TravelStream™ news feed for member amber on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/amber en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:44:32 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1229025960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1229025960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1229025960/tpod.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:44:32 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Antigua Guatemala, Western Highlands, Guatemala

So I´m finally in Antigua, and things couldnt be better. Despite the fact that my flight over here was delayed, I arrive in Guate to a stunning clear beatuiful day. A quick bus ride west dropped me in La Antigua, where I have spent the last few days and will be until Dotti arrives.I somehow managed to find the exact hostel I stayed at last time, and not surprisingly it felt and looked like it hadn´t changed a bit. I really like that fact that I am a traveller again, especially in a country so beautiful and close to my heart. Even from the beginning, my spanish has held up quite well and I even surpised myself some of the conversations I was able to have with other travellers and people I have met. Since, I have moved into the home of a lovely guatemalan lady named Silvia. Not only is she the most fabulous cook, sitting down at meals with her is another spanish lesson in itself. She´s fantastic to practise new verbs with, and her little dog Terry is just adorable!Managed to enrol myself in private spanish classes for the next week or so, and so far it has been challenging but good. The early morning starts... not so good! For four hours a day, my lovely teacher Sabrina bombards me with espanol, espanol and more espanol. Luckily conversations are beginning to feel a little more fluent, although alot of the time, grammatically not so perfect. Afternoons are spent having private Salsa lessons. My teacher Mike, happens to be the brother of the lady who taught Samson salsa when he was living in Antigua (Carmen). So far I am two lessons in (with another today, and everyday for the next week or so), but already he has taught me so much more! My movement is alot tighter now though I am having trouble keeping up with the sexy ´styling´ element of salsa. Apparently its a responsibility of the female to play the sexy and flirtatious role, and the guy to lead and show off. But from my perspective, how can I compete with the guate chicas!!! My teacher however isnt impressed by my inability to salsa flirtatiously, constantly telling me ´mas sexy Amber, mas, mas!!!´Nights are spent frequenting the many of bars and discotecs in Antigua, and putting into practice all that I had learnt that day (dancing salsa, not spanish!!!). Really cant complain about a thing at the moment.... bliss.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228690140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228690140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228690140/tpod.html Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:24:37 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

