Hello!!
have heard the weather has picked up in the UK!
all is going well here! can't beleive im coming to the end of my trip, its gone sooo quick its insane!
From Byron i moved onto Surfers paradise, it was pretty cool but very different to Byron. There were loads of high rise buildings and chain shops everywhere...not very chilled but pretty nonethless.
From here i went to Brisbane! the first 2 nights i was in an all boys dorm that smelt and moved dorms when one of them had an "accident" on the floor one night...
After that Brisbane got a lot better and i had some class nights out with 2 Brummie girls!
From Brissy i mozied on to Noosa, this was really cool!! there were gorgeous national parks where you could walk all round the coast dolphin and koala spotting!! My fave bit though was going to Australia Zoo, the one owned by Steve Irwin!! I got to pet all sorts of weird animals, like lizards and snakes and wallabees and kangas!! Allthough i am a bit scared of the saltwater crocs up north now....the ones in the zoo were HUGE!
After Noosa i went on to Fraser Island, this was gorgeous!! I spent 2 nights on the island!I saw wales and sharks and even a sea turtle on the beach!! At night you could see the milky way and venus and it was stunningly gorgeous!
Even managed to squeeze in some sand boarding!!
After this i went to Rainbow beach, famous for multicoloured sandy cliffs!
I LOVED it here! the hostel was lovely and my friends from Byron were there to!!
Here i went sea kayaking and saw tons of dolphins up close, apparently its mating season so they were all flirting with one another!!
I also had my first surf lesson and managed to stand up for all of 20 seconds...! It felt pretty cool though!
At the moment im in the tiny little town of 1770 in a hostel called cool bananas (he he), going to try and get another surf lesson in as this is the last northern place you can on the east coast!
hope all is well at home and will be seeing you all in just over a month (eek!!)
lotsa love
Emz x x x
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay
Hello!
in Byron Bay at the moment a hippy surfing spot up from Sydney! So far so good! was sposed to spend 3 nights here and ended up staying 6!!
Had a day trip to a hippy town called nimbin which was like going back in time to the 60's! there were lots of hippies around selling "cookies"" and "cake"!!
Had lots of nights out, theres a bar with no dance floor and only tables so of course you have no choice but to dance on the tables!!
Also been walking up to the lighthouse here where i saw pods of dolphins playing in the waves and some sea turtles!!
Sadly have forced myself to move on up to surfers paradise tomorrow!
I spent a few days in Melbourne before heading up here and it was lovely (other than the rainy weather)
Went on the neighbours tour and met Max Hoiland (yes i here you say who??? but check out the pics on facebook!!).
Also did a lovely trip down the great ocean road, this is a big stretch of road built by hand that goes from Melbourne all the way down to adelaide!
I saw a wild koala and got to feed parrots! which was great, i felt like a pirate and was very releived that none of them pooed on my head...!
Best head off as my internet time is nealry up!
Hope all is well at home and the weather is starting to pick up! (it has finally stopped raining on the east coast!
Lots of love
Emz x x x x
in Byron Bay at the moment a hippy surfing spot up from Sydney! So far so good! was sposed to spend 3 nights here and ended up staying 6!!
Had a day trip to a hippy town called nimbin which was like going back in time to the 60's! there were lots of hippies around selling "cookies"" and "cake"!!
Had lots of nights out, theres a bar with no dance floor and only tables so of course you have no choice but to dance on the tables!!
Also been walking up to the lighthouse here where i saw pods of dolphins playing in the waves and some sea turtles!!
Sadly have forced myself to move on up to surfers paradise tomorrow!
I spent a few days in Melbourne before heading up here and it was lovely (other than the rainy weather)
Went on the neighbours tour and met Max Hoiland (yes i here you say who??? but check out the pics on facebook!!).
Also did a lovely trip down the great ocean road, this is a big stretch of road built by hand that goes from Melbourne all the way down to adelaide!
I saw a wild koala and got to feed parrots! which was great, i felt like a pirate and was very releived that none of them pooed on my head...!
Best head off as my internet time is nealry up!
Hope all is well at home and the weather is starting to pick up! (it has finally stopped raining on the east coast!
Lots of love
Emz x x x x
Sunday, 10 June 2007
G'day from sydney!
G'day mates!
hope your all enjoying the summer sun!
Have been in sydney just over a week!
So far i've done the main touristy sights like seeing the opera house and bridge! My friend from Uni was here the past week and we did lots of shopping and sightseeing together!
Exciting things about sydney so far are, double decker trains where you can flip the back of the seat round so you can chose to face fellow passengers or not (very confusing first time!!), you can catch a ferry everyday and the names of train stations like, zig-zag, wahroonga and warrawee!!
The most embaressing thing happened to me...i fell in the gap, as in "please mind the gap" between the train and the platform and i said the F-word very loud...and now my shin is all bruised and scrapped!! It could only happen to a very "special" person eh??
Another (literally) cool thing about sydney is a bar called minus 5 that is made out of ice!! Your only allowed to stay for half an hour and they gave us special gloves, coats and ugg boots to wear!Even our cups were made out of ice and there were loads of funky ice sculptures around!!
Also took a little trip down to the famous Bondi beach which i found very disapointing and nowt special (maybe i have been spoilt by all the beautiful beaches in Brazil...)
Theres some new pics up on facebook of Oz if you want to check them out, but they are very few so far!
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94648&l=260a8&id=223400703
Anywho...i have to go and try and sort my journey up the coast...
hope all is well back home and your enjoying the summer sun (it has been so rainy her the past 3 days that cars have been swept away...!)
Lots of love
Emz x x x x x x x
p.s. Neighbours spoiler...the Liitle britain guys are going to cameo in an episode!!!
hope your all enjoying the summer sun!
Have been in sydney just over a week!
So far i've done the main touristy sights like seeing the opera house and bridge! My friend from Uni was here the past week and we did lots of shopping and sightseeing together!
