Kitten and Jamo's Travels

2006-04-04T03:22:00.000-07:00

Australia - Perth and The West
First stop on the west coast was Perth and we stopped with a couple that we met while doing the Inca Trail. They are as close to the true Oca Aussie stereotype as you can imagine so was quite comedy. Next stop was the campervan rental company where we picked up the most embarrassing van ever for our journey up the coast - painted in really lairy colours with a picture of David Bowie on it..... Hmmm. It also was a right old rust bucket and bellowed smoke every time we started it up. Now, as you all know I've driven some dodgy cars in my time but this one made Molly Micra look like a queen. Anyway we chucked our bags in the back and slipped off all the same. We stopped at the Pinnacles, Kilbarri, Shark Bay and Monkey Mia.

Saw loads of roo's, Dolphins, Sharks, Rays. ..........Fed the Dolphins at Monkey Mia..... Mr Jim went on a fishing trip and caught us a red snapper for dinner........Went 4/4 driving with some crazy local dude....... Did lots of swimming and sunbathing.......Enjoyed the beautiful clear night skies and tried to avoid the heinous flys during the day....
Was absolutely lovely but I don't see how anyone could live in the outback - everyone is slightly odd and has a mullet. (Not that I'm generalising or anything!) We also watched the most horrific film (Wolf Creek) about people who's cars break down in the outback and are found and tortured by a local nutter. Nice! Glad we watched it at the end of our road trip otherwise I don't think we'd have gone. Seriously if you haven't seen it...Don't! I had nightmares for a week after.
Anyway the rust bucket did us proud and we got safely back to Perth for the next part of our Western adventure which was a trip down south to the Margaret River region with our friends from Perth. Lovely weekend - chilled on the beach, went to the surf competition that was happening at Margaret River and did a massive tour of all the Wineries and we topped it off with a day trip to Rottnest Island where we cruised around on push bikes for the day.

2006-03-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Australia - Sydney and The Whitsundays

Arriving back in Sydney was a god damn dream and we had a couple of fantastic days living it up. After South America and feeling the strain of backpacking I got a cracker of a deal on the internet for our first night in a posh hotel by circular quay and told jim we were going to a hostel so it was a welcome surprise! We got all dressed up and went for dinner and drinks overlooking the harbour bridge and opera house. The next night we went over to Manly to visit one of Jims friends who's staying there- and was a bit of come down sharing a dorm with two random smelly blokes after the hotel experience but we had a great time - Jim got a surf and we had a lovely night out and introduced Jim to the way of the Aussie Pie after the pub.
After that we spent the weekend up on the central coast with my cousin Richard and his girlfriend Libby and got thoroughly spoiled with home comforts. It was lovely catching up with him and we hung out on the beach and had a big BBQ. On the Monday when everyone else had to go back to work we flew off to Airlie (no) Beach for our sailing trip of the Whitsundays. We had great weather and did loads of snorkeling so it was brilliant but the only downside was that our boat wasn't full - Just us on it with THE most annoying people I think I've ever met in my life so we spent 3 days/ 2 nights with this horrific Canadian family and their annoying children. They literally talked AT us for 3 days so by the end of the trip we knew everything about them but they probably didn't even know our names. To top it off they were on the same flight as us back to Sydney and I said, "Let's go round the back of the plane to avoid walking past them". But oh no...as we tried to sneak off unnoticed the dad was waving out the door of the plane saying he'd saved us seats so we had to sit with them the whole way back...Comedy.
We arrived back in Sydney for the weekend and went out in Bondi on Friday with Jim's friend Claire who's also here on hollybobs and then went to stay with my other cousin Maria for the weekend - Again we were thoroughly spoiled. We started with a home cooked dinner out on her balcony near Woolloomooloo with a view of the bridge and Opera house and then went off out to a nice bar with her friends in Kings Cross. On the Sunday we killed the hangovers with a swim at a friends rooftop pool and met cousin Richard and Libby again for the ferry to Watsons Bay for a fish and chips lunch and walked it off in the afternoon with the walk along the coast from Bondi to Bronte. Have really enjoyed our time here and it's been great to see family. The lifestyle here is great here but coming back has re affirmed that I've no regrets about not taking up the sponsorship - Apart from all the home is where the heart is stuff there are too many things that can kill you - I have seriously dreamt about sharks every night since we've been here and have also been bitten by something that I of course convinced myself was a spider bite until the pharmacist looked at me and laughed and told me I'd definitely know about it if it was! Next stop is over to Perth for a couple of weeks on the West coast......
Lots of love to you all
Caths
xx

2006-03-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

New Zealand
We only had a week in New Zealand so spent it exploring the North Island. We had a fantastic couple of days in Auckland with Jim's lovely auntie and uncle and checked out - was great to get a perspective on what it would be like to live there and decided it's much like what you'd imagine idyllic England in the 40's - where people know their neighbours and no-one needs to lock their doors. Then we hired a car and scooted off up to the bay of islands. We were really lucky with the weather too so spent time on the beaches sandboarding. (Well actually just throwing ourselves off dunes on boogie boards) Muchos fun except while I was trying to keep up with the big boys I got whiplash on my neck. Apart from a bit of horse riding we weren't too energetic and just had a few really nice days driving around, exploring new areas but mainly just relaxing and cooking up nice food. We were quite excited to be back in Western civilization after South America and being able to talk the language again was a novelty so we spoke to everyone we could - people in shops and hairdressers got a right old earbashing from us.

