TravelStream™ news feed for member alisonw on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/alisonw en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:52:44 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/5/1202064660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/5/1202064660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/5/1202064660/tpod.html Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:52:44 -0400 Central_America_08

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Mexico, Mexico

Mexico!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1171312260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1171312260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1171312260/tpod.html Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:37:34 -0400 A new country, new role, new challenges, and new adventures...

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Trivandrum, India

After just under a year in Sudan, what I needed more than anything was to take a deep breath, and to step back. So, in my usual manner, I hatched a plan. I packed up my apartment, stopped by Dubai for a few days to hand over the last bits of Sudan work, and then got on a plan to Kerala, south-western India for five weeks. My plan, book into an Ashram and stop for a while.

I didn't know anyone that had spent time in an ashram, and I didn't know if it was a bit of an extreme thing to do. But I did my research and booked a bed for two weeks (URL: http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam/ashram.html)

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1158483240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1158483240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/life_in_sudan06/1158483240/tpod.html Mon, 09 Oct 2006 05:24:15 -0400 A new country, new role, new challenges, and new adventures...

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Khartoum, Sudan

I managed to get myself attached to a group of UNMIS - United Nations Mission in Sudan - folks that were heading out camping in the desert for two days, one night. With the promise of sand driving, a bbq and some songs around the campfire I was pretty easy to convince!!

We headed out on a Friday morning (the start of the weekend here), and stopped just outside of town for a briefing... a little military feeling for my taste, but I guess pretty necessary given the realities of the dangers of the desert, with added complications of further risks of the trip being in Sudan. Once that was over we headed off! I was sharing a car with a Danish friend and he let me start the driving, I must admit I was a little conservative initially, but in no time I was keeping up with the rest of the group - we were 5 cars.

I managed to not get bogged once, though much to my pleasure most of the military guys did - thanks Dad for teaching me to drive on sand!! I even managed to launch us into the air over a few dunes - much to the dismay of my travel companion! We stopped late afternoon beside a bit of a mountain (at least the desert equivalent), and set up camp. Thanks to the commandeering of UN resources we had the best equipped camp that I have ever been in, and had a very comfortable night, with tasty food, some guitar around the campfire and sleeping on (surprisingly comfortable) army stretchers on the sand dunes.

Early next morning we woke to sunrise, and the surprise visit of some desert residents with their camels, they bid us Salam Alikum - and continued on their way. We roused ourselves, prepared a tasty breakfast, and packed up camp.

We headed home along the Nile - stopping at Cataract 6 to enjoy the view. Between Khartoum and Aswan Dam (on the Egyptian border), there are these areas called Cataracts, and they are generally rocky areas where boats etc can't cross - at least this is my understanding. But, actually at the moment the water is so high that you can't see that this is unpassable for 9 months of the year.

We headed back into town passing through a number of little rural villages. And then through Omdurman, the north western part of Khartoum. All in all, a fantastic weekend. I did have a bit of a special colour from living in sand all weekend... I thought I had a tan (I am shamefully white, due to always being covered up), but sadly it washed away in the shower that afternoon!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1147508460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1147508460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1147508460/tpod.html Sat, 13 May 2006 04:26:20 -0400 Sadly, I must return to work... reality awaits me.

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Khartoum, Sudan

Hi to everyone,

This travelpod entry comes with a bit of an explantion for those that are a little suprised at seeing my current location as Sudan. Despite best laid plans, during my trip to Australia at Easter - and one week before planning to get on a plane to head to Sweden - I was asked if I would take a posting here in Khartoum initially until the end of this year. The position is to work with a large company here helping them to establish various agricultural projects, certainly different from the last couple of years, but something that certainly sparked my interest.

After a lot of consideration as to the possible implications of living life in Khartoum, I decided that life is meant to be challenging, and to accept the position - which is so far going well, and promises to be very interesting - and to save Europe for another year. So, just under three weeks ago I arrived in lovely Khartoum.

I am sure that you are all very interested to see photos of this city that I now call home, but at this stage I have not really done too much except work. This is going to settle down I am sure over the next while, as I am slowly getting organised. I now have a car, and am expecting to move into my apartment any day now, my office is being furnished, but am working from another desk temporarily, and things are slowly starting to make a little more sense.

I am finding the city to be terribly confusing geographically, as it is based around the upside down Y of the White and Blue Nile converging as the one great Nile River. So, it seems that I just keep crossing rivers, with no idea of where I am at anytime. Though, I am sure that this will get easier, and I guess it is slowly.

I already have grand plans as to the trips that I want to make while I am based in northern Africa, including forays into Southern Africa to catch up with some old mates. But for now, it is a matter of head down to try and get a few things going work wise.

I hope that everyone is well, apologies to all those who had planned to come via Sweden whiel travelling in Europe (particularly Kristy and Shep who had already bought their tickets!), though the offer of my excellent hospitality is extended to anyone coming through Sudan, including friends of friends...

