TravelStream™ news feed for member jill-cam on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/jill-cam en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:01:16 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221544560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221544560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221544560/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:01:16 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

Not much to say here.This was only a transit stop where we change planes before flying to Brisbane .It makes a pretty yellow dot and a red line on the map though.
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Farellones, Chile

Almost every hostel or accommodation we emailed in South America either had changed ISPs and so their email address no longer worked or the management were very slow at responding to our emails to book beds. Refugio Aleman was no exception but it was a good place to stay. Of course a six bed dorm is not the most romantic accommodation at the snow but it was all our budget would allow. Our first dinner was a soup, a pasta main and some fruit and cream for dessert. The second dinner was a little disappointing. We were all waiting for our second course and discovered that the soup was the main.   The spring skiing was great for us. The slopes and lifts were not crowded and we were warm enough to ski in our new second hand pants and long sleeve cotton tops. We got to the point where we could ski straight onto the lifts.   The snow was slushy by mid-afternoon and had also iced over in shaded areas. The green runs were enough for us. The biggest challenge was returning to Farellones on a run that became narrower and then steeper. One side was very icy, so the run was even narrower. The ski-able side of the run was bordered by a high wooden fence. This was not really a challenge Jill enjoyed at the end of the first or second day. By day three she took it in her slide!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221717480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221717480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1221717480/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:59:52 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

We landed in Brisbane at around 8 am, or 10 pm Santiago time, after three breakfasts. At immigration we were asked if we live in Australia and we answered yes. What is your address? Ahhh... we don't know. This was a little tricky for the immigration officer who asked a few more questions and then let us pass through to baggage claim. Our bags were travelling around the carousel. At customs, we showed the officer all the items we had declared. The seeds had to be pulled off the necklace we had made back in the Bolivian jungle but we could keep the rest of it and the decoration from the floating village on Lake Titicaca had to be destroyed. It was made of water hyacinth that can infest waterways with only a small piece of a reed. We were sad to see them go but knew they were a bit iffy when we bought them. Our boots were clean enough to avoid any treatment, which was a win.   We were a little tentative walking through the arrival doors, sad that our big adventure was over, and also not sure if we were ready to re-enter the 'real world'. We saw Jill's folks waiting for us, and their big smiles made us feel glad to be home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1218191640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1218191640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1218191640/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:43:47 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Lots of stories to come. Here is a start. Back in Peurto Ayora, we saw our boat in the harbour and figured we still had enough time to buy some last minute supplies. I went to nearest store for important supplies of lemonade, chips and of course chocolate. Jillian went to the small pier to wave at our boat. The chocolate proved difficult and when I emerged from the store I couldn't see Jillian anywhere. I looked at our boat and became concerned because it was moving away from the pier area. When I saw Jill was waving to me I was worried I had missed the boat.   Hmmm...   A small runabout did come and pick me up. The boat just had to relocated in the harbour and Jill and I settled in for lunch. Apparently we were late and everyone on board had eaten. There was some confusion because a flight into Isla Baltra was late, delaying two of our cruise mates. They caught up with us back on land and we all headed to the Charles Darwin Research Centre for a guided tour. We received some good information from our temporary guide but we were very happy we had spent the morning there on our own. The tour didn't allow enough time to visit all the information centres, which is something we enjoy.     Isla Santa Fe   Isla Espanola   Isla Floreana   Isla Baltra   Flying to Quito
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Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