Exciting things about sydney so far are, double decker trains where you can flip the back of the seat round so you can chose to face fellow passengers or not (very confusing first time!!), you can catch a ferry everyday and the names of train stations like, zig-zag, wahroonga and warrawee!!
The most embaressing thing happened to me...i fell in the gap, as in "please mind the gap" between the train and the platform and i said the F-word very loud...and now my shin is all bruised and scrapped!! It could only happen to a very "special" person eh??
Another (literally) cool thing about sydney is a bar called minus 5 that is made out of ice!! Your only allowed to stay for half an hour and they gave us special gloves, coats and ugg boots to wear!Even our cups were made out of ice and there were loads of funky ice sculptures around!!
Also took a little trip down to the famous Bondi beach which i found very disapointing and nowt special (maybe i have been spoilt by all the beautiful beaches in Brazil...)
Theres some new pics up on facebook of Oz if you want to check them out, but they are very few so far!
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94648&l=260a8&id=223400703
Anywho...i have to go and try and sort my journey up the coast...
hope all is well back home and your enjoying the summer sun (it has been so rainy her the past 3 days that cars have been swept away...!)
Lots of love
Emz x x x x x x x
p.s. Neighbours spoiler...the Liitle britain guys are going to cameo in an episode!!!
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
chau south America!
Hello!
my final blog from south America :o(
i had a lovely final weekend in Buenos Aires!
Friday was my cousins birthday and we had a party! It was lovely to be able to be there for the party!!
On saturday i got my haircut and went to Recoletta Market (this is in a posh part of Buenos Aires, which was full of tourists and well dressed argentinians) and managed to buy some more "useful" stuff to squeeze into my rucksack!
In the evening i met up with a really old friend! We went a posh looking nightclub called opera bay, it looks like a squished Sydney Opera house and had pools inside it! It looks out onto Puerto Madero the waterfront part of BA and there were beautiful views!!
i am slightly ashamed to admit it but Argentinan electronic music is growing on me (probably a good thing i am leaving soon eh!)
Sunday i took the bus back to Mar del Plata to see my family!! It was really nice to see everyone again and i felt really lucky to have them so close!
Tomorrow is my final day in Argentina...! i have one more friend to try and see before i go!
The time i have spent in South America has been incredible (and im not exagerating...!) i am really going to miss so much, like being able to randomly chat with people in queues or public transport or anywhere at all, people juggling at crossings, big family get togethers, AMAZING buses, men being all gentlemanly, sunday markets, great music and dancing, mostly my family and maybe even siesta!
The list could go on and on...but i will stop!
So i guess bring on Australia...
I can´t wait to see my family there! i am going to spend some time in Sydney with my Aunt (Dad´s side) and cousins who i haven´t seen for about 7 years!
A friend of mine from Uni is going to be in Sydney at the same time and its her birthday so were going to meet up! and hopefully another friend i met in Argentina will be in Australia around the same time so we can also cross paths!!
hope all is good back home or in whichever place you have reached in your travels!
Lots of love
Emz x x x
my final blog from south America :o(
i had a lovely final weekend in Buenos Aires!
Friday was my cousins birthday and we had a party! It was lovely to be able to be there for the party!!
On saturday i got my haircut and went to Recoletta Market (this is in a posh part of Buenos Aires, which was full of tourists and well dressed argentinians) and managed to buy some more "useful" stuff to squeeze into my rucksack!
In the evening i met up with a really old friend! We went a posh looking nightclub called opera bay, it looks like a squished Sydney Opera house and had pools inside it! It looks out onto Puerto Madero the waterfront part of BA and there were beautiful views!!
i am slightly ashamed to admit it but Argentinan electronic music is growing on me (probably a good thing i am leaving soon eh!)
Sunday i took the bus back to Mar del Plata to see my family!! It was really nice to see everyone again and i felt really lucky to have them so close!
Tomorrow is my final day in Argentina...! i have one more friend to try and see before i go!
The time i have spent in South America has been incredible (and im not exagerating...!) i am really going to miss so much, like being able to randomly chat with people in queues or public transport or anywhere at all, people juggling at crossings, big family get togethers, AMAZING buses, men being all gentlemanly, sunday markets, great music and dancing, mostly my family and maybe even siesta!
The list could go on and on...but i will stop!
So i guess bring on Australia...
I can´t wait to see my family there! i am going to spend some time in Sydney with my Aunt (Dad´s side) and cousins who i haven´t seen for about 7 years!
A friend of mine from Uni is going to be in Sydney at the same time and its her birthday so were going to meet up! and hopefully another friend i met in Argentina will be in Australia around the same time so we can also cross paths!!
hope all is good back home or in whichever place you have reached in your travels!
Lots of love
Emz x x x
Friday, 25 May 2007
Argentina, the north
Hello!!
hope all is good!!
been back from Brazil about 2 weeks now, decided to head to the north of Argentina as it is where there are the most indiginous and ´traditional´ villages.
I started my trip up north to Cordoba a student city! As you can imagine the night life was excellent!!
On a more cultural note, i visited the house Che Guevara grew up in!! It was suprising to me that he was from such an upper class family (im not sure why...). Also i was suprised when i saw his passport and it listed his skin and eye colour as well as his nose and face type! times have certainly changed!
I also did an amazing bike ride... although it involved more gliding down mountains than cycling!!
From Cordoba i headed up to Salta, suprisingly the nightlife here was also crazy. The best known attraction near Salta is the train to the clouds which travels across the north, unfortunatley it was closed for maintenance so i was unable to take it! However i was lucky enough to find three other people who wanted to rent a car and do the accompanying car route!!
It was absolutley gorgeous, we stopped literally every half an hour to take photos!!
I must apologise now for the likely number of photos of multicoloured mountains that will appear on my facebook page!!
