TravelStream™ news feed for member lucytravels on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lucytravels en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 18 May 2008 17:21:47 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211145000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211145000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211145000/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 17:21:47 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Rotorua, New Zealand

Rafting off the highest offically raftable waterfall in the southern hemisphere was alot of fun (understatement). It was pretty cool having the whole raft and its 7 passengers go right under the water and out of sight at the bottom of this thing yet only one of the guides fell out! (although tilted on our side, according to the photos, we were all close to joining him!). I alos got to thoroughly test out my new water-proof camera. I wasnt going to get anything but a waterproof one at this stage having had my old camera fail and a half price sale in the Airport allow me this wish!
The next awesome thing was getting dropped off straight at the Spa with lovely thermal pools and a great view onto the lake. As a bit of a package deal, I was going to do it all along but by waiting until the end to add it on i basically got it included in the price of the photos - nice.
Only downside was that i had to walk home (10/15min) to my hostel with damp hair unless i wanted to hire (basically buy at that price) a hair-dryer!...I bought dinner instead ;)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210919700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210919700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210919700/tpod.html Sun, 18 May 2008 17:08:14 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Waitomo Caves, North Island, New Zealand

awesome
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208846460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208846460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208846460/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:43:05 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Sydney, Australia

just in time...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208500680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208500680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1208500680/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:41:15 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Melbourne, Australia

it had to happen sometime!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210746720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210746720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210746720/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:34:54 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Whitianga, North Island, New Zealand

Finally away from Auckland!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210487280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210487280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1210487280/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:32:05 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

meeting more japanese than new zealanders!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211062620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211062620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1211062620/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:22:12 -0400 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand

Well okay i've got almost 5months missing and a few months of scattered comments before that! so i'll try and be more regular now that i'm on the move again...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1193137200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1193137200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1193137200/tpod.html Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:52:58 -0500 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Tokyo, Japan

