The World Through My Eyes

Honeymoon time!

a_johnson — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:50:00 GMT

The time had finally come to leave for our honeymoon, and we were more than ready for it...yay!

Landing in Hong Kong after a fairly smooth overnight flight seemed like a good way to start our honeymoon, that was until our bags took an hour to come off the plane! After twelve hours of flying and an additional hour waiting for our bags, we were finally ready to see what Hong Kong had to offer and couldn’t wait to start exploring, even though we were shattered!

Our first official full day was on Sunday 27th January. We took a taxi up to Victoria peak to check out Hong Kong’s famous views, sadly for us it was quite overcast and we couldn’t see too far out across the bay, but, that was one tourist attraction ticked off! We took the tram back down (which isn’t that great) and afterwards stopped off at the zoo before we headed to Uma Nota for a bottomless brunch with Ben’s friend and his family. Later that day we had a meander around Central to soak up the atmosphere, saw some raw chicken at a market which was literally screaming out “food poisoning” then went for dinner at Ho Lee Fook. The food was delicious, we particularly enjoyed the Hong Kong style noodles and the music, the bill not so much, especially as Ben did his classic of over-ordering and ended up with a wedge of prawn toast which he later took back to our hotel and left outside someone else’s hotel door-shame on you Ben Smith!

On Monday we took the MTR for the first time to the end of the line to Tung Chung and hopped on board the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. We queued for quite a long time but once aboard the cable cars, the panoramic views made up for it. Looking out of the windows, we got our first view of Tian Tan-or the Big Buddha as he’s more commonly known, which is what we were heading for. Once we’d done our touristy sightseeing and shouting at the GO PRO we headed back into Kowloon. That evening we didn’t venture far, we went next door to the Ritz Carlton for cocktails and to marvel at the views of the bay from their amazing roof top bar, we then took a taxi to the clock tower in Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the symphony of lights display across Victoria Harbour. Tuesday saw us hitting one of the many shopping malls Hong Kong has to offer because Ben decided he needed a jumper! We then took our DukLing harbour boat cruise around the bay, apparently, it’s the only original Chinese junk remaining in Hong Kong but unfortunately the sound system was muffled so we didn’t hear or learn anything, but we did get a chilled beer and some fantastic views of the skyline from the water, so we were happy people! In the evening we wandered around Temple Street Night Market and grabbed some food in Club Noodle, a lot harder than we’d hoped when you have a mushroom allergy and struggle in broken English to let the waitress know. Once we knew the food was mushroom free, we both ordered the most satisfying bowls of noodles with Taiwanese sausage, which to this day we still talk about, it was that good! We opted to have a more relaxed day on Wednesday so took the MTR over to Hong Kong Island (relaxing in Hong Kong Island, I hear you say!) and followed a street art trail to some of the artwork we’d researched. You can’t not take a trip to the Bruce Lee mural when in Hong Kong, right!? Whilst we were in the area, we thought it would be rude to not drop into Dim Sum Square for a bite to eat after having discovered it earlier in the week, we were dying to go back. It’s a no-frills café type eatery, we love finding these kinds of places to eat. The food was great, so good we made sure we had two trips there in our week-long stay in Hong Kong. Ben stuffed his face with dim sum, his favourite being the shrimp and I wolfed down a bowl of fried rice with mince meat and egg on the top, perfect comfort food after an afternoon of walking around hilly Hong Kong. We then headed back to our hotel for a quick, albeit chilly dip in the rooftop pool. We didn’t go too far that evening and thought we’d check out the hotel’s rooftop bar, the views were fabulous, the service not so much!

Thursday saw us up early and heading to Macau on the ferry. Most people head here for the casinos, which of course we visited too but our favourite part of Macau was visiting the Panda’s at the Giant Panda Pavilion. We managed to get in a taxi from the main strip which was approximately £10 and fortunately managed to flag one down once we left the pavilion too, as it's in the middle of nowhere. It’s not that well known which is great, so no queues! We arrived just after feeding time, the Pandas were happily chomping away on a feast of bamboo, we got to see three of them and one red panda. Seeing the pandas felt so surreal and was a highlight of our trip.

Next stop, the casinos! We thought we’d try our luck on the roulette tables, easier said than done, finding one was a problem! We managed to find one at The Grand Lisboa, had a few go’s and sadly came away empty handed. They call Macau the Vegas of Asia, there are obviously similarities but tea being served in place of alcohol was one eye opener for us. Gambling is taken very seriously here; hordes of families seem to take the trip to Macau in the hope of winning the jackpot! It was all a bit too serious for us, so we chose to call it a day and go for some Portuguese food and hunt for a custard tart, which we found and was absolutely delicious. It was quite an exhausting day so we decided to take the ferry back to Hong Kong, arrived at the ferry terminal, after buying fridge magnets, only to find out the taxi had dropped us to the wrong port so had to take another taxi to the correct one!

Friday was sadly our last day in Hong Kong and the first leg of our honeymoon was almost over (sigh). We did a day trip to Lamma Island which is a small fishing village not too far from Hong Kong Island. It was good to get out of the city and experience a quieter side to Hong Kong. We did the walking trail from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan. It took around two hours, we managed to avoid the copious amounts of seafood restaurants whose waiters try to entice you in by saying “romantic dinner”, which it clearly wasn’t!

Saturday morning saw us flying out of Hong Kong and onto the Maldives. We ate A LOT that day! Our feast started with breakfast at our hotel in Hong Kong, then once we got to the airport, we tucked into the business lounge buffet, rude not to when you’re flying business class. We then ate again on our flight to Singapore, although there wasn’t a great deal, I could eat which was probably a good thing! Once we arrived in Singapore for our connecting flight, and after seeing half of Changi airport, including the baggage area below the airport we arrived at our departure terminal to once again tuck into yet another buffet in the lounge. Food was then served on our really old-fashioned plane to the Maldives, but we decided to decline this, I mean how much can two people actually eat in one day! We had now been travelling almost a whole day and were making our descent into Male when the plane had an issue with it’s landing gear so up and over the sea we went again until the problem was rectified.

We finally touched down quite late, our friendly representative Blue, was waiting for us, ready to take us to paradise in a very bumpy forty-five-minute boat ride. Taking a boat at night, and in very choppy waters wasn’t the worst of it, and, feeling like I had the worst hangover didn’t help. Mid conversation, the boat stopped only for us to be told by Blue that the crew thought the propeller had hit something, so there we were, tired, but not hungry, bobbing around in the Indian Ocean!

Panic over, they managed to get it going and we were once again en route to Maadhoo and before we knew it, stepping onto the jetty at our beautiful resort, Ozen. We were greeted by the lovely Natey, who would be our butler for the week. He presented us both with necklaces made from palm leaves, we then hopped in his buggy and after a tour around the island, we arrived at our water villa. We’d made it to paradise!

Arriving in the dark meant we weren’t initially treated to the beauty that surrounded us, but the next morning we were in complete awe with how crystal clear the water was, so clear you could see the fishes darting around without the need of a snorkel. For me, this was probably best as, even after practising I still couldn’t get the hang of it! We spent our days lazing around, eating, drinking our way through the cocktail list and taking photos at every opportunity (me). It was the ultimate honeymoon get away, made even more perfect because we got the chance to snorkel with pods of dolphins and parasail on our last day! Unfortunately we didn’t have perfect weather every day but to have the opportunity to visit the Maldives was a dream come true, it had been on my bucket list forever and to go there with my husband, for our honeymoon, I couldn’t have wished for a better person to have experienced it with.