After a couple of nights in Salta i headed further up north with one of the people i had shared the car with! We went to a village called Humahuaca (excellent name!!) it was really stunning as there were cactus´everywhere and i felt like a total stranger as all the children on the bus stared at me and my friend with big curious eyes!!
It was freezing at night and i was still cold with thermal pj´s (attractive i know...), 5 blankets, gloves, socks and a hat!
On the way up we came across a strike/road block! it was amazingly chilled compared to English strikes...the people had put bits of tree and car across the road and put up a flag and were just chilling on the side of the road...!
The following day we headed to another village called Purmamarca which has a famous 7 coloured mountain, it was beautiful!!
From here we went to some salt flats, it was crazily windy and we got blown over every time we tried to take a photo!!
The salt flats were bizare as it looked like it was covered in snow but then the floor had formations in it!
The guy who drove us up there lived in a village of 150 people!
We had wanted to go to another village the following day to check out some inca ruins but due to the amount of strikes/blocks we encountered we decided to head to a nearby town called Jujuy instead.
In Jujuy i had my favourite meal since i arrived in South America!! we found this weird bakery/cafe that did a 4 course veggie meal for 2.50! it was delicious and there was even a cake at the end that tasted like custard mmmm!
Last night i took my last big bus journey (20 hours...) back to Buenos Aires!
I leave for Australia next thursday! i can´t beleive how quickly time has gone and that i have less than a week here, eek!
I am going to head back and see my granny, uncles and cousin before i head off and try and see as many friends before i go!
will keep you updated, keep me updated to ;o)
lotsa love
Emz x x x
p.s. to those of you finished exams etc CONGRATULATIONS!!
hope all is good!!
been back from Brazil about 2 weeks now, decided to head to the north of Argentina as it is where there are the most indiginous and ´traditional´ villages.
I started my trip up north to Cordoba a student city! As you can imagine the night life was excellent!!
On a more cultural note, i visited the house Che Guevara grew up in!! It was suprising to me that he was from such an upper class family (im not sure why...). Also i was suprised when i saw his passport and it listed his skin and eye colour as well as his nose and face type! times have certainly changed!
I also did an amazing bike ride... although it involved more gliding down mountains than cycling!!
From Cordoba i headed up to Salta, suprisingly the nightlife here was also crazy. The best known attraction near Salta is the train to the clouds which travels across the north, unfortunatley it was closed for maintenance so i was unable to take it! However i was lucky enough to find three other people who wanted to rent a car and do the accompanying car route!!
It was absolutley gorgeous, we stopped literally every half an hour to take photos!!
I must apologise now for the likely number of photos of multicoloured mountains that will appear on my facebook page!!
After a couple of nights in Salta i headed further up north with one of the people i had shared the car with! We went to a village called Humahuaca (excellent name!!) it was really stunning as there were cactus´everywhere and i felt like a total stranger as all the children on the bus stared at me and my friend with big curious eyes!!
It was freezing at night and i was still cold with thermal pj´s (attractive i know...), 5 blankets, gloves, socks and a hat!
On the way up we came across a strike/road block! it was amazingly chilled compared to English strikes...the people had put bits of tree and car across the road and put up a flag and were just chilling on the side of the road...!
The following day we headed to another village called Purmamarca which has a famous 7 coloured mountain, it was beautiful!!
From here we went to some salt flats, it was crazily windy and we got blown over every time we tried to take a photo!!
The salt flats were bizare as it looked like it was covered in snow but then the floor had formations in it!
The guy who drove us up there lived in a village of 150 people!
We had wanted to go to another village the following day to check out some inca ruins but due to the amount of strikes/blocks we encountered we decided to head to a nearby town called Jujuy instead.
In Jujuy i had my favourite meal since i arrived in South America!! we found this weird bakery/cafe that did a 4 course veggie meal for 2.50! it was delicious and there was even a cake at the end that tasted like custard mmmm!
Last night i took my last big bus journey (20 hours...) back to Buenos Aires!
I leave for Australia next thursday! i can´t beleive how quickly time has gone and that i have less than a week here, eek!
I am going to head back and see my granny, uncles and cousin before i head off and try and see as many friends before i go!
will keep you updated, keep me updated to ;o)
lotsa love
Emz x x x
p.s. to those of you finished exams etc CONGRATULATIONS!!
Monday, 14 May 2007
Brazil in short...
hello!
apologies for lack of updates...im gonna try and not write an essay...but basicly i LOVED Brazil!!
Especially Rio! it is an amazing city, even just to look at! Everywhere is such a contrast as there are beaches, jungle, islands, mountains, tall offices and slums (favelas) all in one place.
last time i wrote i was in Iguassu, it rained sooooo much on the first day that we arrived that the next day when we went to the Argentinian side of the waterfalls (the close up side) we weren´t able to do the boat ride into the falls! i was gutted but enjoyed getting soaked nontheless!
The next day we went to the Brazilian side of the falls (the panaramic view side) and since i couldnt see the falls up close i splurged and did a helicopter ride over them!! it was fantastic!!
After Iguasu we headed to a place called Bonito, which was indeed as it´s name implies pretty!! Also it was a bank holiday in Brazil so the place was full of life!!
On the first day went to a lagoon type thing where there were loads of massive fish in the water! It took quite a while to pluck up the courage to hop in with the fish!!
The next day i went snorkling in cristal clear water! i had to wear a "sexy" wetsuit!! i saw loads of massive fish and snails it was stunning!!
This day was my favourite as in the evening we went to a party in the middle of a massive coutry house, well it was basically a big hut with a DJ and loads of benches and huts around!! I learnt to dance Forro (a brazillian dance) and ended up walking home at 6am and being chased by cows...it was fab!!
Next, onwards to the Pantanal. This is a big wetlands (apparently larger than France) that was like a pretty swamp!
