TravelStream™ news feed for member shaggers on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/shaggers en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:43:27 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1115154000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1115154000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1115154000/tpod.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:43:27 -0500 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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New Delhi, India

Well after 12 hours on a 'deluxe' bus i.e. it once had padding on the seats, I was back in Delhi. Had booked into what I thought was a nice hotel in the central, civilised area Connaught Place, so got a rickshaw when I got off the bus but he couldn't take me all the way there so I had to walk and trust me when I say my rucksack is h-e-a-v-y man. The hotel was shabby, they showed me four rooms all as bad as each other for 1200 rupees (c15 quid)so I hopped back on an autorickshaw to Pahar Ganj and the place I stayed last time, Hotel Gold Regency - one guy even remembered me because he said I was always smiling!

So, looked at a flight to Goa which will cost me $250 - to be honest Nepal is still a bit unstable and I can't be doing with any more of these damn uncomfortable long journeys, it's one thing experiencing a country but I don't see why I should suffer. I have coined a phrase 'there's a million miles and two letters between pushing and punishing yourself'. So I reckon I'm gonna splash out and head down to Goa, I reckon I've saved enough money over the last few weeks.....

First I went to Agra with Pamela from Vancouver - it wasn't as horrible as we'd been told, slightly cleaner and less smelly than Delhi. We went to Jama Masjid, an old mosque in need of major upkeep - basically it was a dump, the guidebook doen't mention that. And the floor was so hot that I burnt my feet cos we had to take our shoes off - it's a wonder the huge amounts of birdshit didn't provide a layer of insulation against the heat. Next was the Red Fort, which had sixteen palaces including one where Shah Jahan, the guy who built the Taj Mahal (not single-handedly) was imprisoned by his son for spending so much money on his OWN tomb - bit of a drastic way to stop him spending money methinks. By now it was so hot that my feet were rubbed to ribbons so the blessed Pamela suggest we swap sandals - bliss. (Until later when I realised I was on my way back to Delhi still wearing them, prompting cries of 'follow that rickshaw!' to try and catch them up).

At lunch we had the dubious delights of the strangest vegetable kebab I ever saw i.e. deep-fried potato balls with green and orange bits plus the bonus of a fly in the batter. I know I like my protein but even I baulked at that.

At 5.30 we went to the Taj Mahal, apparently sunset and sunrise are the best times to see it but that would be without the dark skies and rain, I guess, you don't really get the effect of the sun finding its way through those. However it was still quite nice to see, I have to admit at first sight it was a bit underwhelming, but after walking round for a while it grew on me a little. Sorry if that sounds a bit blase but that's how I felt, it wasn't the most spectacular sight I ever saw but I think the light may have something to do with that. And, the guard tried to stop us taking a picture of Moggers! What's all THAT about? Bloody crazy country.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1125539460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1125539460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1125539460/tpod.html Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:32:22 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Canberra, Australia

Yep the title just about sums it up. Went to Parliament House for a tour where luckily I met Sarah from Bristol, so at least I had someone to pass the day with - mostly in the Irish Bar it has to be said as there's bugger all else to do here when it's raining.

Had the worst Chinese food ever. And, the 'city centre' closes at 8pm - well my last bus home as 8.20pm and there's nothing worth staying for to justify a taxi fare. Oh well, I can say I went to the capital...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124562600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124562600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124562600/tpod.html Sat, 21 Jul 2007 22:13:27 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Hobart, Australia

Not much to say about arriving in Hobart except I found a really cool place to eat called T42 on Elizabeth Pier - I had cured salmon blinis and a coupla glasses of wine. Tres bon. Went out for drinks with Hannah, the receptionist at Hollydene Lodge where I was staying. Wednesday we watched a singer/guitarist called Stevie Paige, nice n bluesy/folky/rocky. Friday we went to T42 again for dinner, then ended up at Syrup in Salamanca Place (where the markets are held on a Saturday). Had a bit of a dance and was propositioned for a threesome but apart from that it was uneventful.

