tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14979497058867491362024-03-14T08:53:32.200+00:00ME, ME, and more MEEEEEEE!Marisa goes global.Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-68079785064907614642009-09-15T20:19:00.001+00:002009-09-16T15:43:50.170+00:00My new (humble) abode... complete with pets!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qzBVqocxnmuoMA9Q2PAoOSgHzJ0mrRhOiQP1qaz2oNzbdyxYH5otWaolxuPGEU7luoJg8vZwDfU5AFIELiQEEGGSuvOrx8P7INcHZ1b0J6jZfON95Z0SdGMbEn-vEX6NVBS-pLWKpo8/s1600-h/IMG_3537.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FxV1hqZed0BLFYDLPdLkKVEJrbMgYshVIEZuB1d2dBEed3MbvdX1s6sT8NxOXUdIlhqWylY2k7vyAwiTq_lh4rghACIiIT2YR5BQ3yTsIbcwrZaaiam3L5jNksRQMwZDjeoFuXPl3zc/s1600-h/IMG_3548.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382090803361338466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FxV1hqZed0BLFYDLPdLkKVEJrbMgYshVIEZuB1d2dBEed3MbvdX1s6sT8NxOXUdIlhqWylY2k7vyAwiTq_lh4rghACIiIT2YR5BQ3yTsIbcwrZaaiam3L5jNksRQMwZDjeoFuXPl3zc/s200/IMG_3548.JPG" border="0" /></a>Welcome to my humble abode. Apartment 2002, room G. Since I arrived a week before the rest of the plebs, I made them give me a choice of rooms. In other words, I kicked up a fuss as soon as I saw room G and my - eeeeek - shared bathroom. This caused Joyce to call Amy over from the school <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YdRe5roRxbXXkeJ9WH6YBcrhuDHn2ArJQEuvQ0V2aYh6Lmnaar7HqW_7L9NPL0z7ucohSh1Ba100iXRqZ3Bbt8NqcpRxyjs-bS4g45dHO6j-X7Q1cdCUJTNx9MoJQPzNC3EogMeT4k8/s1600-h/IMG_3538.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382085205972315042" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YdRe5roRxbXXkeJ9WH6YBcrhuDHn2ArJQEuvQ0V2aYh6Lmnaar7HqW_7L9NPL0z7ucohSh1Ba100iXRqZ3Bbt8NqcpRxyjs-bS4g45dHO6j-X7Q1cdCUJTNx9MoJQPzNC3EogMeT4k8/s200/IMG_3538.JPG" border="0" /></a>building to show me the other available rooms. Room C was basically a coffin with an en-suite, no window = no natural light. Room E had just been vacated, had dirty towels and bedding strewn over the floor, a flooded (by overly hairy male) bathroom, and ciggy smell and left-over butts presumably thrown in gratis. Under the circumstances, G was looking better by the second! It's light, very large by comparison, has a window instead of a balcony, and no cigarette smell. I figure it's going to be freezing in about 6 weeks at most and I may be quite glad not to have a massive expanse of glass along one side of my room. There's no heating, just an air-conditioner that doubles as a heater... Yup, loving G more every minute. G is Grrrreat! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Unfortunately, G comes with a shared bathroom with F. The inhabitant of F is a lovely German girl called Eva. She too apparently has reservations about our bathroom and informed me that "the cleaning lady used it the other day and left something you shouldn't have to see... big business if you know my meaning". Niiiice. I found no presents this morning, but t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUteLGh6jheF6WEx9dXW7ywNWmpRxSebeu7HwmyDADLopRhGjla9_mfv3bZv2iKtWnlS00GOiIekaJ1WAHS27xYB4VZk-5dOj6OkNOJNGJUOiHO68uCLHwI6FXMACaEEcYJZgyoOZJgA/s1600-h/IMG_3512.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382086185231323298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUteLGh6jheF6WEx9dXW7ywNWmpRxSebeu7HwmyDADLopRhGjla9_mfv3bZv2iKtWnlS00GOiIekaJ1WAHS27xYB4VZk-5dOj6OkNOJNGJUOiHO68uCLHwI6FXMACaEEcYJZgyoOZJgA/s200/IMG_3512.JPG" border="0" /></a>hat's not saying much. I did, however, kill 2 of the inhabitants (not human) and had the quickest shower ever. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was trying to psych myself up to take a picture... Since then, the cleaners have been in and it looks...the same really. I'd also forgotten the requirement for Chinese plumbing to toss the loo-paper (used, naturellement) into the uncovered bin...in a bathroom with no window... Oh well, when in Rome.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNiW8FwfwDlx1t5zSr3NfbkBgdLGzjL4IYnocq6XTy2-B5tOYDSN_5xrSq9IlbRcWhWUv6ux5_0GQiiBKcuUBXziu8CPJDbNDoykWXPmTNtck9ww4CbCcRG4FDa3k9V3bg3h-aQLIcJg/s1600-h/IMG_3514.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382086545952028498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNiW8FwfwDlx1t5zSr3NfbkBgdLGzjL4IYnocq6XTy2-B5tOYDSN_5xrSq9IlbRcWhWUv6ux5_0GQiiBKcuUBXziu8CPJDbNDoykWXPmTNtck9ww4CbCcRG4FDa3k9V3bg3h-aQLIcJg/s200/IMG_3514.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382086996472207426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwdK2HWgxt25ebkosTTh6LlzGSdA4U5zB4g9YKm7j7XW91vFQcH96xTTfypy4wz29bTowWArn2Ae9II8bCJ5Ecui6FUs_r8cLmcLoJVKu7ypgV-3ckgrIWYr5Wsp0W9NQ34OYeUOavbY/s200/IMG_3516.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCaKc-LV7i6DcyBuMdLs4obzTprbC1IjkcHoFYFrrSwJar0MkbRH2Z0te2uy_SmooPB663kh5Z1eipIxEnPIUqcsMxf8n6ampLe3vl6-5KquknZP0a863Xyhz69LQaHGsk9ERDhyUX7E/s1600-h/IMG_3518.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382087740745896306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCaKc-LV7i6DcyBuMdLs4obzTprbC1IjkcHoFYFrrSwJar0MkbRH2Z0te2uy_SmooPB663kh5Z1eipIxEnPIUqcsMxf8n6ampLe3vl6-5KquknZP0a863Xyhz69LQaHGsk9ERDhyUX7E/s200/IMG_3518.JPG" border="0" /></a>The rest of the apartment consists of a large room that's sitting/kitchen/entry-hall in one. No windows, fab fluo lighting, a tv & DVD player, a washing machine, about 15 umbrellas and miscellaneous orphaned slippers, a microwave, a massive extractor fan above a single electrical hob unit, and just the one pot. I've found 5 pairs of scissors and not a single kitchen knife, which leads one to wonder... Good thing I don't enjoy cooking and I have restaurants all around. Now I just need to learn to read characters so I don't mistakenly order fried dog's bits and I'm sorted!!! </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </p><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSg9c3Z-5CaLnZzmqsBjU_-BdC17E6_y-rgl5J8vY5xl1PLQFwxQHvqJURM53FTjbBcmN6j_xrFbETYnf1TlP1kwsthyphenhyphen_jogq1sotksGchYaJXvla7NCAEqdwIRZ7mm-hhbwoenFgvEI/s1600-h/IMG_3519.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382088240341085858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSg9c3Z-5CaLnZzmqsBjU_-BdC17E6_y-rgl5J8vY5xl1PLQFwxQHvqJURM53FTjbBcmN6j_xrFbETYnf1TlP1kwsthyphenhyphen_jogq1sotksGchYaJXvla7NCAEqdwIRZ7mm-hhbwoenFgvEI/s200/IMG_3519.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_crHRdKew_xeuYOHcU5BFcpqupna64i194f3xYjB1MhumzVcGcvqgHqPXABxn9vEUZ031ToUyzHKdIVw7TSbbVwIdYWFNKT0zcb-eFqVtbkg1DJl7iX2hjv40D2IpSGEQJm7ajKYjCS0/s1600-h/IMG_3549.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382091041367484898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_crHRdKew_xeuYOHcU5BFcpqupna64i194f3xYjB1MhumzVcGcvqgHqPXABxn9vEUZ031ToUyzHKdIVw7TSbbVwIdYWFNKT0zcb-eFqVtbkg1DJl7iX2hjv40D2IpSGEQJm7ajKYjCS0/s200/IMG_3549.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382088541887016146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EzwAPgIPvjZBRuT2oGqV8C2FYvyTvbFuYGSR9x7NCINcF41-OjoR_Lx6IHKkqRYMPuHlHQhiVKt6Ax9ZaNaB_yCgDFJGWj0wsc68DULbr2lMmN-NSAWmY8HYr5KlVWupO_N-lqxmtT0/s200/IMG_3521.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-57328075307443203022009-09-14T17:54:00.001+00:002009-09-16T14:16:49.472+00:00On the road again... CHINA!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After almost a year of pretty much focusing on allergies and nothing, nada, niente, noppes, niks, nil...you get the drift... else, I decided Something's Gotta Give! That didn't include me getting a yappy little dog, a foul temper, and a load of neuroses (allergic to first, have the others already).</span><br /><div><div><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEFWf0CmCT2tPpGwDxSNlDApZyPl4rHCiUe0L8URiiBl4s-yW62zBbdQ_qiSZcSGwdQWeI7Ood1js7dMDrlZmMIlH9n6ZwmQaqXj4rF2vnZWm_6K9vhzqFqHFi2oe1BP0uw9560VPDvQ/s1600-h/IMG_3543.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381931786314430194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEFWf0CmCT2tPpGwDxSNlDApZyPl4rHCiUe0L8URiiBl4s-yW62zBbdQ_qiSZcSGwdQWeI7Ood1js7dMDrlZmMIlH9n6ZwmQaqXj4rF2vnZWm_6K9vhzqFqHFi2oe1BP0uw9560VPDvQ/s200/IMG_3543.JPG" border="0" /></a>So I'm off to China, Shanghai to be exact, to study Mandarin. "Again???" I hear you ask? Yes, again, but this time I aim to become passably advanced as opposed to just being able to command a taxi to go left or right, ordering a bottle of water and "no MSG please" and knowing names of various fruits. OK, so I knew a lot more than that, my brain seems to not have held onto this acquired knowledge in 2 years of non-practice, fancy that?! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So off to Shanghai I go for 6 months of cramming!!!</span><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIM4wEDbt5AkNYURZOdDK3gcdt50rAJFCkXfko5mcrjuzq3kk__ztU45wWkKuR_faz0F34eeG6CVNm9oXj5hwesmzUVMm1b-62Hb1hd5HTYcEipwSZTcRoUzxzf8ll2ju3gncGJvsHd4/s1600-h/IMG_2085.JPG"></a> </div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All my things are now in storage. In my enthusiasm, even my iPod was briefly "misfiled" in storage and had to be rescued at the 11th hour (about 20 minutes before my<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIM4wEDbt5AkNYURZOdDK3gcdt50rAJFCkXfko5mcrjuzq3kk__ztU45wWkKuR_faz0F34eeG6CVNm9oXj5hwesmzUVMm1b-62Hb1hd5HTYcEipwSZTcRoUzxzf8ll2ju3gncGJvsHd4/s1600-h/IMG_2085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382066930293909202" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIM4wEDbt5AkNYURZOdDK3gcdt50rAJFCkXfko5mcrjuzq3kk__ztU45wWkKuR_faz0F34eeG6CVNm9oXj5hwesmzUVMm1b-62Hb1hd5HTYcEipwSZTcRoUzxzf8ll2ju3gncGJvsHd4/s200/IMG_2085.JPG" border="0" /></a> last train to the airport). Bob & Bertha were temporarily lovingly adopted by Olivier and his family, my Bella (car) and plants are with Vanessa and Tim, Pauline is overseeing FedEx shipment of necessaries (including porridge, winter cardigans, and...errr....tea), and my brother will hopefully help sort out forwarding mail since the nice man at the post office surprisingly lied and I cannot do that online. It's lovely to have so many people keeping my hiney out of the bad stuff :)</div><div><br /><br />So, missing iPod saga notwithstanding, I made it to Shanghai in one piece! I was loving the Emirates Airlines flights - they have little lights in the ceiling to simulate a starry nigth when they dim the lights...awwww - until I hit Dubai and went on the flight to Shanghai. I had some particularly obnoxious Iranian arab male chauvinist "pigdog" neighbours! 5 men apparently all travelling for same company, all scattered separately over 11 rows, 2 HAD to sit next to each other and decided that I should swap my first row aisle (major legroom) for a middle in the 3rd row. Methinks not. I came, I booked, I reserved one month ago, you-out-of-luck! They singled me out, didn't bother asking any of the other 4 people they could have moved. After asking three times with the same negative response, they even tried to make the stewardess move me. Luckily she kindly explained that it was my CHOICE not their RIGHT to demand a change. Hah! I was going to SUPERGLUE myself to the seat if need be! Well, joke was on me because PigDog #1 promptly fell asleep and decided to use my shoulder as his pillow...not matter HOW many times I pushed him off. I strongly suspect he wasn't so much asleep as trying to get an eyeful of cleavage! That isa, UNTIL I used my spiky hairclip to pin my scarf accross - thereby neatly closing off view from any cleavage AND creating a particularly uncomfortable landing place for his head! Double Hah! Don't mess with a (natural) blonde.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div>I made it through immigration despite having a visa that runs out 4 months before my return flight...by leaving return flight empty on the form. I got through customs with the many, many, many copied DVDs a certain person kindly hooked me up with. Although I'm sure I'll be able to buy versions here, my experience in the past has been less than confidence-inspiring... the English version of "Over The Hedge" turned out to be in Russian only with Chinglish subtitles :P Hilarious thought it may be, not exactly as ordered.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The school sent a driver to pick me up, it took only 35 minutes to get from the airport to their main office in central Shanghai. I've forgotten (read: mentally blocked my memories) of a lot of things about China, but not the hectic chaos that is highway driving. The driver was a pro and did not so much as flinch when buses and trucks tried to swipe us off the road - he expertly maneuvered us accross 4 lanes of traffic to hit the off-ramp with about 3 metres to spare. The new school offices are huge compared to what the school had 2 years ago, business must be good! I was met by Fiona, Joyce and Amy - all incredibly nice people who went out of their way to make sure I had everything I needed (water, keys, map of Shanghai, choice of rooms...). </div><br /><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfqdlBvCGwK6t0nq69ATOB8aLhy8-Nwd8bfXUfEC92XuKlbE2FKvj-pdQ8XkoZC6auvmZgAJcBediEtsiStPmlMPrEMkm1Ks7VpiXUuwrlCGVzQqZ1-K9OIB03VQSBAwdQh6WdLvDZAw/s1600-h/IMG_3554.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382068029881246594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfqdlBvCGwK6t0nq69ATOB8aLhy8-Nwd8bfXUfEC92XuKlbE2FKvj-pdQ8XkoZC6auvmZgAJcBediEtsiStPmlMPrEMkm1Ks7VpiXUuwrlCGVzQqZ1-K9OIB03VQSBAwdQh6WdLvDZAw/s200/IMG_3554.JPG" border="0" /></a>I am actually now in the same apartment - different room - as 2 years ago. The main reason I elected to come back to the same school was the location of the apartments - just one block from the main shopping street, two main sub<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOLLHopxpUccjwi78eEBWrGGP_xask0nkbeSpmUikbj045ZdbGv75UwzsRQ4Perdg0PxO9JX75ESx6VN62HrRqDjObOmRI8PnNMvAIQu0azaGfbgSZe29R04p_VsR0hvu9lIuDmrNsn0/s1600-h/IMG_3531.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381931194397637442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOLLHopxpUccjwi78eEBWrGGP_xask0nkbeSpmUikbj045ZdbGv75UwzsRQ4Perdg0PxO9JX75ESx6VN62HrRqDjObOmRI8PnNMvAIQu0azaGfbgSZe29R04p_VsR0hvu9lIuDmrNsn0/s200/IMG_3531.JPG" border="0" /></a>way lines, with a mall on the corner and the Meridien hotel opposite (for when I just NEED to have a bath...). The school has moved to a building around the corner. I could quite literally crawl there if I needed to! My room is quite large, relatively clean, and my suitcase has already exploded to make it look lived in :) Being an alumnus of the area, I immediately found the bank, corner store and fresh juice shop - in order of importance! On my brief 2-block reconnaissance mission I also scoped a few new places including 2 Starbucks, 1 Costa Coffee, a subway, a McDonald's, A pizzahut and a Juice Boost. It's like I didn't even leave the UK. I also found my namesake shop so I feel right at home.<br /></div></span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-59601030252975192412008-03-18T15:38:00.012+00:002009-09-16T07:02:47.096+00:00Ushuaia - Really The End of the World.<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNiObi5B90HIRuKEMbjct26yy6Gslmaly2n04fT3Ufs9VHxDS9NN9nQjxxCdbqphnypUuxm_KP_5XsYtHGb21gMpqa2R2QiyTZJDEiz2KKwYCG1c5qlTkAkFatAo3_9619R3OvURYnHc/s1600-h/IMG_2778.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192485063929726354" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNiObi5B90HIRuKEMbjct26yy6Gslmaly2n04fT3Ufs9VHxDS9NN9nQjxxCdbqphnypUuxm_KP_5XsYtHGb21gMpqa2R2QiyTZJDEiz2KKwYCG1c5qlTkAkFatAo3_9619R3OvURYnHc/s200/IMG_2778.JPG" border="0" /></a>After an evening of Bingo (I lost), Trivia Reveal (we lost... though the answers were wrong and the quizmaster told me in a weak moment that we had the same amount of points as the winners, not that I'm competitive...), and just general revelry to celebrate a great trip - we moored overnight in Ushuaia port. Kind of a let-down after all the rocky eventful nights at sea! In the morning everyone disembarked and we headed for the town.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><br /> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRoqSsxw6ZgMo_3ED0Cc1g0rKzJBmmFfF6rwhYvm6MFyhhc2CmbmURWKoaLVR7S_9Ht4BK61dCJ-RhDTq1_YugCc96YoMyC63oZNRJg34HlcefKZjkU4fptQdJF9H_RY8qg1hjQRLs5U/s1600-h/IMG_2751.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381942516192912706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRoqSsxw6ZgMo_3ED0Cc1g0rKzJBmmFfF6rwhYvm6MFyhhc2CmbmURWKoaLVR7S_9Ht4BK61dCJ-RhDTq1_YugCc96YoMyC63oZNRJg34HlcefKZjkU4fptQdJF9H_RY8qg1hjQRLs5U/s200/IMG_2751.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ushuaia itself is a quaint small little village with the requisite tourist eateries, postcard shops and tour operators...and a marathon? Yep - the day we arrived they were having a marathon smack through the middle of town (well...on the ONE main road through). </span></div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div><div><br /> </div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE_3194waYL6BZKsiuvhNlXKrx1urTcLPdqKvEM3fqHRLmtZsXGaxFQ_Z4LQBoQ6L_JpjvL23qeLPTGiBZwgdUPnt1G27s3AazuHWOXWok3E166nwem2np9QtzHyDTJFcJRn61-fVfZI/s1600-h/IMG_2785.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381935684790663426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipE_3194waYL6BZKsiuvhNlXKrx1urTcLPdqKvEM3fqHRLmtZsXGaxFQ_Z4LQBoQ6L_JpjvL23qeLPTGiBZwgdUPnt1G27s3AazuHWOXWok3E166nwem2np9QtzHyDTJFcJRn61-fVfZI/s200/IMG_2785.JPG" border="0" /></a>Since we couldn't check in immediately when we arrived, we decided to throw on our walking gear and head for the chairlift to take us up to the local glacier. After 4 days of ice, we were simply gagging for more! The hotel receptionist kindly informed us that it was a 20 minute walk up the road, so we decided not to bother with a taxi. 45 minutes later, we finally made it to the chairlift after a long slog uphill in increasingly cold weather. </span><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RNH3oTG26gaFGgWLSHUcmfck-tjIfSsiScbTq5zjZNIf3FZpPoAE-jWkWoIWxENx3FsSVcV3K6kmxviE2dZG1RySEv7HDg2xOZdCBOJD2CdEeaHMSvBdy5Y6yVYzzkLGGLizGwtyj5Y/s1600-h/IMG_2815.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381937664872241298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RNH3oTG26gaFGgWLSHUcmfck-tjIfSsiScbTq5zjZNIf3FZpPoAE-jWkWoIWxENx3FsSVcV3K6kmxviE2dZG1RySEv7HDg2xOZdCBOJD2CdEeaHMSvBdy5Y6yVYzzkLGGLizGwtyj5Y/s200/IMG_2815.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Having spent 10 minutes at the top realising it was another 2hr hike up to the where the glacier ice-cap would begin...and that we'd all seen plenty of ice recently and are inherently lazy... we made use of our chairlift tickets for the return trip and headed to the quaint little tea shop for a (well-deserved) hot chocolate and piece of cake. All that fresh air... </span><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">On the way down we decided to take the "hiking route" back to the hotel and must have missed a turn-off or other sign on the path as we promptly got lost in the middle of nowhere on a field. Lots of hilarity ensued as we all tried to navigate the muddy track with varying degrees of accomplishment (film clips available upon request and payment). It wasn't until we realised that our ENTIRE FAMILY was lost, no one knew where we were, and mobile phones didn't work that the laughter stopped...temporarily. :Luckily we backtracked and finally found the inconspicuous trail... (see picture below right with BRIGHT YELLOW MARKINGS). </span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXjdQSEm1XsD15K0jyWc8m9UpPCC_mYyqjCXus51gEaJZG0GuZoC6QcMXt6spbnAfIdR1aLsY7bodLdY_7Vtwuhezpfd0Q1c3igJQs9W5ODF2EUOklzep4fwX7LeTA9ed-3ndswrDadA/s1600-h/IMG_2820.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381938275833912338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXjdQSEm1XsD15K0jyWc8m9UpPCC_mYyqjCXus51gEaJZG0GuZoC6QcMXt6spbnAfIdR1aLsY7bodLdY_7Vtwuhezpfd0Q1c3igJQs9W5ODF2EUOklzep4fwX7LeTA9ed-3ndswrDadA/s200/IMG_2820.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3taz7bLOG3oTz5PboKDl2LUN37lTCLYguWyNbWdBBUY0Gkn6FA0Q2TM31veMg2PQi4oOMvJ1Jkwkja0uwISKpvxzq7RwFvoxfDTvB_qtf7Ix-B-PSauDq1l4O8JzRs-FXU4sCntjQezU/s1600-h/IMG_2850.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381939362621025938" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3taz7bLOG3oTz5PboKDl2LUN37lTCLYguWyNbWdBBUY0Gkn6FA0Q2TM31veMg2PQi4oOMvJ1Jkwkja0uwISKpvxzq7RwFvoxfDTvB_qtf7Ix-B-PSauDq1l4O8JzRs-FXU4sCntjQezU/s200/IMG_2850.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381939033203366866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIydWGyJyuHN4dWPE46CQnDOc1sjD1OFLkjRdAq8gzJhTZt3LAkE7hmEI-mXszXBmts0xfNExgubevYxHLqS5MDpcvHU6MlJIY5M1ulZAx8ni99AadD-BJnkAEFf2_sWzOYZzPRXvbpk/s200/IMG_2828.