Our big adventure
In and around World
We decided to take a career break to travel the world. Having not seen much of the world we chose a rough plan and booked it. Should be quite an adventure - we'll do our best to keep all informed...
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Ben and Gini
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1
A very big city
Sao Paulo - an interesting place! Very large and slightly intimidating, but if you put in the effort, well worth it.
After much confusion, w... Continue reading »
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2
Colourful, but wet.
A bit of a last minute decision to stop in Paraty, but glad we did.
Paraty is a colourful colonial town full of art shops and expensive resta... Continue reading »
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3
Paradise???
Rain rain go away and please come back another day....
We caught the ferry to Ilha Grande hoping for some relaxation in the sun. The lady in... Continue reading »
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4
Party time Rio style
Oh yeah - what a place....
We arrived in Rio from Ilha Grande late afternoon, where we had been disappointed with the weather. Fortunately, R... Continue reading »
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5
Big falls
After a 23 hour bus ride on a pretty basic bus, we arrived in Foz do Iguacu. Jeez, we have never been any where so oppressive. It was in exces... Continue reading »
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6
Big falls #2 (and steak!)
It is seemingly obligatory to see the falls from the Argentinean side. Therefore we crossed the border from Brazil (we were sad to leave Brazil but... Continue reading »
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7
Time for (more) steak and wine
We arrived in Buenos Aires not really knowing what to expect. We knew that we were in for a treat when it came to fine food and wine, but the... Continue reading »
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8
Damn them mosquitos
We decided we should see Uruguay as we were so close, and we were very pleased we did....
Getting here was easy enough, just 50 minutes on a... Continue reading »
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9
Montevideo and another steak
Having escaped from the mosquitos in Colonia, we arrived in Montevideo. We had heard many contrasting opinions about Montevideo and so didn´t reall... Continue reading »
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10
Back for more in BA, Palermo style
We returned to BA, this time staying in Palermo. This area is very different from San Telmo and the centre where we had stayed previously. It is a... Continue reading »
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11
The beautiful south
In search of glaciers and pointy mountains our trip took us South, and to El Calafate as our first port of call....
From here, we spent a day... Continue reading »
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12
Gateway to Torres Del Paine
A brief stop in Puerto Natales as a stepping stone for our trip to the Torres Del Paine national park. A small town mainly geared towards people st... Continue reading »
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13
Walking the ´W´
We had five days to trek the popular ´W´ circuit around the sites of the Torres del Paine National Park. Having done our prep, we decided the safes... Continue reading »
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14
And on to Fitzroy massif
We continue our active part of the trip, with trekking around the Fitzroy massif...
Caught a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten in the mornin... Continue reading »
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15
Mountians, lakes and an estancia
We arrived in Bariloche after two days on a bus from El Chalten via Route 40, the longest road in Argentina. The part we traveled on was a dirt tra... Continue reading »
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16
Time for fine wine
After a long bus journey we arrived in the sweltering heat of Mendoza. When arriving from the South on a bus as we did, you are treated to vineyard... Continue reading »
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17
Torrontes for two
As a side trip on our way to Salta, we decided to head to Cafayate, famed for its high altitude wines and great scenery...
After traveling fi... Continue reading »
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18
Last chance for Argentian steaks
And on to Salta, where our Argentinean experience is coming to an end...
We spent 5 pretty lazy days in Salta, preparing for our trip to Boli... Continue reading »
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19
Salt lakes, volcanoes and flamingos
After a straightforward border crossing into Bolivia we headed to Uyuni for a salt lake tour. We decided to get the train from Villazon on the Arge... Continue reading »
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20
Not for the claustrophobic!
After a 6 hour bus journey from Uyuni we arrived in Potosi - the highest city in the world. The city of Potosi is centred around the working mine i... Continue reading »
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21
A couple of days of Bolivian luxury
We caught a taxi from Potosi to Sucre. As we shared it with two other girls it worked out the same price as the bus and was quicker (2.5 hours) and... Continue reading »
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22
Watch out for the water bombs!
