TravelStream™ news feed for member paulandnic on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/paulandnic en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:51:54 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1200953100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1200953100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1200953100/tpod.html Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:51:54 -0500 RTW0708

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Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Came back to Rio after Ilha Grande a bit deflated, but really looking forward to exloring the city. Driving into Rio is an expereince in itself, as you come into the city via a really long bridge across the sea called Rio-Niterói. It´s over 8 miles long, which I think makes it one of the longeset bridges in the world! :)We stayed in Copacobana and headed straight for the beach even though it wasn`t a beach day as the bad weather had followed us here!! It`s lovely there and we watched some surfers and body boarders who were having a competition; yet more massive waves. We went to see the Maracana stadium which is huge, one of the largest in the world, said to hold up to 200,000 people until the accident in 1992 when part of the stadium collapsed during a game. Went onto the pitch, into the changing rooms and saw casts of all the famous Brazilian footballers footprints.We had planned to go to Corcovado to see the Cristo de Redentor monument and Pao Ajucar - Sugar Loaf. It was really cloudy, but we soldiered on and went anyway... then it started to rain... the pictures speak for themselves I think!!! Could hardly see the thing even when we were up close to it!! Our spirits broken we decided to sack off the Sugar Loaf and traipsed off home.It felt like a few drinks were called for so we headed to Ipanema, the next beach along the coast from Copacobana for some ales. Fortunately the next day was a lovely one so we were up early doors, back on the tourist circuit up the Sugar Loaf! You go up in two cable cars and the views from the top are fantastic. Rio looks amazing and although we couldn`t see Christ the Redeemer when we got up there, it made an unexpected appearance just before we left...see photo.Time for Havaiana shopping, one last coconut and a caipirinha on Copacobana before we flew off to Santiago...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205819100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205819100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205819100/tpod.html Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:22:18 -0400 RTW0708

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Le Bons Bay, New Zealand

We met some people who told us that we couldn't miss going to Banks Peninsula, but it was an area we hadn't heard of! BP is quite close to Christchurch on the east coast of the south island and was created by several volcanic eruptions. It is only joined to the minaland by silt from the rivers accumulating over the centuries. We decided to stay at a hostel out in the sticks near a bay called Le Bons Bay because they did homemade dinners, free brekky with homemade bread and a really cheap dolphin trip. The boat trip was quite early and it was a really lovely morning. We looked around the bay along the lovely coastline with caves and blowholes and saw various local wildlife, including seals as usual and some big spotted shags. Then further out to sea the stars of the show, Hector's dolphins came to play with the boat. They were really small only about 1.2m long and very cute and playful. In the afternoon we went for a walk that was really hard and steep! But was worth it when we got to the top and had a fantastic view of the surrounding bays. Really enjoyed our first homecooked dinner in months: Grouper fish in lobster sauce, Indonesian salad, vegetable pie and rhubarb sponge and ice-cream for afters!! We really enjoyed being here it was such a lovely place to relax and enjoy more of NZ's scenery which we'll really miss...
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Melbourne, Australia

Arrived in Melbourne and had a few hours to explore before my brother arrived, then went for a few ales with him.The next day Paul took us on a walk around the city ending up in Chinatown for lunch. Then we went to the ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image to Game On a computer game exhibition, where the boys could play on nearly every computer game ever made and I could sit in a corner on the floor reading until it was time to go... although I beat Phil playing tennis on the wii first!! :) I've never played it before. He's played it loads! :) We also went to see a short film exhibition, which was interesting and perfect for Paul's short concentration span!! Luckily for us the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on at the moment and that night we went to see Jeff Green who was hilarious, had us all in stitches.Next day Paul and I went to Queen Victoria Market which we though was quite a lot like Blackburn Market. Bought a few supplies then met Phil  for lunch. He went off shopping and we went the Koorie Heritage Trust an Aboriginal gallery to see their exhibitions about the Koorie Aboriginal communities in South East Australia. One of them was a photography exhibition about the apology on 12th February, which was really interesting. That night we all went out for tea in Federation Square then Paul and me went to see a film we had free tickets for.We went to St Kilda on the tram the next day, which is a nice little seaside town not far from Melbourne. After a walk and an icecream we headed back then that night went to see Ross Noble at the Town Hall, again very funny. We know we should have gone to see Australian comedians, but we knew what we were getting with those two.Next day we were heading off to Sydney in our new car and Phil back to Perth, so after a tearful bye bye, even though we'll see him in a few weeks, we went our separate ways for now... loved Melbourne had a great time. 
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Slope Point, New Zealand

After getting back to the mainland we headed to the Catlins Coast and to Slope Point which is the most southerly point of the South Island.   We stayed at a backpackers on a farm just down the road and stayed in a room with a duvet and carpet!! Such a treat! We spent the evening with Winston and Craig, two guys from the North Island who were on a hunting trip to Stewart Island for white tailed deer, telling us stories of the number of possums they had killed and how to barbecue them!!
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Christchurch, New Zealand

