TravelStream™ news feed for member ann_ho on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/ann_ho en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:28:53 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150958760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150958760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150958760/tpod.html Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:28:53 -0400 Around the world- Asia, Australasia & North America

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Queenstown, New Zealand

after yesterdays extremely long email i'll try and keep this short and sweet. got up really early this morning at 645 to then be told that the white water rafting was cancelled due to bad weather, very annoying. after that there wasnt much else i could squeeze in before my big bungy at 2pm. spent the morning online, chatting to az and updating my cv and writing a covering letter for a junior designer poistion at home. fingers crossed as a job will definatley come in handy after all the cash i've spent these past few months. its all been worth it though and i'm having the time of my life!

got picked up by a bus and a group of us jumped on, sat back and enjoyed the ride over to the nevis bungy jump. it was about 45 minutes away but a really scenic drive with beautiful snow capped mountains surrounding us along the way. then a steep climb up to the top where the nevis base is. got kitted up with the harness then put into a cable car and pulled across to the base station floating over 134 metres above the ground, inbetween the mountains with a small river flowing through.

this one looked massive! its almost 3 times the height of the other two that i had done. seriously high and a long long way down to the bottom! watched a few go down and was pretty impressed by the length of the fall and how bloody high you jump from. couldnt wait to get out there and experience it for myself. really anxious to feel the rush and buzz of falling through the air, 8 secs of freefall apparently.

sat down in the chair next to the ledge and got my legs scrapped up with the bungy. then waddled over to the ledge, had a look down at the vast space below me. mountains, river and huge open space, stunning. another deep breath then a big leap out into the mountains, gosh i was soo high up! and the fall was amazing, i really had time to take it all in and apperciate the fall. i watched the river come towards me and felt the breeze on my face, its so cool just swinging through the air, it felt really liberating and gave me a real buzz. i felt quite relaxed and really enjoying the fall. i think im definately getting to use to the sensation, i need more!!!haha, compeltey love it!

thats all my extreme sports for a while now. going on a nice and relaxed sight seeing tour to the milford sound which is suppose to be one of the most beautiful spots in new zealand. i've loved every minute i've spent here, the people are amazing crazy and friendly, the scenery stunning and beautiful and the actitives i've done here are just crazy, beautiful, awesome, out of this world!!!! i love new zealand!!
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Queenstown, New Zealand

hey everyone!

i've just had the most amazing few days. starting off with the stunning sky dive, a glacier hike and then 2 bungy jumps! yes not one but two bungys and theres still another one to come tomorrow!

after the mad experience of sky diving i was really looking forward to my glacier walk. got up bright and early and went and got kitted up with waterproof trousers, boats, jacket, hat and gloves. then over to the glacier to begin our climb up. split into 4 groups of 10, 1 being the strongest bravest group and 4 the most timid. i went for 2 as i was pretty much up for anything but im no superman!

the glacier was just stunning. ive used that word so many times but i dont know how else to describe all the beautiful extraordinary things i've seen over the pass few months. a massive massive ice structure, i took over 250 photos, every turn something to look at and take a picture of. the climb up was pretty tough but there are big steps craved out by the guides and hand ropes which make it easier to move across the ice. also we had special spikes on our boots to help us grip on the ice. once we were near the top and pass the half way line we sat and had lunch on the ice. did the franz shuffle down to a blue ice crevice which was really cool. then came the hardcore stuff.

we joined up with another 2 groups and headed up to a brand new track to set a new high line, the highest point they had been this year. they took us along some crazy route! first big thing was an ice cave. we had to take off our bags and squeeze down a hole into a cave, then shuffle across a tight space, climbing back out the other side! so much fun!

after that it got even more off road including some abseiling and a swim through, well for some of us anyways! tried so hard to miss the massive puddle at my feet by shuffling across the crevice on my knees and elbows. made it about half way across when i slipped and fell straight down into the ice cold water down to my chest! was so bloody cold! and the worse thing was i couldnt pulled myself up out of the water and the ledge was too far for me to reach. the person in front of me had left so no hand to grab onto either. was feeling pretty stuck in an ice cold hold, not good at all! fortunately for me there was a pretty good hiker behind me and not only did he manage to get across the water without falling in, the first to do so, he had to climb above my head to the other side so he could grab my hand and pull me out of the water, my hero!