Continuing up Route 101

a_johnson — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 14:30:00 GMT

We finally arrived in Monterey, our hotel was on Cannery Row so we dropped the car there and went for a wander. We headed towards the pier which is lined with candy shops and restaurants selling clam chowder in bread bowls, there wasn't too much to see so we then took a walk along the harbour, almost getting knocked down by cyclists on bikes with the biggest tyres that surely didn't look like they should belong on a bike! On our second day in Monterey we got lucky with the weather, the sun decided to make an appearance so we hopped in the car and took the short drive down to Carmel. It's a lovely little place filled with boutique shops with a village feel to them and a picturesque beach with white sand. After we'd taken everything in we drove back to Monterey where we decided it was time for an In N Out burger. We drove out of our way to get one (even though we'd passed and missed many on our drive up from Vegas!) If you've not had a burger from there before they're pretty good for fast food and the drinks are huge! We also learnt an interesting fact from my friend Jesse, if you look closely on the wrappers and on the bottom of the cups you can see a small verse from the bible!

En route to our long awaited burger I'd seen a boating lake with paddle boats and I said to Ben we should stop there on the way back, the sun was shining and it was a glorious day, in fact it was Mother's Day in America so there were lots of families out enjoying the weather. After I'd finished peddling us around the lake (Ben didn’t help at all) we spent the remainder of the day meandering and even found some time to have a game of pool. Hunger caught up with us again and we thought we’d almost exhausted most of our meal options until Ben suggested a place called Louie Linguine’s, I wasn't so keen so we ate elsewhere.

So that was Monterey! Next stop San Francisco!

The next morning, we left for the hilly city. The drive was reasonably short and we made it into San Fran before midday. Unfortunately for any drivers heading into the city, there's not many options for long stay parking! Two hours later, thanks to google we found one not far from where we were staying. Not understanding the rules of the road over there in addition to the city traffic can be a very stressful experience and that's just me saying that from a passenger’s point of view, poor Ben was behind the wheel. Luckily he's already bald otherwise I'm not sure he would have had any hair left after that ordeal! Once we'd freshened up, off we went to explore the city. We walked for a while without a map so ended up getting a bit lost but managed to flag a cab down with a driver who turned out to be a friendly old fella with lots of information and stories to tell. He was originally from Detroit but had moved to San Fran many years ago and had a wealth of knowledge on the city. He dropped us at Union Square and off we went into the throng of people. Without a map we were still no better off as to which direction to go in so I said to Ben I'll just ask in a hotel if they know where the tourist info is so we could get a map. My trick worked and they offered me one of theirs! We thought we'd head towards the mission district; we didn't end up getting there as even with a map we still managed to get lost! We'd arranged to catch up with my friend Jesse whilst we were in San Fran so after finding a Starbucks to grab some free Wi-Fi we headed towards the bar he'd suggested. Sadly, it wasn't open on Mondays but we went into another one opposite. It's always nice to catch up with friends you've met on your previous travels. We had a few drinks, discussed politics and shared our scary Vegas cab experience with him. He then went to watch the Warriors game and we went onto Mission for some Mexican food.

The next day we went out early, armed with a map and a book of San Fran, we were ready to take on the city. We stopped in one of the neighbourhood cafes for breakfast and a really bad cup of coffee and then off we went to give our legs a workout! I don't think I've ever seen roads as steep, they're a struggle to walk down...a good pair of shoes are definitely needed! We walked towards the bay admiring the houses as we went and also got our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Eventually we reached Fisherman’s Wharf and went to see the residents of Pier 39-the seals. There were lots of them basking in the afternoon sunshine, they were quite smelly so we didn't hang around for too long! We did have to stay on the pier though, thanks to my sister we had booked ourselves onto a catamaran cruise of the bay with a voucher she gave us towards our trip. The cruise turned out to be even better than we expected. We sailed past Alcatraz which allowed amazing views of the city from the bay not to mention the Golden Gate Bridge looming ahead of us. As we gradually sailed closer towards it, the captain said there were a pod of whales under the bridge!! Everyone on board was so excited, a pod of whales in the San Francisco Bay...wow!! How lucky had we got! We couldn't believe our eyes, there right in front of us were humpback whales, we were all in awe of the giant mammals! They would break through the water and then suddenly disappear again but long enough for us to admire them. Just metres in front of us we saw sprays of water erupting into the air and then a huge tail would appear, forget the Golden Gate Bridge this was far better! Although this was a treat for us to unexpectedly see them it's actually quite a sad story for the whales. We were told that California has had a drought for the last five years which is drawing more whales into the bay as they're confusing the salty bay water with the ocean. Hopefully they won’t get injured by any boats. Once we passed underneath the bridge and got a few snaps of it we sailed back towards the pier. We were very fortunate this day, we had clear skies and sunshine, a perfect day to be out on the water.

We'd worked up quite a hunger by this point so headed for a pizzeria called Golden Boy. They sell pizzas by the slice and they were excellent. After we'd refuelled we set off on foot to see what else the city has to offer. We walked to Coit Tower but didn't go up as there was a huge queue but we were still able to check out the view from the top of the hill. We carried on wandering up and down the hills until we arrived at Lombard Street. Lots of tourists adorned the crooked road, some so eager to get the perfect picture they would stand in the road and almost get knocked down by passing cars! When you're in San Fran you can't miss an opportunity to take a ride on the iconic cable car. We found a stop and jumped on the Powell – Hyde one. We got a nice free ride downtown, unbeknown to us you're supposed to purchase a ticket before you board. We didn't realise this so we saved a ourselves couple of dollars!

On our final day in San Fran we took the boat out to Alcatraz. It's really interesting listening to all the stories on the audio, I even lost Ben at one point and found him with his eyes covered up in one of the cells. Apparently he was following the audio. Once we'd finished the tour we boarded the boat back (a little more windswept than the way out) and jumped in a cab to the San Francisco Giants stadium to pick up a mitt. Ben called it a glove to the sales assistant and got corrected, typical tourists I’m sure they were thinking! We didn't realise it was match day so not only were there hordes of people around, the roads close by to the stadium were all blocked so it made it quite difficult to get out of the area.

Later that afternoon we went to the Walt Disney museum in the presidio, if you're a fan of Disney like I am it's a great museum to visit. Starting from his early life, it showcases his sketches throughout his lifetime, the people he worked with, his studios and of course the Disney characters we're all so familiar with. I think Ben secretly enjoyed the museum more than he'll ever admit!

Our last day in California was spent in Napa Valley, you can't visit California without taking a trip there. We set off early in the morning, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and within an hour and a half we'd arrived at our hotel in Calistoga ready to catch the local shuttle bus to the vineyard. The bus took ages to arrive but when it did it turned out the driver was an avid football fan and followed the Premier League games, once again Ben was engaged in a conversation about football, even though the driver did keep calling it 'The Spurs' I think Ben was back in his comfort zone! We'd booked to do some wine tasting at a vineyard called Vincent Arroyo, we'd read really good reviews on it, plus we saw that they had dogs so it was a no brainier, that was the one we picked! We arrived later than expected but they were really laid back and didn't mind so we cracked straight on with the tasting. We sampled some great wines, learnt how they were grown and how to get the best flavours from them by swirling the wine around the glass at a very fast speed in the glass (it was actually harder than it looked to not let it spill) we were also shown into the fermenting room which was freezing! He got us to try this amazing port they produce and told us how to spot a good cork from the bad ones. We loved it so much we bought a bottle back, along with a bottle of wine which went unscathed in our luggage.