  On our adventures north into Ecuador we asked other travellers if they had visited the Galapagos and what their experience had been. Some had booked well in advance while others had just rocked up in Guayaquil or Quito . Most were happy with their experience but commented on the cost. Our plan was to arrive in Guayaquil and find the tour agencies to work out a good deal. It wasn't that easy. There are only three agencies in Guayaquil , two of which were closed by the time we were downtown ready to find a boat. We had to wait until Monday to be able to visit all the agencies and compare what they had to offer us. There were no deals as we were in high season. The price of the two cruises we were offered were the same but the dates were different. We choose the cruise that left as soon as possible, which gave us more time to volunteer later in Ecuador but a few to many days in Guayaquil .   We flew into the Isla Baltra, collected our luggage and found the free bus to the ferry to Isla Santa Cruz. We were aiming to be in Puerto Ayora by 2 pm for the speed boat to Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabella. The bus left the airport, we caught the ferry to Isla Santa Cruz and jumped on a bus all in good time. We were quietly confident of catching the speed boat until the bus went nowhere fast. I asked when the bus would leave and when a European couple jumped off the bus and organised a taxi we took their offer to ride to Puerto Ayora with them. As we chatted across Isla Santa Cruz we discovered that they were on the same boat as us and had arrived early to do some diving.   Just after 2 pm we arrived in Puerto Ayora and the pickup truck taxi driver told us that the boats for Puerto Villamil would have left already. With a "See you later" we rushed to load our gear from the tray back and went to double check on the boats at a nearby tour agency. Not long after we realised that our sixty dollars of snorkel gear was still in the taxi. The woman in the tour office had spoken to the taxi driver and we asked her if she knew him. She didn't. It got a bit confusing from there because it turned out the taxi driver was her father or "papa" but "papa" is used on the island in the way we use "mate". Another helpful man told us that all the taxis have to pass the intersection where we were dropped off because it is the only road. Jillian watched hundreds of taxis go by and stop because they thought she wanted a taxi. They are all white pick-up trucks, hard to tell one from the next, I went off to find us a bed for the night and then carried our backpacks there. We were reunited with our snorkel gear and the driver really was father. We had definitely missed the speed boat.   There was enough time left in the Thursday afternoon to walk to Tortuga Beach . It was a very beautiful beach. There had been a lot of Chinese in downtown Guayaquil , so we were not surprised to find a Chinese restaurant in Puerto Ayora. We had a good meal there. The showers were cold where we stayed but we were already enjoying the beach life. With the morning to fill on Friday before we caught the speed boat, we walked to Tortuga Beach again and then walked to Las Grietas for a snorkel in the brackish pool surrounded by rock walls. The two o'clock boat was postponed to three, which made us wonder about the boats the day before. It was a rough and bumpy ride. It was not enjoyable.   REMEMBER NOT TO EAT BEFORE A ROUGH BOAT RIDE!   Some of the locals were struggling too! We arrived on Isla Isabela and started talking to David who ran the Coral Blanca Hostal. It turned out to be a good place and we stayed for two nights.   When the clouds parted from below and around us we could see into the valley below us. Black rivers of lava covered the valley floor.   The narrow peninsular of Isla Isabela and Isla Fernandina were visible from the northern lava flows of Volcano Chico.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1216153860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1216153860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1216153860/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:40:23 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Cusco, Peru

Watch this space for our Cusco sightseeing and feeding efforts. The food´s great here! Ok, it has been over 10 days, and still Cameron hasn´t added anything. Seriously folks, his typing is like waiting for a snail to do a back flip... But we did really like the food! Ok, here we go! - Cam The highlight of Cusco for us was delicious affordable food. We were able to taste some local cuisine as well as some old favourites like Thai green curries. The good food, warming weather, having just completed our walk to Machu Picchu and being constantly on the road since hitting South America made Cusco the perfect place to chill out for a few days.   Breakfast or late brunches were something we really enjoyed. The hot chocolates were a little different but when we found the cloves at the bottom of our mugs we understood why. Something to try when we get home! The set breakfasts were huge. Fruit salad with yoghurt and honey, eggs or omelette, toast and jam, juice and of course hot chocolate. We found a community run café that supported a community school and other community projects making a good place to hang.   It took a lot of emails and a few phone calls for Jillian to organise a music workshop. It turned out to be the first day we had spent apart since we left home in November, and we were both a little nervous. Jillian spent the day playing some Andean music on traditional instruments. It was a family affair with the musician, his Swiss wife, and his grandmother joining the mini jam session. The family spoke English, Spanish and Quechua as well as playing some fun music.   That night we went to a South American Explorers Club dinner. It was an opportunity to eat some tasty Andean food and to mix with some other travellers. We swapped our stories of trying to use poor Spanish and travelling for hours on buses.   We also went to see an Andean folklore play named Chaska. It was a colourful play with actors moving all around and above the stage. There were cargo nets, platforms and ropes and pulleys where the action took place. Chaska was the story of a village girl who makes a pilgrimage up a mountain. On the way she learns about the creation of the World, Incan pre-history and history. She makes the ultimate sacrifice to return the light from the Chihuaco bird and save her village.
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Lanjaron, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands

The Sierra Nevada were snow capped when we looked south from Granada and we had heard there were some good walks in the valley behind the range. We did a little research on the area and the walks and decided it would be a good place to visit. The bus trip from Granada to Lanjaron was only short in distance but we seemed to stop a lot even before we left Granada . Once in Lanjaron we wondered along the main street to find our hotel. It was run by an elderly senor who was very patient with our Spanish and enjoyed chatting to us. In the evenings he always had visitors who faced him across the chess board.   Our first walk was on the GR-142 to Orgiva. The trial started on the road out of Lanjaron and just on the outskirts it headed up into the olive groves. We had good spring weather for walking and started to warm up quickly. After the climb we were on a flat dirt road with fruit and olive trees, pastor and the odd house next to the road. Our lunch spot was next to a trickling irrigation channel. On the descent into Orgiva we were passed by some mountain bikers. It was a steep slope to walk and bike down. One rider did very well when he hit a rock and did a hand stand to avoid face planting a rock. We found a room in Orgiva and went to explore the town. It was a small town but it did have a small Indian takeaway shop. After buying some supplies for the next days walk back to Lanjaron we happily ordered and ate some curries. It was a change from everything we had been eating in Egypt , Turkey and Spain and it tasted delicious.   The original plan was to visit the markets in Orgiva the next day but our information was incorrect. The locals were a bit confused if the market was running or not. Walking back to Lanjaron was the best we came up with and so we retraced our foot steps. No surprises that the path out of Orgiva seemed even steeper on the way up. We passed a tiny, old woman carrying a bucket of wet woolen clothes. She had walked up to a nearby creek to wash them. The nearest huts were still a long way away. When we looked back later she had stopped to collect firewood from beside the path. We also met a British man who was walking at a steady pace as he passed us and working on his sunburn at the same time. We found our lunch spot from the day before. The channel had been opened and water was rushing downhill. The sound of the water made a good spot under the olive trees great.   Two days later we were ready for some more walking. We caught the bus from Lanjaron further into the valley and up to Capileira. We had to ask a local lad where the trial to Bubion, the town below Capileira, started. He led us through the twisting and turning streets to where we wouldn't get lost. The GR-7 runs through Capileira to Bubion, Pampaneira, Soprotujar and Canar on the way to Lanjaron. The trial is part of the trans-Europe route that starts in Greece and ends in Portugal . (We found another section when we were in Portugal .) Anyway, we walked down downhill to Bubion. On the way we passed a group using a map and compass to find their way up to Capileira. Looking back up the hill we could see the town and being on the trial already we wandered why the group needed to navigate. In Bubion we found our way by always choosing the downhill paths and alleys. The information centre in Pampaneira was a good place to stop and read about the local environment, its flora and fauna. From Pampaneira we walked passed the local hydroelectricity plant and around to Soportujar.   We had booked a room above a bar for the night. It took us a while in the small town to find the bar before we were shown our room. It turned out to be a large apartment for up to eighteen people, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a roof top terrace. We picked our room, checked out the kitchen and then went shopping for dinner and the next day's supplies. We had a look around town as it was an adventure finding the local grocery store. The options were limited and pasta was the best. The woman running the store gave us one of the onions from her kitchen when we could finally explain what the last item was. An onion! She was pretty good at charades.   Our last day walking in the Sierra Nevada was from Soportujar to Lanjaron via Canar. Again the trail was fairly clear and flat following the contour lines. We passed a lot of houses for sale and ones being renovated. There were a few English accents coming out of the houses and we later discovered that the valley was a popular place for British to move to for a tree or Spain change. We couldn't resist eating beside the fast flowing creek (irrigation channel) but it was a little cooler. The GR-7 and the GR-142 had crossed paths near our lunch spot and after lunch we decided to find the GR-7 and not just walk the GR-142 again. We didn't find it and wondered around the olive trees and slopes for a fair while. We gave up on the trail and walked up beside a creek and then in the general direction of Lanjaron. It became a bit more of an adventure but we were always near huts and houses and ended up walking down a dirt road into Lanjaron. We were tired but happy when we walked slowly into town. The main road seemed a little longer though.   Lanjaron was not the easiest place to find a connection to Nerja and our time at the Donkey Sanctuary. The worst option was returning to Granada and changing buses there. We did find a town on the coast where we could change buses and booked our seats out of Lanjaron.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1209389820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1209389820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1209389820/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:36:43 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Granada, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands

