tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22825402246797791292024-03-13T16:39:32.004-07:00Mike & Trace World TourMike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-69724378039794394612010-11-26T20:57:00.001-08:002010-11-26T20:57:37.562-08:00Johannesburg<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>18th November 2010 – 21st November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Sean and Nic house – Johannesburg </strong></p> <p>We are coming towards the end of our 5 month adventure, can you believe it?</p> <p>On Friday with looked after the children. Trace did some baking with Caydee which she loved.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPriqCqSI/AAAAAAAABy0/bqpDkS_3bjw/s1600-h/27SouthAfricakids5.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="27 South Africa kids" border="0" alt="27 South Africa kids" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPsrVJy2I/AAAAAAAABy4/kfNk3M3r6_A/27SouthAfricakids_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="644" height="429"></a> </p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPtv6vu2I/AAAAAAAABy8/Tm__LoF3ZDs/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica4253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 425" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 425" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPuYky4_I/AAAAAAAABzA/K9Q0gaCrWl4/26SouthAfrica425_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Saturday night we watched the south African rugby team lose to Scotland and then followed it up with the All Blacks beating Ireland!! If it wasn’t for our Cricket team doing so badly we would have kept the south Africans quiet…</p> <p>Sunday – it was time to pack all out stuff up, this was a mission!! We are both not looking forward to our 28 hours of travel to get home but it will be worth it!</p> <p>Mike’s 2nd pair of trip jandels hit the dust . . . . They are so thin if you hold them up to the light you can see through certain areas!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPvXQ0vMI/AAAAAAAABzE/C2mx4SZDfAI/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica4203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 420" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 420" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TPCPwKZ_4oI/AAAAAAAABzI/4MlYbv1E_Mg/26SouthAfrica420_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Our 5 months of travel have seen so many highs and lows, we have loved every minute of it but are both looking forward to seeing all our family and friends. </p> <p align="left">After all this travel we have concluded that we didn’t realise how good we have it back home in New Zealand!!</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center">To Be Continued . . . . . . We’re on a funding related break</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-89172308586087202212010-11-22T19:36:00.001-08:002010-11-22T19:36:17.714-08:00Cape Town<p> </p> <p><strong>15th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Cape Town – Cape Diamond Hotel</strong></p> <p>After Nic dropped us at the airport we boarded out flight for Cape Town at 9am. It was a smooth flight and very scenic coming into Cape Town.</p> <p>Once we had checked into our hotel we explored the town and did a bit of shopping.</p> <p>At 5pm we caught a taxi to Table Mountain and caught the gondola up. The view was absolutely amasing!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2Ks8sABI/AAAAAAAABwY/nexjyN8bLwc/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica1113.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 111" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 111" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2LlmHwzI/AAAAAAAABwc/-8UeMVbwkSo/26SouthAfrica111_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view of Table Mountain as we went up</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2McnM7VI/AAAAAAAABwg/64yg3-B4aUM/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica1163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 116" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 116" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2NQLn0cI/AAAAAAAABwk/0_bTmIDITJk/26SouthAfrica116_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2N1z7L-I/AAAAAAAABwo/YRZ4iHZ-1vA/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica1203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 120" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 120" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2Op_XsYI/AAAAAAAABws/W7qH5pjDEOA/26SouthAfrica120_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The amazing view</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2PBtd4qI/AAAAAAAABww/afWP0SpVSuM/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica1223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 122" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 122" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2Pw2cVrI/AAAAAAAABw0/GgvIFjGptLQ/26SouthAfrica122_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2QuaF-xI/AAAAAAAABw4/BylQU6GvizE/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica1943.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 194" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 194" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2RJTF9sI/AAAAAAAABw8/2y5J026_8UM/26SouthAfrica194_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2R11bZoI/AAAAAAAABxA/CBt-DmSfzY0/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica2003.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 200" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 200" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2SnjkSVI/AAAAAAAABxE/9aK8MGe1Gmg/26SouthAfrica200_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We watched the sunset and ate dinner up on Table Mountain. It was a beautiful night</p> <p> <img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 216" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 216" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2T5MCGpI/AAAAAAAABxI/ZTeZibDVTjc/26SouthAfrica216_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 213" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 213" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2UnRJEpI/AAAAAAAABxM/e9o_UpHHA98/26SouthAfrica213_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 229" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 229" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2VAm__GI/AAAAAAAABxQ/4mlj8CY5s9Q/26SouthAfrica229_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p><strong>16th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Cape Town – Cape Diamond Hotel</strong></p> <p>We had a lazy day today, looking around the shops and then we walked down to the water front. It got so windy in the afternoon, some of the strongest winds we have been in. Mike wouldn’t even consider taking his kite out if he had one… Well probably wouldn’t anyway…</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2WF0sDeI/AAAAAAAABxU/oOj6wlN0F-A/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica2763.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 276" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 276" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2XXQ0gGI/AAAAAAAABxY/q4oWISqm6oQ/26SouthAfrica276_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Cloud blowing off the top of table mountain</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2YKTakfI/AAAAAAAABxc/Nd4UK46yarI/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica2833.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 283" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 283" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2ZneixsI/AAAAAAAABxg/Ik6l-Mzbq3c/26SouthAfrica283_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2aZPg0sI/AAAAAAAABxk/keP1oVus1yA/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica2923.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 292" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 292" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2bOZV8xI/AAAAAAAABxo/erX7U_Q0ObU/26SouthAfrica292_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><strong>17th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Cape Town – Cape Diamond Hotel</strong></p> <p>Today Dawn (a friend of Nicola and Sean’s who we had meet while staying with them) picked us up and toured us around Cape Town. </p> <p>We started by visiting Spear’s Winery. This was such a funky place, it had little tree type houses – minus the roofs scattered around to have dinner or lunch in. They also had a great idea of having a little store which you purchase gourmet food and wine from and then were given a picnic basket and blanket to have a picnic around there beautiful grounds.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2cj3s2iI/AAAAAAAABxs/gL7Smb35Ra8/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3193.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 319" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 319" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2dtRQyII/AAAAAAAABxw/Om5C8caFcw4/26SouthAfrica319_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2exzH9NI/AAAAAAAABx0/HEM56vxeQXs/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 320" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 320" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2f0v4e2I/AAAAAAAABx4/wJAvTHXfshk/26SouthAfrica320_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>There was also a cheetah and bird sanctuary on the ground which we had a look at. This was good but nothing compared to what we have seen while travelling Africa.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2gwbkyBI/AAAAAAAABx8/NXUYI-U1i9U/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica2973.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 297" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 297" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2h3gk6yI/AAAAAAAAByA/1mr18hVH1d4/26SouthAfrica297_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2i3rR8UI/AAAAAAAAByE/ryZtr3tUejQ/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3143.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 314" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 314" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2jsVInpI/AAAAAAAAByI/2d02utA-Flc/26SouthAfrica314_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We then headed out to Cape Point, this reminded us of New Zealand scenery, so beautiful. On the way we stopped at a stunning spot to have lunch, this was our view from the window as we sat and ate lunch.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2ka3_6cI/AAAAAAAAByM/si1iJDDstns/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 334" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 334" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2lCKD2hI/AAAAAAAAByQ/4qdyNC7A2WE/26SouthAfrica334_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After lunch we headed to the point, we walk up about a kilometre to the lighthouse at the top of the point. It was so windy up here!! But the view was well worth it. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2l4GC5RI/AAAAAAAAByU/4qEv61qJjz0/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3373.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 337" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 337" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2mqNkwoI/AAAAAAAAByY/mG-iAQrcVOw/26SouthAfrica337_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2nHLWi2I/AAAAAAAAByc/MdMKf_Ww_fk/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3443.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="26 South Africa 344" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 344" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2nzhTFuI/AAAAAAAAByg/3bizgRCm0aw/26SouthAfrica344_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2oyt-EcI/AAAAAAAAByk/Puf3bsV2a_8/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3663.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="26 South Africa 366" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 366" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2qTrvIDI/AAAAAAAAByo/ihRcsxb7wNI/26SouthAfrica366_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2rGc5LYI/AAAAAAAABys/6e9_pK0dzvE/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica3723.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 372" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 372" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOs2rohspMI/AAAAAAAAByw/0kvu3prOj68/26SouthAfrica372_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We headed back up to Cape Town city via the coastal road, this road was amasing the view were spectacular. That night we had dinner with Dawn, her husband France and some of their family in Hout Bay.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-88947483009275979852010-11-22T19:16:00.001-08:002010-11-23T22:39:25.219-08:00South Africa<p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY-FOUR – 7th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nkwathle Bush Camp</strong></p> <p>Up at 5.30am and on the road at 7. We stopped at the border crossing to get stamped out of Botswana and into South Africa – No fee.</p> <p>It was a long drive to Nkwathle bush camp , it is a really nice place, great atmosphere. The camp opened in June this year</p> <p>They have open air toilets and showers but they’re modern and somehow really cool!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxjIv4rjI/AAAAAAAABt0/HVMVMd0e5Js/s1600-h/25Africa2173.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 217" border="0" alt="25 Africa 217" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxj2-vTdI/AAAAAAAABt4/TVN-sJQP9S8/25Africa217_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The outlook from the bar area </p> <p align="center"><font color="#2288bb"></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxkg5iRLI/AAAAAAAABt8/CA7hgD9TYY4/s1600-h/25Africa2183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 218" border="0" alt="25 Africa 218" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxlv1g4HI/AAAAAAAABuA/J-kDU9P8_ac/25Africa218_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The Bar – Mike in his favourite spot</p> <p>That night we had a cultural night with dancers and tried the local beer (this tasted like yeast, we didn’t like it much).</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxmZ5xsWI/AAAAAAAABuE/nZLpE3Blnpk/s1600-h/25Africa0323.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 032" border="0" alt="25 Africa 032" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxnb1IB0I/AAAAAAAABuI/ILpPiGzbHJU/25Africa032_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Our meal being cooked over the fire </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxn_LmGXI/AAAAAAAABuM/9rJ10A4gOtA/s1600-h/25Africa0373.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 037" border="0" alt="25 Africa 037" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxo7RwelI/AAAAAAAABuQ/aFN2hcX4-Ek/25Africa037_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Mike trying the traditional beer (note normal drinks to the side)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxp2OCFaI/AAAAAAAABuU/0v6RC25rZFE/s1600-h/25Africa0503.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 050" border="0" alt="25 Africa 050" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxqsqVgGI/AAAAAAAABuY/GQjQcgAdFn8/25Africa050_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The dancers</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxrB-ppWI/AAAAAAAABuc/D2vafefPyus/s1600-h/25Africa0563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 056" border="0" alt="25 Africa 056" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxsVCKl5I/AAAAAAAABug/mqFlXQSXPNc/25Africa056_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Dinner was amazing with lots of traditional food, we had Koru (a large antelope) as the main meat dish. It was good to try some of the African game.</p> <p>We slept well as it was a bit cooler here.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY-FIVE – 8th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nkwathle Bush Camp</strong></p> <p>Up at 5, we had a breakfast of fresh fruit, museli and yogurt – yummy!</p> <p>Then we were picked up by Kurt Safari in an open safari vehicle and taken to Krugar National Park. We're a little difficult to please on safari now as we’ve been spoilt so much already. But, we had a really good morning drive, spotting all the big 5 plus a giraffe or 2 before midday!</p> <p>Our first significant sighting was a baby leopard which was special as these are very rarely spotted. Even our driver said it was the first leopard cub he’d seen! Trace wanted to take him home! </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxt_FuKTI/AAAAAAAABuk/NzoHDF-G6-A/s1600-h/25Africa1483.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 148" border="0" alt="25 Africa 148" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxu4JhB8I/AAAAAAAABuo/d_zt7vDD1-w/25Africa148_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="335"></a> </p> <p>Next we passed a few kills sitting in trees from leopards around the area. One was more or less untouched and we waited for a while hoping the leopard would return to dine out… Unfortunately not.</p> <p>After an hour or so we come around a bend and there were a herd of elephants crossing the road. One of them didn’t like the sight of us and was a little moody, he eventually quietened down.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxvriu6RI/AAAAAAAABus/bh4qE8gcB2w/s1600-h/25Africa1343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 134" border="0" alt="25 Africa 134" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxwQBl3NI/AAAAAAAABuw/2lA9Bzn-x1c/25Africa134_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxxZxeQ_I/AAAAAAAABu0/TuoCUQth0N4/s1600-h/25Africa1263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 126" border="0" alt="25 Africa 126" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxyZVpgrI/AAAAAAAABu4/tJMlXsfA_TU/25Africa126_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxzxczRaI/AAAAAAAABu8/Tog7n6GX8zc/s1600-h/25Africa1303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 130" border="0" alt="25 Africa 130" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx0vFUFpI/AAAAAAAABvA/shrdQN4W1AY/25Africa130_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Later into the morning we got our photo of a rhino! We’ve now had really good clear sightings of all the big five… Although we’d just as sooner watch Cheetahs or Giraffes it’s good to tick them off.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx1Xj9ulI/AAAAAAAABvI/7hve10W6--8/s1600-h/25Africa1823.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="25 Africa 182" border="0" alt="25 Africa 182" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx2EXUaSI/AAAAAAAABvM/uB3Oqn1_EbE/25Africa182_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx2zDVl7I/AAAAAAAABvQ/kj2C075fj_M/s1600-h/25Africa1727.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 172" border="0" alt="25 Africa 172" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx4LEqXXI/AAAAAAAABvU/vvCw2K1KHkI/25Africa172_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx5drLzRI/AAAAAAAABvY/nc7bp0rb2fI/s1600-h/25Africa1787.jpg"></p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 178" border="0" alt="25 Africa 178" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx6Q6dKjI/AAAAAAAABvc/0DoA_8a0D5k/25Africa178_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We had lunch at a picnic area in the park which was nice.</p> <p>In the afternoon we didn’t see much as the sun came out and all the animals were hiding in the shade.</p> <p>A huge giraffe crossed the road in front of us:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx6wCkanI/AAAAAAAABvg/U2MMi6egTy8/s1600-h/25Africa0763.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 076" border="0" alt="25 Africa 076" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx7lOJE1I/AAAAAAAABvk/UySAC5XjGw4/25Africa076_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx8W4WY0I/AAAAAAAABvo/CxWyT737yWc/s1600-h/25Africa0903.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 090" border="0" alt="25 Africa 090" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx9aR_HhI/AAAAAAAABvs/7a3NGWCCG2A/25Africa090_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We arrived back at the camp by 4 and had a few drinks and played five hundred, Trace is getting better and making it a bit more of a challenge for Mike!</p> <p>Had another yummy dinner at the campsite – the food is amazing!</p> <p>Our last night in a tent . . . . . We are rather happy about it!</p> <p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY-SIX – 9th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Johannesburg - Nicola and Sean’s House</strong></p> <p>Up at 6am for a yummy breakfast, we left camp at 7 for Joburg, our last day on tour. . . . . Can’t believe it!</p> <p>We arrived in at Joburg about 2.30ish and waited at the hostel for Nic (Trace’s cousin) to pick us up.</p> <p>Acacia Africa Tour has come to an end, after 46 days in a tent, too many long drop toilets, cold showers and too many creepy crawlies we have survived and live to tell a few tales of our adventures.</p> <p>That night we enjoyed catching up with Nic, Sean and the three girls, they are adorable!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>10th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Johannesburg - Nicola and Sean’s House</strong></p> <p>After a bit of a sleep in, in a nice bed with pillows, Trace decided it was time the braids came out! Mike gave her a hand, it took forever and the result was . . . . terrifying!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx9xVgfgI/AAAAAAAABvw/NHA8EhTk9jk/s1600-h/25Africa2203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 220" border="0" alt="25 Africa 220" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx-lHVMeI/AAAAAAAABv0/oiZWt0GtsQg/25Africa220_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After a good shampoo and conditioner the hair is back to normal, well as normal as it can be after 5 months of travel! </p> <p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>11th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Johannesburg - Nicola and Sean’s House</strong></p> <p>Nic dropped us off at a shopping centre on her way to work so we could do a bit of shopping for the day, Trace was excited but Mike was not enthused. </p> <p>It was a good day shopping, Trace didn’t see anything she particularly liked. Mike bought quite a lot! the majority of our clothes have all but fallen apart through Africa!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>12th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Johannesburg - Nicola and Sean’s House</strong></p> <p>We looked after the kids today, Caydee who is 4 and the twin girls, Maddison and Georgia who are 18 months. They are all so cute!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsx_ZoCVsI/AAAAAAAABv4/z4ndutdKANE/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica0263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 026" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 026" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyAL6wt3I/AAAAAAAABv8/Sewyo6PDIeY/26SouthAfrica026_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Caydee <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyAl559WI/AAAAAAAABwA/GWOzoGqLSaA/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica0333.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 033" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 033" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyCHper1I/AAAAAAAABwE/auBcdWUTnyk/26SouthAfrica033_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Georgia<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyC1NfXYI/AAAAAAAABwI/0aXsNHrNLuo/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica0343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 034" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 034" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyD8DqxuI/AAAAAAAABwM/YCT1fMmo2Kc/26SouthAfrica034_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Maddison</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyEhb2SeI/AAAAAAAABwQ/pWOm3ti-o7o/s1600-h/26SouthAfrica0813.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="26 South Africa 081" border="0" alt="26 South Africa 081" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsyF9co3XI/AAAAAAAABwU/ofK_9chOlpU/26SouthAfrica081_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Georgia and Maddison playing in the water </p> <p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>13th November 2010 and 14th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Johannesburg - Nicola and Sean’s House</strong></p> <p>We relaxed at the house with Nic, Sean and the kids. Going to a Portuguese Festival on Saturday and Sean’s brothers for a barbe or in South African terms a Brie on Sunday. It was great to be able to spend some quality time with the family.</p> <p>Nic also spoilt us with Kiwi dip – yum! and “coffee and milk”, we had one for you Pop.</p>Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-79694602813402265922010-11-22T19:12:00.001-08:002010-11-22T19:12:09.205-08:00Botswana<p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY - ONE – 4th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Thembe River Safari Camp</strong></p> <p>Up early to get a few last minute snaps of the Waterfront campsite and the blue balled monkeys – see below they are florescent blue, you can’t miss them!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswg68XaYI/AAAAAAAABrY/yzlHz0WEw78/s1600-h/25Africa5433.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 543" border="0" alt="25 Africa 543" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswhkqhZ1I/AAAAAAAABrc/VtNkB3Xm_Y4/25Africa543_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswivYSqMI/AAAAAAAABrg/RnfEq2DGyzI/s1600-h/25Africa5403.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 540" border="0" alt="25 Africa 540" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswjue8XuI/AAAAAAAABrk/vj09j8pTiDc/25Africa540_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswl0jT1QI/AAAAAAAABro/T_cgiEawS6M/s1600-h/25Africa5623.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 562" border="0" alt="25 Africa 562" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswmhu0hoI/AAAAAAAABrs/j7q-CKdUhbM/25Africa562_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <blockquote> <p> Mother and baby This female monkey posed for Mike all morning</p></blockquote> <p>The morning we crossed over into Botswana. We had to do this on a ferry as there is no bridge across the Zambezi River. They are said to be building one, but this has been on the agenda since 2001! The reason for the bridge not being constructed is due to an island being owned by Zimbabwe which one of the centre poles needs to be erected on. This has caused huge debate with the Zimbabwe president wanting to charge a Zimbabwe visa for crossing the bridge.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswnzN-EGI/AAAAAAAABrw/i1zsc4KFzDg/s1600-h/25Africa5913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 591" border="0" alt="25 Africa 591" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswogk_paI/AAAAAAAABr0/0P1zJFzfXgM/25Africa591_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The motor of the ferry, note the electrical box!</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswpWYP0QI/AAAAAAAABr4/skvoZ4BSo6E/s1600-h/25Africa5923.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 592" border="0" alt="25 Africa 592" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswqGxVWiI/AAAAAAAABr8/G4WfRCXD2CQ/25Africa592_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Our truck “Wami” on the ferry </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>It was a pretty smooth boarder crossing and no fee! </p> <p>We had to step through a disinfectant on our way through the Botswana as they have a huge foot & mouth problem at the moment. We arrived at Thembe River Safari campsite in time for lunch.</p> <p>At 3pm we went for a Safari River cruise on the Chobe River. We saw loads of elephants, this is apparently the most highly populated area for them.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswqyRhE2I/AAAAAAAABsA/o0XvNgXszRI/s1600-h/25Africa6113.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 611" border="0" alt="25 Africa 611" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswrmrd9eI/AAAAAAAABsE/TrFhQzpcOHk/25Africa611_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswsfFjumI/AAAAAAAABsI/lpYIxIrBOFE/s1600-h/25Africa6623.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 662" border="0" alt="25 Africa 662" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswtZTUhnI/AAAAAAAABsM/P7tyo8QpTxc/25Africa662_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswuiCcwbI/AAAAAAAABsQ/od0ho3bM-Sw/s1600-h/25Africa6693.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 669" border="0" alt="25 Africa 669" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswvRAAYkI/AAAAAAAABsU/bllbTOVa_HE/25Africa669_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswwDwx16I/AAAAAAAABsY/x8Z0HfHt6so/s1600-h/25Africa6743.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 674" border="0" alt="25 Africa 674" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsww72V0XI/AAAAAAAABsc/SP2DRs6JdoE/25Africa674_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswxvXT8dI/AAAAAAAABsg/RYFSzVf8dxU/s1600-h/25Africa7013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 701" border="0" alt="25 Africa 701" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswyY_lWGI/AAAAAAAABsk/BrTlbVXMLXY/25Africa701_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswzIuiczI/AAAAAAAABso/J8pucnDpL9M/s1600-h/25Africa6383.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 638" border="0" alt="25 Africa 638" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOswz5rBZ-I/AAAAAAAABss/9ReJKH5MAt8/25Africa638_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>A Black Kite swooping for fish</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw0l2FFcI/AAAAAAAABsw/7lVAPfpCBpo/s1600-h/25Africa6423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 642" border="0" alt="25 Africa 642" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw1V4xhjI/AAAAAAAABs0/eKARQJjT60I/25Africa642_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw2EQyAZI/AAAAAAAABs4/yqgtN2xu2ek/s1600-h/25Africa6513.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 651" border="0" alt="25 Africa 651" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw3NJcmUI/AAAAAAAABs8/pv32yZaw4xU/25Africa651_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw31PQUEI/AAAAAAAABtA/7P6PtN84oO8/s1600-h/25Africa7303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 730" border="0" alt="25 Africa 730" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw40r2T1I/AAAAAAAABtE/ZV5grVrtkZE/25Africa730_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>We arrived back at the campsite for dinner about 6.30ish. Later that evening we had a few farewell drinks with the others as we would be splitting with them heading to Cape Town and us down to JoBurg. To be honest this is one part of our trip we would have planned differently, and headed to Cape Town on the tour. One part our of a 5 month adventure is not to bad . . . .</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY - TWO – 5th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Elephant Sands Camp</strong></p> <p>We got to sleep in this morning and left the camp at about 9ish, stopping in town for a few minutes to pick up supplies we then headed for Elephant Sands Camp in Nata arriving at about 1pm. After a quiet lunch we sat and chilled in the extremely hot and muggy weather.</p> <p>This camp is well known for Elephants walking through it as there used to be a watering hole just to the side of the bar. With the extremely hot summer they have had, the watering hole is currently dry and the elephants have destroyed the camp looking for water, trees have been ripped down along with buildings demolished, it looks like a hurricane has been through. Below are photos of their destruction.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw5thEMxI/AAAAAAAABtI/-IKsL5eCL5w/s1600-h/25Africa0223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 022" border="0" alt="25 Africa 022" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw6TCK3mI/AAAAAAAABtM/toZe950iT2s/25Africa022_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> A baby elephant fell into the pool looking for water and it’s mother helped it out destroying the pool completely.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw7AIlFqI/AAAAAAAABtQ/kcJW00WIhjI/s1600-h/25Africa0263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 026" border="0" alt="25 Africa 026" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw9HkoM1I/AAAAAAAABtU/_Um4ook4zho/25Africa026_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">This is all that is left of the toilet block</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 024" border="0" alt="25 Africa 024" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw9810D2I/AAAAAAAABtY/zAfHlbBuTZM/25Africa024_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p align="center">An elephant footprint, absolutely enormous!</p> <p align="left">That evening there was a huge thunder and lightening storm. We attempted to take photos of it but unfortunately we’d just worked out the best settings as the storm was passed. Here’s our best efforts:</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw-Yg9u1I/AAAAAAAABtc/kkYDCpdbY9g/s1600-h/25Africa0093.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 009" border="0" alt="25 Africa 009" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw_A8kO-I/AAAAAAAABtg/r0nxADJbaMg/25Africa009_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsw_2hkyiI/AAAAAAAABtk/uKeCfmQdVqE/s1600-h/25Africa0193.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 019" border="0" alt="25 Africa 019" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxAaT5XuI/AAAAAAAABto/PXYQqknmgYg/25Africa019_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxBEd1EJI/AAAAAAAABts/-cGUQaenqe0/s1600-h/25Africa0133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 013" border="0" alt="25 Africa 013" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsxBgxQWvI/AAAAAAAABtw/9GosCvyggtI/25Africa013_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> The sunset at Elephant Sands</p> <p>That evening an elephant came through the camp looking for water, we were at the bar and got within about 5 - 7 metres of it. They move so gracefully for such big animals, you can’t hear them coming, we make more noise than they do! </p> <p>That night we slept in our tents with one eye open!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY - THREE – 6th November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kwanokeng Campsite</strong></p> <p>Up at 5.30am we left camp at 7. It was a long day driving, we arrived at Kwanokeng Camp at 2ish and had a late lunch. That afternoon we spent by the pool and then watched the All Black take on England – Go the ABs!!!</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-44344788790168148502010-11-05T11:36:00.001-07:002010-11-22T19:05:47.928-08:00Zambia<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-FIVE – 29th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Mama Rula’s Camp</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLJDsAWiI/AAAAAAAABos/QCGwbThrq3c/s1600-h/25Africa0743.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 074" border="0" alt="25 Africa 074" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLMhBZv6I/AAAAAAAABow/74BBOHhWRt4/25Africa074_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Trace got up to see the sunrise and then did a yoga session with a couple of the girls then went for an early morning swim. We left camp at 8am stopping at the market on the way. We added to our collection of African souvenirs:</p> <p>A few bracelets and some salad servers – 750 Kwacha (about $4 USD) and jandels, Mike’s old shirt, grey pants and a t-shirt. </p> <p>Back on the truck and off to the capital of Malawi, this is were we had lunch and picked up some snacks from the supermarket. We crossed the boarder into Zambia and arrived at Mama Rula’s camp just outside of Chipata at 5ish. We had a yummy pasta dish and salad for dinner then had an early night as we had another early start in the morning.</p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-SIX – 30th October 2010</strong></p> <p>Eurika Camp</p> <p>Up at 5am and off by 6am. Another long day of travel. We arrived at Eurika campsite, in Lusaka at about 5pm. </p> <p>There were loads of zebra wondering around the campsite, so we got a few good snaps!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLQXBRy2I/AAAAAAAABo0/tp0swL5hNGU/s1600-h/25Africa0943.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 094" border="0" alt="25 Africa 094" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLViq6H6I/AAAAAAAABo4/JqnUjUyBdVQ/25Africa094_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLaUjHivI/AAAAAAAABo8/mOSS2t1DVKY/s1600-h/25Africa1033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 103" border="0" alt="25 Africa 103" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLfVomckI/AAAAAAAABpA/IquUE7TGyg4/25Africa103_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>It was a quiet night after such a long day on the bus.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-SEVEN – 31st October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Waterfront Campsite</strong></p> <p>Up at 4.30am – our body clocks are getting use to this!</p> <p>We hit the road and at 11am it was time for a short stop at a small village to have a walk around, they sold lots of smoked fish.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLngRjPwI/AAAAAAAABpE/mqr6MO16MFY/s1600-h/25Africa0883.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 088" border="0" alt="25 Africa 088" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRLz4pk1dI/AAAAAAAABpI/6hr9Xx25EYg/25Africa088_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Back in the truck we stopped at Livingston to drop Patrick our driver off as he had to go back home due to his brother passing away – very sad. </p> <p>We then carried onto Victoria Falls which was only 10 minutes drive. We decided not to go in and do a day trip to Zimbabwe side instead as it is dry season and there is not a lot of water flowing over the falls. One third of the falls is on the Zambia side and two thirds are on Zimbabwe side.</p> <p>While the rest of the group were in the falls we wondered around the markets. Trace traded a t-shirt for a Yamiyami necklace (this is the good luck charm of the region). We arrived at Waterfront campsite about 4.30pm and went to the bar for a beverage. The bar had a beautiful view which overlooked the Zambezi River.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRL5xegEUI/AAAAAAAABpM/4shS5sDZ83I/s1600-h/25Africa5383.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 538" border="0" alt="25 Africa 538" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRL9xCHikI/AAAAAAAABpQ/jvkjMX-Orj8/25Africa538_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-EIGHT – 1st November</strong><strong> 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Waterfront Campsite</strong></p> <p>Up at 7ish for a cooked breakfast made by the campsite of bacon, eggs, sausages, baked beans, tomatoes, onions and toast – amazing and so delicious! So much for loosing weight in Africa!!