There was soo much wildlife everywhere you looked! especially caiman (alligator type things) and wild horses running around all over the place!
One of the coolest (or scariest bits...) was walking throught the pantanal bare foot and taking a swim in one of the many pools! this was after i had been warned the niht before about piranahs, anacondas etc...!!
We spent 2 nights here sleeping in hammocks, i realised after this that i am a city girl born and bred and we ventured onto the city of campo grande where we caught our flight back to Rio the following day!
I spent the weekend enjoying Rio´s nonstop nightlife, learnt to make caipirinhas (Brazillian cocktail of limes, sugar crushed ice and sugar cane alcohol) and dance a bit of samba (another brazilian dance)!!
On the monday i went to Ihla Grande (a big tropical island) with 2 of the girls from the trip before. we got the ferry to the island at about 5.30 and were able to see the sun setting over the sea and the islands! it was beautiful!!
when we arrived we had to walk across the beach to reach our hostel...it was pretty hilarious as it was pitch black and we had all our stuff on us!!
The following day we did a 2 hour hike to a beach called Lopes Mendes, apparently one of the most beautiful in Brazil! I would definatly agree with that as the sand was pure white, soft and squeaked when you walked on it!! The water was transparent, turqouise and warm and there were fish swimming all around! it was incredible!!
The next day it poured with rain!! the hostel made popcorn and put films on for us as we were pretty restricted in what we could do!!
The evening was fantastic and totally made up for the slow day as we had a party by candlelight as the electricity cut out! it was another late and alcohol fuelled night and i met up with friends i made in Mendoza (argentina)which made the party even better!!
So then back to Rio...
I went and stayed with a childhood friend who is luckily enough to be studying in Rio!!
one of the most interesting parts of my stay with Adam was visiting a favela with his housemate who volunteers in a nursery there. The favelas are sort of shanty towns built up the mountains on the edges of the city. There is often a lot of crime and violence in these places and they are mostly governed by drug dealers.
We went to a mothers day party, some of the mothers there were really really young and others old and it was a really lovely experience!
Oh yeah and one more amzing thing about Rio...CHOCOLATE PIZZA!! thin crisy pizza base with warm melted chocolate and fruit or nuts on top!! delicious!!
why doesnñt it exist in the UK???
sorry for writting an essay! i did my best to summarise my Brazilian adventures!
i am now back in Buenos Aires and have until the end of the month to try and explore some of the north of Argentina and maybe some of Chile!
my bus to cordoba leaves tonight at midnight...
hope everyone is well!!
best of luck you guys doing finals and any evil end of term work!!
muito love
Emz x x x
apologies for lack of updates...im gonna try and not write an essay...but basicly i LOVED Brazil!!
Especially Rio! it is an amazing city, even just to look at! Everywhere is such a contrast as there are beaches, jungle, islands, mountains, tall offices and slums (favelas) all in one place.
last time i wrote i was in Iguassu, it rained sooooo much on the first day that we arrived that the next day when we went to the Argentinian side of the waterfalls (the close up side) we weren´t able to do the boat ride into the falls! i was gutted but enjoyed getting soaked nontheless!
The next day we went to the Brazilian side of the falls (the panaramic view side) and since i couldnt see the falls up close i splurged and did a helicopter ride over them!! it was fantastic!!
After Iguasu we headed to a place called Bonito, which was indeed as it´s name implies pretty!! Also it was a bank holiday in Brazil so the place was full of life!!
On the first day went to a lagoon type thing where there were loads of massive fish in the water! It took quite a while to pluck up the courage to hop in with the fish!!
The next day i went snorkling in cristal clear water! i had to wear a "sexy" wetsuit!! i saw loads of massive fish and snails it was stunning!!
This day was my favourite as in the evening we went to a party in the middle of a massive coutry house, well it was basically a big hut with a DJ and loads of benches and huts around!! I learnt to dance Forro (a brazillian dance) and ended up walking home at 6am and being chased by cows...it was fab!!
Next, onwards to the Pantanal. This is a big wetlands (apparently larger than France) that was like a pretty swamp!
There was soo much wildlife everywhere you looked! especially caiman (alligator type things) and wild horses running around all over the place!
One of the coolest (or scariest bits...) was walking throught the pantanal bare foot and taking a swim in one of the many pools! this was after i had been warned the niht before about piranahs, anacondas etc...!!
We spent 2 nights here sleeping in hammocks, i realised after this that i am a city girl born and bred and we ventured onto the city of campo grande where we caught our flight back to Rio the following day!
I spent the weekend enjoying Rio´s nonstop nightlife, learnt to make caipirinhas (Brazillian cocktail of limes, sugar crushed ice and sugar cane alcohol) and dance a bit of samba (another brazilian dance)!!
On the monday i went to Ihla Grande (a big tropical island) with 2 of the girls from the trip before. we got the ferry to the island at about 5.30 and were able to see the sun setting over the sea and the islands! it was beautiful!!
when we arrived we had to walk across the beach to reach our hostel...it was pretty hilarious as it was pitch black and we had all our stuff on us!!
The following day we did a 2 hour hike to a beach called Lopes Mendes, apparently one of the most beautiful in Brazil! I would definatly agree with that as the sand was pure white, soft and squeaked when you walked on it!! The water was transparent, turqouise and warm and there were fish swimming all around! it was incredible!!
The next day it poured with rain!! the hostel made popcorn and put films on for us as we were pretty restricted in what we could do!!
The evening was fantastic and totally made up for the slow day as we had a party by candlelight as the electricity cut out! it was another late and alcohol fuelled night and i met up with friends i made in Mendoza (argentina)which made the party even better!!
So then back to Rio...
I went and stayed with a childhood friend who is luckily enough to be studying in Rio!!
one of the most interesting parts of my stay with Adam was visiting a favela with his housemate who volunteers in a nursery there. The favelas are sort of shanty towns built up the mountains on the edges of the city. There is often a lot of crime and violence in these places and they are mostly governed by drug dealers.