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After all that fresh air it was finally time to check in to our wonderful hotel in Ushuaia, the Las Hayas Spa & Resort hotel. </span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I have to say up front that the name is a little misleading, but then Ushauaia IS AT THE END OF THE WORLD! They are a little too fond of their floral patterns, though the curtains in front of the bath are a nice touch... The Spa had a swimmingpool, hairdresser, mini gym and Squash Courts. My brother even convinced me to try out the latter. I am not a fan. Mainly because the stupid ball doesn't bounce, he's a great player, and I had to run into walls to try to hit the ball in time. Niiice. </span></div></div><div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiAYG_rVLQHmcw4GDJWX9rXTQ0m-AWSW1CdqNgFGJhVXxRYYEaxMZks1ciFfThR6gZu2Qi_310te9QMXsjj2Z_Nne8dVBTMlSfCyupu7vd_KISq2UbjPSHIx8GL9J1HIeJ6dJty_5Vqk/s1600-h/IMG_2762.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381947641454314034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiAYG_rVLQHmcw4GDJWX9rXTQ0m-AWSW1CdqNgFGJhVXxRYYEaxMZks1ciFfThR6gZu2Qi_310te9QMXsjj2Z_Nne8dVBTMlSfCyupu7vd_KISq2UbjPSHIx8GL9J1HIeJ6dJty_5Vqk/s200/IMG_2762.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev64HiBNvGGak7zt0dxRjm62qUS3sbg_PWS7a9istnFb1Kx7e1Mqx3ebTUI1mK4JclF0EutCwQyJ2lz2M3HTDDCmoqBeIn-apve9_wPSdEycrMXE6XPsbOiQ9f6HwGSzBCU249AeFsWE/s1600-h/IMG_3023.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381935038141328674" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev64HiBNvGGak7zt0dxRjm62qUS3sbg_PWS7a9istnFb1Kx7e1Mqx3ebTUI1mK4JclF0EutCwQyJ2lz2M3HTDDCmoqBeIn-apve9_wPSdEycrMXE6XPsbOiQ9f6HwGSzBCU249AeFsWE/s200/IMG_3023.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381956482352603746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkPERgoCvwisROX8y26bIMCDbxFZGbf3nnYCnUCxFr_YUeQpUfyMYFDk-UIZiJRbrEt17kh0P4lU3367IxT_SvgDfsxjWH_dZFD0h2zyIVc3hwERnJwS-pcikqnzJ_5fbvvM34vgUFSQ/s200/IMG_2767.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-58374718107460819122008-03-15T15:29:00.012+00:002008-12-09T16:54:38.697+00:00Cape Horn!<div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUsuqAKUbpktBuuNXoAjIX3Oer9nfBCZMv94v9VEM3n4vuYLeSnRWLxLmORecrtGTCM9jm74CwsY_IgJmIC8rgytF2CVCYt3gf-2aQRcwOcZe0RgH-ckdOgUtPEa6M-VCEuvkRYTj1fM/s1600-h/IMG_2516.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192466161778656514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUsuqAKUbpktBuuNXoAjIX3Oer9nfBCZMv94v9VEM3n4vuYLeSnRWLxLmORecrtGTCM9jm74CwsY_IgJmIC8rgytF2CVCYt3gf-2aQRcwOcZe0RgH-ckdOgUtPEa6M-VCEuvkRYTj1fM/s200/IMG_2516.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We finally made it! We’re at Cape Horn. After another eventful night on rocky seas (why is it always between 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVKeolwcjgx963MTJK02pUAYuEsuqw3s0jdHG6FcUwKD_VhvR15iRDJtiXATL_uzLj3A6_tPcgI4TSyGDYo53ESYT7ApzOpPNZJBbLFe6QN8dvbCpvRrnJ7b2VNfwPh822SwJmyTBrbk/s1600-h/IMG_2514.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192467020772115730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVKeolwcjgx963MTJK02pUAYuEsuqw3s0jdHG6FcUwKD_VhvR15iRDJtiXATL_uzLj3A6_tPcgI4TSyGDYo53ESYT7ApzOpPNZJBbLFe6QN8dvbCpvRrnJ7b2VNfwPh822SwJmyTBrbk/s200/IMG_2514.JPG" border="0" /></a> and 4 am that the boat goes a-rocking?), we anchored just off Cape Horn Island at 6am. Mummified and without breakfast, we all scrambled towards the Zodiacs for the expedition to Cape Horn Island. This time, we finally managed to be at the head of the queue, even in front of the Spanish Armada and the German Battal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6yRnmxMsAuTiQ1lF2y1NQzTNm8tkhJx6KAbcWr9F_JmT9WiKLoNOgfdZBUAEJfsCOuNHKVA78Eh8HvZxCaGJy7UQO5yPP2h6BPCEixHiUTvnbncZjF6SGsa4LGF8SuPmOeH2NzIvpXY/s1600-h/IMG_2561.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192468871903020338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6yRnmxMsAuTiQ1lF2y1NQzTNm8tkhJx6KAbcWr9F_JmT9WiKLoNOgfdZBUAEJfsCOuNHKVA78Eh8HvZxCaGJy7UQO5yPP2h6BPCEixHiUTvnbncZjF6SGsa4LGF8SuPmOeH2NzIvpXY/s200/IMG_2561.JPG" border="0" /></a>ion. All three Peeks made it onto the first boat out to the landing site, the first group up to the island walkways, the first group to the seagull memorial, the first group... you get my drift. Did make for some rather nice pictures sans other pesky tourists! There is only 1 dwelling on the island, that of the man and his family running the lighthouse. Apparently they have cable TV and Internet, their two daughters are home schooled, and they get frequent visits from the tourists that come to clamber all over the island. On top of that, they sell postcards for USD $4 each, which the lighthouse man will stamp with the Cape Horne symbol if you part with your cash. Hmmm, yep, I still wouldn’t trade with them! </span></div><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaRkUJ1fBWLOXZUd70OS8JvonstdLwocu0v9UJOVs53TVr7AeEyfVx2EIpIxlHmzO4h5xhHDHo-ceJ91QtKM_aK4wqu8xrNV6Jn2HXrjCqhI-4y16nD_9Kq9fiaLST22qWbcN90PsnVI/s1600-h/IMG_2530.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192461484559271122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaRkUJ1fBWLOXZUd70OS8JvonstdLwocu0v9UJOVs53TVr7AeEyfVx2EIpIxlHmzO4h5xhHDHo-ceJ91QtKM_aK4wqu8xrNV6Jn2HXrjCqhI-4y16nD_9Kq9fiaLST22qWbcN90PsnVI/s200/IMG_2530.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfFDWx_14eV6IHKNoOM2XvkdNzScJk206FBQorFI9fn3zv0v4aKx1RNGPDCwTQNm4_PcXKiVfG0enntam6Qhyphenhyphenm3ipb71IzFIUTSWLLNAZ7G8nqsy3rag0Vbc-t7XFwIdNaIQ5vG7Nx44/s1600-h/IMG_2599.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192465569073169650" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfFDWx_14eV6IHKNoOM2XvkdNzScJk206FBQorFI9fn3zv0v4aKx1RNGPDCwTQNm4_PcXKiVfG0enntam6Qhyphenhyphenm3ipb71IzFIUTSWLLNAZ7G8nqsy3rag0Vbc-t7XFwIdNaIQ5vG7Nx44/s200/IMG_2599.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192468588435178786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCj0fqvlB6ea6VtGrmnvQ70TEWG3AoaG_ube1dADqBLLsuBNBPPEInLW40QRWwhJUqTBf-ZMsQcUOK_FZG31iTUjDbcTAX7HMJVEx79_nds_AbmONDu-cRQBM2-Ut_1hUlpMpUtdgTFu4/s200/IMG_2547.JPG" border="0" /><br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since we boarded the ship a few days ago, we’ve had a trivia competition delivered to our lunchtime table every day with random questions. Some questions are about the trip itself, some geography and some culture. Of course my brother is reining King Supreme of all answers...but when he’s in a bit of a quandary, it helps that I packed a world map showing all countries (and more importantly that Belize is clearly larger than El Salvador), and a 3kg South America Lonely Planet. Since we were joined with another table, and we know that the Peeks (Roger) had all questions right in the first round, I made it my mission to go inform Mathias that he had to count our answers if we had more correct than the table we ended up joining. Me competitive? No, never, totally not my bag... aherm. Just count the points OK. :)</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQdq-qOTWK3czfwjC1WKCnkOgpYv4er9Kcx64SunFTNdBCXaSUTkn_B6-a26NFyTjRftAv9mtWc3JPUgA-1PXaAJjoQdy0Dy3QQBUTVd7ocgChJEwmrPqMNiPdvl1Iot5H9JzFlUarW4/s1600-h/IMG_2631.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192469739486414146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQdq-qOTWK3czfwjC1WKCnkOgpYv4er9Kcx64SunFTNdBCXaSUTkn_B6-a26NFyTjRftAv9mtWc3JPUgA-1PXaAJjoQdy0Dy3QQBUTVd7ocgChJEwmrPqMNiPdvl1Iot5H9JzFlUarW4/s200/IMG_2631.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This afternoon we moored in Wulaia Bay for a nice long uphill h<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOYVTd914LdOQTIqqNwYcoCyX40AhtcPu8rduhLLz2WlbeoYUPBdI_zec21ReOSizFtYIxoRZB0z8TGCqHg51u9jTxdOjIVbc4UtmAgCIgHbA39TG0KIlRC2NPyWFakDJHQGSbV-SIM0/s1600-h/IMG_2644.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192470138918372690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOYVTd914LdOQTIqqNwYcoCyX40AhtcPu8rduhLLz2WlbeoYUPBdI_zec21ReOSizFtYIxoRZB0z8TGCqHg51u9jTxdOjIVbc4UtmAgCIgHbA39TG0KIlRC2NPyWFakDJHQGSbV-SIM0/s200/IMG_2644.JPG" border="0" /></a>ike. After a 7am start and freezing weather at the cape, of course we were all psyched to be “tree climbers” and climb a hill above the bay for an amazing lookout. The bay is essentially owned by Cruceros Australis - they bought the only house and the land around it for conservation purposes and...what else... to turn it into a lodge for future passengers. The house is large and the surroundings are truly beautiful. Not sure I'd want to stay there for days on end, but then I'm not a bird fanatic or a professional photographer! Fun was had by all - but mostly my brother, who had this great idea to have me crouching in the tall grass / grain for a truly unique photo... unfortunately also meant that I spent the following 4 hours (until I could take a shower) itching all over with creepy crawlies and bits of hay and other imagined things... </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Turns out the hike to the top of the hill wasn't all that bad - quite a nice path (if a little slippery in the mud) and an amazing view of the bay, ship, and afternoon sun from the top. We even managed to get just over 40 passengers to shut up completely for more than 5 minutes of absolute reflective silence.... ooooohhhhhhhmmmmmmm!</span></div><div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD5chmgLglRKQhhGklY_3XFIZiTdY-fZ27cy42us2tFMYt6lvzOLNwe_fDmTQlY9C7v4V-EfYfKZkXqEsgj2i9iVZz8Tyl91Df7lHK7l89p1WbfEhdCQitMkmNFV_f4HthI_XFUya4a8/s1600-h/IMG_2655.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192471878380127586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD5chmgLglRKQhhGklY_3XFIZiTdY-fZ27cy42us2tFMYt6lvzOLNwe_fDmTQlY9C7v4V-EfYfKZkXqEsgj2i9iVZz8Tyl91Df7lHK7l89p1WbfEhdCQitMkmNFV_f4HthI_XFUya4a8/s200/IMG_2655.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjvigXB22QQhp1Xb-EqfksI2V3nNw-_C94wh5lzIHbE2YYAmSqYOG653K9cQ7f2L9z7DnzB9kAQEGCIqt4d-imbZ_-eZCOCHvrn0bLvro3ubhk8GevsXlhwhGCFKUmxOo086C4X1SnAs/s1600-h/IMG_2674.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192473020841428354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjvigXB22QQhp1Xb-EqfksI2V3nNw-_C94wh5lzIHbE2YYAmSqYOG653K9cQ7f2L9z7DnzB9kAQEGCIqt4d-imbZ_-eZCOCHvrn0bLvro3ubhk8GevsXlhwhGCFKUmxOo086C4X1SnAs/s200/IMG_2674.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192472737373586802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1k0_D8eoCCRjpM3HxKSQT3SeIalSBF4DcQ4yM_UdA1DYeQZEDAAeg7fi-7v7uCtKeBZwA4svCU8TUbj4Wcqc-62hzxvGsw3sGLb3FOFLfBiuDhg5_8Q687bkhVJ1IO0N2Ak0w_OyQ0Hw/s200/IMG_2661.JPG" border="0" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-77823516572763280612008-03-14T22:35:00.004+00:002008-12-09T16:54:40.526+00:00Glaciares, Glaciers, Ice Everywhere!<div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQN3kFsXs8ZG-uZWApggWxl0vSfoYLc6u7Aq7rubYTlMI5TH4FC2tCiYbcsA1ckIHrtw58593aIGF0jU6DHIVLpf7NZe21ILVULN2bZq8pWcptojXjtOb975E80bmp9QgUcrJqmbN1HM/s1600-h/IMG_2501.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185782955072570178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQN3kFsXs8ZG-uZWApggWxl0vSfoYLc6u7Aq7rubYTlMI5TH4FC2tCiYbcsA1ckIHrtw58593aIGF0jU6DHIVLpf7NZe21ILVULN2bZq8pWcptojXjtOb975E80bmp9QgUcrJqmbN1HM/s200/IMG_2501.JPG" border="0" /></a>After an eventful day at Pia Glacier, and once again de-layered (it's getting easier and easier to just sling the 5 layers on and off at the drop of a fleece hat), we were all in the main deck lounge for the cruise down Glacier Alley. And they weren't kidding when they said we'd see a lot of glaciers. Funny though, even though it's all ice, they all have their own distinctive shape, colour or just "vibe". I guess a lot of that was created by the crew who played Mozart as we passed the German glacier and served little snacks typical to each country as we passed!!! </span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Won't bore you with all the many many details, mainly because I don't remember them. Thickness, width, length, advancing, receding, blue ice, black ice, etc etc etc. Instead, I will just shut up and let the pictures do the talking... then again, you probably had to be there for the full effect (nah nah nana naaaah!). we passed the Romanche Glacier, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">German Glacier, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">French Glacier, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Italy Glacier, and last - but not least - </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Holland Glacier.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I don't remember which pics belong to which... but here are some of them!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfjYfEpi7H5cEH7Mqe9GYr7YsUJUpVpnbVyNPyn9ND0ev6kf5VllyOxirC41e8e4H-bEEUx4qwtdbHlnBnrcpQmnXmPBCrv1Zdd_Op_I3E3iZhudK9f3YzqZDv-ALzGVRZdCuaEYmvv0/s1600-h/IMG_2488.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185782388136887058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfjYfEpi7H5cEH7Mqe9GYr7YsUJUpVpnbVyNPyn9ND0ev6kf5VllyOxirC41e8e4H-bEEUx4qwtdbHlnBnrcpQmnXmPBCrv1Zdd_Op_I3E3iZhudK9f3YzqZDv-ALzGVRZdCuaEYmvv0/s200/IMG_2488.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP2trf8ZfLZl9ZhPCnN9aFkHUFSY8CuzYXwK3EfDeazruqly__5qQzKDdrFRSYsGzPxeqf-vBjcrAmT23ypDtuRPIDoE61-G17PxdUVfx-WLqI7YQzt1LvBBq6aGfZDVPoQbWjN0rlWw/s1600-h/IMG_2503.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185782705964466994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP2trf8ZfLZl9ZhPCnN9aFkHUFSY8CuzYXwK3EfDeazruqly__5qQzKDdrFRSYsGzPxeqf-vBjcrAmT23ypDtuRPIDoE61-G17PxdUVfx-WLqI7YQzt1LvBBq6aGfZDVPoQbWjN0rlWw/s200/IMG_2503.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185782538460742434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMvgqbw2qUA3NFXu7TKRBlNG4Wx_Uc1WN7g9LgUDDAoLOunoLu3q-UDwt6IUE-ebwsuPpmDHYKzGWwu1CYm76Nutt4x7lMWBlUmBHg40tY2ENJIX-sX7eJNeXuqoCSP3kPz0M1-kCMy4/s200/IMG_2496.JPG" border="0" /><br /></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-61112133562219992782008-03-14T18:12:00.002+00:002008-12-09T16:54:43.461+00:00Pia Glacier - up close and personal<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK, I officially love, LOVE, LOOOOOOOOVVVEEEE this trip!</span><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Due to the continued rocking and rolling during the night - so much so that my glass of water slid off the night table, but I woke up at the sliding sound and caught it just before it toppled - we got up somewhat refreshed if a little sleep-deprived. Since we had a long way to go to the disembarkation point for the day at Pia Glacier, we first played our one (and as it turns out ONLY) game of UNO. Roger dragged the cards with him all the way from London. I quickly ended up with my fair share (80% of the total?) of cards, which had my mother and brother chortling. However, fate is fickle, and they both soon felt the cruelty of "no green card because Marisa's holding them all in her hands" and had to draw, and draw, and draw... Who's laughing now?! After an hour, "we" decided to give up and pack up to be ready for the main attraction of the morning - a tour of the Engine Room! Yeah! yeah. Apparently their disenfranchisement did not go unnoticed as two other passengers commented on how "easily your mother and brother gave up. Boy, that game really got to them, huh?" End quote. Har har har.</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Wq0wKX7UvVLJYuaF9pLScPRuR6cMk9RVl8KMb9_yEjyHTACJqRVs2YK9EZu1bPBJmRi2EHTQ_9wzeptRbVDOhhjBMvdTgnKDnTWDOz-Lt8MtwYwKkhpZbVGd43flOBL_lL9bxMtXdJ0/s1600-h/IMG_2323.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184456398588625410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Wq0wKX7UvVLJYuaF9pLScPRuR6cMk9RVl8KMb9_yEjyHTACJqRVs2YK9EZu1bPBJmRi2EHTQ_9wzeptRbVDOhhjBMvdTgnKDnTWDOz-Lt8MtwYwKkhpZbVGd43flOBL_lL9bxMtXdJ0/s200/IMG_2323.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I got to the tour meeting point in time to snag some of the scarce headphones - my mum close behind. Seeing as they were going fast, I asked for another for Roger. Patrizio (he of the "catwalk show with many models") promptly asked "where is your husband?" Husband? Ewwwwww. Yes, BINGO, the lack of resemblance strikes again. Unfortunately, I patiently explained that he is not my husband, neither of us are married, and - believe it or not - Roger is my brother. This had its repercussions later that day... But anyhoo. On with the tour. </span><br /></div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Not much to tell, or maybe just not much that stuck :) 3 engines, 2 main ones, one back-up for inside the harbour area. 850 horse power each. They recycle and treat all the water before chucking it overboard and have a massive tank to store much and waste. Lots of important looking switches and signs and a bit LOUD. I took some pics and then made a hasty retreat to the bridge where I soon made myself comfortable in the Captain's chair. Much more my area of expertise, non?</span><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nUQYaKKjLg3Do_PZ_MJLaG4dL4R4S1Wgii_HqYGSVxOMmLUZsm4fLrEpA4QUfZBv8p23VOcqf8oqI2HlAw3vroWvBNsRQray7asBQ-ZJGXAzcfTpg9L8j_oq8v5pLFL4_6-QZwbPoxs/s1600-h/IMG_1804.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184456755070910994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nUQYaKKjLg3Do_PZ_MJLaG4dL4R4S1Wgii_HqYGSVxOMmLUZsm4fLrEpA4QUfZBv8p23VOcqf8oqI2HlAw3vroWvBNsRQray7asBQ-ZJGXAzcfTpg9L8j_oq8v5pLFL4_6-QZwbPoxs/s200/IMG_1804.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMSKUrQCyjdoZN14GX2VNb_5TeVhOUCSp8UTfsEZJNTTdl1ZZ3SF5I5bGY8ti2lgVBEIN08qWGwq0p4MYkE8HA3ixP8QchLmETI9sxh5nBiuX0G30ryIzF7fgecUgpE15soadJW_4F-4/s1600-h/IMG_2322.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184455969091895794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMSKUrQCyjdoZN14GX2VNb_5TeVhOUCSp8UTfsEZJNTTdl1ZZ3SF5I5bGY8ti2lgVBEIN08qWGwq0p4MYkE8HA3ixP8QchLmETI9sxh5nBiuX0G30ryIzF7fgecUgpE15soadJW_4F-4/s200/IMG_2322.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184457038538752546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0Hq3KP7gJJ_JOsEGtCC7qDXiyCG7FlmGPtjQkY-n1gS9jB8XawuXqTpOx1rLD7bAk8RWVP6Q9dcxjnV1fB3YzESlX_MgWWZh9pLBA3a_H_jy1phtXJA9-7IBDXQnaHspGDrmzQ5TNN0/s200/IMG_2334.JPG" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the afternoon we finally arrive at our destination. Pia Glacier. Pia Glacier. Yes, Pia Glacier! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZf5siA-CHp0gbEDnoXsxivNK4W6PdKMQLWHxO6jcbTBOaCjbZrkgni1dWlyIPlz3VKJoKuSxcmOg1MF4mbadebk1lQ2ma8McoKKGqPQWRxMXoLEqLV1hn0vs-79JUN0FJuQdMTLiTNTA/s1600-h/IMG_2363.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184459585454359090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZf5siA-CHp0gbEDnoXsxivNK4W6PdKMQLWHxO6jcbTBOaCjbZrkgni1dWlyIPlz3VKJoKuSxcmOg1MF4mbadebk1lQ2ma8McoKKGqPQWRxMXoLEqLV1hn0vs-79JUN0FJuQdMTLiTNTA/s200/IMG_2363.JPG" border="0" /></a>Pia Glacier makes everything better. It makes sleep uneccessary, cold showers fun, and breakfast buffet scrums an activity to enjoy and delight in. Seriously - NOTHING compares to laying anchor in front of a huge wall of ice, then hopping in a Zodiac to go WALKING on rocks just 20 metres away from said wall of ice... hearing it crackle and pop. Nothing! Well, maybe driving a tank, swimming with whale sharks, walking the wall of China, and sitting on an elephant. But Pia Glacier definitely ROCKS...also. :) </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh yes, and Roger showed me how to use the Panoramic picture setting on my camera, so you will see that newfound knowledge being abused from here on!<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSnUEs_uRTl48IJ5EoDJWUfG8BmLBHvK8qXTXqglzJMfnD2JURAZgt5lP4hyphenhyphen5imgGLH6LtuMc81-pvRSHbfyiC6vcjSpXkVk0gE9Km36y24ffxjTOl6ShrnRAZfaWSzhZ8GZOD3Z-lak/s1600-h/IMG_2374.JPG"></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once again, they were a person short on an earlier Zodiac and I quickly volunteered to get that space. I ended up in a boat almost filled with a German group who were all very friendly and concerned that I was without family! For about 10 minutes. :) The "landing" was onto an outcropping of rock about 30 metres in front of the main wall of the glacier. Being in an earlier boat also meant I could get a prime shot of my mother making a rather dignified descent from the boat with my brother gallantly helping her (ehmmm, or is he taking a picture or me taking a picture...shame on you!) The pictures speak for themselves, so I'm just going to plaster the post with pics rather than words! Enjoy! </span></div></div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qZzEk99kw9G905pD329ZN1gzJLfj2Z1a7d13ravSPHfIrrcRIKwWdNDI0KregiO7-lcz8xjwMq2i06MdWWu8pbJmCVdFe0B8pSC0LgTB-FNRZ_ZJVT4VimmfPN7qXE857wGjV0jDBXk/s1600-h/IMG_2380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184461887556829778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qZzEk99kw9G905pD329ZN1gzJLfj2Z1a7d13ravSPHfIrrcRIKwWdNDI0KregiO7-lcz8xjwMq2i06MdWWu8pbJmCVdFe0B8pSC0LgTB-FNRZ_ZJVT4VimmfPN7qXE857wGjV0jDBXk/s200/IMG_2380.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tBF11hcAcWBpkAv8X6-E5-_rqRyGHITmU1znFlGJu3bDTkrEYy4s0KGlufwN8BH4w8fQEv1kApQvpnIxC7yIR-k4LV0ld8DTpSD2Zm-I0JcsZJ31TS3fRObUPzB90FIkrjcFdeF4J_8/s1600-h/IMG_2402.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184463867536753266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tBF11hcAcWBpkAv8X6-E5-_rqRyGHITmU1znFlGJu3bDTkrEYy4s0KGlufwN8BH4w8fQEv1kApQvpnIxC7yIR-k4LV0ld8DTpSD2Zm-I0JcsZJ31TS3fRObUPzB90FIkrjcFdeF4J_8/s200/IMG_2402.