</p> <p>We caught a taxi with Lauren (Canadian), Vicki (Kiwi), Liz (South African), and Claire (English) to Zambia/Zimbabwe boarder. We then walked over the bridge which crossed the Zambezi River to the Zimbabwe customs office and paid for our visas.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMIa0CRTI/AAAAAAAABpU/tQY_D2NBvOE/s1600-h/IMG_11063.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="IMG_1106" border="0" alt="IMG_1106" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMQVLhmwI/AAAAAAAABpY/UTLyxqBnSCY/IMG_1106_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a>Walking over the bridge </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMZ6HkTsI/AAAAAAAABpc/t1puxksadbo/s1600-h/25Africa1253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 125" border="0" alt="25 Africa 125" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMfi-t8mI/AAAAAAAABpk/CL6wQOvGHqI/25Africa125_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">In the border crossing</p> <p>After passing through the boarder with no troubles we headed for the Victoria Falls, it was only a short walk up the road. This side of the falls was amazing and blew us away, if it had of been in full swing we would have been breathless!</p> <p>We spent about 2 and a half hours walking around the falls. Here’s a few photos:</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMlXRYbHI/AAAAAAAABpo/chbSO7j2SbM/s1600-h/25Africa1263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 126" border="0" alt="25 Africa 126" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMrh17-iI/AAAAAAAABpw/8vpqN3ROz0M/25Africa126_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRMwvTuFvI/AAAAAAAABp0/g6srDBKdriQ/s1600-h/25Africa1493.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 149" border="0" alt="25 Africa 149" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRM2bMqXHI/AAAAAAAABp4/PzzqbQ318XA/25Africa149_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRM7_N0mYI/AAAAAAAABp8/OOCifFMsYds/s1600-h/25Africa1713.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 171" border="0" alt="25 Africa 171" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNANqrbFI/AAAAAAAABqA/DUmGr3ixQWA/25Africa171_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNE11vnWI/AAAAAAAABqE/Iquzlp9W3UQ/s1600-h/25Africa1783.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 178" border="0" alt="25 Africa 178" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNH_rDjuI/AAAAAAAABqI/bUgWm0Z3QyE/25Africa178_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNLxZKJ7I/AAAAAAAABqM/C8W5U-h9qTY/s1600-h/25Africa1753.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 175" border="0" alt="25 Africa 175" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNXO1cAaI/AAAAAAAABqQ/NaDoJVadKPU/25Africa175_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNZqS7C7I/AAAAAAAABqU/GFe6uwBgky4/s1600-h/25Africa1863.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 186" border="0" alt="25 Africa 186" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNdfAyeCI/AAAAAAAABqY/ME3vixp3qWg/25Africa186_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNiihjaeI/AAAAAAAABqc/HFhqiZD422s/s1600-h/25Africa1893.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 189" border="0" alt="25 Africa 189" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNptdEHiI/AAAAAAAABqg/krj7O2i9sSs/25Africa189_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRNw6PhYpI/AAAAAAAABqk/cZxqJlZbpSE/s1600-h/25Africa2153.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 215" border="0" alt="25 Africa 215" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRN1n9lTjI/AAAAAAAABqo/wZY_Pe-k8cc/25Africa215_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRN5ef3ShI/AAAAAAAABqs/9Fn1PxqOZx8/s1600-h/25Africa2213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 221" border="0" alt="25 Africa 221" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRN8WPdGfI/AAAAAAAABqw/NzK3WE96ZO0/25Africa221_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>Then we walked into town to see the open air markets. . . . more shopping! We ended up buying two giraffes for $45 USD and one of Mike’s t-shirts (fingers crossed we get them into NZ!). We also got two bowls for $8 USD.</p> <p>We also walked past these guys singing / playing african music. Trace liked it so much she negotiated a price for one of their CDs and then joined them playing for a while… We have it all on video but unfortunately we can’t upload videos onto here.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TOsvghWpjgI/AAAAAAAABrM/y0NAOs_YMJc/s1600-h/25Africa284%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 284" border="0" alt="25 Africa 284" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNROJpWSmgI/AAAAAAAABrQ/HMld4ZZ7ukQ/25Africa284_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Back in the taxi to camp at 4pm were we had a shower and relaxed before going out for dinner at a Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Livingston. This restaurant is a community project were they take kids off the street and teach them the hospitality business. The food was divine and service was outstanding!</p> <p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-NINE – 2nd November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Waterfront Campsite</strong></p> <p>Our body clocks have been changed forever, we can’t sleep in! We went to the Livingston Markets with Rory, Kate, Jewels and Tom, these were a bit of a disappointment, not as good as the ones we went to in Zimbabwe, probably a good thing otherwise we would have brought more!</p> <p>We then decided to head to the Victoria Falls market as we had seen some African style masks there and wanted to buy them after not finding anything like them anywhere else. We got them for $40 USD after the guy started at $120USD!! - we are getting better at this!</p> <p>That afternoon we chilled by the pool before heading out on a river cruise for Shaun’s 21st birthday. This was a fixed price for as much booze as you could drink in 2 hours – dangerous! Everyone had a great night!!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNROQtreI0I/AAAAAAAABq8/ahYz34J7eWI/s1600-h/25Africa3053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 305" border="0" alt="25 Africa 305" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNROW8t6GlI/AAAAAAAABrA/vW5n3l70Ib8/25Africa305_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">With our wonderful tour guide Maritjie</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNROeKjoRsI/AAAAAAAABrE/nB0AefuS_m8/s1600-h/25Africa3433.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 343" border="0" alt="25 Africa 343" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNROkY5XQ5I/AAAAAAAABrI/ErNAxxjosOg/25Africa343_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Our Acacia group</p> <p><strong>DAY FORTY – 3rd November 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Waterfront Campsite</strong></p> <p>Feeling a little hung-over we got up and had some bacon and eggs which hit the spot.</p> <p>Today it was time for some white water rafting, Mike finally convinced Trace to give it a go, she was a bit nervous about it all!</p> <p>We were in the water at 9.30am on our 2nd rapid the guide tipped the boat on us and we all went flying. Trace ended up in an air pocket under the boat which was a bit freaky but expected.</p> <p>The whole trip was a blast, Mike absolutely loved it and would do it again, Trace on the other hand has ticked that box and wont be needing to do that again!</p> <p>We were very exhausted after a long day on the river. We spent the night packing (we have way too much stuff!), and changing truck. We are now aboard Wami with our driver TJ and our guide Lauren with 4 other people (its a lot quieter).</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-79029770537526175822010-11-05T11:18:00.001-07:002010-11-05T11:18:50.910-07:00Malawi<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY – 24th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Chitemba Town Camp</strong></p> <p>Happy Birthday Kate! </p> <p>Kate and Rory are an Aussie couple who we have become good friends with, it was Kate’s birthday today and to make the day even more of a celebration, Rory proposed! </p> <p>We left the camp at 7am and hit the road for yet another long day in the truck. We crossed the boarder into Malawi, no visa required. Once we had made it through the boarder crossing it was time to start celebrating!! The last two hours of the trip flew by as everyone had a drink in their hand made water bottle cups – kiwi ingenuity shines again! </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGInR0n3I/AAAAAAAABnE/8VAB3v8Ytvg/s1600-h/25Africa2543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 254" border="0" alt="25 Africa 254" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGPMAslOI/AAAAAAAABnI/2OtOUhafmyo/25Africa254_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We arrived at Sunset Chitemba camp at about 4pm which was right on Lake Malawi, a beautiful spot. Everyone put up their tent and then continued to celebrate at the bar. We had a birthday dinner with caramel chocolate cake for desert – yummy!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-ONE – 25th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kande Camp</strong></p> <p>Up and away by 8am. Our clocks went backwards an hour when we reached Malawi so we got an extra hour sleep. We stopped at markets on the way were we could trade items of clothing and other bits and pieces we had collected on the way. We ended up getting a little carried away, there is just so much cool stuff!!</p> <p>We got:</p> <p>A wooden bowl – pink shirt, pens and 2000 Kawcha</p> <p>Two Noahs Arch sets – B & H photo bag which we had picked up for free in New York on our way, pens and $30 USD</p> <p>Chess table and pieces – two pairs Qantas socks, plastic forks from Europe, grey pants from gorilla trek and $60 USD</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGYXoaUzI/AAAAAAAABnM/n77zyvrio1Q/s1600-h/25Africa2553.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 255" border="0" alt="25 Africa 255" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGgLxHJqI/AAAAAAAABnQ/k7-JYj917TQ/25Africa255_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The young man who we bought the Chess set from</p> <p>Not sure how we will get it all home – oh well!</p> <p>We then stopped at the clothing markets (this is were all our old clothes come to from the clothing bins). We had to get an outfit for a person of the group to wear which we had drawn out of a hat. Yes imagine the worst clothes you have ever seen – these were at the top of everyone's list to get!</p> <p>We arrived at Kande Camp at 4pm, this camp too is right on the lake. Chris and Sean the two boys from England cooked us fajitas for dinner – there were so so good, Trace is missing her Mexican!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGpPjKJ7I/AAAAAAAABnU/D6qrfFwgAKc/s1600-h/25Africa2843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 284" border="0" alt="25 Africa 284" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGtQKHUEI/AAAAAAAABnY/-M0KXZLX4gc/25Africa284_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-TWO – 26th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kande Beach Camp</strong></p> <p>We couldn’t sleep in – typical! When you have the opportunity to, you can’t!</p> <p>The sun rises at some ridiculous hour here and then the tent gets hotter and hotter!!</p> <p>After breakfast we walked down the beach to a kindergarten which was run by an Australian lady. The kids were so happy to see us and sang and danced for us. They were served a massive plate of plain porridge for their meal while we were there, and ate most of it. Seeing the children like this makes us appreciate home that much more!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRGy3XnpQI/AAAAAAAABnc/y13k-VvKRhE/s1600-h/25Africa2593.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 259" border="0" alt="25 Africa 259" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRG4dUrbYI/AAAAAAAABng/N_4HXrq2NYE/25Africa259_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRHAFx0yQI/AAAAAAAABnk/JsgVmujmc4Q/s1600-h/25Africa2733.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 273" border="0" alt="25 Africa 273" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRIQdCkdRI/AAAAAAAABno/NsWXESKsaTY/25Africa273_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRIV4DMqRI/AAAAAAAABns/w7Zkj5-OvDg/s1600-h/25Africa2773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 277" border="0" alt="25 Africa 277" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRIapsk7aI/AAAAAAAABnw/iEI-WgBv3O8/25Africa277_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>It was decided that we would have a wedding celebration tonight with a roast pig for dinner (We hired a guy called Christopher Columbus 2nd (they all have strange names around here some of the others we meet were Donald Duck, Cheese on Toast, Superman and Mr Giraffe) to source, kill, prepare and roast on a spit over some coals. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRIk0nWmPI/AAAAAAAABn0/TGBOzrU0v54/25Africa2863.jpg?imgmax=800"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 286" border="0" alt="25 Africa 286" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJUgqJZ1I/AAAAAAAABn4/0UnqdAyw8cs/25Africa286_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>The rest of our day was spent reading, soaking up the sun and swimming – tough day at the office!</p> <p>At 6pm we swapped outfits, Trace ended up with a lovely salmon pink African dress and Mike got a blue jumpsuit with a leopard print skirt – everyone loved his butt in this!!</p> <p>We held a wedding ceremony for Rory and Kate, with wedding cake and speech – African style. A fun night was had by all!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJcMhjg0I/AAAAAAAABn8/SM2jDXwmjOk/s1600-h/RoryKatesWedding1553.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Rory & Kate's Wedding 155" border="0" alt="Rory & Kate's Wedding 155" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJjbSu38I/AAAAAAAABoA/kTdfvP6YKG8/RoryKatesWedding155_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJuoIiQOI/AAAAAAAABoE/2d2VaOWcSmg/s1600-h/RoryKatesWedding1683.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Rory & Kate's Wedding 168" border="0" alt="Rory & Kate's Wedding 168" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJ2JDScQI/AAAAAAAABoI/_OnjOQK21Fk/RoryKatesWedding168_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-THREE – 27th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kande Beach Camp</strong></p> <p>Relaxing day . . . did a bit of washing and updated the blog page. </p> <p>In the afternoon we hired a local boat for 500 Kwacha (about $3USD) each (Rory, Kate, Jewels, Tom and Claire). We all paddled out to the island, the paddles were so small it took us a while to get out there.</p> <p>We all swum and snorkelled around the island, there were so many pretty fish, Lake Malawi is said to have over 400 species of fish.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJ8p0aH9I/AAAAAAAABoM/YmjCVSKfg78/s1600-h/AfricaClaire3763.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Africa-Claire 376" border="0" alt="Africa-Claire 376" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRJ_pHCEyI/AAAAAAAABoQ/BJwIgf4T3KQ/AfricaClaire376_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKHCvVa4I/AAAAAAAABoU/nAjFe3uHS48/s1600-h/AfricaClaire3843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Africa-Claire 384" border="0" alt="Africa-Claire 384" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKNNN4ygI/AAAAAAAABoY/SybIiyeS2rI/AfricaClaire384_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a> </p> <p>For dinner we went to Christopher Columbus 2nd’s house, his wife cooked a local meal of maize, rice, beef stew and beans. We took a tour around his house and also meet his family along with a bunch of kids from the village who had gathered to see the Mozungos (white tourists).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTY-FOUR – 28th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Steps Beach Camp</strong></p> <p>Up to see the sunrise, it was so beautiful! Then back to bed for a few hours before we packed up the tent and had breakfast. </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKWGerbpI/AAAAAAAABoc/ShqQTipOrUQ/s1600-h/25Africa0113.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 011" border="0" alt="25 Africa 011" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKZ0iwugI/AAAAAAAABog/4sZeAcuhUKc/25Africa011_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKeGzYDoI/AAAAAAAABok/dQC4K0ce9MA/s1600-h/25Africa0483.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 048" border="0" alt="25 Africa 048" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNRKhDyFJXI/AAAAAAAABoo/X4xGJFp0vmc/25Africa048_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We left the camp at 8am stopping at the supermarket (very small) on the way. We arrived at Steps Beach Camp at 1.30pm. That afternoon we went for a swim and played frizbie, the water was so nice.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-20070634516082386852010-11-02T06:17:00.001-07:002010-11-02T06:17:22.601-07:00Tanzania<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY NINETEEN – 13th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Arusha</strong></p> <p>Happy Birthday Trace! Up at 6am, we hit the road at 7am. Trace took some Imodium (brilliant stuff!!, don’t leave home destined for Africa without it!), Mike also decided to have a dose as he felt he was coming down in sympathy with Trace. . . . .</p> <p>It was a bit of a long and bumpy ride to Arusha after crossing the boarder into Tanzania we arrived at the Snake Park campsite at 4pm. We went and saw the Snake Park, there were some huge snakes and crocodiles. In particular a very big python which had previously eaten a human and had photos of the human remains to prove it!! Unfortunately the glass of the cage was a big too dirty for a photo.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAKmIfsxPI/AAAAAAAABg0/QA48Frul0Vk/s1600-h/25Africa0023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 002" border="0" alt="25 Africa 002" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAKp5GvKBI/AAAAAAAABg4/jmkU1rdo0vA/25Africa002_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAKtebBFHI/AAAAAAAABg8/mcq4KbcGE8Y/s1600-h/25Africa0333.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 033" border="0" alt="25 Africa 033" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAKxyiTSaI/AAAAAAAABhA/Qxe5jjvokjE/25Africa033_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>That night we all had a few drinks and a birthday dinner and cake. Trace had to do a “Ma’s Revenge” which tasted terrible, it had tequila, Tabasco sauce, and some other highly toxic spirits in it! By the end of the night everyone had experienced this shot! Trace still had squirty bum but didn’t let this hold her back, she fought on with great kiwi spirit . . . . probably benefited the next day as the alcohol went straight through!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAK3P3jCUI/AAAAAAAABhE/biUbDjYFvtE/s1600-h/25Africa0543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 054" border="0" alt="25 Africa 054" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAK6M9YZGI/AAAAAAAABhI/oimW5c6TV7c/25Africa054_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAK-5jW0nI/AAAAAAAABhM/gJcG08l_F8Y/s1600-h/25Africa0673.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 067" border="0" alt="25 Africa 067" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALEMxnv7I/AAAAAAAABhQ/visOqqC3-ko/25Africa067_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALGWhSzMI/AAAAAAAABhU/9z5xnQpaL1Q/s1600-h/25Africa0773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 077" border="0" alt="25 Africa 077" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALIRLmyfI/AAAAAAAABhY/tfkzKhzqgUc/25Africa077_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALKAG4XgI/AAAAAAAABhc/wPhPzLJWwwE/s1600-h/25Africa0933.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 093" border="0" alt="25 Africa 093" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALM339wGI/AAAAAAAABhg/O0WAHbZ8n-g/25Africa093_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALP6e4AdI/AAAAAAAABhk/Pk7dQWIlYEE/s1600-h/25Africa1103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 110" border="0" alt="25 Africa 110" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALSZaKU5I/AAAAAAAABho/aMoUlWB4KfE/25Africa110_thumb1%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY – 14th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Serengeti </strong></p> <p>Today we jumped in four 4WD vehicles and began our drive out to Serengeti National Park, passing through Ngoragora Crater on the way. We stopped at a view point of the crater and some market shops. At one of the stops we were visited by this guy:</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 186" border="0" alt="25 Africa 186" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALT_qgNSI/AAAAAAAABhs/6YQXkuNT4JY/25Africa186_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p align="left">It’s one huge stalk! It sounded like a helicopter when it took off… It definitely wasn’t scared of us as it was chasing people around for their lunch! I think the wing span would be around 2m. Huge!</p> <p>We game drove to our campsite in the heart of Serengeti National Park, seeing three leopards (YA we have now ticked off the big five!).</p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALWOJ6eHI/AAAAAAAABhw/Y-1oJ3TjDkU/s1600-h/25Africa2463.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 246" border="0" alt="25 Africa 246" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALZyyn7VI/AAAAAAAABh0/PbUX6EWy67A/25Africa246_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We also saw giraffes crossing the road, this is one of Trace’s favourite animals.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 327" border="0" alt="25 Africa 327" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALbmyvj2I/AAAAAAAABh4/YLBfS0Pc0Ok/25Africa327_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p>The campsite has no fence around it and the bathrooms were about 100 metres away from the tents so no bathroom stops tonight, back out came the Imodium, we are telling you never leave home without it! That night we heard a few noises and were told the next morning it was lions, hyenas and buffalos wandering around eating by the tents. . . . . nothing like being right in the middle of nature!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY - ONE – 15th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Serengeti </strong></p> <p>Early start with breakfast at 6am, then in the 4WD for another game drive. Today we spotted a female lion, and it seemed like something was in the air as after that we saw fighting giraffes, fighting zebra and leopard kill, although it was a long way away, we saw the leopard’s tail waving, elephants charging and trumpeting – they were so close to the 4WD it was crazy.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALgwXwr0I/AAAAAAAABh8/v0D6XWBbiZ8/s1600-h/25Africa3933.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 393" border="0" alt="25 Africa 393" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALkc43VBI/AAAAAAAABiA/L7FwAZcKXxs/25Africa393_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALmo-EFaI/AAAAAAAABiE/G2VRhqxyMjI/s1600-h/25Africa4133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 413" border="0" alt="25 Africa 413" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALrH41l9I/AAAAAAAABiI/h5mkz225-po/25Africa413_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNALtqpuouI/AAAAAAAABiM/1vMXpd0yjqk/s1600-h/25Africa4213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 421" border="0" alt="25 Africa 421" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAL0twfhVI/AAAAAAAABiQ/FJa3n3ZxKxI/25Africa421_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAL4V8oukI/AAAAAAAABiU/4uLhNYFdYmM/s1600-h/25Africa4573.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 457" border="0" alt="25 Africa 457" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAL7yLbheI/AAAAAAAABiY/0f1ztYtCE-8/25Africa457_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAL_58rAMI/AAAAAAAABic/Lm4kYSJliiU/s1600-h/25Africa5343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 534" border="0" alt="25 Africa 534" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMDM-NplI/AAAAAAAABig/QgoUm9GR6M0/25Africa534_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMGjZAq1I/AAAAAAAABik/eJeso2GmjtQ/s1600-h/25Africa5773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 577" border="0" alt="25 Africa 577" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMKtRDZxI/AAAAAAAABio/zSll8NBMBIA/25Africa577_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMNoKtOKI/AAAAAAAABis/bq7DrSfG4jI/s1600-h/25Africa5953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 595" border="0" alt="25 Africa 595" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMRwwpFPI/AAAAAAAABiw/2K3QyETyTTo/25Africa595_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> As we headed back to the campsite a Hippo crossed the road in front of us, our driver had to brake otherwise we would have driven right into it!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMUn_rbNI/AAAAAAAABi0/jYtw_QxS2Bc/s1600-h/25Africa6044.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 604" border="0" alt="25 Africa 604" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMYbe6dmI/AAAAAAAABi4/XvDi6nHoirg/25Africa604_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMcLfswBI/AAAAAAAABi8/2cwTdtSlhf4/s1600-h/25Africa609Copy3.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 609 - Copy" border="0" alt="25 Africa 609 - Copy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMgkGE8QI/AAAAAAAABjA/jiyjGoK814U/25Africa609Copy_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMlTvk_1I/AAAAAAAABjE/5je1fqLyKXg/s1600-h/25Africa6153.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 615" border="0" alt="25 Africa 615" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMoFYAU-I/AAAAAAAABjI/GOQo7EPhkkc/25Africa615_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Quick photo at lunch time</p> <p>Once back at the campsite we packed up the tent and had some lunch. On our way out of the park we spotted a cloud of dust and animals running. We drove over as quickly as possible to witness the last minutes of cheetahs chasing an antelope. They didn’t quite manage to catch it but they were so exhausted they rested in the shade of a tree 5m from the road so we got some amazing photos of a mother and 3 younger cheetahs!!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMqxyo0uI/AAAAAAAABjM/ZBDf5bbwGVE/s1600-h/25Africa7563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 756" border="0" alt="25 Africa 756" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMtW4uc1I/AAAAAAAABjQ/KECe4LbSKIw/25Africa756_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMwhruLfI/AAAAAAAABjU/L3rkZ8xp1F8/s1600-h/25Africa7843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 784" border="0" alt="25 Africa 784" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAMzC0QcDI/AAAAAAAABjY/o--Xh5C7t5c/25Africa784_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAM1tTWthI/AAAAAAAABjc/3Hzs6LH3bC8/s1600-h/25Africa8133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 813" border="0" alt="25 Africa 813" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAM5UW77II/AAAAAAAABjk/0tJzNYvD_Ek/25Africa813_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAM713bI-I/AAAAAAAABjo/05WuoXzXJjc/s1600-h/25Africa8213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 821" border="0" alt="25 Africa 821" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAM-Lhv3AI/AAAAAAAABjs/HE7ZqDYgwHQ/25Africa821_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAM_nNVH6I/AAAAAAAABjw/MOLbxeh_3Y4/s1600-h/25Africa8293.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 829" border="0" alt="25 Africa 829" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANBTAlneI/AAAAAAAABj0/5cePuZggMfs/25Africa829_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We made it to “Simba” Campsite at 6pm. We were going to have a shower but as soon as Trace heard it was only cold water she was out, Mike still went for it though. It was a cold night, we were all rugged up with our beanies and track pants on.</p> <p>We had dinner which was cooked for us by our cooks which joined us just for this part of the trip. After dinner we sat around the camp fire and chatted.</p> <p>That night was shared with wort hogs munching grass outside our tent and every now and again the campsite dogs would chase them away.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-TWO – 16th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Ngorongoro Crater</strong></p> <p>Up at 6am and off for another game drive, this time in the crater itself. This started our slow with a few spots of Rhino about 500 metres away. Then all of a sudden Elle our driver got word on the radio that there were a pack of lions up the far end of the crater taking down a buffalo. We raced off at lightening speed over the bumpy tracks, holding on for dear life! Eventually we made it there but were so far away we need binoculars to see anything. Every now and again we got to see the leg of the buffalo up in the air while the lions feasted on it.</p> <p>After about half an hour of watching we headed off back into the crater. On our travels we passed two lionesses and a cub on some burnt out grass that were basking in the sun, some hippos swimming and a cute little baby one.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANDskXhAI/AAAAAAAABj4/v6MqnAIm1KY/s1600-h/25Africa9013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 901" border="0" alt="25 Africa 901" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANFwjSS-I/AAAAAAAABj8/szhrFGWSeCI/25Africa901_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>As we continued our drive we saw a gathering of 4 WDs, so we went to exploring wondering what all the fuss was about. To our amazement there sat two lions beside the a truck, taking a break in the shade. As the trucks move so others could get a closer view the lions would move too so they kept in the shade. Our guide told us to wind up the windows as we got nearer – That’s when you know you are close!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANIDnckBI/AAAAAAAABkA/_O1rtIMzvMA/s1600-h/25Africa9164.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 916" border="0" alt="25 Africa 916" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANMT3X7uI/AAAAAAAABkE/4mNN88VIs1I/25Africa916_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After that excitement we continued on our way and passed some Flamingos and Zebra, a highena eating some fresh kill. A Rhino was spotted in the far distance. This is the only one of the big 5 we haven’t managed to get close photo of . . . maybe next time . . . .</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANPIwZDkI/AAAAAAAABkI/EPG9dqeS3r8/s1600-h/25Africa8773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 877" border="0" alt="25 Africa 877" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANTuSEWrI/AAAAAAAABkM/vFLm6YOHINU/25Africa877_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANVU6y10I/AAAAAAAABkQ/8rTn52BbexA/s1600-h/25Africa10153.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 1015" border="0" alt="25 Africa 1015" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANY8_80DI/AAAAAAAABkU/KUYf3yPiKX4/25Africa1015_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>We made our way back to Simba campsite and packed up our tent and had lunch. As we had finished lunch and were heading back to the truck a huge elephant came up from the back of the campsite and feed on the food scraps which were left outside of the main building. Then after he was satisfied with that he came out from the side of the building and started drinking from the top of the water tank. This blew us all away, to have such a huge animals within metres of us without any protection was crazy!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANcYH33CI/AAAAAAAABkY/JMhyt0FdYiQ/s1600-h/25Africa11263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 1126" border="0" alt="25 Africa 1126" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANeyXFM9I/AAAAAAAABkc/xLPWlvmA4sI/25Africa1126_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Back in the 4WD and off to Arusha. We arrived back at about 4pm and had a nice cold shower (it was so hot!) it was so nice to get all the dust off ourselves. Everything we own is now dusty and dirty!!</p> <p>Trace still had stomach cramps and was not feeling well, Mike was a bit better. We had roast chicken and chocolate pudding for dinner – yummy!!</p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-THREE – 17th October 2010</strong></p> <p>Up at 7am, we went on a Masai village walk. This started with a museum which displayed there houses and items they use for day to day living. Their diet consists of meat, blood and milk – could you imagine it? It seems to work for them as the oldest man in there village is 98!!</p> <p>Then we walked to the Masai village which consisted of several houses made of mud. Some of the local boys did a dance for us, it was very interesting.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 018" border="0" alt="25 Africa 018" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANiF1oMkI/AAAAAAAABkg/Ru7xzUXTnLs/25Africa018_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 023" border="0" alt="25 Africa 023" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANk9RfPAI/AAAAAAAABkk/HvJ7ng7-grY/25Africa023_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>We boarded the truck at 10.30am and stopped at the heritage centre for the girls to go Tanzanite shopping (how fun!). Trace got a 1 carrot tanzanite stone which is so pretty, and no people its not on the left finger (yet!)</p> <p>After everyone had spent a small fortune we hopped back on the bus and headed for ??? campsite. This was positioned right on the river . . . . We were told to keep away from the water as there are plenty of crocodiles in there. . . .Just great, Trace thought. Mike accompanied Trace to the bathroom several times that night, she wasn’t going anywhere by herself!!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANnVFUSrI/AAAAAAAABko/iczrS5FZr-8/s1600-h/25Africa0303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 030" border="0" alt="25 Africa 030" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANpnY65VI/AAAAAAAABks/38jQxieRmCE/25Africa030_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-FOUR – 18th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Da Salam</strong></p> <p>Up at 6am (again!) and on our way to Da Salam. Trace spent the journey on the mattresses down the back of the truck as she was still not feeling well but is now on antibiotics so things should start getting better now!</p> <p>It took us 5 hours to get to our lunch stop, buffet meal in a local village.</p> <p>Back on the truck for another two hours, we finally arrived at Sunrise Beach camp at 5ish after catching a vehicle and person ferry across on the river which took about 5 minutes, why not build a bridge? . . . Apparently Africa doesn’t do bridges!</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 243" border="0" alt="25 Africa 243" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANsjEKeEI/AAAAAAAABkw/qUbm-IedjqY/25Africa243_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>Everyone squashed onto the ferry… It only had to transport us maybe 100m. We saw one guy miss it and just decide to swim instead!<strong> </strong></p> <p>The campsite was beautiful and right on the beach – an amazing spot! We all went straight for a swim and the water temperature was really warm. That night we packed our bags for Zanzibar as the truck stayed at this campsite while we caught the ferry over. We were all getting very excited about being on the beach! We also updated our blog page to let everyone know we are still alive, although Trace a little bit worse for wear!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANu-wFCLI/AAAAAAAABk0/GaiNeD_L9TM/s1600-h/25Africa2473.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 247" border="0" alt="25 Africa 247" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNANxiwCxrI/AAAAAAAABk4/-4e2qqsBOAk/25Africa247_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-FIVE – 19th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Zanzibar – Stone Town</strong></p> <p>Wake up call at 4.45am (we have come to know early mornings like nothing else on this trip!). Trace misplaced the keys to the locker for a while which added a bit of stress to the packing and getting ready. She finally found them inside her sleeping bag!</p> <p>We boarded the 6am ferry back to Da Salam mainland then at 7.15am we boarded the ferry to Zanzibar – bring on the beach! We arrived in Stone Town at 10am after a 2 hour ferry ride, which was relatively smooth.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 090" border="0" alt="25 Africa 090" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAN0RX8MCI/AAAAAAAABk8/x5DndebuHGc/25Africa090_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p>That afternoon it was free time to do as we please. We set off for the shops and bought five paintings and a few t-shirts for Mike. Our bargaining got better as we went, Mike has even begun to enjoy it!</p> <p>We took a break at midday and had some yummy Indian for lunch, then it was back out for a bit more shopping.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAN2ej2wrI/AAAAAAAABlA/3B_iYPdPRe8/s1600-h/25Africa0463.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 046" border="0" alt="25 Africa 046" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAN5pWTGcI/AAAAAAAABlE/X2WTp3-wGT0/25Africa046_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Mike playing checkers against the local pro. Mike always close but never really in it! They play some interesting rules over here though. </p> <p>That evening we went to Africa House Bar to watch the sunset with a cocktail and the rest of the group. Then we all went to the night fish market. This was crazy, lots of stalls were set up with kebabs of different seafood and all the pushy sales men targeted us. We tried snapper, lobster and white shark – they were all really fresh (you did have to be a little picky with your selection) and tasted good. </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAN9mGvOcI/AAAAAAAABlI/tkvgd7tPmrs/s1600-h/25Africa0523.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 052" border="0" alt="25 Africa 052" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOBjDZYiI/AAAAAAAABlM/Xjp49DMeX3I/25Africa052_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOEFziCnI/AAAAAAAABlQ/IaKtx7f0bv8/s1600-h/25Africa0563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 056" border="0" alt="25 Africa 056" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOHPn4esI/AAAAAAAABlU/mLiOSi-42YQ/25Africa056_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOJ_GunfI/AAAAAAAABlY/0JRwT31mRs8/s1600-h/25Africa0603.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 060" border="0" alt="25 Africa 060" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAON17b2lI/AAAAAAAABlc/O4bHOJWrZ0Y/25Africa060_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOQEF5VXI/AAAAAAAABlg/0-zxEusrXvQ/s1600-h/25Africa0693.