Rising early from our pods (with far too little sleep had by either of us), we headed towards the largest fish market in the world. Using our travelcards we ended up walking a far distance over fly overs and past car counters (really just men sitting with about 20 clickers each, counting different things on the roads) due to the fact that not all the underground/city trains are Japan Rail - useful. Anyway the walk was interesting in its own way and we literally followed our senses to the market when within the general area marked on the map. Walking past fresh sashimi and ...or something, breakfast had to wait for our early (ish) viewing of huge fish. Weaving/trying to jump out of the way of transport things that looked like they belonged to a Star Wars hangar we saw huge block of ice being cut, fish being dried and then finally never ending 'stalls' in the covered market. Some of the tuna! well i didnt realise how big they could get which is shocking considering its what we all ate on St.Helena years ago! I even spied a poster of whale meat and values, although no whale...as far as we could tell without seeing the whole thing! With fresh fish, frozen fish and dead fish seen (some beautiful, some ugly, some frankly impressive - the frozen tuna was so big and heavy a machine was required to lift them to the industrial slicer and the heads were the size of a sharks!) we headed on. Still unable to decipher foods without seeing them (and then often struggling) we grabbed a drink in a 'shop' or room with tables with wall to wall drinks machines. We then were joined by a fisherman...we're not totally sure why as only sign language could be used to greet him ('fisherman' and the old reeling in of a line motion is rated to an international standard!). Anyway smiles go an amazingly long way as each side effectively entertains itself in efforts to communicate, and drinks drunk we waved a merry goodbye and thumbs up or something! Leaving the area we mildly entertained ourselves jumping on an unattended Star Wars buggy with only another pair of tourists to see, (we could see them wanting to do it as they gravitated towards it).
Finding a nearby reknowned garden, we arrived to early and were directed by an understanding gardener towards McDonalds as the only real nearby food place...so thinking we'd broken our japanese eating we wondered over to a McDs under a tower block (which the usher was super enthusiastic to point us to - again with the international sign language of tummy rubbing and imaginary burger holding!). However when we arrived, the neatest people, cleanest smartest fastfood surroundings and with 'special'drinks such as iced coffee standard we realised we were still doing japanese!
Navigating the maze of flyovers and road crossings we finally got into the gardens and saw the tea rooms and numerous duck hunting devices (most complicated and convoluted way to catch the things - involves sounds, hiding, funneling, nets sticks and some tame ducks). Taking a ridiculous number of photos compared to Si, I took some more including a glimpse of an actual offering to the spirits as depicted in the anime cartoon yesterday (and one of Si in a field of flowers looking innocent!). We also wondered relatively aimlessly to wait for the boat up-river that left from inside the gardens.
Getting on the lower crusier, used the time to nap with eyes open, read up on Japanese things and appreciate the sights, (of a crowd of school children, an english mother with three school skiving kids (who looked that they'd rather be playing a Wii), the suburbs skyscrapes and what looked like a huge golden parsnip...or golden turd as Si so eloquently described it!).
We finally got off, slighty revived by the opportunity to sit down, to the numerous temples in the eastern districts [one day i'll add the actual names!]. Needless to say, we knew the temples were going to be impressive as we passed under the largest lantern i've ever seen suspended from the main archways into the complex (photo op. again obviously!). Even the avenue of opportunisitic stalls glistening in the sun on the run upto the temples was impressive and tempting...Si, not so swayed by all the goodies, kept the pace and the money in my wallet! Then finally nearing the centre an american tourist, who we'd met repeatedly since searching out McDonalds earlier, took our photo...and us him, but we didn't linger - there is a type...
Anyway smoke purified and temples explored we headed relatively randomly away from the river towards the city and thus in a loose way where a robot exhibition was being held! Loving the drinks machines scattered everywhere (with a good variety unlike our usual Coke, water and fizz drinks) we looked for a cash machine for Si and found one outside a Pachinko place (also scattered everywhere). Although still unable to get money out for some reason, it was lucky i'd taken out a decent amount from the UK (whilst we could use his cards in shops/hotels), and we headed to a nice looking food place (you can hardly tell really as most are screened)...well one with plastic tempura in the window which we could point at! Excited to be trying yet something new, the simple tempura prawns (two huge ones) and rice was quite satisfying washed down with beer. Not quite the light batter i'd imagined but certainly the norm here. The accompanying Miso soup was however heavily fishy and thus left with thier lids on!
Full and content we continued to freestyle generally inwards past shops (some which were better stocked with anime stuff than the 'museums'!) before realising time was passing and we were by this point totally unaware of where we were. So hailing a cab, i'd luckily picked up the flyer for the robots so we just emphatically pointed to it for the driver. He didnt know exactly where it was even though it was in Japanese and we soon realised as he pulled out a map that our guesstimations were a bit wrong...as in ourside his usual zone! Anyway we arrived back to Ueno, which we knew quite well, and ended up walking around the corner from 'our' tourist office(as in one of the three english speaking ones) to get to this museum. In the park outside we watched a concert for the homeless before Si's excitement was about to burst. Nothing was in english in this place and so we rather went where we were directed until we reached the robot show and the famous Honda 'Azimo' who did a little dance and show for us. It was pretty cool, although somehow missing the shop (half way through) we missed out on buying our own little azimo as they wouldnt let us back in!?
Well, tired we were ready for the Park Hyatt Tokyo that night and went to pick up our bags from the capsule hotel and train it across town.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1199149020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1199149020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1199149020/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:58:04 -0500 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Adelaide/ Elizabeth, Australia

Happy New Year everyone wherever you are. Hope you are all having/had a good one! I'm off out soon to a pool party at Tash and Chris' (a different Chris) house. I plan to be breathalised on the way out to Elizabeth (woohoo!?), as they have roadblocks everywhere, and i will be confidently able to blow into their little machine having just bought some booze at the drive-through on the way!? Honestly i still struggle with the mixing of drive-throughs and drink of a non-driver friendly variety!?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1198641480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1198641480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lucytravels/worldloop2007-8/1198641480/tpod.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:50:44 -0500 Looping the world in 2007-2008 and exploring on the way - Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oz, NZ, Tonga, Samoa, US, Canada, UK (and maybe bits in between!)... Lucy goes travelling!

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Adelaide, Australia

Merry Christmas from down under - the world may be round, but christmas here is a little upside down! There is more fake snow, reindeer and father christmas parades (in November) than in places where these things would more viable, even advisable!

This morning I was surprised that father christmas' bags hadn't been opened with abandon - the correction was made as I had chocolate before breakfast!
Lunch at the Simpson's was nice and we all came home armed with a generous stack of books each - people read here! Although there seemed something in the air as well all HAD to have an afternoon nap before heading out to the Giles for drinks later that afternoon! On arrival we soon woke up as candy floss (!) filled the air as we all sat around eating and drinking in thier perfectly setup garden. The queen's message was observed and then a vigourous tennis match on the Nintendo 'Wee' (spelt as we all think it!) where i served a few lucky hits (much to the surprise of all new to the thing!). We all happily rested that evening (i managed a turkey sandwich of course).
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