ/YoDl-vcwPq8/SAM_2700_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184"></a> <p align="center">Handstand at our unintentional end-point at 5,555metres <p>Next week I see if I can get my hands on a refund for the trek or at least part of it and I also aim to head south towards Santiago. Lets hope my bad luck changes! Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-25314277206053264122012-11-14T08:41:00.000-08:002012-11-14T08:41:38.422-08:00Fred's world tour week 6 - La Paz to Potosi<br />
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>Week 6
– La Paz to Potosi in Bolivia</u></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
3<sup>rd</sup>
until the 9th of November 2012</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>In
brief:</u>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sightsee
La paz, including Valle de la luna, coca leaf museum and cemetery
the day after 'El dia del muerto' (day of the dead).</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cycle
down the world's most dangerous road, the 'Carretera de la muerte'
(Death Road)</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Witness
the sunrise from Isla del Sol on lake Titicaca and trek from north
to south of the island.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
See
Argentina's first ever flag.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Visit
68 million year old dinosaur footprints.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Venture
deep into the cooperative mines of 'El Cerro Rico' in Potosi</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Be
part of a traditional independence day display.</div>
</li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Being at
3,660 metres high in La Paz, the highest capital city in the world,
makes any minor activity a huge effort. You get a headache easily and
constantly feel you've just run a half marathon. For my second day of
acclimatisation I took a open top tour bus to the south of the city
with the ultimate aim to learn about the city's history and end up at
the Valle de la Luna. The city seems to be built on sand/rubble and
unfortunately for the hillside houses each rainy season takes away
more of the land beneath them until the house ends up in the river.
I'm sure it seemed like a good idea building there when trees helped
to hold the land together but then they decided to use the trees for
combustible fuel hence the huge erosion problem. This erosion did
cause and impressive landscape at the south of the city. The so
called Moon valley for its alien landscape was a great place to 'run'
around. This was overlooked by the devil's tooth mountain because of
its appearance to, yep you guessed it, a tooth.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xzrE-QkUkKY/UKOc_yN6aaI/AAAAAAAABeU/zssw0mpbPsA/s1600/SAM_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xzrE-QkUkKY/UKOc_yN6aaI/AAAAAAAABeU/zssw0mpbPsA/s320/SAM_1678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the way
back I learned how England has influenced La paz and Bolivia as a
whole. In its mining industry, railway, tennis, football and even the
bowler hat fashion of the indigenous women. It turns out the reason
most of the indigenous women wear bowler hats is thanks to a British
hat maker in Bolivia who was failing to sell his stock of bowler hats
to the men so he then went on to sell them to high society's women
claiming that they were all the fashion in Europe. Unfortunately this
trick worked and then the lower class indigenous population copied.
Until this day bowler hats are worn by the indigenous females as part
of their traditional wear! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NFvRDiQ4lPY/UKOkRmIyl8I/AAAAAAAABeo/E8hyqbniiL4/s1600/SAM_1726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NFvRDiQ4lPY/UKOkRmIyl8I/AAAAAAAABeo/E8hyqbniiL4/s320/SAM_1726.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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That afternoon after the tour I went for a
huge walk around the city to the Olympic stadium where a replica of
the Tiwanaku ruins were. Although its not the real thing its quite
nice to see the ruins from yesterday in full detail like they used to
be before being weathered away. From there I went to some lookouts of
the city, plazas and ended up in the cemetery. I'm used to cemeteries
being really quiet and deserted places. This was completely
different. It was full of life. Relatives walking around everywhere.
They were singing, crying, praying, cleaning the plaques, changing
the flowers, having picnics and drinking. Graves were in the form of
towering stack sometimes reaching three stories high! Resembling more
like apartment blocks than a grave yard. This was bizarrely a great
experience.</div>
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The next
day was the activity that I've been looking forward to doing every
since I heard about it some 10 years ago... and that's to cycle down
the death road or 'carretera de la muerte'. Named as such because
before 2007 the road was used for two way traffic to Coroico. The
road is a very narrow, cliff hugging dirt road constantly changing
because of landslides. Many people died before the opening of the
alternative and safer road. The road still sees its share of
fatalities as some still see it as a short-cut with less traffic! The
most recent was a car full of people died 4months ago. Its not
unheard of for bikers to also go off the edge since it gained appeal
among thrill seekers! The descent started as some 4000metres on paved
road where you could get some serious speed going downhill. The idea
was to get used to the bikes. Then we had breakfast and soon after
were on the gravel track of the death road. Hardly wide enough for
one car its hard to believe this was used for two way traffic with
some passing areas. The cliffs on the left side of the road were
ridiculously impressive and adrenaline pumping. We learnt that we had
to ride on the left side i.e. the cliff side because up going
vehicles have priority of the safer side! Not a problem then! For the
next 50km I've never been so scared, excited, amazed and blownaway by
any experience before. I was going fast, doing jumps, skids,
overtaking and putting my dual suspension bike to its limits. I kept
thinking that something like this would not be allowed in the UK. A
minor lapse in concentration or brake problem and you could be off
the edge! The ride ended around 2pm at some 2,000 metres lower and at
a completely different climate! The tour included buffet lunch at the
bottom and the use of a great pool. Just want the doctor ordered!
(sorry :-)
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From Death
road to Copacabana on the shores of lake Titicaca the highest
navigable lake in the world and covers 8,400 squared kilometres.
Incidental it was an English-made steam boat that was the first
mechanical boat to float on its waters! It was carried in bits by
Llamas from Chile. On the Monday I took a bus to this scenic
lake-side town, I climbed up the pilgrimage trail of the Calvario to
give me a better view of the lake and town. Again because its still
3808m up in the Andes this was no mean feat. I made it back down just
in time for the 13:30 boat to the north part of the Isla del sol
(Island of the sun) where according to Inca mythology the sun was
created. The village at the north island is nothing but about 50
houses. Some have built extensions with rooms to accommodate tourist.
As the boat landed a 12year old boy persuades me to check out his
family's place. I drag along Annabel, Maxime and a Columbian couple.
Impressed by the view, the cleanliness and the price of £2.5 for the
night we all picked our rooms. All rooms had windows facing the beach
and where the sun would rise tomorrow morning. We left our bags in
the room and then went for a wonder. During the walk I got to know
the other travellers, met Aymara (indigenous families) working on the
fields, crossed paths with llamas and also appreciated the beautiful
surrounds where we had chosen to stay the night. The walk ended at
'the' restaurant seeing as its the only one in town. At the table I
found myself around a table with 5 nurses, four french and one swiss,
and also Maxime. Maxime is a French Club Med fitness instructor who
looks like a pretty big rugby player so you couldn't imagine that
only 4 days ago he took a dodgy taxi that took him to a dark alleyway
where three men assaulted him! They took all his possessions and
clothes leaving him in his underwear. He was beaten pretty badly
especially his face. He was then picked up by police who arrested him
for indecent exposure and wanted to fine him a lot of money. Never
mind that he had just been robbed and kicked in the head repeatedly!