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184462329938461282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJd43Q6Q6fiG5bBBKcATKRfboikKMWHzfAIffQPOUYse6CAEnqkS6Z93BAg7-RFNDTgG5j6fDAhde1M6VgOMxGy-EBx9uJ1vBViRPrtEJqNx2B5mjCWWFhmtc8Aba8ELPa9Q15ca8KDk/s200/IMG_2395.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(Picture below on the left is by my brother - Roger Peek - newly contributing photographer to the blog!)</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z2EKR22c0kwHUTW6J85kXLHjmPuuSWz104GsMdaZtLMTwUGDQYBoAFfZGdLuG-nLBq8l4U1C23UpcFMN6U6tBNB-VqT4T7EVc6fpWeKtCMJVE3OVMD9-rKNQQY4fkVqAehzqWetyen8/s1600-h/IMG_1879.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184464120939823746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z2EKR22c0kwHUTW6J85kXLHjmPuuSWz104GsMdaZtLMTwUGDQYBoAFfZGdLuG-nLBq8l4U1C23UpcFMN6U6tBNB-VqT4T7EVc6fpWeKtCMJVE3OVMD9-rKNQQY4fkVqAehzqWetyen8/s200/IMG_1879.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cB54fQ_y03PGoeDiCvfuZ2mKoWRj7t_EEw4Bf6zi2tVMKN1trIfKjzaM4gG7ZUR7eJGDpTXncfgVFQhextOkMJaFYqTj_spCwUUNJkCbbm4JRxyMucW1FE0Wf9PBvhQ_2Zq2hDRaj58/s1600-h/IMG_2397.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184465327825633954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cB54fQ_y03PGoeDiCvfuZ2mKoWRj7t_EEw4Bf6zi2tVMKN1trIfKjzaM4gG7ZUR7eJGDpTXncfgVFQhextOkMJaFYqTj_spCwUUNJkCbbm4JRxyMucW1FE0Wf9PBvhQ_2Zq2hDRaj58/s200/IMG_2397.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184465095897399954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCqpLeVNfPp9PEIiV3M1_kMn0vyP3Zf-BRihjsIeieRaR-qrG6Cw6Z2CVSK40GwBaRuqYEMV6TaBCNkSi8mgf3n8xFM8uTQhNk36rhjJVlDdI64TZHx-xElx0Jt8HhMF8pRg4HB1q71M/s200/IMG_2403.JPG" border="0" /><br /></div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptKNrWy1r-2443luc61EbAB63zFjMZEnym0vnzmSY8hisIh6sE_4UlX94gG-zwGuSkx3_srR-i7-B6UXeZeF9QGuJ7qUcxkpZufn9wUOENgtxD-LubrS8NmqgPHeSaWf8nHy9qC_Kj_c/s1600-h/IMG_2434.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184466075149943474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptKNrWy1r-2443luc61EbAB63zFjMZEnym0vnzmSY8hisIh6sE_4UlX94gG-zwGuSkx3_srR-i7-B6UXeZeF9QGuJ7qUcxkpZufn9wUOENgtxD-LubrS8NmqgPHeSaWf8nHy9qC_Kj_c/s200/IMG_2434.JPG" border="0" /></a>After some gawking at the ice wall, we then clambered up onto the nearby hill to a look-out point. Not even Patrizio-the-expedition-leader-and-entertainment-director's chatter could ruin it. I suffered an exhausting 2 hours of "Holland, are you single?", "Holland, why don't you come work on the ship for a year?", "Holland! Happy Single!", "Holland, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rhidTX8gcq5BmQHeUgZo19h2QizkD-HtaX59yF9LuTMmry4p3x8Bue2_iHpaemEIz9Z6kj1XxbHPaKRRzl6uT-s4gereb7M6yMao_qnqS798Rlf-caBp-EvaR979d0tWHWOrBXwyuIs/s1600-h/IMG_2435.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184466255538569922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rhidTX8gcq5BmQHeUgZo19h2QizkD-HtaX59yF9LuTMmry4p3x8Bue2_iHpaemEIz9Z6kj1XxbHPaKRRzl6uT-s4gereb7M6yMao_qnqS798Rlf-caBp-EvaR979d0tWHWOrBXwyuIs/s200/IMG_2435.JPG" border="0" /></a>I was once in finance and a stock trader, I wasn't always a guide" (accompanied by much chest-puffing), and "Holland, you left without me!" after I walked back down off the hill-top viewpoint back to see the glacier up close and personal. It appears that I have been </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">renamed “Holland”. Great. Due to the frequent and loud use of that monicker by Patricio both on board and off, now even other guests are starting to call me “Holland”. As in, "Did you take any more pictures of seals, Holland?". AAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXaXWiCMJpTfUrhjoTcwtkfQmOFXrMxvXOdbODU7BkigUULai3kLoqZQXmbC8mdl8nM1ZuZHhLeGs3Haw3KNG_PnGlRJGlb3OOzyY3tTLzZ8FT-TcZrBCmi0LYYkgfcmYbhp1XwEoJfE/s1600-h/IMG_2456.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184467883331175122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXaXWiCMJpTfUrhjoTcwtkfQmOFXrMxvXOdbODU7BkigUULai3kLoqZQXmbC8mdl8nM1ZuZHhLeGs3Haw3KNG_PnGlRJGlb3OOzyY3tTLzZ8FT-TcZrBCmi0LYYkgfcmYbhp1XwEoJfE/s200/IMG_2456.JPG" border="0" /></a>Pia glacier was awesome, but the pictures cannot do it justice. The crew brought whisky and hot chocolate onto the shore for us to enjoy - whisky on the rocks, courtesy of Ice by Pia! (That's the Brazilian bartender pouring Scotch into my mother's hot chocolate by the way!) After a cup of delicious hot chocolate (without additives), the sugar shot to my head and I spent the next 10 minutes jumping in the ai<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpOz-b5ZMoslXrVYXSQbAVrwrlCpJAwajnY5qdZjar7291Xe3pLGW8ItIX-i3ZYr0WrLeY3K8CutzI_81LLeG7CESj52jm5modrZGW6H4suFME3MiBKQcLip-zAzrpHLN4pTODfZnrOU/s1600-h/IMG_2465.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184469940620509954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpOz-b5ZMoslXrVYXSQbAVrwrlCpJAwajnY5qdZjar7291Xe3pLGW8ItIX-i3ZYr0WrLeY3K8CutzI_81LLeG7CESj52jm5modrZGW6H4suFME3MiBKQcLip-zAzrpHLN4pTODfZnrOU/s200/IMG_2465.JPG" border="0" /></a>r while my brother tried to capture it on Megabytes. My wild escapades got me noticed by someone else though... There was a professional photographer on board the cruise, as a guest, and after seeing my blonde hair flapping up and down in front of the glacier, he asked me to pose in front of the glacier, though thankfully standing still! I was Chosen...because I was the only one with blonde hair, and he needed something in perspective that wasn't dark. Yeay, whatever! I might end up gracing the cover of the BBC nature magazine!<br /></span></div></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-69017917931681446812008-03-13T21:42:00.009+00:002008-12-09T16:54:44.814+00:00Now you see it, Now you don't!<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After a refreshing afternoon getting used to hopping in and out of the dinghies...ermmmm... Zodiacs (respect, please) we were treated to lunch and then promptly got mummied up EVEN MORE for a trip around Tucker Island. </span><br /><div><div><br /><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbChDcsg3PHdRxZ4e3xj4ECtsFhzNhbHtZoa1PUsEGpuEgYcVKnifBJ1XGm-8_jZDqn1Z12uehAzuR3H2ZeAOC3xGAY48mKJ8q27BWgfAIdRo60iphImFMv9QK9fJMgOA1UmdgFABerWA/s1600-h/IMG_2222.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184438888006959474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbChDcsg3PHdRxZ4e3xj4ECtsFhzNhbHtZoa1PUsEGpuEgYcVKnifBJ1XGm-8_jZDqn1Z12uehAzuR3H2ZeAOC3xGAY48mKJ8q27BWgfAIdRo60iphImFMv9QK9fJMgOA1UmdgFABerWA/s200/IMG_2222.JPG" border="0" /></a>Tucker Island is a wildlife preserve housing penguins, cormorants and possibly lots of other cute and nasty wildlife, but we don't know, because we can only circle it in the Zodiacs. Having taken the warning "you will freeze, wear lots" to heart, we all waddled aboard for our 40 minute exploration. I got a prime seat, NOT, right at the end - or start - of the boat next to the "Chauffeur". He's <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNS2ya27UFUOP2MHlshoKVRJReUg2PaiWHfOEB8CT4rbI85S58BH1nlR73W_wS-N_oLgjnPi31hOiTIB2gNMuSGilVbvuCrQgcrM27n8JQuUo06pEkUpJ3L8medYUS2nYA4UG5VRlrzM/s1600-h/IMG_2267.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184439777065189762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNS2ya27UFUOP2MHlshoKVRJReUg2PaiWHfOEB8CT4rbI85S58BH1nlR73W_wS-N_oLgjnPi31hOiTIB2gNMuSGilVbvuCrQgcrM27n8JQuUo06pEkUpJ3L8medYUS2nYA4UG5VRlrzM/s200/IMG_2267.JPG" border="0" /></a>not a captain, so what do I call him? driver??? My position meant that, as everyone turned around to face the front of the boat and oohed and aaaahed over the cutesy little Penguins hobbling about on shore...then pushed even more to get in prime picture-taking position, I was persistently being edged backwards and thus off the boat. I managed to partly cling onto the very nice british woman in front of me, who seemed to sense my frantic struggles to hold on, and turned round to say "are you alright there, I am a bit worried about you". Worried or not, the rest of the passengers weren't going to give up even a millimeter of space and I spent most of this memorable excursion claw-like, hoping I'd make it back to the ship while still INside the Zodiac.</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">But fret not, mission accomplished and I managed to take some pictures while clinging on for dear life. After all, I know you all care ZIP for my safety, all you're interested in is results. And cute they are...</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkr2on27u7jOQ1eFSgKiO1Nea7TdF65QD_amMUTOlnUksQT-DnGDo5g0vOSYOWFNvjdif3kPXB2z6dzi3Xlhv_OrkvLbKpTg4s300YdMS5ppTz648q2wStB_zVa51o5N08nBtlnNZXIs/s1600-h/IMG_2241.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184440893756686754" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkr2on27u7jOQ1eFSgKiO1Nea7TdF65QD_amMUTOlnUksQT-DnGDo5g0vOSYOWFNvjdif3kPXB2z6dzi3Xlhv_OrkvLbKpTg4s300YdMS5ppTz648q2wStB_zVa51o5N08nBtlnNZXIs/s200/IMG_2241.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNn7kuBY9mrF6UMGaVdfsE648myJVGDWUT_nqST9z50fQWmAJ5xSYtr8LspZEvH5fxQoT96f9kwdvxm__NEUxixa8yuxBAV4mFbgU85fPFkpP5PbvlZn5xaFtzTN80glu-8Vynd8tU6w/s1600-h/IMG_2263.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184443608176017858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNn7kuBY9mrF6UMGaVdfsE648myJVGDWUT_nqST9z50fQWmAJ5xSYtr8LspZEvH5fxQoT96f9kwdvxm__NEUxixa8yuxBAV4mFbgU85fPFkpP5PbvlZn5xaFtzTN80glu-8Vynd8tU6w/s200/IMG_2263.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184441263123874226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd3BnE1cYCm8rapqCOPyuTsmlDRmpjhKIO8VQPOsoEDl7OU2XpdIf52h9KG78VivdQYqcEbsZsLKqDdUy0FZCSBLX1Sn498qh4um4EVlZS8A0pEOjU8GTxQfAdKov_tt-V9cmBoObV2Q/s200/IMG_2243.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zakz2WYuK53INo9fT2psOnPrL6whq0y6RsOELd5i7SHrqUXtoUvqIu22R1UXafeJC9AOH-8lNg1C3a6R1XF0IkKdemMJXOm0Zpd5PFXjwtJF7sy7g2R894tHQB4caphBGWA_zvHp0wU/s1600-h/IMG_2220.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184448762136773090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zakz2WYuK53INo9fT2psOnPrL6whq0y6RsOELd5i7SHrqUXtoUvqIu22R1UXafeJC9AOH-8lNg1C3a6R1XF0IkKdemMJXOm0Zpd5PFXjwtJF7sy7g2R894tHQB4caphBGWA_zvHp0wU/s200/IMG_2220.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Back on dry deck, we lost all the padding (I WISH! Just the layers we added) and headed for the bar. Yes, even me. Since there's only 4 Zodiacs and 100 passengers, we were watching as the Spanish speakers went for their turn in the Zodiacs. So while they were getting wet - the waves had picked up a bit since our little excursion earlier - we spent the time in the bar watching<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnliQS3XMc2VRAWvumzx4FOAWvmAt6ohGLmJwgJR17BTEPb8lk1qloHvjkL66Zk32320wXxsCZsBGuMob3snpsd4bCuXVYTkwukperxRMK8faYutrfymhgrPXfzJLizJtfBieOqq2J_Q/s1600-h/IMG_2302.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184440429900218770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnliQS3XMc2VRAWvumzx4FOAWvmAt6ohGLmJwgJR17BTEPb8lk1qloHvjkL66Zk32320wXxsCZsBGuMob3snpsd4bCuXVYTkwukperxRMK8faYutrfymhgrPXfzJLizJtfBieOqq2J_Q/s200/IMG_2302.JPG" border="0" /></a> seals frolic in the water beside the ship. When I say sealS, I mean I saw a seal on more than one occassion and cannot be certain if it was the same seal multiple times, or multiple seals separate times. Suffice it to say, I was SO excited to have spotted it, I spent a good hour with my nose plastered against the window and my camera at the ready. As luck would have it, every time my camera did "click!" it caught the slight disturbance of the water's surface left by the seal's quick dive. I ended up with over 30 pictures of water, sans seal. So I decided to just try to film it - and Eureka! In 30 odd seconds of filming, I caught its appearance twice (total visible duration approx 0.0002secs on film). the other passengers and barman really sympathised - mainly because I was so loud when I finally caught him on film and showed anyone that was interested! I guess the seal felt sorry for me, and as I was about to give up, it jumped out of the water just as the Zodiacs with Spanish Speakers returned. A spectacular leap which I finally caught on memory card!!!<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div>We set off as everyone went for a nap / shower / triple whisky straight-up before dinner. Just as we're getting used to being just the 3 of us at a table for 8 - and having fun playing musical chairs and confusing Ramon the waiter, the table next to us take pity and decide that they will adopt us from the next meal forward. After lots of discussing between waiters, head waiters, more uniforms and guests - AND an explanation to those that were unaware, that the tables are indeed bolted to the floor and cannot be moved, so 11 must squeeze onto a round table meant for 8 - it is decided that we will forgo cutlery by the side of the plate so we can fit in 11 plates. Sensible solution...</span></div><br /><div> </div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is at this point that I claim a momentary lapse in sanity. Whether due to Ramon's swarthy good looks, the impending table-crush at breakfast, or just plain exhaustion from so much wildlife excitement in one day... whatever it was, it affected my judgment. The 2 entertainment reps / expedition leaders trap us at the table just as we are about to leave after dinner, asking for models for the International Catwalk to show Australis garb. I quickly volunteer Roger, and his name is promptly noted on an EMPTY piece of paper. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaYClZJ43qEI0zlWFecU7mrJoATt_yPpG1qWKYtZT9bU2d55uLOIklfupkYyv51PPef7F1_TLktJ9LiXqQWXE0bF3ZQ8ObabCp_H1z2Go8JvWpfV_Q5cCAI1VBvidVZVpCYl8MX1BBWY/s1600-h/IMG_2316.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184447520891224530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaYClZJ43qEI0zlWFecU7mrJoATt_yPpG1qWKYtZT9bU2d55uLOIklfupkYyv51PPef7F1_TLktJ9LiXqQWXE0bF3ZQ8ObabCp_H1z2Go8JvWpfV_Q5cCAI1VBvidVZVpCYl8MX1BBWY/s200/IMG_2316.JPG" border="0" /></a>Hmmm. I then inquire how many other models they have lined up. I don't think I ever got an answer, but somehow I agree to join in the farce and be a model. As we say in Dutch "samen uit, samen thuis" (out together, at home together? Sort of - stick together, wherever). I get to model the itchiest, most horrible scarf known to man. Apparently that's just my opinion, because on my way upstairs to the main deck and the awaiting audience, a woman comments "what a lovely scarf, is that one they sell here?" My brother, on the other hand, doesn't get off so easily. He gets to model a sweater, a Captain's hat, and a coat. He pulls it off with aplomb and is the star of the show. Out of the 3 models (including my brother and me), he was without a doubt the SUPERmodel. No great piccies, because my mum had obviously been at the wine and Pisco Sour!<br /><br /><br /><div></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The evening was capped off with a forgettable round of Bingo (I won nothing, </span></div></div></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">even in the "last person standing without a number called" round... I lost THAT one by suddenly going on a winning streak. The Brazilians cleaned up - they won ALL the prizes! Although, given that Mathias and Patrizio (the entertainment / expedition guides) made constant jokes about being completely open to bribes, I personally suspect foul play. That penguin keychain should have been MINE! </span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-54178323617574059712008-03-13T16:11:00.018+00:002008-12-09T16:54:46.808+00:00Ainsworth Bay - DisemBARK! Hoppen zee in ze dinghy, ja!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBdeULkULihY76qIIUoQMfGYfYkmkyugw6bJS_ceIA_dRMTJxHv1Ce7DJhpZH52zTebubjLRZrpk1RTYn8JtDRizhJjSNzskrSdO3J_BRuDyz5ejavQ9CBuJfdViZDqhFW3ImDHpXj6w/s1600-h/IMG_2135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181726908217311410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBdeULkULihY76qIIUoQMfGYfYkmkyugw6bJS_ceIA_dRMTJxHv1Ce7DJhpZH52zTebubjLRZrpk1RTYn8JtDRizhJjSNzskrSdO3J_BRuDyz5ejavQ9CBuJfdViZDqhFW3ImDHpXj6w/s200/IMG_2135.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cruise nr. 71 got off to a fabulous start. There are two ships on the Australis line cruising from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia and back – but one is old and the other (ours! Yeay!) is still very new. They’ve "only" completed 71 trips so far, BUT more importantly... the captain was serving on the Mare Australis (the older vessel) for years before he jumped ship! We had a few waves at around 4am, but so far nothing stomach-churning. It’s actually a surprisingly smooth ride and our cabins are outfitted with a big picture window, duvets to keep us toasty at night, and a hot shower to make you think all is normal in the morning. We certainly went down to breakfast feeling energetic and refreshed!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgVur4ooTaZ3vBpVZKLhii8dTNQ_UUKBXCLfBP_6RDA2wNxA-8WEV-fEDFlh2y5oiFV2XtAvnWyANgo-8FPXqwrq9AV0FhbhWF9H1gpuHPq0ZhpHAvYW-u9A-FJSelVR_wKdCXMYJOK0/s1600-h/IMG_2153.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181877738878812418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgVur4ooTaZ3vBpVZKLhii8dTNQ_UUKBXCLfBP_6RDA2wNxA-8WEV-fEDFlh2y5oiFV2XtAvnWyANgo-8FPXqwrq9AV0FhbhWF9H1gpuHPq0ZhpHAvYW-u9A-FJSelVR_wKdCXMYJOK0/s200/IMG_2153.JPG" border="0" /></a>This morning we moored in Ainsworth Bay opposite the Marinelli Glacier. It’s quite disconcerting to see that the glacier used to stretch beyond where we are at anchor, and now it is a white mass in the distance. Makes the talk about receding glaciers all too real.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rENDVlkO3Y_tTX2uBgyLi1Uphg2PCP2xMAXj7_sJ6-oSpp-xHynGXKzGa_UptnCw7BCR3AL68whk0lltgFoSKIXJu5RRYxjZbD8cWUlDslDNFGvEJeoAYN8fLWYLBmTQ6pC-ZnH0FuY/s1600-h/IMG_2137.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181728548894818498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rENDVlkO3Y_tTX2uBgyLi1Uphg2PCP2xMAXj7_sJ6-oSpp-xHynGXKzGa_UptnCw7BCR3AL68whk0lltgFoSKIXJu5RRYxjZbD8cWUlDslDNFGvEJeoAYN8fLWYLBmTQ6pC-ZnH0FuY/s200/IMG_2137.JPG" border="0" /></a> We had a safety talk last night about life vests, best way to get in and out of the Zodiac and safety precautions we need to take on each “expedition”. So we waddled to the Yamana lounge for pre-disembarkation instructions. I say waddled because I was wearing layers as per instructions, including: underwear (duh), tights, hiking socks, hiking boots, cargo trousers, waterproof over-trousers, undershirt, t-shirt, sweater, outdoor windproof jacket, life vest, scarf, gloves, fleece hat... by the time I had to get my rucksack on with my sunscreen and water bottle... I was feeling just a tad constricted. When we got to the Yamana lounge, we were told to “fasten our tails”. Basically a strap that comes down the back of the life-vest, in between your legs, and then clips onto the front of the vest. Make it too tight, and it can be quite uncomfortable... wear too many layers and it may be virtually impossible to bend over to grasp the tail! I found a method that really worked for me – standing with your feet about a metre apart, start swinging back and forth until the “tail” swings up far enough in front for you to catch it. Since there were lots of people crowing around, armed with cameras, I might make it onto America’s Funniest Home Videos yet...<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We're ordered into the dinghies in military (but always friendly!) fashion by the Expedition leaders - Mauricio, Patrizio, Rodrigo and Mathias. Naturally, there's always a few people that HAVE to push. It's not like they're going to leave you behind unless you make it to the front of the queue by brute force... but maybe the German survival /beach chair monopolisation instinct is so well-ingrained that even when the ship is NOT sinking and there's no sunning at the other end, they need to make it to the little boats first. I bet they could even give the average Chinese tourist a run/shove for their money!<br /><br /><br />There was suddenly one spot left in a boat and everyone was waiting for someone to fill it - but no one wanted to leave their other half or group. So I volunteered to be *gasp* separated from my nearest and dearest (and family) and hopped in to the boat. Means I caught some cool pictures of my brother and mother arriving and scrambling off the boat.<br /></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ6jTx00tD0k8nISiVwuH5fp6zNnDanIV5vHBet_navkdyQTNvIk4v4mIy58z4ngSBWIHqHgk8FmAiKRBCvlhXu_R2VGAtDfnnxVdPjx1uW5FO5tBQeOSQ6GOhAeM0VJ1_ZB0GzW189M/s1600-h/IMG_2138.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181729772960497874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ6jTx00tD0k8nISiVwuH5fp6zNnDanIV5vHBet_navkdyQTNvIk4v4mIy58z4ngSBWIHqHgk8FmAiKRBCvlhXu_R2VGAtDfnnxVdPjx1uW5FO5tBQeOSQ6GOhAeM0VJ1_ZB0GzW189M/s200/IMG_2138.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRc7ksDYc-sXN63TJzg5wwVbI7_MiOM4T3lGurtb4qiR1Lmm2HwgwBFv4fhZP55I7I2f1bbSuoaXHEwKvwtd5csHVy3EQFWV11PuNsAmaMTd36ywMYbDCDSbZlQ05GpZy-c9uR6E_uEc/s1600-h/IMG_2149.