mickandsarah's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries

mickandsarah's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member mickandsarah on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mickandsarah en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:14:43 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Rio de Janeiro — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181088720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181088720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181088720/tpod.html Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:14:43 -0400 Latin America and beyond!

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We were in Montevideo, Uruguay and we got bored!!! After working out our finances we  realised that we were beginning to struggle... no bobs left... nada dinero!! Therefore we had to work out our options:Option 1: Work our way up to Rio de Janeiro by bus from Montevideo.... total journey time on buses.... 38 hours... doesn´t that sound nice!!!!!Option 2: Go back to Buenos Aires and get a budget airline flight to Rio de Janeiro.... eh... SCORE please!!! Believe it or not... Option 2 was also the cheaper option.... it was a no brainer really!So, we went back to our beloved Buenos Aires and spent another 5 days there.... loving it even more. We landed in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil on 5th June... let the countdown begin!Rio was all about building up to the 9th June.... Mike´s 30th Birthday!!!Once again we rented an apartment. This time we were overlooking the beach.... Copacabana beach!! We did nothing but chill on the beach for the first 3 days. What a beach!!! Everybody here is exercising, its incredible. On the beach there are volleyball courts, football pitches, exercise areas, running tracks... Inchadoney beach has a long way to go to reach these standards!!! The sand is gorgeous... no stones, no shells, no dead fishes, no nappies... lovely!!!On Copacabana beach you can buy everything and anything from the hawkers that work the beach. You can buy suncream, beer, towels, shrimp sticks, sunglasses all without moving from your spot on the beach. Of course Mike, as he has in EVERY country we´ve been in, got offered drugs, that would be a "no thank you very much."So... to the big day! Sarah woke me up at 8am....      Sarah: "Get up, my love, I´m sending you to jump off a mountain".      Mike: "Ok, anything for you, my darling"One hour later and sure enough I was jumping off the side of a mountain... hang-gliding over the city of Rio de Janeiro..... AWWWEESOME!!!! I flew out over the sea for a bit before eventually landing on the beach..."Like how flamin cool is that."So, what next! Next thing I knew we were in a taxi going to the world famous "Maracana Stadium". Sarah´s plan was to buy tickets to a game for Sunday... sure enough we got the tickets but we also had our scariest travelling moment.... EVER!!!!!!!We had just bought our tickets and were heading back to Copacabana via the underground system. We came into the worst and scariest moment in all our travels...ever!!! We basically came the closest EVER to being mugged. There were 2 guys... it was either flight or fight..... the plan was to corner us but we split up...confused them...they got cold feet & split...Thank God+ !! So, that was the next adrenaline rush for the day!! Phew! Get us back to Cork!!Anyways, we got our tickets to go and watch Fluminense vs Sporting Recife in the Maracana!! Cool!!! The rest of Saturday was spent chiling, drinking beer on the beach. We then went to a really cool restaurant and had a fantastic meal in the famous area of Ipanema!!! Sunday rolled around and we made our way to the stadium for the match!! We both have been to many sporting occasion but NOTHING will ever be like this. It was absolute mayhem!!!! Fluminense had just won the Brazilian Cup Final and the fans were in party mood. They were singing from 2 hours before the game and they were still singing in the tunnels after the game! To top it off the team won 3-0 so the excitement and the buzz was amazing! At times, the atmosphere was more enthralling than the actual game... a really awesome birthday was had!So.... lets wrap this one up guys.... The final entry to follow .....final??....mmmmm??!!
]]> HOME TIME...... THE FINAL ENTRY — Cork, Ireland http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181784900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181784900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1181784900/tpod.html Mon, 11 Jun 2007 22:21:17 -0400 Latin America and beyond!