We went to a mothers day party, some of the mothers there were really really young and others old and it was a really lovely experience!
Oh yeah and one more amzing thing about Rio...CHOCOLATE PIZZA!! thin crisy pizza base with warm melted chocolate and fruit or nuts on top!! delicious!!
why doesnñt it exist in the UK???
sorry for writting an essay! i did my best to summarise my Brazilian adventures!
i am now back in Buenos Aires and have until the end of the month to try and explore some of the north of Argentina and maybe some of Chile!
my bus to cordoba leaves tonight at midnight...
hope everyone is well!!
best of luck you guys doing finals and any evil end of term work!!
muito love
Emz x x x
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Brazil briefly!
Oi (as they say in Brazil)
this one is going to have to be quick!
am in ?Brazil at the moment and loving it here!
went to copacobana beach and saw lots of very itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis and lots of beautiful men!! six packs all round!
I am in a group of 5 girls and one boy and we havent been to bed before 3am except for yesterday when we had to get the night bus!! it has been brilliant!!
we spent a day in a coastal place called paraty where we went island hoping and snorkling it was truly paradise and the most relaxing day i have ever had!!
There was a brilliant club there and the DJ played whatever we wanted!!
Today i arrived in Foz de Iguazu! we went to Paraguay (randomley for a bit of shopping) and tomorrow are going to see the Argentnian side of the falls and the day after the Brazilian side!
We have been to some fab restaurants where you pick whatever you want to eat (like an all you can eat buffet) and then they weigh your plate and charge you by kilo!!
also been stocking up on Havaianas flip flops...they cost 2.50 out here!!
hopefully gonna meet up with some other people i have met along the way when i return to Rio and thinking of heading on to another Island paradise after the tour!
gotta go for dinner!
lots of love
Emz x x x
this one is going to have to be quick!
am in ?Brazil at the moment and loving it here!
went to copacobana beach and saw lots of very itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis and lots of beautiful men!! six packs all round!
I am in a group of 5 girls and one boy and we havent been to bed before 3am except for yesterday when we had to get the night bus!! it has been brilliant!!
we spent a day in a coastal place called paraty where we went island hoping and snorkling it was truly paradise and the most relaxing day i have ever had!!
There was a brilliant club there and the DJ played whatever we wanted!!
Today i arrived in Foz de Iguazu! we went to Paraguay (randomley for a bit of shopping) and tomorrow are going to see the Argentnian side of the falls and the day after the Brazilian side!
We have been to some fab restaurants where you pick whatever you want to eat (like an all you can eat buffet) and then they weigh your plate and charge you by kilo!!
also been stocking up on Havaianas flip flops...they cost 2.50 out here!!
hopefully gonna meet up with some other people i have met along the way when i return to Rio and thinking of heading on to another Island paradise after the tour!
gotta go for dinner!
lots of love
Emz x x x
Sunday, 15 April 2007
Argentina update
Hello!
have had a busy few weeks!
Spent Easter week in Bariloche, which is in the lake district part of Argentina (reasonably south). I stayed in a really cute hostel that looked like a log cabin and had a tree house with a slide in the garden! As you came out you had a great big lake facing you! it was gorgeous!
In Bariloche i went to a woods with these orange trees that apparently inspired the animators from disneys bambi so i fought off lots of kids to get a photo outside bambi´s house!
I spent the week pretty much chilling out and wondering round the chocolate shops getting freebies!!
I have been amazed so far that nearly every place i have been in Argentina has had an Irish pub!!
I just spent some nights in Mendoza which is a bit further north! I LOVED Mendoza i have never drank so much wine in all my life!!
The hostel i was in again was brilliant! at 8pm every night free wine was on the table!
I went on a bikes and wine tour which involved cycling to all the wineries and getting free wine and chocolate and then learning how to taste wine (i learnt about looking for legs and oakiness...!) we had a couple of accidents along the way but fortunatly every one made it back in one peice!!
The following day i went horse riding through the Andes! it was beatiful! as its autumn all the trees are beautiful oranges and yellows and the Andes were so stunning they didnt look real, almost like a back drop from an old movie!
Apparently in the 70´s a plane of footballers crashed in the Andes nearby to mendoza and they had to eat eachother to stay alive...
Mendoza has a buzzing night life and we managed to be out pretty much every night!I also managed to meet up with my friends from home (Flo and Nick) who i was lucky enough to meet up with also in Buenos aires earlier in my trip!
I just arrived in San Rafael, another part of mendoza am going to take it easy tonight and find out about trekking or rafting that is apparently good in the local area!
hope all is well at home! i´ve heard the weather has been good!
keep me updated!
good luck to you guys facing finals or dissertations...!
much love
emz x x x x
have had a busy few weeks!
Spent Easter week in Bariloche, which is in the lake district part of Argentina (reasonably south). I stayed in a really cute hostel that looked like a log cabin and had a tree house with a slide in the garden! As you came out you had a great big lake facing you! it was gorgeous!
In Bariloche i went to a woods with these orange trees that apparently inspired the animators from disneys bambi so i fought off lots of kids to get a photo outside bambi´s house!
I spent the week pretty much chilling out and wondering round the chocolate shops getting freebies!!
I have been amazed so far that nearly every place i have been in Argentina has had an Irish pub!!
I just spent some nights in Mendoza which is a bit further north! I LOVED Mendoza i have never drank so much wine in all my life!!
The hostel i was in again was brilliant! at 8pm every night free wine was on the table!
I went on a bikes and wine tour which involved cycling to all the wineries and getting free wine and chocolate and then learning how to taste wine (i learnt about looking for legs and oakiness...!) we had a couple of accidents along the way but fortunatly every one made it back in one peice!!