after i eventually got out of the water i was bloody soaked and freezing cold. feet felt numb and my body sore and aching from the struggle. then had to pull myself up a rope to climb up a steep down into a very tight crevice then back up another steep wall to get to the other side, bloody hardcore stuff. after that everything else seemed like a piece of cake! we had reach our hard point and it was all down hill from there. we had to run back to camp though as all the exploring had made us really late and the sun was going down. made it back to dry land and through the forest just as the last rays disappeared but still around 1 and half hours late.

so we definately got our money worth, and we all agreed that it was just awesome! the weather was almost ideal, clear bright day. beautiful place to hike and really cool guides to take us through it. so glad that they pushed our limits and took us exploring with them. made the experience extra special, unqiuely ours and gave us something to be proud of. bloody brilliant day.

got up early for the england match, my first world cup match so far, not the best game but at least we came top of the group. packed up the bus and made our way over to queenstown,the adventure capital of the world. dropped off half the bus at wanaka, a laid back version of queenstown. sad to see them go, we've had such a good time on the bus. on the way into queenstown we made a stop off at the bridge 43m bungy jump, the original bungee. quite a few of us we doing the bungy including our bus driver, Nemo's dad Pat! both of them are so cool and have really made my experience of new zealand a million times more enjoyable, crazy people!!

so decided to go for it and do the thrillogy, which consists of 3 major bungy jumps in queenstown. had planned to do the big one, the nevis which cost 199 alone, however for an extra 100 i could do all 3 so decided, what the hell, i'll just do all 3 and im so glad i did, cos i love it! crazy old me, i didnt feel scared at all, just really really excited at the prospect of diving off a bridge!! i've also thought diving looked so cool and so much fun that it just had to be the ultimate thrill.

put on my harness and had my legs strapped up and the bungee rope attached. then shuffled out onto the ledge of the bridge with the moutains around me and the river below, gave a big wave to the camera and the bus crew. then waited for the countdown, put my arms above my head, reached out into the sky and leant forward into the open air, i was bloody bungying!!! woooo hoooo!!!! the force of the air was so strong as i raced down towards the water, a huge buzz rushed through me as i whopped and cheared outloud then before i knew it the water hit me in the face and i went waist deep into the river!!! crazy stuff, bloody brillant, such a rush, had to do it again, couldnt wait! seriously good fun! completely soaked from the waist up and bloody freezing cold but so worth it, madness.

after the buzz of the first one i was really looking forward to my next one, the ledge 47m bungy which i had booked for 630 this evening. i was particularly excited about doing the bungy in the dark as i never realised that you could do it, plus it makes it all the more exciting and fun. also this one is a run and jump, so even cooler still. went along with chase, who seems to be my extreme sport buddy at the moment. took a cable car up to the mountain where the ledge looks over queenstown.

this time the harness was strapped to the upper body, under the legs and around the torso. walked out to the edge, gave a wave to the camera, stepped back a few steps then a deep breath, one last look out to the darkness, then a big run and leap out into the night sky, wooo hoooo!!! this one was pretty crazy, jumping into the darkness and not having an ideal where the ground is. its all a blur to me, particularily as ive no contact lenses at the moment and had to leave my glasses behind. the pictures were pretty cool, with the night sky and lights of queenstown below, so brought these ones, cant wait to show everyone them, they are pretty cool even if i do say so myself, haha!

ahhhh, so 1 skydive, a glacier walk and 2 bungy jumps later, im pretty tired and sore but also buzzing off all the adreniline. but its still not enough for me and i cant wait to do more. another crazy day ahead of me tomorrow, got white water rafting booked for the morning which inclues a helicopter ride up to the grade 4 rafting site. will be bloody freezing but really good fun, cant wait. then the big one, the nevis bungy jump at 134m, one of the highest in the world, cant wait! its going to be sooo cool, wooo hooo!!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150325040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150325040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1150325040/tpod.html Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:35:46 -0400 Around the world- Asia, Australasia & North America