The biggest drawcard in Granada is the Alhambra. Granada is a university town. Some famous people from the USA have studied in Granada (eg. Bill Clinton) and written about La Alhambra (eg. Wastington Irving). When we arrived at our backpackers we asked about tickets and were told there were none left for today. What about buying tickets for tomorrow? "Not possible, you have to line up tomorrow morning. Early!" So at early o´clock we walked up to the Alhambra ticket line. In the dawn light we saw another couple with a daypack and then another. We knew we were on the right track. The ticket queue was only a zig and 3/4 of a zag as we joined it. Later it stretched to 2 full zig zags and 1/2 a zig. It was /am and we were happy enough with our position. There were only 300 people in front of us.   At 8.30 the ticket office opened and the PA announcements began. In four languages we were told there were 350 tickets available for the morning and 1250 for the afternoon. We knew there was a credit card line and it moved quicker by about 3/4 of an hour, but we were still surprised when there were only 150 morning tickets left and we had only moved 10 metres. After three ands a half hours and some queue jumpers we were at the ticket window. We had our 20 euro (40 Australian) ready when the French couple we had queued with all morning pointed at a hand written "12 euros" sign. We found the extra 4 euros (phew) and bought our tickets. We could enter the general Alhambra area after 2pm and had an appointment for the Nasrid Palaces. Back to the backpackers for a nap and lunch. Our visit in the afternoon was punctuated by the beeping bar code readers the gate attentents used to scan every ticket. We entered the Fort area with a beep each. The walls gave good views of Granada but of course from the Tower was better. The "courtyard" inside the Fort was covered in knee-high walls, which we think were the remains of soldier and gruads quarters. Time for an apple and a drink break in the shade before lining up for our appointment to visit th eNasrid Palaces. "Beep, beep" each (we were scanned twice) and we were inside the Palaces. Nasrid Palaces The Palace of Generalife was the agricultural area of La Alhambra. It was made up of large terraces, orchards, ornamental gardens and a palace. Some of the gardens were closed for maintenance, there was more than enough open to enjoy and sit and relax in. One sit we found looked back over a gully towards the Nasrid Palaces. It made for a beautiful green view. The palace was full of high ceilinged rooms and a large courtyard that was cooled by the rectangular pool and its fountains. It was a popular place for photos and it was here that we ran out of camera batteries. We managed to squeeze a little more juice out of them by rationing turning the camera on and not using the flash. The stairway leading up and away from Generalife had terracotta tile gutters on the top of the short walls that bordered them. They looked like a fun idea and would keep an area cool, like in Alice perhaps.   It was a big walk back towards La Alhambra's Old City , Medina . The walk was through more shaded gardens and was flat once we had descended a short distance from Generalife. There was an exclusive hotel tucked away in Medina with a small chapel next to it. The hotel looked nice when we wondered in to visit the chapel. The chapel had been a Muslim sacred place before Christians conquered Granada and the conquerors kept the space as sacred. There were a number of museums in the area too. We visited one house but I can't remember why it was important.   The next day, for a different view, we walked up into the streets, houses, plazas, churches and stairways on the opposite side of the valley to La Alhambra. We had seen people in the area when we were visiting La Alhambra the day before. There was a large square in front of a church. It was a good place to sit and gaze at La Alhambra as the sun set.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1206386340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1206386340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1206386340/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:33:52 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Segovia, Spain and Canary Islands