We'd lived the American Dream and sadly it was coming to an end and it was time to go home but not without one last adventure, albeit a tad scary one. Leaving Napa, I decided I was finally ready to get behind the wheel so off we drove for my little debut. I'd told Ben I didn't want to go on the freeway because I didn't understand their road signs so instead we opted for another route. This alternative route saw us driving up a winding road into a mountain, with the steep drop on my side. Although it was fun to drive I wasn't overly happy the drop was on my side so skidded the car into a passing place and let Ben take over. Ben had already researched an In N Out drive through we could stop at en route to San Fran airport so we stopped there for one last meal and then got back on the road. So, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, didn't pay the toll and then missed the turning to the airport. This was really frustrating as it now meant we had to go through the city. Our petrol was running low so we pulled into a garage ready to fill up but then did our maths and realised we just had over a few miles more in the tank than what we needed to get to the airport. With this great money saving idea of about 10 dollars we headed into the traffic and onto the airport. We'd left enough time before our flight so were taking a leisurely drive to the airport, this was before we'd realised we missed the turning for the car rental drop off area in the airport. Now we started to panic a bit, the petrol was running low and we weren't sure how long it would be until the next turning. It was at this point we made the brilliant decision to pull into something in the middle of the freeway which looked like a lay by but wasn’t. With the fast overtaking lane to my right it suddenly dawned on us that we needed to cross four lanes in order to make it back into the lane we needed to be. By this point it was pretty tense in the car, with Ben behind the wheel ready to put his foot on the accelerator it was me who had the great job of trying to find a spot in the fast moving traffic which we could pull into! It didn't help that the cars were coming over a hill so was hard to judge what was behind it and what speed they were coming! Finally, we saw a break in the traffic and pulled out to the sound of an angry cab driver beeping his horn at us! With drops of petrol to spare we made it safely to the airport and dropped the car off and that my friends was the end of our two-week adventure!

My 30th in Vegas and road tripping through Cali

a_johnson — Sun, 1 May 2016 12:18:00 GMT

I've not updated this blog for a LONG time so seeing as I'm on the road again having another adventure,I thought why not!

The initial plan when we decided to do this trip last year was to just do a few days in Vegas for my 30th but then we decided to do a road trip up the west coast.

First stop...Vegas! Now I've never been so I was expecting big things and also hoping to win big to fund the rest of our trip...we didn't win big but we did win a little-which helped.

Unfortunately it looked like we'd brought the trusty British weather with us, so our first official day was spent wandering around trying to keep out of the rain. We thought this would be a good opportunity to check out downtown Las Vegas so we hopped in a cab at Ceasars Palace and off we went. Our cab driver was so friendly and enthusiastic - he spoke to us about football and Lisa, if you're reading this he asked if Leicester would win the league (not something Ben wanted to hear being a Spurs fan) I guess he didn't have to wait long to find out! We asked for any food recommendations and he recommended a place to eat, Lotus of Siam which we tried on our last night and weren't disappointed.

We roamed around Downtown for a while whilst people zip lined above our heads and other people took part in some kind of crab eating festival (it stunk!)

When it was time to leave downtown we jumped into a cab and received a torrent of abuse from the driver. After asking us where we were from we gradually got the feeling he didn't like the Brits after telling us "British people are no good" he then turned his radio up to full throttle and tried to blast our ear drums. Not surprisingly we didn't tip him!

Saturday night was our lucky night on the roulette table. There were a few lively characters on it and 17 and 20 were coming in for them so we thought,let's try our luck on those too! With a little singing of "don't stop believing" by Journey and a bit of clapping we were soon onto a winning streak too! Eventually it was time to call it a night and off we went to eat, good thing about Vegas is everything's open late so if you fancy chicken wings at 3am, you can have chicken wings at 3am!

Celebrating my birthday in Vegas was pretty amazing. I had champagne delivered to my room from my family back home and then was treated to the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson One show at Mandalay Bay. If you've not seen it, it's an absolute must when you visit Vegas. We were completely in awe to say the least! We then went for dinner at SW at the Wynn, and a little birdy told them it was my birthday so we got the best seats in the house-out on the terrace in perfect view for the water feature shows, we even got serenaded by a giant singing frog!

VERY early on Tuesday morning we took a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon and it was rather Grand! It was both our first time flying in a helicopter and the views were spectacular. We were the fortunate two out of our group as we got to sit up front with the pilot, who shared an uncanny resemblance to Todd in Breaking Bad or Landry in Friday Night Lights for anyone who may have seen those! We flew over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and at 7 in the morning the sun was already out in full force allowing us fantastic views across the land. Before we knew it we were approaching one of the natural wonders of the world-The Grand Canyon. To fly over it was a great experience and we also got to land in it for a quick champagne brunch, unfortunately the time went quickly but I managed to snap a few pics of some Cactus growing in the gorge.

Much of our time in Vegas was spent trying our luck in the casinos,making the most of the free drinks,catching some rays by the pool and doubling our body weight eating the huge portions of food which are served! I had a fantastic time there and was sad to leave but our journey had only just started, next stop Santa Barbara!

So we picked up our Mustang convertible in Vegas and hit the freeway! When you're driving a convertible, you want the roof down-don't you!? Little did we know by the time we reached halfway the temperature had peaked to 100 degrees and we were feeling the heat! We did begin to wonder why no other convertible drivers had their roofs down...rookie mistake by us! After passing through copious amounts of tumbleweed towns (which I was always amazed people lived in!) we finally arrived in Santa Barbara!

A quaint town with a picturesque harbour,this was to be our abode for the next three nights.

Our first morning was mainly spent getting lost (well,I knew where to go-Ben just chose to ignore my directions) we finally found the breakfast place we'd been in search of,Scarlett Begonia! We were told by a passer by when Ben asked for directions to try the biscuits and wow, what a recommendation! They're basically the American version of scones but they were delicious-these were our starter before our breakfast. A starter before breakfast!

Later that day we took a stroll down to the beach, we needed to walk the food off! If you head along the harbour you get a fantastic view of the town with the mountains as a backdrop. The rest of the afternoon was spent by the hotel roof terrace pool willing the sun to make an appearance, sadly it didn't but that didn't stop me from getting in the pool!

The food in Santa Barbara was amazing and we ate in two very good restaurants for dinner. Toma- it's an Italian restaurant with very hearty dishes and a waiter who is a Will Ferrell look a like and the other was Barbareño, which unfortunately doesn't have any famous look a likes but they do a brilliant smoked beef!.

So that was Vegas and Santa Barbara. The second leg of our journey will see us heading further up the West Coast :)

New York, New York. It's so good they named it twice!

a_johnson — Fri, 7 Jun 2013 21:10:00 GMT

My last and final stop on my trip was New York...The Big Apple! Five days spent there was nowhere near enough time to explore the gigantic city but we gave it a go!

Flying in from Lima, I was to be met by my sisters arriving from London. After being told I couldn't check in until they arrived I took it upon myself to go out and wander around. I didn't get too far before my hunger decided to make an appearance! I strolled past a few cafe's then finally went into one named Potbelly, ironic really seeing as that's how I felt after my mass consumption of dulce de leche in the neighbouring South America! I grabbed a turkey sub and a drink and took a seat in front of the window and watched the world go by. If you look past the yellow taxis and don't look up towards the skyscrapers you could almost mistake yourself for being in London. A city of people, all going about their day to day business. Office workers on lunch breaks hurriedly piling into eating estabishments, police directing traffic, street vendors selling amazingly looking fresh fruit, more street vendors selling fast foods and salesmen and ladies ripping you off to buy bus tours - yes we fell for that sales pitch! After years of telling myself i'd make it there, I'd finally arrived in New York and what a better week to arrive than one where they're having a heatwave!

A few hours later my sisters arrived. After getting ready we took to the sidewalk and made our way towards Greenwich Village and into a lovely Spanish Tapas restaurant. The food was delicious and the Sangria was even better!I can confidently say much better than any i've ever had in Spain! Seeing as we were all tired after dinner we headed back to the hotel and had a not so early night. The next day we had big plans, or that's what we thought! After pounding the pavements for nearly forty five minutes on the hunt for a traditional New York breakfast we eventually settled on Lindy's, a diner literally two minutes from our hotel! We all ordered the blueberry pancakes which were stacked high (if you're British) maybe not so if you're an American. We had the slowest waiter who looked close to retirement and was perhaps a little hard of hearing as he didn't ever seem to bring Steph (my eldest sister) her coffee refill when she asked! He did however rate his service himself as great and shockingly we obliged and gave the tip! Around an hour later we eventually escaped from there ready to start our first full day in the city.