About to fly out to Guatemala and though it would be appropriate to post the 'farewell entry' that I wrote almost 2.5 years ago prior to leaving South America. I recall boarding that plane from Quito to Madrid thinking that a piece of me, a piece of me that came alive though being in latin america would disappear and not return until I did. Whilst I'm anxious about the unknown, I am so grateful for this opportunity to go back and experience that feeling all over again.I really can't wait.====<i>Entry taken from my last travel blog "The backpacker princess takes on the world".http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/amber/rtw05/tpod.html==== My last day in Latin Americaand I´m beginning to feel a little sad. In the last 6 months, we havegrown an attachment to everything about this continent, whether it isthe vast unique environments, the friendly people or even the fact thateverything is always on South American time. From glacier to desert, tobeach and jungle we have covered nearly every corner of this continentand have taken memories with us that lie deeper than our experiencesthemselves.Thethings that drive us crazy are definetly going to be missed. Thoseterrible long bus journeys, the standard diet of beans, rice andpotatoes, the fact that nothing is ever on time. But for the things welove, leaving them all behind will be hard. The 24hr music that isconstantly blasting from radios whether it be rumba, samba, salsa,meringue, tango, reggaeton or cumbia that you just hate to loveespecially when you are trying to get to bed. The friendliness of thepeople and how they just love us since we are different (Chinese). Andthen there are those moments that are just too memorable to forget. Ourgo at hitching from Rio Gallegos to El Calafate in Argentina with Alixand Humbert, which resulted in somehow all of us hitching together inthe back if a pickup whilst Samson and Humbert played chess in the backof the pickup, all of us freezing our bottoms off; Salsa-ing the nightaway nightly in crazy Cuba; Watching the most picturesque sunset overthe ruins of Tikal, Guatemala with howler monkeys going absolutely nutsin the jungle below; The pre-carnival celebrations in Rio where everyday was a party, followed by the incredible Rolling Stones concert andtopped off by a weeks party in Salvador with George, Leo and theapartment gang for an unforgettable Carnival; The Galapagos Islands-without a doubt the number one highlight of Latin America and the verybest way we could have bid farewell to this stunning continent. Willwe come back? Most definitely, Latin America is a toxicating drug thatinstills a deep inexpressible love that will keep bringing me back overand over. But for now, there are new continents to explore, newcultures to discover and definetly better food to eat!Adios, Chao, Suerte xoxo ... <i>====
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228528200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228528200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228528200/tpod.html Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:36:28 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Disclosure: This entry is a pure rant of winter shoe fashion that I just cannot stand. Unless you are female, or interested in reading something bitchy, you may not be interested!One thing that is driving me mad is that for some unexplainable reason, Ugg boots (UGG Australia) have a profile so high in the US, that they occupy property right beside <i>Christian Louboutin's here in department stores. Ok so yes they are warm for your feet - I dont deny this I have a pair that I happily wear at home. What disgusts me the most is that Ugg boots are considered, well 'fashion'. Ladies of all ages are trampling all over town carrying the most gorgeous handbag, accessorized by the UGG-liest of feet warmers (I wont call them shoes). As far as I'm concerned, ugg boots belong at home; or for walking down to the local shops when you know you arent going to be spotted by anyone you know.My worst encounter was seeing a beautifully dressed woman, dressed up for the theatre complete with glamorous wrap and mink hat - wearing no other but white UGG boots under her black pants. Even worse is when designers start developing their own 'label' UGG boot. Don't get me started on the Monogram <i>Coach boots (and I though the monogram handbags were UGGly enough!)My second hate. So we all thought that Crocs were the worst thing ever developed? It gets worse - here you can purchase fleece/wool lined Crocs - perfect for keeping your feet warm. SO WRONG. Who in their right mind would wear these? Not only are they made of the same fugly plastic crap, they still have the holes (defying the purpose of the warm lining dont you think?) and are still backless.Ok. That's all I had to vent about.xo
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228702080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228702080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228702080/tpod.html Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:32:41 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Given Indy's proximity to Chicago, there was no way that I was skipping the chance to visit Chicago, aka Obama/Opera land. Had I been warned that the town was experiencing an 'ice chill' during the time I planned to visit I may have changed my mind, as walking around in -8 degree C weather isnt exactly what I was prepared for. The locals dont lie when they call Chicago the windy city either. Icy chilly wind, below freezing temperatures and relentless snow - how do people possibly survive?Regardless, Chicago is a really charming city. I love love love the loop trains (I kept racking my brain for movies and TV shows which highlight the Chicago above ground trains), and a visit to Millenium Park, the site of Obama's acceptance speech, was just inspirational. I also managed to catch <i>Jersey Boy's the musical whilst in town which was really fantastic. It was a show that I wanted to see on Broadway in NY, but with such high demand - it was impossible to get tickets. As with all broadway show across America this month, Jersey Boys was raising money for <i>Broadway Cares. That night, they auctioned off a musical score, signed by none other than Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio for $1200. Pretty decent I thought as most other auctioned items we witnessed raised about $300-$600 a piece.Heading off to Guatemala in a few days and I'm getting really excited as the real travel is about to begin, better brush up on my espanol!xo[photos to come]
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228148700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228148700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1228148700/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:49:46 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

My first thanksgiving in the US and of course I was responsible for the cooking. Not having ever cooked a 7lb turkey before, I threw in in the oven hoping for the best... - my only thought was that at least my roast vege would turn out ok if all all failed! Luckily it didnt fail, and the US Gee family celebrated turkey day in an apartment full of 360 unpacked boxes. (Mum and Dad had moved into their new place the day prior to flying to NYC).So only now have I realised why mother was so willing to give me a fantastic exchange rate to the AUD for all of my shopping. Walking through the front door and at first glace at all the boxes, I then realised that the exchange rate which helped me buy mountains of shoes, clothes and handbags was just a sweetener for that horror that was to come! So I forgoed famous 'Black Friday' sales for a greater cause - making the apartment livable. For project Massachusetts Ave, I donned the role of 'artistic director'; assigning where to place the mountains of trinkets, artwork and furniture, dad 'nailer' and mum, 'fuss-er'. It humoured me each time Dad tried to reinforce a 'minimalist' philosopy for all of the decorating that he was responsible for, as anyone who has ever vistied a Gee home knows very well that the apartment is far from that. The amount of antiques, art and, well junk that has accumulated over the past 10 years is phenominal.After days of sweat, tears, 360 boxes and many many paper cuts, I can proudly saythat the Indy home, is finally - well looking like a home. Fortunately Indy isnt as freezing as NYC, however it has begun to snow the last two days, which makes walking around very uncomfortable. I am enjoying that the fact that in the mid-west - we drive everywhere, so the most cold I feel is jumping in and out of cars...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1227371760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1227371760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1227371760/tpod.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:09:21 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