Anyway as was for my case the embassy came to the rescue and he
thankfully was released with no fines. Crazy stories like this
probably put anyone off travelling but it has to be said that they
are very rare.</div>
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The next
morning, after a stormy night I was up on the balcony enjoying the
sunrise around 6am with a bag of fruit as my breakfast. It was very
early on a crispy cold morning and yet I saw lots of men and women
go work on the fields or take the animals out. They are very devoted
and kind people. They are however very much against having their
picture taken. That day I got a group together and we all set off up
the mountain in search of our first Inca ruins. Lake Titicaca is so
vast, blue and placid which made for a stunning trek. From seeing the
ruins to the north we trekked to the south along the mountain ridge.
The sun was beating down hard on us but because of the altitude it
wasn't particularly hot and difficult to tell if you were getting
burnt.</div>
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With
three indigenous 'checkpoints' we had to pay three times for the
privilege of walking along the island! By the third we thought they
must be joking. After almost 5hours of beautiful trekking and two
mostly unimpressive ruins I was on the boat back to Copacabana to
feast on one last whole trout fresh from the lake. With belly full we
were treated to an impressive sunset en route to La Paz by bus. La
paz had torrential rain to welcome us back.</div>
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With time
flying by I wasted no time in getting my overnight bus to Sucre to
appreciate the whitewashed colonial city of Bolivia. Annabel and I
relaxed in the nice green plaza took in the atmosphere followed by a
visit to the museum where the first ever Argentinian flag is kept. It
looks a bit tatty if you ask me but the glass case I suppose is doing
a good job preserving this ancient treasure :-) . From there Annabel
and I went out of town to the highlight of the city, the 68million
year old dinosaur footprints. A cement factory had dug into the
mountain and stopped where there was a change in the rock type. This
left a cliff-face exposed to the elements where after a few months
the weather helped to erode a layer and expose the glorious dinosaur
footprints you can see today. Obviously when the dinosaurs roamed the
earth that piece of land was horizontal and only the rise of the
Andes made them vertical..... otherwise those were dinosaurs with
spider-man talents! The tourist park was well done with moulds of the
prints and live size figures which made for an interesting walk
around.
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From there
Annabel and I thought we had pretty much seen all there is of Sucre
so off we went our separate ways that afternoon. The hostal charged
me half a day's fee and then I went to Potosi. Potosi is next to 'El
Cerro Rico' which once housed the richest supply of silver ore and
other minerals that made Potosi the wealthiest city in South America
for a period. It also apparently underwrote the Spanish economy for
almost two decades. Today was it left is mostly white silver, zinc,
copper, arsenic and very bitter locals that hate the Spanish people!
My Spanish accent of course didn't help things! The next day I went
and did what is thought to be Potosi's 'must-do thing', a mine tour.
It was only me who signed up to the tour that day which meant a more
personal experience of the mines. I donned the hard-hat, lamp,
jacket, trousers, wellies and got the intro from the guide. From the
start of the tour the guide was racist, sexist, homophobic and rude
in so many other ways I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing.
There was a lot of fake smile and nodding from my part. Never the
less the tour was informative. The first stop was the miners market
we bought 96% alcohol, two bottles of squash and beer. These were as
offerings to the miners we were to see en route. The 96% alcohol I
thought was to clean machinery or tools but no this was 'Bolivian
potable alcohol' for drinking! 30 mins into the mines we found a
group of 4 miners and sat in a little tunnel with a light, chatting
for 1hour while they consumed shots of squash mixed with the 96%
alcohol. My guide took a few more liberties than the rest which meant
I spent the next hour and a half following a drunk guide through
small, dark, dusty and arsenic infested tunnels. It was actually
quite entertaining . He would burst into song, randomly decide to go
down a narrow hole, crawl in tunnels and explain to me how to kill
someone with just a thumbs worth of arsenic he was holding! All in
all I felt I got to know a lot about a miners, life, culture and the
complete disregard for their own health. All this for the shiny
silver we find in everyday life. On the way back to the hostel we
stopped at the refinery which apparently broke every ecological and
chemical safety rule ever created because there were 'no
repercussions'. Good to know.</div>
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That
afternoon I really didn't feel well, not sure if it was the gases in
the mines, the altitude or the dust despite me buying an industrial
mask. I was tired, had a headache and felt like I wasn't able to
think properly. I definitely wouldn't have done the mine tour without
the mask because of what i'd heard about the air quality so I can't
imagine what I would be like after if I hadn't used one. After
recovering a little bit I went for some sightseeing round the centre.
The 'Casa nacional de le moneda' was an impressive museum that told
the story of where Bolivia's and Spain's currency was made using
furnaces, presses and cutters. There was also an impressive
collection of silver artefacts, minerals and paintings from around
South America. Did you know that none of Bolivia's currency is now
made in country due to the expense of fabricating it? The bills are
made in Holland, the 5 Boliviano coin in Canada and the rest of the
coins made in Chile.</div>
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That
evening the hole town was celebrating the 202<sup>th</sup> year of
independence from Spain so there were parades of people, brass bands
and even little kids botton twirling. A great way to end week 6.</div>
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<u>Next
week:</u> I travel to Uyuni to do
a three to 4 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats. Then I may either go
into Chile or Argentina.