Walking along the streets we got pestered time and time again to buy a bus tour, eventually we gave in and purchased the useless tickets! Later that afternoon we ticked our first tourist hotspot off the list. The Empire State Building. We took the New York Skyride simulator tour and then made our way up to the 86th floor and took in our first views of the New York skyline. It was amazing. Overlooking the Hudson River on one side and the East River to the other, the mass of high rise buildings rose upwards from the ground, making the taxis and cars on the roads below appear as though they wouldn't look out of place in a childs toy box. Sightseeing is thirsty work so once we'd left the building we stopped in a pub along the route for a well deserved drink.

In the evening Tasha and myself took a bus tour, the worst tour i've experienced in my life! We waited for an hour for the bus to arrive and when it did eventually come we were greeted by the most annoying tour guide! Thankfully our earphones didn't work, making it easier to switch off. This proved to be a bit hard to do when he broke out in song but it did provide an element of amusement. We were shown sites and given explanations about them, none that i'm able to relay in great detail as like I've just mentioned I'd switched off! We passed through Manhattan and out towards Brooklyn where we were able to get a photo of the bridge and then headed back towards Times Square. On returning to the hotel we were both disappointed and tired but stayed up to plan our next day.

The following day we had breakfast at Balthazar which serves superb French cuisine, we all had egg's but in different forms. It set us up for the day ahead and the walking which would follow! We took the subway up to Grand Central Station where we were all in awe of the outstanding architecture and the size of the building. After stopping for a few photo's we made our way over to the New York Public Library where once again we were amazed with the stunning architecture. We passed through Times Square where Tasha had a photo with the Naked Cowboy (he's not totally naked just in case anybody's wondering!) Fighting the midday heat we continued onto the Rockefeller Centre which we stopped briefly at to take more pictures! By this time we were all hungry so had lunch at Essa Bagel which had been recommended to me and it turned out to be a good recommendation. After re fuelling on the big bagels we made our way towards Central Park, unfortunately we didn't get to spend much time there as we had Yankees tickets for that evening!

The Yankees vs The Red Sox, a good game I kept getting told whilst on my travels then followed by the question "how did you manage to get tickets to that!?" It was thanks to my friend Emily, she invited us along. If it weren't for her we wouldn't have known, so Emily if you're reading this..thanks Dedo! We didn't really understand the game, well we didn't but the atmosphere was fun. It appears people tend to do alot of wandering around whilst the game is on, or sleeping as the guy next to Steph opted to do! All in all a good experience.

Saturday we went back to Central Park and took a rickshaw ride around it with a guide. It was nice to have things pointed out and explained to us and he also doubled up as a good photographer! The park is beautiful, it was great to see so many famous landmarks that appear in many films and tv programmes and if you're a FRIENDS fan, like we all are that famous water fountain, which yes of course we stopped at to take some photo's! We only managed to see a section of the park as we ran out of time but what we did see was picturesque. Next we stopped at the 9/11 Memorial to pay our respects, a very moving experience and one that I can't and would not want to put into words. After stopping there for some time we made our way onto our boat tour which allowed us to take in the famous sites of The Statue Of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan, which includes Wall Street. We stayed on top deck which seemed like a good idea until the wind attacked all of our hair! Stepping off the boat we took the somewhat long walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, where we thought we would get good views of Lower Manhattan,however due to scaffolding being up most of them were blocked! It probably wasn't the best day for me to wear a skirt and cross a bridge either as it kept getting swept up by the breeze, causing a few Marilyn Monroe moments! Once in Brooklyn our destination was set to Grimaldi's as I was strongly recommended there. Unfortunately we weren't in luck to try the pizza as the queue was huge and we didn't have time to stand around and wait in it, instead we continued onto Juniors. If you mention Juniors to most people in New York they will recommend their favourite cheesecake to you and what a recommendation this place was! The cheesecake is HUGE and it's good! Tasha and myself decided to have some jerk chicken before we got started on dessert and well, we were in New York so you know the drill,the portions are big! Unable to eat the cheesecake we took it away with us, it made a great treat to come back to after our night out.

Fortunately for me I have two friends in New York who I was able to meet up with. We were joined by my friend Santi at the 230 Fifth rooftop bar. At first he was turned away for not wearing collars but he came to our rescue and saved us from the sweaty club downstairs! When Tasha had asked one of the bouncers if there was an outdoor area (we'd been specifically told to come here for the views from the rooftop bar) she was told "no there's nowhere outside unless you're leaving!" It was not long after this that my friend came along and saved the day! He asked what we were doing downstairs when there was a rooftop bar!? Always handy to know a local when you have views of the skyline just waiting to be taken in. We stayed there for a few drinks and then went on to the bar at the W Hotel in Times Square. A nice bar playing lots of good music and we even managed to sit in the reserved area, thanks to Santi flinging the card off the table!

Sunday was our last day and that day was dedicated to what is tradition in New York!Shopping! We shopped at the speed of lightning and were met by Emily too. A New Yorker who hasn't been to Juniors, almost unheard of so we had to introduce her to it! As if we hadn't had enough of it the night before we headed back to Juniors but this time in Times Square. The plan was to take the cheesecake away but once the waiter started waving that cocktail list infront of us we weren't going anywhere! We sat down for lunch over a cocktail, had our cheesecake and then had to make a quick dash to start packing for our flights!

So there you have it. My final blog!!

In 10.5 weeks I've been on eight flights (one VERY scary!), travelled on nineteen buses, riden four trains, bobbed along on eight boats, sat in numerous amounts of taxi's (some driven by dangerous drivers) and taken nine tours!

I had a great time on my travels. I did many exciting things, experienced different cultures and languages, saw some fantastic scenery, learnt alot, met a whole group of great people, made new friends, got to meet up with old friends and came back richer - not in wealth but in experience. A fantastic opportunity for me and i'm proud to say I done it all alone. A life changing experience with memories to last a lifetime.

Thank you to everybody who's followed me these last few months, I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. So until the next time tchau,chau and last but not least goodbye.

Peru in a nutshell!

a_johnson — Mon, 27 May 2013 22:25:00 GMT

Seeing as I've travelled through the Andean countries quite quickly, I thought it would be better to write one blog for Peru and sum it up in a nutshell but a big enough nutshell so you can all still share my experiences with envy!

My journey to Peru started by walking across the border from Bolivia, which took all of five minutes! Once over, I got back onto the bus and headed for Puno, a small tumbleweed town situated on Lake Titicaca.I only stopped there for one night so as I could catch an early morning bus to my first Peruvian destination - Arequipa or The White City as its known, due to many of it's buildings being made out of sillar.It is also home to the famous volcano, El Misti which creates a fantastic backdrop for a photo from most views in the city. The city has a lovely laid back feel to it with some outstanding architecture which includes the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. I read you need to spend around half a day in there, they're not wrong! It really is a city inside a city!They have a nice little cafe set outside in a garden which Clare (a girl I met and went with) and myself spent quite a while in eating cake and catching some mid morning rays!

Whilst in Arequipa I visited the Museo Santuarios Andinos which houses the famous Momia Juanita or (the Inca Ice Maiden as she's also known as) during certain months of the year. I was fortunate to be there when she was on display. A fascinating museum and definitely the most interesting one I've visited during my whole South American trip. For those of you who may not have heard about this young girl, she was specifically picked, raised into a family then taken to the top of Mount Ampato and offered as a sacrifice to the Inca gods. She is not technically a mummy as such as her body was never mummified. It is thought her body froze not long after death, causing her body to stay well preserved. So there you have it, a bit of history for you there!

It was also in Arequipa where I tried my first Granadilla fruit thanks to Jesse, which was later named "The Snotty" because of its snot looking appearance, surprisingly good though and tastes similar to a passion fruit.