2006-03-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Patagonia - Back to Argentina and Chile

LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!! LAKES...MOUNTAINS...GLACIERS...HIKING...BLIMEY THAT'S AMAZING!!

That's pretty much the gist of it really......

Tune in next week for more of the same

Love jim and Cath
xxxx
p.s - photos to follow soon

2006-02-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

Chile - Groundshakingly good...well, almost...

We made it out of Peru and over the border into Chile and ended up in a little town by the coast called Arica.
After the third-worldlyness of Peru it was a pleasant change to see paved roads and people with teeth so we celebrated by heading straight off to the beach...and there were waves! as you can imagine i was very excited by this so we managed to get a board for me and Cath got some lessons and out we went. it was great, surfing in boardies in the sun with the backdrop of the Attacama desert was just amazing, and Cath was ripping and was standing up and cruising on almost every wave by the end! very impressed. I was also visited by 2 huge turtles whilst sat out the back which was unbelievably cool but when a massive seal popped up out of nowhere about 8 feet from me i must admit to being caught a little off guard and making a noise similar to that of a squeaking baby monkey.
all round great day.
after a few hot beachy days we headed further south to La Serena which is good for stargazing. we went out to one of the observatories for a night tour and got to use the big telescopes which was quality as got to see saturn, the moon and stars up close to name but a few. nice change from the good ól plough.
Then it was off south again to the party coastal town of vina del mar which was good for lying on the beach, eating food and drinking in the beachfront bars watching the sunsets (3 things we are now experts at), so we excelled ourselves once again. What we did get in Vina though was our first earthquake! that was really wierd. it said in the guidebook to expect it but we didn´t think it would happen whilst we were there. we were in our little wooden cabana when it felt like a train was going over us and then all of a sudden the floor and walls started shaking. it felt like 50 fat blokes all trying to push over our little cabana but was all over after about 6 secs, very wierd, but kinda cool as it wasn´t a serious one.
Then it was back to Santiago for a visit to the Cousin Macul vineyard for some light ´supping´ before heading off down to Patagonia for some trekking in the mountains.
time to dig out the jerseys and walking boots once again!
Jim

2006-02-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

PERU...
Having spent some time in Bolivia we were well acclimatized to being at altitudes of 4000m above sea level but we certanily weren`t prepared for how cold it would be so we had to go out and buy thermals, a waterproof poncho and a gooky wooly hat as soon as we got to Peru....hmm attractive. We spent a couple of days in Cusco and then headed off to do the famous four day Inca trail hike to Machupicchu - which was absolutely amazing. The walk was pretty hard going at times and when it rained, I must admit that a few phrases along the lines of "Whos blo*dy idea was this" did pass my lips but it was such an experience and something we wont forget in a hurry. We had a really nice bunch of people and had a really good laugh and even though we were camping it wasn`t that bad as we had porters to carry all our stuff and every day when we arrived at camp we had our tents put up for us and all our meals cooked for us too. Arriving at machupicchu on the final day was awesome. The sun was shining for us at last and the rain held off long enough for us to get some good snaps. Afterwards every bone in our bodies ached and we were walking like a couple of special joeys so heading back to civilisation was great. We ceremoniously threw the ponchos in the bin had long hot showers and headed out for a few well deserved beers. After the Inca trail we`d decided we`d had enough hiking in the cold and rain so started the journey down towards Chile stopping at a little place called Colca Valley on the way which is a huge canyon, with giant condors circling above it set down in amongst the Andes. Next stop is Chile searching for sand, surf and some wine sampling and a chance to put away the walking boots and slip on the flip flops.
Caths
x

2006-01-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

ARGENTINA and in to BOLIVIA

well hellooo there people. Kitten has finally trusted me to let loose on the keyboard so lets hope i don´t offend anyone too quick hey!

Well, we set off from Iguacu to Buenos Aires with steaks in mind and oh my lordy did it deliver. Best steaks we´ve ever had bar none we say and sooo cheap. as we are travelling and on a tight budget we headed straight for the new waterfront development to one of the best restaurants and gorged on carne and red wine till we could eat no more and had to be wheeled out - BA is not a place for veggies i can tell you.
What a city! It is much more developed than we expected and the visions we had of beautiful old colonial architecture with a real European feel were embellished on almost every street corner. a real variety of new and old world and the people were great. try as we may we may we couldn´t resist the urge to shop and when kitten wasn´t chomping on a fat steak she was pretty much eyeing up a new top from some place or another. natural talent doesn´t even get close.