Segovia 's draw card is its 2000 year old Roman aqueduct. It is made of three or four storeys of stone arches. The stone was placed without mortar and still stands today. The town square is bordered on one side by the aqueduct. This gives you plenty of space for a photo. There was a lot of construction work occurring in the area behind the aqueduct and there were yellow cranes everywhere breaking into the skyline.   The Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion was the next site we visited. It was a large, freezing space to walk around in. There were naves and chapels decorated with sculptures and paintings by famous artists. We were impressed by the Gothic choir stalls and the two massive pipe organs. After a while we also took the time to look at the floor and not just the high ceilings, columns and paintings. We were walking over people's graves. These people had financed the rebuilding of the Cathedral and had won enough favour to be buried in it.   I was very excited to visit the Alcazar in Segovia . I didn't realise that "alcazar" means fort and so almost every town has one. Anyway, we wondered through the rooms and corridors still containing portraits of Spanish Castilian royalty, furniture, money chests, armour and weapons. It was our first taste of Spanish history. Sadly the climbing the stairs up into the tower cost a few Euros extra and we didn't have them. The views from the ground level windows were over the river with its cliffs and bridges were still spectacular.   A highlight of our day trip to Segovia was definitely the hot chocolates in a café we discovered beside the aqueduct. They were thick enough to hold a teaspoon up. If you have visited Spain you might be saying "Well of course they have great hot chocolates" but these were the first thick, thick, rich hot chocolates we had enjoyed. It was a cold day and with the hot chocolates it was perfect.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1205651460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1205651460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jill-cam/2008world/1205651460/tpod.html Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:07:45 -0400 What better way to get to know your future spouse than to travel around the world on a cheapy budget with expensive ideas.

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Goreme, Turkey

We thought we would try two legs again for a walk through the Pigeon Valley . We were told it was possible to walk from Gorome through Pigeon Valley and then up and out to the road that leads back to town. With some basic directions it was easy enough to find the path into the valley and walk gently up hill. It was a warm and sunny day. Good for a walk and picnic. Further into the valley the path became unclear and we had fun exploring and retracing our steps. We did finally find a track that lead to a small sandstone cliff wall. I could boost Jillian part of the way up the natural wall and she scrambled the rest of the way. The foot and hand holds weren't that solid and I struggled to move up the wall. When I did reach the top it was only with Jill's help grabbing my arm and dragging me up the last little slippery bit. We were happy with our adventure.   We passed only one other car on the way to the Turkish Nights dance show. In the carpark we were greeted by security guards with walkie talkies, who checked that we were in the right place and then escorted us down into the cave restaurant. We were shown into a large empty cavern. As we moved towards our table we finally saw two other couples nibbling away at their meals. It was a large space for six people. Once the buses arrived the room started to fill up. The dancing started with three musicians accompanying the couples. They performed four styles or themes and a belly dancer was lowered from the ceiling too. There was a lot of spinning, clapping and chatting in every dance. There was a wedding story dance, a dance that took everyone outside to dance around a bonfire and the finale was the male dancers dancing in the Whirling Devinshire style. There was way too much food and drink for us to finish or even comfortably enjoy.   We had one last sleep in our cave room before hitting the road on another mega hour bus ride to Istanbul .   Here is the Menemen recipe we wrote down after enjoying it every morning for breakfast in Goreme. Menemen - Turkish Omelet In a clay pot heated on the stove cook onion, garlic and green chilli or capsicum.Add diced tomato and cook some more.Mix eggs and add to the pot.The eggs cook in the pot.All spice is added at some point. Try with the tomato.
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