A few hours from Arequipa is the Colca Canyon, a canyon that is twice deep than the grand canyon and well known for the Cruz del Condor. The canyon itself wasn't as deep as I thought it would be but maybe that's because I visited the easy way on a one day tour instead of trekking through it! The Condors were absolutely amazing though, their wing span is huge and casts a large shadow below them.

Leaving Arequipa, Jesse and myself took a cab to the bus station. There we were sitting waiting for our buses for sometime before we realised Cruz del Sur actually had their own departure lounge which we'd been missing out on! Sadly Jesse didn't get to experience it as he hopped straight onto his bus, luckily I did though. Those leather seats were a tad luxurious to the plastic one's we'd been sitting on!

After a ten hour bus journey I arrived in Cusco - the capital of the Inca Empire! I spent a week there, the city is great and filled with lot's of colonial history from the Inca period. I took a free walking tour around the city, learning about historical facts en route (which I later relayed to Erin and Jesse!) sampled traditional Peruvian cuisine and drink, went up to the viewpoint to overlook the city, saw how their silver jewellery is designed and made and also learnt that baby alpaca wool isn't from a baby alpaca at all, it's named that because its from the first lot of wool that get's sheared off! Quite an educational three hours, has to be said! Erin, Jesse and myself ate a lot of the local food and discovered it was dry, especially the Casino biscuits which have a deceiving appearance, they look similar to a custard cream but taste more like what I imagine sawdust would! The best food I had there was Causa, a traditional Peruvian dish accompanied with a glass of Chicha, a purple corn drink. I didn't try any of the traditional deep fried Cuy (guinea pig) as it looks far too much like a domesticated animal for me!There were a few festivals during my time there, all situated around the Plaza de Armas and all very lively and colourful.

From Cusco I caught a bus to a town called Ollantaytambo where I caught the eighty minute panoramic train to the lost city of the Inca's....Machu Picchu. As I didn't do the Inca trail I didn't arrive at The Sun Gate like many do but that didn't matter because on entering the site I was struck with the astonishing craftmanship that welcomed me. Standing above the terraces looking out onto Waynu Picchu is a moment quite like no other, to see the skill these people took to create this city is truly amazing!Walking around the site pretty much takes all day, I opted not to go in a tour group and can honestly say it was the best decision. By doing this I was able to avoid the crowds and made my way around the site in my own leisure. I headed up towards the Sun Gate and made a friend along the way, it took us around thirty minutes to walk up hill. Once arriving at the top we were granted with the most magnificent views. Looking directly down you can see the windy and also fairly scary bus route you take from Aguas Calientes, then looking further afield you see the peak of Waynu Picchu and the Inca city in all it's glory. We stayed up there for about thirty minutes then headed back down and went our separate ways, I headed in the direction of the residential sector although, it took me a while to get there as it's like a maze down there! Once there I just stood and listened, complete silence.It was perfect.Difficult to describe in words but a moment I won't forget, a moment where you stop and think to yourself "I'm walking in the steps of the Inca's , the steps they created centuries ago."

I headed back to Cusco the same day and two days later off I went on the Sacred Valley tour. Once again I was shocked into amazement by the stonework creations and the history that surrounded them. We first stopped in Pisac which was quite a climb uphill, you need a good set of lungs! The Inca's never built cities at the bottom of the valleys, always on top of the mountains! The site is actually bigger than that of Michu Picchu as it is spread out across more land. Heading upwards we were shown around and had Quechuan tombs pointed out to us which lay nestled high up in the mountain side. Next stop was Ollantaytambo, possibly one of the most important Inca ruin sites. Surrounded by steep mountains it was the royal estate of the Emperor Pachacuti. If you look carefully enough you can see a face carved into one of the mountain sides. A site with many steps, terraces and huge stones, it is thought the site was still under construction when it was abandoned. It was interesting to find out that the stones would have been brought down from a neighbouring mountain which has a quarry at the top, however it is still unkown how they transported them down. Getting back into the bus we were shown fields where quinoa and the barley for the Cusqueña beer is grown, we then arrived at a town called Chincheros. Here we were given a demonstration by the locals on how they dye and weave the wool used in many Andean products.

After Cusco I took a sixteen hour bus ride towards Huacachina. Huacachina is a small oasis town situated in the desert, it is also where the world sandboarding championships are held every year. The sand dunes are huge, I spent the afternoon with a group riding around them in a sand buggy and sandboarding down them. It was so much fun, if you've never been before think rollercoaster and times that by ten! The next day I took a tour around the Ballestas Islands just off the coast near Paracas. We got to see sea lions, penguins and a lot of birds! It was here I discovered I'm really not a sea person. The place smelt like fish and wasn't too pleasant but an experience none the less and nice to see some wildlife in their habitat.

Last but not least on my Peruvian and South American adventure is the city of Lima, where I am writing this from.Other than being a big city there's not too much to see so I'm taking the time to relax a little before I get to The Big Apple and see my sisters, ready for the fun to commence again.One thing I did discover in Lima though was La Lucha, the best sandwich place ever! A crusty roll filled with grilled steak, cheese, avocado and a side of salsa picante makea a good lunch!

Last days in Bolivia: La Paz, Copacabana y Isla del Sol

a_johnson — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:15:00 GMT

La Paz - 11,975 feet above sea level and you can certainly feel it!

My time in La Paz was short, only two nights but that was more than enough for me. A capital city nestled low in a basin surrounded by mountains, it didn't have the wow factor as some previous cities had done but it was on my list of places to visit. Boasting all the trademarks of a city; a busy metropolis of people going about their daily business, lots of traffic and lots of pollution!Having said that it did have a very interesting musem that I visited, the Coca Museum.I spent around an hour in there reading the information on how coca leaves have been used since pre Inca times to the present day, it was also where I discovered I'd been chewing them wrong!

I seemed to roam around the city aimlessly and can even say I was quite bored! One place that I did seek out was the witches market, a street lined with stalls selling the usual tourist paraphernalia but if you look closely amongst those items you see the llama foetuses that the market is well known for. The Bolivians often bury these under the foundations of their houses as an offering to the goddess Pachamama. Not the most pleasant sight but the reason why they're sold!

One thing that stuck out for me were the shoe shine boys of La Paz or lustrabotas as they are known. A common site across the country, except the one's in La Paz cover their faces with balaclavas. A strange sight and slightly shocking if you haven't read about this prior to visiting the city, fortunately I had! I was intrigued to find out why they wore those so decided to find out. I was saddened to read the reason they wear them is to conceal their identities so as to not be discriminated against, often their family members do not even know they are shoe shine boys. It was upon reading that article I realised how difficult some people's lives are. For those of us who choose to travel, we are merely visiting these places, the people you see working on the streets and in the plaza's, this is their life. After witnessing that, I have to admit it was one of the most humbling moments I've had on this trip.

Happy to leave La Paz, I caught the bus to Copacabana where I spent the night in a great location right next to Lake Titicaca. The town itself is quite small and pleasant but the main reason for staying there was to take a trip to the Isla del Sol. Due to lack of time I was only able to spend half a day visiting the south island and took the one and a half hour boat ride across to it. Upon arriving on the island you can see why it is a haven for visitors. A climb up the steep set of stairs, of course making you out of breath, allowed for the perfect view across the lake. I continued up the hill and came across llamas, alpacas and donkeys, one of which almost knocked me down the steps when I was trying to capture a rustic looking photo! There wasn't much time for anything else before it was time to get on the boat again. Sitting next to one of the guides on the boat we had a conversation in Spanglish which was pretty interesting When we arrived back in Copacabana he turned to me and said "It was a pleasure to meet you, my friend for an hour" then thanked me for visiting his country. Speaking with the locals is always a great reminder as to why travelling is such a good experience.