New York City, New York, United States

So heres the NYC rundown covering the three things I love about the most about NYC - food, shopping and theatre/museums.1. FoodOh boy did we eat up NYC! With parents in tow I dragged them uptown and down walking hours through the freezing streets to fill my belly with as much possible...After much debate here are NYC's finest... Best Pastrami Sandwich: Katz Deli - no other deli (even 2nd avenue deli) even compared to Katz for their Pastrami on rye. I'm convinced its the hand cutting and the fact that the pastrami is steaming hot as it's cut in front of you. Best Bakery: A tougher choice as we stuffed ourselves with pastries and bread almost daily from Rocco's to Magnolia to Cupcake Bakery... but the clear winner - Bouchon Bakery (of 'Per Se' fame). The warm wagyu bagette with truffled creme fraiche I had was just divine... the bread - <i>incredible Best Farmers Market: As I wasnt lucky enough to experience NYC in the summer, I didnt have much to compare against, but Union Sq farmers market was just amazing. Looking at the prices of the produce however, I can understand why no one in NY even bothers to cook at home.Best speciality food Store: With Dean &amp; Deluca's on almost every corner its really hard to look beyond them, but in the west village lives Murray's Cheese, a fabulous purveyor of the finest cheeses, meats and other goodies. :) yum!Best ny street vendor: Hands down the Gyros stand on 53rd and 6th. It may have been the fact that it was -3 deg, but the huge serving of $5 hot Chicken and rice pilaf doused with yoghurt disappeared in a flash!Best asian: We hit up korea-town, china-town and other dodgy towns housing asian food; but the winner goes to the tofu man in Chinatown whose hole-in-the-wall dishes out the most gorgeous hot tofu sweet desssert for a mere 90cents. &nbsp;Best meal: WD50. Wylie Dufrense didnt disappoint with his take on molecular gastronmic madness. His playfullness with textures, flavours and themes kept us entertained all night; and brought to my pallet some of the most extrodinary experiences I have ever had. My Favourite dish - Lightly poached scallops, under a skin of tendons, hazlenut nut oil and crispy endive and tendons. Doesnt sound appetising? - I thought so too until it landed in front of me - it was love at first taste...2. ShoppingI must be the only person in the US who is thrilled at the thought that retail is hurting because of the recession. For a designer shoe hoare like me, that simply triggers the alarm bells of "SALE" in my ears...MJ Madness My first day in west village I walked past Marc by Marc Jacobs who just had a "75% off shoes" sign in the window. Literally 15 minutes later I walked out the door with two pairs in tow- very proud that I had controlled myself. Only then 2 blocks down the rd we discovered a Marc Jacobs warehouse sale - OMG. After a long wait just to get in, I quickly lost that self control and walked out a few bags heavier...10022 Shoe @ Saks - Shoe Heaven Not only was this emporium of shoes the most fantastic decadant array of everything designer (I have never been face to face with so many pairs of chanel and louboutins in my life!!!), it just happened to be - yes wait for it girls - on sale. So high in demand it took about 45 minutes in line just to get into the store - literally torture when women were buying shoes by the truckload. (Please dont be a 38.5 was all I was thinking!!) A few hours, a pair of MiuMiu boots, Gucci Pumps and Miu Miu pumps, and befrending a wonderful 'shoe-finding' sales clerk later, I walked out very very very satisfied with my purchases.Woodbury Common We visited this factory outlet heaven having heard how fantastic it was. The outlet is a good hour out of the city, so we were a little skeptical at first; however upon glancing at the store listings we quickly changed out mind. The haul includes: Ferrogamo bow heels, Ferrogamo peep toes, Tods leather media bag in red, Coach leather grey handbag, a few pairs of jeans and a jacket or two...3. TheatreOnly managed to see two shows whilst in NYC, but better than nothing I suppose. <i>Wicked was surprisingly really good - loved the music and the theatricals; but the clear highlight was the backstage tour we were shown. Since moving to the states, mum has somehow befriended the executive producer of the original broadway show, and she happily took us behind the scenes where we took a close look at the set and costumes. I was simply blown away by the materials and intricacy of the costumes An incredibly unique experience. <i>Hairspray was as fantastically cheesy broadway as I expected, and an unexpected surpise was that Tevin Campbell was playing Seaweed!Visited the MET and seriously remembered why I love being in cities with real museums again. Literally ran to see the Degas' before I looked at the remaining collections. Only other museum that we hit up was the MOMA; though as a non-understander of modern art I cant say I loved it as much as the MET. There was a fantastic Van Gogh exibition at the time which made it worth the while however.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1226667480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1226667480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/2/1226667480/tpod.html Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:10:46 -0500 The flashpacker - take three. Blogging the tales of Amber as she takes on the world for the third (and hopefully final) time...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