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181731572551794930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRc7ksDYc-sXN63TJzg5wwVbI7_MiOM4T3lGurtb4qiR1Lmm2HwgwBFv4fhZP55I7I2f1bbSuoaXHEwKvwtd5csHVy3EQFWV11PuNsAmaMTd36ywMYbDCDSbZlQ05GpZy-c9uR6E_uEc/s200/IMG_2149.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181886174194581842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu7nVi_yjsTFrhg96LVavmlpkKP1kFMeCUh_CD8ZfbvIBvWt3B775hMdClevzaGdAoEp7FZa1WqwNS_iCBUoGlKxJcQ5K9yYOhcKOTak8_kokzJ-RRo-q7kTUpSgyIsw23vkgIfsZebg/s200/IMG_2143.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrU1h-dLvn9tWkbTaBqEBEDLzjxvuMDKgqRhyphenhyphenKPFy_ji2H2bpKkI2AKCG3rfLCZkUoej5DorCUT6FrlUgjwhWZeACdBWr_63HvspWxYeC50O17iMeVETNdhzi-cyeywM0hb1xN_Jbk6U/s1600-h/IMG_2151.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181882991623815458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrU1h-dLvn9tWkbTaBqEBEDLzjxvuMDKgqRhyphenhyphenKPFy_ji2H2bpKkI2AKCG3rfLCZkUoej5DorCUT6FrlUgjwhWZeACdBWr_63HvspWxYeC50O17iMeVETNdhzi-cyeywM0hb1xN_Jbk6U/s200/IMG_2151.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Ainsworth Bay, for all its beauty, doesn't have a lot of exciting things going for it EXCEPT for amazing scenery and an Elephant Seal colony th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8goMCz_eGcGRPCvfFOxiVTEeV-6ZhGTgDHjnghdeAmSylPmcdJkF0hU4o7CfYW5gFL-okJRrfO8Abc3JJIAu1qlHu1nhVVlIU2LVBNczVgCBgXnYUBH9-uJuLOKWTMO6LkcfkAEyqHA/s1600-h/IMG_2160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181881149082845458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8goMCz_eGcGRPCvfFOxiVTEeV-6ZhGTgDHjnghdeAmSylPmcdJkF0hU4o7CfYW5gFL-okJRrfO8Abc3JJIAu1qlHu1nhVVlIU2LVBNczVgCBgXnYUBH9-uJuLOKWTMO6LkcfkAEyqHA/s200/IMG_2160.JPG" border="0" /></a>at is purported to be there more often than not in the main season. To be fair, we did see a few of the animals - one dead (the main Man, poor thing), one comatose (his first "wife", sleeping with the occassional yawn that elicited excited "aaahhh!"s from the assorted tourists), and the escapee on the island just off the coast that had presumably seen our ship arrive and legged (finned?) it to the other side to escape camcorders. Sometimes I wish I had a camcorder rather than a normal digital camera - seeing the big mass of the Escapee hump and bump its way out of the water onto the dry was definitely worth standing in the freezing wind!</span> </div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The expedition leaders are excellently informed and proceeded to give us an overload of information - About the Notofagus Lenga (or dissiduous tall birch? beech? not sure) and its shorter version the Coihue. About beavers and their destructive impact on the forests. About berries that tasted like apples - which we all bravely tried - and the Devils' Strawberries that apparently didn't taste like much of anything, but would create a bad stomach problem - which we all wisely avoided. Too bad, could've been interesting... and just the ticket to counteract all that white bread that they seem to love dishing up here!</span></div><div> </div><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZDESliujVWIOg6R3wwNS04fwGzwX6dRyeXC-EhzB2Ul6S4GR4Y3YlqkPGfxG5IYJow8dhkFzlXig1gFDg9q2Q9MfSPNnk5jjzsgPtccgdc6W2ZgmUJ4dxPFvT-HA3o_FZSBMrBN0Kfc/s1600-h/IMG_2178.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181884705315766594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkZDESliujVWIOg6R3wwNS04fwGzwX6dRyeXC-EhzB2Ul6S4GR4Y3YlqkPGfxG5IYJow8dhkFzlXig1gFDg9q2Q9MfSPNnk5jjzsgPtccgdc6W2ZgmUJ4dxPFvT-HA3o_FZSBMrBN0Kfc/s200/IMG_2178.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_80h7yhJy0G6EY5oedi3uCeuvq-HKiasN8X_R7MlXDDmpZtrt_LphzZgiqejZJ-3GdNkq_qYT0tiyUOajSVO-TD1VttCe1Q53ritcSoR04DZfW-X7uyqv8A5HmOzn5odpft6h_DjrAo/s1600-h/IMG_2213.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181887737562677602" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_80h7yhJy0G6EY5oedi3uCeuvq-HKiasN8X_R7MlXDDmpZtrt_LphzZgiqejZJ-3GdNkq_qYT0tiyUOajSVO-TD1VttCe1Q53ritcSoR04DZfW-X7uyqv8A5HmOzn5odpft6h_DjrAo/s200/IMG_2213.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181883653048779058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N2sCsXZgL8qgUUUy5NejZTH3c8XTjZefOtSStXVCi0-hmdZ9-780-WG5PK91GreVWVNpUbkW-56EScVm9Qbxy6J63rxXbqGf9jU89ZXhIgB_sr-4WoDOMudUFUnXg1p3CbSyob1AR3U/s200/IMG_2185.JPG" border="0" />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-75341165748416921922008-03-12T21:40:00.012+00:002008-12-09T16:54:48.105+00:00Is it windy, or is it just me?<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hah! On the road, the way I like it. We left Santiago early this morning – 9:30am pick-up at the hotel for transfer to the airport... practically the crack of dawn in Professional Traveller time! Although we’d warned my mum almost as much about the baggage allowance on internal flights as we had about pickpockets in Santiago, she still managed to pack 6kg over the limit and smuggle in a carry on suitcase and handbag. The check-in staff were very strict though and she had to cough up cash for the excess weight in her suitcase. </span><br /><br /><div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div> </div><div>We landed in Punta Arenas and luckily our luggage landed with us. So far, so good. However, when we met our transfer guide at the exit gate, it turns out they were expecting 2 – not 3 – people. There are 3 people going to the airport, 3 people on the plane, 3 people going on the cruise... but they figure that only 2 are going from the plane to the cruise? Presumably the third got dropped at the cruise office mid-flight? Go figure. They told us we’d have to wait 30 minutes for a larger car - but being Dutch we said we’d manage. That was until we saw the car – about the size of a Ford Focus. The chauffeur did a Bang Up job (literally) of fitting our suitcases in the trunk, but that left my brother in the front passenger seat with his rucksack and my mother’s small carry-on suitcase on his lap, and the guide, my mother, and myself in the backseat. A cosy 30 minutes later, we arrived in Punta Arenas. </div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JEujxkh5qoSdYXDc22Zdfd9u4_31uoIX4Mc6KXm_WA6cyhuJ6JbA-sDdVjywpPl68dL10bsA7J8LFNBUZdpq9fi3eMtyn1jCDTUzXIBacfyWdAko_GDHnV54VT_JgUjdvqxPh6zLfec/s1600-h/IMG_1603.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178879784888224754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JEujxkh5qoSdYXDc22Zdfd9u4_31uoIX4Mc6KXm_WA6cyhuJ6JbA-sDdVjywpPl68dL10bsA7J8LFNBUZdpq9fi3eMtyn1jCDTUzXIBacfyWdAko_GDHnV54VT_JgUjdvqxPh6zLfec/s200/IMG_1603.JPG" border="0" /></a>Punta Arenas is apparently rather windy. In the summer, winds get up to 120km/hr, but when we landed it was a balmy 30km/hr only. It has one main street, where all the tourists (frantically trying to buy horribly overpriced outdoor gear) and children (cruising the main street after school) congregate. We rushed around buying a fleece for my mum and waterproof trousers and a jacket for my brother (who’d come armed with jeans and a suede coat...). Being me, I’d come uber-prepared – I bought all the gear and then some in London. Ironically, this appears to have been the cheaper option!<br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJxwdQtHI49OVwVLeFI4ULw6dj_19fbH8YApr3xEfEJpEiHtqQwW_o4dNKjQaSzv0U5j2vYa52UgbVUwmhtpCnYtcafCllPIxCz9ae8xF92Vs-KO8o86GVCzQ9bBit4IwFD699SqRj3Q/s1600-h/IMG_2059.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181698999519821922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJxwdQtHI49OVwVLeFI4ULw6dj_19fbH8YApr3xEfEJpEiHtqQwW_o4dNKjQaSzv0U5j2vYa52UgbVUwmhtpCnYtcafCllPIxCz9ae8xF92Vs-KO8o86GVCzQ9bBit4IwFD699SqRj3Q/s200/IMG_2059.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJl7fWcSYVmGgojB85KynLXUN5yr_sfnmfXeTwBPx1HP1VEX9yYdJNF5CYCPlBWqxxsU_SPytgq2phqOmxeA_f5AY2gSU2aw3CKf9TCPATvbfeI4p_q4KKePNg0WIPm9Hm2jWqMFLhyM/s1600-h/IMG_2056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181696779021729874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJl7fWcSYVmGgojB85KynLXUN5yr_sfnmfXeTwBPx1HP1VEX9yYdJNF5CYCPlBWqxxsU_SPytgq2phqOmxeA_f5AY2gSU2aw3CKf9TCPATvbfeI4p_q4KKePNg0WIPm9Hm2jWqMFLhyM/s200/IMG_2056.JPG" border="0" /></a>We did a whirl-wind shopping tour and then headed for... the cemetary? Apparently one of the prettiest in south America. It is full os mausoleums - huge marble structures with angel statues and ornate decoration. The grounds are immaculate, with manicured tress all over. If you have to be dead, there are worse places to rest.</div><br /><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkeDEhIYyD316rIml5jCAQIw8LZAwYYqKlY2JIv8APmbQbbuoUFkR0UE2oMY2JDbDdlyDhen7uVj1v1n9M-YWz_TkNqI45Yzgra66vxYy_f2eJd_ahjd0_HSivQuwfb3y7ywbYPgM0_Y/s1600-h/IMG_2066.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181699849923346546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkeDEhIYyD316rIml5jCAQIw8LZAwYYqKlY2JIv8APmbQbbuoUFkR0UE2oMY2JDbDdlyDhen7uVj1v1n9M-YWz_TkNqI45Yzgra66vxYy_f2eJd_ahjd0_HSivQuwfb3y7ywbYPgM0_Y/s200/IMG_2066.JPG" border="0" /></a>We grabbed a taxi and headed for the look-out over Punta Arenas to get one last important picture for the blog! Punta Arenas is quite small - but like most towns we've seen here so far, also very colourful. Green, red, yellow, blue, purple, orange - you can paint your house or businessany colour it seems. I sometimes wonder if London would be a more cheerful place on Monday mornings in the rain if Buckingham Palace was pink, the tower was yellow, Canary wharf towers were blue and red, and St. Paul's was orange? Hmmmm. Would definitely make me smile!</div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We got to the pier - couldn't find the yellow container we were supposed to go to in order to wait for the bus. So we asked a guard to let us through the gates and simply walked down the loading dock to the ship. We're on the Via Australis for the next 4 days. It holds about 130 passengers at max capacity, has 40+ crew and looks sleek and like it could deal with a couple of ice cubes in the water. We were going to be disembarking onto glaciers and island with Zodiac boats - little rubber dinghies (centre photo). Since we had an hour to kill before dinner, we decided to spend it playing tag on the top deck! Sometimes I wish I could add videos without taking up too much blog space - I have a hilarious one of my mum chasing my brother round and round a bench. The premier of "The one that got away" will be in September in London!<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT6uE1zRQ1ceSwEXQZ7enOlgawSlwtXFh_C0Zhyphenhyphenn-lta7_Lo5yfxBuJnumFKU2dRO9EicJLq3JC0BHfIfgIBrRAPdaWrvSQQmsnlXeMp9M0ISojhEFNM3TzPDluL0LtAgeybwOrWAYP4/s1600-h/IMG_2079.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181700597247656066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT6uE1zRQ1ceSwEXQZ7enOlgawSlwtXFh_C0Zhyphenhyphenn-lta7_Lo5yfxBuJnumFKU2dRO9EicJLq3JC0BHfIfgIBrRAPdaWrvSQQmsnlXeMp9M0ISojhEFNM3TzPDluL0LtAgeybwOrWAYP4/s200/IMG_2079.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09BxTo3VnU9KrkDKZ5ARGdMTlXqSam-iv-6xCwnMqAd8k-p0SJ5AXbfIaqrhekAv4YZpTEvChdTT4zRjNS5agjWGsi3kexyLzXR84rpPqax5J8QObazmiWeQvETuZZcb0KnRcBiG7tTg/s1600-h/IMG_2096.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181704570092404898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09BxTo3VnU9KrkDKZ5ARGdMTlXqSam-iv-6xCwnMqAd8k-p0SJ5AXbfIaqrhekAv4YZpTEvChdTT4zRjNS5agjWGsi3kexyLzXR84rpPqax5J8QObazmiWeQvETuZZcb0KnRcBiG7tTg/s200/IMG_2096.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181704303804432530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuaMRixwZh_8FiLP9b1jWdJFGhRVoVfeJwluwETBDE73iEKllac9cKL7UT3zwL7jqnHGxg65eJCKln5SSK38G-3VUEPsyW_0KC1BYKgkq-BA5FlRP8qI0vR7dI3yY9HFRcph0Qf8aZmg/s200/IMG_2098.JPG" border="0" /> <div> </div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsB5PtqPW-qS1jZNNt0CPD-ZFMN6dJmQMclJRTS3Zq_c6O9qDUujVXMlMfzmOnDMJQfaqKLS6jD4vzduSD6lJP55lhudMlFxwwIaBSzHPSnvTibBDRjIa13cD9eev8MG2Pd9VOXVx2Ac/s1600-h/IMG_1633.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178884784230157314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsB5PtqPW-qS1jZNNt0CPD-ZFMN6dJmQMclJRTS3Zq_c6O9qDUujVXMlMfzmOnDMJQfaqKLS6jD4vzduSD6lJP55lhudMlFxwwIaBSzHPSnvTibBDRjIa13cD9eev8MG2Pd9VOXVx2Ac/s200/IMG_1633.JPG" border="0" /></a> Dinner was yummy. Unfortunately, since we were the last passengers to arrive, there were no seats left at any other tables and we ended up sitting on our own. However, meant we didn't have to make useless small-talk and we got some extra attention from our very nice waiter named Roman... After dinner we went to ask if there were any cabins free - as 3 people in one cabin was a bit cramped and I was supposed to sleep on a fold-out shelf above my mum (see white bed folded up against the wall on the left!). the Gods are smiling on us - because not only was the cabin opposite empty - but they let us have it at no extra charge! (we must have already paid too much). So we moved mum into 319 and went to the bar to celebrate! I have a feeling this is going to be a memorable trip, one way or another!<br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-6652881535245637512008-03-11T21:58:00.001+00:002008-12-09T16:54:49.672+00:00Something different - NOT! Yet more walking...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZad7TwuqAW8kQPcMn0z9I5u948tKMxwuK_kGEryrcTeb3uAnO9fVzR5ADL11I2qhkgKSG831qq9kakEayxsNpL7nvmfmBoiFdMu2MoRFiO7p-cWTue8TVAI678NTjAPmP8tUq9emyV_w/s1600-h/IMG_1537_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178865448287390594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZad7TwuqAW8kQPcMn0z9I5u948tKMxwuK_kGEryrcTeb3uAnO9fVzR5ADL11I2qhkgKSG831qq9kakEayxsNpL7nvmfmBoiFdMu2MoRFiO7p-cWTue8TVAI678NTjAPmP8tUq9emyV_w/s200/IMG_1537_R.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today we did something different – we walked! Ahem. Santiago has a great metro system, a gazillion buses everywhere, taxi’s by the...erm...truck load, but there’s nothing like<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRz2VNGZEyqRFeWIZxGIa2rozJEnFpwSWZDJlBWnLm-tnzwUkoqlFDmO9UP_8Fny5yrD7ndvlU6voWIgQcKCIVkR_uoBEbxsx5FhrdTXc1bSvn3dTNFZqc_EZPCWBEmVuvRLAtunNad8/s1600-h/IMG_1551.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178866607928560530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRz2VNGZEyqRFeWIZxGIa2rozJEnFpwSWZDJlBWnLm-tnzwUkoqlFDmO9UP_8Fny5yrD7ndvlU6voWIgQcKCIVkR_uoBEbxsx5FhrdTXc1bSvn3dTNFZqc_EZPCWBEmVuvRLAtunNad8/s200/IMG_1551.JPG" border="0" /></a> a 5 hour walk to really get you lost in a foreign city. We walked from our central hotel over to the Pablo Neruda museum, then over to Sanhattan to meet Juan for lunch at one of the older restaurants in Santiago, where we tried some typical Chilean meals. I forget what they’re called (getting older, I’m slowly losing the ability to retain information), but they were GOOD. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><br /><p> </p><p><br /> </p><div></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45pUkUHlNrp3EtdsG954F3ckp07iBuWEiD8RS3EL8syeO5jy7LDwTnGImlTHuXze8UQ8ZnE3BM-nIyBbxpBr33bmYpEubFCedk5uUfVfsnL2X0e41oF2MLauOJgKYijzqDenU-yElt7Y/s1600-h/IMG_1996.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178867574296202146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45pUkUHlNrp3EtdsG954F3ckp07iBuWEiD8RS3EL8syeO5jy7LDwTnGImlTHuXze8UQ8ZnE3BM-nIyBbxpBr33bmYpEubFCedk5uUfVfsnL2X0e41oF2MLauOJgKYijzqDenU-yElt7Y/s200/IMG_1996.JPG" border="0" /></a>After lunch we WALKED around Sanhattan passing a weird spirally thing just randomly placed inbetween buildings. If it weren't so darn huge, I might get one for my back garden (when I figure out where I want to live, get a house, with a garden...). At last, we figured out a way to cross the river and headed for the Parque des Esculturas – a park with random sculptures dotted throughout. Some of the prettier ones deserve to be exhibited on the blog... </span></p><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-9JcY7-IZ1YuniMZdT5Om9UjEklgjCVoSyUNM7ggRyWq4K25jsCZgDTdAOn6Y9Y-74peCYcH2TaS4C83lU18Dorw2rt8qY2QrmCyowrUMLW5EbXK0pOSRZJu7n2YJTFPnWie72ikxrg/s1600-h/IMG_2007_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178870696737426370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-9JcY7-IZ1YuniMZdT5Om9UjEklgjCVoSyUNM7ggRyWq4K25jsCZgDTdAOn6Y9Y-74peCYcH2TaS4C83lU18Dorw2rt8qY2QrmCyowrUMLW5EbXK0pOSRZJu7n2YJTFPnWie72ikxrg/s200/IMG_2007_R.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOcLmRrqK1Frx4-6HWem6wz0vnim4de-2RBn1y4izYPoMeBqwHnpAnlszHqgu0mFDjyntiqVPxAwDsoSA61niH3fzx5EMr6euUuGgh6DVscOohBm_-R5oOTwOOcm1HBF7Y0sLCc6jt2k/s1600-h/IMG_1999_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178871847788661714" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOcLmRrqK1Frx4-6HWem6wz0vnim4de-2RBn1y4izYPoMeBqwHnpAnlszHqgu0mFDjyntiqVPxAwDsoSA61niH3fzx5EMr6euUuGgh6DVscOohBm_-R5oOTwOOcm1HBF7Y0sLCc6jt2k/s200/IMG_1999_R.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178869837743967154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK9O7m8gg1R2hShJP6D6MbLlWslB7sBO3keNlkx_qJgsAkNUTKmdjU9MNzTCswFMyvFR9bnCkr_4WSeOR13vhCO-ri98AIb9V5tSJMThLLjszdsiKg80XQr4kBHe-yH8XEVJImaCoXOE/s200/IMG_2001.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div></div><div></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfF9MmIm04getOY-mIhpySo7cEmxD3i_8MmyjXjCfMWtdyqosv5BX2zGmWdQrZJClHqOetmzlHIwY-1acAqEET7uiXNpagddcEJI4PyCl3KUysf5b4TMJadfgkK84ntCAKqtHmW8F3yk/s1600-h/IMG_1585.JPG"></a> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfF9MmIm04getOY-mIhpySo7cEmxD3i_8MmyjXjCfMWtdyqosv5BX2zGmWdQrZJClHqOetmzlHIwY-1acAqEET7uiXNpagddcEJI4PyCl3KUysf5b4TMJadfgkK84ntCAKqtHmW8F3yk/s1600-h/IMG_1585.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178873351027215330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfF9MmIm04getOY-mIhpySo7cEmxD3i_8MmyjXjCfMWtdyqosv5BX2zGmWdQrZJClHqOetmzlHIwY-1acAqEET7uiXNpagddcEJI4PyCl3KUysf5b4TMJadfgkK84ntCAKqtHmW8F3yk/s200/IMG_1585.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p>Last afternoon in a foreign city, what do you do? You go shopping! A woman in the shop we visited in patio Bellavista told us about a large craft shop enclave in the Eastern side of the city, about 25 minutes by taxi from the city center. Los Domenicos is basically a tourist destination, but interesting and charming nonetheless. It has jewelry, pottery, sculpting, painting, little cafes, pet shops, clothing made from alpaca wool, leather goods, etc etc etc. We taxid out there and headed for the sister-shop where the husband of the Patio Bellavista woman gave us a tour of their small jewelry workshop.<br /><br />We’re a bit sad to be leaving Santiago, but my feet are grateful and looking forward to my butt taking over on the 4 day cruise from Punta Arenas!</p></span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-41341917311674800332008-03-10T22:23:00.007+00:002008-12-09T16:54:54.776+00:00Scalp that thief!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjS8Ak_RlvM7tnT7vJcSqBq0FaCxJqPeFAPKKuNpAsaq23An2fHbgFhmmXBlsOVUlEbwDYqA3mEXZNxUJjp-ktenn7JBVxn7cDsSQd_GjdNWYKOd7Uo2RfKLtgqH2i5xIDU2zce1UJnQ/s1600-h/IMG_1393.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178841409355434658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjS8Ak_RlvM7tnT7vJcSqBq0FaCxJqPeFAPKKuNpAsaq23An2fHbgFhmmXBlsOVUlEbwDYqA3mEXZNxUJjp-ktenn7JBVxn7cDsSQd_GjdNWYKOd7Uo2RfKLtgqH2i5xIDU2zce1UJnQ/s200/IMG_1393.JPG" border="0" /></a>Ever since arriving in Santiago – and even before – people have been warning me about the petty crime. The pickpockets are legendary. On our first day in Santiago – doing the Zombie Walk for 6 hours – Roger and I passed by the Plaza de Armas and a middle-aged man came up to me and asked “Where are you from?”. I replied, “from Holland” (he didn’t look like he was fishing for the 30 minute SHORT version of my life’s story). He then advised “watch your bag, this is a very dangerous area for pickpockets”. Juan and Maria had reiterated it on our first evening, and last night Nadege’s parents warned us again – especially about the Plaza de Armas. Can you feel it coming?<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />So, we moved to the Fundador this morning. We bid our B&B goodbye and piled everything into a cab for the move Chez Maman. Truth be told, I preferred the B&B, but what can I do? We then arranged to have the pre-booked tour in the afternoon so we’d have the next day free. The tour wasn’t available until 3pm, so we decided to head to the shops for some last minute shopping for the cruise to the Glaciers. I don’t like being a nag, but sometimes it’s necessary. My brother had the same idea, and together we must have warned my mother over 30 times within 2 hours to keep a watch over her bag, to hold it tight, to keep it by her side, to watch out for pickpockets etc etc etc. But, they’re slick if you're not paying attention.