A night spent next to Lake Titicaca wouldn't be complete without seeing the sunrise over it, something I was lucky enough to see and definitely a memorable moment. A stunning end to my trip in Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni - Lost in the desert!!!

a_johnson — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:15:00 GMT

Salar de Uyuni - The biggest salt flats in the world, I can now say I've been and what an experience it was!

I took a three day tour from the ghost town of Uyuni which meant our first stop were the salt flats themselves! A sea of white salt stretched out for as far as the eye could see,blindingly white,sunglasses are a necessity.It was absolutely breath taking!Our first stop was alongside the small pyramids of salt depository's,which to touch felt like millions of granules of rock salt compressed together. On top of one of these pyramids is where Mr Dinosaur made his first public appearance before his photo shoot! After ten minutes of trying to create the perfect shot and not succeeding we were told by our driver Santiago that we needed to get back into the car and move on!We drove further onto the flats and stopped at a salt museum but opted not to go in so we could perfect the traditional salar de uyuni photo shoot with our props, thankfully we succeeded after many attempts. We stopped for lunch just beside Isla de los Pescados, an island covered in hundreds of gigantic cacti which we later climbed up onto to take in the panoramic views of the salar, unfortunately my camera batteries decided to die at this point!Lunch consisted of llama steak which was quite tasty, except I felt bad eating it after seeing one little llama on the island roaming around doing a spot of window shopping not long before!

That was the salt flats done, next stop the salt hotel where we were to spend the night.If you hadn't guessed it by the name, then yes it's a hotel built from salt including the beds!The temperature dropped a few degrees here but the worst was yet to come!We were up at the crack of dawn and on the road again, driving through the barren landscape and taking in the spectacular scenery.Laguna Hedionda was where we stopped for lunch and to see the flamingos then off we drove again to see the Arbol de Piedra, a rock that has been formed into a shape that looks like a tree after years of wind and sand erosion.Next stop Laguna Colorada or Red Lagoon, the majority of the lagoon is red giving it an amazing appearance and a perfect setting to take some pictures. It is also home to the famous James's Flamingo, so i found out after reading that there. We climbed up onto a hill which felt like a mountain to me, the altitude really catches your breath here! The view was fantastic and you got to witness the lagoon in its full glory. We spent the night in the most basic accomodation next to the lagoon and it was freezing, especially when we had to get up at five in the morning to leave an hour later.It was pitch black when we left and our feet were like ice blocks, no heating in the car meant they didn't thaw out!

The early morning wake up was definitely worth it once we got to the Solar de Manaña geyser basin, the steam released from them was fascinating but it was too cold to stand around for long!Looking out into the distance, you could just about start to see the sun beginning to rise over the hills, it was beautiful.We didn't stop for long as we were heading to the Termas de Polques hot springs, I only put my legs in but it was absolutely boiling to start with, a great treat after the cold morning we were subjected to!Our last stop of the tour was the not so very green Laguna Verde.The lagoon is no longer green due to an earthquake in Chile some months ago which has caused the appearance to change, none the less it was still picturesque to see.Bordered by Chile to one side and Argentina to the other it's a pretty good place to stop.

So that was the tour complete, back we jumped in the car for our not so six hour trip back to Uyuni!During the day the temperature started to pick up, turning the car into a furnace! Driving through the dusty desert, Santiago said we weren't allowed to open the windows as the dust comes in.It was still coming in somehow though as it felt like we inhaled plenty of it! With no air con either and trying to drink the minimal amount of water so you didn't have to use the Inka toilet, meant it sure was getting hot in there!A break for lunch (caused by the car not starting after crossing through a stream) was a more than welcome break from the car! After lunch we were back on the road again to be hit with the unfortunate news that yes, there was a bloqueade to get back into Uyuni.After driving for a few hours we arrived at the small town of San Cristobel just on the outskirts of Uyuni to be told by our driver that he could take us around the bloqueade except he'd run out of fuel! He told us if we each gave fifteen Boliviano's and he one hundred he could get us through them, obviously we all agreed to this as we were in the middle of nowhere! There was one slight problem though, he didn't actually know the way and the route would take us through the desert! The other tour groups also had the same problem so after Santiago had much discussion with the other drivers we all jumped back into the cars and started a convoy of 4 x 4's through the desert! So, there we were following the leader, stopping every now and then to ask for more directions when suddenly we appeared to lose all of the other 4 x 4's! We were lost! Fortunately we saw a car heading towards us, only to be told that in fact we were going in the opposite direction of Uyuni but instead heading back to San Cristobel, where we'd come from!That was after around three hours of driving! The sun was starting to set and the temperature was dropping, one good thing about getting lost out there was the sunset was gorgeous over the dunes.Eventually we saw the man who had told us we were heading to San Cristobel returning in the direction of Uyuni so we followed him?

Thirteen hours after setting off in the morning we were finally back in Uyuni. Thanks to our driver Santiago we made it back safely and we had to hand it to him, that was alot of hours driving in those conditions, they really were off road! An unforgettable three days for more reasons than one but definitely an adventure and an amazing experience.

A week in Sucre!

a_johnson — Wed, 8 May 2013 12:04:00 GMT

After catching a scenic forty minute flight from Santa Cruz, my first stop in Bolivia was Sucre.A place often referred to as the White City due to its abundance of well kept white buildings. Arriving here from Brazil was a great relief as I was once again able to understand what people were saying when they were talking to me! The initial plan was to stay here for three days, however this plan soon changed when the Bolivians decided to do a bloquea outside of Sucre proving it somewhat difficult to leave!I ended up staying a week,although I guess there are worse places you could get stuck in. After a week there, it almost began to feel like home!.

My afternoons were usually spent wandering around the city which was nice, plenty of little shops to browse in or there was the local market which had an array of fresh fruit and vegetables amongst other items being sold.Probably not the best place if you're a vegetarian as there's a lot of meat around the place, or come to think of it,probably not the best place if you're a meat eater either. The meat looked questionable after seeing a fair amount of flies circulating around it!

One morning I took a trip to the Parque Cretaceous to see a selection of dinosaur footprints that had been discovered in a cement quarry.You're only able to view these from a distance but they were still visible and it was very interesting.

There seemed to be a strong German and Dutch presence amongst the restsurants in Sucre, so if you speak Spanish, German or Dutch, Sucre would probably be the perfect place for you!During my time there I sampled the not so local cuisine at quite a few restaurants, some better than others. Cafe Amsterdam was a big let down. I ordered the dinner of the day and what i got was one lonely looking sausage on top of a heap of mashed potatoes, carrots and onions, not the most enticing meal but mine probably wasn't the worst. A sprinkling of nacho crumbs on a small tortilla was hardly dinner either (poor Tasha!)

The 1st May was Dia del Trabajo or Labour Day in Bolivia so it was a national holiday and as it's South America of course there were going to be celebrations! A parade with women dressed in their traditional colourful attire, men in suits, floats and a very loud band took to the streets around the plaza and put on a performance. I stopped to watch it for a while, it was quite entertaining especially seeing all of the people dancing in sync with one another then swinging some type of rattle instrument above their heads at the same time!

As I was stuck in Sucre it meant I was there for my birthday.Thankfully I met some great people during my extended stay there who celebrated it with me. It was a good evening with a few added surprises, the biggest probably being Tasha and myself managed to stay awake after 9pm! I'm blaming the altitude!

Fortunately I'd managed to book a flight to Uyuni for the following day, which was not so fortunate as it was my birthday and I experienced the worst flight ever! When waiting to board the plane I thought it looked quite small but thought it must just be because I'm looking from a distance, this wasn't the case! In fact it was an eighteen seater that you had to bend to get in to, it was small! The one plus side was the seats were in single file so no potential mid air nappers mistaking your shoulder for a pillow! Once in the air you could feel every bump of turbulence which wasn't good for the stomach. I had my first experience of feeling travel sick to the point where I couldn't even look out of the window.Touch down in Uyuni couldn't have come sooner!The flight was bearable only for the reason that I knew I was headed for an adventure; Salar de Uyuni - The biggest salt flats in the world!