A few days to go and the memory of past trips is getting me seriously excited. This time round, things should be a little different. I'm a little older, a little less trusting and a little smarter; but very, very excited to be flying solo again. <i>what I really will miss...- My Mulberry Emmy- Hot showers (and full sized towels)- Washing Machines- My shoes!- Being in control of my fate!<i>most looking forward to:- Sleeping in my silk sleeper again (I know, I am the only one)- Shopping in NYC con los padres- Rum, Cigars, Salsa Rueda (and cheap cheap langosta) en Cuba- Guate, Guate, Guate (Oh Antigua!)- La musica of latin america - Salsa, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Son, Axe...xoxo
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149604800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149604800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149604800/tpod.html Wed, 07 Jun 2006 10:53:48 -0400 The backpacker (sloth) princess takes on the world...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

ChefChouen, Morocco

With all the be careful hype surrounding today, I would like to report that nothing out of the ordinary happened in little old Morocco.Today we found ourselves on another crazy Moroccan bus zooming through stinking hot towns until we arrived at Chefchoun, a beuatiful relaxing blue washed town set in the hills far away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh.For the first time in Morocco we were surprised to not be greeted into town by a zillion and one touts eagar to show you to their hotel. Instead it was all hellos and smiles as we wandered the stunning blue white town through mazes of cobblestone streets until we found the perfect budget hotel.Cheufchoeun is a really nice place to relax and has been adopted by hoards of spanish and french that have set up home here alongside the many backpackers that pass by attracted to the town because of the huge plantations of hashish in the surrounds.I cant say that we have done much here except chill out, eat some good cheap baths, and sam visited the hammans or bath houses this morning for a scrub.We have decided that its probably time to leave morocco if we want to spend anytime in southern spain since our egypt flight is drawing near....So mayber tomorrow, maybe the next day. It just really depends if we can motivate ourselves to move outta here or not...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149530820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149530820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149530820/tpod.html Mon, 05 Jun 2006 14:20:22 -0400 The backpacker (sloth) princess takes on the world...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Meknes, Morocco

A short train trip away we arrived in dusty and steaming hot Meknes with hopes to spend at least two days here doing nothing.After getting into a screaming fight with a taxi driver (long story, but we won in the end) we landed in the medina (old town). Hungry and traumatised, we stumbled across a gem of a restaurant, basically a husband and wife team, cooking up a storm in their beautiful home, with food to match. Perfect. We spent the most of the rest of the afternoon lounging around on the couches, sipping mint tea and almost falling asleep. Bliss.The following day we decided to be brave and visit the nearby roman ruins. Too poor to rent a taxi to the ruins, we opted instead on public transportation and to our delight, a quick two shared taxis later (one was a pickup truck but who is counting), we arrived outside the ruins having saved at least half in transportation costs. YAY. The ruins themselves were more beautiful for the intact preserved mosaics that are all over the place rather than the typical roman columns. We would have prefered to leisurely wander around the site taking in grandness of it all, though it was scorchingly hot and honestly predominantly admired the large ruins fom behind as it shielded us from the sun.Our initial plan to stay here for a few days might be changed since we have decided to male a short detour to chafcheoun (i think thats how its spelt!), since we have heard many things about its cooler weather and chilled out atmosphere; only tomorrow will tell i guess
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149366540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149366540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amber/rtw05/1149366540/tpod.html Sun, 04 Jun 2006 16:40:04 -0400 The backpacker (sloth) princess takes on the world...

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Fez, Morocco

After a painful overnight bus journey where neither of us managed to sleep, we arrived at Fez at 5 in the morning not at all ready for the touts that we thought would be awaiting us. Luckily we realised that the touts need to sleep at some time to, and somehow we managed to walk into Fez's crazy medina without a tout in sight, having friendly locals happy to show us the way without putting their hand out for a tip.A few hours sleep later, we woke and found ourselves in a completely differnt city. Shops were buzzing and touts and shopkeepers were crazily running around us keen to show off their japanese in an attempt to lure us in. All this Japanese has led Samson to actually believe that he is Japanese since hes started replying back in Japanese and dressing the part. However despite my complaints I much rather this 'Japanese Sam' over 'Bruce Lee Sam' which he convinced himself of in South America since everyone shouted it out everytime walked by.Whilst in Fez we realised we were there for the Fez Sacred world Music festival which we never figured out what is was since there was never any music and just people talking.Hours were spent getting lost in the winding souks, drinking litres and litres of orange juice, and trying the speciality of Fez; pastille, which tunred out to be a beautiful flaky layerd pastry filled with chicken, all topped off with cinnamon and icing sugar. It was almost as if we were eating mains and dessert at once; strange to say the least.
]]>