We caught the overnight bus from Sucre to La Paz. Bus was comfortable enough but we weren´t prepared for the cold! Even with fleeces and jackets on... Continue reading »
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23
Tranquility on Titicaca
We caught the early bus from La Paz to Copacabana where we then got a boat across to Isla De Sol, arriving mid afternoon in glorious sunshine.... Continue reading »
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24
Living on a floater
We took a bus across the border from Bolivia. Very easy border crossing. we had read that some of the bus companies can shaft you here, but we had... Continue reading »
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25
Cuzco, land of Incas and many bars
We were obviously mainly in Cuzco for the Inca Trail, however we had 4 days to spare so decided to make the most of it.
Cuzco is a great... Continue reading »
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26
Four days of....
Time for our trek to Machu Picchu.....
Hard to write something original here (not that the rest of this blog is covering unexplored pastures!... Continue reading »
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27
That'll be condors then
And to Arequipa... After an overnight bus from Cusco, we were pretty tired. However after messing up our flight dates we had to start a tour that m... Continue reading »
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28
Volcanoes and a new brand of beer
And on to country number 7. We decided against the 38 hour bus journey and opted to fly from Lima to Quito. Quite expensive mind.
Stayed... Continue reading »
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29
Lima, better than expected!
We took a flight from Arequipa to Lima. We had heard that Lima was not really a city worth spending much time in. After our short visit we would de... Continue reading »
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30
Giant tortoises and Blue Footed Boobies!
I feel this could be along one! Got to really do the place the place justice after all!
We booked an eight day cruise round the Galapagos isl... Continue reading »
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31
More than just a Canal
On to Panama, sadly only for a few days.
Obviously we did a trip to see the Canal. We got a taxi to Miraflores Lock. Luckily there were two... Continue reading »
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32
Time for a Live One
Made it to La Fortuna after a couple of long bus journeys from Panama and then San Jose. We checked to an apartment with a great view of Volcano Ar... Continue reading »
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33
Quetzals, Bell Birds and lots of Creepy Crawlies
We took the "Jeep boat jeep" option to get to Monteverde. It has got to be the best way to get there. However, don't expect jeeps, only you normal min... Continue reading » -
34
The Caribbean Island with the "Go Slow" vibe
After a few hours in Belize City (not much to do there really) we met my parents at the airport. Watched their plane land from the waving deck.&nbs... Continue reading »
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35
Monkeys, Crocs and a Spot of Cricket
We spent a two days at Bermudian Landing, a small village an hours drive from Belize City. The area is known for the Community Baboon Sanctury... Continue reading »
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36
Tikal - the Amazing Mayan Ruins
Caught a local bus from Belize City - certainly an experience. The luggage was all piled high on the top of the bus - everytime we went round a cor... Continue reading »
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37
Lakes, Volcanoes and Spanish Lessons
After an overnight bus down to Guatemala City we caught a small boat across Lake Atilan to San Pedro. San Pedro is one of many villages around the... Continue reading »
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38
There are volcanos here, we think!
We couldn't visit Guatemala and not visit Antigua. Antigua is the main gringo hang out in Guatemala where many people choose to study spanish. It is a... Continue reading » -
39
Learning to Dive
There was no way we were not going to come here to learn to dive. It is one, if not the, cheapest places in the world to learn to dive. Utila is mo... Continue reading »
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40
Mexico: land of fine beer, tequila and great food
After an arduous and very long bus journey from La Cebia to San Cristobal, via Guatemala city, we were very very relieved to have made it here!
... Continue reading » -
41
Last stop in the Americas.....
We took a flight from San Cristobal to Mexico City. Originally we were planning on getting a bus but it turned out the flights were more or less th... Continue reading »
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42
Not such a bad place to transit!