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<u>Route so far:</u></div>
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</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210576974199505838166.0004cd4f3b7ab7bf1a2f4&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=-24.846565,-58.359375&spn=27.69843,37.353516&z=4&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210576974199505838166.0004cd4f3b7ab7bf1a2f4&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=-24.846565,-58.359375&spn=27.69843,37.353516&z=4&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Fred´s world tour
- Route</a> in a larger map</small></div>
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-86084790624489127472012-11-08T17:08:00.000-08:002012-11-14T08:40:46.319-08:00Fred's world tour week 5 - Paraguay to Bolivia<br />
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<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u></div>
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<u>Week 5– Paraguay to Bolivia</u></div>
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27<sup>th</sup>of October until the 2<sup>nd</sup> of November 2012</div>
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<u>Inbrief:</u> </div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Roast like a Christmas turkey in the heat of Asuncion, Paraguay</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Shave my head for charity.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Melt on the worst 22hour bus ride I've ever had!</div>
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<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Visit Santa Cruz and get detained by three Interpol police officers for 2hours.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Go to the wildlife reserve of quimbe in Santa Cruz,</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Visit the ancient Inca ruins of Tiwanaku near La paz</div>
</li>
</ol>
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This weekbegan by waking up to temperatures reaching 36 degrees in the morningrising to highs of forty something in the shade during the day! Whatwas worse is that the sun was so strong you felt like your skin wasbeing scorched and the effect was multiplied by the fact that thereis no breeze. This was spring time and apparently similar temps occurin the winter time which means this land locked country must not be avery desirable place to live. Luckily for me I booked myself into ElViajero the only hostels here with a pool. With little options but tostay indoors or in the pool I spent the morning sorting throughpractical things like laundry, booking bus tickets to bolivia,booking flights to borneo and shaving my head for charity! At thispoint I'm only £150 away from reaching my fund raising total for theRaleigh international charity at <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/fredcj">www.justgiving.com/fredcj</a>I thought I would need to take drastic measures so I asked people tosponsor me to shave my head. I went to a local barbers whointerestingly enough cut the hair of US army personnel and has aframed picture to prove on the wall. I videoed the whole thing, putpictures up online and e-mailed people to sponsor me. Fingerscrossed.</div>
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Thatevening I felt like an animal that had been imprisoned all day so Iwent for wonder around during the 'cooler' time of day and wore myrunning kit in case I managed to make it to the river font. Ithappens that the entire river front is all under construction buttaking shape nicely. I wouldn't mind betting I'm the first gringo torun along these unfinished promenades. With the intense heat, even atnight, and the building site as its not hard to see why? Aftergetting to know lots of the other hostel residents during the day thehostel organised a 'parrillada', a grilled meat dinner. This was asocial occasion to chat to other travellers and another reason whyhostels are great. You wouldn't have to stay in a dorm room like meand risk a sleepless night but hostels also have private rooms withen-suites or shared bathrooms. This way one can benefit from all thegreat things about hostels without the discomfort. I know what Iwould do when I get a bit older :-).</div>
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TheSunday was like being in a completely different country, it wascloudy and lots of wind. In other circumstances I would be a bitmiffed (annoyed) after the luck I've had with the weather whiletravelling but actually this was a welcomed relief from the heat. Itmeant I could go do some sightseeing and sampling the local foodbefore embarking on my 22 hour bus journey to Bolivia that evening</div>
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The railway museum - full of British made objects relating to the railway.</div>
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When the bus pulled up with windows open, air conditioning notworking, and an engine noise that didn't sound healthy I knew I wasin for a rough ride. Boy was I right! Within the first 30minutes allthe seats were reclined, felt like there was no space even for asmall(ish) guy like me, I was sweating like a piglet already and itwas 9pm!. To top it all off one of the window's got hit by a stoneand glass went flying around the cabin. Luckily for me I had my eyesclosed when the glass rained down on my face! The good thing aboutthe journey is that they had a guy who gave us simple three meals,drinks along the way and was our co-ordinator. He was telling us whento get off, where to go for the immigration checks and army checkpoints.... There were lots of army checks! Not entirely sure whatthey achieve except adding hours to our already long journey time. Below is Bolivian immigration!</div>
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I wasglad to see the terminal in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in south eastBolivia, tired, smelly, covered in my own sweat, hot and in desperateneed of a number two because you would not want to go in the bustoilet or any public toilets en route! I'm sure you wanted to knowthat :-)</div>
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The lightat the end of the tunnel for was the pool at the hostal Jodanga. Itdidn't take me long to get swimming and chilling pool-side getting toknow the other hostel guests. Over the next three days I explored thecity of Santa Cruz, saw blond haired Menonites in the town centre,went to a local wildlife reserve, spent time in the pool and gotdetained by Interpol (International Police)! Oh yeah! for 2 hours,three officers detained me in their bus terminal office claiming thatI should be carrying my immigration paper as well as identification.I only came out of my hostel to the terminal to buy my bus ticket forlater that day and only had my ID. Anyway its my understanding thatthe immigration paper is only needed on entry/exit of the country andupon request but not to be carried at all times. I said I wouldhappily retrieve it from the hostel. Unfortunately they said it wastoo late for that and that I should pay them 500 Bolivianos as afine. To do this they would have to take me to the city'sheadquarters and this would take 3-4hours and I could get a receiptfor the fine! I naturally wasn't best pleased as I don't believe Idid anything wrong. After a bit more arguing the officer suggested Icould alternatively pay them 250 Bolivianos and be released right nowbut 'of course I wouldn't get a receipt'! I smelt a fish! With someresistance/persuasion I convince them that we should go to my hostelpick up my passport, immigration document and money and then pay thefine. Their eyes lit up and agreed. They didn't even drive me therein an official police car. I felt very threatened as all three ofthem kept holding their gun holsters and handcuffs at any sign of megetting angry or raising my voice. Pretty scary to be in thisposition in a foreign country such as Bolivia. As soon as the hostelbuzzed us in at the front door I ran to my locker to get my guidebookand phoned the UK embassy from a hidden corner of the hostel. Theysaid Interpol were completely wrong, I should stay where I was andthey would call the front desk of the hostel and they would speak tothe officers directly. The officers were very surprised when thereceptionist handed them the phone and said it was for them. Theysoon changed their attitude and claimed they weren't going to fine meand that they only wanted to see I had the documents as a matter ofroutine. They did some serious back-pedalling! That right there, is aspanking by the British embassy over the phone! I've never been sorelieved in my life. The next thing I did is pack and then get thebus ticket I was going to get that morning (with the immigrationpaper just in case). I could then relax the rest of the day at thewildlife reserve with two Brits who were also going. At the end ofthe tour the park had a pool to cool down in.