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 069" border="0" alt="25 Africa 069" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOUWetxHI/AAAAAAAABlk/f7ndbOexypM/25Africa069_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We then headed back to out hotel, Karibu Inn (this means welcome) for some sleep. At 4am Trace woke to bits on her arms and legs, we think it was an ant but he was never found and the bed was drenched in deet! </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-SIX – 20th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Zanzibar – Sunset Beach</strong></p> <p>Up for hotel cooked breakfast, yes eggs were on the menu – again! We have never eaten so many eggs in our life!</p> <p>We had time to do a little bit more shopping before we caught a bus to the beach which took us about an hour and half to arrive. This little spot was paradise, heaven on earth, it blew us away. Crystal clear water, pure white sand . . . . </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAObEVldfI/AAAAAAAABlo/2t0q-5WlIuk/s1600-h/25Africa1213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 121" border="0" alt="25 Africa 121" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOd1HzjMI/AAAAAAAABls/TC6CMhQzkh0/25Africa121_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOg1GSzqI/AAAAAAAABlw/FyC5XHag1y0/s1600-h/25Africa1273.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 127" border="0" alt="25 Africa 127" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOiki7XQI/AAAAAAAABl0/nUrwtk_PZnk/25Africa127_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOlBeRxxI/AAAAAAAABl4/xEqDP10w4AU/s1600-h/25Africa1303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 130" border="0" alt="25 Africa 130" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOplqnvoI/AAAAAAAABl8/K1W0IlOji0I/25Africa130_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We checked into our hotel, it has the most amasing bed! After a tent and mattress a good bed is bliss!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOsokZCgI/AAAAAAAABmA/5tWYmxPrlMI/s1600-h/25Africa0953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 095" border="0" alt="25 Africa 095" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAOxACaSZI/AAAAAAAABmE/mqvACVGhMuc/25Africa095_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAO0M5njcI/AAAAAAAABmI/v86J6G2vIwg/s1600-h/25Africa1453.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 145" border="0" alt="25 Africa 145" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAO2UpuFCI/AAAAAAAABmM/plEwfGHiBCc/25Africa145_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAO4AOF3BI/AAAAAAAABmQ/DhOaZSdqJNg/s1600-h/25Africa1993.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 199" border="0" alt="25 Africa 199" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAO9VRKviI/AAAAAAAABmU/xYev8fIr0Iw/25Africa199_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We spent the afternoon swimming, reading and sunbathing. Trace got her hair braided which took about two hours with three people working on it for the last hour. Everyone is now mistaking her for Alesha Keys! </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 110" border="0" alt="25 Africa 110" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAO_NNQVpI/AAAAAAAABmY/srXDzezrswo/25Africa110_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-SEVEN – 21st October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Zanzibar – Sunset Beach</strong></p> <p>We slept in a little then took a long stroll on the beach. It was so beautiful, a lot of the locals were out fishing with spears and nets. That afternoon we organised with Jess and Steve (Aussie couple) and Ang (Canadian) to go game fishing. We set off at 1.30pm with a chilli bin of beers hoping for some big fish. After a bit of debate it was decided Mike would take the first catch. An hour in we had action . . . Mike grabbed the rod and began to reel, after about 15 minutes we had a dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi as we call it in NZ) in the boat. It weighted about 8kg and was about a metre long, here is the proof . . . .</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPBkH4OSI/AAAAAAAABmc/73BCmEqvqzM/s1600-h/25Africa1727.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 172" border="0" alt="25 Africa 172" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPDpgyNWI/AAAAAAAABmg/iv_Xe2cYi08/25Africa172_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPFQ83GBI/AAAAAAAABmk/5GAuZmTaPwc/s1600-h/25Africa2147.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 214" border="0" alt="25 Africa 214" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPIMYAQRI/AAAAAAAABmo/JVkCa65xGhs/25Africa214_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPK0HwZfI/AAAAAAAABms/cJXR86AVwFg/s1600-h/25Africa1823.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 182" border="0" alt="25 Africa 182" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPM2AudOI/AAAAAAAABmw/BRgSre2Oh24/25Africa182_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> It changed colour once it was out of the water!</p> <p>For the next four and a half hours we sat and waited . . . . and waited up and down up and down. The swells were quite big and Trace was thankful Jess had given her a sea sick tablet! We caught nothing for the rest of the trip which was a bit disappointing but we all had a good day out on the water and saw a group of huge yellow fin tuna jumping and one massive sail fish jumping too.</p> <p>We took our catch to the restaurant at the resort and they cooked it for us for dinner, it was delicious!!</p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-EIGHT – 22nd October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Da Salam</strong></p> <p>Trace woke and went for a stroll on the beach before breakfast it was so beautiful. We had breaky then caught the bus and ferry back over to Da Salam. Trace spent the entire journey outside at the back of the boat – it was a rough ride!</p> <p>Once we had arrived back at camp we went for a swim and did some blog updates. That evening there was a full moon and a clear sky!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPOmq97QI/AAAAAAAABm0/gyHl6z611OQ/s1600-h/25Africa2513.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 251" border="0" alt="25 Africa 251" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPTKdSrXI/AAAAAAAABm4/ES2HurIxfPk/25Africa251_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPVW8OMoI/AAAAAAAABm8/LQPOM9ZnSJQ/s1600-h/25Africa2493.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 249" border="0" alt="25 Africa 249" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TNAPXRMnczI/AAAAAAAABnA/GzuwYw96vtQ/25Africa249_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWENTY-NINE – 23rd October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Farmhouse Camp</strong></p> <p>4.30am wake up! On the road at 6am. Today was another fun day in the truck!! We got to farmhouse camp at 6.30pm – 12 hours in the cattle truck!! We had an amazing dinner provided by the campsite in a 100 year old mud house over candle light, it has great ambience. </p> <p>The hot showers were amazing – almost the best we have had on this trip. There was no electricity here so they used a fired to heat the water.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-4932498287516400312010-10-27T02:15:00.001-07:002010-10-27T02:15:19.031-07:00Kenya – Take Two<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY THIRTEEN – 7th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Eldoret</strong></p> <p>Another early start! Up at 6.30am and on the road at 8 after getting some local chapatties for our packed lunch. Crossing the boarder was an easy task again. We arrived in Eldoret at about 4ish. It was another long day of driving! On the positive side we both haven’t read so many books in our lives!!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FOURTEEN – 8th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nairobi</strong></p> <p>Up again at 6.30am (this is no holiday!) and on our way to Nairobi. It was a long day in the bus. We arrived at Nairobi campsite at about 4pm. That night a group of us went to Carnivores restaurant (its just like Wildfire in Auckland and is one of the top 50 restaurants in the world). We got to try crocodile, and Ostrage, they were both really nice. Everyone ate far to much meat that night!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnIU2Ec3I/AAAAAAAABdI/HRcDQToiwTg/s1600-h/25Africa0033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 003" border="0" alt="25 Africa 003" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnTZEf6PI/AAAAAAAABdM/aB30lqvTk7Y/25Africa003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnYqbqtkI/AAAAAAAABdQ/jWsiYoY2EpY/s1600-h/25Africa0103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 010" border="0" alt="25 Africa 010" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfneQADF8I/AAAAAAAABdU/g5bqvD3IwD4/25Africa010_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Mike getting some Turkey</p> <p><strong>DAY FIFTEEN – 9th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nairobi</strong></p> <p>We slept in this morning (although a sleep in for us is now about 8am!). Later that morning we ventured out with a few of the group to the Elephant Orphanage. They had two groups of about 15 baby elephants ranging from 3 months to 3 years old. They were so cute, Trace wanted to take one home!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnjM3ep9I/AAAAAAAABdY/bQsJt8XZE54/s1600-h/25Africa0253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 025" border="0" alt="25 Africa 025" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnoWYb9WI/AAAAAAAABdc/SHm8yV2svAA/25Africa025_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnuxSYQ_I/AAAAAAAABdg/nua4vvX8x00/s1600-h/25Africa0464.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 046" border="0" alt="25 Africa 046" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfnzwrPixI/AAAAAAAABdk/Qmtrhy3OyRI/25Africa046_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfn5JUUxRI/AAAAAAAABdo/GQFlx7Pm08U/s1600-h/25Africa0803.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 080" border="0" alt="25 Africa 080" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfn-MTMn9I/AAAAAAAABds/MnwWMHULwLU/25Africa080_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We then caught a taxi into Nairobi town which took us about 45 minutes (traffic is far worst than Auckland, believe it or not!). We were in search of a water proof casing for our camera for our beach stop at Zanzibar. We asked a few shops and they just laughed at us, there was no way we were going to get anything like this in Nairobi.</p> <p>It took us an hour to get back to camp in the taxi. Traffic was horrendous and it also didn’t help that the taxis in Nairobi run on near close to empty (it is said they do this because they don’t know when there next fare will be and also it the car is high jacked they haven't lost a lot in fuel. . . . .) The taxi driver pulled into the petrol station, we thought great he is going to fill up, but for some reason or another out we pulled with no more petrol in our tank. We stalled going out of the petrol station and struggled up the hill, we really thought we were not going to make it back to the camp! Eventually after a slow and bumpy ride we made it.</p> <p>That night we order pizza for dinner, African’s know how to cook pizza!!</p> <p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY SIXTEEN – 10th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Masa Mara – Knolong Camp</strong></p> <p>We were up at 7am and on our way to Masi Mara. Firstly we stopped to pick up another 12 people who were joining our tour. We then got onto three mini vans and drove 3 1/2 hours. The first hours drive was great, the road was smooth and the van didn’t sway or bump around as much as the truck. However our luck soon ran our and we were on the bumpiest, pot holey roads!! They were so bad in fact that the driver spent more time driving on the dirt beside the road than on the road itself! </p> <p>We arrived at Knolong Camp at 2pm and had a cooked lunch. This campsite is a permanently pitched tented camp so there was no putting up tents for us – luxury! We even got our own en-suite tented toilet and shower – paradise! </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 646" border="0" alt="25 Africa 646" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoDHLbilI/AAAAAAAABdw/03q3ITqIiFI/25Africa646_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>After chilling in our tents for a few hours we then departed on a game drive. It was raining so we thought the animals would not be out and about but to our delight they were. We travelled the park in van which wasn’t 4WD but they had pop top roofs, we prayed we wouldn’t get stuck! After a bit of a journey we saw ahead a circus of white van, they were all gathering around a lion. </p> <p>We were told that it was a $10,000 shilling fine if you drove off the tracks in the park, but this didn’t seem to deter the drivers, they surround the lion in every which angle. We felt a bit like we were in a outdoor zoo, it wasn’t a good feeling but on the positive we did get some amasing shots. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoKVju9YI/AAAAAAAABd0/k2WzLVTDfKg/s1600-h/25Africa0251.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 025" border="0" alt="25 Africa 025" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoSU42P5I/AAAAAAAABd4/fo1W0gxH0gk/25Africa025_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Our first lion - he was absolutely spectacular! </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoYcVYfSI/AAAAAAAABd8/wGKiBtPDbXg/s1600-h/25Africa030.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 030" border="0" alt="25 Africa 030" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoglUAdfI/AAAAAAAABeA/UUHVlMamWjE/25Africa030_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfol7GPqYI/AAAAAAAABeE/fjONH2lSLU8/s1600-h/25Africa0711.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 071" border="0" alt="25 Africa 071" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfosSrecRI/AAAAAAAABeI/3T6QT5D2B5o/25Africa071_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfoyXqeQyI/AAAAAAAABeM/E5Phx0Ba8mM/s1600-h/25Africa1431.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 143" border="0" alt="25 Africa 143" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfo3K2dTwI/AAAAAAAABeQ/AKXDqUWGZi8/25Africa143_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We arrived back at the camp at 7pm for dinner. That night we slept well in a bed rather than on a mattress on the floor.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfo90ZhcQI/AAAAAAAABeY/-rl8RwuxCwQ/s1600-h/25Africa1653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 165" border="0" alt="25 Africa 165" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpEkAMfaI/AAAAAAAABec/1fB04bx7s20/25Africa165_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Two of the cubs play fighting</p> <p><strong>DAY SEVENTEEN – 11th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Masi Mara – Knolong Camp</strong></p> <p>Wake up call at 6.30am and off for our first early morning game drive in Masi Mara National Park which is 1086 square kilometres. We saw buffalo, antelope, a sleeping lion, two stunning lions under a tree, elephants, giraffes, vultures and hundreds of thousands of wilderbeast.</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpJTBFK0I/AAAAAAAABek/xeWCad9M9Dk/s1600-h/25Africa0083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 008" border="0" alt="25 Africa 008" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpOFvIQbI/AAAAAAAABeo/8j4Pzuq-oXo/25Africa008_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> One of the many different types of antelope, it’s hard to remember all the different names.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpTkY--GI/AAAAAAAABes/r7ANBJmMSeI/s1600-h/25Africa2183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 218" border="0" alt="25 Africa 218" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpYYa_7OI/AAAAAAAABew/vronJcGT1Kc/25Africa218_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">A vulture preparing for takeoff<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpfganmBI/AAAAAAAABe0/2dihQ4scWXw/s1600-h/25Africa2274.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 227" border="0" alt="25 Africa 227" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpoudVAaI/AAAAAAAABe4/uAyX81KCSWg/25Africa227_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">These skeleton's are everywhere, the lions aren’t going hungry around here!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfpzNyXmHI/AAAAAAAABe8/dbouBAJymBA/s1600-h/25Africa3353.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 335" border="0" alt="25 Africa 335" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfp7HJm26I/AAAAAAAABfA/joEp_KiFisQ/25Africa335_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfqBt5xy5I/AAAAAAAABfE/_6lZtLfWMzY/s1600-h/25Africa3653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 365" border="0" alt="25 Africa 365" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfqQSoUoQI/AAAAAAAABfI/SkcsfgpdW20/25Africa365_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfqbu2d35I/AAAAAAAABfM/5dn0JjLmGpc/s1600-h/25Africa3733.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 373" border="0" alt="25 Africa 373" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfqh0M6LAI/AAAAAAAABfQ/TYTgMz0qRZ0/25Africa373_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfqnhUWHnI/AAAAAAAABfU/f9b4KblUFz8/s1600-h/25Africa3843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 384" border="0" alt="25 Africa 384" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfq3sJuXaI/AAAAAAAABfY/3vavTlrUEFk/25Africa384_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">These two lions were sitting together under a tree, our guide thought that this injury would be from a fight over female lions! <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfrBhueTqI/AAAAAAAABfc/HAFJCN2h2WY/s1600-h/25Africa3993.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 399" border="0" alt="25 Africa 399" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfrKWDOiyI/AAAAAAAABfg/mV_NwZJZSIs/25Africa399_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfrQ22KXZI/AAAAAAAABfk/mwEqrwHw9EI/s1600-h/25Africa4083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 408" border="0" alt="25 Africa 408" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfriF_vfKI/AAAAAAAABfo/nIiKUiOLgEk/25Africa408_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfrnYOqUYI/AAAAAAAABfs/GDw12aV61Co/s1600-h/25Africa4383.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 438" border="0" alt="25 Africa 438" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfrtOIVr7I/AAAAAAAABfw/6I6A-MIVDH0/25Africa438_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfryuY1iCI/AAAAAAAABf0/98M1piNvxqw/s1600-h/25Africa4963.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 496" border="0" alt="25 Africa 496" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfr6GCW7QI/AAAAAAAABf4/VPpaaKCL-QE/25Africa496_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsG_h5E8I/AAAAAAAABf8/2tZHuFBioOY/s1600-h/25Africa5773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 577" border="0" alt="25 Africa 577" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsLwyPV2I/AAAAAAAABgA/nG05NUitNeM/25Africa577_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsUXL-mxI/AAAAAAAABgE/E2O8WtnAPMg/s1600-h/25Africa6033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 603" border="0" alt="25 Africa 603" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsZYnYFwI/AAAAAAAABgI/AhzPSb6DWg4/25Africa603_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsdJvD1cI/AAAAAAAABgM/VJzfpCtRjQo/s1600-h/25Africa3183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 318" border="0" alt="25 Africa 318" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsjmFN-_I/AAAAAAAABgQ/OyONjCHYbdE/25Africa318_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsqCrYdHI/AAAAAAAABgU/E1DMa3ydW7c/s1600-h/25Africa6283.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 628" border="0" alt="25 Africa 628" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfsxz7OgDI/AAAAAAAABgY/OwiAlZRhOGw/25Africa628_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfs5vLvOPI/AAAAAAAABgc/IUJtBgb0Bvg/s1600-h/25Africa2933.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 293" border="0" alt="25 Africa 293" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMftAZDrbgI/AAAAAAAABgg/YOaowsTFQP8/25Africa293_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMftIJprZhI/AAAAAAAABgk/1tO9o3h3KbA/s1600-h/25Africa0163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 016" border="0" alt="25 Africa 016" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMftSax_RPI/AAAAAAAABgo/6lC-C72gko4/25Africa016_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We have almost crossed off the big 5 now Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, and Elephant . . . just a leopard to go, maybe tomorrow . . . .</p> <p>We had a picnic lunch just up from the river after spotting crocodiles and hippos. The boys played a bit of frezbie, keeping a close eye out for lions. Back in the van we drove back to camp. On the way we had to wait to elephants to cross the road. It was an amasing day out in the park.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 470" border="0" alt="25 Africa 470" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMftYy7moHI/AAAAAAAABgs/az4t9CXG_z4/25Africa470_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>That night there was a huge thunder and lightening storm! We chatted to the new people who had joined the tour – ya 3 more kiwis! And its such a small world, one of them knows Prue Hawkes.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 006" border="0" alt="25 Africa 006" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMftkxtrlFI/AAAAAAAABgw/mVOXqQRtaxM/25Africa006_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">When it rains… It really rains!</p> <p><strong>DAY EIGHTEEN – 12th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nairobi</strong></p> <p>Up AGAIN at 6am and in the van for another game drive, this time we are hoping to see a Leopard. Nothing much came of this early morning game drive which was a bit disappointing. Back to camp for breaky then we hit the road for 3 hours, stopping at a little local restaurant for lunch. Back on the road for what was meant to be an hour! Our van radiator was playing up. We stopped twice going up this hill to fill up with water. Our 2nd stop the guy put some glue or something in it, it did the tick! We made it back to Nairobi for a supermarket stop to pick up some essential supplies of alcohol for Trace’s birthday.</p> <p>Dinner at the campsite, yummy coconut curry chicken.</p> <p>It was then that Trace began to develop stomach cramps which turned into squirty bum – what a great presents – thanks Africa! She thought the best way to get what was in the system out was to drink as much water as possible, that evening about 4 litres of water was consumed. This didn’t have the desired effect and Trace was back and forth to the bathroom all night. . . . . what a way to start her 26th Year!</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-65883059472405107532010-10-27T01:45:00.001-07:002010-10-27T01:45:17.013-07:00Uganda<p> </p> <p><strong>DAY FOUR – 28th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Jinja – River Nile Camp</strong></p> <p>We woke at 7.30am and staggered out of our tent, we were blown away by the view we had. An absolutely stunning view of the Nile.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGg_E_QiqI/AAAAAAAABWM/JKP9T8C_ir4/s1600-h/25Africa3603.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 360" border="0" alt="25 Africa 360" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGhJ6VLMvI/AAAAAAAABWQ/3XvKhSR2w1c/25Africa360_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Mike got ready to go rafting. Trace decided this was not her thing so stayed behind with about 6 others from the group. She spent the day taking a trip into the Jinga Village (A shitty little town, as told by our guide Marike, Trace can now confirm she is correct). In the afternoon Trace went and saw Bujagali<strong> </strong>falls and relaxed at the campsite.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGhbcicM5I/AAAAAAAABWU/O2gNiHx1wIA/s1600-h/25Africa3683.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 368" border="0" alt="25 Africa 368" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGhvzpGgmI/AAAAAAAABWY/cQSVrFBme1w/25Africa368_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGiGF1sOnI/AAAAAAAABWc/MMLQTe8Nv0k/s1600-h/25Africa3723.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 372" border="0" alt="25 Africa 372" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGiTrxvFGI/AAAAAAAABWg/0DtmOdlmq9A/25Africa372_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Mike returned at 5ish and told the story of his day – he absolutely loved it!! Huge whitewater rapids with lots of grade 5s… A couple of grade 6s that we had to skip as they’re apparently only for professionals. Everyone got wet and the boat was flipped plenty of times!</p> <p>The rest of the night was spent enjoying “Nile Specials”. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGinKsBGqI/AAAAAAAABWk/wJRrlAGlA0c/s1600-h/25Africa3653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 365" border="0" alt="25 Africa 365" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGi_RH0TuI/AAAAAAAABWo/NYcyeDOk7vU/25Africa365_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">The view from the outdoor showers . . . . pretty amasing!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMGqjPo8IPI/AAAAAAAABWw/a_cP487Xcz4/s1600-h/25Africa3663.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 366" border="0" alt="25 Africa 366" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHPjIx-FWI/AAAAAAAABW8/-_CRYguCWkY/25Africa366_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Our campsite</p> <p><strong>DAY FIVE – 29th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Jinja – River Nile Camp</strong></p> <p>This morning we were up at 7.30am, then breakfast and off to visit an African Kinder garden then school with Soft Powder, which is an organisation that organises funding and maintenance for the schools.</p> <p align="center">The children were so happy and came running up to us and climbed all over us. It was like being bombarded with over excited children at Christmas. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHP0eqIcXI/AAAAAAAABXA/uCqEKqavogA/s1600-h/25Africa0123.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 012" border="0" alt="25 Africa 012" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHP3XoBnAI/AAAAAAAABXE/t7MsIN6tfAc/25Africa012_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQCPq1rKI/AAAAAAAABXI/1wM3ts_rrw4/s1600-h/25Africa0183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 018" border="0" alt="25 Africa 018" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQHywooJI/AAAAAAAABXM/7WNQU5JmklM/25Africa018_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQQaNf3fI/AAAAAAAABXQ/jS-RUO1vNns/s1600-h/25Africa0363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 036" border="0" alt="25 Africa 036" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQWgRUQiI/AAAAAAAABXU/HlUwoliVyfQ/25Africa036_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> They couldn’t get enough of Mike</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQnGtadTI/AAAAAAAABXY/ZLSMvbXb-P8/s1600-h/25Africa0493.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 049" border="0" alt="25 Africa 049" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQtiQJnXI/AAAAAAAABXc/sxrlaqNuxDk/25Africa049_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> This little girl took a shine to Trace, in particular her shoes – she licked them!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQxRDvc9I/AAAAAAAABXg/oyFsRGPksCk/s1600-h/25Africa0623.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 062" border="0" alt="25 Africa 062" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQ1_eAEtI/AAAAAAAABXk/hFPEGeGc6rs/25Africa062_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Mike playing soccer with some of the locals</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHQ_PCYN5I/AAAAAAAABXo/Osogv3_-jjI/s1600-h/25Africa0753.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 075" border="0" alt="25 Africa 075" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHRJT6-8aI/AAAAAAAABXs/zJLIJCFtl2Q/25Africa075_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Our transport to the next school. </p> <p>We did some painting of a school room, there was no prep work done before we were given our rollers and paint brushes. We were told to just paint over spiders and posters. This was not our style. We stayed and had lunch at the school. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHRaeOn_gI/AAAAAAAABXw/olQWqSQ5pFA/s1600-h/25Africa0863.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 086" border="0" alt="25 Africa 086" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHRfzI0fCI/AAAAAAAABX0/vx1fAyxMQQA/25Africa086_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHRkDIUd5I/AAAAAAAABX4/VbJAErhDUGs/s1600-h/25Africa0933.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 093" border="0" alt="25 Africa 093" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHYKmiIz2I/AAAAAAAABYU/f0cDU8Jhu9w/25Africa093_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Trace’s favourite photo!</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHYjI1pdcI/AAAAAAAABYY/koShB7zQFJo/s1600-h/25Africa1083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 108" border="0" alt="25 Africa 108" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHYsyuAucI/AAAAAAAABYc/oWcVAmsDeHk/25Africa108_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Those are Trace’s glasses!</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHY58OiSfI/AAAAAAAABYg/dC6mSjPCrhg/s1600-h/25Africa1253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 125" border="0" alt="25 Africa 125" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMHZGPsg9vI/AAAAAAAABYk/HFDvMP7HDyo/25Africa125_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMffmHKVZ9I/AAAAAAAABYo/fztqN3KXVSs/s1600-h/image4.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMff00cikbI/AAAAAAAABYs/pf_xY4B2maM/image_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" width="504" height="253"></a>These signs were all over the play ground </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMff53Gij-I/AAAAAAAABYw/JvI6eL4R-LI/s1600-h/25Africa1283.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 128" border="0" alt="25 Africa 128" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMff_uVdxAI/AAAAAAAABY0/9zknHeubnLk/25Africa128_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a>The school role – its a huge role for the space</p> <p>The afternoon was spent showering, relaxing and drinking more Nile Specials. We went out for dinner just outside the campsite for a local meal which consisted of pumpkin soup, rice, beans, vegetables and beef curry with fresh fruit salad to finish. The restaurant was set up in an old shanty hut. It cost about $3 US per person- cheap as chips!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgD05hSYI/AAAAAAAABY4/TuUNjp34JPU/s1600-h/25Africa0033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 003" border="0" alt="25 Africa 003" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgOa71ACI/AAAAAAAABY8/DlNJbsRn3xk/25Africa003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view at night from our campsite of the Nile</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><strong>DAY SIX – 30th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kampala – Red Chilli Hideaway Camp</strong></p> <p>A sleep in this morning, we left the campsite at about 10am and headed for Kampala. On our way we stopped at the supermarket and got some water (5L for $1 US – bargin!).</p> <p>We stayed at Red Chilli Hideaway Camp which was a nice camp but had no view. Alison, an Aussie girl in our group made vegetable lasagne which was divine with garlic bread and fresh fruit salad for desert. So good in fact that Mike and a few of the other guys thought it must have had meat in it.</p> <p>During this trip the group is divided into 5 groups and we are allocated jobs each day. Mike, Sean and Jess were lucky enough to be on truck cleaning duty. The truck was so dirty this night from all our muddy footprints as it had been raining. They set to the task without a mop . . . only a window cleaner and as we have heard a window cleaner on a checker plate floor doesn’t work!! They ended up with a pile of water down one end of the bus as it was parked on an angle (the wrong angle according to the engineer, Mike) if only it had been slanting towards the door! The team spend at least two hours trying to clean the bus, the results were pretty average.</p> <p>Mike and a few of the other boys had a few too many Nile Specials that night. . . . . And woke up a little under the weather with the 4:30am start!</p> <p><strong>DAY SEVEN – 1st October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Bunyoni</strong> </p> <p>Up at 4.30am – well Mike said he had set the alarm for them but in his boozed state this didn’t happen. Trace woke at 5am in shock and it was all go to pack up the tent, make lunch and have breakfast ready to depart at 6am! We stopped at the equator on our way to Bunyoni Lake. A young man demonstrated how the water spins in different directions depending on what side of the equator you are standing on. Right on the equator the water didn’t spin at all. This was fascinating! He also said it is believed that you are 3% lighter!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgUfYTJoI/AAAAAAAABZA/ScxyXf5WktY/s1600-h/25Africa1323.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 132" border="0" alt="25 Africa 132" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgc435ZSI/AAAAAAAABZE/g2a76L3iOyg/25Africa132_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After a total of 10 hours in the truck with a couple of stops we finally made it to the Bunyoni Lake camp. And to our excitement there is a flushing toilet and hot shower!! Its the simple things in life that keep you happy!! This camp is right beside the 2nd deepest lake in Africa at 900 metres. A few of the group went swimming, we decided to play it safe although Marika did say there were no bugs in there . . . . .</p> <p>We had a yummy dinner cooked by Claire, an English girl, looks like Trace and Mike may have to step up to the cooking at some stage with a NZ special . . . . . Not sure what yet. We all had an early night after talking about cyclone kits and how drinking is banned when there is a cyclone alert as they had too many people getting wasted waiting for the cyclone to arrive – typical Aussies.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgiHBfjaI/AAAAAAAABZI/Lsa-_lvACzo/s1600-h/25Africa1413.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 141" border="0" alt="25 Africa 141" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfgnD1AQVI/AAAAAAAABZM/a5f-6GQ_vGE/25Africa141_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfguxCBTGI/AAAAAAAABZQ/euzApkozauc/s1600-h/25Africa1423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 142" border="0" alt="25 Africa 142" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfg0Nqgk7I/AAAAAAAABZU/jrB3WgjBaWU/25Africa142_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfg42IIakI/AAAAAAAABZY/dX61JR09km8/s1600-h/25Africa1593.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 159" border="0" alt="25 Africa 159" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfg-KdIbJI/AAAAAAAABZc/oHLtIU6Cwng/25Africa159_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhCC2up_I/AAAAAAAABZk/h7_m9bPq6Eo/s1600-h/25Africa1613.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 161" border="0" alt="25 Africa 161" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhJsq0oHI/AAAAAAAABZo/HZxqf_fa9LA/25Africa161_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhPVM-0rI/AAAAAAAABZs/jLuQ2ABhhX4/s1600-h/25Africa1703.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 170" border="0" alt="25 Africa 170" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhTdHDwqI/AAAAAAAABZw/YTgCXJMq--8/25Africa170_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p><strong>DAY EIGHT – 2nd October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nkuringo</strong></p> <p>Sleep in! We spent the morning charging batteries as the next 3 nights there is no power!</p> <p>After 3 1/2 hours drive on an extremely bumpy road in a mini van, we eventually reached the camp. Trace had a light pink top on at the start of the trip, by the end it was a different colour, more a light brown! The road was so dusty and it didn’t help that our driver kept right on the tail of our other mini van which the rest of the group was in.</p> <p>Nkuringo is a beautiful campsite above the mountains, no power, you feel like you are away from everything. We lucked in on the showers in the campsite, they boil the water on a fire then mix it to the exact temperature and a couple of guys run back and forward with buckets to keep it going! However, we lucked out on the toilets, it was a long drop and you have to hold you breath one step up from a hole in a ground though! </p> <p>The children and a few of the adults who live around this area put on a performance for us. They were so fill of energy and have such great rhythm, even the little 3 and 4 year olds! The camp caters for all meals, we were served pumpkin soup, fresh bread roll, spaghetti bolognaise and a roast banana and honey for dinner. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhYs-SODI/AAAAAAAABZ0/5r-EzIociKs/s1600-h/25Africa0053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 005" border="0" alt="25 Africa 005" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhf77jNlI/AAAAAAAABZ4/7jajbnxsdYU/25Africa005_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a>The local boys playing the drums at the show they put on for us <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhn0-8IwI/AAAAAAAABZ8/Vtiyvw1edBc/s1600-h/25Africa0643.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 064" border="0" alt="25 Africa 064" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfhyRb1KzI/AAAAAAAABaA/-G07geyzois/25Africa064_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> All the children dancing, they had so much energy<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfh50vwddI/AAAAAAAABaE/WdjHZIByf7w/s1600-h/25Africa0843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 084" border="0" alt="25 Africa 084" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiApZne2I/AAAAAAAABaI/XftX8Vi9OzU/25Africa084_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> Trace wanted to take this little boy home – he was so cute!</p> <p>Because there is no power, there is no fridge so our Nile specials were not as cold as we liked them – they still went down a treat!</p> <p>That night we sat around the camp fire and toasted marshmallows – did you know there is an Aussie and Kiwi way? The Aussies put theirs in and wait for it to catch fire, then they take it our and blow it out, charcoal on top but soft in the middle. Kiwis toast until crispy on the outside but not burnt! and soft and goey in the middle. We like ours the best but with 8 other Aussies it’s tough trying to convince them!</p> <p>We spent hours talking about the gorillas and our trek tomorrow, everyone was getting excited!!