And there we were thinking we would be sat in the airport for 10 hours between flights! So glad we asked at the information desk for things to do arou... Continue reading » -
43
A week of pure relaxation
After the last few months of moving around from place to place we decided to stay in one place on Moorea instead of Island hopping.
We staye... Continue reading »
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44
Another great wine experience
And onto New Zealand.....
Arrived in Auckland to be met by Kerry, so nice to see a familiar friendly face. We stayed with her for the weekend... Continue reading »
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45
The start of real Kiwi adventure begins here
After missing our flight (well they changed it didn't they!) but securing a place on another, we arrived in Christchurch where our South Island tou... Continue reading »
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46
Only a quick stop here
So far our car has been good to us. Had a great journey in the sunshine down to Queenstown.
The scenery was is beautiful here. So green and m... Continue reading »
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47
Moody Milford
And onto Milford Sound, one of the most famous sights in New Zealand. A spectacular fjord, carved out by a glacier 2km high (and hence te... Continue reading »
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48
Some Great Tramping
Wanaka is a small town set around a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. It is a popular ski resort in season. Luckily the sun shone for us... Continue reading »
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49
Helihiking to the Ice Caves
We couldn't come to NZ and not visit one of the famous glaciers. We decided to check out Fox (as opposed to Franz) as it was a bit cheaper and ther... Continue reading »
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50
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes
After a lovely drive (unfortunately most of it in the rain!) up the West Coast we arrived in Punakaiki, famous for its pancake rock formations and... Continue reading »
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51
More beautiful scenery (in the rain!)
We based in Motueka and planned to spend a couple of days walking and kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park. The park is renowned for its... Continue reading »
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52
Guess what? More wine
We are making a bit of a habit of heading for wine regions. Well why not eh?
Renwick is smack bang in the middle of Marlbrough wine country a... Continue reading »
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53
Bring on the Blue Skies!
Time to try our luck with the weather on the Queen Charlotte Track...
From Picton, we caught a ferry to Ship Cove. On the wya we saw Dusky do... Continue reading »
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54
Swimming with Dolphins
Kaikora, on the East Coast is famous for the dolphins and whales that can be seen there. After lots of recommendations we decided we hhad... Continue reading »
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55
The Worst Rain in 30 Years!
No seriously thats what the papers said! Sorry Sydney we seem to have brought the bad weather with us. Nevertheless I was very excited to be here a... Continue reading »
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56
Curry Galore in Singapore!
Arrived in Singapore not really having a clue what to expect. Its a real mix of Chinese and Indian cultures. A really vibrant, colorful city.
Continue reading » -
57
Cute ones, scary ones and ones with HUGE noses!
We flew into Kuching from Jonah Baru after getting the bus across the border from Singapore. We were met at the airport by Wesley, the owner of the... Continue reading »
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58
Climbing the Mighty Mountain
We arrived in Kota Kinabalu thinking we weren't going to be able to do the climb at all. We had called the previous day and it was all booked up. L... Continue reading »
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59
Jungle Jungle Everywhere
Desperate to see an Orangutan in the wild we started a 3 day jungle adventure.
Before going into the jungle we visited Sepilok Orangutan Sanc... Continue reading »
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60
Diving Heaven
When we came to Borneo, we didn't realize quite what an amazing place it is. Big mountains, hairy apes, monkeys with big noses, rich jungle and i... Continue reading »
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61
Shopping shopping shopping
We arrived in KL having had a great time in Malaysian Borneo and were expecting great things from Peninsular Malaysia. Kuala Lumpar, or KL as it is... Continue reading »
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62
Tea time
We were looking forward to escaping from the sweltering heat of the lowlands. We didn't really know what to expect from the Cameron Highlands. We... Continue reading »
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63
Beach time
We couldn't come to mainland Malaysia without visiting the Perhentian Islands. I had stayed here 7 years ago so knew what to expect - although it h... Continue reading »
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64
First Stop in Thailand
The journey to Krabi from the Perhentians was an interesting one, to say the least. I think we took two boats, a taxi, a train, a tuk-tuk and final... Continue reading »
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65
In search of sunshine
We visited Ko Samui twice while we were in Thailand: first with Maddie and then with my parents. It meant we crossed between Ko Phangnan and Ko Sam... Continue reading »
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66
Beautiful beaches and bad buckets!
