TravelStream™ news feed for member alinmattrtw2005 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/alinmattrtw2005 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:37:44 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1189096620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1189096620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1189096620/tpod.html Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:37:44 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Canterbury, United Kingdom

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Munich, Germany

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188923700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188923700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188923700/tpod.html Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:35:59 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Sao Paulo, Brazil

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188787560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188787560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188787560/tpod.html Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:07:21 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I am sitting here at the computer thinking "hmmm, what should I write". At the moment I think that we are both in shock and lost for words (that´s a first hey?!) that this final night has come so soon. Rio is a beautiful city there is no doubt about that, but it is a very unsafe city too and we have both found it hard to relax here on the streets, too scared to ever really take our guard down - and a big guard it is too! We have NEVER in over two years of travelling EVER felt like this anywhere, so it is a bit of a shock to the system!When we left Iguazu our bus was comfortable and the journey was long, but knowing that it would be the last very long journey we take on this trip I think we both cherished every moment - really that is possible on a 22 hour bus journey! We arrived in Rio at the hectic bus station and took a cab to our couchsurfing pals home in Cosme Velho, a neighbourhood of Rio which sits at the base of Corcovado - the mountain on which sits the famous Christ the Redeemer. Saturday afternoon was spent in true fashion, eating a delicious lunch prepared with Carolina´s own hands and drinking beer. Another couchsurfing guy from India was in town and so he came for lunch and the chat continued until early evening. Needless to say our first day in Rio we did not head out and see much, we did see for the first time the view out of their bedroom window though - Christ the Redeemer - and when it is dark he looks like he is floating in mid air! We retired to bed early that night and headed out on Sunday.The buses here are excellent, fast and frequent. However as we have discovered in most places they drive like madmen! So we held on tight as the bus headed from Cosme Velho to Ipanema - our first destination of the day. On Sunday´s there is a huge Hippie market in Ipanema, being broke and at the end of our trip, but of course wanting to buy some cool things from Brazil we went along and spent a couple of hours shopping in the market. We were shocked at the prices though, but not so suprised - glad we shopped lots in Peru and Bolivia! Ipanema is a middle class funky district and after eating a gorgeous fishcake stuffed with onions, paste and prawns (a traditional Bahian dish) on the market we strolled around the streets of Ipanema and then wandered onto the glorious long sandy beach of the same name. For other reasons we left the beach earlier than intended and walked along the promenade up to a lookout to enjoy the views over the beach. We watched the surfers and sunbathers and gazed at the view and then we hit a kiosko on the prom and downed a caprihina each!From Ipanema we walked around the short distance to Copacabana. One of the most famous beaches in the world and the worlds most densley populated neighbourhood. Skyscrapers sit side by side almost touching each other for kilometres along the beach and blocks back, we walked along Copacabana beach which in our opinion was nowhere near as nice as Ipanema - but you get a good panorama with Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background. Tired we headed back home for a traditional backpacker meal of noodles!Today we waited and waited for the clouds to lift off of the mountains and we took the cog train up Corcovado mountain to take in the breathtaking views across Rio and to see the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer. The views were spectacular up there, we watche the clouds move away as we drank a cold beer and said cheers to 25months of travelling, knowing that now it is time to go home.And that is that! What more can we say, our job here is done, we have seen, smelt, learned and experienced so much on this adventure of a lifetime, we have cherished every moment, given our heart and souls to everything and now it is about to end. It has been brilliant - it has been more than that but no words are good enough to describe it. In the morning we take a six hour bus journey south to Sao Paulo, from there we fly to Munich Germany to connect to our flight to London. Wednesday our feet will once again touch English soil. We are nervous and excited about starting this next chapter in our lifes.This will not be the end of our travels, this is only the beginning.Thanks for tuning in all this time and we will see some of you back home for a beer or ten?!HugsAlinMattxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188507840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188507840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188507840/tpod.html Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:39:03 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