</p> <p><strong>DAY NINE – 3rd October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nkuringo</strong></p> <p>We were up at 6.30am and packed all ready with our fully charged camera batteries (we triple checked these as we didn’t want to miss anything!). We caught the bus down to the head office and meet our guide. We were all very excited and couldn’t wait to get out in the forest to find the gorillas. After a de-brief we got back in the van and spent about 1/2 hour travelling down yet another bumpy dirt road. We were then dropped off and we began our walk along a well used path, passing a few mud brick homes with lots of children saying “hello hello”, “how are you?". After about 45 minutes we reached the edge of the National Park forest, crossing a stream with the help of our guides, August was our leader and we had two other Uganda National Wildlife Rangers who carried guns, one walked in front and the other behind us. They were keeping an eye our for elephants apartently, but we were extremely close to the Kongo boarder . . . . .</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 683" border="0" alt="25 Africa 683" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiF2zRnMI/AAAAAAAABaM/mF36wn1ijwM/25Africa683_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p align="center">One of our guides with his gun and the view of a piece of our walk</p> <p>Trace spent a lot of the walk on her butt as her shoes didn’t have much grip from all the walking around Europe they had been subjected too. The head guide was great and lent her a hand when needed. Mike had enough trouble keeping himself up too with similar shoes… Hiking boots for one morning of tramping just didn’t seem to add up!</p> <p>Two other trekkers set out at 7am to find the Gorilla nests (were they spent the night) from yesterday and follow the tracks, they then radioed back to our leader their location.</p> <p>After a short walk in the jungle we found the gorillas, so amazing! The guide told us “we’re here”we were all amazed at how fast it was to get there. He told us to put our bags down and bring our cameras. Around a bush we all crept and to our delight sat a black back (this is a young male gorilla). He was stunning and blew us all away. Behind him sat a silver back, although we could really see him. His name was Bahati.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 111" border="0" alt="25 Africa 111" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiLKcrmyI/AAAAAAAABaQ/puyjuDqRjlY/25Africa111_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">This is Kirungi – he was about 6 years old and is the first black back we saw.</p> <p>We were then lead on through some more dense bush and up a hill that was when we got our first sight of Karibu, he is a 13 year old black back and was absolutely stunning. The children and the juveniles played up higher on the hill while we all sat mesmerised and watched. </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 127" border="0" alt="25 Africa 127" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiP_ibZgI/AAAAAAAABaU/moA8lshsaPI/25Africa127_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">This is Karibu, more photos of him are below</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiTzubnKI/AAAAAAAABaY/aLyd5egBoYg/s1600-h/25Africa1293.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 129" border="0" alt="25 Africa 129" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfiaKRyAsI/AAAAAAAABac/sEj1vpULg08/25Africa129_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 189" border="0" alt="25 Africa 189" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfifGg-jvI/AAAAAAAABag/Y2jgc96Gcbg/25Africa189_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>Karibu then decided he had had enough photos and just pulled down a bambo branch like a twig in front of his face, eating as he went. He was ridiculously strong. Then we decided it was time for a walk so he got up and started heading towards the group. We all didn’t know which was to run . . . . we just sat there and he slowly made his way passed us down the hill and sat. There was a huge adrenaline hit, Trace was shaking and found it hard to believe they could get so close to such a massive gentle giant.</p> <p>The group of gorillas were all very quiet. This particular group had been in contact with humans for 12 years so a lot of them have grown up with human contact. </p> <p>Two of the juveniles named Rwam Utwe and Kuhirwa tried to play with us firstly grabbing the trackers arm and then a little while later trying to get Trace. Steve got grabbed on the arm and Craig got grabbed on the leg. They are such big and playful animals but you got the impression they wouldn’t hurt a fly. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfikgoTcAI/AAAAAAAABak/AjChn8QLvdA/s1600-h/25Africa2413.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 241" border="0" alt="25 Africa 241" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfipsaEbfI/AAAAAAAABao/jjTZxXloeeo/25Africa241_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Kuhirwa – one of the young juveniles posing for the camera</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="25 Africa 413" border="0" alt="25 Africa 413" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfit1qdJTI/AAAAAAAABas/SChHa0ytEbo/25Africa413_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfix0wYAXI/AAAAAAAABaw/kkPpDourCyA/s1600-h/25Africa3573.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 357" border="0" alt="25 Africa 357" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfi3BszA3I/AAAAAAAABa0/X7TL6MzbLNM/25Africa357_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Muhozi – 9 months old. he entertained us by trying to climb a tree, using his mouth for extra grip.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="25 Africa 549" border="0" alt="25 Africa 549" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfi8MdF9eI/AAAAAAAABa4/TceLJfHK8bI/25Africa549_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjBzR-OTI/AAAAAAAABa8/fxPHj6zB7a8/s1600-h/25Africa4043.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="25 Africa 404" border="0" alt="25 Africa 404" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjHwb7JjI/AAAAAAAABbA/6n_Kmu0A0KI/25Africa404_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p align="left"> Trace with the silver back leader, Safari behind her. Close up of Karibu </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjNg2UvGI/AAAAAAAABbE/wtdHfIvpXjY/s1600-h/25Africa4443.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 444" border="0" alt="25 Africa 444" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjT1rdT3I/AAAAAAAABbI/6R5KelSTus8/25Africa444_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjYilg5sI/AAAAAAAABbM/QO7WD98vOGA/s1600-h/25Africa4803.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 480" border="0" alt="25 Africa 480" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjdr6mWYI/AAAAAAAABbQ/GcAy_w4mVH8/25Africa480_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjjwDZC-I/AAAAAAAABbU/4J3wtqQWywA/s1600-h/25Africa4973.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 497" border="0" alt="25 Africa 497" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjp5WSOmI/AAAAAAAABbY/zkBhcE-XCuQ/25Africa497_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Rwam utwe one of the cheeky juveniles </p> <p>As our hours was almost up and we were about to leave, the group leader Safari came down the hill. He was stunning – you wouldn’t want to mess with him though! We were worried that our 300mm lens would have enough zoom, but at times we wished we had the 50mm on! We got some amasing photos as you can see and can’t wait to print one for the wall at home! </p> <p align="center"><font color="#2288bb"></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfjvNY4X_I/AAAAAAAABbc/bYLZ3K4FWgQ/s1600-h/25Africa5363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 536" border="0" alt="25 Africa 536" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfj2sdv20I/AAAAAAAABbg/j4Vc5YEeVdM/25Africa536_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfj9xjvM8I/AAAAAAAABbk/TdiBsmxqkfs/s1600-h/25Africa5444.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 544" border="0" alt="25 Africa 544" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkE_YX5II/AAAAAAAABbo/9SOhK3p5Wf8/25Africa544_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The above two photos are of Safari the silver back group leader – he was stunning! <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkKlVxDiI/AAAAAAAABbs/6rE5b_YBvkY/s1600-h/25Africa6163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 616" border="0" alt="25 Africa 616" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkPtH5QOI/AAAAAAAABbw/-B--bAHXGBg/25Africa616_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left">Our hour was up, it seemed like the gorillas knew this too as they all began to disappear into the forest . The two juveniles tumbled down the hill together head over tail of each other, they were so agile. We descended, picked up our bags and began our walk back. Everyone was speechless and on such a high – it was one of the most incredible experiences of our life!!</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkUnIjomI/AAAAAAAABb0/tfC9mvYi1UM/s1600-h/25Africa6273.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 627" border="0" alt="25 Africa 627" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkd-p_gZI/AAAAAAAABb4/W14Qad-qYTI/25Africa627_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkkorbuHI/AAAAAAAABb8/A1w85iUxHaQ/s1600-h/25Africa6483.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 648" border="0" alt="25 Africa 648" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfktBXOWsI/AAAAAAAABcA/SuH62Jyo8Bc/25Africa648_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Our lunch break stop – amasing view </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfkzGZOGWI/AAAAAAAABcE/DOXhdualt5A/s1600-h/25Africa6563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 656" border="0" alt="25 Africa 656" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfk6U64mDI/AAAAAAAABcI/wHBsS1U24kw/25Africa656_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfk_1sRjVI/AAAAAAAABcM/j7zHSrOrxBw/s1600-h/25Africa6353.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 635" border="0" alt="25 Africa 635" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflHGTygUI/AAAAAAAABcQ/BwcNdp9fcx8/25Africa635_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflMo7xSlI/AAAAAAAABcU/tgCoHKjUoF0/s1600-h/25Africa6813.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 681" border="0" alt="25 Africa 681" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflVNPmeKI/AAAAAAAABcY/WuRpJkMsHnc/25Africa681_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p align="left">The grey pants – there is a story to these. As you will see in the photos above four of us (Kira, Craig, Trace and Mike) are all wearing very similar grey pants. We were told that the brown/red mud in Uganda once on your clothes would not come off and we only packed one pair of pants so decided we needed another. That afternoon in Jinga at 4pm we approached a local lady who had two pairs of grey pants one which fitted Trace and the other fitted Kira. We asked if she had more, she said no but she could make two more pairs the same. She said she would deliver these later tonight when we were at the bar. We walked away thinking that these pants aren’t going to show up but oh well its worth a try. Sure enough later that night when we were sitting at the bar and about to head to bed the lady came back with the four pairs of pants. The two which she has sewed looked just like the other pairs. She must have sewed her heart out since seeing us at 4pm! We paid her $10 US per pair and she was so happy that she gave Trace a big hug.</p> <p align="left">We arrived back at the camp at 2pm and had a shower followed by a Nile Special to celebrate such a magnificent day. </p> <p><strong>DAY TEN – 4th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nkuringo</strong></p> <p>Half of our group left to go back to the other campsite while 6 of us stayed on. There was no room for all of us in the van, it will be back tomorrow to pick us up.</p> <p>At 10am we decided to do a village walk down to the Pigmy people (shortest in the world). We went passed a prison, all the prisoners were dressed in bright yellow, a trading centre were the locals traded their bananas, avocados and other produce. Our guide bought a dozen small banana for about the equivalent of 30cents!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflcmDVnXI/AAAAAAAABcc/hNUJKJZDXb0/s1600-h/25Africa724.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 724" border="0" alt="25 Africa 724" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflkA7HqPI/AAAAAAAABcg/Y0rFqb49Lgk/25Africa724_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflq3HKKZI/AAAAAAAABck/0lqYCK-mLRo/s1600-h/25Africa7321.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 732" border="0" alt="25 Africa 732" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMflx4joh6I/AAAAAAAABco/oCtnKNnIri0/25Africa732_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>The heard of cows that nearly trampled us on the way down! </p> <p align="center"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 742" border="0" alt="25 Africa 742" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfl4RbimSI/AAAAAAAABcs/rwjhw4wXpcs/25Africa742_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">Inside the pigmy village</p> <p>We walked for 2 hours and reached a pigmy village, a local pigmy toured us around the village. We bought a small weaved basket and some bracelets to support the people. We then walked another 2 hours back to the camp – this was all up hill! While we were walking it started to spit and then started to downpour, we managed to take some shelter in a woman’s shop and gave her some biscuits to say thanks.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfl_ubLyII/AAAAAAAABcw/G-lP0vRdCnw/s1600-h/25Africa7491.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 749" border="0" alt="25 Africa 749" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfmF78GClI/AAAAAAAABc0/CejmL3UXyis/25Africa749_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a>The view from our campsite </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfmKMmJ3oI/AAAAAAAABc4/Z4XYNV99h8k/s1600-h/25Africa758.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 758" border="0" alt="25 Africa 758" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfmQyyggjI/AAAAAAAABc8/vFXRcS0l3ug/25Africa758_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view from our campsite looking the other way</p> <p>The rest of the afternoon we spent relaxing our legs and reading. That night there was a thunder shower with a bit of a lightening show, we took shelter under the restaurant/bar area. Dinner was potato soup with a fresh bread roll, spaghetti bolognaise, (we think that people only stay 2 nights as this was what we had the first night!), and fresh banana and pineapple for desert. </p> <p>We all had an early night. Mike was not feeling well, he has caught a cold off the local children – poor Mike!</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY ELEVEN – 5th October 2010 </strong></p> <p><strong>Bunyoni</strong></p> <p>We were up at 6.30am to pack the tent and have breakfast. We had to fit 8 tents, 8 rain covers, 8 peg sets, 16 mattresses and 8 people into a mini van – it was a squash!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfmYTNxLiI/AAAAAAAABdA/2Xnuxr_Jiks/s1600-h/25Africa7611.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 761" border="0" alt="25 Africa 761" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TMfmhsLAH4I/AAAAAAAABdE/1Xy9O0Ndw4Q/25Africa761_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We began our 3 1/2 hour journey back to Bunyoni camp. On our way we saw women carrying massive rocks on their heads – this is for foundations for homes. There were always women and children walking along the road. We are not sure what the men do. . . .</p> <p>Every woman we saw had a baby on their back, there were not many without a baby!!</p> <p>We arrived back at the camp at 12pm in time for a hot lunch of pasta salad and lasts nights left overs – satay chicken dish. It then started raining . . . so we all went to the bar to look at our Gorilla photos and enjoy a drink or two . . . .</p> <p><strong>DAY TWELVE – 6th October 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Jinja</strong></p> <p>We were up at 5.30am and departed the camp at 7am. We spent the day driving to Jinga, stopping at Kampala on the way to drop off the 3 girls who had just joined our group for the Gorilla tour. We had dinner at the bar and enjoyed our last Nile special (only available in Uganda, damn shame!) .</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-25705387405319215732010-10-18T10:42:00.001-07:002010-10-18T10:42:05.515-07:00Kenya<p> </p> <p><strong>DAY ONE – 25th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Nairobi</strong></p> <p>We had arrived in Nairobi at 10.30pm and caught our shuttle to the hotel which we had booked. This was much nicer than we were imagining! We were up at 7am for breakfast and went down to the hotel reception to meet with our Acacia tour guide at 8am, 8.15am and still no tour guide, we hadn’t adjusted to African time. African time is not a special time zone… It’s more of relaxed way of reading it, we weren’t the only ones waiting so it was ok. At 8.30am Marike, our South African tour guide arrive in the Acacia truck.</p> <p>We sorted out our local payment with her, and not known to us until we went through our US dollar notes some were older than 2000 therefore would not be accepted by Acacia or most of Eastern Africa . Apparently they are easier to counterfeit. It will now be our mission to spend these $50 US notes!!!</p> <p>At about 9.30am we boarded a big Acacia Africa truck which is to be our home for the next 46 days! Its a huge truck which can seat about 26 people, there are only 13 of us on the tour. Mostly full of Aussies, we’re the token Kiwis and there are a couple of English people. </p> <p>We stopped at the supermarket to pick up water and chocolate as this was our last stop in civilisation for the next few days. About an hour into the journey we stopped at a look out point which was 2,666 metres, this is the height we’re used to snowboarding on back home on Mt Ruapehu!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx5C0YBf2I/AAAAAAAABRs/HzKq3E8WS5E/s1600-h/25Africa004.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 004" border="0" alt="25 Africa 004" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx5PehGbuI/AAAAAAAABRw/UWAvkTgKlHI/25Africa004_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view from 2,666 metres!</p> <p>This was our first taste of the toilet facilities in Africa, oh and what an experience! It was just a hole is the ground, that’s it! Not even a long drop… More of a short drop! Trace was in shock and Mike had to leave the door open and pee a couple of steps further back than usual… Great to be a guy! </p> <p>We stopped for lunch just outside Lake Nakuru National Park, here we got to enjoy the company of some cheeky baboons. At one stage we had to use a broom to scare them away as Mike was not intimidating enough without it.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx5cNJf9_I/AAAAAAAABR0/NzPf1pZrmrk/s1600-h/25Africa017.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 017" border="0" alt="25 Africa 017" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx5roaag1I/AAAAAAAABR4/YT7KvkuzfFc/25Africa017_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx5yzcFNFI/AAAAAAAABR8/Q0RoA_A6n-o/s1600-h/25Africa018.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 018" border="0" alt="25 Africa 018" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx570i2JZI/AAAAAAAABSA/MQ9c4_FWzVQ/25Africa018_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6Dxzj2JI/AAAAAAAABSE/_5B-UDhG9g0/s1600-h/25Africa0241.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 024" border="0" alt="25 Africa 024" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6KdzStBI/AAAAAAAABSI/GHmA6lIF1nE/25Africa024_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6NkNW66I/AAAAAAAABSM/pJXiqXdpFD8/s1600-h/25Africa036.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 036" border="0" alt="25 Africa 036" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6R3_XRnI/AAAAAAAABSQ/Wib38T3qpI4/25Africa036_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Lunch here was our first taste of what was to come. Plates and bowls came out of containers which looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks. We had meat and salad sandwiches which were good.</p> <p>After lunch we headed into the National Park to do some animal spotting. . . . first up were some antilots and then a Zebra. . . </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6bkgYnaI/AAAAAAAABSU/GfHwybqbE1E/s1600-h/25Africa039.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 039" border="0" alt="25 Africa 039" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6lJBxkfI/AAAAAAAABSY/9TdtjoRzYRI/25Africa039_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx6spnrixI/AAAAAAAABSc/IM1Bo3Z0Z68/s1600-h/25Africa041.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 041" border="0" alt="25 Africa 041" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7DjbJKMI/AAAAAAAABSg/mqtXlJJnLTM/25Africa041_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The McDonald’s M – the lion sees when hunting!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7IqeCvQI/AAAAAAAABSk/LP56H1RcN2Y/s1600-h/25Africa0801.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 080" border="0" alt="25 Africa 080" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7PGoYktI/AAAAAAAABSo/_zFzLr3ZVgY/25Africa080_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">This lake use to be covered in Flamingos but due to pollution they are migrating elsewhere</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7TIUhn9I/AAAAAAAABSs/gHBT7ZjOH6s/s1600-h/25Africa087.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 087" border="0" alt="25 Africa 087" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7Ya-1NbI/AAAAAAAABSw/LN-9G7UrZWo/25Africa087_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7iYL5ifI/AAAAAAAABS0/1fA7kpWobG8/s1600-h/25Africa108.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 108" border="0" alt="25 Africa 108" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx7pyGCSbI/AAAAAAAABS4/6qHOShmTJt8/25Africa108_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx74EQp-XI/AAAAAAAABS8/wG9lSzg282Y/s1600-h/25Africa1171.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 117" border="0" alt="25 Africa 117" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx8BcxLEyI/AAAAAAAABTA/zM2pSj0iI1w/25Africa117_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx8JU1pOQI/AAAAAAAABTE/Ly5MGW_GyXk/s1600-h/25Africa1531.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 153" border="0" alt="25 Africa 153" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx8f6eLIUI/AAAAAAAABTI/W_uX7wanNbo/25Africa153_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Our first view of a Rhino</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx8q0isxVI/AAAAAAAABTM/sBuAhwRG_yU/s1600-h/25Africa2733.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="25 Africa 273" border="0" alt="25 Africa 273" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx8u7GIk5I/AAAAAAAABTQ/SlvMSwSBaEg/25Africa273_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p>On our way to the campsite in the National Park we stopped as we had spotted some Rhinos, turning off the truck was a mistake. Patrick our driver then spent the next hour trying to get the truck to start. We ended up getting a tow start by another truck which drove passed. </p> <p>This incident destroyed our illusion of having the best truck as on the first day we had seen other tour company trucks parked up and thought that we had the pick of the bunch – how wrong we were!</p> <p>We arrived at the campsite about 6.30pm after seeing a couple of lions (this was very exciting as it was our first spot of “real lions”. Before we hopped off the bus Marake our guide told us that this camp was not fenced we were just in the National Park which was essentially a fence to keep the animals in, but no fence around us to keep the animals out!</p> <p>She also informed us that if you needed to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, shine your torch outside first and make sure there are no eyes about. If there are, hold on!! If you do see one on your way back, stop, don’t run! It’s like cat and mouse, they will always be able to catch you, you will never be able to run faster than them. They like to play with you before they eat you. We were all wondering what we had signed up to when we left the truck to set up our tents. . . . but its definitely camp Africa!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx85wEBJDI/AAAAAAAABTU/htyP5hizVLI/s1600-h/25Africa161.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 161" border="0" alt="25 Africa 161" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx9EkGyvNI/AAAAAAAABTY/jJiMckbSltk/25Africa161_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><strong></strong>Our campsite by night, using our new tri-pod</p> <p>It was dark by the time we arrived at camp, mostly because the truck had broken down, so pitching our tents for the first time was interesting. We all pitched our tents very close together! The head torches were priceless! </p> <p>Dinner was pasta and salad – yummy! We had a warmish beer which went down a treat. That night we needed to go to the toilet but there was no way that anyone was going to visit the toilet as we had spotted “eyes” over there. Squatting behind a nearby bush it was! These eyes were eventually confirmed as a female lion… A little intimidating! </p> <p>We slept well that night in our funky 70s floral cotton sheet sleeping bag liners – thanks Mum!</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx9P7P9U9I/AAAAAAAABTc/C5yF5NozU9U/s1600-h/25Africa0916.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 091" border="0" alt="25 Africa 091" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx9cSs1k2I/AAAAAAAABTg/YTSR5tvEL1Y/25Africa091_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p> </p> <p>Mike and Trace were now Pomba and Tamoon (off the lion king) - “Good night Africa!”</p> <p>We noticed the next morning there was a sign in the campsite which said “Never leave tent alone, Wild Animals” </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO – 26th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kenya - Lake Nakuru National Park</strong></p> <p>Good Morning Africa at 5.30am! We packed up our tents, made sandwiches and had some breakfast. Before hitting the road we went to the toilet. This was a terrifying experience – it was dark (with the door closed) and it smelt so bad. . . . only 45 more days to go and how many more toilet stops. . . . . .</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx9rD25-oI/AAAAAAAABTk/4qq8nrkkDzk/s1600-h/25Africa162.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 162" border="0" alt="25 Africa 162" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx9-HWi6FI/AAAAAAAABTo/1biUFnHGWGo/25Africa162_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> This is our Acacia Truck and the site we camped at last night</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx-YPy9OQI/AAAAAAAABTs/CZxLRgoYERk/s1600-h/25Africa163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 163" border="0" alt="25 Africa 163" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx-rb_kg7I/AAAAAAAABTw/my8G2XLLMGE/25Africa163_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The Toilet – if you could call it that!!!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx-27fY0dI/AAAAAAAABT0/O1V91pqvAd4/s1600-h/25Africa3021.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 302" border="0" alt="25 Africa 302" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx-_fKTQwI/AAAAAAAABT4/UV-GxKRga1g/25Africa302_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">This waterfall was just down from our campsite</p> <p>When we parked in the campsite last night we made sure that we parked up a hill so that we could push the truck down and hopefully get enough momentum to start the truck. Unfortunately this strategy didn’t work and we spent the next hour disengaging the brakes so that we could get another vehicle (the only other one) from the campsite to tow start us. Now we can’t stop the truck or it wont start again!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx_N4BvdKI/AAAAAAAABT8/OsKfeuARrbk/s1600-h/25Africa308.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 308" border="0" alt="25 Africa 308" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx_eNctg6I/AAAAAAAABUA/r6eRAigSj10/25Africa308_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">One, Two, Three push!!!</p> <p>Unfortunately we missed out on a bit of time at the game park due to the late start. We still managed to spot giraffe, Rhinos and lots of monkeys! </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx_lSov1aI/AAAAAAAABUE/X4-kLCiAtLE/s1600-h/25Africa191.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 191" border="0" alt="25 Africa 191" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx_2V7iBOI/AAAAAAAABUI/-u-h26OGMUQ/25Africa191_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyAK_ngZ-I/AAAAAAAABUM/kJhoTzB-_WQ/s1600-h/25Africa2271.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 227" border="0" alt="25 Africa 227" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyAdjrqzOI/AAAAAAAABUQ/rAgmSK_CaQ8/25Africa227_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyAnjNNqBI/AAAAAAAABUU/Vv_BqIrWnvQ/s1600-h/25Africa240.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 240" border="0" alt="25 Africa 240" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyA0dJBaoI/AAAAAAAABUY/6M5MLc0sVVY/25Africa240_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyBAIA3_TI/AAAAAAAABUc/DixqRkyam7s/s1600-h/25Africa2541.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 254" border="0" alt="25 Africa 254" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyBQY1BhjI/AAAAAAAABUg/dItH2cxndhs/25Africa254_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyBkNDT9dI/AAAAAAAABUk/JFTlCmaX6ps/s1600-h/25Africa290.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 290" border="0" alt="25 Africa 290" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyB-4fWfII/AAAAAAAABUo/q91JEY1KZ4I/25Africa290_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>It was then back on the road for another 4 hours travel on bumpy road (these roads were worse than the farm tracks in Otane!! and believe you me that’s bad!!) . The African roads have speed bumps outside every school or almost every building by the feel of it and the speed bumps are never just one hump they are five or six in a row with lots of pot holes.</p> <p>We arrived at the campsite at about 4ish, this campsite was so nice! We had flushing toilets, hot showers and a bar – paradise!! We sat and had a beer or two with the group. They also had a pool at the campsite which was clean but we decided to give it a miss as it was surprisingly a little cold.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyCI422AaI/AAAAAAAABUs/xPG4oOavjz4/s1600-h/25Africa312.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 312" border="0" alt="25 Africa 312" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyCYuyyEFI/AAAAAAAABUw/U0qELuQlPFs/25Africa312_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyCzd2tibI/AAAAAAAABU0/N4DigyTkuek/s1600-h/25Africa314.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 314" border="0" alt="25 Africa 314" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyDJW-K05I/AAAAAAAABU4/W7ON2-ukDUc/25Africa314_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Enjoying our “Nile Specials” in style </p> <p>After dinner we went back to the bar, this place was decked out with lots of wooden lions, elephants and zebra it was just like being out in the wild. It also had the most amasing fire! We know a fire in Africa you wouldn’t read about it but you are. It was so cold, about 12 degrees outside. We all sat with our beer and Trace had a Baileys – She was in heaven!</p> <p><strong>DAY THREE – 27th September 2010</strong></p> <p><strong>Kenya - Eldoret</strong></p> <p>We got to have a bit of a sleep in this morning as the truck needed to stop in town to get a part to fix it once the shops had opened (8.30am). We left the camp at 8am after French toast (so much for loosing some weight in Africa!).</p> <p>We stopped at Kent-Knit which is a jersey and blanket manufacturer. This was so interesting. It opened in the 1960s and employs about 1600 people. The factory was a lot more automated that we thought it would be. But NZ Health and Safety would have had a ball in there!</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyDSTESslI/AAAAAAAABU8/nBEvX2cZn9A/s1600-h/25Africa321.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 321" border="0" alt="25 Africa 321" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyDgzUh4yI/AAAAAAAABVA/mA_MM6H0BLs/25Africa321_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyDn74efMI/AAAAAAAABVE/dCqJRTIQCa0/s1600-h/25Africa3281.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 328" border="0" alt="25 Africa 328" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyDsowC2_I/AAAAAAAABVI/bEtZWbMk-_w/25Africa328_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyD9ZI-8FI/AAAAAAAABVM/uvTlov9VBTY/s1600-h/25Africa3321.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 332" border="0" alt="25 Africa 332" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyEHNmuUZI/AAAAAAAABVQ/dK3Apq_nGTc/25Africa332_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyEXVytb9I/AAAAAAAABVU/mXEZzlbr-l8/s1600-h/25Africa3341.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 334" border="0" alt="25 Africa 334" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyEg5er-PI/AAAAAAAABVY/RguzshD7N_I/25Africa334_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyEsHd6SbI/AAAAAAAABVc/L8KEkEURw74/s1600-h/25Africa339.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 339" border="0" alt="25 Africa 339" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyE10SLRVI/AAAAAAAABVg/LTRywPcZsR0/25Africa339_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">We found this sign amusing on the company notice board.</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyE9fmUQAI/AAAAAAAABVk/yJSYxKw1q78/s1600-h/25Africa3411.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 341" border="0" alt="25 Africa 341" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyFFnlZIvI/AAAAAAAABVo/JBX1oaDYF0E/25Africa341_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Then it was back on the road to our fist boarding crossing into Uganda (a little nervous). The boarder crossing went very smoothly. A couple of stamps for $50 USD each! Once we crossed the boarder we brought lunch, freshly baked chapattis (these were good but glad we didn’t see them being cooked).</p> <p>Below are a few photos some of the villages we passed on our travels.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyFOan4aiI/AAAAAAAABVs/o3GFPdpxrzc/s1600-h/25Africa347.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 347" border="0" alt="25 Africa 347" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyFVmrfShI/AAAAAAAABVw/vTBRaSD2jNA/25Africa347_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyFgdGreZI/AAAAAAAABV0/YJ7VQ68pC7I/s1600-h/25Africa3531.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 353" border="0" alt="25 Africa 353" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyGEPvU_9I/AAAAAAAABV4/GLaasEq8Occ/25Africa353_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyGoPKiceI/AAAAAAAABWE/PAq0Vz0rqAg/s1600-h/25Africa356.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="25 Africa 356" border="0" alt="25 Africa 356" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLyG2pLxWgI/AAAAAAAABWI/S3YkG6w8cCs/25Africa356_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After another two hours of driving we eventually made it to Nile River Camp just outside (10km) of Jinga. It had started raining at the boarder, explosive thunder and huge lightening which stayed with us until we arrived at camp. We had a “Nile Special” while we waited for the rain to stop and then rushed out and pitched the tent. We have this down to an art now!</p> <p>We ordered dinner at the campsite (burger and chips) and had another “Nile Special” while we waited. We slept well that night although a couple of dogs woke us up with their barking! It was a lot warmer here, we didn’t need our track pants and jackets and slept in just our funky sleeping bag liners, no sleeping bags required. </p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-65413436403557775312010-10-18T09:32:00.001-07:002010-10-18T09:32:13.420-07:00London<p> </p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>We arrived back in London at midday, after an extremely early morning (or you could have said late night) 2.45am!!</p> <p>We made our way to Andrew and Claire’s on the subway which was nice and easy, we’re pretty well practiced on the underground systems now!</p> <p>That afternoon we caught up on emails and blog updates. It was great to spend some time with Andrew and Claire and enjoy a lovely home cooked meal (something we are really missing!).</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>Our body clocks were still in Egypt time which was two hours ahead of London so we were up at a reasonable hour. Harry, Andrew and Claire’s four year old son, decided we should go to the park with him. We spent the morning at the park playing on the slides and swings. It was a lovely sunny day in London.</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLxzpQlVdlI/AAAAAAAABQY/CouJJxTY2BE/s1600-h/24London0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 001" border="0" alt="24 London 001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLxzuu9yS8I/AAAAAAAABQc/GfaLqWy7-ME/24London001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Harry enjoying the playground</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLxzzbYbuDI/AAAAAAAABQg/FazxiVwaqZ0/s1600-h/24London0223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 022" border="0" alt="24 London 022" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx0MatgeJI/AAAAAAAABQk/sxPQnY-Y2Bs/24London022_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> Trace and Charlotte – she is such a happy baby, always smiling!<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx0aWcu81I/AAAAAAAABQo/TiurS8haitM/s1600-h/24London0363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 036" border="0" alt="24 London 036" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx0je0xnrI/AAAAAAAABQs/Njd24SBVFqs/24London036_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Harry on the swing, with Trace in the background pushing <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx0seR1OvI/AAAAAAAABQw/WmVjWZAEKqU/s1600-h/24London0503.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 050" border="0" alt="24 London 050" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx0zd5bGCI/AAAAAAAABQ0/hfU2DzPhkUM/24London050_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> Mike giving Harry a helping hand to balance on the beam</p> <p>That afternoon we caught the train into Oxford street and did a bit of shopping, our main mission was to purchase a tri-pod which we succeeded in for our travels to Africa.</p> <p>We meet up with Rory, Shelley and Kate Jamo at the Wooden shades bar in Liverpool. We took a walk down brick lane which for us was taking a trip back in time to Egypt. All the restaurant staff were out on the streets, “25% discount, Ill give you two bottles of wine, two free beers also”. We weighed up the options and settled on a nice Indian restaurant. It was delicious.</p> <p>Thanks Rory, Shelley and Jamo for coming to catch up with us, it was great!