The following day i went horse riding through the Andes! it was beatiful! as its autumn all the trees are beautiful oranges and yellows and the Andes were so stunning they didnt look real, almost like a back drop from an old movie!
Apparently in the 70´s a plane of footballers crashed in the Andes nearby to mendoza and they had to eat eachother to stay alive...
Mendoza has a buzzing night life and we managed to be out pretty much every night!I also managed to meet up with my friends from home (Flo and Nick) who i was lucky enough to meet up with also in Buenos aires earlier in my trip!
I just arrived in San Rafael, another part of mendoza am going to take it easy tonight and find out about trekking or rafting that is apparently good in the local area!
hope all is well at home! i´ve heard the weather has been good!
keep me updated!
good luck to you guys facing finals or dissertations...!
much love
emz x x x x
Saturday, 7 April 2007
photos!
Hello
as i am a bit special and am having difficulty uploading photos onto my blog you can copy and paste the links bellow into your web address line to hopefully see some of my peru pictures
si entras las dirreciones abajo en tu internet podes ver photos de mi viaje en peru y Argentina
photos from Buenos Aires:
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65197&l=969bb&id=223400703
photos from Lima in Perü:
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66680&l=3be2d&id=223400703
photos of peru (lake titicaca, inca trail/camino inca etc):
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70563&l=11ffe&id=223400703
In the top and bottom right hand corners you can click on the numbers or the next/prev option to see the next page of photos
si haces click arriba o abajo en el derecho donde tiene numeros y dice next/prev podes ver el siguiente pagina de photos
hope all is well with everyone!
lots of love
Emz x x x
as i am a bit special and am having difficulty uploading photos onto my blog you can copy and paste the links bellow into your web address line to hopefully see some of my peru pictures
si entras las dirreciones abajo en tu internet podes ver photos de mi viaje en peru y Argentina
photos from Buenos Aires:
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65197&l=969bb&id=223400703
photos from Lima in Perü:
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66680&l=3be2d&id=223400703
photos of peru (lake titicaca, inca trail/camino inca etc):
http://ubrm.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70563&l=11ffe&id=223400703
In the top and bottom right hand corners you can click on the numbers or the next/prev option to see the next page of photos
si haces click arriba o abajo en el derecho donde tiene numeros y dice next/prev podes ver el siguiente pagina de photos
hope all is well with everyone!
lots of love
Emz x x x
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Argentina again!
Ok ok so yes i deserve a slapped wrist....apologies for lack of blogging!!
since i last wrote...
Back in Buenos Aires my cousin turned 50 and we had a big birthday party for her!! It was pretty crazy and went on till 4am!! Argies know how to party!
The funniest thing for me was that at midnight they bought out an enormous peice of meat lit on fire and everyone had some in between posh bits of bread, then at 2am came pasta and 3am more cakes than you can possibly imagine - they also know how to eat well over here!!
Next day with a terrible hangover i got a bus to Mar del Plata, a coastal town where my mum comes from. I was met at the station by my granny, uncles and aunts!!
I spent a week there getting to know family, lounging by the beach, eating giant ice creams and drinking bicardi cocktails for a quid!!
I got an over night bus from Mar del Plata to Bariloche (land of chocolate and lakes!) it took 20 hours!!
I am staying in a brill hostel at the moment and my friend i met in Peru is arriving at midday - we´re going to spend a week here and then i am going to go on to Mendoza which a city famous for its wines...! (maybe meet up with flo and nick again!!)
hows all back home?
I hear neighbours is scandalous as ever...how about hollyoaks?
hope your all happy and well!!
lots of love
Emz x x x
since i last wrote...
Back in Buenos Aires my cousin turned 50 and we had a big birthday party for her!! It was pretty crazy and went on till 4am!! Argies know how to party!
The funniest thing for me was that at midnight they bought out an enormous peice of meat lit on fire and everyone had some in between posh bits of bread, then at 2am came pasta and 3am more cakes than you can possibly imagine - they also know how to eat well over here!!
Next day with a terrible hangover i got a bus to Mar del Plata, a coastal town where my mum comes from. I was met at the station by my granny, uncles and aunts!!
I spent a week there getting to know family, lounging by the beach, eating giant ice creams and drinking bicardi cocktails for a quid!!
I got an over night bus from Mar del Plata to Bariloche (land of chocolate and lakes!) it took 20 hours!!
I am staying in a brill hostel at the moment and my friend i met in Peru is arriving at midday - we´re going to spend a week here and then i am going to go on to Mendoza which a city famous for its wines...! (maybe meet up with flo and nick again!!)
hows all back home?
I hear neighbours is scandalous as ever...how about hollyoaks?
hope your all happy and well!!
lots of love
Emz x x x
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Jungle and Uruguay update
hello
this one will have to be quick...and i will put photos in the next one i promise...!
so...jungle
was pretty much what the jungle book looked like lol and had lots of weird and wonderful bugs which were twice the size of any i have ever seen!! on one of the days we got up at 4am and went fishing for piranahs! they had some crazy lookin teeth!! we also saw giant river otters which were enormous and pretty scary looking!
my room had no window so i could literally see monkeys playing outside my room and hear loads of crazy things at night!!
the funniest noise was a bird called a gentlemans bird which woolf whistles all the time!!
since leaving the Peruvian jungle i've been in Buenos Aires soaking up the nightlife and shopping....! the last few days ive been in Uruguay! it is gorgeous, very colonial and safe! none of the house have bars on the windows and you can walk around at night with all your stuff!!!