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Nelson, New Zealand

in nelson at the moment on the south island. really nice place, surrounded by mountains and some beautiful beaches on the other side. its a small town full of really nice houses and friendly people. the hostel im staying in is really nice, a huge house converted so its really cosy and its feels like being part of a big family. its really nice here and i spent the whole night on a comfy sofa watching tv, felt like i was at home!

spent the day wondering around town and thinking how beautiful it was. its so stunning wondering pass mountains and a clear blue sky, eventhough its freezing as well. im so lucky az brought out a winter jacket and some warm clothes for me, i really need it here. its only going to get colder the further south i go as well. they are having snow storms at the moment so going to have to wrap up extra warm then! do some serious layering, maybe even just wear everything i have at once!

dont have much time to update and only 2 weeks to explore the whole of new zeland so im in a manic rush right now! booked onto a stray backpackers bus tomorrow and going to let them organise the rest of the trip for me! hoping to do some nature walks, glacier walks, learn to ski or snowboard and some sky diving and/or bungee! will keep you all updated as i go along!
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New York, United States

hey guys,

ahhh i love new york! its such a cool place and theres definatly something about this place that makes it quite amazing. maybe its because im a city girl that makes me love it here so much, its crazy like london but with a different style, more art deco and glamourous. i would love to go on right now and tell you all the great things about new york that i've seen in the last 2 days but unfortunately im having an airport crisis at the moment.

silly me thought i was being clever by jumping into mandeeps cab to the airport so i could drop off my backpack and get the subway back. unfortunately when i arrived at the airport i was told i was at the wrong one! stupid me never checked! so i had 4 hours sleep and got up early for nothing. so then i hang around for a while thinking about how to get to jfk. the next shuttle wasnt for another hour so decided to get a taxi which cost me 30 dollar. when i got to jfk i was then rudely informed that the luggage storage was closed, indefinalty due to security reasons! ahhhhh!!! so now i'm stuck at the airport and i dont know what to do???!!! lug my backpack back into the city and through rush hour back to the airport for my flight this evening, or hang around the airport for 8 hours and save money!

then i look on the departures board and find out that the earlier virgin flight to london leaving today was cancelled!!!! ah man i'm so scared my flight will be cancelled as well. so far the website doesnt report any problems but theres every chance that i'll be stuck here until all the commotion dies down.

i'm just about to get on the phone and try talk to someone about the flight later. theres no virgin representatives in the airport until 2pm! what a morning! and i dont even think its 9am yet!

other then the choas this morning new york is a fabulous city. im definately coming back to do it properly xxx

....its a week later now and im back in London. its time to fill in this entry properly. the airport crisis worked out ok in the end. i decided to stay at the aiport and wrote some postcards, ate some food and brought some last minute souveniers. other then an extra security check at the gates before boarding my flight run very smoothly and was only delayed by 45minutes which is pretty excellent considering the circumstances.

so arrived in NY late at night on the 8th. met a very nice lady who was sat next to mandeep and i on the plane who gave us some tips on good places to visit. then in the queue for a taxi we met another friendly new yorker who we ended up sharing a cab with as we were heading in the same direction. we chatted all the way over to the hotel and she gave us really good advice on things to do. new yorkers are exceptional friendly, im very pleasantly surprised. i thought that people would be too busy to help, like in london, but we had many people who stopped as they walked pass to offer us assistance, how nice of them.

chosing a hotel in NY was pretty difficult as its a big city and i hadnt done any research as usual. also hotels are so expensive, starting from around $260 for a 3 star hotel. in the end i decided to opt for a room with a shared bathroom but very good rating on trip advisor, in the top 100, despite it costing only $95 a night. im very happy to say that it paid off and the hotel was really nice and extremely good value for NY. the location is pretty good as well, centrally located for good access to the empire state building and shopping. the subway station is close by as well which takes you anywhere you like.