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx09Y8YQII/AAAAAAAABQ4/1U6ac4_X1BU/s1600-h/24London0633.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 063" border="0" alt="24 London 063" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx1DZdWxmI/AAAAAAAABQ8/quIs2THd4YY/24London063_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The London locals sussing out the best way to get the Kiwi’s back home… Notice the world moving fast behind them as they stare at our subway map!<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx1NVsBdXI/AAAAAAAABRA/_8TRCiedE44/s1600-h/24London0713.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 071" border="0" alt="24 London 071" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx1XeJPeqI/AAAAAAAABRI/oS9GoWKTa7w/24London071_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Mike, Trace, Rory, Shelly and Kate. We realised just how brown we were after having dinner with these guys!</p> <p><strong>DAY THREE</strong></p> <p>We rose early as we knew we had a lot to organise before we departed for Africa. Get US dollars, organise shipping home and repack our packs for Africa.</p> <p>We started by seeing if we could get American dollars off our Bank of New Zealand American dollars card. This was not an easy task, Mike went to all the ATMs in Harpenden and not one of them would withdrawal in US dollars. He then went to all banks in the area and none of them would allow him to take US dollars out. They all wanted us to withdrawal in Pounds and then convert to US dollars. </p> <p>We spent the rest of the morning on the internet and phone trying to find if there was a bank or an ATM who would accept our US dollar card. We thought that we had found one so took a trip into London central to see if we could withdrawal the funds. To our disappointment this ATM did not accept our card. We ended up having to withdraw in Pound from our USD card and then convert to US dollars again… Costly, and a pain!! Luckily we had a fair amount of pounds left over too so we saved a bit on conversion fees there.</p> <p>After sorting our our money situation we took the train out to Mike’s cousins home, Katy, Sam and their two children. This was a great night and it was lovely to catch up with the family.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx1pk_FALI/AAAAAAAABRM/cAXOl6okwi0/s1600-h/24London0863.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 086" border="0" alt="24 London 086" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx1v5DcwRI/AAAAAAAABRQ/zBCsanjyoEU/24London086_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Trace and Myla <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx12JVZOfI/AAAAAAAABRU/9pu6tX7v_ew/s1600-h/24London0923.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 092" border="0" alt="24 London 092" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx2AGnb1lI/AAAAAAAABRY/7pSXDVE21Ao/24London092_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Mike and Myla <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx2HV4CYUI/AAAAAAAABRc/8zrHe4jiV3A/s1600-h/24London0953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 095" border="0" alt="24 London 095" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx2S8uXXdI/AAAAAAAABRg/pTT8Hsw45wU/24London095_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Ava, Sam, Myla and Mike <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx2bXmgpsI/AAAAAAAABRk/3c3Y3lBO_O8/s1600-h/24London1003.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="24 London 100" border="0" alt="24 London 100" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TLx2hx8NhlI/AAAAAAAABRo/vmEoCvaiilY/24London100_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> Sam (who is a chef) showing us how to caramelised sugar on our banana for desert – so yummy!!! </p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-16620152308038457222010-09-23T22:26:00.001-07:002010-09-23T22:26:11.267-07:00Ras Sudr – Kitesurfing!!<p>Thanks to Leanne and Gavin, who’d been through a couple of weeks before us we knew it would be cheaper to arrive with some food and water supplies… We went all out and stocked up with quite a large supply of chocolate, muesli bars, chocolate and water (24x1.5L bottles!). </p> <p><strong>Day One</strong></p> <p>We arrived around lunch time, dropped our bags, asked reception to sort out why we didn’t have water in our room. Then went to hit the water as it was 40 degrees and blowing 22 knots! Perfect!! </p> <p>Trace passed the kite rental tests so she was all sorted to rent without lessons which was nice as we were a little worried. By the end of the day she was blasting back and fourth and riding up wind easily.</p> <p>There’s about 25 kiters here at the moment but the majority are all part of one German group that stick in one area… Luckily! As kiting through their group is like navigating a mine field!</p> <p>We got back to the hotel tired and ready for a shower… Still no water, it seems water is somewhat difficult out here in the desert. The maintenance guy showed up to take a look. He didn’t speak a word of English but somehow we got by by pointing at various bathroom items and then giving them a thumbs up or in this case it was generally a thumbs down. He returned 5 minutes later with a miniature angle grinder and welder, he then preceded to replace a leaking section of pipe within 30 minutes, Impressive! </p> <p>That evening we went into the dinning room with an open mind as we have fairly low expectations of food in Egypt now. It was possibly the largest buffet we’ve ever seen, and great food! Trace somehow managed to try one of every desert… There’s about 12!! </p> <p>End of day one. Bring on 8 more!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw15fnZvcI/AAAAAAAABNI/gxb8bN35Lok/s1600-h/23Egypt6324.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 632" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 632" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw16rgVCfI/AAAAAAAABNM/CBc9dTotuWs/23Egypt632_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><strong>Day Two</strong></p> <p>Trace is getting more confident and managing the occasional turn. Not quite as windy, only about 17 knots so standard sized kites today. Mike’s loving the chance to try different kites and he’s already ridden 3 different types and various sizes… Favourite is confirmed as the North Vegas! </p> <p>Late that afternoon, disaster strikes… Trace charges straight onto a shallow point with lots of little rocks. After falling forward she quite badly takes the top layer of skin off her right hand and elbow and gets a couple of small cuts on her leg. She managed to stay quite calm considering!</p> <p>We walked back with the kites to the kite centre and patched up trace with various disinfectants. We also negotiated a two day break on kite rental in exchange for a couple of hours of lessons (they won’t do cash refunds) later in the week.</p> <p>Once we got back to the hotel Trace rummaged through the medicine bag and came out with a smile… Apparently Nikki P gifted the following “medicine” which apparently fixes everything? It’s good to finally use it after carting it around the world for the last 2.5 months!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw17ym390I/AAAAAAAABNQ/E80MZXwqMuk/s1600-h/23Egypt0133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 013" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 013" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw18ZuKRVI/AAAAAAAABNU/7whgbkf-GJ0/23Egypt013_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> It worked a treat, thanks Nikki P</p> <p>We managed to move from our hotel room to a seaside room, great! First thing we did was check the water everywhere, check the air-con, check the fridge. No problems here!… seems great! …</p> <p><strong>Day Three & Four</strong></p> <p>We woke up to find we have no water! … We move again… All tests pass again, fingers crossed they stay that way!</p> <p>Trace turns from a kitesurfer to a photographer… And she really got into it! By the end she was knee deep in water and Mike was practically jumping over her head! Mike rode for at least 4 hours each day… No more changing kites now though, Vegas is a definite favourite! </p> <p>There’s literally hundreds of great photos and videos but it gets a little repetitive so here's a couple of the best.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw19JSJ58I/AAAAAAAABNY/mBCkxil0A2Q/s1600-h/23Egypt6043.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="23 Egypt 604" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 604" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw199PIWlI/AAAAAAAABNc/z6iNjQ-G0ZA/23Egypt604_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1-jZ6EuI/AAAAAAAABNg/Pl0hRztpKRs/s1600-h/23Egypt6613.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 661" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 661" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1_bDKJYI/AAAAAAAABNk/QYo31QYLc5E/23Egypt661_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="left">Later on day four evening, the wind picked up a bit and we were lucky enough to watch the two instructors from the large German group have a 30minute play… They both rode on 7m kites and did the kind of tricks you only expect to see on movies. Mike’s probably going to spend the remainder of the holiday attempting to imitate them now! </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><strong>Day Five</strong></p> <p>After buying a new pair of sailing gloves Trace is back into action and we both spent about 3 hours out on the water… Unfortunately the wind wasn’t as settled as previously and extremely strong… Trace was flying their smallest kite at 6m (it was depowered too!) Mike was only slightly bigger on a 7m. </p> <p>Trace has booked in her lesson for tomorrow so fingers crossed the wind is good and she gets her turns sorted!</p> <p><strong>Day Six</strong></p> <p>Trace’s lesson lasted almost 2 hours and she’s beginning to get the hang of her turns.</p> <p>Mike was given the photographer's roll for a bit in the afternoon once Trace had built up some confidence. </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2AKp3CfI/AAAAAAAABNo/GaIwyP3LA2Q/s1600-h/23Egypt0573.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 057" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 057" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2A5V_bEI/AAAAAAAABNs/dqolML2ejpQ/23Egypt057_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><strong>Day 7</strong></p> <p>For the first time we had to wait for wind!! We were ready to go at 9:30am with not enough wind… Had to wait until 10:30am . . . and then it end up blowing almost 25 knots. . . It’s tuff!</p> <p>Later that evening we went for a walk to the pier as the sun was setting, it was so beautiful.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2BmVUAoI/AAAAAAAABNw/ofaGuSfHgO8/s1600-h/23Egypt2593.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 259" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 259" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2CPFZVPI/AAAAAAAABN0/MIBjWw0hMqo/23Egypt259_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2CyZ25TI/AAAAAAAABN4/R-aVaKLtMN4/s1600-h/23Egypt2783.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 278" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 278" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2DbIDUrI/AAAAAAAABN8/AJqx3VfRhH4/23Egypt278_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>There are a lot of unfinished buildings in Egypt, below is a picture of just one unfinished hotel. The ones they have finished, don’t really seem to be maintained… It’s all a bit odd really.</p> <p>We were told that the Egyptian citizens don’t finish their homes completely, just enough so they can live in them, this is so they can get a lower tax rate for a dwelling still under construction.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Ebd3pzI/AAAAAAAABOA/UFitJH9Bovk/s1600-h/23Egypt2563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 256" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 256" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2FDQ0rhI/AAAAAAAABOE/95BQM_RiF40/23Egypt256_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><strong>Day 8</strong></p> <p>Had to wait until 10:30 again… Trace is starting to get the bug and enforcing an early rise to “get our money’s worth”.</p> <p>During the morning Mike was on camera duty for a bit, in the afternoon, it switched.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Fl8siqI/AAAAAAAABOI/kMvCA-4KPWU/s1600-h/23Egypt4913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 491" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 491" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2GXVr6BI/AAAAAAAABOM/xerFgF9xbm8/23Egypt491_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Breaking through some chop </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2HfxAGbI/AAAAAAAABOQ/2S5KQPeHOko/s1600-h/23Egypt5275.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 527" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 527" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2HxdbNBI/AAAAAAAABOU/095DrUlQtlQ/23Egypt527_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="149"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2IjaoXqI/AAAAAAAABOY/UKhnyWI29io/s1600-h/23Egypt5294.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 529" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 529" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2JkHa63I/AAAAAAAABOc/-JrBm8ygyZ0/23Egypt529_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="149"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2KcsIE2I/AAAAAAAABOg/O2ARQli-NT8/s1600-h/23Egypt5314.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 531" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 531" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2K2629tI/AAAAAAAABOk/t2FccZtESz4/23Egypt531_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="149"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2LijezCI/AAAAAAAABOo/IjUFmgGkf4Q/s1600-h/23Egypt5337.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 533" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 533" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2MAHlVAI/AAAAAAAABOs/XEaK6M0eQ4E/23Egypt533_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="150"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Mnnx6oI/AAAAAAAABOw/nfTfby1CN_M/s1600-h/23Egypt5347.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 534" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 534" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2NO8qTRI/AAAAAAAABO0/7Unbh88PFLQ/23Egypt534_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="150"></a> </p> <p align="center">Turning action sequence</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2OOhwjyI/AAAAAAAABO4/Ccx23kAdRdE/s1600-h/23Egypt4953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 495" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 495" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Oytg--I/AAAAAAAABO8/T55RL5YW6eE/23Egypt495_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Enjoying it!! </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2PgyXCXI/AAAAAAAABPA/BnokRnm0NPE/s1600-h/23Egypt68610.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 686" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 686" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2QKa2yoI/AAAAAAAABPE/lKk3ouvU468/23Egypt686_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2QwJBxII/AAAAAAAABPI/wiZFqQQXM30/s1600-h/23Egypt6877.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 687" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 687" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Rqybs4I/AAAAAAAABPM/Cg5TZbpstho/23Egypt687_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2SPELbqI/AAAAAAAABPQ/HGZ8QsZ0eOo/s1600-h/23Egypt6889.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 688" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 688" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2TKTXOqI/AAAAAAAABPU/7HfDqanFea8/23Egypt688_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2TkslxtI/AAAAAAAABPY/W-y4AURUg2Y/s1600-h/23Egypt6897.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 689" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 689" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2UCfOo-I/AAAAAAAABPc/zfU9FwoErNE/23Egypt689_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2UrrEUmI/AAAAAAAABPg/j2SE-Mi9yXU/s1600-h/23Egypt6906.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 690" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 690" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2Vb7Y26I/AAAAAAAABPk/uKvgpBwoffM/23Egypt690_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2WDq0IVI/AAAAAAAABPo/DF_eD_B4vjs/s1600-h/23Egypt6916.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 691" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 691" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2WpSXJ0I/AAAAAAAABPs/DBlifqB70eQ/23Egypt691_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a></p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2XB7uW8I/AAAAAAAABPw/kgkX2_4wLpY/s1600-h/23Egypt6926.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 692" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 692" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2XmUi4mI/AAAAAAAABP0/6lB78qWxLKc/23Egypt692_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2YGQ9kLI/AAAAAAAABP4/nX73jPES2CQ/s1600-h/23Egypt6936.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 693" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 693" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2YpiA_lI/AAAAAAAABP8/rxbt-8A9c2o/23Egypt693_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2ZNwf8XI/AAAAAAAABQA/84Q56SEAiIc/s1600-h/23Egypt6963.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 696" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 696" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2ZZ7du7I/AAAAAAAABQE/59XRXCTCdl8/23Egypt696_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="304"></a> </p> <p align="center">jump sequence <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2aX6YIRI/AAAAAAAABQI/O8a_fqmY2NU/s1600-h/23Egypt7133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 713" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 713" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2bIIZriI/AAAAAAAABQM/7MfmvUezArs/23Egypt713_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2bq_lrbI/AAAAAAAABQQ/ZfXS4_qLjdA/s1600-h/23Egypt8773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 877" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 877" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw2ceWHuyI/AAAAAAAABQU/0kJlXejkb_0/23Egypt877_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Oops… </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><strong>Day 9</strong></p> <p>Where’s the wind gone? We tried to kitesurf for a couple of hours but the wind was quite weak so we gave up at lunch time and went back to pack. 8.5 days of wind… Not bad!! </p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-9335854586895919672010-09-23T22:22:00.001-07:002010-09-23T22:22:38.942-07:00Luxor<p>We arrived in Luxor at about 7pm on Thursday 9th September. After dinner on the boat we hopped on the bus and drove into the Luxor town. Here we went to El Safa bazaar Jeweller shop and after some hard bargaining walked away with a few gems.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1TD4MdEI/AAAAAAAABLA/Ui_NedWu9A8/s1600-h/23Egypt0063.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 006" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 006" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1T4POEsI/AAAAAAAABLE/HE7XJ1SwzeU/23Egypt006_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>After the jewellery shop we headed for the bazaar markets, this was a very different experience. Everyone yells at you as you walked down the street trying to get you into their shop and placing different scarves etc on you.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1UiMzUeI/AAAAAAAABLI/6f4PaGN4Zq4/s1600-h/23Egypt0033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 003" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 003" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1VhdvDqI/AAAAAAAABLM/3n7qp0D8pqo/23Egypt003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We tried to do a little bit of bargaining for a couple of things, Trace has way too much of her Pop in her! The story goes something like this, we approached the shop and choose our items we liked, Trace then asked the guy how much for these two. He answers ‘250 pound” she say”30 pound”, he say what you cant be serious, she say yes I am, “30 pound”, the guy goes on as they always do and drops to 110 pound. Trace sticks with her 30 pound. . . . then Mike pipes up, just as the guy is about to drop more – “how about we meet in the middle, 70 pound” . . . . . we ended up ending that deal and walking on. The guy ran after us for ages, eventually offering 30 pound. . . . .</p> <p>Back to the boat by 10.30pm we watched the belly dancer, darwish dance and life music. This was great entertainment and we really enjoyed the darwish dance, he spun for what seemed liked forever and didn’t fall over!</p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1WE-u5nI/AAAAAAAABLQ/ULhsuXzk4Og/s1600-h/23Egypt00831.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 008" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 008" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1WnlSzdI/AAAAAAAABLU/5Ww2A6YNTnY/23Egypt008_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1XGf8gxI/AAAAAAAABLY/lTMI-BXZTAs/s1600-h/23Egypt0103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 010" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 010" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1XqX-9lI/AAAAAAAABLc/n3nwdeSRVQ4/23Egypt010_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>We were woken up at 5am which was actually 4am! We had to wind our clocks forward an hour because Ramadan time ended.</p> <p>We headed out to Valley of the Kings, this was awesome and one of our highlights of the tour. We were not allowed to take our camera into Valley of the Kings, so no photos here sorry guys.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1Yd0EehI/AAAAAAAABLg/CW9Rj-_bFHI/s1600-h/23Egypt0403.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 040" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 040" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1Y9UbqoI/AAAAAAAABLk/IQXTo6hRJkI/23Egypt040_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> We visited the following tombs:</p> <ul> <li>Thutmes III 18 dynasty 1500 BC <li>Seti II 19 dynasty 1209 BC <li>Ramses III 20 dynasty 1170 BC</li></ul> <p>After Valley of the Kings it was onto the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1Z5wDeGI/AAAAAAAABLo/uT4MbaLiaPQ/s1600-h/23Egypt0543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 054" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 054" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1aYkubuI/AAAAAAAABLs/D28MvGYpMas/23Egypt054_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1a6T41tI/AAAAAAAABLw/-KIZYKkr18s/s1600-h/23Egypt0653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 065" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 065" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1bilBllI/AAAAAAAABL0/r0IL3cIIF14/23Egypt065_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1cH5l98I/AAAAAAAABL4/rnBwJBb1wrg/s1600-h/23Egypt0833.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 083" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 083" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1cv9M38I/AAAAAAAABL8/1MwnJC3U2_k/23Egypt083_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>Then the next stop, Kom Ombo Temple</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1dIr_jLI/AAAAAAAABMA/dWvvEBjOcaA/s1600-h/23Egypt1603.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 160" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 160" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1dn0qyWI/AAAAAAAABME/HTSHkLNJ0do/23Egypt160_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1eqo7xII/AAAAAAAABMI/QhkOKoKV9Uw/s1600-h/23Egypt1653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 165" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 165" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1fJRbhmI/AAAAAAAABMM/eqqqd4gL52Q/23Egypt165_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1f_rfrgI/AAAAAAAABMQ/7VLKbVVABM8/s1600-h/23Egypt1773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 177" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 177" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1gd7VLCI/AAAAAAAABMU/kLKkuyyz8Cs/23Egypt177_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1g0a6MQI/AAAAAAAABMY/dDTZpksjjWQ/s1600-h/23Egypt1913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 191" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 191" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1hQyz-fI/AAAAAAAABMc/1ZYJ-OZDYt8/23Egypt191_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Our final temple for the day was the Luxor Temple, by the time we were taken to this everyone was very hot and tired.</p> <p>The Luxor temple did supply us with our final Cleopatra’s needle. We has seen the other 3 on our travels New York, Paris, London. Also during this temple visit we (the girls on the tour) had the frightful experience of being stalked by what looked like little boys with mobile camera phones. We as a group were standing beside a temple while the guide was explaining the significance to us and the Egyptian boys started to gather in two half circles around us taking photos.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1iPBeanI/AAAAAAAABMg/5segryaz0nE/s1600-h/23Egypt2153.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 215" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 215" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1irUa62I/AAAAAAAABMk/N8wSPhAGEL8/23Egypt215_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1jZE3XCI/AAAAAAAABMo/1O6X0P0SuYU/s1600-h/23Egypt2183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 218" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 218" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1j8hC18I/AAAAAAAABMs/pN09EPXHSpU/23Egypt218_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We were back on the boat just before lunch to eat, relax, pack and soak up some sun before the overnight train to Cairo – joy!!</p> <p>The overnight train to Cairo was nowhere near as bad as we had imagined! It was comfier than the bus to be honest. It was a long train ride, we didn’t get into Cairo until 9am after leaving at 10.30pm that night.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1ktxO79I/AAAAAAAABMw/n_sBKcTJleU/s1600-h/23Egypt0023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 002" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 002" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1lXsbzHI/AAAAAAAABM0/CBs52rTob2E/23Egypt002_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We spent the day in Cairo supermarket shopping for supplies for our kite surfing trip and walking around a few streets. Later that night we took a visit to a Papyrus paper shop were we purchase a painting of Abeul Symbol.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1l-lk3UI/AAAAAAAABM4/qZI7NqBrjCM/s1600-h/23Egypt0053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 005" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 005" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1mYirerI/AAAAAAAABM8/hrpq6hhGzFw/23Egypt005_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The view of Cairo from the upstairs bar at our hotel</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1m-So-DI/AAAAAAAABNA/eQblvqLLIA8/s1600-h/23Egypt0083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 008" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 008" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJw1nQDqUYI/AAAAAAAABNE/572jUhlTBAs/23Egypt008_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a>The “wonderful” view from our bedroom window. . . .something special! </p> <p>It has been so hot right through Egypt reaching temperature of around 40 degrees most days, we have been going through about 6 litres of bottled water each day!</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-55063831080063217872010-09-22T04:01:00.001-07:002010-09-22T04:01:45.048-07:00Etfo<p>We arrived in Etfo at 2.30am </p> <p>At 6am we were up and jumped on a horse and chart which took us out to the temple of Etfo</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh6TEdQKI/AAAAAAAABJ4/6y3TCdrDEjI/s1600-h/23Egypt1473.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 147" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 147" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh7foerXI/AAAAAAAABJ8/3spNz3Jw8ic/23Egypt147_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh8ZJzEHI/AAAAAAAABKA/0r6sOljtdiU/s1600-h/23Egypt1893.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 189" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 189" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh9D2HdTI/AAAAAAAABKE/C2wHVOMsnAg/23Egypt189_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>The horse and chart ride was an experience, the horses were so thin we felt so sorry for them. We asked our guide Haney about this and he said that they keep them skinny so that people give them more tips – pretty sad really.</p> <p>The temple was great but they’re all beginning to look the same… Same gods, same stories.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh9vQ4ECI/AAAAAAAABKI/RSR_x7pb6So/s1600-h/23Egypt1583.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 158" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 158" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh-XrWBMI/AAAAAAAABKM/4gi4bZXy_wU/23Egypt158_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh-x-ZaFI/AAAAAAAABKQ/j2fw2jVt0gc/s1600-h/23Egypt1683.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 168" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 168" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnh_ZSOxEI/AAAAAAAABKU/vJeaEGbMNCc/23Egypt168_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniAIwtQEI/AAAAAAAABKY/kHdBfAiaCLs/s1600-h/23Egypt1523.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 152" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 152" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniAlYqgjI/AAAAAAAABKc/u0MLekhNCdg/23Egypt152_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Once we had finished our tour around the Etfo temple we were back on the horse and chart to the boat for breakfast.</p> <p>We sailed to Luxor during the next few hours of the day.</p> <p>During this journey we had to wait for a bridge to rotate and open for us to get through. Instead of parking up slowly, the captain simply rammed the boat against the river bank. After some heated discussions with the guards and a bit of bribe money changing hands we were able to park and wait for the bridge to open. We weren’t meant to park as close as we did. Although, as our guide explained, nothing a bit of money won’t fix.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniBeDC3nI/AAAAAAAABKg/WZbfE8c-1cQ/s1600-h/23Egypt1983.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 198" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 198" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniCMsVHdI/AAAAAAAABKk/OfKfGNVtggo/23Egypt198_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The narrow path past the bridge <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniCmNymyI/AAAAAAAABKo/4mb2vPEr3kA/s1600-h/23Egypt2183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 218" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 218" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniDrgEa0I/AAAAAAAABKs/IH1SKYHjrxk/23Egypt218_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The bridge <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniEJNMdSI/AAAAAAAABKw/26UShx-pu6c/s1600-h/23Egypt2283.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 228" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 228" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniE6fe0yI/AAAAAAAABK0/lUMiWJCVnaI/23Egypt228_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Our boat being guided through the lock</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniFaw2yUI/AAAAAAAABK4/emXO9wpYR1E/s1600-h/23Egypt2373.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 237" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 237" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJniFzpTKFI/AAAAAAAABK8/1VvRgA9uF7Q/23Egypt237_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>The lock opening once the water had been let out. </p> <p>Once through we headed for the lock. This was huge, our cruise boat plus one behind us both went in at the same time. We both dropped somewhere between 7 to 9 metres. Lots of water!</p> <p>After the lock it was plain sailing to Luxor!</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-27440994718898626702010-09-22T03:31:00.001-07:002010-09-22T03:38:15.508-07:00Aswan<p align="center"><strong></strong> </p> <p align="left"><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p align="left">After a massive bus journey of more than 12 hours we finally arrived in Aswan at 12pm. It was a full bus so everyone squeeze in, it made for a pretty uncomfortable journey through the night.</p> <p align="left">We relaxed in our hotel until 3.30pm then went on a boat up the Nile to a beach just outside a Nubian village. </p> <p align="left">Our tour guide, Newbi was a funny character, he was an Egyptian in his sixties and wore a purple flowered shirt with a purple hat. He came with lots of enthusiasm and energy and reminded Trace of the baboon in the Lion King Movie.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVcn2BJjI/AAAAAAAABDQ/K-XdDO2PJZU/s1600-h/23Egypt1073.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 107" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 107" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVdpmJa-I/AAAAAAAABDU/B_7M1quK8r4/23Egypt107_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVfzNzLKI/AAAAAAAABDY/1GMqHWI_GIM/s1600-h/23Egypt1083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 108" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 108" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVjWKgGCI/AAAAAAAABDc/Hhu8tJ29E2o/23Egypt108_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVlS2XaoI/AAAAAAAABDg/5bnlEcM6o7E/s1600-h/23Egypt1233.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 123" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 123" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVmYJDWoI/AAAAAAAABDk/24sCWA4OygI/23Egypt123_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVnf98OBI/AAAAAAAABDo/ydotJWTs40Y/s1600-h/23Egypt1293.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 129" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 129" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVoTG4dMI/AAAAAAAABDs/dbdA66RlNwg/23Egypt129_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">This little boy latched onto the boat and just start singing. He had a long paddle home by the time he let go!<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVpqrazMI/AAAAAAAABDw/GAYGilAwQ4E/s1600-h/23Egypt1363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 136" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 136" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVqnPuX1I/AAAAAAAABD0/XguBE22buCs/23Egypt136_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="left">Our first stop was on the beach of the Nile as far upstream as is possible before the dam. This was where most of the group apart from three (Trace being one) were persuaded to swim in the Nile. So far everyone is still alive! Locals and the two guides all jumped in so that plus clear water and the mid 40 degree temperatures convinced us! </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVr74RS0I/AAAAAAAABD4/wpOYJHyZID8/s1600-h/23Egypt1473.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 147" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 147" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVtJrwZMI/AAAAAAAABD8/o4AN25p79eI/23Egypt147_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left">Once the group had finished swimming we hopped on a camel each and walked up the beach and into a Nubian Village. The ride was nothing like riding George, very good fun and a laugh!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVuU5O-RI/AAAAAAAABEA/HoEvT6PP73M/s1600-h/23Egypt1503.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 150" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 150" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVvUDNADI/AAAAAAAABEE/CH9S6oAAVSY/23Egypt150_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVwiVzyFI/AAAAAAAABEI/m88VQEF-n0Q/s1600-h/23Egypt1563.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 156" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 156" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVyGC8vAI/AAAAAAAABEM/PgXpdWnW1ac/23Egypt156_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItVzsXRzJI/AAAAAAAABEU/yaHQG0M_qlQ/s1600-h/23Egypt1583.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 158" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 158" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV0-cj38I/AAAAAAAABEY/f4gb44kWwuo/23Egypt158_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV2B2rtkI/AAAAAAAABEc/6vVOuVbjp9I/s1600-h/23Egypt1643.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 164" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 164" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV3MkkxPI/AAAAAAAABEg/7HxSin1HIng/23Egypt164_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">That was the last we saw of Mike as his Camel like to be the leader! <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV4Zbi3PI/AAAAAAAABEk/NmVYa6M8D6k/s1600-h/23Egypt1743.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 174" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 174" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV5f8P0EI/AAAAAAAABEo/-Y-ptOq6M8w/23Egypt174_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="left">Mike somehow ended up with the racing camel, it passed everyone, he finished first and had to wait… Not quite the relaxing ride everyone else had! </p> <p align="left">After our camel ride we went into a small school class room with a retired Nubian teacher he gave us a few basic lessons on Arabic. We were sitting up the front and Mike got pulled up to repeat the first half of the alphabet and failed miserably.</p> <p align="left">We then walked through a bit of the Nubian Village and enjoyed a home-cooked meal at a local home (this consisted of soup, rice, and lots of strew type things, we didn’t ask what they contained we just ate!)</p> <p align="center"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 206" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 206" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV6Qsw3FI/AAAAAAAABEs/MEqI8d66r7Y/23Egypt206_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="left">Just when we were about to head back the owner of the house came in with a baby crocodile. Everyone had a hold and a photo with him.</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV7CMFOMI/AAAAAAAABEw/aCO9ycj_2wo/s1600-h/23Egypt2163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 216" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 216" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV8SSUJYI/AAAAAAAABE0/DI4_RPLvByA/23Egypt216_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p align="center">He may be little by crocodile standards but they were big teeth by our standards!