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyNAqSsDPrp9dkpshjjDUYTTGEF2WyDUwUW7Z42E8Rs4Vkw8lzBXppjy3hBg1vVU-pDFcdCx2h8NHecF447LwdRKeO_ajD76qyLUtrwrFdaUuipQ2oG1625V07fHT7NzY3CuFYvzfDFc/s1600-h/IMG_1927_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178844321343261410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyNAqSsDPrp9dkpshjjDUYTTGEF2WyDUwUW7Z42E8Rs4Vkw8lzBXppjy3hBg1vVU-pDFcdCx2h8NHecF447LwdRKeO_ajD76qyLUtrwrFdaUuipQ2oG1625V07fHT7NzY3CuFYvzfDFc/s200/IMG_1927_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>We arrived at the...da-da-da-dummmm... Plaza de Armas and went into the Cathedral to have a look at this wonderful building (and in my case, escape the sizzling heat). Roger had already exited and I was taking one last picture when my mother tells me she’s taking the side door. My back was turned and as she tried to exit, she was crowded by 4 or 5 women who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. One shoved a mobile phone in my mother’s face and kept saying “photo, photo”. My mother reached up to push it away and... that’s when they must have been opening her bag and taking her wallet.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />My brother was 5 metres away taking a picture of the front of the building and saw the crowd suddenly disperse, and my mum’s bag open. My mum quickly concluded that they’d taken her wallet and my brother took off after the group that looked like the people that had crowded her. It can’t have taken more than 30 seconds. I stayed to take ONE picture of the inside of the church, then turned to go outside, to see my mother running to the side of the building. I knew something was terribly wrong as soon as I saw that – my mother RUNNING. Not jogging, not walking slightly faster than her usual pace, but actually running. I took off after them to see my brother on the other side of the road, still running. I ran straight through the traffic on the road and caught up just as he’d caught the sleeve of a woman. My mother was not far behind and screaming something. The woman was pulling away so I got behind her and kneed her in the back (as you do) and then got her arm behind her in a half-headlock (self-defence has paid off Big Time). My mother got a death grip on the thief’s hair and finally got the words out that she stole her wallet. She found her wallet on the floor under the thief’s feet – she’s apparently dropped it when my brother got a hold of her.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCaJNLmCyEImPvOBJUQr_-X7180u3y5k6eDtM-52beZJHBJIakBG1ZFnJ6GNK3ahqyBlEwlHHy4-gj-p72xroO09selrNSDrdcVEcg-4VJUia0GvYgPynn_HrsgpG26M_qWb5ouT7iQ4/s1600-h/IMG_1928.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178845034307832562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCaJNLmCyEImPvOBJUQr_-X7180u3y5k6eDtM-52beZJHBJIakBG1ZFnJ6GNK3ahqyBlEwlHHy4-gj-p72xroO09selrNSDrdcVEcg-4VJUia0GvYgPynn_HrsgpG26M_qWb5ouT7iQ4/s200/IMG_1928.JPG" border="0" /></a>The three of us were doing a good job of both keeping her immobile and scalping her at the same time – a true Peek Team effort. We then started looking for police as the crowd around us got involved. I guess they don’t see 3 obvious tourists having a knock-down fight with one of their own in broad daylight by the side of the cathedral every day... O<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqzd13fukLO3aBiGHOxExdl1yxPrmgOI0JFoY5WVEE_XM4uCzlqG8lKHLU4M5wvrUKa-9PVNqXVRX16GJKDHYWaCIiLg0RKRCuHjq6pjxudLo6sm_vjhyphenhyphenBjMdg0zzTXXQpC1BckkrO84/s1600-h/IMG_1929.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178845588358613762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqzd13fukLO3aBiGHOxExdl1yxPrmgOI0JFoY5WVEE_XM4uCzlqG8lKHLU4M5wvrUKa-9PVNqXVRX16GJKDHYWaCIiLg0RKRCuHjq6pjxudLo6sm_vjhyphenhyphenBjMdg0zzTXXQpC1BckkrO84/s200/IMG_1929.JPG" border="0" /></a>ne particularly pugnacious guy screamed in my face “just let her go, you don’t have to treat her like that”. To which I replied, pugnaciously, “she robbed my mother, she deserves even more than what we’re doing”. Finally a guy in a suit told us that there was police in the square in front of the cathedral and got a grip on the thief to drag her there. I let go and got in front of her to snap some classic photos (what if she got away... we’d need a Mug Shot, right?!). It turns out that the man was not an undercover police officer as I thought, but a lawyer on his lunch break. Same difference? Used to dealing with slime in any case... </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We finally got her to the police, who seemed unimpressed. My mother went through her wallet and found none of the cash was gone (over a hundred dollars), but ALL her credit cards were missing. I went into damage-limitation overdrive and we got her banker’s phone number and immediately called to have ALL cards cancelled. We also called the hotel to reschedule the tour – priorities people! We then had an escort to the nearest police station and put in a report of the incident. Since I had the pictures, we could describe her quite well. The police, however, were not interested in the pictures and even told us the woman would just be let go as there was no real evidence and, well, she didn’t take any cash and the credit cards were already cancelled. Like everywhere in the world, they have more important criminals to chase – even though they no longer needed to chase since we served her up on a newly follicly-challenged platter.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj4k5wWrZp3A1dTaBSvPLkNxRZbil8M0j3Mgyz7qysB7oGe6GRJSnRlbjmQFa-ZTV-BmDGyd59TA9WihLyEhvtsUpC05go1PuWVpu_c0Yfe9TeEHdNHCWdLuPBsuAQy9uv4eM966wLjw/s1600-h/IMG_1936_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178849007152581410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj4k5wWrZp3A1dTaBSvPLkNxRZbil8M0j3Mgyz7qysB7oGe6GRJSnRlbjmQFa-ZTV-BmDGyd59TA9WihLyEhvtsUpC05go1PuWVpu_c0Yfe9TeEHdNHCWdLuPBsuAQy9uv4eM966wLjw/s200/IMG_1936_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>We got back to the hotel at 3:45pm to find the tour guide waiting for us. Since his suggestion of a historical tour of Santiag<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cKpRXJjOBLoxwTAWhYFZ-HJM7TEVvbKu65cyyKtWZGA15xk7M3GzLGN067XG6AXqa5CnpsalIWwpgA0HwL9dUGul3fnJ3VKMKT3YHgZtCLdotAEJkL8T0e26D3OtnhjtJsRPLfQkG30/s1600-h/IMG_1938_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178851438104070962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cKpRXJjOBLoxwTAWhYFZ-HJM7TEVvbKu65cyyKtWZGA15xk7M3GzLGN067XG6AXqa5CnpsalIWwpgA0HwL9dUGul3fnJ3VKMKT3YHgZtCLdotAEJkL8T0e26D3OtnhjtJsRPLfQkG30/s200/IMG_1938_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>o and the Plaza de Armas was not met with enthusiasm we decided to do a tour of New Santiago and the San Cristobal mountain look-out (gondola!). We drove up to the top of San Cristobal – a hill-top look out on the outskirts of Santiago that offers unequalled views of the city (and has a Gondola!). Roger enjoyed a local drink of...erm... some juice, wheat-type-stuff-and whole syrupy peaches. Delicious if a little on the complex side for a libation. We also bought a mega-something to share, turned out to be a filo-cookie covered in sugar that I just had to show my appreciation for on film! (BTW, this was just for the photo, I shared with the family and the pigeons... that promptly started following me around hoping for more of the same).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8tzfMJIeha6qXv6_0DcVCFBuUx6wFPDqqSgg5zrPgjsGFiTr5M9wDttCdqMtPMDWhdnBQu_kC8pvBTFA9wRU5sDL8UzzHczc0M7XOHWmpKMbdnCzVQOa-0k_QBlbKNAM9VN_0vkvkjg/s1600-h/IMG_1931.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178846537546386194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8tzfMJIeha6qXv6_0DcVCFBuUx6wFPDqqSgg5zrPgjsGFiTr5M9wDttCdqMtPMDWhdnBQu_kC8pvBTFA9wRU5sDL8UzzHczc0M7XOHWmpKMbdnCzVQOa-0k_QBlbKNAM9VN_0vkvkjg/s200/IMG_1931.JPG" border="0" /></a>We’re just taking pictures of the monument at the top when my mother comes over and says “hey guys, I need to te<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgNOhm6WwhHBaMvh3zUyEcvOEpBMn20HHEmP4_bD6KU-CGEyP6WYjHS5LBbYYjxdqskRAh6KGqZgH5xIeSAtymMKNuzZOoCgPE7pjEon0cy-BvaJn76ljwc8wgo3U-8K2cWIrpWisVt8/s1600-h/IMG_1940_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178853735911574338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgNOhm6WwhHBaMvh3zUyEcvOEpBMn20HHEmP4_bD6KU-CGEyP6WYjHS5LBbYYjxdqskRAh6KGqZgH5xIeSAtymMKNuzZOoCgPE7pjEon0cy-BvaJn76ljwc8wgo3U-8K2cWIrpWisVt8/s200/IMG_1940_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>ll you something”. Odd. Alright... “Look what I found”. In her hand – yep, her credit cards. She’d misplaced them in her bag and had not put them back into her wallet the night before. Instead, they had been buried in the bottom of her bag. So, the thief got absolutely nothing for tangling with my mother, except a future follicle issue. The credit cards were still cancelled, but it seems my mother’s banker knows her better than we do. He’d put a temporary block on them rather than cancelling the lot and they were reinstated for 30 days.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jNAgPhiDney6zanCKwJndC4vLS8yaYIiR_7_hbjSKAT9t5CQObJMwEFCh_KRu6H7JY41C2mQvklo0sJ0HF7o_vZRIilXRUwRVB5dL5gpZMVhQIW-5UrmjSPfVzvVaOF6axgRpLita80/s1600-h/IMG_1962.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178856321481886546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jNAgPhiDney6zanCKwJndC4vLS8yaYIiR_7_hbjSKAT9t5CQObJMwEFCh_KRu6H7JY41C2mQvklo0sJ0HF7o_vZRIilXRUwRVB5dL5gpZMVhQIW-5UrmjSPfVzvVaOF6axgRpLita80/s200/IMG_1962.JPG" border="0" /></a>On a high, we continued our tour by descending in a mini gondola and taking a tour of Sanhattan and t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7JsVow6jm-CKLW0tdSWntMgS_nNoGkW-_uVHOW6fgkqmQwBDoyEcE3_VL6-V8NIv8yAHkbIbBQQVi1HhA9iIljfv3vKFLUJg7gijF39epspVeY_ZQ-Ek6gAhL5HVsUB0tM0D2wW7xFI/s1600-h/IMG_1959.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178857373748874082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7JsVow6jm-CKLW0tdSWntMgS_nNoGkW-_uVHOW6fgkqmQwBDoyEcE3_VL6-V8NIv8yAHkbIbBQQVi1HhA9iIljfv3vKFLUJg7gijF39epspVeY_ZQ-Ek6gAhL5HVsUB0tM0D2wW7xFI/s200/IMG_1959.JPG" border="0" /></a>he Millionaire’s Row type houses in the suburbs of Santiago. In the evening we headed over to an area called Patio Bellavista – an internal courtyard with artisan shops and several restaurants, and by far the best ice cream ever! So it was a good ending to a bad start! Peek Family 1: Santiago Pickpockets -100 (it’ll take a lot of future “earnings” to pay for treatment of that sudden bald spot...)</span><br /></span><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmvNGgEC_XnTuy4rEnhumJ5jjbFpIucBcAhJZut0UVRsRjqoR3El-X2ergYzcKE1gx9PO26KnTrOLmtpEMDKLZdTHvVDpYPLOR1bNkxUARj7cIEb9u_KmKGhT7mSoGBVkbrgsbeS6DzY/s1600-h/IMG_1534.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178842646306015938" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmvNGgEC_XnTuy4rEnhumJ5jjbFpIucBcAhJZut0UVRsRjqoR3El-X2ergYzcKE1gx9PO26KnTrOLmtpEMDKLZdTHvVDpYPLOR1bNkxUARj7cIEb9u_KmKGhT7mSoGBVkbrgsbeS6DzY/s200/IMG_1534.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92RPUViEmKudQ4vPQxpFP9MRYCnja6gpxoHgpIaJNdC6w6yRNnqH7TICtxQLdHjcMDvUcBDMUHzcsvdvHBfwXNr58pDor2Rxx2NFRdGrQ5VinQReGwy-q5byi7ZDgXxMFdhU27MikFHk/s1600-h/IMG_1975.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178859130390498162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92RPUViEmKudQ4vPQxpFP9MRYCnja6gpxoHgpIaJNdC6w6yRNnqH7TICtxQLdHjcMDvUcBDMUHzcsvdvHBfwXNr58pDor2Rxx2NFRdGrQ5VinQReGwy-q5byi7ZDgXxMFdhU27MikFHk/s200/IMG_1975.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178843539659213522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnXWlQbN8ZLHBASHUAYEbh2QH346vGGNp2QC8rj5GSjbsQEhrEcRTTv6B_kTJh9u60a-OKEA2u91ygeIUOZ99yoByd2V_CK5z73abNUlwWwXDJbWWD-UfRsUzXupd0WTavH31HuAcEYxg/s200/IMG_1532.JPG" border="0" />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-13855437451013354292008-03-09T21:45:00.008+00:002008-12-09T16:54:56.943+00:00Last Peek in Santiago<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Throw on your gladrags, do a little dance in the street, scream with happiness... because MAMA has arrived! Yes indeed, Santiago is now terminally unsafe as the trio is reunited and ready to roll. Of course Mama is not staying in the hostel, mama is staying at a 4 star hotel downtown. Natch. But, it’s within walking distance so we had a lie-in and headed off (after missing breakfast) to meet her in the hopes of having brunch...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWekRfJfuyVIlJMKh3-oRO30v3lrozALQVt_shgi8l1zOKNFVWwsxbWnur90oyVV90k50-04FdqEjj4HO2VUJFrWu-JSepG3EvIz9b_BpAKzlKYLs2640dvvtPvUiAYnYa_9uEmuNgcw/s1600-h/IMG_1895_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178836547452455506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWekRfJfuyVIlJMKh3-oRO30v3lrozALQVt_shgi8l1zOKNFVWwsxbWnur90oyVV90k50-04FdqEjj4HO2VUJFrWu-JSepG3EvIz9b_BpAKzlKYLs2640dvvtPvUiAYnYa_9uEmuNgcw/s200/IMG_1895_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>Mama was raring to go despite the 14 hour flight, so we headed to “the hill near <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuke0el2xV5d5Oj9-UHzbASxMgZjHHHKomEkUQl8BmkHASdplvbe8jUYo8q9f9s-RVz1QJjPTeM1C6rsy2OL6bdPBf9n5GFtRoVp21SAqk237AfwQiW_8RZtAVr5nFF3pVc2xEsLKi34/s1600-h/IMG_1499_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178831728499149362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuke0el2xV5d5Oj9-UHzbASxMgZjHHHKomEkUQl8BmkHASdplvbe8jUYo8q9f9s-RVz1QJjPTeM1C6rsy2OL6bdPBf9n5GFtRoVp21SAqk237AfwQiW_8RZtAVr5nFF3pVc2xEsLKi34/s200/IMG_1499_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>Santa Lucia”. I still don’t know what its called, but it’s a park built around a hill with a pseudo castle ruin on top. Its absolutely beautiful with fountains and long sweeping staircases... until you get to the very top and the sweeping staircases suddenly morph into poky little mountain steps that have been worn slippery with age. Going up was easy if a bit tiring in the noon sun, but what goes up....must come down. Unfortunately. My choice of footwear for the day had been heavily influenced by the heat and thus I found myself teetering precariously on flip-flops with a small heel. I ended up pretty much lowering myself down step by step by the handrail – and even then I nearly went flying on one particularly steep and slippery slope. It was not a pretty and definitely not a graceful descent. Let’s just say that my 66 year old mother following a 14 hour flight was a damn sight more sprightly than me! </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFysr2DkT7i50sWkbmq7-DKjQKdu6PhTbajnkiB4jWq6hyy-ZIYKf7kSs00tpfIqf6dTAiZ0I0VlBt6HkUyHSUH7buuB6eJqYGD6T_HBndPL-XF2m9GVjKlBCd95ELNI54jRgzXMMUK5g/s1600-h/IMG_1903.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178838274029308546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFysr2DkT7i50sWkbmq7-DKjQKdu6PhTbajnkiB4jWq6hyy-ZIYKf7kSs00tpfIqf6dTAiZ0I0VlBt6HkUyHSUH7buuB6eJqYGD6T_HBndPL-XF2m9GVjKlBCd95ELNI54jRgzXMMUK5g/s200/IMG_1903.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0Rfl9JQyxsihFrufO5v1j2j5dyKJ7d7ry7PeKdvJHh8YpQggh75quLDnoy8JaZ4cXZph9VPcG2CyJ_4BRV6z_6Uvz63waoQiMckQiZz9qe8XcGy1QtpiECrdTd8zwzyrGpgDhL1MLH8/s1600-h/IMG_1916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178839566814464658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0Rfl9JQyxsihFrufO5v1j2j5dyKJ7d7ry7PeKdvJHh8YpQggh75quLDnoy8JaZ4cXZph9VPcG2CyJ_4BRV6z_6Uvz63waoQiMckQiZz9qe8XcGy1QtpiECrdTd8zwzyrGpgDhL1MLH8/s200/IMG_1916.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178837080028400226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1qreBeZbTMMPNtukjci-j393_L4tjNHBLDXPHf6_cCoc_mFElFc3c8T4_UaiARHy9fdEy_3CxtVbBMglovw_Z8K6krGvMA6TOORD2pwDKbItuGrbn153xyD3AcZ2QU_83amsmX7ii1Q/s200/IMG_1897.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As usual when following my brother and a map – we ended up on what seemed like the never ending quest for the holy grail. The hostel had recommended the perfect breakfast place – i.e. one that was likely to be open on a Sunday mid-morning in catholic Santiago – but we never quite made it. We finally settled into a cafe next to the Bellas Artes museum and watched the people parade going by (2 girls begging for money – either as students or as hookers promising services, a goth pair with a pram, a woman with a see-through top having Chinese take-out on a bench, a heavily armoured police bus, backpackers, the homeless man trying to steal my brother’s drink over the fence of the cafe terrace...). </div></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-JKdNuXNhaSbcixL7HNJd9iVTFRPCPq5nhHi4GzLkJ8r4nsav70MzMIz8mBe2HRJcjYqxd8ta0y8MQ2nbmOCe8ggJ6j-bjW2RgamRpy9_hSHW7LGtY2YtW1XfGZhuDY8mHn3vnOZm6o/s1600-h/IMG_1921.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178837934726892146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-JKdNuXNhaSbcixL7HNJd9iVTFRPCPq5nhHi4GzLkJ8r4nsav70MzMIz8mBe2HRJcjYqxd8ta0y8MQ2nbmOCe8ggJ6j-bjW2RgamRpy9_hSHW7LGtY2YtW1XfGZhuDY8mHn3vnOZm6o/s200/IMG_1921.JPG" border="0" /></a>We dropped mama off a block from her hotel to have a Siesta. Oh, and did I mention that our room at the hostel has a TV? I took a picture with my watch in the foreground...to show the scale. It's about 5 metres from the beds, didn't know they could MAKE them that small! We met up with mum again for a dinner in the evening with the parents of Nadege - another of my brother’s friends/ex-colleagues. He’s got them EVERYWHERE. </span><br /></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2PO-1kqvkVuXK3tvrUmH6D_Qwol8tkNmQHB4oMbo7gbVLBBu3sIF354_Bdke7VMEUp11FrqLeRXM8-HdD43KF0SXiIckpwhsckPycBkxaeONe3x1lMy14f_T09BoEPr2xP-BcqIjTCY/s1600-h/IMG_1501.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178833845918026306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF2PO-1kqvkVuXK3tvrUmH6D_Qwol8tkNmQHB4oMbo7gbVLBBu3sIF354_Bdke7VMEUp11FrqLeRXM8-HdD43KF0SXiIckpwhsckPycBkxaeONe3x1lMy14f_T09BoEPr2xP-BcqIjTCY/s200/IMG_1501.JPG" border="0" /></a>Remember that impromptu tour of El golf that Juan and Maria treated us to on our first evening? Well, they pointed out Coco Loco – Santiago’s most expensive fish restaurant. Three guesses where we ended up having dinner tonight? Was it worth it? Definitely! It was the best piece of that-meal-just-cost-the-same-as-3-nights-in-a-B&B-for-3-people-with-private-bathroom-and-breakfast I’ve had since Bokhara in Delhi. Ka-ching!!!! </span></p>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-19680031477853794652008-03-08T21:53:00.001+00:002008-12-09T16:55:01.499+00:00Valparaiso!<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzuTOjXgS0RzJDSqqHQo5Pj34nVvHMj5dud3K3HDXeYuAXB2M7Fn7O-zp8axe9cHT7Qkku0MVjMNy-J3FsJhtq5geoTyMQDjXdISS_gfT3fs1Gkv1k8t6I0vgVP0IchZrxBZtlLAc2zM/s1600-h/IMG_1713.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178492619356293490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzuTOjXgS0RzJDSqqHQo5Pj34nVvHMj5dud3K3HDXeYuAXB2M7Fn7O-zp8axe9cHT7Qkku0MVjMNy-J3FsJhtq5geoTyMQDjXdISS_gfT3fs1Gkv1k8t6I0vgVP0IchZrxBZtlLAc2zM/s200/IMG_1713.JPG" border="0" /></a>It’s amazing what 9 hours of solid sleep will do – feeling refreshed and positively PERKY we were up and ready to explore. Heartened by the hostel’s breakfast of white bread, cheese, and coffee, we set off with a map and some money for the bus terminal. Roger’s Spanish is dead handy as I just have to stand by looking gormless while he explains what we want. After procuring 2 return tickets (volver – must remember that one) we boarded our bus and sat in the wrong seat. We were ousted by a little old lady who explained that the numbers on the tickets actually mean something. It seems my brother’s Spanish doesn’t quite stretch that far...</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><div>An easy 1.5hours drive and we’ve arrived in Valparaiso. As soon as we get off the bus, a nice man in a fluorescent yellow jacket is waiting for us to show us to the tou<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQvd3eveD-wi9pYM03-Yl_mMuvGdCK90SRUNQTMchKkeOJNr7_E8mwUaZOfD7VJ8MZ0vbqlakcUZHHZhCS4FPwRGEs22cmWy8qeeYRwuWYNDBERkeGAXB7uiW-LNGcLqNJPLwDFf1fx8/s1600-h/IMG_1413.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178493697393084802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQvd3eveD-wi9pYM03-Yl_mMuvGdCK90SRUNQTMchKkeOJNr7_E8mwUaZOfD7VJ8MZ0vbqlakcUZHHZhCS4FPwRGEs22cmWy8qeeYRwuWYNDBERkeGAXB7uiW-LNGcLqNJPLwDFf1fx8/s200/IMG_1413.JPG" border="0" /></a>rist information center. Not. It is a tour agency and we quickly tire of the “this tour only, 2 places left, 10 minutes to decide” spiel and head out to take a walk around the area and look for the real tourist information center. Valparaiso is very hilly – it is built across 45 hills and it is completely impossible to see everything on foot. After taking a short walk through the market, seeing people buy watermelons literrally off the back of a truck, we end up back at the bus station and head to what we think is the real tourist bureau. We agree to take a slightly more expensive private tour (us, a driver and a guide) which will take us to 4 different towns. 20 minutes later we’re on our way and are told that we’re meeting another car and guide somewhere else since they didn’t realise we needed an English guide... a hint may have been my first question “Do you speak English – Hables Ingles?”.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKC2fVPm6iGn1ugBEW8N6efTjV24vv25V7MYCjGi7PEhsjzXJcWpLogGz16iixOYT_6rq1ZjK_JNYEn04nU8s0uwt7KlUvoWLgXEtxYqN6xpjwMHhhUhXVFNBCLz6G3ONNt-JThf-xzY/s1600-h/IMG_1721.