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Cork, Ireland

Well Everyone!This is it guys .... the final blog, we´ve blown our bobs... clocked up hundreds of miles.... and the story ends!!!To get from Cork, Ireland to Mexico City and all the ways down to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and back to Cork we´ve spent near on 430 hours on buses, 16 hours on trains, 15 hours on boats and about 40 hours or so on airplanes. We´ve been away from home for 248 days and spent our nights sleeping in 80 different places, including 4 night buses!!!Here´s a list of some of our highlights:          - Havana, Cuba!                    - Caye Caulker, Belize!               - Antigua, Guatemala!              - Volunteering in Honduras!              - San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua!            - Panama Canal, Panama!          - Quito, Ecuador!          - Vilcabamba, Ecuador!          - Huanchaco Beach, Peru!          - Nazca Lines, Peru!          - Amazon Jungle, Peru!          - Macchu Picchu, Peru!          - The Salt Flats, Bolivia!           - Wine Tour, Santiago, Chile!          - Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!!          - Ireland vs Argentina, Santa Fe, Argentina!          - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!That should be more than enough travelling to keep us going for another few years. One big thing that we know for sure.... WE BOTH WANT TO LIVE IN IRELAND!!!!!Ten things we cannot wait for at home: 1. Go to the shop to buy fresh milk... mmmm..... CMP Dairy!!!2. Sleep in our own bed, knowing that the only hair there is our own! 3. Not have to take 7 hour bus journeys anymore, with crazy drivers!4. Be able to brush our teeth with tap water.5. Be able to throw the toilet roll down the toilet and flush... wow!6. Not have to read subtitles on the TV... not even on TG4!!7. Not have to pack a backpack every second day.8. Being able to wash our own clothes and not have to give them to a laundry!9. Having a sausage sandwich and a good old cup of Barry´s Tea!10. Saving the best for last.... Our family..... and our friends!!!!Thank you all for your interest in our travels, we hope that we brightened up yer Monday mornings a little bit and ye enjoyed our stories and our pictures and we can´t wait to see everyone again. Love ye allMike and Sarah
]]> Buenos Aires — Buenos Aires, Argentina http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1178987760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1178987760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1178987760/tpod.html Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:04:44 -0400 Latin America and beyond!

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires.... the captial of Argentina.It was an 11 hour overnight bus from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. As scary as eleven hours on a bus sounds, it was actually quite easy. We decided to go "Coche Cama", which basically means... Bed Bus, not Bed Bugs!! We had leather seats that fully reclined and had dinner served on board too... the food was crap though! We then watched 2 movies, stuck in the earplugs and went to sleep. When we woke up, we were on the outskirts of Buenos Aires..... easy peezy!!We stayed in a hostel on our first night in here, then we moved. We got an apartment in the downtown area for 8 nights... cost €18 a night. For that we had our own private apartment with cooking facilities, cable tv and a shit hot shower/bath. Ohh yeah!!! The best thing was that it actually worked out cheaper than a private double room in a hostel!!!!Now... to tell you all about Buenos Aires!!Actually, don´t even know where to start.This place is one of our favourite places on the planet.... and that is saying something. There is something to do EVERY SINGLE day!!! Of our 9 days here.... we shopped for about 6 of them. Listen up women... shopping is UNBELIEVABLE!!!! We didn´t do many touristy things... but we did visit Evita´s grave in the Recoleta Cemetery. Argentina is famous for football, however, our timing was a bit askew as neither Boca Juniors nor River Plate football teams were playing at home during our time in the city.... gutted!!!!We cannot say enough about the place. The food is just awesome... we had dinner out one night in a "posh" place, and the bill looked like this... but in Spanish and in Argentinian pesos... I took the liberty of translating and converting:          1 Fillet Steak (inc. chips) .......... €4.10          1 Chicken and Beef Fajitas ....... €4.20          1 Bottle of White Wine ............. €5.00          Tip (optional) ........................... €2.00          Total ..................................... €15.30 Like.... eh.... WOW!!!!!!! The steak alone at home would cost at least €20.The clothes, shoes and jewellery are also along the same lines. We actually saw Armani suits for sale for €200.... that is how much the cheapest suit at home would cost you!!!!!!!!The city is soo easy to get around. The underground costs only 20c a ride and you can go virtually anywhere in the city. Taxis are cheap and plentiful... just hail them down and away you go. We got a taxi one night, at home the trip would have been roughly from Cork City Centre to Glanmire.... cost... €4.Funny Story TimeWe spoiled ourselves one night and went for sushi.... absolutely scrumptious.... and washed it down with 2 bottles of wine. Therefore we once again got "The Lip" and desired another drink. We went to a so called Irish bar which turned out to be utter rubbish so we decided to move on. We were walking past this nicely decorated place so we said... "erra, tis only for a quick drink". We went in and kinda noticed that there didn´t seem to be any men in the bar... hmmm.... then a girl came over to us, rather scantily clad, and offered us drinks... "eh, ok".The girl proceeeded to talk to us, Sarah thought that she was very nice to us, giving us hints and tips on shopping in Buenos Aires. Then, the bombshell....  the "nice girl" obviously took a liking to Sarah and casually offered her oral sex... hmmm... methinks that this place isn´t a public house is it!!! That would be a "no thanks".... taxi please!With that funny incident in mind.... we´ll take our leave for another entry.We cannot rave about Buenos Aires enough.... GO THERE, GO THERE... GO THERE!
]]> Italy — Italy, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/992193240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/992193240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/992193240/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:14:28 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Italy, Italy