</p> <p align="left">It was then back to the hotel to get ready for our 2.30am wake up call. . . . why 2.30am you ask . . . . </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV9N49SzI/AAAAAAAABE4/W0njWO9sDP4/s1600-h/23Egypt2213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 221" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 221" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV-OplVKI/AAAAAAAABE8/pFBnMFQ9nr8/23Egypt221_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">About to head back to the hotel<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItV_glCCfI/AAAAAAAABFA/g3VdRhBLVks/s1600-h/23Egypt2253.jpg"></p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 225" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 225" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWBDNsNoI/AAAAAAAABFE/K3UuXrlP3jo/23Egypt225_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"> <p align="center"></a>Quick swim before bed at the hotel</p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>We were up at 2.30am and in the bus and off just before 3am. The reason for this was because we need to be escorted out to the Abu Simbel temple because of the threats of tourist attacks (this is normal practice and has been carried out for the past year or so). We lined up with lots of other tourists buses, each of these were checked for bombs both in luggage compartments and with mirrors underneath the bus. Once the check was done we all travelled in convoy to Abu Simbel, no stopping whatsoever for the three and a half hour journey. you got the impression if something wanted to cross the road it was going to be run over by about 20 busses and some military vehicles without hesitation. </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p>Abu Simbel was magnificent, the photos below really do not do it justice . . . .</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWCiO2SbI/AAAAAAAABFI/3kPXVdAvOQM/s1600-h/23Egypt2343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 234" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 234" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWD2Ru-GI/AAAAAAAABFM/VR3QGrpIk_4/23Egypt234_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWFH8g7OI/AAAAAAAABFQ/IUyrVMpNE4Y/s1600-h/23Egypt2363.jpg"></p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 236" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 236" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWF73gRwI/AAAAAAAABFU/w36bNFwF93U/23Egypt236_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWG1uGLrI/AAAAAAAABFY/eT9oxOYKEPg/s1600-h/23Egypt2393.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 239" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 239" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWICixd2I/AAAAAAAABFc/oE8nfEeTaCI/23Egypt239_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWI4YnPaI/AAAAAAAABFg/n0W75ZkeABs/s1600-h/23Egypt2443.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 244" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 244" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWKX43pTI/AAAAAAAABFk/f3OBqaU1B18/23Egypt244_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWLt-bmxI/AAAAAAAABFo/xMMWIspRJPk/s1600-h/23Egypt2543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 254" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 254" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWM4BiHnI/AAAAAAAABFs/2Tnnms-zdkc/23Egypt254_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWOKzdEoI/AAAAAAAABFw/nz18soSGQ0I/s1600-h/23Egypt2611.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 261" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 261" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWPVvNh8I/AAAAAAAABF0/RmaS2m6JwQg/23Egypt261_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWQEPndxI/AAAAAAAABF4/r1YgqX99sAE/s1600-h/23Egypt2683.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 268" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 268" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWRdJRI5I/AAAAAAAABF8/DT00XZQW_xE/23Egypt268_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <p>We had to be back on the bus at 9am to join the convoy back to Aswan at 9am in convoy with rest of tourist buses.</p> <p>Instead of cruising the Nile in a felucca we as a group decided to “upgrade”and stay on the “Nile star”cruise boat for three nights. This was a 4 star cruise ship but as we have become aware 4 star in Egyptian is not like 4 start in New Zealand! This ship is very nice though and we are glad to have the air conditioned room.</p> <p>We hopped on the boat at lunch time and enjoyed the buffet meal.</p> <p>Later that day at 5pm we went for a sail on a felucca up the river Nile. It was peaceful apart from the occasional loud engine boat.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWSttDjFI/AAAAAAAABGA/MWGxjklcbbI/s1600-h/23Egypt287.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 287" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 287" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWT7sLrOI/AAAAAAAABGE/pyv8LMVtRCA/23Egypt287_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWVfKSK9I/AAAAAAAABGI/bg-FnnfWYl4/s1600-h/23Egypt290.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 290" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 290" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWWdtMWaI/AAAAAAAABGM/vI2fESDXcxM/23Egypt290_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWXR40h9I/AAAAAAAABGQ/xK7_cwfhNxY/s1600-h/23Egypt2941.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 294" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 294" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWYaycwlI/AAAAAAAABGU/ius8JGz4XDI/23Egypt294_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWZY1kf2I/AAAAAAAABGY/dnrtRyOj8KA/s1600-h/23Egypt3001.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 300" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 300" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWacRS_LI/AAAAAAAABGc/B1q6XDS5o8Q/23Egypt300_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWbjkbLLI/AAAAAAAABGg/POAy3Y6_pUM/s1600-h/23Egypt3063.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 306" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 306" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWcWQdKHI/AAAAAAAABGk/VMvMkxEHgoY/23Egypt306_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWdgAQNFI/AAAAAAAABGo/yNF0O2fOHpM/s1600-h/23Egypt3133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 313" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 313" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWemwKgQI/AAAAAAAABGs/Wx9uAP6g9Fg/23Egypt313_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">This was our Felucca captain</p> <p>Once we were back on land we went to the markets where we brought an Egyptian dress for the Egyptian party the next night. This involved us having to bargain . . . . Trace was ok at this, Mike got frustrated but still did ok… We both bargained our way to equally the cheapest dresses of the group! Victory!!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWf2n-UkI/AAAAAAAABGw/K6ziUJzif5M/s1600-h/23Egypt321.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 321" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 321" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWhLEBhXI/AAAAAAAABG0/W31BPnSdHy4/23Egypt321_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWjRTC1ZI/AAAAAAAABG4/O3QLabo3VUQ/s1600-h/23Egypt3223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 322" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 322" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWlEclO7I/AAAAAAAABG8/fBHiWEVSYqI/23Egypt322_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">They’ll do anything to make a sale!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWmaL2-II/AAAAAAAABHA/dxAiXIlMNZc/s1600-h/23Egypt3243.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 324" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 324" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWnpZlV7I/AAAAAAAABHE/FgaLTtiY1ok/23Egypt324_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Unfortunately this guy wouldn’t come down low enough so a deal wasn’t made.</p> <p>During the market visit we got sick of Egyptians always asking you to come into the shop. They would come out as you walked passed and say hello and try to entice you in. Our best quote would be “I don’t know what you want but I have it in my shop!”.</p> <p>Mike got offer 2 hundred million camels for Trace… After some bartering they were willing to go to 500 camels and 10 donkeys too – what a bargain! No exchange took place.</p> <p>At 8pm we came back to the boat and had dinner.</p> <p>Then after dinner we watched a Nubian dance, Mike got picked on (again) and had to go up on stage to speak Nubian – he was very bad – good entertainment though!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWo5J16DI/AAAAAAAABHI/Q1JcUl69tL0/s1600-h/23Egypt3263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 326" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 326" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWpzCfBzI/AAAAAAAABHM/OlcyUPhuYvo/23Egypt326_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWrLGe_VI/AAAAAAAABHQ/L8nfzGQiLoU/s1600-h/23Egypt3303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 330" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 330" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItWsKsAAzI/AAAAAAAABHU/7y24N2T_IJQ/23Egypt330_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnatVKDhqI/AAAAAAAABHc/5pb09SyU7wA/s1600-h/23Egypt3463.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 346" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 346" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnauXXP2CI/AAAAAAAABHg/tT3qS7jeT8E/23Egypt346_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The guys on the cruise ship kept leaving a surprise after servicing our room – crocodile!</p> <p><strong>DAY THREE</strong> </p> <p>Up at 8 for breakfast then off to visit the grand Temple of Isis, set on the Island of Philae. En route we saw the engineering marvel that is the Aswan High Dam, a huge project that since its construction in 1970 has changed Egypt's economy and culture immensely. <blockquote> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnavH7daHI/AAAAAAAABHk/0Ly1vlC4P9Y/s1600-h/23Egypt3553.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 355" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 355" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnav6yPSBI/AAAAAAAABHo/oqlm2tJMLoE/23Egypt355_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Temple of Isis </p></blockquote> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnawSjXy8I/AAAAAAAABHs/8KmMdE1ibuU/s1600-h/23Egypt3593.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 359" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 359" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnaxDo9yxI/AAAAAAAABHw/I9-9UcQjLT4/23Egypt359_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnax0Nj3bI/AAAAAAAABH0/I3rVAWJcrfE/s1600-h/23Egypt3923.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 392" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 392" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnayURHG3I/AAAAAAAABH4/a-NYbfpcg7A/23Egypt392_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnay8H8TLI/AAAAAAAABH8/wXgLx2kD74k/s1600-h/23Egypt3933.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 393" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 393" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnazVIZk5I/AAAAAAAABIA/KHEf_X3-Z1A/23Egypt393_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnaz6VDFSI/AAAAAAAABIE/Xkju6GDy5d4/s1600-h/23Egypt4053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 405" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 405" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna0SswJjI/AAAAAAAABII/aAGyMr89V4g/23Egypt405_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>Getting in and our of the port was interesting, the captains of the small 20 seater boats just played bumper boats until their boat was up against the shore. <p>Our tour guide Newbi was back with us. He had many talents and one of them was a hand reader. Trace got him to do a reading. He had the following prognosis: <p>1. Going to come into some money when you get home – ya lets hope this happens</p> <p>2. Something has scared her in the passed year – She has no idea what this is</p> <p>3. She has lost something of value in the passed year – no idea either, so after that, two of the historical ones we have no idea on - things are not looking bright for money in the future!</p> <p>Also he informed her that she is going to have two children, one boy and one girl and live happily ever after. Brilliant ending to a fairytale don’t you think?!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna0wZOSqI/AAAAAAAABIM/xTFE0ZYZCE8/s1600-h/23Egypt4123.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 412" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 412" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna1sBJEXI/AAAAAAAABIQ/KU99qK7zriA/23Egypt412_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Trace and Newbi after the palm reading </p> <p>Once we had visited the temple of Isis we stopped at an Egyptian Perfume shop, they gave us a quick demonstration of how they blow the glass perfume bottles before launching into their perfume sales pitch. We managed to bargain a little and purchased a couple of items. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna2atjxGI/AAAAAAAABIU/RuWLJn0sp1E/s1600-h/23Egypt4153.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 415" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 415" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna29Eq4gI/AAAAAAAABIY/FLOmjF7JMNQ/23Egypt415_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Back on the boat for another buffet lunch – Yum Yum.</p> <p>We started sailing to Karnak these are some of the views we had on the Nile on the way.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna3qXmplI/AAAAAAAABIc/5fXoV9e3LBM/s1600-h/23Egypt0113.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 011" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 011" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna4WQY6TI/AAAAAAAABIg/OV5iws3ai9Y/23Egypt011_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna5D6RksI/AAAAAAAABIk/UgRjuhSaupo/s1600-h/23Egypt0243.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 024" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 024" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna5w4QSvI/AAAAAAAABIo/gZksZE8DDH0/23Egypt024_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna67kOfDI/AAAAAAAABIs/Vkw_W1YKrR0/s1600-h/23Egypt0303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 030" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 030" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna7gCXGlI/AAAAAAAABIw/PHSeVnzZlv4/23Egypt030_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> This is a boat similar to the one we were on</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna83jrTAI/AAAAAAAABI0/bTnd6bACXb8/s1600-h/23Egypt0393.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 039" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 039" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna9h7jlkI/AAAAAAAABI4/MFpGsskWOXQ/23Egypt039_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>We arrived at about 7.30pm and we visited the temple here at Karnak.</p> <p> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna-TerIzI/AAAAAAAABI8/r2emnGuoVYE/s1600-h/23Egypt0833.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 083" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 083" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna-9rGohI/AAAAAAAABJA/cjfzQOQfMsY/23Egypt083_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJna_QnPz2I/AAAAAAAABJE/_yPtwoPO_h0/s1600-h/23Egypt0993.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 099" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 099" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbAL1klZI/AAAAAAAABJI/uORhPz1907o/23Egypt099_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Once we had explored this temple we headed back to the boat for dinner dressed as Egyptians and then danced the night away with some traditional Egyptian games and dances. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbA8-c3SI/AAAAAAAABJM/Ge3KERdGbfs/s1600-h/23Egypt1273.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 127" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 127" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbBoK42TI/AAAAAAAABJQ/Bk09EvnFUt4/23Egypt127_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Mike was picked on again as for a game but actually did ok this time (no more language tests)… and was presented with a prize for coming first!</p> <p>The boat continued to sail as we partied in the bar and up on the deck. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbCGlVr0I/AAAAAAAABJU/mUn7dPC8uNY/s1600-h/23Egypt1343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 134" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 134" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbC8_CvpI/AAAAAAAABJY/6kiAIjMZeBo/23Egypt134_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">A few of us relaxing on the deck</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbDUV9ewI/AAAAAAAABJc/Q-rqjAypzkk/s1600-h/23Egypt0453.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 045" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 045" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbELHMlbI/AAAAAAAABJg/cX9rEQA4SQ4/23Egypt045_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The evening sun setting <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbEmTliGI/AAAAAAAABJk/WbLpdXzaSeQ/s1600-h/23Egypt0593.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 059" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 059" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbFJ2QOII/AAAAAAAABJs/glkWdS0zYA0/23Egypt059_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbFgDoL_I/AAAAAAAABJw/Qm46IM4GOjk/s1600-h/23Egypt1093.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 109" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 109" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TJnbGEfk8oI/AAAAAAAABJ0/F6mA9KDZmpQ/23Egypt109_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Another surprise awaited us after our room had be serviced that night . . . A little person with Trace’s hat.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-527853097157769392010-09-11T03:01:00.001-07:002010-09-11T03:01:52.424-07:00Egypt - Cairo<p>We arrived in Cairo at 10.30pm, after getting our visa and heading through customs we were greeted by our Top Deck Tour Representative who arranged our airport transfer. On our way out of the terminal we were offered taxi rides, “for very cheap rate”, we do you good deal”.</p> <p>Driving in Cairo is a little… Different. Initially we had a clear run on the motorway as it was pretty late so the driver was hitting 140km/hr in a 60 area… Then it screeched to a halt and we went more like 30km/hr the 4 lane motorway suddenly became a free for all! I think our driver grew up playing need for speed… He definitely had a need! We were weaving all over the place covering twice as much distance but somehow going faster than the other cars. We passed donkeys with carts and overweight policemen driving with their lights on but in no rush. They were laxed back in their seats, smoking cigars with all four windows down and joking with each other. </p> <p>One interesting motorway technique that seems quite common when in a jam is to try and drive between lanes, one wheel either side of the white line. This worked well for our driver for a bit, then he had to start using the horn to create room, then suddenly everyone was doing it and our 4 lane motorway was more like a 6 lane motorway with lots of tooting.</p> <p>Rich, These guys make your driving look patient and caring! (FPH perspective) </p> <p>It took us about an hour to get to our accommodation.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTD22qLcI/AAAAAAAABBc/SSPY3LIyI3k/s1600-h/23Egypt1027.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 102" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 102" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTFa22Y6I/AAAAAAAABBg/fdkgDPyoJ7o/23Egypt102_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">This picture was taken the next day from the bus… Not nearly as bad as were were already half way out of the city! Also, the bigger the vehicle the more right of way so not too much trouble with a bus!</p> <p>Once we arrive we are allocated our room with two double beds, a balcony, an en-suite, air conditioning and a fridge... A four star hotel, apparently. The beds were super soft, the sheets on the first bed we tried were not clean, the shower only has a cold setting, “the room has an odd smell to it, the air conditioning is so noisy you think we could take off . . . . . Trace is thinking “take me home!!” As we have said before this trip is all about experiences. . . . . most good . . . some . . . . . well they could be better.</p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>Our alarms sounded at 7am and we jumped out of bed had a cold shower and headed down stairs to meet our tour guide. Once at the main reception desk we were greeted and told it was in fact only 6.30am! We had moved our clocks forward an hour coming into Cairo – Obviously this was not the case. Back to bed for another hour!</p> <p>Later that day we found out that due to Ramadan, Egypt was an hour behind what it should be. This was something to do with the timing of the sun and eating.</p> <p>So we rose again at 7.30am and got some breakfast, approaching all food with caution. . . . we picked up a plate it was dirty so we picked up another one, it to was dirty. This went on for a few more plates and then we decided this was just the way it was going to be. We enjoyed good old bread and butter for breakfast, we were too sceptical of everything else and afraid we may get the squirts before we had even started!</p> <p>We jumped on the tour bus at 8am</p> <p>Our first stop is the Cairo Museum. This museum has a staggering array of artefacts that have been uncovered. It houses over 100,000 relics, including the magnificent treasures from the famous tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun.</p> <p>We went into the mummy museum for an extra cost, this was well worth the extra money and because we have an “international youth card” we passed as students and got into all Egyptian sites for half price! In this Mummy museum we saw about six mummies, these bodies were so well preserved there skin still in tacked and hair still on their heads. No photos as no cameras were not allowed.</p> <p>Second stop – Giza Plateu</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTGZBHmXI/AAAAAAAABBk/X_hi2kTOyIo/s1600-h/23Egypt0053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 005" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 005" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTHalXl6I/AAAAAAAABBo/sFi80IVMFB4/23Egypt005_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTIh148gI/AAAAAAAABBs/y4-L2bjnBkc/s1600-h/23Egypt0133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 013" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 013" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTJTRchcI/AAAAAAAABBw/aevb1Qgpk6Q/23Egypt013_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>This is just outside the city limits and home to 3 jaw-dropping Pyramids and the magnificent Sphinx. The Great<br>Pyramid was the world's tallest man-made structure for around 3,800 years!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTKhayvcI/AAAAAAAABB0/FAeRtxnKy3Y/s1600-h/23Egypt0203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 020" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 020" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTL9pKq5I/AAAAAAAABB4/MBcDjXtl7u4/23Egypt020_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Everyone else was doing it Ok?! </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTNCioQfI/AAAAAAAABB8/HXhtlQwIH8M/s1600-h/23Egypt0343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 034" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 034" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTOTMjoxI/AAAAAAAABCA/nYkx_tqzmLw/23Egypt034_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTPqk4S7I/AAAAAAAABCE/TyWbfIVYPfY/s1600-h/23Egypt0413.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 041" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 041" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTQuQ7OZI/AAAAAAAABCI/fIDkP2oBJHc/23Egypt041_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTRohW_oI/AAAAAAAABCM/IEjuiVKpLqw/s1600-h/23Egypt0513.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 051" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 051" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTShV9o-I/AAAAAAAABCQ/0UMey0B_GMo/23Egypt051_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTTh9NwbI/AAAAAAAABCU/-fhwhPqFLjw/s1600-h/23Egypt0573.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 057" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 057" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTUhC-jlI/AAAAAAAABCY/2Gwm0lfLGtk/23Egypt057_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTV1FuMvI/AAAAAAAABCc/sAgjfwSvzcY/s1600-h/23Egypt0673.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 067" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 067" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTW2NzUbI/AAAAAAAABCg/aTvlDeGJgGw/23Egypt067_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTX_t2uDI/AAAAAAAABCk/eBVRjMTNSm8/s1600-h/23Egypt0803.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 080" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 080" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTZXy9qLI/AAAAAAAABCs/vOVRSUjrRMw/23Egypt080_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The “it has to be done” photo</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTabrNhAI/AAAAAAAABCw/1_QFuBQjnQ4/s1600-h/23Egypt0833.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 083" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 083" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTbTMt1MI/AAAAAAAABC0/J_LuQbuT9X4/23Egypt083_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The Sphinx</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTcUz-MuI/AAAAAAAABC4/lF8rEksGfx4/s1600-h/23Egypt0953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="23 Egypt 095" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 095" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTdmsy9gI/AAAAAAAABC8/Boq_kLSnxpU/23Egypt095_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Mike went in the second biggest of the Pyramids which had a small tunnel which lead to an empty hot room, once a tomb for mummy, it was very hot and sticky down there. Trace decided it best to stay above the earth with fresh air.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTfDa2VxI/AAAAAAAABDA/n6ZFegDZHkI/s1600-h/23Egypt0303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 030" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 030" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItThC8F0CI/AAAAAAAABDE/r5W_s3b_giw/23Egypt030_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>On the way back to the hotel we stopped at papyrus paper making shop. This has some stunning pieces of work in it and we were tempted to buy but decided against it.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTiSAoX6I/AAAAAAAABDI/iiqvbrf9ErI/s1600-h/23Egypt0983.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="23 Egypt 098" border="0" alt="23 Egypt 098" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItTjtOVv1I/AAAAAAAABDM/SV-2E-T-x2U/23Egypt098_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Once we were back at the hotel we chilled until 9pm, when we boarded our overnight bus for Aswan . . . . . </p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-72582647447213000952010-09-11T02:58:00.001-07:002010-09-11T02:58:47.517-07:00Madrid<p>We caught the train from Barcelona to Madrid at 9am. We had decided while planning our trip that we would reserve first class tickets, what a choice! We ended up with a free breakfast . . . yummy! Along with some first class service.</p> <p>The train was super fast, we clocked 300kmph on the speedo at one point – we missed that photo opportunity but caught it at 298kmph!</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="22 Madrid 003" border="0" alt="22 Madrid 003" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSvs7Z-GI/AAAAAAAABBA/xHJGY-IjssI/22Madrid003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p>We checked into our four star hotel, wow what an experience after roughing it for a while. . . . fresh clean sheets, air con you can hardly hear, bathroom to yourself and with a bath, its the simple things in life!</p> <p>The next two days in Madrid were spent walking the streets and doing a bit of shopping and relaxing in the hotel, catching up on some much needed R & R.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSwzxZ2tI/AAAAAAAABBE/08Qvh-_6eXI/s1600-h/22Madrid0053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="22 Madrid 005" border="0" alt="22 Madrid 005" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSyHEavAI/AAAAAAAABBI/qqt0XiM4nWY/22Madrid005_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The main shopping street in Madrid</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSyzKWQDI/AAAAAAAABBM/22Q1hVVnLpM/s1600-h/22Madrid0063.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="22 Madrid 006" border="0" alt="22 Madrid 006" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSzyJC0wI/AAAAAAAABBQ/8n9Pu0f9eqw/22Madrid006_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Relaxing in the hotel room </p> <p align="left">We thought we should report on Mike’s Jandals . . . . they have come along way since departing NZ on the 4th July . . . . as you can see from below the duck tape came in handy as new jandals were difficult to source for a while. </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItS0hoECMI/AAAAAAAABBU/aOIrK1VBoeg/s1600-h/22Madrid0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="22 Madrid 001" border="0" alt="22 Madrid 001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItS1tVvotI/AAAAAAAABBY/i7f71q93mM4/22Madrid001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>After an emotional farewell (not) it was time to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. Hopefully these survive the rest of the trip. </p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-39379920205694044422010-09-11T02:57:00.001-07:002010-09-11T02:57:40.286-07:00Barcelona<p><strong></strong> </p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>After boarding our flight at 6.55am we were bound for Barcelona. Breakfast was served on this flight – sausage, eggs and potato – this rang alarm bells and we hoped it would not be deja vu . . . . We were lucky no food poisoning – thank goodness!</p> <p>We then caught the aerobus into Barcelona and after talking with the locals we eventually found our way to our apartment. All the locals warned us of pig pocketers – we thought it must be bad if the locals are warning us so we kept our eyes pealed. Wallets buttoned into pocked and Mike was ready to chase.</p> <p>That afternoon we walked up La Rumbla which is Spain’s most famous boulevard. It was lined with street artists, people in costume and vendors selling everything from birds to mice and flowers. There were also so many people selling whistles which sounded like birds, this sound drove you nuts! <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRfme9hcI/AAAAAAAAA9M/IkDC4DmC4ho/s1600-h/21Barcelona0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 001" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRgwPmS2I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/LUCWqQEbnDM/21Barcelona001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRh8Tg64I/AAAAAAAAA9U/226j2WSrYv0/s1600-h/21Barcelona0023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 002" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 002" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRjLIOgBI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/BWc-Z8LxGqQ/21Barcelona002_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRkhuLWqI/AAAAAAAAA9c/5CdXWc8JooA/s1600-h/21Barcelona0033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 003" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 003" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRlyl1I4I/AAAAAAAAA9g/JJm6vjZR_-4/21Barcelona003_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="left">This was the entrance into the Barcelona Markets, it was huge with such a huge range of produce and meat. </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>We started by walking up the main shopping street, Passeig. This had all the very very expensive shops on it, we couldn’t even afford to walk in the door of most of them, Guess, gucci, you name it, it was on this street.</p> <p>We passed a few of Gaudi’s buildings on the way</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRnG5USaI/AAAAAAAAA9k/xSEnFS7nTd4/s1600-h/21Barcelona0063.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 006" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 006" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRo0P7ToI/AAAAAAAAA9o/BvL2EGsRnHs/21Barcelona006_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>After about an hour or so of walking we made it to La Sagrada Familia, this is star architect Antoni Gaudi’s work which is still a work in progress and Barcelona’s most famous building. Construction began in 1882 and it is predicted to be completed in 2030.</p> <p>This was an absolutely amazing building and we spent most of the day here. Check out the photos below, although they really do not do it justice.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRp8ywTlI/AAAAAAAAA9s/JfejwGVXlPI/s1600-h/21Barcelona0113.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 011" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 011" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRrNevjUI/AAAAAAAAA9w/ac6pFuvxe5A/21Barcelona011_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRsUcRHxI/AAAAAAAAA90/jE1ICdYzLZQ/s1600-h/21Barcelona0143.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 014" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 014" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRtepOvzI/AAAAAAAAA94/YYIpVQXWawQ/21Barcelona014_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRuRowrcI/AAAAAAAAA98/702xxqRu8cQ/s1600-h/21Barcelona0163.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 016" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 016" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRvVto_TI/AAAAAAAAA-A/IGDtUpxczP0/21Barcelona016_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRwVr36pI/AAAAAAAAA-E/n_bHA0uvvy4/s1600-h/21Barcelona0213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 021" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 021" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRxPnIOzI/AAAAAAAAA-I/tRcHFRULxhA/21Barcelona021_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRyIKrZ0I/AAAAAAAAA-M/tu34i84SaRg/s1600-h/21Barcelona0233.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 023" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 023" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRzINbY3I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/pso0iCULskM/21Barcelona023_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR0PBuUKI/AAAAAAAAA-U/ReTQd9FMSOo/s1600-h/21Barcelona0403.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 040" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 040" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR1OjCarI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/CJGMz3vMbFM/21Barcelona040_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR2NYpy_I/AAAAAAAAA-c/IP3TC20vfDk/s1600-h/21Barcelona0423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 042" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 042" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR3NdWdlI/AAAAAAAAA-g/wHuGT0_s57Q/21Barcelona042_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR31djD7I/AAAAAAAAA-k/hRLvPPihAik/s1600-h/21Barcelona0494.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 049" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 049" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR4wNZ3lI/AAAAAAAAA-o/tJkyf8rhTLU/21Barcelona049_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR6PPBlzI/AAAAAAAAA-s/VF-Mv8oPsVM/s1600-h/21Barcelona0513.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 051" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 051" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR7J7yk4I/AAAAAAAAA-0/y7LrL7tdGjc/21Barcelona051_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR8IzJFBI/AAAAAAAAA-4/4swVvHqAjWE/s1600-h/21Barcelona0703.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 070" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 070" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR9RjkkeI/AAAAAAAAA-8/b8xb5NWB5Bw/21Barcelona070_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR-VkONZI/AAAAAAAAA_A/PCk9NDwi78k/s1600-h/21Barcelona0713.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 071" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 071" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItR_z0KnyI/AAAAAAAAA_E/u6dNkSHOSDU/21Barcelona071_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 093" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 093" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSA8inWBI/AAAAAAAAA_I/vYPdLf6vOhg/21Barcelona093_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">A view from one of the towers<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSCWkCyHI/AAAAAAAAA_M/IPxKdGvHW38/s1600-h/21Barcelona1013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 101" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 101" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSDv_kUKI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/qmX6UTN005k/21Barcelona101_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSEwMYIEI/AAAAAAAAA_U/59So9BzBjug/s1600-h/21Barcelona1233.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 123" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 123" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSFwkerSI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/F5lyA42y1Ns/21Barcelona123_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Looking down on the stair case <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSG4VekUI/AAAAAAAAA_c/FBd_BTm9vEs/s1600-h/21Barcelona1343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 134" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 134" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSIJn0mzI/AAAAAAAAA_g/e5-O4gNU6X8/21Barcelona134_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Once we had finished looking around here we walked back to the apartment and then headed for the beach . . . . </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSJnzTvRI/AAAAAAAAA_k/Mu5eOoMXJ2s/s1600-h/21Barcelona1373.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 137" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 137" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSK7QV23I/AAAAAAAAA_o/mPyiatRC6fs/21Barcelona137_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSMMHRXVI/AAAAAAAAA_s/Z-HARBrYZc8/s1600-h/21Barcelona1393.