picked up a few free guides at the airport and hotel lobby to read through and plan what to do over the next 2 days. made a long list of things to do and see then tried to work out what order and when do it. theres so much that i wanted to do and im sad to say i didnt make it even half way down the list.

decided to hit the major sites on day 1 and leave day 2 for things we didnt have time for or couldnt find and shopping, mandeeps favourite pass time and main reason for going to NY! woke up to day 1 and it was a beautiful clear day. got ready and went out for a walk while mandeep got ready to check out the local area and get a feel for the city. it felt like home! the hustle and bustle, people making their way to work. people with newspapers and coffee. it was so nice just wondering around and checking out the landscape. the old printed logos and metal staircases on the side of the builidngs. the bagel shops and a road full of korean and japanese restaurants and stores. reminded me of what i love about london and city life.

met up with mandeep and had breakfast in a cafe nearby. had a bagel with cream cheese and a green tea, very nice NY breakfast. as it was such a sunny clear day we decided to hear to the empire state building to check out an aerial view of NY. however it seems that every tourist in NY had the same idea and the queue was massive! we joined up nevertheless and got through security before joining another queue for our tickets. whilst in this queue i suddenly remember that my cousin Vivian in Seattle had advised me to go at night as the queues are shorter and there are stunning views too. decided to take her advice and save our tickets for the night view.

we then headed up to the tourist information centre at times square. it was so hectic in times square, like oxford circus, people absolutely everywhere. wanted to try and get cheap tickets for a broadway show but the queue for the half price ticket booth was massive so we decided to come back tomorrow. i forgot how many queues there are in big cities! after a morning of plans disrupted we decided to head right to the bottom of manhatten and jump on the free ferry to staten island.
- got lost looking for shops near 14th street
- got back on the subway, got confused, back off the subway to find century 21 department store, got off too early ended up walking another 10 blocks, ended up where we had started
- went to ground zero
- had dinner nearby, japanese
- went to empire state building for night views

day 2
- went to tourism centre again
- had a tour of the radio music hall which was an amazing art deco building
- had lunch at a street stall, chicken with spicy rice, very nice
- went shopping, tiffanys, abercrobie and fitch etc
- went central park, got soaked in the rain
- went to union square for american eagle and forever 21
- back on the subway to hotel, dropped off shoppping
- went to korea area for dinner
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1154883780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1154883780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/ann_ho/rtw2006/1154883780/tpod.html Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:26:00 -0400 Around the world- Asia, Australasia & North America

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Ottawa, Canada

had a really nice day wondering around Ottawa. reminds me very much of central London and all the grand buildings there. got there just after noon and made our way over to parliment to get our tickets for a free tour of the buildings. they had run out of tours of the main builidng so we had to make do with a historical tour of the eastern block instead.

it was international buskers day over at the main shopping street so we wondered over to enjoy the free entertainment and atmosphere. then had lunch over at the shopping mall. then did some window shopping before it was time to make our way back to parliment for out tour.

we were shown around 4 different offices of important people in past canadian history. the first prime minster and his collegues. a very pleasant tour, informative and interesting, pretty good espeically as its free! afterwards we wondered around taking pictures of the sites and checked out the outdoor market nearby which unfortunatley was closing by the time we got there.

after quite a chilled day sight seeing we poppped back into the car and made our way back to brockville for pizza.

its mandeep's birthday today, Happy birthday Mandeep! we're relaxing at home and having a birthday dinner and cake a bit later on. then we'll be resting before we make our way to niagara falls over night.

i'll be home in a week! i cant belive its time to go home. looking forward to seeing you and all and catching up with everyone. fill you in soonxxx
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Toronto, Canada

forgot to add an entry for toronto as it was so manic where i was there. will update the blog later heres so photos in the mean time x
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London, United Kingdom

hey everybody!

just a quick note to say i'm home! came back a few days ago now. spent the weekend with az in central london, then came home to my family yesterday. its been crazy in the house, as usual, nothings changed there. i almost forgot how loud everyone is! just been catching up with family so fair so forgive me if i havent gotten around to contacting you. i'm trawling through all my junk at home. after travelling for 6 months with the bare essentials it feels like i have so much clutter!