Im off to a coastal town on sunday and from there to Bariloche the land of good chocolate to meet a friend i made from my inca trail group!!
hope everyone is well and promise to post embaressing pictures soon!!
lots of love
Emz x x x
this one will have to be quick...and i will put photos in the next one i promise...!
so...jungle
was pretty much what the jungle book looked like lol and had lots of weird and wonderful bugs which were twice the size of any i have ever seen!! on one of the days we got up at 4am and went fishing for piranahs! they had some crazy lookin teeth!! we also saw giant river otters which were enormous and pretty scary looking!
my room had no window so i could literally see monkeys playing outside my room and hear loads of crazy things at night!!
the funniest noise was a bird called a gentlemans bird which woolf whistles all the time!!
since leaving the Peruvian jungle i've been in Buenos Aires soaking up the nightlife and shopping....! the last few days ive been in Uruguay! it is gorgeous, very colonial and safe! none of the house have bars on the windows and you can walk around at night with all your stuff!!!
Im off to a coastal town on sunday and from there to Bariloche the land of good chocolate to meet a friend i made from my inca trail group!!
hope everyone is well and promise to post embaressing pictures soon!!
lots of love
Emz x x x
Thursday, 8 March 2007
Lake titicaca and Inca trail!
hello!
since my last entry i have been up to quite a lot but i will try and keep it brief ;o)
From Lima i went with a group of 15 to Puno where you reach the peruvian side of lake titicaca (the worlds largest navigable lake!)
We went by boat to one of the islands on the lake which is 3860 metres above sea level! the altitude made 3 people in our group really unwell but i only had a slight headache (phew) and shortness of breath!
There we learnt about the tribes way of life and most amusingly that the men wear different knitted hats when they are single to when they are married! and all the men on the island knit whilst the women weave!!
We then took a boat ride to another island where we met our ´mama´s´ who were going to take us in for the night! we hiked uphill which was tough in the high altitude! also amusingly we had a fiesta in the evening where we wore the womens local clothes....(i lost my memory card but will try and get photos to send off another group member!) and learnt their dances!
i also bought my touristy hat made from alpaca which ties up with flaps over your ears...it is not my most attractive look but it sure is good in peru!
The weather on the islands is really unpredictable and in the night there was an enormous storm!
The next day we went to another island made completly from reeds! the people sometimes find when it is windy that their islands have moved and theyhave to use boats and sticks to move it back he he!!
From Lake Titicaca we went on to Cusco and Ollantaytambo where you can see the sacred valley and begin the Ínca trail!
The coolest thing about the sacred valley is that the spaniards were not able to destroy and rebuild it (unlike the rest of Peru...) so you can still see lots of original Inca architecture!
The inca trail was pretty hardcore!! we spent six hours walking up 4800 metres above sea level!! and the camping was hilarious as as soon as it got dark all the girls were meeting in groups to make trecherous journeys to the loo!!
It took four days and was pretty rainy but amazing all the same! i had to wear a very fetching waterproof poncho! the sense of acheivement after completing it was imense and we treated ourselves to the hot springs the following afternoon!
i am off the jungle tomorrow for 4 days (eeek!!) but will be updating this thing with photos and more detail (if you have the patience...!) when i get back to buenos aires!!!
hope all is good in whichever part of the world you are!!
lots of love
emz x x x x
since my last entry i have been up to quite a lot but i will try and keep it brief ;o)
From Lima i went with a group of 15 to Puno where you reach the peruvian side of lake titicaca (the worlds largest navigable lake!)
We went by boat to one of the islands on the lake which is 3860 metres above sea level! the altitude made 3 people in our group really unwell but i only had a slight headache (phew) and shortness of breath!
There we learnt about the tribes way of life and most amusingly that the men wear different knitted hats when they are single to when they are married! and all the men on the island knit whilst the women weave!!
We then took a boat ride to another island where we met our ´mama´s´ who were going to take us in for the night! we hiked uphill which was tough in the high altitude! also amusingly we had a fiesta in the evening where we wore the womens local clothes....(i lost my memory card but will try and get photos to send off another group member!) and learnt their dances!
i also bought my touristy hat made from alpaca which ties up with flaps over your ears...it is not my most attractive look but it sure is good in peru!
The weather on the islands is really unpredictable and in the night there was an enormous storm!
The next day we went to another island made completly from reeds! the people sometimes find when it is windy that their islands have moved and theyhave to use boats and sticks to move it back he he!!
From Lake Titicaca we went on to Cusco and Ollantaytambo where you can see the sacred valley and begin the Ínca trail!
The coolest thing about the sacred valley is that the spaniards were not able to destroy and rebuild it (unlike the rest of Peru...) so you can still see lots of original Inca architecture!
The inca trail was pretty hardcore!! we spent six hours walking up 4800 metres above sea level!! and the camping was hilarious as as soon as it got dark all the girls were meeting in groups to make trecherous journeys to the loo!!
It took four days and was pretty rainy but amazing all the same! i had to wear a very fetching waterproof poncho! the sense of acheivement after completing it was imense and we treated ourselves to the hot springs the following afternoon!
i am off the jungle tomorrow for 4 days (eeek!!) but will be updating this thing with photos and more detail (if you have the patience...!) when i get back to buenos aires!!!
hope all is good in whichever part of the world you are!!
lots of love
emz x x x x
Monday, 26 February 2007
From Argentina to Peru
Hello
hope all is well in the UK!
my first week has shot by!! I spent my first few days in Buenos Aires with Andy (the traveller from the plane) it was nice to have a fellow tourist to gawk at all the sights with!!
I saw the cemetary where Evita was burried, the main plazas the obelisk and a zoo with some animals i had never seen before, one looked like a cross between an enormous rabbit and a small kangaroo (will send photos soon!!!)
we also visited an area called 'La Boca' which has a caminito full of houses painted with very bright colours because when imigrants arrived they couldn't afford to buy paints for their houses so they used what they could find!!
I also went to a tango class!! i loved it!! its a very intimate dance which beyond the first 7 steps seemed very complicated, although great fun because you change partners loads and move all over the place bumping into other pairs!!
Buenos Aires felt quite european and was (even for me...) pretty easy to find your way around!