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After myincident with the police, it was nice to be on an overnight bus awayfrom there to La Paz. Unfortunately for me I discovered that aBolivian's thermostat is thoroughly skewed. The first part of thetrip I was boiling in the bus with the window open and the rest ofthem covering themselves with thick blankets on their already heavilylayered attire! The second part of the journey the heating wascranked up to the max as we reached the altiplano at nearly 4,000m,again roasting. Arriving in la paz was nice. Cool air temperaturewith bright sun. I checked in to the Bacoo hostel and then went for awonder round town. It was similar to Cusco in many ways, the localindigenous ladies selling things on the road side, the handicraftsand the toxic fumes of the unregulated motor vehicles. Excited to behere and chatting to other travellers I spent some time with theon-site travel agent and found out about good things to do in La Paz.My first stop was Tiwanaku an ancient Inca ruin 72km west of town.Said to be one of the oldest settlements before even Machu Picchu itmade for a great full day tour. During the day I got to know someother travellers Becky and Hallana. We had a traditional alpaca steaklunch and then visited a museum which concluded the visit to the ruins.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That night we came back to the hostel for the Halloween party at thehostel which was a great way to end my 5<sup>th</sup> week oftravelling. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Nextweek's plan is to see La Paz, Cycle down the world's most dangerousroad 'La carretera de la muerte' (Death Road) and got to lakeTiticaca the highest navigable lake in the world.</div>
Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-79472665182617313722012-11-03T16:17:00.000-07:002012-11-08T15:50:18.359-08:00Fred's world tour week 4 - Rio to Paraguay<br />
<div align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b>Fred's world tour</b></u></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>Week 4
– Rio de Janeiro to Paraguay</u></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
20<sup>th</sup>
until 26<sup>th</sup> of October 2012</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>In
brief:</u>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Run
and workout one last time at the beach gym overlooking the Sugar
loaf mountain.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Go to
a real Samba school and see a carnival demonstration and party with
them after.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bump
into Alistair Brownlee Team GB's 2012 Olympic gold triathlon
champion on my run around the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Ipanema.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sip
Caipirinhas on Ipanema beach on a gloriously sunny day with a great
group of friends.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
See
the enormous waterfalls of Iguazu.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Walk
through the second biggest hydroelectric damn in the world.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wonder
through the ruins of Jesuit missions in Paraguay.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Time flies
when you are having fun and I can't believe I’ve only got two more
days left in Rio. With the late, caipirinha-fulled Friday night with
Jose and some other friends it took time for us to get going. It was
overcast so beach was not really on the cards. I took the opportunity
to go for another run along the beach and use the outdoor gym. Its
really hard to resist this amazingly scenic place to do sport. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Then
that evening we sampled the delights of a restaurant that you pay per
kilo of food you put on your plate. Its set out like a buffet with a
variety of traditional food and then at the end your plate is
weighed. You are given a receipt, you take it to the till at the end
of your meal. Its very common to find these here and they are great
because you can try lots of different foods and only pay for what you
want to eat. To start the night we headed to Tijuca samba school to
the north of the centre where they were having demonstrations from
their best samba dancers in typical outfits as a 'warm up' to
carnival I suppose. It also works as a fund-raiser for the school
because you pay to get in. There's food, drink and a great party
atmosphere not to mention the traditional Brazilian spectacle. With
no other foreigner in sight its moments like this when its amazing to
have a local who can show you round some places not in the
guidebooks. Very cool! This was Saturday night so as the samba
demonstrations finished Jose suggested we go to Lapa and get some
caipirinahs (can you see a trend developing here on a Rio night out?
:-). Who was I do decline going to the best street party spot in Rio
for the second time!<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On Sunday
Jose had to go to work for the morning so I decided to go sightsee
the only other place on my Rio to do list. That included going to
visit Leblon, Ipanema and the 'Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas' behind
Ipanema. What better way to see it than to jog around it. So although
is seems strange I took the tube to Ipanema and then ran from there.
Three quarter’s of the way round I came across Alistair Brownlee,
the Olympic triathlon gold champion for team GB. He has such a
distinct run and after cheering him on at the Olympics its hard to
forget his face. It was only yesterday that I read an article online
saying that he has had his appendix out recently and to recover has
gone to Brazil! This was such an amazing coincidence. He was just
doing a leisurely run in the opposite direction. I'm not sure if I
was too 'star struck' or too determined to continue run in the other
direction but I didn't stop and chat to him. Maybe its for the best,
he might have thought I was very lame. In hindsight though, I should
have spoken to him seeing as he is a bit of a hero now. However
hindsight is a wonderful thing! To finish my running tour I ran
barefoot along Ipanema beach amazing to be running in such a
spectacular setting. It was even more blissful later to go the beach
and sip caipirinhas on a sun-lounger, swimming in the sea and
chatting to some friends until sunset. Little did we expect
torrential rain around 9pm but hey, Rio can be like that in spring
apparently .</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Monday saw
me fly out to Foz Iguacu the Brazilian side of the famous waterfalls
of Iguazu (notice the different spelling). The next day I wondered to
the falls and got to admire the huge power of hundreds of waterfalls
that convene in this area. The geology explains the falls by a change
in rock density at that particular spot but the legend tells a
completely different reason. According to the legend there once was a
god who's relationship with a woman was frowned upon by the other
gods. One day as the couple were taking a boat down the river Iguazu
another god caused the earth to open below them. The women perished
into the abyss and turned to stone while the god turned into an
overhanging tree watching over his fallen lover, a tree that still
stand there today.... Personally I prefer the legend better.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Later that
day I went for a tour inside the second biggest hydroelectric dam of
'Itaipu Binacional'. This joint project between Brazil and Paraguay
went on to decimate wildlife, obstruct a migratory fish route and
cost billions. All this in the search of 'clean' energy for both
countries. The damn has 20 turbines. Two turbines can meet all of
Paraguay's energy demands! The other 8 that Paraguay owns is used to
sell energy to Brazil and interestingly enough none of the
electricity generated is used locally and is sent out directly to San
Paolo state for distribution.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The next
day I took an organised tour to the Argentinian side of the falls. It
is said that the Brazilian side is for the panorama and the
Argentinian side is for the immersed experience. They weren't wrong!
Via a series of wooden walkways you are able to get right up close
to the falls to awe at their power and intensity. Not only that but
the walk led us to see some small monkeys, a marsupial-type animal,
toucans, lizards and very big iguanas. To finish the day off we went
on the waterfall boat ride. We got right up close, got very wet and
really got the 'immersed' experience everyone has been talking about.
From there we went to the 'Three points' on the Argentinian side
where you can see the other two countries all separated by rivers.
This is where I left the tour group and Lucy, a very cool traveller
whom I spent most of the day with. The tour group went back to Brazil
side and I stayed in Argentina so that the following day I could take
bus to Posadas and then to Paraguay.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The trip
was long but I made it across to Encarnacion at the south east part
of Paraguay. Did you know that Paraguay in it's greed for more
hydroelectric energy flooded half the city of Encarnacion for yet
another damn!? It means a whole renovation of the river front from
slums to a quaint river-side walkway and artificial beach so I
suppose that's nice. Paraguay is not really on many traveller’s
itinerary and they tend to go round Paraguay on the Argentinian side.