I will endeavour to get some photos of the city and its surrounds soon, and show you a little of what life is like here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1142161800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1142161800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1142161800/tpod.html Tue, 28 Mar 2006 08:43:41 -0500 Sadly, I must return to work... reality awaits me.

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Cairo, Egypt

One of the best things about my job is that very occasionally I get cool opportunities to go and do interesting stuff. In early-March I went to Egypt with a colleague to conduct a feasibility study for a horticultural property that we will manage on the Nile River. We spent four days wandering around the property, meeting with the Egyptian Water Authorities, looking at pump stations, and talking with all sorts of crazy Egyptians. It is the kind of work I love and I had a ball. I went with a colleague that had never travelled in a developing country, so also had the benefit of seeing the country through fresh eyes.

After the work side of things was wrapped up and I had sent Mark home to his family, I then spent the weekend fitting in every touristy activity that I could find in Cairo. I started my first morning with a few hours wandering around the Egyptian Museum. I was absolutely amazed by the culture that invested so much in the afterlife, and had the pleasure of seeing everything from Tutankharmon's solid gold burial head piece and sarcophagus and rooms full of gold jewellery, to six metre long Crocodile mummies, and little burial boxes for Scarab beetles. It was amazing to see how good the condition of the artefacts were, I guess due to being locked in a pyramid from anywhere up to 4,000 years. (I wish they allowed cameras to be taken into the Museum).

That afternoon I went to Zamalek, which is a suburb(?) on an island in the middle of the Nile. I went and had lunch at the most extra-ordinary restaurant (check out the photo), and soaked up the fantastic atmosphere, ate the great food, and enjoyed the fragrant smoke from the Sheesha... I then went for a big walk around the area that my restaurant was in, and just checked out city life in Cairo. That evening I went on a Nile Cruise - did a little bad belly dancing (check photos), ate some more good food, and enjoyed the views from the Nile of Cairo at night.

The second day of my weekend I went to The Citadel, which is a fantastic old fort that overlooks Cairo, I nosed around there for most of the morning - photos are included. Then went to Khan al-kalili Souq, which is an old souq in Cairo, I managed to escape the tourist area, and found myself lost in the depths of the Souq wondering if I would ever escape. It was fantastic, with all the sensations that could be expected, fragrances from the spices, the cries of storekeepers selling their wares, the mayhem of shoppers all shoving past each other. It was great until I realised that at some point I would need to find my way out to make it to the airport. I managed to track my way out, and armed with a felafel sandwich from a street vendor headed back to my hotel, said my farewells to Cairo and headed back to the surreal reality of Dubai.

Current plans for me, include two weeks in Australia in April - the week of easter and the following week, then back here to Dubai for another week and a half, and then early May making the permanent move to Stockholm...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1139814480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1139814480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1139814480/tpod.html Mon, 13 Feb 2006 03:43:16 -0500 Sadly, I must return to work... reality awaits me.

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

On Saturday afternoon I embarked on an intrepid journey to the middle of the desert with one of my workmates who is visiting from head office. We went Wadi bashing - which is basically driving like mad people around the sand dunes in an entirely ecologically unsound, equally dangerous and yet fun way. The cruiser was fully fitted with roll bars, though our driver assured us that he had never tried them out!

We then went to a camel farm - where to my joy, there was a camel giving birth (yes, I know - roll your eyes you cynics, but I happen to think that is very cool!). Then a bit more dune bashing, full of back wheels losing traction, threatening to roll down seriously steep sand dunes type of fun...

The evening ended with a dinner in a Bedouin style camp, where we had a belly dancer, got to get Henna tattoos - yes I got a tattoo! It was hugely touristy - people were dressing in Bedouin style gear for photos, and holding onto Falcons and all of that sort of stuff... I counted 36 land cruisers rocking up at the camp for the evening - it was quite the tourist affair, but that wasn't a surprise, and disregarding that it was excellent. Would recommend to those coming through the region.

Anyway, I know no one is interested in the words, I've put up some photos.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1137413100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1137413100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1137413100/tpod.html Mon, 13 Feb 2006 01:07:02 -0500 Sadly, I must return to work... reality awaits me.

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I have now been in Dubai for a month, and all is going well. I am busy collecting examples that reflect the different culture, oh, and I've been doing a little work on the side.

Example 1 - Alcohol. I can buy alcohol at any of the big hotels and pubs etc... a beer is about 20-30AED, which is about AUD7.50-11. But I can't go and buy alcohol from shops (mind you there are only certain, expensive places you can buy alcohol off the shelf) as I don't have an alcohol licence - this costs about AUD100 (and you can only get if you have a residency permit, and submit various documents including your full employment contract details and a signed letter from your landlord permitting alcohol plus various other bits and pieces).