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]]> Tenerife — Tenerife, Spain http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/960657180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/960657180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/960657180/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:13:55 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Tenerife, Spain

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]]> Paris — Paris, France http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/802804380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/802804380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/802804380/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:13:28 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Paris, France

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]]> Cyprus — Cyprus, Cyprus http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/929034720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/929034720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/929034720/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:13:01 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Cyprus, Cyprus

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]]> Turkey — Turkey, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/865962720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/865962720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/865962720/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:12:29 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Turkey, Turkey

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]]> Maldives — Maldives, Maldives http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/1120237860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/1120237860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/firsttrip/1120237860/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:11:55 -0400 Loadsa places....From Cork to Africa...to Oz..to New Zealand... to Indonesia ...Singapore.. Malaysia...Thailand ... Laos ... Vietnam...

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Maldives, Maldives

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]]> Montevideo — Montevideo, Uruguay http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1180457340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1180457340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mickandsarah/latin_america/1180457340/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:01:19 -0400 Latin America and beyond!

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Montevideo, Uruguay

After our crazy time in Santa Fe for the rugby match, we really needed to chill out for a while.Our plan was to go directly to Uruguay and Montevideo and then onto a beach resort. However, our plans were scuppered when we went to the bus station in Santa Fe. "Sorry guys, you can´t go directly to Montevideo from here until Tuesday night at 11pm".... eh... that just ain´t happening matey... not goin staying in Santa Fe when there is nothing at all to do!!! There is something cool about standing in a bus station with your backpacks, looking at the possible list of destinations and going "Erra... that place has got a funny name, lets go there!"The place we chose was called Colon.... believe it or not... it´s an actual town and not only a bodily part!!!! Away, it turned out that it may as well have been a bodily part... twas a bit of a non event! We only spent one night here before moving on again... country number 34 together... Uruguay!The bus to montevideo was a total non event, it was a case of... "c´mon, c´mon, are we there yet, are we there yet!!!!!!"Montevideo will be remembered for one thing and one thing only.... the hostel we stayed in!!The place was bloody freezing! They were only open 6 months and the guys running it were more interested in partying every night than running a hostel.... they didn´t even have carpets on the ground for feck sake!! Still though, we stayed there, partly because we couldn´t be bothered moving but also because the guys were so nice! Montevideo we thought was a bit boring to say the least... and to top it off the place was freezing cold!!What are we going to do now ......  Decision time ?????????????? 
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