I think its mainly because of the lack of tourism infrastructure to
the different sights. If something is very hard or complicated to
visit less people do it. It didn't deter me, the eerie pristine
jesuit missions of 'Trinidad' and 'Jesus' where worth the effort and hitch-hiking made for some
interesting conversation with locals.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I also sampled the local
delicacy, 'chipa', a type of bread made with manioc flour, eggs and
cheese. Very filling. From Encarnacion there was a 6 hour bus to
Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, and what better way to start my
stay in Asuncion than with a night out with some guys from the
hostel. One of them was a doctor, qualified 2 years ago and is about
to apply for specialist training in anaesthetics. He is in the exact
same career position as me! How random! I could probably afford to
stay in a nicer hotel than a £7 per night hostel but I love when
these sort of encounters happen not to mention the other great
Argentinians, French, Germans and Uruguyans that were also staying at
the same place.</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That winds
up week 4. The next plan is to stay in Asuncion a few days and then
head north into Menonite and Chaco territory of northern Paraguay on the way to
Bolivia.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-9617255276695936192012-10-30T20:49:00.006-07:002012-11-01T17:15:00.206-07:00Fred's world tour week 3 - Rio De Janeiro<br />
<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b>Fred's
world tour</b></u></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>Week 3 – Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil</u></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
13<sup>th</sup> until
19<sup>th</sup> of October 2012</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>In brief:</u>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Partied on the
streets of Lapa, drinking Caipirinhas until the early hours.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Explored the
bohemian district of Santa Teresa.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Walked down the
famous 'Escadaria Selaron' (Tile staircase of Selaron) and met the
creator.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take the funicular
to 'Christo Redentor' (Christ the redeemer) and awe at the views
over Rio.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Watch the sunset
over Rio from the 'Pao de acucar' (sugarloaf mountain)</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Delta hang-gliding
over Rio and land on San Conrado's white sandy beach.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Run and stroll
along the beaches of Flamengo, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take a motorbike
tour of two favelas (hillside slums) including where Michael Jackson
filmed the music video for his song 'The don't really care about
us'.</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take a beginner's
class of samba.
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This week started with
a short flight from Florianopolis to Rio de Janeiro's domestic
airport of Santos Dummont. It was a hairy landing approach dodging
the famous hills of Rio but meant I could walk straight into
downtown. I was unfortunately welcomed with cloudy skies and more
rain later as if its been following me from Buenos Aires. Still, I
was excited and rearing to see the highly recommended 'ciudade
maravilhosa'. It was named after the Portuguese arrived in January
1502 and they though it was at a mouth of a river hence 'Rio of
January'. All hostels were booked up because it was a national
holiday so I managed to find a not-so-good hostel in Santa Theresa.
It was in fact a blessing in disguise because the other backpackers
at the hostel were a great. We all had a disco nap and walked down to
Lapa the party centre of Rio which happened to be just down the
hill.... a very steep hill. Lapa was crazy, streets closed off,
people were partying everywhere, clubs lined the road and stalls
selling the very best caipirinhas for £1.5!! With clubs open until
8 or 9am it was hard to stay until the end because I didn't bring my
sunglasses unlike all the locals in the know! Five in the morning
was late enough for me. I didn't want to waste the next day.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Unfortunately because
breakfast at hostels are only served until 10am it means no lie-ins
for us. Then again it was a good excuse to kick start the day and
'carpe dium' . The view from the hillside hostel for breakfast was
great and this view was only going to get better as we walked uphill
and round the bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. Artistic
graffiti paintings covered the walls, tram tracks lined the road
(currently not working due to tragic death a year ago) and quaint
restaurants gave it a great authentic Brazilian atmosphere. From
parque de Las Ruinas we caught our first view of the 'Pao de acucar'
(sugarloaf) on a beautiful day.; Then we walked down the selaron
stairs. These stairs are the creation of Chilean-born artist Jorge
Selaron whom has spent decades collecting tiles from 60 countries
around the world to decorate this stair case. To this day he sits
there next two his own house selling art and continues to add touches
to the staircase. He is so at home on the stairs that when I got a
picture with him he was picking his toes :-) . to finish the day we
cooked our own food and sampled a few tipples at local Santa Teresa bars.
</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The next few days Mark,
Johanna and I did some of the big name sights of Rio. Took the
funicular to the Christ the redeemer statue which is currently one of
the seven wonders of the modern world. The views were great and I
don't think I have ever taken so many photos from one place before.
Also what I didn't realise is that there is a tiny, cute little
chapel inside the base of the Christ. </div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We also walked around the
famous beaches of Copacabana and ipanema which was very beautiful and
a surreal experience. Including going to the cafe where 'the girl
from ipanema' was written by Tom Jobin. Going up to see the sugarloaf
by cable car was pretty special. What was even better was seeing the
sunset from there and also waiting to see Rio at night all lit up. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksy48fPwuBE/UJCX2PXW7eI/AAAAAAAABao/Pz5N9Y4rQNA/s1600/SAM_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksy48fPwuBE/UJCX2PXW7eI/AAAAAAAABao/Pz5N9Y4rQNA/s320/SAM_1011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
also managed to convince Jo to come and go delta hang-glide with me
over Rio. The flight was short but very special seeing rio from the
air and being able to land of the pristine beach of San Conrado. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pp-myaqfh2A/UJCY48zufOI/AAAAAAAABa4/ZR2paMpoiwc/s1600/GOPR3342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pp-myaqfh2A/UJCY48zufOI/AAAAAAAABa4/ZR2paMpoiwc/s320/GOPR3342.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On
the thursday I spent time seeing the sights at the centre, met up to
have lunch with a friend's friend which is always fun. I then managed
to cross the bay by boat to Nicerio to see the MAC (museo de arte
contamporaneo) a flying saucer shaped art gallery designed by the
famous Oscar Niemeyer. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qNucFMVNjs0/UJCakVIb-jI/AAAAAAAABbA/enY-2ky68Bw/s1600/SAM_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qNucFMVNjs0/UJCakVIb-jI/AAAAAAAABbA/enY-2ky68Bw/s320/SAM_1096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The boat back dodged some planes landing at
the Santos Dummont airport which made for an interesting trip. On my
return I saw the impressively modern/odd shaped cathedral right next
to the Lapa viaduct arches and I also booked myself in for a Samba
class on Friday. Not at the same place I don't think God would
approve! :-)</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Friday would mark the
end of one week in Rio! I didn't think I would stay here this long
but i've enjoyed every minute of it. Jose has persuaded me to stay
the weekend. Afterall Friday and Saturday nights are the best in Rio.