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 139" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 139" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSM50uogI/AAAAAAAAA_w/wGbiPLc4I8U/21Barcelona139_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Mike was hoping to see some topless action . . . . Unfortunately contrary to what we had been told there were no naked people at all on the beach, better luck tomorrow we though. . . .</p> <p><strong>DAY THREE</strong></p> <p>We started the day by visiting Barcelona’s Gothic Catedral, Barri Gothic. This was an extremely large and intricate cathedral.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSN5_GKsI/AAAAAAAAA_0/dZPxDPV0Wjs/s1600-h/21Barcelona1463.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 146" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 146" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSPKPd4OI/AAAAAAAAA_4/HLoSTRi22z4/21Barcelona146_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSQxSItnI/AAAAAAAAA_8/C7rq3w-6Giw/s1600-h/21Barcelona1493.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 149" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 149" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSSeeR6FI/AAAAAAAABAA/Es7L3ublcS4/21Barcelona149_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSTu83r8I/AAAAAAAABAE/-6HomYsuIME/s1600-h/21Barcelona1583.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 158" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 158" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSU-q6z3I/AAAAAAAABAI/hcjYSX89HcI/21Barcelona158_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>From here we took the subway up to Park Guell, This park was filled with Dr Seuss-style playgrounds, colourful mosaics and Gaudi –designed paths and plazas.</p> <p>We had a picnic lunch here and enjoyed the view of Barcelona city</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 215" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 215" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSWFDbhNI/AAAAAAAABAM/qykmrZXRBGM/21Barcelona215_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSXLIg3KI/AAAAAAAABAQ/ww8ynUyEMmc/s1600-h/21Barcelona1893.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 189" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 189" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSYdhsXsI/AAAAAAAABAU/xWp6yvwyMss/21Barcelona189_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSZj9qnZI/AAAAAAAABAY/euuHbs1oRVg/s1600-h/21Barcelona1913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 191" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 191" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSbHbwrSI/AAAAAAAABAc/5gXAz5N7K1U/21Barcelona191_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSchXzCHI/AAAAAAAABAg/BIp08s1aTVY/s1600-h/21Barcelona1963.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 196" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 196" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSduKRN9I/AAAAAAAABAk/WC_DDbxFsEg/21Barcelona196_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSe8J0o9I/AAAAAAAABAo/Zt_akRnK2Os/s1600-h/21Barcelona2023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 202" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 202" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSgKft7iI/AAAAAAAABAs/nsbmtf0YClM/21Barcelona202_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSg3IH8XI/AAAAAAAABAw/gcgZmOeoXxU/s1600-h/21Barcelona2143.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 214" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 214" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSh5REHiI/AAAAAAAABA0/y44M1OSW308/21Barcelona214_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Then it was time to hit the beach again. This time we walked down a bit further to Port Olimpic which was less crowded. Still no nude sunbathers . . . . Just one lone guy struting his stuff. There were also plenty of guys walking up and down the beach with chilly bins in hand yelling “Aqua, cola, sprite, cold beer, fanta” and also a few masseuses 45 Euro for 40 minutes. . . . But, I think you could have probably bartered them down.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSjSmG6QI/AAAAAAAABA4/I13SfCWSkQU/s1600-h/21Barcelona2253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="21 Barcelona 225" border="0" alt="21 Barcelona 225" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItSkSsrDDI/AAAAAAAABA8/sZlGalXfpa4/21Barcelona225_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-42797622876625623152010-09-11T02:52:00.001-07:002010-09-11T02:52:08.512-07:00Turkey – Istanbul and Gallipoli<p>We eventually arrived in Istanbul at 10pm after setting off at 9am from Cappadocia. The trip was long and pretty boring, with only four of us on the 26 seater bus it was very roomy and we chatted with our new kiwi friends Stu and Sarah.</p> <p>On our way were were suppose to stop at Ankara and see a well known museum but the Turkish bus driver had a mind of his own and decided that would not be the case . . . . our FEZ leader phoned another guy who spoke Turkish to the bus driver commanding him to turn back and take us to the museum. We eventually left the motorway and headed back, after 45 minutes the bus driver headed back to the place were we had got off the motorway and shook his head gesturing that he could not find it. We ended up giving up and told him to drive to Istanbul. </p> <p>We hit a bit of traffic coming into Istanbul and found it amusing that as all the cars crawled along, the entrepreneurs were taking to the motorway, they were trying to sell everything from food to emergency cell phone chargers.</p> <p>We checked into a hotel which was really nice! We booked it last minute so got a reasonably good rate.</p> <p>Also, it has to be said in Istanbul and the rest of Turkey there’s an exceptional number of stray cats and a few dogs too.. The cats are friendly enough as they’re used to people but they scavenge around the rubbish bins in packs of at least 3-4. </p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>Day trip out to Gallipoli from Istanbul.</p> <p>We left Istanbul at 6.30am on a minibus with one other girl from Tasmania, headed to Gallipoli. After 5 hours of driving we stopped for lunch at 12ish then headed onto the Gallipoli Peninsula for our tour with the rest of the FEZ group who were carrying on around Turkey.</p> <p>Our first stop on the tour was the Gallipoli museum. It was a small museum full of bit and pieces from the war. It wasn’t as PC as a NZ museums and had things like a soldier’s boot with half his foot still in it (just bones now obviously) and skulls with various calibre bullets imbedded. However, what impressed Mike the most was that they had a dozen or so bullets which had collided in midair and merged into one. The odds of this seem crazy so there must have been a heck of a lot of bullets in the air for them to have so many examples!! </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIUxmLNKmaI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/0ZXAqOzwbqQ/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 002" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 002" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIUx8HRnUXI/AAAAAAAAA5c/dsUKfmYNj3E/GallipoliIstanbul002_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Stop two was Anzac Cove. Just above Anzac Cove was a rock which vaguely looked like the Egyptian Sphinx, the troops named this the Gallipoli Sphinx as they had just been trained in Egypt on the way over.</p> <blockquote> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQmCyP_LI/AAAAAAAAA64/qyB5Xw2Ibug/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0083.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 008" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 008" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQnvsks4I/AAAAAAAAA68/Db8gt0W9jYo/GallipoliIstanbul008_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQo9oHLOI/AAAAAAAAA7A/8UG95RwlmuQ/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 026" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 026" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQp3Yd1EI/AAAAAAAAA7E/22NJw-ORroc/GallipoliIstanbul026_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>The Gallipoli Sphinx </p></blockquote> <p>Stop three was Long Pine (Australian’s memorial and cemetery)</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQq1UoXpI/AAAAAAAAA7I/SKQuGUDj5yQ/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 036" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 036" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQsNeNKOI/AAAAAAAAA7M/wBp2gDJYxUs/GallipoliIstanbul036_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQtv3jLqI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/HCYL5tTqsj4/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 042" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 042" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQvRTUIcI/AAAAAAAAA7U/X0fe9dOo-pM/GallipoliIstanbul042_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">This was a tunnel connecting two of the many trenches in Gallipoli</p> <p align="center"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 035" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 035" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQwtIgTTI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/00vcJzvf6HA/GallipoliIstanbul035_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">This is where the ANZAC dawn service is held on the 25th April each year.</p> <p>Stop four was the Nek, a high point where a lot of Australian’s lost their lives.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQx5kPh9I/AAAAAAAAA7c/VPmragJ50-4/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0483.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 048" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 048" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQzBBYLjI/AAAAAAAAA7g/f6Z5kynv6pI/GallipoliIstanbul048_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Stop Five, Chunuk Bair (New Zealand's Memorial and Cemetery)</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQz49u8aI/AAAAAAAAA7k/B_7uPdUJAIU/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 054" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 054" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ0-86rmI/AAAAAAAAA7o/orLDFvbRde8/GallipoliIstanbul054_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ1-KqQKI/AAAAAAAAA7s/b78nnAyjh04/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 065" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 065" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ3MLqNrI/AAAAAAAAA7w/Os45lY-WnpQ/GallipoliIstanbul065_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ4n3itCI/AAAAAAAAA70/0Ihy_Kf6b5o/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0683.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 068" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 068" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ5mlLpJI/AAAAAAAAA74/cljqT1vBYlw/GallipoliIstanbul068_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>We found this tour to be very informative and moving as it hit home just how many lives were lost and the impact on New Zealand.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ69NPjwI/AAAAAAAAA78/GULLIRFo07o/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0583.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 058" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 058" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ8B2FBHI/AAAAAAAAA8A/352zDs5D5q0/GallipoliIstanbul058_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>We rose late after a much needed sleep in, getting up early is a bit ruff when you are on holiday!! </p> <p>We went out and explored Istanbul, walking the streets and taking in the atmosphere.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ9fas0jI/AAAAAAAAA8E/ULW5X-BLZZU/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul1203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 120" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 120" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ-dz_65I/AAAAAAAAA8I/agnPKFxgctw/GallipoliIstanbul120_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Our first stop was the Blue Mosque, this was amazing inside with lots of blue ceramics. Women had to be covered, from head to toe.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItQ_WVYLFI/AAAAAAAAA8M/8wCXvVvBBWY/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0763.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 076" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 076" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRAhpzUaI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/X-_NQYYyFZ8/GallipoliIstanbul076_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>Next stop Aya sofya (church of holy wisdom) <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRCNlVL0I/AAAAAAAAA8U/nmXuJHV8Md0/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0873.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 087" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 087" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRDNn3ZII/AAAAAAAAA8Y/t7KmluCRbys/GallipoliIstanbul087_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRECmxyqI/AAAAAAAAA8c/WSldRiJOyVw/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0993.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 099" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 099" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRFMnHPAI/AAAAAAAAA8g/R17ADPkwZ3c/GallipoliIstanbul099_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">What an angel!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRGcLSGaI/AAAAAAAAA8k/s9f8Dp0YXQk/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul1023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 102" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 102" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRHrQBW5I/AAAAAAAAA8o/jGpSFMnhDw4/GallipoliIstanbul102_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Inside Aya sofya </p> <p>From here we walked down to the water front and tried a fish burger which was nothing like we get back home (spoilt from the fish in Aotea).</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRI2km05I/AAAAAAAAA8s/9Qer4Ubbu8k/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul1613.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 161" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 161" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRKI5Cp9I/AAAAAAAAA8w/XJP3QtO_3MM/GallipoliIstanbul161_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a>Mike given the fish burger a go . . . . Not impressed</p> <p align="left">We then got a little lost and managed to stumble on the spice markets (which we didn’t think would be open as it was Sunday). These were busy markets where all the local turkey people shopped for their food supplies. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRLkm3pLI/AAAAAAAAA80/_oQrs5WGnT4/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul1643.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 164" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 164" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRM6axiBI/AAAAAAAAA84/iKq9rZ1ocmA/GallipoliIstanbul164_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItROX2xUyI/AAAAAAAAA88/vFIvQJJ3oGI/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul1653.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 165" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 165" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRPognDqI/AAAAAAAAA9A/Btt5IW_XMS0/GallipoliIstanbul165_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">The Spice Markets</p> <p>Here we brought some walnuts – after being shown how to crack these open by a local, we tasted them. . . . . they were very moist and tasted disgusting, well that was Trace’s thoughts, Mike actually quite liked them. After buying these Walnuts without tasting we decided to try the fresh grapes before purchasing them. They were divine so we brought some!</p> <p>From the spice markets we walked to the Grand Bazaar, unfortunately this was closed. Making our way back to the hotel was a bit of a mission, we got lost several times, there are no street names on any of the streets.</p> <p>That night we went out for dinner and had a iskender kebap (pita bread on the bottom then marinated meat in gravy with yogurt on top – very healthy – not!) It was very yummy though.</p> <p>Early night as we needed to be up at 3.30am for our flight to Barcelona.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRQv4A7lI/AAAAAAAAA9E/Q1mVVujHRvs/s1600-h/GallipoliIstanbul0693.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Gallipoli - Istanbul 069" border="0" alt="Gallipoli - Istanbul 069" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TItRRph-dDI/AAAAAAAAA9I/bFVmUdNGYvU/GallipoliIstanbul069_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p align="center">Aya sofya at night</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-91811485974898674532010-09-03T10:51:00.001-07:002010-09-03T10:51:42.563-07:00Turkey - Cappadocia<p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>After a long over night bus ride we arrived in Goreme, Cappadocia at 7.30am. (It has to be said that this bus ride was better than the overnight train, not by much but it was better!) We had breakfast at the hostel, yummy French toast! and laid around by the pool until we could check in. That afternoon we visited the Goreme open air museum which was full of fairy chimneys. Most of the chimneys and rock faces have churches carved into them, they were short people back then in BC! </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 012" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 012" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0hS4wF8I/AAAAAAAAA0w/pGjzhrpPA3w/20TurkeyCappadocia012_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></p> <p align="center">Our hostel! We stayed in a “cave room” which was about 50% cave and came with a 50% damp cave smell… Very cool though!</p> <blockquote> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0iY_9LBI/AAAAAAAAA00/fMmBESuMl9I/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia0323.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 032" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 032" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0jOX4qoI/AAAAAAAAA04/pln5aSY3Z4g/20TurkeyCappadocia032_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0kKOkEVI/AAAAAAAAA08/6gE1DZIlldc/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia0553.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 055" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 055" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0k3FQhtI/AAAAAAAAA1A/3u_5pSHDVvc/20TurkeyCappadocia055_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0lrSbOmI/AAAAAAAAA1E/URnMeu-9Go8/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia0873.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 087" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 087" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0mYI2s9I/AAAAAAAAA1I/raAJXt0tTck/20TurkeyCappadocia087_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Looking down over the open air museum</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0nQclyaI/AAAAAAAAA1M/z3_fSeC6I8g/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia0913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 091" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 091" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0nyiiAXI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/MEOQBUVCXvI/20TurkeyCappadocia091_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Inside a church at the open air museum</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0pat-rWI/AAAAAAAAA1U/n-ZIRJ38KcU/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1053.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 105" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 105" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0qf8nzlI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/6gGhWRvGhNQ/20TurkeyCappadocia105_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0rYC-nGI/AAAAAAAAA1c/7wCZjxsPCiA/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1123.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 112" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 112" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0r_IKyJI/AAAAAAAAA1g/b4uVzku2Qos/20TurkeyCappadocia112_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Taken from outside a pottery store on the walk home. Apparently most pottery breaks in the oven and is therefore useless.</p></blockquote> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>That Afternoon we all went along to a Turkish bath which meant mud applied to faces, saunas, exfoliating, massage… The works. It left us all feeling extremely relaxed!</p> <p>That evening, we went along to Turkish Night. There was 11 of us in total, 6 kiwis, 2 Aussies, 2 Turkish bus drivers and Lindsey our kiwi tour guide. Turkish night involved a Turkish meal, music, and dancing… It also had unlimited drinks of any description! Not a good mix with a bunch of Australians and Kiwis intent on getting their moneys worth! It was also our introduction to Raki, a Turkish alcohol, which we will be avoiding from now on. </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>Day two started very slowly! Most people were up by lunch time, with some exceptions. We were the only two to manage any sightseeing with most people relaxing by the pool most of the day. We rented a 125cc Scooter for 6 hours after some hard negotiation and a staged walk out. One scooter was rented and Mike was driving!</p> <p>We blasted between the small towns of Cappadocia in mere minutes… Even passed some slow vehicles on the way!</p> <p>One main objective of the scooter ride was to track down a certain item of pottery (a type of wine flask from the Hittities period), at the right price, we’d seen a few of them around but had heard that Avanos is the red clay capital of Turkey so we assumed this would be the cheapest place to find one. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0s5mU86I/AAAAAAAAA1k/pRjLnOx9n_A/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2333.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 233" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 233" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0t9KD97I/AAAAAAAAA1o/dsIU2oECRR4/20TurkeyCappadocia233_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">First stop Cavusin – photos below</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0ujv7f4I/AAAAAAAAA1s/XfIJcAG6xok/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1313.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 131" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 131" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0vbbLAFI/AAAAAAAAA1w/tDvekiotrXI/20TurkeyCappadocia131_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0wUHNwYI/AAAAAAAAA10/jKnHIuU8OOM/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1323.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 132" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 132" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0xNTsNwI/AAAAAAAAA14/6TTGyqAiMGI/20TurkeyCappadocia132_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0yOrYWvI/AAAAAAAAA18/osR69YBx2eo/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1343.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 134" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 134" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0zCHqjHI/AAAAAAAAA2A/iRQNeKipt4U/20TurkeyCappadocia134_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0zwmnofI/AAAAAAAAA2E/cvHlVqErpO8/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1443.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 144" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 144" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE02C7AKfI/AAAAAAAAA2I/l1XPlJWQ_D8/20TurkeyCappadocia144_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE03AEbjyI/AAAAAAAAA2M/tMIh0ieTcuQ/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1523.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 152" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 152" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE036x3fuI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/vQTDN34xu1I/20TurkeyCappadocia152_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left">Then onto Avanos, the red clay capital of Turkey, there’s pottery everywhere! (and carpets)</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE04qKOA2I/AAAAAAAAA2U/9802NpoiY9k/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1623.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 162" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 162" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE05REdmBI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/4Dv6Hr0LIcI/20TurkeyCappadocia162_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Yup, they love their pottery / keramics (as they call it / spell it)</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE06TFioVI/AAAAAAAAA2c/TClTlJKUEDQ/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia1773.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 177" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 177" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE071fykVI/AAAAAAAAA2g/YiPJ_dNEEP4/20TurkeyCappadocia177_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Mike having a go at pottery, yea it looks easy here… It’s actually pretty hard. Not a career he will be taking up.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE08jnjAPI/AAAAAAAAA2k/MxQRnht2Mhk/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2173.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 217" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 217" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE09qzGcuI/AAAAAAAAA2o/jICX9djEvf4/20TurkeyCappadocia217_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Devrent Valley</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0-dsl2MI/AAAAAAAAA2s/vM3qlSwzfNg/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2233.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 223" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 223" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0_MCTUQI/AAAAAAAAA2w/2xeUQqhhbUI/20TurkeyCappadocia223_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Red goes faster!<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE0_mB72jI/AAAAAAAAA20/4S_x3dJ12rg/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2533.jpg"></p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 253" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 253" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1AYQF5nI/AAAAAAAAA24/VXzekxqlsr0/20TurkeyCappadocia253_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></p> <p align="center"></a>A street in Urgup</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1B0X9rSI/AAAAAAAAA28/PQo7YRJ6b-I/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2643.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 264" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 264" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1C68rZRI/AAAAAAAAA3A/0xTKBzVAzEo/20TurkeyCappadocia264_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1EfDcczI/AAAAAAAAA3E/u6ffbYz2fVo/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia2843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 284" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 284" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1GJC8ajI/AAAAAAAAA3I/nl9HBFgEpvY/20TurkeyCappadocia284_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Aktepe Hill – The spot to see the sunset</p> <p align="center">There was probably 100 people there for the sunset… A guy turned up and charged an entrance fee (1.50 lera per person, about $1.50 NZD) for an hour prior to the sunset then went home just after. That's a good working day!</p> <p align="left"><strong>DAY THREE</strong></p> <p align="left">We decided to take “The tour of southern Cappadocia”along with the other 4 kiwi’s on our FEZ bus. We were picked up from our hostel at 9.30am.</p> <p align="left">Firstly we were taken to the largest underground city in Turkey. This was first dug in 1100BC as military tunnels but has had many additions since as different tribes and religions have taken shelter there during various wars. It goes 85m and 8 stories deep and there were rooms everywhere. Apparently at one stage 10,000 people were living down there!</p> <blockquote> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1G4NzYSI/AAAAAAAAA3M/sm71iHfMl3k/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia3373.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 337" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 337" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1HxBKteI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/jxJAdA458vs/20TurkeyCappadocia337_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p></blockquote> <blockquote> <p align="center">A bridge inside the underground city</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1I6MhQEI/AAAAAAAAA3U/FgDpo8qILfw/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia3403.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 340" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 340" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1KIleKVI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/LsqeSWqJl-o/20TurkeyCappadocia340_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">The narrow stairwell linking the levels of the underground city – its not a place you would wont to be claustrophobic in!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1L41eW5I/AAAAAAAAA3c/Ww8cJlKRaeY/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia3503.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 350" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 350" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1NfsD_-I/AAAAAAAAA3g/Q465r2qRiUk/20TurkeyCappadocia350_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">One of the main ventilation holes going up to the surface</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1Ol87wUI/AAAAAAAAA3k/VZN6_6guB7M/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia3543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 354" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 354" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1QLfTrOI/AAAAAAAAA3o/DYljN-e5Crs/20TurkeyCappadocia354_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p></blockquote> <p align="center">A passage way in the underground city</p> <p align="left">Once we surfaced we were back on the bus and headed to Ihlara Valley Gorge, we were walked along the bottom of the Gorge for about 2 km and then stopped for lunch.</p> <p align="left">Back on the bus and off to the Selime Cathedral. This was an amasing Cathedral which had been dug out of the rock face.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1RsmpyzI/AAAAAAAAA3s/WuBCgP0bAtQ/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia4323.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 432" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 432" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1SZwh7MI/AAAAAAAAA3w/I_BcmrFPPLU/20TurkeyCappadocia432_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1TbH0HvI/AAAAAAAAA30/n7eZHZiayeo/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia4543.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 454" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 454" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1T0PgSzI/AAAAAAAAA34/mnwoaSl9GQ0/20TurkeyCappadocia454_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="left">Our last stop was Pigeon Valley, this is were we really saw the talent of our tour guide. “This is Pigeon Valley, where Pigeon live”. It was only after we asked further questions that we got more of an explanation into why this was called Pigeon Valley. People dug our little holes throughout the valley for the pigeons to nest in and this is were they collected there poo for fertiliser for their crops.</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1Urs3uYI/AAAAAAAAA38/Sox_OAUijVQ/s1600-h/20TurkeyCappadocia4953.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 495" border="0" alt="20 Turkey - Cappadocia 495" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1VqZKm6I/AAAAAAAAA4A/HZXuDQfLvCc/20TurkeyCappadocia495_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left"><strong>DAY FOUR</strong></p> <p align="left">Hot Air ballooning – the Cappadocia highlight! </p> <p align="left">We dragged ourselves out of bed by 4:30 in the morning and were picked up in the dark and taken down to the launch site. </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1WtXYpzI/AAAAAAAAA4E/ArUoFgwooVI/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 001" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 001" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1XZg19fI/AAAAAAAAA4I/FycLtQIpLLw/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon001_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1Yfr2EuI/AAAAAAAAA4M/Yn7ZeSjOEgA/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0093.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 009" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 009" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1ZerglMI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/nLNLIUrMBGE/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon009_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <blockquote> <p align="center">We watched and waited as our balloon was inflated</p></blockquote> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1afWciwI/AAAAAAAAA4U/qGb2XJm_Z6o/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0123.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 012" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 012" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1a6CuuNI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/3NNz0lh_p3U/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon012_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Three, two, one, take off – up up and away<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1bsZcMrI/AAAAAAAAA4c/xOTYYOQYfUM/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0533.jpg"></p> <p align="center"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 053" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 053" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1cSFcsXI/AAAAAAAAA4g/pdqcnGkMlzE/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon053_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1dkNOxOI/AAAAAAAAA4k/LJbhHzcMiso/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0713.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 071" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 071" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1e9tDK1I/AAAAAAAAA4o/snLhPl6mKy8/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon071_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1gJM8yZI/AAAAAAAAA4s/Rjfajpi-bO8/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon0973.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 097" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 097" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1hkFjdRI/AAAAAAAAA4w/JXA0zUItP9s/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon097_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1i1ZH1WI/AAAAAAAAA40/xx-SX6WuDTQ/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon1533.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 153" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 153" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1j2QHhLI/AAAAAAAAA44/L4FGyKmixoc/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon153_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1lJZqsaI/AAAAAAAAA48/zIemma_DbQg/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon1733.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 173" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 173" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1mL5DOkI/AAAAAAAAA5A/Q_fePyRpTTU/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon173_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1nb4KcfI/AAAAAAAAA5E/Uc4r5ZM1QLs/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon1913.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 191" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 191" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1oVpDg-I/AAAAAAAAA5M/XmekHCQY5xg/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon191_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">There’s a couple tending their crop in the bottom right corner!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1pPpFVRI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/cJvP0Ez41TA/s1600-h/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon2223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 222" border="0" alt="Turkey - Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon 222" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/TIE1pzLubSI/AAAAAAAAA5U/SW3t9Ah2M4s/TurkeyCappadociaHotAirBalloon222_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p align="center">Our fellow kiwi friends – Trace, Mike, Johnny, Will, Stu and Sarah</p> <p align="left">What a way to start the day. We were dropped back off at the hostel at 8ish, had breakfast then it was on the bus destined for Istanbul. . . . What a journey this was going to be.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-41131351534210426462010-08-29T00:51:00.001-07:002010-08-29T00:54:08.528-07:00Turkey - Olympos<p>After leaving Fethiye at 9am we headed for Olympos. Two hours into the bus journey we had a swim stop at a great little beach, the waves were the best we have seen over here, and pretty powerful. It was amusing watching tourists that appeared to be experiencing waves for the first time!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRAA6mb0I/AAAAAAAAAys/90jOMUKJk1A/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Turkey - Olympos 001" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 001" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRBQvwgWI/AAAAAAAAAyw/dDPdq87P7Tc/TurkeyOlympos001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRC1HwPDI/AAAAAAAAAy0/DsQ9RWsY-XM/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0023.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 002" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 002" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoREVUG9nI/AAAAAAAAAy4/JBIHV0NQe68/TurkeyOlympos002_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>Back on the bus we had lunch at a nice little turkish cafe in Kas, back on the road we arrived in Olympos at 5pm.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRFrVO3jI/AAAAAAAAAy8/0r7AmgqjPjs/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0073.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 007" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 007" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRHB2i3AI/AAAAAAAAAzA/ugUk1xf9-zA/TurkeyOlympos007_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Roaming the back streets of Kas after lunch</p> <p>Olympos, how would you described it?