my internet isnt working properly at home so i'll be a bit slow replying to emails and chatting to people on msn. my room is still in a mess so after i'm at peace with that i'll get in touch with you all and find out what i've missed!

i've had an amazing trip and theres still so much i need to update on this blog. i'm free for a while yet, still have to find a job. i've decided to relax for at least a week or so before i get on the job hunt properly. gives me time to catch up with everyone, sort out things at home, work through my massive pile of cds with all my photos and also fill in the gaps of my blog before its all a distance memory!

catch up with you all soon, take care xxxx
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Niagara Falls, Canada

just a quick photoupdate of the sunrise at niagara falls. at jane's house at the moment just waiting for her and brian to come back so we can check out the city. update again soon xxxb
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Magnetic Island, Australia

wooo hoo! finally up to date eventhough im sure ive forgotten to mention a million things. in magnetic island at the moment on my lonesome. az is on his way home to london and helina is coming up the coast behind me, will be meeting up again in a week or so though.

got the greyhound to townsville from airlie beach yesterday. thought it was pretty comfortable and not too long either, the 5 hours went pretty fast. watched a very cheesy moive which made the time pass. jumped on a ferry to magnetic island, staying at base backpackers on the beach. having an excellent time so far, feels like we're in the middle of nowhere. arrived when it was dark and were greeted by a friendly crowd in my dorm. went to the bar and had some food and drinks, put loads of pegs over my roommates face, 32 in total, good job, but still lost out to the other team who had 39, oh well, just glad the pegs werent on me!

diving is the real reason im here though. got a really good deal on an open water course, 299 au dollars including 4 nights accomodation, although i did pay 20 dollars for un upgrade from a tent to a dorm. had my first lessons this afternoon in the pool. watched a couple of videos and then to the pool for my first taste of breathing underwater. pretty weird feeling, not very natural, still getting use to it. i love swimming and can happy stay under the water for an hour or so but just floating underwater and breathing through a tube felt akward. still got another day in the pool tomorrow to get use to it and practice some more skills then out into the open water for another 4 dives then i'll be a fully quailified open water diver, woo hooo! seems quite far away at the moment but i'll have to learn quick and get confident pretty soon cos ive booked myself in for an overnight dive cruise where i've got another 6 dives to look forward to! thats 12 dives in under a week! ive been putting it off for so long and now i've started i cant seem to stop! should be absolutely amazing though, the weathers pretty nice up here now and im at the great barrier reef so its doesnt get much more amazing then this, cant wait!

times almost up here so going to sign off now but i'll be back with more updates on my diving adventures!!! hope everyones cool at home, special mention to all those that got married and engaged over the weekend, 2 weddings and an engagement on sunday and i missed them all! congratulations, serena and lok, rekha and vipual and viks too!! so gutted i couldnt be there to celebrate with you all xxx
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Montreal/ Quebec City, Canada

hey

im now officially into my canada trip. spent the first two days here on the road. got picked up from the airport by mandeep and her friend crystalle. it seemed our road trip had already began and we went back to the hotel nearby for some rest. the next morning we got up bright and early to go and explore montreal.

im feeling quite tired now to the point i cant fully remember what i did in montreal! so this will have to be one of those very brief updates were i fill in the details at a later date.

so after montreal we drove over to trois riveier which is close by quebec city for our night cap. then woke up early again the next day to explore quebec city which was extremely quaint and picturisque, particularily the old quebec city.

montreal and quebec city feels much more like the UK. more trees and old buildings. my cousins were right, the west coast of canada and us does feel more british.

im in brockenville at the moment which is in ontario, the same state as toronto. im here for a few nights staying with crystalle and her family. we're off to ottawa tomorrow for a day trip and to explore the city. sunday is mandeep's birthday so we're going to have a dinner party then some power sleep before we do a overnight drive to niagara falls and then stopover in toronto for a night. our tour of canada concludes there where mandeep and i will catch a flight over to new york to do more sight seeing, some last minute shopping and then head back to blighty.

fill you in later xxx
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