However before that all kicks off I had organised to have a motorbike
tour of two of Rio's Favelas (hillside slums). This guy was
recommended by Mark the guy from Holland. The operator is an English
speaking favela resident with a motorbike and the 'know how' of the
area but otherwise that's it. No tour operator licence and no
website. This could go either way and thankfully for me it went
really well. The first Favela was the most dangerous one 3years ago
and it also happens to be the one where Michael Jackson filmed the
music video for his song 'they don't really care about us'. The
production crew for the video had to pay off drug dealers to get
permission to film there! In the last few years Rio's favela
'passifying' initiative has slowly but surely been clearing out the
drug gangs from the 300 favelas and Santa Marta is one of them. It
was an eye opening experience. It had areas of colourful art, dingy
cramped spaces and some very smelly streams flowing through it. The
government had installed an elevator to get to the top seeing as its
also the steepest favela in Rio. We took that and then meandered our
way through, pass the Michael Jackson statue and murial. The rest of
the day involved going some good city viewpoints and also a city park
with amazing geology.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drdO00NAISM/UJCdlqI7ttI/AAAAAAAABbU/ejkQ_59HEgg/s1600/SAM_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drdO00NAISM/UJCdlqI7ttI/AAAAAAAABbU/ejkQ_59HEgg/s320/SAM_1147.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LowJMwmy0-c/UJCbaHGkwcI/AAAAAAAABbI/7PjKVsOECq4/s1600/SAM_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LowJMwmy0-c/UJCbaHGkwcI/AAAAAAAABbI/7PjKVsOECq4/s320/SAM_1157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After this there was
the Samba class in downtown. Despite the instructor only speaking Portuguese I was able to get a grasp of the basics by copying and so
it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable lesson. I'm not quite
ready for Carnival yet but maybe soon.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To finish my week we
went out and sampled Rio's nightlife once again.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The plan for the coming
week is to stay in Rio until Monday then get to the Iguazu fall on
the border with Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210576974199505838166.0004cd52183b38f9cf111&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=-22.929939,-43.191376&spn=0.221336,0.291824&z=11&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-85288479877787307742012-10-22T19:36:00.001-07:002012-10-30T20:53:17.106-07:00Fred's world tour week 2 - Uruguay to South Brazil<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b>Fred's
world tour</b></u></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>Week 2 – Uruguay
and South Brazil</u></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
6<sup>th</sup> until
12<sup>th</sup> of October 2012</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>In brief:</u>
</div>
<ol>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wondered the
cobbled streets of Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Got culturally
enlightened in a rainy Montevideo</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Explored the
surfer and holiday-maker's mecca of Punta del Este. (also in the
rain)</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sampled the all
you can eat Brazilian Buffet for £4 in Porto Alegre, Brazil....
twice!</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Survived my first
Brazilian taxi ride with two very near misses.
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Basked in the
crisp beautiful beaches of Ilha de Santa Caterina, Florianopolis.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
After more of a static
visit to Buenos Aires (BA) it was time to hit the road, backpack on,
sense of adventure in one hand and guidebook in the other (thank you
to my sister Steph for the book :-). Well I say road it was actually
a Ferry that got Louise and I across the waters of the Rio Plata to
Colonia. Louise is a Swedish girl from the hostel that's doing a long
Spanish course in BA. Colonia de Sacramento is a quaint little
village in Uruguay. Full of history, character and old Portuguese
architecture. It didn't really take much time to cover all the sights
of the old town so we took our time and had a delicious lunch. A
'chivito' is a dish which comprises of a slab of meat (chicken or
beef), topped with a slice of ham, cheese, some bread On the same
plate there is salad, a cucumber melange, french fries and a fried
egg on top. A cheap, traditional and very filling dish.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
From there we took the
very confi buses to Montevideo the capital of Uruguay. Things have
definitely changed since I last took a bus in latin america or maybe
its just Uruguay, but there is wifi on board all long distance buses.
It was good enough to have a skype conversation with just minor
hiccups! In Montevideo we went out for a stroll in the centre of
town, admired the lit up colonial buildings and after dinner Louise
called it a night. Excited at the prospect of the new city I headed
out to the nearest club. To my surprise at half past mid-night the
venue was empty on a saturday night! The bar man said to 'come back
in one hour and see how it is'. He was right the crowds just started
to come at 01:30-2am. I chatted to some locals and a chap from Rio,
Jose. Originally Rio was not going to be on my trip because I was
keen on coming back some other time with a grasp of Portuguese but
everyone including Jose said that it was a must! The beauty of this
trip is that I can be flexible to change plans so.... Rio here I
come!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Louise and I spent the
weekend in Montevideo going to museums, art galleries, inside
colonial building and had lunch at the 'famous' mercado del puerto.
Museums and Fred don't usually mix too well but when you throw-in
horizontal rain with a cold wind and the fact that for this weekend
only, all museums were free to enter. Then, you can find me getting
culturally enlightened. On the Monday Louise had to get back to
Buenos Aires for her language school so we said goodbye and off I
went to Punta del Este a two hour bus trip.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
'Punta' as the locals
call it, is a special place where it seems every Argentinian,
Brazilian and rich foreigner has a house or at least a flat for use
only during the 2months of December and January. It has a resident
population of 18,000 which swells to 500,000 in those months. Not
only that but some 400 additional police are drafted in from around
the country to add to the 38-strong Punta police to cope with the
masses. It basically means that this beach town is currently an eerie
urban ghost town. That afternoon it rained some more but we still got
some sightseeing and food with some hostal people including Jose the
Brazilian from Rio. The next day I invested money on a mini-van
guided tour of the sights. I go to learn some portuguese from the
other punters and see sights of the area that are pretty unique.
Sights such as the houses of the rich, the wavy bridge, the casa
pueblo (home of artist Carlos Paez vilaro) and the general layout of
'Punta'. The wavy bridge is apparently architecturally ground
breaking for what was thought was a non-feasible design and now they
built an identical next to it. 'Casapueblo' is the creation of artist
Carlos Paez Vilaro. Initially a beach side white house has grown room
by room over the years to eventually occupy and entire southfacing
hillside. In case you're wondering I don't think planning permission
existed in those times. A third has become a hotel, a third his art
gallery and a third remains his home/art studio. Beautiful especially
as a place to watch the sunset which is accompanied by a recording of
the artist's poetry. Incidentally he happens to be the father of one
of the survivors of the Andean place crash that inspired the film
'Alive'.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
From here an overnight
bus took me to Porto Alegre where I did an open top bus tour, ate
twice at an all you can eat buffet for £4, and survived my first
taxi ride to a Brazilian club. Apparently taxi drivers at night don't
abide by the speed limits, traffic lights, one way systems and have
no hesitation in answering their phone while driving thereby narrowly
missed hitting two parked cars!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One night at a funky
hostel and one on an overnight bus I found myself in Florianopolis.