I am now in Lima (Peru) staying with a lovely and very intelligent couple (Fernando and Margot) who have taken me all round the city and to some pre-inca ruins that are a short drive from Lima!
there is a lot of history in Lima and lots of fantastic museums, i went to a church which had catacumbs underneath, which meant loads and loads of bones of people who had been part of the church!! amazingly Fernando's dad used to play with his friends in the graves before they became organised for tourists!!
The centre of Lima is one of the poorer zones and as you get further out the zones are nicer. The poorer and richer zones are seperated by literally a street and the difference between rich and poor is large
Funnily enough there is a large chinese community here, on saturday night we went out to eat at a 'chifa' which much to my suprise was a chinese restaurant!!!
on saturday night we went out and partied in a bar where everyone was dancing salsa, they looked amazing i also got to drink pisco which is a peruvian alcohol and a pisco sour which is pisco with lemon and egg white on top!!
On sunday they took me to a local fruit market!! there was so many amazing weird and wonderful fruits and any i did recognise were about 10 times bigger than any we have in the UK! we ate an amazing lunch of local fruits!!!
today i an going to meet up with Fernando's sister and find and find my hostel where my journey to lake titicaca and then cusco begins!!
sorry for yabbering on i have tried to summarise... :o)
is it still snowy at home?
lots and lots of love
Emz x x x x
hope all is well in the UK!
my first week has shot by!! I spent my first few days in Buenos Aires with Andy (the traveller from the plane) it was nice to have a fellow tourist to gawk at all the sights with!!
I saw the cemetary where Evita was burried, the main plazas the obelisk and a zoo with some animals i had never seen before, one looked like a cross between an enormous rabbit and a small kangaroo (will send photos soon!!!)
we also visited an area called 'La Boca' which has a caminito full of houses painted with very bright colours because when imigrants arrived they couldn't afford to buy paints for their houses so they used what they could find!!
I also went to a tango class!! i loved it!! its a very intimate dance which beyond the first 7 steps seemed very complicated, although great fun because you change partners loads and move all over the place bumping into other pairs!!
Buenos Aires felt quite european and was (even for me...) pretty easy to find your way around!
I am now in Lima (Peru) staying with a lovely and very intelligent couple (Fernando and Margot) who have taken me all round the city and to some pre-inca ruins that are a short drive from Lima!
there is a lot of history in Lima and lots of fantastic museums, i went to a church which had catacumbs underneath, which meant loads and loads of bones of people who had been part of the church!! amazingly Fernando's dad used to play with his friends in the graves before they became organised for tourists!!
The centre of Lima is one of the poorer zones and as you get further out the zones are nicer. The poorer and richer zones are seperated by literally a street and the difference between rich and poor is large
Funnily enough there is a large chinese community here, on saturday night we went out to eat at a 'chifa' which much to my suprise was a chinese restaurant!!!
on saturday night we went out and partied in a bar where everyone was dancing salsa, they looked amazing i also got to drink pisco which is a peruvian alcohol and a pisco sour which is pisco with lemon and egg white on top!!
On sunday they took me to a local fruit market!! there was so many amazing weird and wonderful fruits and any i did recognise were about 10 times bigger than any we have in the UK! we ate an amazing lunch of local fruits!!!
today i an going to meet up with Fernando's sister and find and find my hostel where my journey to lake titicaca and then cusco begins!!
sorry for yabbering on i have tried to summarise... :o)
is it still snowy at home?
lots and lots of love
Emz x x x x
Monday, 19 February 2007
My adventure begins...
Hello!
Thought i would add a little update on here! all is well so far!!
I was supposed to leave on saturday at 9.10pm but ended up leaving at 4pm the following day!
we got on the plane to find there was a problem with the thermometer in the engine or something like that!)and had to wait on board for 4 hours with no air conditioning!!
On a more positive note i saw a film i really wanted to see and made friends with a fellow travellor and an Argentinian!
So after a night in a swanky hotel (thanks British Airways) we shared a cab to the airport to begin our trip to BA! (it was a bit like ground hog day at the airport though...!)
I am at my cousins house in Buenos Aires till friday when i fly to Peru!
Tonight my friends from London (Flo and Nick)and the traveller from the plane are going to come for dinner at my cousins and we´re all going to go out together with my cousins who will hopefully take us somewhere cool!!
Hope everyone is well!!
thanks for the emails i have had so far (am feeling mucho love xxx)
Lotsa love
Emz x x x
Thought i would add a little update on here! all is well so far!!
I was supposed to leave on saturday at 9.10pm but ended up leaving at 4pm the following day!
we got on the plane to find there was a problem with the thermometer in the engine or something like that!)and had to wait on board for 4 hours with no air conditioning!!
On a more positive note i saw a film i really wanted to see and made friends with a fellow travellor and an Argentinian!
So after a night in a swanky hotel (thanks British Airways) we shared a cab to the airport to begin our trip to BA! (it was a bit like ground hog day at the airport though...!)
I am at my cousins house in Buenos Aires till friday when i fly to Peru!
Tonight my friends from London (Flo and Nick)and the traveller from the plane are going to come for dinner at my cousins and we´re all going to go out together with my cousins who will hopefully take us somewhere cool!!
Hope everyone is well!!
thanks for the emails i have had so far (am feeling mucho love xxx)
Lotsa love
Emz x x x
Monday, 15 January 2007
Well hello
Welcome to my blog...
This seems to be a good way to keep lovely friends and family updated on my whereabouts and to stay in touch!
I'm gone for 6 months...
from 17th Feb to May i'll be in South America and June and July i'll be in Australia!
Keep in touch (emz273@gmail.com)
Emz xxx
This seems to be a good way to keep lovely friends and family updated on my whereabouts and to stay in touch!
I'm gone for 6 months...
from 17th Feb to May i'll be in South America and June and July i'll be in Australia!
Keep in touch (emz273@gmail.com)
Emz xxx
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