TravelStream™ news feed for member duncanm on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/duncanm en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:53:24 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/duncanm/world_trip-2007/1212440400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/duncanm/world_trip-2007/1212440400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/duncanm/world_trip-2007/1212440400/tpod.html Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:53:24 -0400 Travelling the World - The Adventure begins!

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Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

2nd June 2008
Well I am back in Edinburgh after a marvellous round the world trip. The memories and experiences that I have encountered along the way will last with me forever.
I genuinely recommend to anyone out there who as a passion for travelling to grab the bull by the horns and experience for themselves the joys of our planet.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Key West, Florida, United States

28th to 31st May 2008
Today I left Miami for the drive along highway 1 to Key West . It was a fantastic journey driving over the bridges linking each "key". I didn't have accommodation booked in Key West but I managed to get a great deal at the Almond Tree Inn, only a short walk from Duval Street and the centre of town.
Key West is absolutely fantastic. It is a great place to relax and have a good, fun time. Plenty of bars around, had a few good nights in Sloppy Joes Bar with good entertainment and great restaurants as well. The sunsets are out of this world with various street entertainment along the esplanade.
I visited Ernest Hemingway's house and the most southern point in continental USA, only 90 miles from Cuba. The rest of my time, I just was relaxing by the hotel pool - bliss! before I headed back to the UK.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Miami, Florida, United States

25th to 27th May 2008
Well, I am on my way home, but first I have stopped off in Florida for a week full of fun and relaxation. I arrived into Miami from Quito on Sun, 25th May. I decided to splash the cash and hire a convertible car for the week then I was on my way to Ocean Drive in Miami. It took me 4 hours to get to the hotel, about 2 hours stop-start along Ocean Drive until I reached my hotel but surprise, surprise there was no place to park, so I had to go round the corner and park in a multi-storey car park and carry my backpack through the hoards of people walking up and down Ocean Drive.
The next couple of days, I just had a relaxing time on the beach or walking up and down Ocean Drive taking in the strange but true sights of Miami! - dogs on skateboards and with sunglasses!.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Quito, Ecuador

22nd to 24th May 2008
On Thurs, 22nd I got the early bus from Banos to Quito, passing through Ambato and Latacunga along the way. Arrived in Quito around 1pm. I managed to get a taxi to the hostel.
On Fri, 23rd, I went on a free, 2 hour city tour arranged through the hostel. We first visited the Basilica Del Voto Nacional which stands on a hill in the Old Town with. Climbing the towers gives you great views of the city. We then went to Plaza Grande which is in the centre of the Old Town. When we arrived there was a ceremony going on at the Presidential palace with guards of honour and bands, we even saw the President of Ecuador. We then went to Plaza San Francisco where the Monastery and Church San Francisco is. It is the city's largest structure and oldest church, built from 1534 to 1604. I then visited La Compania de Jesus church which the inside is adorned by gold and outside doors.
On Sat, 24th, I took the Metrobus to the Mitad Del Mundo (Spanish for the Middle of the Earth) or the Equator line. It was great fun jumping from one hemisphere to the other. Actually the "real" equator line is about 200m along the road at the Museo Solar Inti Nan. This has been calculated by GPS to be the real 0 deg latitude (The Equator) and they show you a number of experiments that can only be performed at the equator.
That's about it for now.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Banos, Ecuador

18th to 21st May 2008
An early rise on Sun, 18th so that I could get a ticket for the train ride down the famous Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) track. The train left around 8pm and I travelled on the roof of the train down the side of the hills. When we arrived at the bottom of the track, we swapped places with the people who were inside and then travelled back up to Alausi. I then caught a bus to Riobamba but 15 minutes into the journey and the bus broke down. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for a replacement bus. Arrived in Riobamba and got a taxi to the Oriente bus station for another bus to Banos. Arrived in Banos around 3pm.
The next few days I spent in Banos with doing hikes and walks around town. Watched the CL final on Wednesday, 21st. It was quite a good match. Managed to buy a bus ticket to Quito for tomorrow.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Alausi, Ecuador

17th May 2008
Today I caught the bus from Cuenca for the journey to Alausi. It only took around 4 hours and arrived into Alausi at around 1pm but the bus didn't stop in Alausi, so I had to alert the driver to stop. Before I knew we were pulling out of the town and I had to hurriedly get off the bus. I had to get a taxi back down to the centre of town which only $1. The main reason people stop off at this little town is to ride the train down the famous Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose). I went to the train station but the ticket office was closed for the day and I had to come back at 7am the following morning.
There was not much to do in the little town of Alausi Most places were closed for the day. I had a walk up to the statue of San Pedro with views of the town and the mountains., even with the low cloud!
That's about it for this blog.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador

14th to 16th May 2008
Another early rise on the 14th for my flight to Ecuador. The taxi arrived at the hostel in time but we quickly got caught up in the morning rush hour traffic, arrived at the airport in plenty of time for my flight though. Ten minutes to boarding the announcer told us that our flight would be delayed by 3 hours due to weather conditions - low cloud. Bumped into Dean and Suzy again as they were heading to Ecuador on another flight. but their flight was delayed as well.
I eventually got on the plane at 1.20pm and arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador 2 hours later and got a taxi to the bus terminal, a mere 5 minutes ride away costing US$2 (yes they use the US dollar in Ecuador). As I didn't´t have any small change, I gave the driver US$20 hoping to get change. I did get change but only $5 that he handed crumpled up but before I could check, he had driven off in a hurry. Anyway I managed to get a bus to Cuenca about a 4 hour ride away climbing to around 2500m. Arrived in Cuenca bus station and got a taxi to the hostel. This time I managed to get some small change for the fare.
On the Fri, 15th, I took a walk along the river Tomebamba and then back up to the centre of town and and wandered around some interesting museums for the remaining of the day. The impressive new cathedral on Parque Calderon (the main square) built around 1885 is dominated by it's large blue domes contrasting from the small, old cathedral on the opposite side of the square.
On Sat, 16th, I decided to do a city tour which took you around the main city centre, showing some old Inca ruins and then up to the Mirador del Turi with a great view of the whole city and the valley and mountains that surround the city. In the afternoon the heavens opened I ran for cover into an internet cafe for a few hours until the rain had stopped.
That's all for now,
Cheers,
Duncan


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Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley, Peru

4th to 5th May 2008
On Sunday, 4th, I got the train from Cusco for the 4 hour journey to Aguas Calientes - gateway to Machu Picchu. The train journey started started with a number of switchbacks up the side of the valley. We were then on or way passing fantastic scenery, first it was green fields and small villages then as we got closer to Aguas Calientes the scenery changed to dramatic mountains covered in trees. We arrived into Aguas Calientes at around 12 midday and I got checked into my hostel.
The next morning, I got up at 0500 to catch the bus up to Machu Picchu and to get in the queue for the climb up Waynu Picchu, the mountain that you see in the classic Machu Picchu pictures, as there is only a maximum limit of 400 persons per day allowed to climb. I started out the climb around 0730 . It was tough going with some parts almost vertical and pulling yourself up on ropes. I arrived at the top around 0900 with breathtaking and fantastic views of Machu Picchu below and the surrounding mountains. I stayed at the top for about an hour just taking in the marvellous views and getting my breath back from the climb.I started the descent around 1030 and in some places it was more difficult coming down than it was going up! but I made it back to the starting point all in one piece.
In the afternoon, I just had a walk around Machu Picchu, eavesdropping on the tour guides stories as I went. The last stop before heading out was the caretakers hut with the classic view of the whole of Machu Picchu. I just sat there for about half and hour taking in the amazing scenery around me. Machu Picchu is definitely one of my highlights of my RTW trip.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Lima, Lima, Peru

13th May 2008
Another day and another long bus journey to Lima. Got the 1130 bus from Nasca and again most of the scenery was of desert with a little oasis from time to time as we passed a town. arrived in Lima around 7pm and my pickup from the hostel had gotten confused and thought I was arriving at 1130 in the morning and wasn´t there for me. I jumped into a taxi and managed to get to the hostel OK.
Not much else to add to this blog. I am only spending 1 night in Lima as tomorrow I catch a plane to Ecuador.
Cheers,
Duncan
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Nasca, Nasca, Peru

11th to 12th May 2008
On Sun, 11th, I had a very early start from Arequipa. The bus was supposed to have left at 0630 but as this is Peru time! it didn´t leave until 0710. The journey took about 9 hours and we arrived in Nasca around 4pm. The scenery for most of the way was mostly of desert with a mixture of sand, dirt and rocks. There was someone waiting for me from the hostel at the bus terminal.
On Mon, 12th, I booked a flight over the famous Nasca lines. I heard reports that the flight was bumpy and that you felt a bit sick. It was a 4 seater plane and I was sitting up top with the pilot. It was a bit nerve-racking as we taxied out to the runway and I noticed that the fuel gauges were reading near empty!! We were supplied with sick bags, just in case, but I was OK. The flight lasted around 30 minutes and we saw most of the famous shapes. I think my favourite was the hummingbird as it seemed to stand out more than the others.
Cheers,
Duncan
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