If Rio de Janeiro would have a lovechild this would be it. A healthy
seaside exercise lifestyle, an island full of beautiful beaches
nearby, sand dunes to sandboard on and a very very good nightlife!
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Next stop was Rio and
I had two choices; 20hour by bus or short flight for £74... tough
choice :-)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
on Punta del este beach monument</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f78MGyPlyUw/UIYAURkCLqI/AAAAAAAABZI/CRuinVhAELw/s1600/SAM_0600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f78MGyPlyUw/UIYAURkCLqI/AAAAAAAABZI/CRuinVhAELw/s320/SAM_0600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Guys from hostel</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ef_3EtvNfDg/UIYAjX7OBEI/AAAAAAAABZQ/gICFB3Kuoz4/s1600/SAM_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ef_3EtvNfDg/UIYAjX7OBEI/AAAAAAAABZQ/gICFB3Kuoz4/s320/SAM_0645.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Casa pueblo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210576974199505838166.0004cba4087ac53b28860&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=-31.316101,-53.085937&spn=13.121899,18.676758&z=5&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br /></div>
<small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210576974199505838166.0004cba4087ac53b28860&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=-31.316101,-53.085937&spn=13.121899,18.676758&z=5&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Fred World tour week 2 - Uruguay to South Brazil</a> in a larger map</small>Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-81439803839132086032012-10-09T10:43:00.000-07:002012-10-09T15:59:02.324-07:00Fred's world tour week 1 - Buenos Aires<div align="CENTER" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
27<sup>th</sup> of
September until 5<sup>th</sup> of October 2012</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u>In brief:</u>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1) Sightseeing all over
Buenos Aires
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2) Partied until 5am
three times with the crazy locals.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
3) Eaten more meat than
I could have imagined possible.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
4) Played polo on an
Argentinian horse & watch a pro's polo match
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
5) Took two tango
lesson and watched a tango show
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
6) I decided I might be
willing to shave my head for charity if I can get enough sponsorship.
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1137514435"></span>www.justgiving.com/fredcj<span id="goog_1137514436"></span>
</a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The last week has
absolutely flown by. I've had so much fun and feel I've really
sampled what BA (Buenos Aires) has to offer.<br />
The year out of
specialist training that I’ve imagined doing for so long had
finally arrived. Departing was very emotionally charged! Saying
goodbye to family and friend with the thought that I wouldn't see
them again for 12months was pretty intense. What's more is that I
would be missing Christmas with family for the first time in 27
years. The mix of emotions was bizarre. Nevertheless I was excited
and raring to go.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
My flight landed on
Friday the 28<sup>th</sup> of September which was intentional as I
figured what better way to get stuck-in than to go and party on the
first night! I prepared myself by having a kip and headed to the best
place rated online. To my surprise entry was 9 British pounds and all
you can drink from a list of BA's best cocktails. I was on to a
winner ;-) . Travelling alone is not for everyone you need to be
willing to chat to random people. I sparked conversation with some
Argentinians and once they realised I could speak Spanish we had a
great time. Its always fun. They educated me on local lingo,
traditions and gave me advice on the best places to visit. After
chatting we hit the dance floor to a crazy mix of current mainstream
music and Latino beats. A 5am end to the night out was unexpected but
the club didn't really get busy until 2am. Crazy latinos! :-)</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
The next day the
hostel suggested I do a bike tour of the city. It was a great way to
see cool places of the city such as iconic old town of San Telmo and
the picturesque colourful streets of la Boca where live tango and
handicrafts where a plenty. The tour also took us to the new part of
town where land reclamation occurred years ago from the rubble left
over after large parts of the city were demolished to give way to
the new motorway. The idea was to move the business district to this
new piece of land but finances limited this migration. Instead nature
came and made the most of it. vegetation arrived, birds followed and
then this was later declared a natural reserve. The tour then moved
through the port and the heart of the city, the plaza de Mayo. Back
at the hostel I chilled with some other residents, got to know them,
went to dinner with them and then naturally I had to sample a second
night of night life. Saturday nights also are not to be missed in BA
:-)</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
The next day I went to
large expanses of parks near the palermo district, where the hostel
was, to try and see the sights that the bike tour missed out. A chap
from prague, Veet and Louise a swiss girl joined me. We chilled out
in the parks and took in the sights. To conclude this walk I went to
the Evita monument and to the Recoleta cementery where her body is
buried with the rest of her family. Not as 'prominent' nor
extravagant as I would have expected.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
Tango and polo lessons
were the next thing on my agenda. Rain delayed the latter by a few
days which wasn't a problem other than I just needed to extended my
stay in BA. Tango lesson was interesting. I went to one class first
where roles were switched every now and then. This made for an
interesting class where I had to learn both steps required by either
party. It really enables you to appreciate the other's role. At the
end of the class the venue became a 'milonga' otherwise known as a
tango dancing venue. Here is when locals and people in the know come
in and danced. So passionate, so sensual and co-ordinated. Very
impressive to watch. My second lesson focused very much on one role
and certain combo of steps to learn rather than ad-lib dancing like
the day before. Having grown more confident in the moves the second
class was easier and really fun. Soon after this I had to dash across
town to La Ventana a sort of Moulin Rouge for Tango but smaller. The
tango on show here was very impressive and a cross with gymnastics!
Plenty of outfit changes, singers, good live music and impressive
display of fine skill with small plastic balls at end of ropes....
google 'boleadora show' to see what I mean. Impressive stuff.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
Polo would have to
have been my highlight of the stay so far. We drove to an authentic
hacienda 1hr outside BA where a polo player showed us the basics of
polo and gave us plenty of opportunity to practice. It was great fun
and satisfying when you successfully hit the ball on the move. Seems
pretty impossible at first but you soon get the hang of it. After the
riding we went off to a local hacienda where a practice match between
two teams was happening. We got front row seats. Literally sitting on
the pitch boundary and moving when horses came close! It was more
entertaining because the polo instructor was also playing in this
match and so came over to us between each 7minute round to talk to
us or explain certain things. Each horse would only get used for max
14mins as they work up quite the sweat in the intense 14mins that
they play. Apparently top polo players have up to 20horses each! This
enables them to play every weekend in tournaments during the season.