So, to combat this, people go to another Emirate (being sure to skirt the Emirate - Sharjah in between where no alcohol is allowed at all) and buy up big there, as its cheaper and you don't need a licence. So, last week my flatmate went, and she called me from the enormous bottle shop/megamart there so I could tell her what alcohol I want (really it was just four bottles of red wine, I promise Mum and Dad).

People at the office found out she was there and followed a frenzy of calls to her mobile ordering alcohol for her to pick up. It's like we are 16 and she is the only person with an over 18 ID so we're all getting her to buy our alcohol. It is just hilarious. Oh, and more on the licence. If police see that I've been drinking (which would only be if they met me walking on the street - as there is zero alcohol tolerance, and 2 month's jail time if you get caught drink driving, and then immediate deportation) they can ask where you've been drinking, and if it is somewhere were there is no licence (literally including an individual's licence and drinking in a private home) then the host can be fined some exorbitant amount.

That is all for now. Certainly contrasts to my $1 beers available on every street corner in Phnom Penh.

I've attached two photos too. They are the view on my walk home from the office. I took them standing in one place - it's literally the view to the left of the Emirates Towers, and then the view to the right, which is the other shot.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1138102860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1138102860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/back-to-work-06/1138102860/tpod.html Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:10:44 -0500 Sadly, I must return to work... reality awaits me.

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Goomboorian, Australia

I arrived home in mid-December to enjoy the festive season with friends and family. This year saw the graduation of a number of my friends from the University of Queensland medical faculty, a crazy, crazy evening of the GRM Christmas party, and lots of quality time with my family, including the newest addition to the Wilson family - little Isis Pearl.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1138099380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1138099380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1138099380/tpod.html Tue, 24 Jan 2006 06:28:58 -0500 Three months. A few dollars in my pocket. And a ticket that puts me in South America. What more could I ask for?

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Sao Paulo, Brazil

Nothing worse than a retrospective travelpod. But here it is anyway. Brasil is the champion of countries. I spent about three weeks in Brasil. Managing, without the least of difficulties, to wile away my time wandering around the Pantanals looking for strange animals - sadly my quest to discover a full sized anaconda was unsuccessful, checking out the masses of water spilling over the Iguazu falls, enjoying the waves and diving in Florianopolis, and then braving one of the largest cities in the world, Sao Paulo.

So as to not ruin my reputation further by pretending that I have a good memory of all of these times (I would, of course, fake it - except my travel journal is at home in Australia)- so, I will tell my stories by putting up some pictures to take you through my time there.

What is my motivation to put up a travel pod from two months ago? Well, Brazil has to feature on the travelpod in my lame attempt to increase my percentage of the world travelled to greater than 1%, and also as it will lead into some Christmas photos from Australia, and then some photos of some of the amazing sites around Dubai.

Sending love.
xx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1130164200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1130164200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alisonw/southamerica_05/1130164200/tpod.html Fri, 04 Nov 2005 10:49:38 -0500 Three months. A few dollars in my pocket. And a ticket that puts me in South America. What more could I ask for?

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Puno, Peru

The highest navigatable lake in the world. We took a one day train trip from Cusco to Puno, which is the town that sits on the Peruvian side of the Lake. Puno itself doesn't get much of a rap from the guide books as a town (nor from us), and seems to be only used as an access point to Lake Titicaca. We booked ourselves on a one day tour which took us to the floating reed islands, which are very impressive - they say they last about 20 to 25 years and then need to be rebuilt. It was funny feeling the islands rock in the wake of boats going by. Though these islands are traditional, now they seem to purely serve the purpose of a tourist attraction, with at least 8 boats doing the rounds with us in the morning, despite it being low season.

From here we headed out to Taquille Island, which is about 3hours from the shore of Puno, and is well into the Lake (the reed islands aren't really out in the lake proper). Taquille Island was a sweet little island, where we spent some time walking up to the center of the island, then had some lunch. The afternoon was spent getting back to Puno, with most of us having a nap on the way. We spent this night in Puno too, and then headed to Bolivia the next morning. As I mentioned in an earlier posting. The crossing into Bolivia is the easiest I've ever done. All of our gear stayed on the bus, and we wandered from the exit of Peru to the entry of Bolivia, where they gave us a stamp, and we were on our way. I kept waiting for something to be complicated about it. Was great, particularly given that the Aussie boys - Glen and Mike - had surfboard bags weighing about 20kg each with them - definitely a useful thing to bring to a landlocked country!

The bus trip took us all day, and gave us the best views of Lake Titicaca, at times it was more like we were driving along the coastline then against a river. It was really beautiful, with the background of mountains - the mountains through this region are so amazing, I don't think I can grow tired of the site.

We arrived in La Paz in the afternoon... ready for all the adventures that Bolivia has to offer!!
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