</p> <p>The best way we can think of is pretend you are walking into a western movie set, there are wooden shanties all over the place. It a pretty unusual place and very chilled out. </p> <p>The village runs off generators – We hoped and prayed that they wouldn’t overheat as then we would loose air con and its more than 40 degrees here. Night and day.</p> <p>We paid about $20 NZD each for the night in a double private room with an ensuite, this included dinner and breakfast – very cheap!!</p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong></p> <p>With only one day in Olympos and after getting talking to another NZ couple who were planning on going to try an watch turtle hatching the next day, they’d already worked it all out (ya go the Kiwi’s, these are the first ones we have meet since being away), it was destiny that we tagged along!</p> <p>This time of the year is apparently the time to do it, with nests cordoned off on the beach and these apparently hatch at sunrise . . . .apparently. . . . . </p> <p>So 4.30am we rose and Mike and Trace started their walk down to the beach to see the miracle of life. As we headed out of our hostel the security guard said hello and asked where we were from and what we were doing, we replied we were from New Zealand and we’re off to see the Turtle hatching at the beach. His reply was “oh Kai ora Bro” in a Turkish accent.</p> <p>Next we were greeted at the gate of the hostel by a guy who was still drinking and on his way home, (this place does not have a lot to do and therefore people tend to drink into the early hours of the morning) he offered us a beer and informed us the beach did not open until 6am and was guarded by a policemen but we decided to keep going seen as we were up and weren’t sure how accurate his info would be.</p> <p>Our next friend we came across was a white dog, then came a brown dog… Shortly after this a very happy Turkish guy came along with a dog and chatted briefly before stopping to buy an icecream… He’d collected a dog of his own who he’d now passed on to us when he stopped. The dogs seem to like walking with anyone who’s on the move… We carried on with 3 dogs now.</p> <p>After finally reaching the beach where we were greeted by a sleepy looking policemen, he said that the beach was closed and we could not go on, just as we were about to give up our ice cream eating Turkish friend caught up. They spoke Turkish to one another back and forward and some how we were allowed to continue. </p> <p>We tried to explain to our new friend that we were off to see the Turtles hatching, his reply was “sorry I am too high to understand”. He was a nice guy and was working as a singer in one of the bars and on his way home. We carried on our way making small chat with our new found friend. Now on the turtle mission we had Trace, Mike, a stoned Turkish guy, a brown dog, a black dog and a white dog. . . . . . who was to join us next. . . . it was anyone's guess . . . . .</p> <p>Once almost at the beach we stumbled across another man who was drunk and couldn’t find his way home. . . . he began to follow us too. The 4 of us and 3 dogs continued…</p> <p>After reaching the beach the drunk man asked what we had come to see and we again tried to explain about the turtles and how we were hoping to see them hatch, he said that we were way to early and don’t bother until 5am. We all checked our watchers and to his surprise we confirmed it was in fact 5.05am. “This is an expensive watch, it’s meant to work” he said. He reset his broken watch to match Mike’s time, but it was still not working.</p> <p>After walking down the beach for 10 minutes we decided it was time to leave the group, give up on turtles and watch the sun rise, we couldn't see any turtle nests and really had no idea what we were looking for in the dark with our flashlight. After sitting down, the other NZ couple stumbled over us and we began to proceed down the beach to where the turtle nests were.</p> <p>Here we sat, we waited and we hoped that a miracle would happen. To our disappointment it wasn't to be but we did see an amazing sunrise and had a good old kiwi chat. Then a very uneventful walk back to the accommodation in the light.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRIXEMITI/AAAAAAAAAzE/L_JS-jviLNQ/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0133.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 013" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 013" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRJXvOm3I/AAAAAAAAAzI/kAcNigIXYZ0/TurkeyOlympos013_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRKWxnCXI/AAAAAAAAAzM/cUKghtQyXOw/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 025" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 025" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRLsB6B9I/AAAAAAAAAzQ/_wH7MLknzNE/TurkeyOlympos025_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRMiBgg2I/AAAAAAAAAzU/tNcJWD2D288/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0263.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 026" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 026" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRNwDneBI/AAAAAAAAAzY/p5O4zYVAqq8/TurkeyOlympos026_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRO3vpomI/AAAAAAAAAzc/zbZYLNHUvwk/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 042" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 042" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRQJvrqMI/AAAAAAAAAzg/m88M-tWHGd4/TurkeyOlympos042_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRRJx0pUI/AAAAAAAAAzk/HksEmmRMJM8/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0433.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 043" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 043" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRSCkjsVI/AAAAAAAAAzo/-EHGhtV6m0M/TurkeyOlympos043_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRTWMQmDI/AAAAAAAAAzs/7rAqfRXtoc4/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0793.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 079" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 079" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRU2GKR1I/AAAAAAAAAzw/-R2WXgWjsJ4/TurkeyOlympos079_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Mount Olympos in the background </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRV3ZLuOI/AAAAAAAAAz0/vsk7IzeSQEQ/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos0853.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 085" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 085" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRXX3ywnI/AAAAAAAAAz8/aRFGzhbpl-Q/TurkeyOlympos085_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">Walking back from the beach</p> <p align="left">After some breakfast (Omelette, tomatoes, cucumber, eggs,and of course more bread) we headed back to bed for a couple of hours to catch up on some sleep before we had to check out of our room at 11am.</p> <p>Once we had checked out we sat up in the common room (tree house) area and updated our blog, played cards and read. A lovely way to spend the afternoon and evening. Avoiding the sun and heat of the day!</p> <p>Below are some photos of the accommodation we stayed at in Olympos</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRYgq_rsI/AAAAAAAAA0A/i5gHmgVTgFw/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos1073.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 107" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 107" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRaMVeT7I/AAAAAAAAA0E/wlYq8hG6yI0/TurkeyOlympos107_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRbRu-LcI/AAAAAAAAA0I/E_Mc-0idHJE/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos1103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 110" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 110" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRc17n7qI/AAAAAAAAA0M/Hz100oS-zYM/TurkeyOlympos110_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRee-EiKI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/zNGq-aa7Qg4/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos1203.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 120" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 120" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRfO55kzI/AAAAAAAAA0U/Oec59MYdq6k/TurkeyOlympos120_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRgLzGWGI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/njUPEdprFig/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos1243.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 124" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 124" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRhIFgPPI/AAAAAAAAA0c/MMLauBeT2W4/TurkeyOlympos124_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRio_V-II/AAAAAAAAA0g/0SQzubxbcus/s1600-h/TurkeyOlympos1093.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Turkey - Olympos 109" border="0" alt="Turkey - Olympos 109" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoRjW0UdHI/AAAAAAAAA0k/nA7EAzNC8-A/TurkeyOlympos109_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-28586901426865776942010-08-29T00:34:00.001-07:002010-08-29T00:34:34.363-07:00Turkey - Fethiye<p>We departed Koycezia at 9am set for Fethiye. </p> <p>After a couple of hours drive we stopped at the Lycian ruins at Tlos, these were amazing.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoMwizziJI/AAAAAAAAAvo/aVHkY7mVmlc/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20219%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 219" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 219" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoMxsfZkvI/AAAAAAAAAvs/VUaHRro4Bxs/19%20Turkey%20219_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoMyrhtuzI/AAAAAAAAAvw/gSV3KWcOnaQ/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20229%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 229" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 229" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoMz3a6iAI/AAAAAAAAAv0/2LUQAQ3fZ_8/19%20Turkey%20229_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM01Q3ApI/AAAAAAAAAv4/V48nM5-aPxg/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20249%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 249" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 249" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM10hhE7I/AAAAAAAAAv8/fV5qX2aXY_Q/19%20Turkey%20249_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM3HmnWSI/AAAAAAAAAwA/eRl3Jsj7xzg/s1600-h/19Turkey2493.jpg"></a></p>Back on the bus we headed to a carpet manufacturing place. Here we were shown how the carpets are hand made and what to look out for when buying a carpet. Trace was given a go at weaving a carpet, not a career she would like to move to. </p> <p>They then showed us how silk was extracted from the silk cocoons of the butterfly. This was so amazing, one cocoon produces about 1 mile of silk.</p> <p>Once we had been through the sales process with the Turkish carpet men we were then back on the bus (no purchases, we found one we quite liked but at 500 pounds for about a 2 metre by 3 metre carpet - little out of our price range). Although, considering it was approximately 10 months of work by one women working 6 hours 5 days a week. I wouldn’t like to calculate the hourly rate!</p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM3yEGj4I/AAAAAAAAAwE/-K5aeVdNdhQ/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20254%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 254" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 254" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM45WJugI/AAAAAAAAAwI/ulydNdjLaxE/19%20Turkey%20254_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM5j5vtoI/AAAAAAAAAwM/eVGjeF-T17Y/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20255%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 255" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 255" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM6jqaYlI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/HtXW4EclZas/19%20Turkey%20255_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM7SxJUlI/AAAAAAAAAwU/gAGMd0G-SJY/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20267%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 267" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 267" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM8VTxN5I/AAAAAAAAAwY/GQtgEPi8gAI/19%20Turkey%20267_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM9Oi6knI/AAAAAAAAAwc/Bx-b-HU_kUQ/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20278%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 278" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 278" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM-DNJyrI/AAAAAAAAAwg/DkA14WOIvhU/19%20Turkey%20278_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <p>After an hours drive we arrived at Sakklient Gorge. This was an incredible Gorge which has a huge natural spring pumping a raging river out of the ground! The gorge went for about 15 kilometres and is the longest and deepest Gorge in Turkey, however about 200m into the gorge the springs come out of the ground so there’s not much water beyond this point in summer. We walked for about an hour up into the Gorge with some of the people off the FEZ bus, this involved a crossing the river downstream from the springs… This water was freezing! the comp for our long you could keep your feet in the water was won somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes! Unbelievably cold!! Especially as it was 40 degree temperature outside. The tour guides smirk when he described the water as “refreshing” was suddenly understood.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoM_NkIq_I/AAAAAAAAAwk/axWEWl1-DQ4/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20287%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 287" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 287" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNABZFMRI/AAAAAAAAAwo/pedVRr7tyDo/19%20Turkey%20287_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNBBdgpmI/AAAAAAAAAws/Oumtf7MYbts/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20303%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 303" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 303" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNCTIUANI/AAAAAAAAAww/205If_lRo0Y/19%20Turkey%20303_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> </p> <p>We arrived in Fethiye at 6pm to our accommodation – V-Go hostel, this was about a 15 minutes walk out of Fethiye but overlooked the harbour which was beautiful.</p> <p>The hostel was really nice, had a pool and great feel to it. That night we had dinner and talked with our new friends off the FEZ bus Davin and Jess.</p> <p><strong>DAY ONE</strong> </p> <p>It was up at 9am and off on a 12 island cruise around Fethiye. This was a lot like sail Croatia, so many beautiful islands. We swam and sunbathed the day away.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNDpJZnFI/AAAAAAAAAw0/cNJYIqZB1Fw/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20340%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 340" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 340" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNEqo5IXI/AAAAAAAAAw4/-v7niNjd85w/19%20Turkey%20340_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNFVA76TI/AAAAAAAAAw8/pp6obqWgGZo/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20354%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 354" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 354" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNGFiKfeI/AAAAAAAAAxA/AAOKJNQMMCo/19%20Turkey%20354_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNG8SFo_I/AAAAAAAAAxE/YNGeWQFct9o/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20375%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 375" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 375" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNHqaLi6I/AAAAAAAAAxI/grr5xDz7T90/19%20Turkey%20375_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNIsnZw8I/AAAAAAAAAxM/OinW1MVDoqA/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20388%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 388" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 388" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNJZUeQeI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/6bTtPARq860/19%20Turkey%20388_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNKRuYAXI/AAAAAAAAAxU/NZMQjnZyaO4/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20394%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 394" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 394" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNLNKLBZI/AAAAAAAAAxY/dt1qOgAI9iM/19%20Turkey%20394_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Dinner back at the hostel – the food was really nice here. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNMNw3qwI/AAAAAAAAAxc/YH7RSmlMCbQ/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20414%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 414" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 414" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNNFDTSII/AAAAAAAAAxg/uoL5RvAjaxc/19%20Turkey%20414_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center">The hostel Pool</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNN6GOhZI/AAAAAAAAAxk/vo32-4_BZTg/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20415%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 415" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 415" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNPTW_X0I/AAAAAAAAAxo/3-eTlvmQrj8/19%20Turkey%20415_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNQl_gNhI/AAAAAAAAAxs/LBLnwZeRFGE/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20417%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 417" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 417" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNR-cJxjI/AAAAAAAAAxw/dcxvdxZOXa4/19%20Turkey%20417_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">view from our room </p> <p><strong>DAY TWO</strong></p> <p>Up at 9 and off paragliding, yes this was Mike’s idea of fun and Trace tagged along. </p> <p>The ride up on the back of a jeep truck was interesting, with steep cliffs on the side of the road . . . . it was almost more scary than the Paragliding itself. We eventually made it to the top of the cliff where we were to run and jump off after about a 40 minute drive, this was 3000 feet above sea level.</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNS7RtHaI/AAAAAAAAAx0/88DyOzRRBJg/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20460%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 460" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 460" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNUV_0CXI/AAAAAAAAAx4/dRwVUooTWW8/19%20Turkey%20460_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNVRx_FvI/AAAAAAAAAx8/6U4MXQ0ttEU/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20472%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 472" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 472" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNWjR112I/AAAAAAAAAyA/OL1LyrNn6nY/19%20Turkey%20472_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>Trace took the walk, run and then jump first with her guide then Mike followed. It was a great feeling flying above Fethiye and Oludeniz beach. After a few tricks in the air and flying around we were made back to land with two feet on the ground.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNX7coaOI/AAAAAAAAAyE/FwO6X-cPpGg/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20514%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 514" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 514" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNZTPTbeI/AAAAAAAAAyI/RnC_Uh_hFPA/19%20Turkey%20514_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Not a bad view!</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNac9G4XI/AAAAAAAAAyM/4UT5_uqRV2g/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20553%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 553" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 553" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNbnCqsFI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/7j7j33j4Lps/19%20Turkey%20553_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p align="center">Mike’s view looking up at Trace </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNctVA-uI/AAAAAAAAAyU/njjnGA5LAs0/s1600-h/DSC08164%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="DSC08164" border="0" alt="DSC08164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNdoG94_I/AAAAAAAAAyY/_XTPPIa6sHQ/DSC08164_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="447"></a> </p> <p align="center">Trace’s view looking down on Mike</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNetzqRWI/AAAAAAAAAyc/NcK0WD837_A/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20583%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 583" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 583" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNfx9sznI/AAAAAAAAAyg/z02IFDtvVlA/19%20Turkey%20583_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center">Trace finishing a view tricks… Her guy was more adventurous!<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNg8vM-gI/AAAAAAAAAyk/1-1bJ-jQutE/s1600-h/19%20Turkey%20610%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="19 Turkey 610" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 610" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THoNiAU9npI/AAAAAAAAAyo/FYP6cW8DxOY/19%20Turkey%20610_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> Looking down over the “blue lagoon”</p> <p>That afternoon we spent at Blue Lagoon, Oludeniz beach (this was voted one of Europe’s top beaches), you have to pay to get into it. We still think our NZ beaches beat this hands down but it was lovely to spend the afternoon reading and relaxing by the water.</p> <p>We made it back to the hostel for dinner and a few drinks later that evening.</p> <p>Also it has to be said there was a guy who worked behind the bar that enjoyed to arm wrestle (this was all he seemed to do all day) we watched him beat a bunch of drunk aussies quoting “beat me an you'll get a free beer”. Mike waited until his arm looked sore and made a move… Unfortunately he declined saying it’d have to wait until tomorrow . . . . . . Eventually he challenged Mike at the bar… He lost in about 3 seconds and wasn’t seen for the next couple of hours. No beer. later appeared and said “again, tomorrow”. The next day he challenged again but with a friend that spoke better English. He held their hands and counted down. Lost again… Round 2 he said… 3, 2, 1 Lost again… No beer, but there were plenty of thumbs up and smiles for the remainder of the stay.</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-60582618048768272562010-08-27T20:00:00.001-07:002010-08-27T20:00:37.015-07:00Turkey - Koycegiz<p align="center"> </p> <p align="left">We hoped on the FEZ bus in Kasadasi at 9am</p> <p>Our first stop was at a leather shop for a model show . . . . and then they tried to sell us the modelled leather jackets. These had prices of 600 Euro and up on them but they said “we do you special deal” and would 3rd this price. Only one taker in the group. We can’t get into the frame of mind to buy a winter leather jacket now when temperatures are well above 30degrees.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7b8yD1pI/AAAAAAAAAto/2M9OaMZHQH4/s1600-h/19Turkey098.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 098" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 098" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THV0WhAKvCI/AAAAAAAAAts/HtVriqguaUo/19Turkey098_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>Our second stop was at a ceramic art place. A man whom they call “superman” demonstrated how pottery was made. He was very very cleaver. Again we were told prices on items did not matter and he could do us a good deal, especially since we were the first group of the day and the first group always gets “good deal” so that the rest of their day goes well. . . . .</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THV0aDzPxcI/AAAAAAAAAtw/cMBIf2KbSvA/s1600-h/19Turkey100%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 100" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 100" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THV0wXTp5pI/AAAAAAAAAt0/uGj-8nqEv2w/19Turkey100_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>No purchases were made . . . . . </p> <p>We then made our way to a small village where we walked around and did some wine tasting. There were many flavours which we tried, peach, strawberry, kiwifruit, cranberry, blueberry . . . the list goes on.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THV0xr9PlkI/AAAAAAAAAt4/MAoKkG3Aa8o/s1600-h/19Turkey107.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 107" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 107" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7gPaajzI/AAAAAAAAAt8/YMCrsVO_AME/19Turkey107_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7hN8zU1I/AAAAAAAAAuA/bX6LDXCeu68/s1600-h/19Turkey105%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 105" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 105" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7iPzL3fI/AAAAAAAAAuE/k1JkhZ1Hf-A/19Turkey105_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7jf47y_I/AAAAAAAAAuI/h4wB8navh0k/s1600-h/19Turkey110.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="19 Turkey 110" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 110" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7kXGYMlI/AAAAAAAAAuM/aqo1I9FwthM/19Turkey110_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7lUpbz7I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/SO23xaBzVmA/s1600-h/19Turkey1123.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="19 Turkey 112" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 112" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7mXjx2DI/AAAAAAAAAuU/ieY5Eyt9nno/19Turkey112_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7nXIahAI/AAAAAAAAAuY/JuQlPJK7-nA/s1600-h/19Turkey1213.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="19 Turkey 121" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 121" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7okLpBZI/AAAAAAAAAuc/wDXOH_7Nlbg/19Turkey121_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p>We had lunch at this village and then spent the next few hours on the bus. We stopped at a view which overlooked a well known kitesurfing spot – mike’s eyes lit up!</p> <p>After about an hour on the bus we finally reached our destination of Koycegiz, where we were to spend the night.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7pv6n17I/AAAAAAAAAug/Za5YlTgUHfo/s1600-h/19Turkey2033.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 203" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 203" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7q9b03nI/AAAAAAAAAuk/Rg7CE7Xk7EM/19Turkey203_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="335"></a></p> <p align="center">The view from our room terrace</p> <p align="center"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7r4DdPiI/AAAAAAAAAuo/ioFXY8LRgoY/s1600-h/19Turkey1313.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 131" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 131" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7s-3WXkI/AAAAAAAAAus/jzqhHaZ1Z1Q/19Turkey131_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="335"></a></p> <p align="center">We borrow bikes from our accommodation and road around the village of Koycegiz <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7uDwNUAI/AAAAAAAAAuw/0BGj1N22hM8/s1600-h/19Turkey1423.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 142" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 142" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7uxiKmyI/AAAAAAAAAu0/GM6ePTK1Nc4/19Turkey142_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="335"></a></p> <p>After we had had dinner at the hostel we went out for a night tour with an Aussie couple from the FEZ bus. This involved a boat ride (with a couple of cocktails), the famous mud baths and then a midnight swim in the lake. Only 4 of us were keen so we had to pay a little more to get the driver keen, the boat seated about 60 odd people so it was a little odd just the four of us. He said the view from the roof was the best and that it was a cooler temperature (it was 9pm when we got on but still bit 30s and humid) so we all climbed onto the roof of the drivers cabin and made ourselves comfortable. </p> <p> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7vt5Gq9I/AAAAAAAAAu4/9xZ01e5-Hgk/s1600-h/19Turkey1613.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 161" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 161" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7wfD9FYI/AAAAAAAAAu8/yN3As1LIxL8/19Turkey161_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>It took us about an hour to cross the Koycegiz lake to where the mud baths were. We all jumped (Well Trace lowered herself) in the mud. It was a very strange experience to be splashing about in mud. The pool was about thigh deep with a good 15 centimetres of thick stodgy mud in the bottom. </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7xH7fFwI/AAAAAAAAAvA/TO-bWLfsirs/s1600-h/19Turkey1763.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 176" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 176" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7x0zhChI/AAAAAAAAAvE/RbIo_KbnWqs/19Turkey176_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>The thick density of the mud made you float which was a very strange feeling, no matter what you did you just floated on top of the muddy water. Mike was in heaven, he was taken back to his childhood days of playing in the mud and absolutely loved it!!</p> <p>After we had had enough of being covered in mud we washed ourselves off in the shower and proceeded to the thermal bath – this was just like the ones in Rotorua, we felt most at home – the poor Aussies though . . . . </p> <p>Back on the boat and heading back across the lake to our hostel we stopped of a midnight swim in lake, this was like going for a bath, it was so warm (there are thermal springs).</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7yozctRI/AAAAAAAAAvI/2_JZyM4_rao/s1600-h/19Turkey1843.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 184" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 184" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh7zej0O_I/AAAAAAAAAvM/hHw8rcx1I4I/19Turkey184_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh70ITL7cI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/SjxsvOSJXQw/s1600-h/19Turkey1943.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 194" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 194" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THh70373s1I/AAAAAAAAAvU/v_AkAyV5_0I/19Turkey194_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p>That night we all sleep like logs. . . . which reminds us they are currently doing Rumadal which is when they do not eat or drink (even water) between the hours of 4.30am and 9.30pm. At these times a drum is played to signals these times. Mike has not heard this at all while in Turkey – he can sleep through anything!</p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-21596251641885218242010-08-25T12:37:00.001-07:002010-08-25T12:37:42.012-07:00Turkey - Kusadasi<p>We caught the ferry over to Turkey at 8.30am in the morning. We walked out of the port and opened a map only to discover a sign 20m away for our hotel. Great location! The guy was nicknamed “"Mr Happy”, he greeted us with “Kia ora” as soon as he sighted our passports and then proceeded to poke the women checking us in with a stick saying “They work slow without the stick”. We ended up with a great room for a low price, we almost wish we’d booked in for longer! Also, there’s great breakfast in turkey! After going through Europe we were used to bread, ham and cheese… Here we were presented with French toast, omelettes etc. etc. we were fairly full by the end of it!</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THNZoxJ6WAI/AAAAAAAAAr8/vLIBCBT_f-k/19Turkey0193.jpg?imgmax=800"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="19 Turkey 019" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 019" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THPuoN1_96I/AAAAAAAAAsA/F-0WtIW-hcA/19Turkey019_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="left">Once we’d dropped our bags we went out for a walk around the city, the guys in the markets are like persistent parrots! They have about 5 English sayings and they’ll try them all in a circular sequence hoping for the best… Such fraises include “Hi, where are you from?”, “Sir, buy here?”, “Cheapest here”, “Very good, very nice”. Trace bought a couple of items, she negotiated well and got quite a bit off but somehow you never knew if you’ve negotiated a good price or not!</p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwaFBktlI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/6Lsx_cQHWeo/s1600-h/19Turkey0253.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 025" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 025" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwcmtiv6I/AAAAAAAAAsU/sZhdm4lUoK8/19Turkey025_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a></p> <p>After a couple of hours we headed back to our room to cool off as it was about 40 degrees outside and humid!</p> <p>After recharging in the aircon we decided to hike up a hill which we could see would have a good view. Great views of the city! We were surprised that as the view got better the houses got worse… At the top of the hill with amazing views of the city was a collection of slums.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwdlmz7mI/AAAAAAAAAsY/6Q2CvG2aL0I/s1600-h/19Turkey0363.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 036" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 036" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVweVEXMNI/AAAAAAAAAsc/_jnYfXBrf_E/19Turkey036_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwfUwGeoI/AAAAAAAAAsg/1C_DgzT4GCA/s1600-h/19Turkey0433.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 043" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 043" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwgLmdEsI/AAAAAAAAAsk/Uluiu5NAK8Q/19Turkey043_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwg_q9bQI/AAAAAAAAAso/rF-b70Zolw8/s1600-h/19Turkey0513.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 051" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 051" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwhn0YESI/AAAAAAAAAss/EZVh1efQtSo/19Turkey051_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwjPa4MYI/AAAAAAAAAsw/90ZKDGWIKZc/s1600-h/19Turkey0583.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 058" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 058" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwj9N8iFI/AAAAAAAAAs0/F2wEJWGO_nU/19Turkey058_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> The pirate castle</p> <p>We went to dinner at a great restaurant recommended by the lonely planet and ended up on paying about 15NZD for a great meal. I think we’re going to like Turkey prices! We walked home along the water front and got a few photos as the sun was disappearing. </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwkQeX6xI/AAAAAAAAAs4/Ol-D_7taSjU/s1600-h/19Turkey0743.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 074" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 074" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwlAKJlXI/AAAAAAAAAs8/pOJFbAQGLg8/19Turkey074_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="504"></a> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVwl8L7DfI/AAAAAAAAAtA/OIPFskS25Lo/19Turkey0823.jpg?imgmax=800"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 082" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 082" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVw7peoviI/AAAAAAAAAtE/rFpHsxHzKGY/19Turkey082_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVw8rTn9MI/AAAAAAAAAtI/BPv-XqRhTNM/s1600-h/19Turkey0873.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="19 Turkey 087" border="0" alt="19 Turkey 087" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THVxBMdVqvI/AAAAAAAAAtM/di7VID6Nw74/19Turkey087_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282540224679779129.post-77630464017475895892010-08-23T02:30:00.001-07:002010-08-23T02:30:39.307-07:00Samos<p>After departing Athens at 12pm we were bound for Samos on Olympic airlines. Our flight was good with some amazing views of the Greek islands.</p> <p>We collected our baggage and stepped outside into the hot temperatures. . . . . from here we had no idea were we were going so we jumped in a taxi and eventually made it to our accommodation.</p> <p>Below are some pictures of the views from our room.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI-IygVJjI/AAAAAAAAArE/OzJeFTROxIQ/s1600-h/18Samos0013.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 001" border="0" alt="18 Samos 001" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_dODA1bI/AAAAAAAAArI/qRfC74gd4Ak/18Samos001_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="left">The afternoon was filled with swimming at the beach and looking around the markets in the main street of Samos. Dinner was at a beachside restaurant. </p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_d3divKI/AAAAAAAAArM/knpYAlEOIbU/s1600-h/18Samos0103.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 010" border="0" alt="18 Samos 010" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_fmMzWkI/AAAAAAAAArQ/i2wRy8TsOv4/18Samos010_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_gZLD4qI/AAAAAAAAArU/L6iK-uo7r78/s1600-h/18Samos0183.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 018" border="0" alt="18 Samos 018" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_hf4CLdI/AAAAAAAAArY/TvGfVH_Zcw8/18Samos018_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_jQeubGI/AAAAAAAAArc/5c8oAOWbp6w/s1600-h/18Samos0193.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 019" border="0" alt="18 Samos 019" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_kdTH9bI/AAAAAAAAArg/3v2o5Z5F0QE/18Samos019_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> <p align="left">After dinner we walked back up the hill to our hotel and took some photos of the sunset from our hotel room.</p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_oIYdXsI/AAAAAAAAArk/VaDFSzf2ORs/s1600-h/18Samos0223.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 022" border="0" alt="18 Samos 022" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_pN9oEoI/AAAAAAAAAro/cX2eMiMlDwM/18Samos022_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_rMPXdQI/AAAAAAAAArs/Q9o9gDygtyo/s1600-h/18Samos0283.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 028" border="0" alt="18 Samos 028" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_s1c5giI/AAAAAAAAArw/eCpkdjQv2y8/18Samos028_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_uqflTkI/AAAAAAAAAr0/bWvH_bKVLhY/s1600-h/18Samos0303.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="18 Samos 030" border="0" alt="18 Samos 030" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_oBttfYLcteU/THI_vk6xXWI/AAAAAAAAAr4/iMpJSqYWCis/18Samos030_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="336"></a></p> Mike and Tracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10687318666007876764noreply@blogger.com1