Our instructor has 6 so only plays every other weekend on his own
horses.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Well that wraps up my
first 7days of my world tour. Some very memorable moments.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Next stop Uruguay –
Colonia de Sacramento by boat tomorrow, then Montevideo the capital
followed by Punta del este.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rr7YVDdEzcY/UHRY-wXjKMI/AAAAAAAABX8/wt_yzlD9SmQ/s1600/SAM_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rr7YVDdEzcY/UHRY-wXjKMI/AAAAAAAABX8/wt_yzlD9SmQ/s320/SAM_0195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-40378087413172518712012-10-02T13:22:00.001-07:002012-10-02T13:22:18.760-07:00Buenos AiresSo far in Buenos Aires I've done sightseeing all over the city including Evita's grave. I've partied until 5am twice, eaten my head's weight in meat and relaxed in the sun. Tomorrow I learn to play polo on an Argentinian horse, watch a pro's polo match and learn the tango in the evening. Oh and today I decided I might be willing to shave my head for charity if I can get enough sponsorship.... Go to www.justgiving.com/fredcj<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3Ue4CIdBVPw/UGtM97rqLUI/AAAAAAAABXo/GsdylvuzSDw/s640/blogger-image--278951496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3Ue4CIdBVPw/UGtM97rqLUI/AAAAAAAABXo/GsdylvuzSDw/s640/blogger-image--278951496.jpg" /></a></div>Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-28872695676819634692012-09-15T12:59:00.001-07:002012-09-16T03:19:14.278-07:00DubaiThis is what I got up to in 24 hours in Dubai:<br />
After a great flight on board Virgin airline's plane fondly named sleeping beauty I arrived to the most impressive grandiose hotel. Apparently all hotels here are like this and off season you could stay here for the same price as a simple holiday inn type hotel in England. <br />
The lobby was as impressive as the outdoor grounds where the pool is artificially cooled! From there we walked to the metro/overground rail thing. Where unfortunately the trains were so infrequent and the Staff so misinformed that it took us over an hour to get to the Dubai mall stop. What didn't help is that Fridays is apparently their day of rest much like our Sunday's use to be like. Anyway what mattered was that we got to our stop again unfortunately this was a few months too soon as the air conditioned walkway to the mall wasn't finished. What didn't help is that we were now very close to our scheduled visit time of the famous Burj Khalifa. Therefore this resulted in a light jog in nearing 40 degree heat! We made it in time... Just... and very sweaty!<br />
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The Burj Kalifa with a staggering inconceivable height of 828metres made for an impressive visit. From the elevator going up at 10 floors per second to jaw dropping panoramas the Burj was definitely a worthwhile visit. If booked in advance on the internet it only cost £16 which is four times less that if purchased on the day. <br />
From there our tour took us round the enormous Dubai Mall filled with all the most lavish items money can buy not to mention a huge fish tank of guinness world record status. <br />
The hungry bellies were satisfied by feasting on a variety of the world's foods on offer at the food court. <br />
Outside the mall and at the base of the Burj Khalifa we found the pools where the rival of the Belagio fountains resided and got to appreciate the enormity of the Burj from its base. <br />
Next stop was the emirates mall where the ecologically murdering Dubai ski slope lives. Why is there a ski slope in the middle of the dessert?... Because they can! By this point the sun was starting to set so we headed by taxi to the beach next to the worlds only 7star hotel the Burj al Arab. Iconic in design and instantly recognisable the world over. Appreciating this at sunset was bliss. A great end to the day....<br />
However before calling it a day we still had big plans to head to the Burj Khalifa once more where we could see the fountain spectacle that occurs every 30mins to dulcet musical tones. The spectacle water dance only lasts for 4minutes but great to watch between getting some grub.<br />
From there, back to the hotel, where my body clock was saying 7pm and my watch said 10pm so naturally I headed down to the huge gym that was available for a workout. I finished this a 11:45pm seems crazy but my body was happy with that. Funny how despite the long day out sight seeing my body was still not ready for bed. That's one plus side of time difference I suppose.<br />
Take care,<br />
<br />
Fred<br />
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</div>Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-27527894768513144902012-09-10T17:48:00.001-07:002012-09-10T17:48:44.916-07:00Olympians' victory paradeThe Olympians victory parade was amazing today! Congrats to all team GB for getting more medals per capita than any other country in the world!! #WeRule <div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GbXIisKq7rI/UE6KZ57-gII/AAAAAAAABWc/RxUYEFQPvvg/s640/blogger-image-303168307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GbXIisKq7rI/UE6KZ57-gII/AAAAAAAABWc/RxUYEFQPvvg/s640/blogger-image-303168307.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6NsIkiMbb70/UE6Kar5s02I/AAAAAAAABWg/MP18VRAWMVM/s640/blogger-image--1960490877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6NsIkiMbb70/UE6Kar5s02I/AAAAAAAABWg/MP18VRAWMVM/s640/blogger-image--1960490877.jpg" /></a></div>Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-76927444945782858432012-09-09T02:30:00.001-07:002012-09-09T02:30:07.113-07:00Paralympic closing ceremonyOff to see the Paralympic closing ceremony and the Paralympic team GB with all their hard earned medals. Well done so far! Can't wait to see @coldplay and Rhianna tonight too. #epic<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lYtUaYYnrgw/UExhnEURPII/AAAAAAAABWI/ydVnY7H4pus/s640/blogger-image-1584009870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lYtUaYYnrgw/UExhnEURPII/AAAAAAAABWI/ydVnY7H4pus/s640/blogger-image-1584009870.jpg" /></a></div>Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-77861337682925257412012-08-29T07:51:00.001-07:002012-08-29T07:51:43.453-07:00Off to the ParalympicsI'm en route to see the paralympic opening ceremony with family then tomorrow Olympic park tickets! Go #TeamGB Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-28183551323345494612012-08-19T06:28:00.001-07:002012-08-19T06:30:42.407-07:00Adam’s stag do in LeedsThis weekend I did the mammoth journey to Leeds for my friend Adam’s stag do. on the friday we got to know the rest of the group at the hotel bar. Then to Browns for a great three course meal finishing off with the dulcet tones of a Bavarian musical band! <br />
Saturday comprised of the Ale trail Train which is just that. We took a train away from Leeds to Marsden and then started our stop by stop tour of local breweries/pubs to sample the local ales. <a href="http://www.realaletrain.net/">www.RealAleTrain.net</a> <br />
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The opening drink of the day</div>
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Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02075174453032179980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-485162622913340490.post-66433785961969856972012-08-08T06:45:00.000-07:002012-08-19T06:48:10.661-07:002nd taste of the OlympicsFor my second taste of the Olympics I got tickets for kayaking 1,000metre finals where Dr Tim Brabant was competing for Team GB at Eton Dorney. Then the afternoon we went to Hyde park to watch live coverage and soak up the atmosphere followed by a two quaterfinal volleyball matches at Eals court #great day!<br />
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