We explored the old neighbourhood of San Telmo and the colourful portside district of La Boca which was a wealth of culture with street artists, antique markets and shrine´s to Maradonna all over the place. You just can´t beat a 5 foot bubble porcelain statue of Maradonna, that´s what i say.

But as we were in Buenos Aires we couldn´t help but get involved with some Tango action. Once again the travelling budget dictated a measly 9 course dinner with show and dance lessons to boot and we strutted our stuff in great form. well, Cath was great and rapidly becoming the favourite of ´el Tango Joe Pesche lookalike´( i was more worried about him getting hold of a pen, if you don´t know what i mean then watch goodfellas!). i however turned up in my walking boots and was partnered with what can only be described as a sweet little ageing tango dwarf. i was more worried about killing her with my feet than dancing but we soldiered on through the dazzling dancing displays and relentless food and had a great time...and the whole night including taxis and drinks was 28 quid each. we can´t recommend BA enough and very reluctantly left after 3 days to start our trip up to Bolivia.

2 days of planes and buses later, journeying through some of the most amazing landscape you can imagine, and we arrived in La Paz. what a trip that was. climbing up into the Andes on unmade roads with the air thinning like the hair on my head, we were treated to snow capped mountains and goat herders a´plenty. Bolivia is such a beautiful country.
when we arrived in La Paz we didn´t realise that it was the weekend when Bolivia was innaugerating its first ever indigenous president and the whole city came to standstill with everyone from farmers to businessman taking to the streets to celebrate and see the spectacle, and what a spectacle it was. it was finished off with the loudest firework display over the city you can imagine. For those who don´t know La Paz it is nestled in a huge bowl of mountains at an altitude of 4000m which basically creates the biggest loudspeaker acoustics on Gods earth and fireworks become close to deafening which is quite something to hear. i think even the stalls full of Llama foetuses were flinching on the big bangs (yes, the witches stalls all sold dried Llama foetuses which apparently are a delicacy in this part of the world - ´no gracias mate´, i´ll stick to the peanuts if its alright with you).

Now its off to Peru for the Inca trail

Jim x

2006-01-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

Leaving Brazil today after a cracking couple of weeks. We´ve had loads of sunshine and one of the best things about this country is all the food they sell - and the portions are huge. We´ve been eating like kings and I may have put on a few pounds but check out my suntan! After Rio we went to a little island called Ilha Grande and lucked out with a lovely little view over the bay. After a couple of days we moved down the coast (via a filthy 20 hour journey on boats and buses to get there) and ended up in surfing mecca Florionopolis (I think Mr Jim might have had something to do with this decision) and spent six days just hanging out on the beaches. I tried to surf but spent more time getting pummelled by the monster waves than riding them although did get up and riding twice. Met a lovely Aussie couple and challenged them to a Caprihinia session. Not sure who won but we sank a whole two litre bottle of pinga, more like minger! (it tasted like paint stripper) Couldn´t remember most of the conversation the next day but was muchos fun! (I can highly recommend the old Caprrinhinia´s although I am now blind in one eye and walking with a limp - Jim)

After that it was another stinking bus journey (I really wish Mr Jim would wash!) to Foz Iguaçu to see the waterfalls. Was fantastico. Went right under the waterfalls in a boat and got soaked and my pants got a bit brown too as it was quite scary. Got some lovely piccys and said "Wow, isn´t this amazing", a lot. Went to see the waterfalls from Argentina too - was only a bus ride away but seems very different to Brazil already. Next stop is Buenos Aires and the challenge is on to eat steaks for breakfast lunch and dinner and enjoy some red wine.
Caths
x

2006-01-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

RIO

Well leaving England when it was two degrees outside was tough - especially as the weather in Rio was a crisp clear, sunny 35, but we managed to get ourselves safely to our hotel, complete with an all you can eat breakfast and jacuzzi bath....no travelling pikeyness here! We spent the first couple of days sunning our pasty white bods and exploring the city - hanging out on the beaches of copocabana and ipanema. Also took a visit to see the immense statue of Christ the Redeemer (which I (cath) kept refering to as christ the reindeer - good one - nothing like offending a few thousand catholics on arrival!) The views of the city were unbelievable.

New Years Eve, or Feliz as they call it here, was something we wont forget in a hurry. We made our way to Ipanema first off so Kitten could suck down as many Caprinha´s as her little head could handle, and then we marched with the crowds of thousands along Ipanema beach to Copacabana. Ths place is MENTAL. There were about 2 million people packed onto this huge beach for the big firework show, and everyone was lovely with no aggro. We even made friends with some old Brazilians who gave us champers at midnight with hugs all round - nice...
Then we took part in the old tradition of making a wish by throwing flowers in the sea.

We did spare a thought for you lot nursing your hangovers on new years day at home, when we got up and had the best hangover cure with a nice swim in the sea and a long leisurely lunch. Yesterday we made our way out to an island called illha grande - about two hours from Rio and have lucked out with a lovely little room overlooking the bay. Happy New Year xxx

2005-12-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

WE HAVEN'T EVEN GONE YET!! ...but it's not long!