Paulista flavour explosion by Bebete!

a_johnson — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:45:00 GMT

São Paulo,a city not liked by many so it would seem! The common reaction I got from people, after telling them I was spending five nights there usually went something like this... "WHAT! You're going for that long, why, are you crazy!?" Well that proved something to me; dont listen to what other people say,go there and experience it for yourself because I LOVED it! Perhaps I was more fortunate than other travellers who pass through the city as I had my lovely friend Pedro and his friends to show me around, and show me around they did!

Pedro had a solid five days of fun, Paulista style planned and it went a little something like this: Friday evening we went to Sala to see São Paulo's orchestra concert.The venue was spectacular and the orchestra were a pretty talented bunch too, a very mature evening for us considering the last time we went on a night out we (or I'm sure it was more Pedro,thought it would be a good idea to climb into a private boat!) I also got to eat my first little drop of heaven... a brigadeiro!It was absolutely delightful, probably my favourite after trying different versions of it throughout the next few days.The evening was finished off by having pizza at Piola, prepared the quickest known to mankind! No less than around seven minutes after it had been ordered,was it on our tablel! I was in awe, we need to get these guys over to England!It's well known that São Paulo does some of the best pizzas outside of Italy and the trustee lonely planet guides weren't wrong, they were good!

Saturday continued as Friday ended.We ate! The mass food consumption began at breakfast in a chic bakery where we lined our stomachs ready for our day ahead of exploring the traffic prone city!!An unsuccessful attempt to park at Parque do Ibirapuera meant we were unable to go in so off we went to pick up Rafa. Next stop was the travellers ritual of hitting the Havaiana store,here my undeciveness went into overdrive, there were too many choices! We then ventured to the Tomie Ohtake institute and tried to understand the artwork (which we didn't!) then dined at Santinho for lunch, where I ate some of the best food I've had in Brazil and in true Brazilian style, ate lots of it! To burn off all of those extra calories we took a casual stroll around Praça Benedito Calixto antiques fair and also managed to catch a bit of Capoeira being performed. The day was quite exhausting so a nap was much needed on our return home to prepare us for the night ahead! A Saturday in São Paulo wouldn't be complete without sampling it's nightlife, so that's what we did. Our first stop was Volt and cocktails,mine seemed to resemble the amazon rainforest instead of a mojito though! Seeing as the night was young we journeyed on over to Cine Jòia (and also into the musical past) to dance the night away, it was great!

On Sunday we were joined by William and his baby, which he insisted on hanging out of the car window to capture the perfect picture, scaring Pedro and myself everytime he did so! Lunch was another over indulging fest followed by a trip down Paulista Avenue, we then rode the metro downtown where Rafa began his very informative tour guide. He showed me the place where the city started - Pàtio do Colégio São Bento, (then quizzed me on this on my last evening to see if I'd remembered!) we had a walk around the Praça da Sé cathedral and then stopped for a beverage in Café Girondino, a very traditional place with lots of character! Afterwards we made our way to Itaú Cultural and Casa Rosadas where William got into his full swing paparazzi mode! The plan was to catch some jazz in the evening at Barão da Itararé but unfortunately it wasn't on so aftera pizza and a few drinks later we treated ourselves to cake at Amor aos Pedeçes - Love in litle pieces - and it really was!

On Monday whilst Pedro went to work William and myself had a day of fun! We lunched at Athenas, stopped at Ibotarima for a few drinks, had my first Brazilian coffee at Urbe Café and went to the JK mall to see the São Paulo skyline at sunset. The day didn't finish there, Pedro and I went for pizza and I finally got to try sweet pizza, something i'd been looking forward to trying in São Paulo. The brigadeiro with fresh strawberries, didn't disappoint. It was, in Pedro's very own words a "flavour explosion!"Just when I thought the skyline couldn't get much better from the earlier view, Pedro and Rafa pulled it out the bag! They took me to the Skye Bar at the Unique Hotel and all I can say is "wow" the views were fantastic! São Paulo was lit up and showing the majestic size of its city in a light display.

Tuesday came around far too quickly and my goodbye meal at Spot was the perfect ending to the perfect reunion. I had the best time in the city and in Brazil. I met so many lovely people who were all extremely welcoming and they made it a trip to remember - Thank you. My top tip would be to anyone considering going to São Paulo, if my blog hasn't convinced you,then Go, Go, Go! It's great, you won't be disappointed and if you need a guide you can always hire Pedro's Tours. They provide in car entertainment - music, singing,dancing and informative tour guides. Theres also a special rubbish bag (which I just loved the idea of) attached to the gear stick so you can always take snacks along for your tour and dispose of your rubbish instantly! Whats not to like!? Pedro, I suggest you make William one of your first tour guide customers!

Photos: The Brazilian way of life!

a_johnson — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMT

It's all about island life!

a_johnson — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT

After a nine and a half wait at Rio's bus station, 5am couldn't come around quick enough, i was happy to get on the bus and make my way to the island!Two hours later i arrived in Mangaratiba ready to take the ferry to Ilha Grande.Here i bumped into a group of English speakers who i asked if i could tag along with. As I sat on the ferry looking out of the window enjoying the early morning views, I had one of those moments where you think to yourself "this is perfect, I wouldnt want to be anywhere else but here right now."It was total bliss,this is how Tuesday mornings should be! The gentle lull of the boat across the deep blue water set the scene for what was to come on this tranquil island.

Walking off the boat was a nice experience, it felt good not having to dodge out of the way for any traffic as there are no cars on the island!What you do have to watch out for though are the cyclists and people pulling carts, they can be a little crazy and sightly dangerous!

So an island with over a hundred beaches on it, the most obvious thing to do is head to one and what better one could you pick other than Lopes Mendes! Voted as one of the worlds top ten beaches we decided to hike there, yes hike!For someone like myself who never does that it was hard work!Up we trekked through dense forest,steep paths,climbing a

nd slipping over huge rocks (one of the girls in flip flops, I admire her determination!) to be met after two and a half long hours (obviously not moan free, I speak for myself!)by Lopes Mendes. The perfect setting, a long white sandy beach surrounded with lush green trees and sea that feels as though its reaching out to grab you as its waves roll towards your feet. It was well worth the hike but we took the boat back!

As if that wasn't enough trekking, Karin and myself thought we'd take another small hike the next day to the waterfall. I thought this was considerably harder than the day before as the soil was like clay so was quite slippery and the paths were narrow.( It was during this time it suddenly came to me that i felt like the kid in the film UP - Russell, Wilderness Explorer!)There we were happily making our way, when we came across a local guy who kept stopping to show us things along the route, including a MASSIVE spider!! I was horrified! I hadn't actually considered the prospect of seeing spiders until he kindly pointed it out! Once again we opted to take the boat back and had just set off when Karin remembered she'd left her clothes on the beach! (Karin, if you're reading this I know you didn't think it was funny at the time but it was!)

Ilha Grande - The Big Island,it may be famous for its beaches but you can't beat the sweet carts! The cakes were so good, we went back two nights in a row! I had a great time on the island. An almost remote place where you

can have a small beach to yourself. I was sad to leave so it was a a perfect end to the four days when we saw a pod of dolphins swimming close to the ferry on the way back to the mainland.

My next stop after Ilha Grande was a small town called Paraty a few hours south along the coast. A lovely little place with cobbled streets, not so lovely when it pours down with rain and they become slippery! I arrived in the afternoon and went for a wander, didn't take a map as I thought "I've been in Brazil for three and a half weeks now, I've got the hang of this exploring now, I won't need one" bad idea, especially when all of the roads look the same, night starts to fall and to top it off the heavens decide to open with a torrential downpour, i was lost! Paraty is well known for its Cachoeira do Tobogã, a waterfall that you slide down, its really fun but you have to be willing to sustain a few injuries!