A 17 hour cramped bus journey from Buenos Aires bought us into the small but nice border town of Puerto Iguazu. We decided to stay on the Argentine side of the falls because it is cheaper than Brazil! People we have met on our travels told us visit the Argentine side to be close to the falls and the Brazillian side for the panoramas, so as we are now very short on time (6 days and then we are home!) we decided to visit the Argentinian side of the falls.The falls are set in a rainforest, which make them unique of the ones we have seen so far. There were beautiful coloured birds singing in the trees, the infamous Coati´s who inhabit the rainforest and have been known to terrorise tourists for food etc etc! Looking at our map we saw that there were a few different hikes you could do in the park, we decided to first head down on what was called the "Inferior hike"!! It is actually a hike along walkways that have been set up lower down the falls. They are not at the base exactly, but the view is totally different from the view we later saw at the top - much better lower down in our opinion and there were gorgeous views out along the river as well.After seeing the falls at their best, we continued on up to the "Superior hike" which once again is an wasy walk along metal walkways. This time the perspective is entirely different, you are at the top of the falls looking down on the crashing waters, when we hiked along the bottom we were at times getting drenched by the water spray!We enjoyed a lunch we had bought with us and then queued up for the train which takes the short journey through the park to the Diablo Gaganta - which translated means the devils throat. You can see why they have given it this name, the roundness of the falls here is shaped like a throat and the waters are so powerful and crashing. We were soaked up here in the spray and the rain, but it was worth it - it showed how powerful water actually is!So, considering on this trip we have now seen Niagara Falls - Canada, Victoria Falls - Zimbabwe and Iguazu Falls - Argentina, our first discussion over a beer tonight was which is better. We came to the conclusion that they are all different and there is no way we could choose one over the other! Niagara was special because it was winter, the water was turquoise and there was snow. Victoria Falls was spectacular, we could see as it was dry season how the rocks have eroded further over on the Zambian side and we took the most scenic flight in a microlight over the falls. Iguazu was set in a rainforest, its wet season so there is lots of water right now, so much so that the usual river boat that connects to an island cannot run because the water is too high - you see they are all different.Tonight we are off to eat our last Argentine steak and drink some more wine, tomorrow see´s us take a bus 22 hours to our final destination on this trip (besides the bus ride for a flight).Will pod again from Rio De Janeiro - Brazil!!!!We can´t quite believe that it really is all coming to an end.HugsAlinMattxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188048840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188048840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1188048840/tpod.html Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:51:45 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires has been an amazing city and our five days here have flown by. Tonight we will say goodbye to our last steak because tomorrow we are on a buis heading towards the Brazillian border to see the amazing Iguazu Falls.Buenos Aires is a very European style city, the architecture in particular could be straight out of Paris or London. Buildings line the busy busy streets, some are Baroque in style and others just look very Victorian. The whole city has a very French and Italian feel to it, ice creameries, coffee shops, huge galleria style shopping centres.On our first day here we headed north to the very upmarket Recoleta area, here we wandered in the large grassy plazas, visited the city like graveyard that is the Recoleta Cemetery - of course seeing the famous Eva Peron´s tomb and then explored the artesian market that was set up in plaza. We explored the gorgeous Cathedral and sat for a while in the huge Plaza De Mayo that sits in the centre of the city.Sunday saw us sitting in the stands with hundreds maybve thousands of crazy Boca Junior fans as we sat in the huge La Bombonera stadium and watched them trash Gimnasia!La Boca is a rundown district of the city, but an area has been renovated and is now popular with tourists. The street is called the Caminito and we wandered around there today before heading on the Subte (tube) to northern BA´s and the district of Palermo which is home to the citys middle class, we walked around the huge grassy plazas and then visited the Museuo Evita which was so well done and very moving.San Telmo is a district next to where we are staying, it has a Camden feel to it, very retro and funky, lots of cafes and today we ate some gorgeous ice cream there.Anyway, we have of course eaten tons of steak and drunk tons of wine!!!XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187812800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187812800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187812800/tpod.html Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:20:30 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Mendoza, Argentina

Finally I was able to pull myself away from the toilet and enjoy the delights of Mendoza. This is one stunning city, the streets are wide and are lined with sycamore trees, the pavements are lined with cafes, you can smell coffee, wine and chocolate here almost as soon as you step outside! There are some fab restaurants and a real city night street life. During the day the city is rather quiet, people chill out in the cafes, in the plazas, looking in the small stores or just sleeping during the afternoon siesta. As soon as darkness falls the city goes crazy, the streets are just crammed with people, restaurants start filling up and the smell of coffee drifts away as the smell of the meats cooking on the traditional parillas fill the air.Mendoza has a beautiful setting too, we are sitting on the edge of the Andes, from the city when the sky is clear you can look up and see snowcapped mountains - it is a gorgeous setting. Of course as everybody knows Mendoza is Argentina´s wine capital, vineyards surround the outskirts of the city - talking of wine, it is 2.15pm and probably time we sat in a cafe and drank some!!So, we have walked and wandered, strolled and sat around the streets here. It is a place for just relaxing, wandering and sampling the fine wines, coffees and of course steaks!!Tonight we are headed to Buenos Aires - the capital of the country and the Paris of South America we are told?!HugsAlinMattxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PS - The snakes, turtles and spiders are a result of the snake farm and aquarium we visited yesterday - that is about the most strenuous thing we have done in the last 4 days or so!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187473140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187473140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187473140/tpod.html Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:58:16 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina

Crossing the border from Bolivia to Argentina involved us getting up in the middle of the night (really it was 3.30am) and being on our bus in the dark and cold by 4am! We did it and the bus trundled around hairpin bends on the rough gravel road for two hours.Upon arrival in Villazon we had a morning coffee from one of the old ladies who stand on the side of the road and pour coffee from a flask, when it was light enough and the border was opening we got into the queue and were stamped out of Bolivia and into Argentina.The difference at the border between the Bolivian and the Argentine side, was as always incredible. All of a sudden the peope looked Italian and their Spanish accent was so different from those we have heard elsewhere. We took a cab to the bus terminal only to find that buses to San Salvador De Jujuy were not leaving from there and that we had to make our way to Corta Ruta. Armed with no map and no Argentine Peso´s we had to ask a taxi driver to take us there and let us pay in Bolivianos! He agreed and we then sat on the side of the road, on the edge of the desert for a few hours until the bus we wanted to take left.When we arrived in Jujuy we could not stay in our first choice hostel and ended up in a rather nice but old hotel down by the river. The reason for this that we did not find out until later was beacause this day was called Dia De San Martin - a big day in Argentine history and a public holiday. That night when we walked by the plaza, there were people everywhere, crowds singing and celebrating - it was a cool sight.Those few days in Jujuy we wandered around the city, we visited the beautiful cathedral and Iglesia San Francisco, we passed by the market and walked along the pedestrian street that ran through the centre of the city. At night of course we ate huge steaks, drank delicious wine and listened to local bands play there panpipes dressed in ponchos. This would be our last stop in the Andes.We are now in Mendoza on the edge of the Andes, the 20 hour bus journey south from Jujuy was long and pretty boring. We have a nice place to stay and although this is our third night we have not seen anything here yet because I have been ill. I think I have what we both had in Peru, so I have been holed up in our room for the past two and a half days, whilst Matt has been wandering around the city and last night he ate what he said was a huge steak again! Hopefully I will feel better and will have more to report in the next few days.A few observations on Argentina so far - Everything closes around 1 - 3pm and may not open again until 8 -9pm! Siesta time!At night you need to eat late - 10pm or so...!Streets are pretty much deserted during the day - the street life starts at night here, you wander a street at 11pm and it is packed!The people really are nice.They look Italian and their accent is very Italian.There is no hassle like in other South American countries.The Peso is getting stronger - it is value for money but not cheap like Bolivia.Steaks are the biggest in the world ever!Wine is good, as is coffee and ice cream looks wonderful too!With the Italian influence Pasta and Pizza appear on menus here all the time, coffee is important and breakfast is Italian style pastries.The distances are huge.They have proper motorways!HugsAlinMattxxxxxxxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187305860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187305860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alinmattrtw2005/rtw2005/1187305860/tpod.html Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:12:44 -0400 Travelling around the world...seeing amazing sights, experiencing things we never imagined possible, and learning about ourselves...this is "our" story, about living our dreams......Enjoy!!

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Tupiza, Bolivia

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Potosi, Bolivia

Potosi was our second stop in Bolivia, we took a night bus from La Paz which we both expected be horrendous and it turned out to be one of the best buses we have taken!Although the bus was comfy we did not sleep so well and when we arrived at our chosen hostal we sat around waiting awhile for a room, as soon as it was ready we both crashed and woke at midday.We attempted to visit the Cathedral and the church of San Lorenzo - both were closed so we spent our afternoon drinking coffee in a cheap cafe we found on the pedestrian mall. Potosi was a nice city, but it was pretty quiet and aside from the mines there was not a huge amount to do and see. After not finding any shops selling the usual South American touristy things we wandered around the local market and through the narrow streets, which were also steep and at 4070metres it does leave you huffing and puffing!We did eventually find the tourists shops, just randomely as we were taking a taxi to the bus terminal to book our bus tickets, out of the window I saw a sign saying Mercado Artesenal and lots of small shops - great stuff!Our main reason for visiting Potosi was to take a tour to the mines. Potosi was once the richest city in Latin America, silver is the main reason for the mines which now mine a lot of other minerals too. The conditions down there are dreadful, the workers must buy all of their own equipment which should be provided for health and safety! The mines still call themselves a cooperative, but they are not at all. We were only down there for two hours and the dust and fumes were horrid, we cant imagine working down there for years as some miners do before they die of lung disease and other related illnesses.Before we visited the mine itself we went to the miners market, where we bought gifts for the miners - dynamite (yep you can buy the whole shabang on the market no worries!), coca leaves, juice, water and ciggarettes along with an alcohol which was 96% - we tryed it - nail polish maybe?!! We went to and looked out over Potosi from the mountain before we went underground, the views were fab up there. Then our crazy guide sorted the dynamite out, lit it and bang! We have never heard a sound so loud!After the mine tour we went or lunch with a couple we met in our hostel. Lunch turned into dinner and dinner into drinks. A little worse for wear we all went back to the hostel around 1am to find that we had been locked out! We knocked and knocked, eventually the owner let us in, he looked pissed off and watched us until we went into our rooms to bed!! It was like being 10 again - so funny really!This morning we were out of there early and took a smelly, cramped, hot bus through endless desert terrain on an unmade road past huge cactus to Tupiza (famous for the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid - all filmed here). We are now 3 hours from the Argentine border and our plan is to take the 4am bus and cross tomorrow into Argentina.HugsAlinMattxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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