Novotel Reading Centre

... to plan I'll be doing the following in the next two months.

1. Re-visit NYC
2. Acclimatising to altitude, volcanoes, rainforests and the jungle in Ecuador
3. Visiting Inca ruins, canyons and lakes in Peru
4. Eating stakes, admiring glaciers and waterfalls in Argentina.
5. Popping in to Uruguay
6. Beach hopping in Brasil.

Could be a bit of a rush and I'll try and keep you updated!!

After a fantastic week at the home of the Grant family, I am heading into London to see what life in the city is like. I will be staying at a hostel right near Buckingham Palace...maybe I will catch a glimpse of a royal!


Oh and I finally got ...

Mon 5th Oct We were the first boat away from the festival heading south. First stop was the facilities, then a pause at bridge 168 to visit Morrison's and boost the price of Hazel's shares. Moored with difficulty north of the bridge as they are installing new piling south of there. Should be easier next time. We didn't stop for lunch but continued to a very quiet mooring before Heyford Common Lock. Tue 6th Oct Although raining most of the day, this was a very pleasant cruise ...

... a glorious two hours sleeping face down on the airport floor with my iPhone as a pillow before having the novel experience of being the very first person through security just half an hour ago. As layovers go, I'd say its an all-around win. At this point, I have 45 minutes left in this country and thirteen pound coins that the ticket machine gave me yesterday, so you'll excuse me if I have to attend to some seriously overpriced breakfast.

Hi all - We had a terrific day in London, with a jump start at Starbucks, at 11am! Yes, we slept in and loved every moment! We walked through Kensington Gardens to walk off the sleepies, enjoyed Princess Diana's Palace/Memorial Gardens and the Royal Albert ...

... be working as a receptionist. I just got a call from my temp agency. I'm starting a placement as a receptionist on Monday at the same place that I had a placement before. Apparently they asked if I was available so they must have liked me before, yay! That position is likely for a few weeks so at least I'll get some paycheques. Off for lunch now.

... from the people she bought it from and others she has planted. It is really quite intriguing and the whole home has a wonderfully peaceful feel to it. She made a superb meal of spaghetti bolognese and offered me a nice dry red wine. She is a very effortless sort of cook who does not make fancy - just what is needed. Then washed up (I dried) and put away. She also helped me to go through my gear to see what more I could leave behind. There is quite a lot, thank ...

... the station & drove us back in her car. We were thankful that we didn't have to walk in the freezing cold! Once we reached home, there was only I thing to do... jump straight into bed!! & it was only 2130 hrs! lol! Today also happens to be John Lennon's 25th death anniversary, since he was gunned down by estranged fan Mark Chapman in 1980. Since the Beatles were from Liverpool, there was a huge ceremony in Merseyside to remember one of the greatest & most talented musicians that ever ...

... three days on the beach scares me right now!!!

PS, for those wondering about the name of the travelogue, it was bestowed upon me by the nincompoops I coxed who had limited brain power when it came to pronouncing foreign names!!! Although I prefer to think it was because of dictionary.com's second definition: A girl, especially a beautiful one. ;-)

... phone number that Sally had, I am without Internet at home. You don't really realize how dependent you become on these things until they are taken away. So, I am going to continue keeping travel journals, but I may not be able to post them for a little while. Hopefully you have been able to go back and take a look at the photos I uploaded on some of the previous entries. Until then, cheerio!