I also spent a few day in Trindade, another coastal town about forty minutes from Paraty.The beaches are practically empty but are absolutely stunning, along with the natural pool, its so clear you can see the fishes!Had my first drink of Gabriela here, it's strong, at 38% you wouldn't want to stay on that all night!

Well, that's me finished with Rio state, on to Sao Paulo!

Colonial Charm

a_johnson — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:45:00 GMT

After spending over two weeks along the Brazilian coastline, my next destination was Minas Gerais! A seven hour bumpy journey, on an overnight bus through VERY windy uphill roads took me to my first stop-the colonial town of Ouro Preto.Situated high in the mountains, the early morning arrival here was something spectacular.As the sun began to wake up I was given my first glimpse of this vast mountain range which had been hidden by thick morning dew and clouds.

Famous for its mining, array of churches and regional cuisine, Ouro Preto was full of colonial history. Taking on the steep cobblestoned streets of the town proved to be very difficult! Non slip shoes are a must...something I should have considered, especially as it rained! Sampling the food here only proved the guidebooks right....it was delicious and some of the best I've had since arriving in Brazil! Next on my to do list was something cultural...bad idea! I decided to go into Escolas de Minas, if I'd have known I wouldnt have been allowed out, I would never have gone in! An interesting museum to start with but then got a bit on the boring side at which point I thought id leave, except the man on reception had other ideas! Every time I tried to go he told me I hadnt seen everything and took me back in!

I took a ride on the Maria Fumaca steam train (the steam part was being restored at the time though so it was just a train!) The views of the valley were stunning and it was definitely worth taking the panoramic carriage.

Whilst in Minas Gerais I also visited the sleepy village of Tiradentes, a small place with cobbled streets and horse drawn carts. There wasn't much to do here apart from take in the picturesque scenes and take life at an easy pace.

Life's a beach!

a_johnson — Thu, 4 Apr 2013 15:40:00 GMT

Leaving Rio behind the next stop on my route was Buzios, a quaint coastal town a few hours drive from Rio. After reading in a guidebook that Buzios is to Rio de Janeiro what the Hamptons are to New York I was intrigued to find out what this place was like. Arriving at the bus station was somewhat strange as there didn't appear to be one! As the bus began to empty quickly Sarah and myself soon realised that we must have arrived so got our bags, got off and went our seperate ways. Day two in Buzios, I decided to explore the area and find the beach, this didn't end up too well as i ended up getting lost but I eventually started to hear the distant sound of waves crashing so headed in that direction and voila i'd stumbled on Geriba beach!If you like surfing (or watching people surf) this is the place to come to. Big waves create a surfers mecca. Finding a spot on the beach wasn't hard, I just followed the music and ended up in a front of a friendly guy called Bruno's make shift stall. He was selling Caipirinhas and had Bob Marley's Legend album blasting from his speakers, what more could you ask for when spending a lazy day on the beach!?

Geriba was tranquil but I took the minibus to the centre and into the buzz of Buzios and Chez Michou, where I discovered the best crepe EVER!Thanks Pedro! Strolling around the centre and harbour, I soon began to realise why Buzios shares a comparison with The Hamptons. Chic stores nestled between restaurants and bars on Ruas das Pedras explained why people flock here for a weekend getaway!

Since arriving in Brazil I've mainly spoken in English or Spanish and barely any Portuguese so it was a warm welcome when I met three lovely Brazilians (one of whom shared an uncanny resemblance to Daniel Son in Karate Kid!) It was thanks to them that after being asked by the people of the place we were staying at "are you Gina?" (I was slightly bewildered as I'd not long before introduced myself as Ashleigh and thought it was strange that they'd already forgotten my name!) However, after a good laugh and an explanation from Natalia I soon came to realise that they hadn't been asking "are you Gina?" but "do i want dinner?" A mixture of broken english and the Brazilian accent got me lost in translation!

My last night in Buzios was good - great company, great food and it was lovely to see the two Brit girls again who i'd previously met in Rio. That was me done with Buzios, my next stop was Arraial do Cabo. Probably not a place known by many apart from Brazilians but a place many are probably missing out on if they just stick to the beaches of Rio! I took a four hour boat tour around the islands and only two words can desribe how it was: Absolutely Stunning! Crystal clear turquoise waters and sand as fine as caster sugar this place pretty much seemed like paradise. It was a hot day on top deck but it was well worth it to see the afternoon sun dancing across the glistening sea.

Well, I'm leaving the Brazilian coastline for a few days and am heading north of Rio to Minas Gerais and some colonial history.

Photos: Life's a beach in Buzios

a_johnson — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 07:30:00 GMT

Rio,it's been great but farewell for now!

a_johnson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:00:00 GMT

My final day in Rio and I'm sad to be leaving but what an insightful six day's it's been.So my first experience of Rio, in keeping with tradition I headed straight to the beach, fortunately for me it's been less than a five minute walk away.The beaches are great, clean white sands and blue waters situated inbetween mountains (oh and high rise buildings) with Christ The Redeemer looking down onto the city, the postcard image of Rio surely.However,to come to the city is to step outside of the picture postcard image and experience something the picture can't convey...the people.Lying on the beach is fascinating here,the Carioca's take beach life seriously which is evident through their stunning sun kissed tans and their love for the beach.People watching has been an experience in itself, watching pretty much everything imagineable being sold on the beach from drinks in tin drums carried on both shoulders of the vendors, ice crashing around inside of it as they walk past you (sometimes kicking sand in your eyes!)food being sold from boxes and ice coolers (also prawns on a plate in the blistering heat, probably screaming food poisoning!)coconuts and finally bikini tops tied to parasols,swinging side to side as they're carried along.I couldn't help thinking, well if I'm lying here in a bikini in this heat feeling hot,how must they be feeling fully clothed and carrying heavy items..I was in awe.I hold my hands up to them.Watching a game of footvolley being played is something else, the skill is amazing and provides a fair bit of entertainment when doing a spot of sunbathing.Kite surfing is another which appears to be popular and is fun to watch.

Of course Rio wouldn't be complete without it's famous landmarks such as Christ The Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.A trip to them is a must-unluckily for me my trip to them occured on a day when the clouds decided to misbehave,sadly covering much of the statue, all of the views and creating a game of hide and seek to try and get atleast one semi decent picture!Athough this was a bit disappointing,all was not lost,the views from Sugarloaf were equally as good and our time up there was spent in a cloud like haze to the point where it felt a bit eery.Watching dark clouds descend onto Rio created a good photo opportunity as dusk fell on the city.

A night out with Carioca's and a Lenny Kravitz lookalike,met some great people,saw pizza devoured at lightning speed,caiprinha's made by the bucket load,a workman stepping out of a building site- hammer in hand with flip flops on, a girl sitting on her bike on a busy zebra crossing-casually chatting to her friend who was standing on the pavement at the crossing, buses with turn stiles on them and rain in Rio! I can now say I've seen it all!

Rio,it's been fun, I'll be back but next stop.Buzios!

Photos: A lazy day in Leblon and a walk to Ipanema

a_johnson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

It's not always about getting there, its about what you do on your arrival!

a_johnson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:16:00 GMT

Around twenty hours later, two long flights (the first with three screaming children in close range, a strong smell of body odour and the second without any individual tv screens) I've finally made it to Rio! I'd love to say its bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight and the suns out in full force blazing away, just to make all of those back home jealous but unfortunately that isn't the case! However, it is twenty five degrees, humid and the beach is only a stone's throw away so I can't complain!

Taking a taxi from the airport was somewhat different, besides motorcyclists constantly beeping their horns to come through the trafic, a woman selling something in the middle of the road and risking her life nearly getting knocked over,my taxi driver seemed to be fairly impatient and thought as soon as he put the car into first gear he should beep the horn at the person in front, was a tad annoying!

So that's my journey to Rio, now its time to see what this city has to offer!