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178494852739287442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxKC2fVPm6iGn1ugBEW8N6efTjV24vv25V7MYCjGi7PEhsjzXJcWpLogGz16iixOYT_6rq1ZjK_JNYEn04nU8s0uwt7KlUvoWLgXEtxYqN6xpjwMHhhUhXVFNBCLz6G3ONNt-JThf-xzY/s200/IMG_1721.JPG" border="0" /></a>OK, so we were had. We didn’t get a private tour, and instead of 4 places, we saw 3 – of which one was only to try to get us to eat in a specific restaurant where I am sure they receive a commission... We complained – and then got on with it and it was a great day nonetheless. Sunny, some funny people on the tour, and lots of hopping in and out of the minivan. Top sights of the day include the Renaca beach, Vina Del Mar flower clock (a must-see!), Rapa Nui head (from Easter Island - transplanted ot Vina del Mar), Valparaiso Pablo Neruda house and Funicular. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pqAv-n0qOQV0EVgv85tbrj-pm1avIhnsrj2IWfQR_5tqJzudIeZIAN4Kd7OM6NHqAEn6nFTnbYcfzW1feeletCPVKGbFUl-4TXHWyDt6uXXsTZGLkJ4387c-6QZSw1TBXH-prn51ykU/s1600-h/IMG_1746.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178495539934054818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pqAv-n0qOQV0EVgv85tbrj-pm1avIhnsrj2IWfQR_5tqJzudIeZIAN4Kd7OM6NHqAEn6nFTnbYcfzW1feeletCPVKGbFUl-4TXHWyDt6uXXsTZGLkJ4387c-6QZSw1TBXH-prn51ykU/s200/IMG_1746.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbtXzl9rvzdz1NKJVQwPEb55EGKUkP42Bla7ju2DVHTg9KvV7FQoKyXgl0KjL4wfWAj38danEC0CFPCBgzEjgc6oiIVgLH2TOgPXQ-LW0V9U7NI0AKNr70CCM3gBvf7Ak8eEDjRZEgD0/s1600-h/IMG_1766.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178498550706129346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbtXzl9rvzdz1NKJVQwPEb55EGKUkP42Bla7ju2DVHTg9KvV7FQoKyXgl0KjL4wfWAj38danEC0CFPCBgzEjgc6oiIVgLH2TOgPXQ-LW0V9U7NI0AKNr70CCM3gBvf7Ak8eEDjRZEgD0/s200/IMG_1766.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178497502734109106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpXBTV5SN57UIfa_vrvu_rgElVYUQ8nCQfJv8WIQnKvADH4YwJ33fxj-gP5jDZxLQ531cAqYFoKiynY_TuyJk0WNxLOUyWl0C386R6hl6i_AVxSKSQHAPkgRI6J3aqcAIA3XR3Y9sHbI/s200/IMG_1728.JPG" border="0" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgpJIO2k8tefV3hfa_xamr26bXpgy0pLpdiWWcPmpE-mN3XDF1VHZC7Xif2fIXCm9jmKkH40Idk18uYoddwcpQsyYEzVS0mRoBonnYsP5sN_4-w8GSWHVjaH4ocXzTKx-o343EL-Gcm8/s1600-h/IMG_1844.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178499791951677906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgpJIO2k8tefV3hfa_xamr26bXpgy0pLpdiWWcPmpE-mN3XDF1VHZC7Xif2fIXCm9jmKkH40Idk18uYoddwcpQsyYEzVS0mRoBonnYsP5sN_4-w8GSWHVjaH4ocXzTKx-o343EL-Gcm8/s200/IMG_1844.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAg_7_pK1yzyP3dXELlgj6UXl7ags3Wx3eU2gOHP01lUESEWhyn1-l_tDpeOjFUbh5QnEL4UMf6beZPrmTzYTpX7jKgO1L3-c_BT6iSiXl3H5SYZYSEs91clA0SVhbj8pYmLzj9o-_h4/s1600-h/IMG_1808.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178504001019628034" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAg_7_pK1yzyP3dXELlgj6UXl7ags3Wx3eU2gOHP01lUESEWhyn1-l_tDpeOjFUbh5QnEL4UMf6beZPrmTzYTpX7jKgO1L3-c_BT6iSiXl3H5SYZYSEs91clA0SVhbj8pYmLzj9o-_h4/s200/IMG_1808.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178505336754457122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5ZEESTcr9docG8jcmZSJikQHT5JzJpp2WlZs_TTgHMmxcp5Aj-GLSJYnItFg9ZB7UxcGf802SWzkpLH1UswAMlRvu0T18Kl2dKWJVL7WlJNy4wTR_itLD0koQ9uJDpMG52vjRMdjQKE/s200/IMG_1826.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoV_-wPcdNUWEFZPfjlcMmJLlWDo3b9kcN92qncgXgq_onnrn4__r4SEE6dFm3MUOlPxvysYX80yR2EDrKaNFzjLxv6Twi52Tw70FKzsYXDHwxKGXcE-hQDX2lb9EUtx8T9Sxr7DVJr8/s1600-h/IMG_1863_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178500337412524514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOoV_-wPcdNUWEFZPfjlcMmJLlWDo3b9kcN92qncgXgq_onnrn4__r4SEE6dFm3MUOlPxvysYX80yR2EDrKaNFzjLxv6Twi52Tw70FKzsYXDHwxKGXcE-hQDX2lb9EUtx8T9Sxr7DVJr8/s200/IMG_1863_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Funicular is a mini train like they have in Switserland to take skiers up the side of the mountain – these only have one “car” though and the longest is approx 150 metres in length. The Funicular car is basically a wooden shack on rails – you can even see the ground thro<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6b-NSg9jplvNjaQ_YawzNMmwb-IEB3O-piwVkmPaDXjWtDiht4Bsjw71Pow9LDLSzm3bJuS4e4N0ptUh0JyU0jJgJE_wUUPXsBqSPK4GeQ3ZxtHNyiDciCW_1Qu5fYqUyMXmItaJkjhI/s1600-h/IMG_1823.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178504628084853266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6b-NSg9jplvNjaQ_YawzNMmwb-IEB3O-piwVkmPaDXjWtDiht4Bsjw71Pow9LDLSzm3bJuS4e4N0ptUh0JyU0jJgJE_wUUPXsBqSPK4GeQ3ZxtHNyiDciCW_1Qu5fYqUyMXmItaJkjhI/s200/IMG_1823.JPG" border="0" /></a>ugh the wooden slats that make up the floor. Apparently most tourists are not excited by the prospect of a ride in a funicular – but since I insisted that this was part of the Valparaiso experience and we HAD to give it a try, they made a stop. We managed to get all but one of the other 6 tourists to come with us and we were soon bumping and shaking down the hill in the oldest of the old Funiculars. We made it down in one piece – a definite highlight in terms of adrenaline factor! </div><br /><br /><div>We nearly missed the bus on the way back to Santiago (long line in the women’s restroom is a worldwide phenomenon). Luckily my brother came up with the brilliant tactic of simply standing in front of the bus as it was waiting to depart, thereby delaying it enough for me to run up and still climb in - courtesy also of the laughing, good-humoured bus driver. </div><div> </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwE4pjbHI8M7HytK_px_gk0-LssqhHfPC7XjcizIT3hb2uYB99fU6XvlFJeZmgaBjY-hpeJ16E_TX35BzvhT3RLscF9NaCNjWGImuQUt5y0wCwY_nCh5ZltyvC577zRnurpaEaP9V7KI/s1600-h/IMG_1785.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178502334572317170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwE4pjbHI8M7HytK_px_gk0-LssqhHfPC7XjcizIT3hb2uYB99fU6XvlFJeZmgaBjY-hpeJ16E_TX35BzvhT3RLscF9NaCNjWGImuQUt5y0wCwY_nCh5ZltyvC577zRnurpaEaP9V7KI/s200/IMG_1785.JPG" border="0" /></a>Arriving at the other end in Santiago – we were again met by a conniving Chilean who obviously saw an easy mark in us. He kept looking at me with sad eyes, pleading with me... the final straw was when he jumped up at me and then sat back down wagging his tail expectantly. I wanted to buy him a hot-dog, but my brother thought I was nuts. So he gave him a cookie, which the dog wisely ignored and followed up with a baleful stare instead. The street dogs here are plentiful and all too sad. It’s an eye-opener because I’m simply not used to seeing so many dogs alone, hurt, hungry and completely at the mercy of strangers – in Europe we have dog pounds, and in China I guess they get eaten. I’m not sure which is worse...</span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-25452788321723050632008-03-07T23:40:00.011+00:002008-12-09T16:55:03.613+00:00When it rains, it pours...<div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatrD19jwY7AA9716SzRfaDbYfg8GwsWstUY26ROzwu5Cs6yg0QnMub9o8GXwE9S-1VXY63fNc0jkvd7ufJaY5-_UbaTDsr4vmj2JVBRqS46UV5d1awoYTYDqLfwdambR5LeK3HqAujOQ/s1600-h/IMG_1380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178474202536528114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatrD19jwY7AA9716SzRfaDbYfg8GwsWstUY26ROzwu5Cs6yg0QnMub9o8GXwE9S-1VXY63fNc0jkvd7ufJaY5-_UbaTDsr4vmj2JVBRqS46UV5d1awoYTYDqLfwdambR5LeK3HqAujOQ/s200/IMG_1380.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I first suggested to my brother that we stay in a hostel in Santiago, my idea was met with a horrified and uncomprehending stare. Hostel? Me? Si! So we went online and ended up picking B&B Rio Amazonas – o<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzHJ-9xlnasIKGOMj3xMrrTtZoDg9sz5k6n7qJ1udAuHJA8My3c1OxnC4TaNDylwSsVtpqaGeqNnUDBJmcAsDEnhRAvK9VYEvJqhuIoXJFxwn3iUJs6jaL5iOpoy-CINGjEtbspGsCY/s1600-h/IMG_1406.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178489295051606338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttzHJ-9xlnasIKGOMj3xMrrTtZoDg9sz5k6n7qJ1udAuHJA8My3c1OxnC4TaNDylwSsVtpqaGeqNnUDBJmcAsDEnhRAvK9VYEvJqhuIoXJFxwn3iUJs6jaL5iOpoy-CINGjEtbspGsCY/s200/IMG_1406.JPG" border="0" /></a>ne block from the Plaza Italia and about 100 metres from a Metro station. No, it doesn’t have a pool or gym. No, it doesn’t have a host of toiletries or an elevator. No, you can’t collect frequent flyer miles or order room service. BUT, it’s definitely a personal service and value for money. Case in point - since there were no doubles left, we booked a triple (3rd bed for my humongous bag). When we arrived we were given a room with 5 beds, easily as big as my brother’s living room. Besides, the gym comes built-in: no elevator means a 22kg bag to haul up 4 flights of stairs! </span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwNp6beLDWWLu4T2lho7bp-H5TPK8rAWzmjKy0GekvSzQjmpEF9L6NtDpvKbYcraklrLgk7NG4c3Vj75uF5tMaLgeNqDEyEz-7LGyPr7fbL29LigD6oKm9DSn7uIFfIfLGtpY3xVYi94/s1600-h/IMG_1384.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178476796696774914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwNp6beLDWWLu4T2lho7bp-H5TPK8rAWzmjKy0GekvSzQjmpEF9L6NtDpvKbYcraklrLgk7NG4c3Vj75uF5tMaLgeNqDEyEz-7LGyPr7fbL29LigD6oKm9DSn7uIFfIfLGtpY3xVYi94/s200/IMG_1384.JPG" border="0" /></a>Since we’d been sitting for the past 17+ hours, and slept approximately 2, we decided to put on some <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKTDDeoW4rXhbgqSNVdzv8nkPGnrASgf3EiYkzHqx9LAn7J94Bmlhvse_vXksvM6r3L6nQcAmETvqVPCIsqA-5D0L7Cu5efXYVoV2aHe4JXQgCN5rqEStfZqdRKcWPEjOEKOSWSJy3LA/s1600-h/IMG_1383_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178477282028079378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKTDDeoW4rXhbgqSNVdzv8nkPGnrASgf3EiYkzHqx9LAn7J94Bmlhvse_vXksvM6r3L6nQcAmETvqVPCIsqA-5D0L7Cu5efXYVoV2aHe4JXQgCN5rqEStfZqdRKcWPEjOEKOSWSJy3LA/s200/IMG_1383_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>walking shoes for a self-styled city walking tour. Armed with maps and some good information from the people at the hostel, we set off for a 5 hour Epic Journey. First stop: lunch! Having read some of my Lonely Planet before arrival ( I have learned the error of my ways as a result of the unfortunate hostel choice in Hong Kong...), I knew that the thing to eat in Chile would be a Completo. Basically a hot dog with sauerkraut, ketchup and mayo piled high. We happened to find the cutest diner just around the corner from our hostel. A long square bar with a barbeque plate in the center, which was manned by about 6 older ladies – each in charge of cooking to order for their section of the bar. I ended up swapping my sauerkraut for some Palta (Avocado mush) and ended up with the mother-of-all-hotdogs!!! Yum... just what you need after 17 hours sitting in a plance and no sleep... SIESTA anyone? </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></div><div>We made up for it though with 6 hours of walking. We went to the Universidad de Chile, Universidad Catholica, pedestrian shopping areas, Plaza de Armas, parks, the “River”, Museo de Bellas Artes ( I actually stepped foot inside, then immediately left again), Plaza Italia and finally the hostel again. Perfect timing – just as we returned to the hostel - my feet would move no more – it started to rain... and rain...and thunder... apparently Santiago’s first rain and worst storm in months! </div></span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK9QCW-Iiyc2l2KZhHjOxyIsKYivy8JTxL9vwEWULj6TPZWhyB178mgoYr-2FVAysnTimQQH2XU5IqeieGnqpeoNXXlTSCTNWdVept8UadPf1n5dqVSMVOcwWDDBuhDuV4HLbdWe7bCk/s1600-h/IMG_1703.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178479210468395298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK9QCW-Iiyc2l2KZhHjOxyIsKYivy8JTxL9vwEWULj6TPZWhyB178mgoYr-2FVAysnTimQQH2XU5IqeieGnqpeoNXXlTSCTNWdVept8UadPf1n5dqVSMVOcwWDDBuhDuV4HLbdWe7bCk/s200/IMG_1703.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqke_IVRu_N27RXRrR_yS7MXwZjEPvD1dZ58LKbbIYRvNcZe-2vtTVNhq29sQskpswF7UwKey64ssTahB15SW1tcUbhGSztygnyB2agSqbIuB2JbJG94V7snvmTQ1yxFrBkaZ0-55B8Ao/s1600-h/IMG_1684.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178490403153168722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqke_IVRu_N27RXRrR_yS7MXwZjEPvD1dZ58LKbbIYRvNcZe-2vtTVNhq29sQskpswF7UwKey64ssTahB15SW1tcUbhGSztygnyB2agSqbIuB2JbJG94V7snvmTQ1yxFrBkaZ0-55B8Ao/s200/IMG_1684.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178480151066233138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_-TsDygNjGJqPDwpg1a0T0liK-U3uvgxRaMvklW0O5At86fBGtewg4O8w5uLbGD_2F1-xrNZSCFgVBm51rxZgAfIA_LplDuzBhaZll5lu7qDicMfURQpssXByENd18itbndZYU62LeY/s200/IMG_1708.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That evening we met up Roger’s ex-colleague / friend and his wife, Juan and Maria, who had <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrjwXCgexMzWvQgblQJcr4kiwbJUY8RSB6WHqOYMJG6mi-eZ8wGiBlwA23LOzdgyErI2-FXNgovQQrxZbiGCcXV4z13JzdHg4BLBronX5f9C3HedXO0nBnl-Q85VZDxI8E9c7fcyaRxE/s1600-h/IMG_1409.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178490884189505890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrjwXCgexMzWvQgblQJcr4kiwbJUY8RSB6WHqOYMJG6mi-eZ8wGiBlwA23LOzdgyErI2-FXNgovQQrxZbiGCcXV4z13JzdHg4BLBronX5f9C3HedXO0nBnl-Q85VZDxI8E9c7fcyaRxE/s200/IMG_1409.JPG" border="0" /></a>just moved back to Santiago from London the previous week. They took us on an excellent impromptu tour of the newer parts of Santiago – Sanhattan (Santiago + Manhattan...), El Golf etc and then onto dinner at the Lammu Lounge. It was 10pm by then (3am London time) and we were both ready to drop – not eat dinner. But when in Santiago... The food was excellent, as were the drinks. We tried Empanadas – little filo pastries filled with corn or meat or both. Delicious! And Roger had a Pisco Sour, the typical Chilean drink. Intermittent power cuts due to the still-raging storm made for an interesting atmosphere. After that everything was a blur, but I woke up in my bed at the hostel... so can’t have been too wild!</span></div></div></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-88371911001833225082008-03-06T22:30:00.006+00:002008-12-09T16:55:04.105+00:00In the Air again! Santiago here we come!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Having completed my hop-scotch tour of the Eastern Hemisphere and worked three months to generate more spending money, I’m now onto the Western Hemisphere. Starting with 2 month through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru - with an incidental visit to Brazil because I have to.... It’s so hard to be me. :P</span> <div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><br />To set the scene: My brother, the responsible sibling, has taken a 4 month leave of absence from his high-flying city banking job so he can join my mother and I on the trip through Chile and Argentina. Now, my mother can brag to her friends that she has not one, but TWO unemployed kids! Hah! Me, a bad influence??? Personally, this works out great for me because:</div><br /><div>1) I have a co-traveller on the 17 hour journey from London via Madrid to Santiago (in Economy, on Iberia)<br />2) My mother has another unemployed offspring to focus on<br />3) Roger speaks Spanish (or maybe that should be point 1?)</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77D9Yas-wod_yT47f2aJPYTBwG_KqLBcS2VZqOs6LB7n7hByWIfHqRjxyeYZdtiv870w5J4kfdxlD_ZClQLjffbemjRR7Uo1FCbZbpVVJTosSDZP2xolUvcLN-arsaPvlIk_5CGubfbM/s1600-h/IMG_1654_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178471836009547986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77D9Yas-wod_yT47f2aJPYTBwG_KqLBcS2VZqOs6LB7n7hByWIfHqRjxyeYZdtiv870w5J4kfdxlD_ZClQLjffbemjRR7Uo1FCbZbpVVJTosSDZP2xolUvcLN-arsaPvlIk_5CGubfbM/s200/IMG_1654_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>24 hours before and Roger can check-in online. For some reason I am unable to do the same because *drum roll please* I booked with Expedia. So I call Expedia who tell me I have to talk to the airline that I made the booking with – British Airways. After navigating the BA call-centre options, I am informed politely, but firmly, that they cannot help me because the flight is actually a LAN Chile portion. So I call Expedia again to get the LAN confirmation code as the BA code I have does not work on their website. Finally, accessing the LAN site, they then inform me that they cannot help either because, although it is a LAN code, the flight is actually operated by Iberia. On the phone to Iberia - Iberia cheerfully tell me that they are unable to help assign a seat next to my brother because... they don’t have access as it has been booked with Expedia as a travel agent and not directly with Iberia. </div><div></div><div><br />To cut a long story short – on my last day in the UK, pre-departure, I spent 4 hours of valuable time chasing back and forth between airlines etc, to finally get Expedia to help me..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNxtRY8J9qPGSUu-oX3W7dSMLxCjRT8JV58ws8jY6SrgyIFWUT1WS9R7PEbrpLjNFntRhJEGG1Dj-AhWQpeMpLT_NQsDl4kMaWvuUWrUOnnJRaxPjLkTD2QfTrvyoXHN920iFENg5GIQ/s1600-h/IMG_1632.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178472574743922914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNxtRY8J9qPGSUu-oX3W7dSMLxCjRT8JV58ws8jY6SrgyIFWUT1WS9R7PEbrpLjNFntRhJEGG1Dj-AhWQpeMpLT_NQsDl4kMaWvuUWrUOnnJRaxPjLkTD2QfTrvyoXHN920iFENg5GIQ/s200/IMG_1632.JPG" border="0" /></a>. only to be told at check-in that Expedia never requested any seat and I was now in the middle of a row of 4 some 10 rows away from my brother. BUT, after all that I finally lucked out and got a really nice lady at check-in who appreciated my tale of woe and made sure that we were at least sitting in the same row for the 13 hour flight from Madrid to Santiago, WITH a possible option of asking the Aisle Seat Holder next to my brother to swap with my Aisle Seat. Yeay! And when she said “I know how you feel, when I travel with my husband I also want to sit close to him”... I didn’t dare disabuse her of her romantic notion and tell her he’s my brother. Moral of the story: avoid Expedia like the plague and just book direct with the airline online, sometimes its worth the 40 quid extra AND make sure you and your brother look nothing alike. :P</div><div><br />So, this whole crisis is the reason why I didn’t have time buy a new fish-feeding machine for Bob & Bertha prior to flying halfway round the world. (OK, bad excuse...I am a baaaaad parent). The feeder I have apparently decided to die at some point without proper notification. Luckily my brother arranged to have one of his friends as a sort of tenant and I had a nice stash of feeding blocks that only need to be chucked into the aquarium ever 14 days. I’m thinking this is the IDEAL example to use for my mum when she next starts on about how all her friends have grandchildren already... if I can’t even manage to care for 2 goldfish, I guess that I am nowhere near ready for *gasp* kids. Besides, Roger’s 2+ years older so he’s first in line to reproduce... First In, First Out so to speak!</div><br /><div>Anyway, back to the Travelling With Brother. Definitely more interesting than FLYING SOLO.<br />First, he’s great for comic relief! As we’re moseying down to security and I’m digging through my bag for my passport he states (rather too loudly) that “my banana has gone AWOL”. He’d packed a banana in his rucksack before we left (i.e. just chucked it on top in true Man-style, and it had since gone for a walkabout round his bag). Some casual digging did not appear to locate the missing fruit as he then exclaimed “I can smell the banana smell, but I can’t see it”. Maybe you had to be there...</div><div><br />Second, there’s the free entry into the Business lounge at Madrid airport courtesy of his Diner’s Club card (which he hasn’t used in 2 years) – free sandwiches, drinks and all the ice cubes we can handle at midnight in Madrid.</div><div><br />And last, but not least, there’s the “instant husband” effect. It helped at check-in, and it again facilitated the Aisle-for-an-Aisle swap on the long flight to Santiago. I managed to swap with a nice Belgian gentleman on the Madrid-Santiago flight (one of a group of 5 guys on a two week Salmon fishing trip...) and landed myself next to my brother, AND right in front of a mum with a small child AND a baby. I am sure I mentioned to the Belgian group Roger is my brother, but perhaps they didn’t compute because when we exited the plane, one mentioned that we must be glad to get to Santiago so we could go to the hotel to “cuddle”. Ewwwwwwwwww! I told him “That’s my BROTHER!” and he looked suitably horrified and apologetic. Apparently they thought we were on our honeymoon??? </div><div><br />The flight wasn’t so bad, the baby mostly quiet if not odor-free, we got through customs with very little effort, didn’t get caught out by the Fruit & Veg sniffer dogs at the luggage collection (unlike my mother, who would try to smuggle in 2 Swiss apples a day later), and got a cab to our hostel in the centre of the city. Let the games begin!</span></div></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-20943318416879320602008-02-05T22:07:00.004+00:002008-12-09T16:55:04.942+00:00The £1100 haircut (Upper Class to India baby!)