Saturday I finally dragged my ass out of bed with a leetle bit of an hangover, and went down to Salamanca Markets, great for crafts n stuff. That night we went to see Wil Anderson from Aussie TV's The Glasshouse - we chose the 9.30 show as the booking clerk told me he'd probably be pissed by then and sure enough he was (there was an earlier show at 7.30). After downing a bottle of red wine he went on to beer but he was a happy drunk, not a Johnny Vegas-type. Some of it was too Aussie for me to get, having a dig at celebs and such, but most of it was just really really funny. It was supposed to last just over an hour but was almost two as he was enjoying himself so much, in fact he was only lured away by the promise of more alcohol at Syrup. And him being there meant there was, for once, a good-looking bloke in Hobart.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124329200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124329200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1124329200/tpod.html Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:54:21 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Tarraleah, Tasmania, Australia

Went for a lovely walk along the beach at Henty Dunes after breakfast, decided it would be a good idea to do the long-jump seeing as we had lots of sand to play with, it was a close-run thing between Thomas and Carlos but Carlos' second attempt was a metre longer so we declared him champ; he's now in training for a late entry to next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Next stop was the Franklin River and Nelson Falls, where we took Lick the cock for an outing to have his picture taken in the wilderness, then on to Lake St Clair to try moving mountains - well, large rocks. The night was spent in a house at Tarraleah and yes, more Australian Idol.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137246960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137246960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137246960/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 14:32:05 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Quelat National Park, Chile

Drove through into Quelat National Park and camped out below the Colgante Hanging Glacier. After lunch I went to get my gear to start the trek to see the glacier close up but the person in charge of the truck keys had locked it up and gone for a boat trip (the lazy person´s option). So, first I had to run for 15 minutes on a wet forest path in flip flops (not easy for those of you who have never tried) to get the keys, then the same to get back to the campsite, get my gear and try to catch up with the other folk who were now half an hour ahead of me. I did my best to catch up but it was uphill all the way so I felt rather hot and bothered when I reached the top. And to be honest it wasn´t even that spectacular. Oh well, I guess I needed the exercise.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136574300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136574300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136574300/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 14:28:41 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Pucon, Chile

The title says it all - Pucon is THE place for Chileans to come and do their outdoor activities, including climbing a local volcano, but the weather was so bad that we didn't do much at all, apart from shop and drink (for a change). We did treat ourselves to a posh meal at the best restaurant in town though - still only cost about £15 each!

Me and Steph had a particularly heavy night here, hence her winning the 'Shitface of the day' award' (see photo).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137187260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137187260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1137187260/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 13:58:48 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Futaleufu, Chile

For all the ´Friends´ fans out there, don´t you think the name of this place sounds like Joey´s attempt at learning French? Anyway, after falling head-first into the campfire last night (who decided to build it on an upwards slope?) I woke with quite a painful forehead and several black scabs. Everyone was very concerned and kept an eye on its progress over the next few days, it became quite a team event ´oh it´s looking much better today, I don´t think it will scar´, ´ooh look the scabs are falling off, it´s healed very quickly´ etc etc.

In Futaleufu the girls decided to upgrade from a tent to a log cabin and I got a room on my own with a double bed - luxury! Some of the guys went rafting but I didn´t think the water would help my scabby forehead to heal so I just spent a couple of days chilling out, reading and having deep conversations into the night about various childhoods and life stories - quite enlightening in some cases. I actually spent most of the time cooking, from soup to hot dogs to fire-roast chicken, felt rather domesticated! And to be honest it rained so much that there wasn't much else to do apart from keep warm by the fire and well, cook......and eat....and drink....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136839200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136839200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136839200/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 13:55:01 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche is a lovely lakeside Alpine-style town due to its skiing heritage. Main memories here are the best fondue in the world (God I can still taste it now!), Jack's birthday celebrations and horse-riding through amazing countryside and forest on a horse with a mind of its own. Unfortunately there are no photos as my memory card decided to go all corrupt on me (boo hoo), I guess I should be grateful that it was only the small card eh?

Newsflash! there are now a few photos on here as I downloaded some from the group CD of photos, so these are taken by my travelling companions, to give you an idea of what Bariloche is like
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136333340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136333340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136333340/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 13:19:22 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Santiago, Chile

Man, Santiago is HOT!! Good enough excuse to eat ice-cream between shopping, though. Which is about all we did here, apart from saying goodbye to some folk and hello to the new ones
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136173920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136173920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/shaggers/rock_the_world/1136173920/tpod.html Sun, 06 May 2007 13:17:34 -0400 Shaggers & Moggers rock the world!

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Mendoza, Argentina

And it really is quiet, sunbathing by the pool in the hostel and getting so hot I have to take a dip. Last night was spent in a vineyard with a pool, lots of wine, beer champagne, punch, steak, dancing and general frivolity till the wee hours. It was actually an earlier finish than the previous night as we were out clubbing till 7am, it was quite a bizarre sight watching the sun rise over the outdoor section of the club....In fact, I won't forget this Christmas and New Year for a very long time, wonder how celebrating them back home will compare?
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