Drove the very windy scenic route from Banks Peninsula to Christchurch with some lovely views along the way. Christchurch is our last destination in New Zealand and in a few days we'll be off to Australia... We stayed in another really nice hostel which was like a hotel and really quiet, a nice treat! Christchurch, like most of NZ's cities is small in comparison to UK cities so we soon found our way around. We spent our two days wandering around the city, looking at a few galleries and had a much needed sports massage and spa! Also treated ourselves to an indian with proper plates and glasses! It was nice to have some spicy food for a change. Went to Orana Wildlife Park where we saw lions and tigers, fed some giraffes and eventually had a really good view of the elusive Kiwi. Then it was time to say farewell to our good friend Carol the Corolla and squash our stuff back into our backpacks again. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205384760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205384760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205384760/tpod.html Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:19:17 -0400 RTW0708

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Pouwanea, New Zealand

After visiting Slope Point which was very windy with quality waves crashing into the rocks, it was off round the coast sight seeing.  We first stopped off at Curio Bay where there is a petrified forest in the sea.  After looking around there and again watching the massive waves, we went further round the coast to Purpoise Bay where we had been told you could watch Hector's dolphins surfing in on the waves.  They are the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world and only found in NZ and after two hours sat waiting patiently....nothing happened so we moved on. You can't win em all!We then went to look at McLeans waterfall further up the coast where we bumped into Winston and Craig again(Winston had his shotgun with him) and then we went to Surat Bay to look at sea lions.  When we arrived we saw a couple wading back to shore around the corner of the bay, up to their knees and we thought it was a little strange as there was a path.  As we walked down the track to the bay a guy told us to watch out 'there's a big sea lion around the corner who might eat you' - we thought he was joking.  Ha ha. Apparently not...after nearly falling over him and running for our lives we now know why the couple were wading in the sea and not using the path.  There was a big male sea lion led across the path and he was not happy and being quite aggressive.  So that was the end of that trip as there was no other way of getting to the beach. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205645880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205645880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1205645880/tpod.html Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:18:12 -0400 RTW0708

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Kaikoura, New Zealand

Today was the day of whale watching, another highlight of the trip!  We arrived at the centre to check in and there were warnings of strong possibility of sea sickness.  After being offered the chance to put the trip back to later in the day we declined and went for it....good job as when we got back all the later trips had been cancelled.  Anyway, after making our way out to sea, with a  few casualties on the boat, we only had to wait 5 minutes before the first sperm whale appeared, taking in air for ten minutes before diving back down to hunt for around an hour.  Sperm whales are the fourth biggest whale and the two we saw were between 15 and 17 metres long. One of their teeth weighs about 1kg!Rather than wait for the whale to re-appear we headed off in search for others and after another five minutes of looking out another one came to the surface.  These guys are huge and it was brilliant to see them.   We also saw three types of albatross, a blue penguin, some Dusky dolphins and seals.
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Mount Cook, New Zealand

After an hours drive up Lake Punaki (its big) we arrived in the town at the bottom of Aoraki (formally Mount Cook).   We decided to go on the Hooker Valley walk which takes you around the Hooker Valley past five glaciers, including the Sefton and Mueller Glaciers, before arriving at Hooker Glacier's terminal lake.  There where huge blocks of ice in the lake, which had fallen off the glacier, some still had rocks and debris from the glacier on them.  The views of Aoraki were stunning, especailly when the sun came out and the clouds cleared.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218721320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218721320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218721320/tpod.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:14:36 -0400 RTW0708

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Manchester, England, United Kingdom

And so the end is near...the last leg is our final flight back up to Manchester and completes our 8 month journey around the world!  There are engineering works at the moment between Manchester Airport and Preston, so we ended our travels in the manner to which we have become accustomed - on a bus!  Fortunately it only took an hour and the M6 wasn't too busy - that would have been a nightmare!  It was really great to see our Mums and Dads and start catching up with family and friends after all this time.  Now we have to start getting our heads round job hunting, then flat hunting and getting used to normality.We feel so lucky to have been on a trip of a lifetime, we've been to some beautiful and spectacular places, had some incredible experiences and met some fantastic people.  We've also enjoyed sharing some of what we've done with our nearest and dearest through writing this and hope you've liked hearing about our adventures.It's impossible not to start thinking about where to go next, from places that are right on our doorstep to more exotic (and expensive) destinations. Meanwhile we'll bore you lot with our stories and eight months of photos, which are already being compiled into a thrilling several hour long slide show!!  Something for you to look forward to... 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218634740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218634740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/paulandnic/rtw0708/1218634740/tpod.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:56:46 -0400 RTW0708

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London, England, United Kingdom

Homeward bound after all this time!  We've had really mixed feelings about coming home, we're really looking forward to seeing everyone and also sorry that our trip is coming to an end.  Whilst we don't expect any sympathy, we've being feeling really tired these last couple of weeks and are ready for a few home comforts.  It was so nice to arrive in London and see familiar faces and places, especially West Norwood! 
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