<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So after nearly a year of procrastination, it's finally time to take on India with my mum. I'm not sure which scares me more - India and its infamous Delhi Belly or 3 weeks 24/7 with my mother! She's an absolute treasure, I'd flay anyone alive who dared to treat her like less than the Queen she, and when I'm feeling ill there's no medicine like a hug and some sympathy from my mum... BUT she also has the MOST uncanny ability to get under my skin with the littlest of things... That, and she always calls me just as I'm in the loo??? What's up with that?<br /><br />Right, so after postponing India 3 times (April 2007 - too hot, June 2007 - I'm in China, October 2007 - My mum is planning major construction on her apartment) we finally settled on a now-or-never date of February 2008. As I am merely a chaperone on her trip (she's visiting friends and I'm along for the ride) I have no other option than to follow her route and travel arrangements. Upper Class flight to Delhi it is. Well, if I must... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">In case you didn't know, Upper Class travel from Heathrow grants you access to the Virgin Clubhouse at Terminal 3... so after a 5 second check-in, an elevator ride straight to a separate security channel with 0 people queueing ahead of us, and some retail therapy in Duty Free, we finally head for the Clubhouse... except... we can't find it. No signs. No map. Nada, Niente, Nothing, Niks. So I ask at the Bulgari store (as you do) and they quickly point us in the right direction. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">A 15 minute walk later, we arrive at the elevator to the clubhouse. I get that this is for pampered people who would prefer to expend as little effort as possible... but what exactly is the point of a sofa in an elevator that goes between 2 floors? Hmmmm. Let me rephrase that. What exactly is the point of a sofa in a PUBLIC elevator that goes between 2 floors? Exactemundo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">The clubhouse is suitably impressive - groovy moodlighting, lots of rounded shapes and funky chairs, hair salon, spa section, long bar, sushi / cold snack area, and an a-la-carte restaurant. After booking my appointment for the free haircut (yeay!), we sit down to a nice dinner. Following risotto and fish, I head to check out the restrooms before reporting back for my haircut. They've got me down as a wash and blowdry only... apparently the word CUT and my pantomime of snipping my hair with finger-scissors wasn't clear enough at time of booking. My mum starts her award-winning-scene-creating performance and they quickly fit me in after all. Sometimes mums are really handy!</span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">My stylist is formerly of the Harvey Nicholls department store and the time flies by as we chat and he cuts. Conditioned beyond all frizz, I am done just as our flight is called out and we sashay to the gate.</span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnCynvBoJEDyuVfloFSk4yPEcFmZbZLh7pUAfbFbFisWNZV4lNd-cxH88AWrx88XtwVQPS4S8LCGhq1U1xoMgwdANpIwJBUgw3HGZwFC1r-JgD-ieplLMdCj7UnbNkQ71OC3Pjd9y8hE/s1600-h/IMG_0467.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172015973060943698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnCynvBoJEDyuVfloFSk4yPEcFmZbZLh7pUAfbFbFisWNZV4lNd-cxH88AWrx88XtwVQPS4S8LCGhq1U1xoMgwdANpIwJBUgw3HGZwFC1r-JgD-ieplLMdCj7UnbNkQ71OC3Pjd9y8hE/s200/IMG_0467.JPG" border="0" /></a>Once ensconced on board, we get to grips with being Upper Class. First there's the pyjamas (I opted for extra comfy and asked for 2 sizes bigger than normal and ended up with Shaq's pants and Roseanne's top). Then there's food to order on-board, but we miss out as we're still stuffed from the Clubhouse dinner. My mum books a hand massage from the onboard beauty therapist for pre-landing. I figure out how to construct my perfectly flat bed, roll up in my duvet with my pillow and... still can't sleep. I end up trying to watch movies all night from my perfectly flat position. The massage never comes to pass (beauty therapist is MIA), the breakfast is uninspiring, and I haven't slept a wink... was it worth it? Of course, I just had the most expensive haircut of my life!</span></p>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-66224216522708405662008-02-04T21:29:00.001+00:002008-02-04T21:30:32.397+00:00My celeb lookalikes... apparently<a href="http://www.myheritage.com/collage" title="MyHeritage - free family trees, genealogy and face recognition" alt="MyHeritage - free family trees, genealogy and face recognition" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.myheritagefiles.com/J/storage/site1/files/70/85/51/708551_5234989c287a74v49qr485.JPG" width="500" height="574" border="0" ></a>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-57337803342445856412008-01-15T01:01:00.003+00:002008-02-28T13:23:13.036+00:00the blog is being updated, really!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK, so I've been a lazy bum AND I had a good excuse while I was in China (blog was censored, ergo no access), but now I'm slowly managing to update the missing tales of wonder and woe. Starting beginning of August, all the way through to start of October. I have a few... ok, 14... more additions to go, but Watch This Space!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Soon to come in addition to reminiscing about China and Tibet:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Feb - India</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">March - Argentina and Chile</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">April - Peru and Bolivia</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">May, June - some of US (including Alaska) and Canada!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Plenty more places in the world where I can get into trouble, amusing one and all :)</span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-60452728017275045992007-09-15T10:43:00.001+00:002008-02-28T15:38:06.442+00:00Kunming: Gripe first, pretty pictures later!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm in Kunming. Flight was excellent - I went by Sichuan Airlines this time. Amazing amount of legroom, AND a cute flight attendant (guy!). That's got to be the - 9th? handsome guy I've seen in the last 3+ months. Ouch. Sorry mum, I'm still single! Anyway, I'm trying to go on every domestic airline this country has to offer, and it's quite a bunch. So far I have knocked off China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines...now there's Lucky Air to Dali, but I'm not sure if I want to jinx myself like that!<br /><br />Onto the gripe at last - skip the entire post if you don't want to read another story of how-I-was-nearly-ripped-off-in-China. Then again, knowing how schadenfroh you all are...keep reading! Hey - I'm making progress, thanks in no small part to knowing basic Mandarin. At least now its more and more "nearly" stories, and no longer the "argh, </span><a href="mailto:b@$tards"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ba$tards</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, thieving shites, dishonest, nasty, ..." Rrrrright, moving swiftly on to the story-du-jour!<br /><br />I'm so sick of arriving in places and being deemed a target for being ripped off as soon as my feet hit the pavement outside the luggage claim. They try, they always try. This morning I had some guy following me out to the taxis, asking where I was going. Told him "I'm going in a taxi, and you?". He kept bugging me as people around me stared. Kept pointing at some stupid "cert" patch hanging around his neck. I wasn't sure what he was "cert" for, but since he didn't speak to everyone in the taxi line (just the dumb-easy-target-foreigner) I figured he was up to no good. Then I finally got to the head of the line after shoving another would-be queue-jumper out of the way. As I got into the cab, the cabdriver mumbles to him then tells me he doesn't know the address of my hostel. So I tell him - its ok, I have a map and I know it wil cost 20 RMB to get there. The annoying guy (let's call him MR. A$$hole) tells me the taxidriver doesn't know, but conveniently he does and he can take me for 80 RMB. So I tell him in Chinese "you drive me crazy, I pay only 20RMB". The first part of that sentence being the only condescending / halfway insulting thing I know other than "lazy pig", which, let's face it, wasn't any more suitable in this situation. I tell the taxi driver "do you know or not? I go with other taxi if you don't know". Wish I knew what 'don't waste my time' is, might figure that out today and learn to recite it by heart. So the taxi driver finally admits he does know and we get back in the cab as Mr. A$$hole is shouting "60RMB" at my uncaring back. I KNOW I should have gone to a different cab... In hindsight it's like watching that horror movie when the victim doesn't look behind the door as she enters the room even though you can see the shadow lurking...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He starts driving, then stops after 5 minutes and asks me where it is again. I get angry and ask him "do you know or not? Its near Zhuan Tang park" and I give him the little map with x-marks-the-spot. He continues, does another u-turn, continues.... looks about a bit, driving 20km/h. I call the hostel and tell them to talk to the cabdriver and to tell him to stop going in a circle and that I am not paying more than 20RMB. FINALLY he gives up trying to cheat me and I get here with the meter at 20.6 RMB. </span><a href="mailto:B@stards"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">B@stards</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Didn't get me! AND NOW the hostel tell me they don't have my room... right. Told them I'll wait until official check-out at 12:00 and then they'd better have my room because I have a printed confirmation and I will put in a complaint to both the site that booked it and LonelyPlanet. If they don't have my room, they can pay for a taxi to the next hostel plus give me back the deposit. She tells me I can use Internet until then... so here I am, sitting at a PC with a big sign over the top saying: "If you like our hostel, would send an email to <<lonelyplanet>>. We need your help. thank you so much! email: talk2us@lonelyplanet.com.au". Oh, I'll send an e-mail all right. I don't even have to go through the bother of looking up the e-mail address! Let's see what happens at 12:00. Grrrr. :P<br /><br />Every little thing here is a fight for justice and fair treatment. It's such a blessing when people are nice, honest and helpful...which is kind of what you'd expect if they want people to come back and give good word-of-mouth advertising to others along the way. I am ready to finish my travels here, leaving the squat-toilets and cockroaches behind for less polluted pastures! it's like a race against time - if I don't see the things I want to see now, I may never (willingly) come back. Sad, but true.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Aren't you all glad you're at home, have a normal clean toilet, a bed without bugs, a shower that isn't suspended over the toilet, food isn't always covered in a mystery sauce to hide the mystery meat, and the Tube/train/bus/taxi isn't going to try charging you 4 times the standard price?<br /><br />Ah, but then I've also seen the Temple of Heaven and the Terracotta Warriors, climbed the Great Wall in two places, been in the world's highest hotel-lobby and floated down a river along scenery featured on a banknote, climbed around the world's largest Buddha AND seen REAL Giant Pandas!!! That's gotta be worth a bit of hassle, right? Right? Who's with me?!</span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-42658541892272551012007-09-10T21:35:00.000+00:002007-09-10T13:07:10.852+00:00Travel in China - you just have to smile!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So I’ve been looking online and trying to figure out where to go next, what to do, who to go with and what to see... there are so many choices...if you’re Chinese. Unfortunately, my Mandarin is not yet sufficient for me to be able to follow a guided tour in just Mandarin, nor have I surrendered my preference for:<br />- a toilet instead of a mucky hole in the floor<br />- a bed instead of a mat on a bench<br />- a shower that is private and not suspended over a toilet<br />- identifiable food ingredients instead of mystery meat with miscellaneous bones and gristle<br />- a sense of personal space instead of practically being SAT ON by the other people that would be on the tour. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I like my creature comforts, and personal space and basic hygiene are key components.<br /><br />I really had to laugh when I came across the following description for the first day of an “English Guided Tour” to Tibet:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><strong>No tour guide service today but the Tibetan guide will pick up you at Lhasa airport, please do not have violent physical activity.</strong><br /><br />Just makes you wonder sometimes... what must have happened for this plea to be added to the itinerary? I’ve heard of altitude sickness, but this is a completely different kettle of fish! </span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-29506105634658319122007-09-02T07:24:00.000+00:002008-01-21T22:58:51.905+00:00Beijing without pictures :(<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It had to happen sometime in the 8-9 months that I am travelling. I deleted a folder of pictures for which I don't have a back-up. Not just delete-save-them-from-the-recycle-bin... nope, hard delete, Shift+delete, bypass the recycle bin, do not pass Go, do not collect memorable snapshots from Tiananmen square and the Forbidden City, do not publish cool pics in your blog, remain photo-less and alone for the remainder of your life! Weeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhh!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK, actually, it's not that bad. Not just because we really should learn to live without so many material possessions (laptop, camera, ipod, so many things - so much to be stolen!), but also because in my infinite wisdom, I made great friends that thought my photos were cool and who wanted a DVD of all my pics. So I burned DVDs the day before I deleted the photos from my PC and a copy now exists in the mountains of the south of France. Hopefully a duplicate is being made as I type and I will receive my pictures in due course. In the meantime, my blog will have to be updated NAKED!</span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-52403423463018570482007-08-17T18:23:00.007+00:002008-12-09T16:55:06.546+00:00Last days in Shanghai<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Another week has passed in a blur with cramming Mandarin and all sorts of Tourist madness. Time is flying by and it seems as though there's never enough time to see and do everything! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-AwGHJFb997TF2Bjy2Wks-ouhoML0SLXyKGrAQz85MtDBVDxbs5BFdyQyXdSDYuPwuxEP0YZjsu6JrhbDwbfFPEcxStlzv7dXDCaXX7qd_rqLbWwBzdINv3Ptbi6pqDt-n7vjTGMISA/s1600-h/IMG_6034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172022849303584626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-AwGHJFb997TF2Bjy2Wks-ouhoML0SLXyKGrAQz85MtDBVDxbs5BFdyQyXdSDYuPwuxEP0YZjsu6JrhbDwbfFPEcxStlzv7dXDCaXX7qd_rqLbWwBzdINv3Ptbi6pqDt-n7vjTGMISA/s200/IMG_6034.JPG" border="0" /></a>2 nights ago we went to see an Acrobat Show. Winfried, Sandra and I (the Summer Study Tour students) had front row tickets to see China's Best Acrobatic Show (aren't they all?). This one WAS amazing though - maybe not as good overall as China's Best Acrobatic Show in Guangzhou :) One act in particular was amazing - featuring a 10 meter high wire mesh globe, and 6 motorcyclists racing around inside! I found myself with my hands in front of my face peeking through my fingers - excellent! Guangzhou had hippos and monkeys though... that's hard to beat.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J3b0E11FnNFC7u4Uui_JSAZPIX_0zbXvE5x0wp1HqEsV9IEHrJROGErwX54-O4VnlvR2XAodxlZmGJsxyS9eYrY7Pm98d3RpRHS5qEHU7PuEWqxE_wMEhzvC8XiAucSE8-LipnSUk-Y/s1600-h/IMG_6056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172042941160595410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2J3b0E11FnNFC7u4Uui_JSAZPIX_0zbXvE5x0wp1HqEsV9IEHrJROGErwX54-O4VnlvR2XAodxlZmGJsxyS9eYrY7Pm98d3RpRHS5qEHU7PuEWqxE_wMEhzvC8XiAucSE8-LipnSUk-Y/s200/IMG_6056.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yesterday we visited the Jingan Temple in the city centre of Shanghai. Its and old facade surrounded by super-modern malls <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9Kifpcq-jsfOG_eevEZjCsihL1rnKTtk9boSw9MMXC7z5U_5s5ZSkJ9C1SXTR-2TBtSp8ouA_pKrGDlrwPgtwlOpYYX9j0yMGGw0sb9fbeIbMhyphenhyphenYIUUWHMZ5ok13iLG6Iu5Gho9fqW0/s1600-h/IMG_6077_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172043619765428194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9Kifpcq-jsfOG_eevEZjCsihL1rnKTtk9boSw9MMXC7z5U_5s5ZSkJ9C1SXTR-2TBtSp8ouA_pKrGDlrwPgtwlOpYYX9j0yMGGw0sb9fbeIbMhyphenhyphenYIUUWHMZ5ok13iLG6Iu5Gho9fqW0/s200/IMG_6077_R.jpg" border="0" /></a>and bling-bling skyscrapers. Blink and you'll miss it! After floundering a little in finding the actual entrance, we all paid our 10 RMB and entered into one of the oldest sights in Shanghai. Apparently the first temple was built here in 247 AD. Unfortunately, Renovation Fever has hit and its looking more like a pre-Disney attraction. Lots of scaffolding and shiny new "bits"... with a monk or two thrown in for good measure. Mathias tried to enter a room with lots of photos on the wall, but was refused. Turns out its a remembrance room for all the monks that have served the temple in the past. I can see why they would want to barr pesky tourists...</span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So we spent some quality time taking lots of pictures of each other... spot the Marisa in the photo on the left.</span></p><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB63ZFkZg6yyMfiNjbW_JbPb-I1ptuFgX_sujlyD8M-4w60AqlSKm8QCagKqUXXckrwNRCLVOancpDbLwjTkZXJMMur-BEX90Go0x0ybdnF3Iwa1VE4SOITeznV00-v6Vs2bje8JxzxzE/s1600-h/IMG_6085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172044178111176690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB63ZFkZg6yyMfiNjbW_JbPb-I1ptuFgX_sujlyD8M-4w60AqlSKm8QCagKqUXXckrwNRCLVOancpDbLwjTkZXJMMur-BEX90Go0x0ybdnF3Iwa1VE4SOITeznV00-v6Vs2bje8JxzxzE/s200/IMG_6085.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISE_h8xSxRFd_NCYz9axMot9i1_as6V4t9gbveL2rTSy9V6Qalg4yjj0rO2mjCHle-RdIifnfR-MVorex6pA69yk9us_qm7wwjhpLdwN-_OzKA7B3HYEyLievVPAMa9e3fDySQJa8OzI/s1600-h/IMG_6070.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172042627627982786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISE_h8xSxRFd_NCYz9axMot9i1_as6V4t9gbveL2rTSy9V6Qalg4yjj0rO2mjCHle-RdIifnfR-MVorex6pA69yk9us_qm7wwjhpLdwN-_OzKA7B3HYEyLievVPAMa9e3fDySQJa8OzI/s200/IMG_6070.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172045105824112642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGtpcR1hjBbQ8z-qnpzpyQ9GUTrHXPgRWYcab3xWYvnkK_VWyERji-p1nMSwhvg1xV0-2uS4Fzzf2LDXeCn_GkDTHkNdHb_UaDJKsfTff3aGLxbLObLv2-ob56GfIF6PFX9b5L9ofNIo/s200/DSC00370.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last night Sandra and I met up with Charlotte - French Girl with Dutch Boyfriend who I met through Simon in Guangzhou - she is moving to Shanghai soon... after I leave :/ She's in Shanghai scouting for places to live, I don't envy her the task. Shangai is EXPENSIVE and Chinese construction is great, but the finishing touches (working taps, non-flooding bathroom, windows that open) usually leave a lot to be desired. </span><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Around the corner from our apartment is the cutest little Italian restaurant ever... on a side street of Nanjing Lu, there's a renovated tram car which has been converted into a restaurant. Multo Cute! Best thing of all, they cook REAL italian food (or as close as possible with Chinese ingredients) and a Spaghetti Carbonara will set you back 21 RMB - that's a WHOPPING £1.5 or US $3. How will I ever survive London again???</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHuVlBrhni0f8-B1cRNh7Rk8NsA3YnYrV1cEDTY9ic2tgpa0_ba3ZfUgTF29FTqgZD5bPb2edCwidRj6Zg1BtBJIHD8-LBrlv3nL-C5t3zIDjvM4GK8UR1Ssw2s9Ow_B0WMdKj9ZrR_E/s1600-h/IMG_5789.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172037130069843842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHuVlBrhni0f8-B1cRNh7Rk8NsA3YnYrV1cEDTY9ic2tgpa0_ba3ZfUgTF29FTqgZD5bPb2edCwidRj6Zg1BtBJIHD8-LBrlv3nL-C5t3zIDjvM4GK8UR1Ssw2s9Ow_B0WMdKj9ZrR_E/s200/IMG_5789.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpxKdpp31Z6kpTcNM3a5Z207DzBM2QuDhQd_UuaVR7J7VPVlIJc9VCD9W_MXKDfV_FKi96baGS_u7ayw9bABp53LOeQSGbk9rvXrrvDqtpa7dXLVxZJajWrpg1SL05w-x0jh-zF9gSlE/s1600-h/IMG_5797.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnL_1jmUdXl_8rzgsj8_0J77wQmbT_93uRxycKNPe2d7KECwKeVJzEMzrDJtdpFaKhCa7VM8w_qL-pDt7B6lM6XBiwyDpMO7IkuCsm7rYwh1hYerFfh6iU3oC87c2QCNiaX5wkQLZrU/s1600-h/DSC00154.