Time to try a different island. Ko Phangnan is a lot less built up than Ko Samui and a lot more laid back so we spent most of our time just relaxin... Continue reading »
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67
Exploring the Capital
We didn't know what to expect from Bangkok apart from it being a very busy city. We were pleasantly surprised with what we found. There was lots to... Continue reading »
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68
Elephant Trekking and Bamboo Rafting
A short flight up from bangkok and we arrived in Chiang Mai. We had been looking forward to coming here as Ben's stories of the elephant trekk... Continue reading »
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69
Cruising the Mekong
After a particularly hot and uncomfortable 6 hour minibus journey from Chiang Mai, we arrived in Chiang Khong, the Thai town on the border with Lao... Continue reading »
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70
The Jewel of the Mekong
After 2 days on the river, we finally reached Luang Prabang, the Royal City of Laos. Our first site was of the gold spired temples rising from the... Continue reading »
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71
Angkor Wat
We arrived in Siem Reap after a rather convoluted journey via Bangkok (from Luang Prabang) as there were no more direct flights. The journeys were... Continue reading »
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72
Cambodias tragic past
We didn't have long in Cambodia as we need to get into Vietnam so headed straight to the capital Phnom Penh. To get there we took a rather crazy bo... Continue reading »
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73
Scooters in Saigon
First impression: Motorbikes everywhere! Absolutely everywhere. Total chaos (isn't it??). Only one rule: everyman for himself. This has got to be o... Continue reading »
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74
Tailor Town
We caught another train up to Danang, which is only a 30 minute drive from Hoi An. The train journey took 9 hours - quite a lot longer than we expe... Continue reading »
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75
Vietnam's own mini Costa Del Sol
After an overnight train up from Ho Chi Minh we arrived in Nha Trang, the main beach resort in Vietnam. We caught a cyclo each to the hostel. Our f... Continue reading »
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76
Touring by Motorbike
We decided to take the scenic train journey from Danang. It meant traveling on a local train with very hard seats but it was fine for the two hour... Continue reading »
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77
Bia Hoi in Hanoi!
After an overnight journey from Hue, we arrived (late!) in Hanoi. Our train was delayed as unfortunately it his a motorbike on the way - they reall... Continue reading »
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78
A city of shopping, lights and skyscapers
We arrived in Hong Kong on a high (well a plane actually) after a great time in South East Asia. Hong Kong was everything we expected: tall buildin... Continue reading »
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79
Tai Chi and Crispy Duck
And on to Beijing! We were both excited to visit China as had no real idea of what it would be like.
First things first, we had to sort out o... Continue reading »
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80
Mares milk and monguls
After a couple of days on the train, looking out of the window at the endless countryside on the outskirts of the Gobi desert, we arrive... Continue reading »
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81
Cabbage for dinner at lake Baikal
After a long border crossing, we made it into Russia. We sat for several hours while they changed the wheels(?) on the train as the train tracks in... Continue reading »
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82
Vodka and Cavier: nice
We left Irkutsk for what would be our longest journey on a train yet - a full three days of nonstop travel. We were actually going first to Moscow,... Continue reading »
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83
Last stop: Moscow
Unbelievable - our last stop on our trip. Hard to believe it is time to go home after 10 months on the road. What a fantastic end to the trip....Continue reading »
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84
Home sweet home
Well, like all good things, or trip had to come to an end. After a relatively relaxing and short flight from Moscow where we supped the G&Ts, wine... Continue reading »
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