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172039333388066722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SnL_1jmUdXl_8rzgsj8_0J77wQmbT_93uRxycKNPe2d7KECwKeVJzEMzrDJtdpFaKhCa7VM8w_qL-pDt7B6lM6XBiwyDpMO7IkuCsm7rYwh1hYerFfh6iU3oC87c2QCNiaX5wkQLZrU/s200/DSC00154.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172040381360086962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DLYyf0aEjsHVx0477uahFDsGMknYbUdMQvaPANpO850JXrrXMH3bXjt8hCCFxPO12Zh8g-_mM2DjOC-f8Zd_NmWMagticWrDbZSPk9L2J91R6J7TBeojJ6T9AYYk4gELbt56_1Zo2_U/s200/IMG_5797.JPG" border="0" />Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-12686310675056542932007-08-16T21:45:00.000+00:002008-12-09T16:55:07.596+00:00Sugar High in Pudong!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After “slumming” it for *gasp* nearly 2 weeks in our smelly student apartment next to the Le Meridien hotel... Sandra and I decided it was time for a little infusion of class. So, we headed for the most luxurious hotel in Shanghai – the Grand Hyatt located in the tallest building in Shanghai – The Jinmao Tower. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkF4-RqVBLBQXabqmEdupP2UYFjOPU2I_TRbN5kA1Tx9IKWUd0TdzOg1SKJUKqsLq04SBGnGMYRwv9wqxECJdcA0Q1hqMhQv1vhq7cSjBB-V7v-7pN7uvR4zKU9D0e76eZc3LkzRYbDQ/s1600-h/IMG_6150_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155455316568437170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkF4-RqVBLBQXabqmEdupP2UYFjOPU2I_TRbN5kA1Tx9IKWUd0TdzOg1SKJUKqsLq04SBGnGMYRwv9wqxECJdcA0Q1hqMhQv1vhq7cSjBB-V7v-7pN7uvR4zKU9D0e76eZc3LkzRYbDQ/s200/IMG_6150_R.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />OK, ok, ok, so I had an ulterior motive other than wanting to get away from the smelly student apartment! I went there because it’s the tallest hotel in the world as it is located on the top 20+ floors of the Jinmao Tower (one of the tallest buildings in the world and thus in my all-important “101 things to do before you die” list) . With the lobby on floor 68 and an observation deck somewhere on the 89th or 90th floor... I was game for some exploring.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6w-BhesW2CmL3NlPPh4bhj5wOFVqLPdGYOtHV2kPNXH7L-HyMscKh-kTiO913NHJLNeAsfCRVxtrp4gJUB2Gy5hitM0F3K7sIuv-Oy3xED0owRUFQt8hucgkL-JoKliCiJgp_w06DNjE/s1600-h/IMG_6124_R.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155458275800904130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6w-BhesW2CmL3NlPPh4bhj5wOFVqLPdGYOtHV2kPNXH7L-HyMscKh-kTiO913NHJLNeAsfCRVxtrp4gJUB2Gy5hitM0F3K7sIuv-Oy3xED0owRUFQt8hucgkL-JoKliCiJgp_w06DNjE/s200/IMG_6124_R.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eI7uBNtiedxZSu00f_ne2SMtrLETeSg4VBQyyqTLpgcd0W3fZtnuKXy4lKNDDZS8-nGrLTzt8r4bkPXouCBFV5srWhQZ1p4KvjmJm1f5q_7kB46W2f1MDNiMjE5Gqc8bCceM4QWmOWg/s1600-h/IMG_5691.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155452219897016690" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eI7uBNtiedxZSu00f_ne2SMtrLETeSg4VBQyyqTLpgcd0W3fZtnuKXy4lKNDDZS8-nGrLTzt8r4bkPXouCBFV5srWhQZ1p4KvjmJm1f5q_7kB46W2f1MDNiMjE5Gqc8bCceM4QWmOWg/s200/IMG_5691.JPG" border="0" /></a>Sandra and I headed to Pudong – the area of Shanghai that boasts humongous towers with ridiculous shapes – my personal favourite is of course the Pink Pearl Tower!!! After schlepping around in temperatures of 40C, we finally made it to the underground entrance for the observation deck. The views from the top were amazing – especially the view of the new tower being built “next door” to the Jinmao Tower. It is soon to be the tallest building for no doubt at least 10 seconds before another one somewhere else in the world tops it. Interestingly, it had gone up in flames 2 days before and tens of floors had been completely gutted by the fire. Now there’s a sobering thought as you’re 90-some floors high in the air watching the smoke damage “next door”.<br /><br /><br /><br />Being a complete and utter tourist, I took the opportunity to buy stamps and post my postcards from the highest post office in the world - or rather the one located highest above ground level. Totally cheesy, but hey, when in Jinmao... So keep a watch out for "lofty" mail!!!</span><br /><br /><br /></span><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDMGheNYRPyAYW-8ebTKX3XXEbXdV-lNpS06cQi26smfv-5uXjxWYxOmGSD7lhpkzvI2mL0D2QSKQ8P7VoIRCSxT7vNqnv11z0uAgyhPK0CChA97JYLqcZCDnsY6rxMUP-z4ftkI7Wek/s1600-h/IMG_6134.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxICrd7Vzs7wHtwDGDq9NXtpFhtJJvsDmdVjvCESc2RSXN7-3Wm3ql0D3Y0qGaM8LSWPeE2rBHyPsci0H-PhhpUkWnUT04zzTfjpjXwv6csnkM_93ZGtJ4hgIWV9mL-I0h5GDSaNS-g0/s1600-h/IMG_6134_A.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155460083982135778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxICrd7Vzs7wHtwDGDq9NXtpFhtJJvsDmdVjvCESc2RSXN7-3Wm3ql0D3Y0qGaM8LSWPeE2rBHyPsci0H-PhhpUkWnUT04zzTfjpjXwv6csnkM_93ZGtJ4hgIWV9mL-I0h5GDSaNS-g0/s200/IMG_6134_A.JPG" border="0" /></a>To end the day with a bang, we decided to go have cake and coffee in the Hyatt as a treat after seeing the inside atrium above the lobby from the observation deck (40-some floors of open space with a window at the top to look down on people haing coffee!!! - see left - Wicked). So we raced back down in the observation deck express elevator and then journeyed back up to the 68th floor lobby in the Hyatt hotel elevator where we were met with one uniformed person after another. No doubt they were casing us to see if we would be running off with the silver! Admittedly, we didn’t look nearly as “dressed down” as some other guests – in flip flops, ratty shorts, and carrying backpacks! I mean, really, at least Sling On the Bling, Dahling! </span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo6DhhoqdRJqPTeGrn5-4P0DMoBD05M2V-k6kYauiJo0Frmwz13HZn6FVIBsk7G5rsLylWhygKOg-q5Wzn2HmqJjdrbTlJng_f4n81DkopcaBoUZs8aUQAYI6ycGQVUmqryVr2M_M3k4/s1600-h/IMG_6140.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155453018760933762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo6DhhoqdRJqPTeGrn5-4P0DMoBD05M2V-k6kYauiJo0Frmwz13HZn6FVIBsk7G5rsLylWhygKOg-q5Wzn2HmqJjdrbTlJng_f4n81DkopcaBoUZs8aUQAYI6ycGQVUmqryVr2M_M3k4/s200/IMG_6140.JPG" border="0" /></a>Anyway, we made it through all the security to find that the doormen, receptionist, bellboys, and waiters were all incredibly polite and friendly... not a condescending look to be seen! We came, we sat, we ordered 2 cappucinos, 2 pieces of miniscule cake, a bottle of water and an orange juice and paid 660 RMB... 44 quid! Service not included... naturellement!<br /><br /></span>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-58395985133454752572007-08-14T22:35:00.000+00:002008-12-09T16:55:08.175+00:00YuYuan Gardens, take 2<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After kicking up a fuss Marisa-Style at the school about their ignorant and completely unprofessional program, Sandra, Winfried and I were told we could go to YuYuan gardens in our own time, buy a ticket, give them the proof we actually went there and then they would refund us the money... all 30 RMB (2 pounds)... but its the PRINCIPLE that counts! :)<br /><br />So off to YuYuan gardens we went – it was a magnificent little piece of tranquillity in the midst of the Shanghai madness. Leafy trees, old pagodas and big orange fish (koi?) in ponds... </span><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Actually, pictures speak louder than works... so here goes!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDNyCflsASNWwamx6zW3JdrDymG91buBCfjZBIfUFX6jBHVSd6PtdSVgVGl6OduY31n7aNwqSqOaDouP_o9Vz8otGP25RVPEia8JpZmpCxB8mOUD3yulYd0FoSVPSsXNdm43n8sK2ERA/s1600-h/IMG_5847.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155470778450702882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDNyCflsASNWwamx6zW3JdrDymG91buBCfjZBIfUFX6jBHVSd6PtdSVgVGl6OduY31n7aNwqSqOaDouP_o9Vz8otGP25RVPEia8JpZmpCxB8mOUD3yulYd0FoSVPSsXNdm43n8sK2ERA/s200/IMG_5847.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYyclwPGNUk3iTY27Q1gSsAXhaNAK8wTxF58O_gv84st-lgqHDSzb-f3JzloKOq_RB-7b3JWp-dJ_AAYKFttM5CUZfaIFL8y0Oqy3FH-I7iAt8bHXXbs29Nt5C3142FVDPv21O1Cyw1o/s1600-h/IMG_5886.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155471671803900482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYyclwPGNUk3iTY27Q1gSsAXhaNAK8wTxF58O_gv84st-lgqHDSzb-f3JzloKOq_RB-7b3JWp-dJ_AAYKFttM5CUZfaIFL8y0Oqy3FH-I7iAt8bHXXbs29Nt5C3142FVDPv21O1Cyw1o/s200/IMG_5886.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155471465645470258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChWXSiyUz9hmSo7IODHN7wECXiVUpQdJbubGuwRvXX2QBl4hiYQwJlZ9lvinucIDRAFS18FNEWkBd0TxzykGZkbHSJIOmIUWT2MS2btzJz3zUG2U-cTbvsRbZ1ASQGAgMbjjpuubmYwI/s200/IMG_5871.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Best 30 RMB + cab fare I've spent so far!</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Of course not outing is complete without a little shopping, so we stopped in the many galleries and museum shops contained within the gardens and bought (in order of MADNESS)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Marisa: pendant made out of bit of an old Chinese ceramic vase, small signed Cherry blossom water-colour painting</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Winfried: painted enamel spoons, small signed water-colour paintings</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><br />Sandra: 2 pairs of earrings, small signed water-colour painting, BIG ASS HUMONGOUS HANGING water-colour painting. </div><div> </div><div>Jealous, moi? Perhaps... Sandra's 6ft fish were quite unequivocally DA BOMB. I'd show you a picture, but then I'd be jailed. Not a good idea in China... or anywhere really.<br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497949705886749136.post-90787765779317099952007-08-13T22:50:00.000+00:002008-12-09T16:55:10.550+00:00Qiandaohu - 10.000 islands lake (day 2)<div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I’ve led a sheltered life, yes I have. I’ve travelled a bit, seen a few things, stayed in some interesting places. But this morning I awoke bright and early to another first... the REAL Chinese Hotel Breakfast. I’m usually adaptable and quite game to do a “When in Rome...” wherever I end up.<br /><br />But this morning, faced with grilled sweet potato, Bao, dumplings, Congee, Noodles, some kind of jelly-egg-thing, and a myriad of unappetising-at-8am I finally realised I was in China. I wondered how I’d managed to avoid the full-on China experience in the morning. I’d had my fair share in the evening (Guilin chicken being a prime example). Then I realised, I hadn’t been in a truly Chinese Hotel before now – where no one speaks a word of anything other than Chinese, the beds are just long enough that your head touches the wall and your toes teeter on the edge, the shower (though not suspended over the toilet) is just slightly uncomfortably too low.... and instead of a soap and a toothbrush in the bathroom – you get hygienic “lotion” for him and her...they’re excellent contraceptives and “cure the ill”. Apparently. Interesting. Despite it being an excellent opportunity for another FIRST, my thoughts are that perhaps I won’t be testing these...</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsApMCn7UZYmfs1sRuiIhwx7eZovb7ufwkZ0WRulsAa-qx2QNxncaRzBM2KVxJL3ZglTs1Z1fXrsVe03JEaap_6KofXEJdtSkYA9QKdNYUBPnybqzbC28AcYJb660vM6uz5DjbWy3uIU/s1600-h/IMG_5936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153258367782089058" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsApMCn7UZYmfs1sRuiIhwx7eZovb7ufwkZ0WRulsAa-qx2QNxncaRzBM2KVxJL3ZglTs1Z1fXrsVe03JEaap_6KofXEJdtSkYA9QKdNYUBPnybqzbC28AcYJb660vM6uz5DjbWy3uIU/s200/IMG_5936.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Interestingly, we found that our “minibar” basket in the room included not only green tea and crackers but also Men’s underwear, more hygienic wipes, and miscellaneous other products I imagine would be found in rooms rented by the hour.... The picture to the right is of my roommate Sandra showing off her "The Price Is Right" product-display talents holding all the many goodies in our room!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Moving swiftly on, it was back on the bus for a leisurely ride through the countryside towards our next destination – River Rafting! </span><br /><br /><br /></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQw1AiGQnIlI4mflKovNiIugokZNghyHD-DpXKtUYYwfI3SQ9DfbtlWyKVg7Ecc-8P4JqlHQEQRug1RJ2aTpGx4WQQIJQF_IsncG_uJ6WQJM6PJLZrkrHdyCX_YXVKncRSHHH6KgnL_w/s1600-h/IMG_5971.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155482976157823634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQw1AiGQnIlI4mflKovNiIugokZNghyHD-DpXKtUYYwfI3SQ9DfbtlWyKVg7Ecc-8P4JqlHQEQRug1RJ2aTpGx4WQQIJQF_IsncG_uJ6WQJM6PJLZrkrHdyCX_YXVKncRSHHH6KgnL_w/s200/IMG_5971.JPG" border="0" /></a>We arrived to find a big gravelled <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uYBP927B3CnXCLgasLQbKDkKHRyyHOocheLUr7dEG2FyyzYzUJIrRseHyufm1vhaZ128BL7jimUP-Zxk5e826TaJfFIjWD7RIeJTvCrdxGS-Jb6qQMPZh8Htv98QbN5mXqAPDPSsllg/s1600-h/IMG_5973.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155483293985403554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uYBP927B3CnXCLgasLQbKDkKHRyyHOocheLUr7dEG2FyyzYzUJIrRseHyufm1vhaZ128BL7jimUP-Zxk5e826TaJfFIjWD7RIeJTvCrdxGS-Jb6qQMPZh8Htv98QbN5mXqAPDPSsllg/s200/IMG_5973.JPG" border="0" /></a>parking lot, wooden hut, lots of inflatable dinghies, a mini-lake, and a dam.... from which came what appeared to be a trickle of water that was supposed to be our “river”. I’ve seen more voluminous flows coming from hostel-showers and was understandably sceptical about its ability to transport an empty dinghy, let alone one with several passengers. But then two locals started tearing down the dam - literally. And the water started gushing down over the rocky riverbed, turning into a small churning river. Wehey, there was hope after all!<br /></p></span><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><p><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All the girls ran to get in one last potty-break before the raft... until they saw the toilet. 50% turned back, hardened-China-Traveller-that-I-am, I was in the other half and persevered. The word toilet is doing toilets everywhere a major disservice. A bamboo shack (picture stalks of bent bamboo, not too tightly bound together, creating a charming "now you see my butt, now you don’t" effect, with an even more "uncensored" view inside through the dividing wall between the Gents (hole in the ground) and the Ladies (smelly hole in the ground with non-working flush and a giant turd rotting in the sun... loverly). It was at this precise moment in time that I truly appreciated the wonder that is my pair of platform flip-flops... 5cm between me and the putrid mucky ground is better than nothing.</span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bWlj9ZRHB0z2p70xFbGPy4c4s_owzOqYocnB1zgoB-sN8zFH_n3oZup9T1Q69pUxkteShSxtGIoaAqlGFsuDF3vZfpgwsUUo-3mnTgtfbNo65f9K2vUQjPhzmv-kdZBLu0kcPAieSxw/s1600-h/IMG_5979.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155486845923357362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5bWlj9ZRHB0z2p70xFbGPy4c4s_owzOqYocnB1zgoB-sN8zFH_n3oZup9T1Q69pUxkteShSxtGIoaAqlGFsuDF3vZfpgwsUUo-3mnTgtfbNo65f9K2vUQjPhzmv-kdZBLu0kcPAieSxw/s200/IMG_5979.JPG" border="0" /></a>So we all got suited up (a life-vest), prepared our equipment (put my camera in a sandwich baggie in my pocket), slapped on some more sunscreen and a hat, and prepared to board our rafts. Small river = small boat. But when we were told to pair up - one guy and one girl in each boat - I finally realised it was a 2-person raft. The "raft" looked like a kiddie-dinghy as used in a pool by 5 year olds... but we gamely boarded our vessels for a practice paddle around the slowly diminishing mini-lake. I lucked out and got Hector as my rafting buddy. Strong-ish, funny, man with ZERO rafting experience, we were definitely in for a laugh.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><br /><br /></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3bI1QL208BN8ifSgcYJGdV0f8zXMrv5ESVV_GESFwxqj6L6UHdxgaAbXSgbmC0VrTQzQ24f2e2kcia4pIm24SQGSEAamhmP7CJMdGRwZY_ihqhiJlW88PWtLXTqGDjhPv81vk9nhvBc/s1600-h/IMG_5989.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155487576067797698" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3bI1QL208BN8ifSgcYJGdV0f8zXMrv5ESVV_GESFwxqj6L6UHdxgaAbXSgbmC0VrTQzQ24f2e2kcia4pIm24SQGSEAamhmP7CJMdGRwZY_ihqhiJlW88PWtLXTqGDjhPv81vk9nhvBc/s200/IMG_5989.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Because the dinghies were so small, we had to sit facing each other, which meant that one of us was always blind to what was coming, not to mention had to try to paddle backward down a rapid! So we had a bit of a discussion over who would be facing backwards when we went over the dam and hit the first rapid going down the river... given my superior rafting experience (and willingness not to see what was coming) I agreed to be the blind one.</span></p><div><br /><br /></div><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><div><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Apart from our group, all the people there were Chinese tourists. About 40 boats or so paddling around the lake. Some even had umbrellas - to protect from the sun, but also came in handy protecting from the water as it turned out... <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I'm not quite sure who started splashing first, but it wasn't me. I. did. not. start. the. water. fight. really, truly, I am innocent. :)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">As far as I could tell, the Chinese tourists were attacking each other, one of them missed, got Hector and me instead, and messed up Big Time. Everyone went silent - as if they were expecting us to cause a big fuss and get upset over a little water. Well, they soon found out that I don't get upset. No sirrreeee, I get EVEN. *evil grin* While Hector was trying to mediate and calm the situation, I went into a splashing frenzy with my paddle. Having had plenty of water-baby experience in New Zealand and Australia (sledging, river kayaking, ocean kayaking, rafting...) I had great aim and great volume. </span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtK1IAtQlUugaZ3-TZ7MMrTqJGGjZyJsXHPmABa24hPojpKVmO56GrMn5YlJXoK1WpAi8b1Fb04CMNetZlWgCFmD9A-dzu0WcI61U9vTcboR7bwl6Is1eWrzVJEf0d-ZTDGydlaWa6Us/s1600-h/IMG_5990.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155487932550083282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtK1IAtQlUugaZ3-TZ7MMrTqJGGjZyJsXHPmABa24hPojpKVmO56GrMn5YlJXoK1WpAi8b1Fb04CMNetZlWgCFmD9A-dzu0WcI61U9vTcboR7bwl6Is1eWrzVJEf0d-ZTDGydlaWa6Us/s200/IMG_5990.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSP6l1QntX4jtq7M7KpBBdL_M1OSOAc_KPjn0pHI9Sqb26nNVwgSm3dHgO4PmEorpuYLe89mVhe_GgUgKZrNGtsx1HxS4a64dgGuy8qMj4YmF3jpm_ofi5RBv0m-uT88CSN944h1lkas/s1600-h/IMG_6003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155488362046812914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSP6l1QntX4jtq7M7KpBBdL_M1OSOAc_KPjn0pHI9Sqb26nNVwgSm3dHgO4PmEorpuYLe89mVhe_GgUgKZrNGtsx1HxS4a64dgGuy8qMj4YmF3jpm_ofi5RBv0m-uT88CSN944h1lkas/s200/IMG_6003.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155488185953153762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__UTrmNmQghFCf9jV4CLz6rpBfLdRu6Pu0oZPiCCw9eMNwT-GC1um_FfmIqNcq1d2SbIrpCDV8JjMR9i5k7UamipI84UyEaoeHjBRFU1dbDhthkVfQ8CZIU-iVvNV1DXWlehKGnMYh7A/s200/IMG_5995.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">From then it was war and for the next 3 hours we all raced each other down the river while making sure no one came out dry. Luckily my camera managed to survive against all odds because I hid it away after the first volley was launched. Even Hector got into the swing of things and gamely entered the fray. We all got absolutely SOAKED, but it was awesome fun to laugh and go to war without being able to communicate at all in each other's language. I guess splashing is universal :)</span><br /></p></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3sFxNniyuK9Y51_SYZRynE7-dW17IugqJT8srRApWlMnaWC6f1QWDC_OhpIHKGJuuhNDXIIsgclg1vv-Q2pRK8RcsKwbrp1I7wA90qHA0M_JFK19-MvT4VT6LcRFex5ny0LX0EyKyWM/s1600-h/IMG_6012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155495251174355730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3sFxNniyuK9Y51_SYZRynE7-dW17IugqJT8srRApWlMnaWC6f1QWDC_OhpIHKGJuuhNDXIIsgclg1vv-Q2pRK8RcsKwbrp1I7wA90qHA0M_JFK19-MvT4VT6LcRFex5ny0LX0EyKyWM/s200/IMG_6012.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0kY1fC5PkOYlFGCF5SOZa4g5HRnaCBjHiCBTS8zBBGIvXD98U6zDQYbNcK47JXDn1Kx7Nhw72d2H6vipPnCSLNues-anUl0rOf9s_2LnKYuF1_mL_Ak-1qMcOpfxTMmi12fd3idoIZY/s1600-h/IMG_6014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155495032131023618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0kY1fC5PkOYlFGCF5SOZa4g5HRnaCBjHiCBTS8zBBGIvXD98U6zDQYbNcK47JXDn1Kx7Nhw72d2H6vipPnCSLNues-anUl0rOf9s_2LnKYuF1_mL_Ak-1qMcOpfxTMmi12fd3idoIZY/s200/IMG_6014.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Following a quick but rather public change, we all boarded the bus to head for lunch... on a pontoon. Sandra took some pictures of the kitchen, luckily none of us saw these before tucking in. Thank G*d for small favours and iron stomachs :)</span></div>Marisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02756591052591147907noreply@blogger.com0