http://www.globenotes.com/ Travel Blogs, Travel Journals and Photos from Around the World Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.globenotes.com/annelie Donnerstag gespraech mit m in the morning,heul,mit bevi im Kino, sau das Chaos, total gealden,Wall'e, scheisse, abends mit Sonja und Fernando im Cinq schlecht essen, danach witzig im Sin Ventura tanzen und Mojito ohne anna gott sei dank. freitag morgfens nix, hospiz, farmazie schoen, anna nicht mit rodrigo, Essen mit viola ,Niger elda und Corinna und Edgar sehr gut, dann schoenen tanzunterrichjt mit Gerson, mach ich jetzt allein noch mehr!!! dann Hause mit Sonja, Viola am noergelkn Stich, und Anna, Anna scheisse, besoffen wo ist personajes, Ricardo ist so heiss, dann bei Gerson vorbei und katastrophe im Sin ventura. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1096&usr=1356&r=1 http://www.globenotes.com/amandablount Hello everyone!! So its been a very exciting few days on the Old Railway Line! My new home is coming along slowly, hopefully you got a chance to check out the pictures I posted! Its been very cold in Freetown the past few days because the rains have been heavy and its cute the humidity way down. Brr... I went down to the local market and bought a "country cloth blanket"! You can never have too many beautiful, hand sewn fabrics and blankets. Yesterday I had a few meetings downtown in the morning and then decided to head home for lunch around noon. As per usual, I took a taxi from Siaka Stevens Street, the main drag in town, to Tengbeh Town where I reside. As the taxi slowed in front of my house, I noticed something very unusual blocking the path to my main gate. Logically, my eyes told me that it was an enormous animal with horns, that appeared to be napping in my driveway. I got out of the taxi hesitantly and walked towards the light brown beast. Cow. Ok, so a cow was ... Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1259&usr=665&r=2 http://www.globenotes.com/philandsion We read about Magnetic Island when we were in Melbourne and really liked the sound of it, so that's why we're here, 6 weeks on. It was grey when we arrived and it slowly progressed into full on rain until the next morning. After a half an hour breather it continued to rain until early afternoon the second day. This rain time was minly spent relaxing, reading and playing cards, with a short walk down to Horseshoe Bay to have a look around the shops. As the weather eased in the afteroon we decided to do the Bungalow Bay Koala Village tour. It was a wildlife park attached to our hostel. It was no ordinary hostel, it was reminiscent of the Beachouse in Fiji with it big airy hut-like dorms and big outdoor communal area (with a bar). The tour consisted of visiting lots of animals and getting a real hands-on experience which was awesome, we'd seen all of thee animals in other parks in Australia but this time we were allowed to touch! First on the list, much to and my ... Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1171&usr=1456&r=3 http://www.globenotes.com/allison_andrew We all got up before dawn with the help of some local roosters and the nearby mosque's call to prayer. We waited by the roadside in the dark with a small crowd of locals waiting for the same bus. Our busses arrived right on time at 6:30 am and we said goodbye to our British friends -- they were headed to a more civilized location on Lake Victoria, we were headed into the dead-center of Tanzania. We handed off our bags to be stored in the underbelly of the bus and climbed aboard. Immediately we realized that the day would be a long one when we saw that the bus was completely full -- including the center eisle. We squeezed in among the other standing passengers and grabbed ahold of whatever we could as the bus pulled out. The ticket-taker continually arranged and rearranged the center eisle standers based on destination, pushing those going the furthest to the back. And push he did -- the center eisle crammed with people was packed tighter than even the most crowded ... Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1250&usr=136&r=4 http://www.globenotes.com/allison_andrew At the breakfast buffet when it opened at 6:30 am and feasted on fresh pineapple, passion-fruit juice, eggs, potatoes, sausage, toast, porridge, and real coffee! Fabulous. Some quick internet use and money changing, then we headed to the bookstore that carried English language books and picked up some fresh reading material -- including a book on the Rwandan genocide. Checked out of our hotel at 10 am and headed for the street where the mini-busses line up while watiting to fill with passengers headed to destinations all over the country. We asked around for the bus that would go to Rusumo Falls, the border town just before the Tanzania border, and received many repeated answers of keep going that way, up the hill. We slogged on up the hill weaving our way through the heavy pedestrian traffic and throng of mini-busses, all the while laden with our big back-packs and the heat of the day increasing. Finally we found the correct ticket counter, selling tickets to Rusumo Falls ... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1250&usr=136&r=5 http://www.globenotes.com/allison_andrew Up at 5 am, but unfortunately the bus south along the lake that we'd been told left at 5:30 didn't exist. (This was actually lucky for us though, as we heard from other travelers later that it was reportedly one of the worst roads in Africa!) Instead we opted for the 6:30 am express back to the capital of Kigali. The four-hour trip cost around $2 each on a large bus, packed with locals (and us). Coming into town, Kigali seemed to us to be quite the bustling metropolis after having spent a few days in the smaller towns of the Rwandan countryside. After being deposited at the bus depot at the base of the hill below the center of the city, we set off with our packs strapped to our backs to walk up the hill. On our map, it seemed to be only a kilometer or two to the Auberge that we wanted to stay in, but like San Francisco, distance can be deceiving when there are hills involved! Combined with the heat of the equatorial sun close to midday, soon into our walk we were ... Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1250&usr=136&r=6 http://www.globenotes.com/mezzopiano 7:38pm. kids have gone back to the hotel; staff meeting done. gave our first "test" today... half of the students passed. pretty good. we went over it with them, though. so much going on... feels like the JBM camp days on starbucks. :-) Played soccer today... whew. Then knock out with a bunch of kids and the staff. I can't resist a knock-out game, even if I'm exhausted! the pool we went to yesterday afternoon was on the 4th floor ROOF of a huge shopping mall. incredible. you couldn't even tell it was on the roof. there was a huge lazy river thing that we all played and floated around a bunch of times. I swam with our oldest student, Julia (15), who's quite fluent in English, and it's wonderful to talk to her. And Jina (pronounced like my friend Gina), is in my class and she's sweet. my kids are singing more... we're going to have quite a choir if a couple of those boys can find their head voices. :-) Kalib them by ... Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1309&usr=1596&r=7 http://www.globenotes.com/jennyg Sunday 6th July Birthday of His Holiness the dalai Lama. Today we have a showing of a film taken in India at a meeting between top western scientists and the Dalai Lama. When I see the Dalai lama I feel happy and inspired – everything he does is for the good of other beings, and when I see India I feel a nostalgia to go back there. I thought I was finished with travelling, but maybe…. Just one more trip to India? But not in the same way. I don’t want to go as a tourist, looking at things or for the mental stimulation that travel in India brings, but I do want to go once more to the teachings of the Dalai Lama and the other great Tibetan masters that are living in India. Life at the land of medicine Buddha continues to be most fulfilling. With only five hours of work a day I have lots of time for prayers, meditation, reading and enjoying the swimming pool and the forest, and not many distractions to lead me astray. Our teachings, that were so numerous in the beginning have Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=89&usr=154&r=8 http://www.globenotes.com/petra_nic Zusammenpacken Die Fussballnacht hat uns echt recht mitgenommen und wir schlafen heute ziemlich lange aus. Um 11 Uhr stehen wir dann aber doch noch auf und beginnen unsere 7 Sachen einzupacken. Darauf gehen wir in der Nachbarschaft spazieren, kaufen etwas zu essen und picknicken ganz in der Nähe von Edgars Wohnung. Am Abend gehen wir mit Edgar und seinen Eltern in ein sehr schönes Restaurant. Es hat ein riesiges sehr schön angerichtetes Buffet mit allerlei Gemüse, Salaten und vielen brasilianischen Spezialitäten. Die Kellner bringen an Spiessen ganz verschiedenes gebratenes Fleisch an den Tisch und wir können uns immer wieder aussuchen was wir möchten. Wir essen einmal mehr viel zu viel, doch es ist einfach unwiderstehlich gut und es könnte länger dauern bis wir wieder einmal hier sind... Der Abend ist wirklich ein würdiger Abschluss. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1039&usr=1293&r=9 http://www.globenotes.com/amandablount Hey All!! I uploaded some pics from my new apartment.. enjoy! xo Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1259&usr=665&r=10 http://www.globenotes.com/mezzopiano 12:22 pm. the kids are learning a great deal... the problem comes with assessment (not unlike the USA, unfortunately). today we learned about posessive pronouns his, hers, mine, ours, yours, theirs. during drama time, we "moved to music," sang "I Love You Lord" and "More Love, More Power." we read a story about Daniel and the lion's den and made paper bag puppets. i wondered why my stomach feels like a rock today... but then... Ah HAAA!! it's american food day... a bunch of (very good) homemade waffles for breakfast and spaghetti and hot dogs for lunch. no carbs here. this afternoon is swimming... on one of the upper floors of a huge mall... and we didn't know that swim caps are required. I happened to bring one... should be interesting. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1309&usr=1596&r=11 http://www.globenotes.com/annelie 15.07. und 16.07.2008 Das ist die Feststellung des Tages; ich rauche zu viel. Diese ganzen Maennergeschichten zerren echt an meinen Nerven. MArcos wollte ja am gestrigen 15. morgens um 10 mal wieder reinschaun...naja, aus 10Uhr wurde 11 und auf einmal, nachdem ich schon zwei mal versucht hatte anzuruefen, ruft er an und sagt, es ginge einfach nicht, er haette zu viel mit der Schule zu tun und ueberhaupt, morgen aber ginge es bestimmt...haha, heute ist er nicht aufgetaucht und hat auch nicht angerufen. Ich hasse es. Die Typen hier sind sooo...ich weiss nicht Schloecher. Viola dreht auch am Rad, denn weil sie gestern wohl zu tief ins Glas geschaut hat, ist hr da ein Maloer passiert..fuehr ich hier nicht weiter aus, denn das ist unter uns denk ich...haha, wie die Soap eben: "Unter Uns". Unter uns gesagt hat nur Anna wohl zur Zeit den Jackpot geknackt. Ihr Rodrigo hat im Moment nix weiter vor als mit ihr rumzuhaengen und es gefaellt ihm scheinbar super. Die beiden haben sich ... Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1096&usr=1356&r=12 http://www.globenotes.com/6weeksineurope Thanks for the birthday wishes. I'll try to write more in the next few days. Alison Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1267&usr=172&r=13 http://www.globenotes.com/mezzopiano 5:49pm. of the first day of teaching... 6:45am Teacher devotions and meeting 7:15am Stretch and warm up 7:30 Breakfast 8:10 First class session 9:10 Bathroom 9:15 Second class session 10:15 Recess 10:30 Drama/creative session 11:45 Lunch 1:00 Third class session 2:00 Recreation... golf or swim or sports 3:15 Movie/activity 5:00 Snack and Bible story 6:00 Dinner 7:00 Kids head back to hotel. Teachers meeting. 7:30 Lesson planning/worksheet printing for next day. Wednesday night is church, so dinner is early and church is at 6pm. That's tonight. Eun Joo and I are singing, Juria on piano, other teachers helping kids. I have 6 students, ranging from 8-12 years old. They don't understand anything. I made a bunch of interactive posters... hope to get a picture soon. Kalib arrived last night and we're co-teaching the class, which has already been really good. Nice kids. Got to remember to use my "teacher voice" at appropriate Lord ... Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1309&usr=1596&r=14 http://www.globenotes.com/philandsion The evening we got back from Myella was spent sorting out the rest of our week, and what a balls up it was! We were supposed to be going to Mackay the following day but there were no buses and there were no hostels in our next stop; Airlie Beach. Long story short we spent the day in Rockhampton and got the midnight bus to Airlie, skipping Mackay altogether. Rockhampton was a spread out place with not a lot to do, not good when you have from 10am to midnight to fill! We strolled into town and found an Irish pub that did $10 steaks, that sorted lunch out... although a little weird coming from a cattle ranch. We then hiked to the Botanical Gardens that were 4kms out of town. It was so hot and it took forever, they were worth it though. The gardens were very peaceful and gorgeously colourful. There was a fernery there that had been erected nearly 100 years ago which was in the shape of a celtic cross. There was also a free zoo but it was a little cramped and not very nice after ... Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1171&usr=1456&r=15 http://www.globenotes.com/vietnamexperience Well, once again, we are online - and i have decided its time we updated this page - which to be honest hasnt happened as often as i planned... Anyway, we are back this morning from a 5 hour motorbike tour - where JJ has suffered some pretty bad sunburn - but im sure the drams will sort it out...lol The cruise was simply amazing - and our tour guide Mr Khan was excellent - he was singing us songs and p[art taking in a few merry drinks too..lol. More shall be divulged once we get home...haha... We met another scottish person too - Natalie Roy - who has been travelling for 1 and a half years, and i must say - we all loved the banter.. We have been at some spa / mud bath place today, where they can naturaly cook eggs in water at 82oC.. Its been the hotest day of the holiday here in Vung Tau today, with minumim temps at 36oC - fairly hot.. We have met Mai and Mouse (who JJ an Liam know from before) and have had a few excellent days to add to the two adventure weeks we have all ... Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1240&usr=1521&r=16 http://www.globenotes.com/philandsion Beep BEEP Beep BEEP Beep BEEP... 5:30am, time to get up. It was freezing at that time in the morning despite having moved further up the coast and being positioned on the Tropic of Capricorn. At half 6 the Myella courtesy bus pulled up outside our hostel. Peter, a one eyed man in his seventies, introduced himself and we loaded up and got on our way. Myella is 150km inland and the closest we're going to get to the 'outback'. We decided to do this farm stay after seeing a flier for it in Noosa. There are two rights of passage for a backpacker going up the east coast; one, driving around Fraser Island and two, sailing the Whitsunday Islands, we decided to be different and do neither... plus this one had the promise of "red dirt" - that sold it for us! The farm is 5km by 2km and used primarily for the 350 beef cows and now also as a farm stay. When we arrived it was 8am and still freezing. Olive, Peter's wife organised us into rooms and were branded - ... Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1171&usr=1456&r=17 http://www.globenotes.com/mezzopiano 4:48 sawatee kaa! (good morning and hello, said with hands together and slight bow forward.. If I was a guy, I'd say "sawatee khrup") the korean helpers and some BGIS (bangkok grace international school) students had a poster making marathon yesterday... to decorate the cafeteria walls, and our classroom doors. their artwork is amazing, very cartoony/anime-esque but very elegant at the same time. did a marathon "worship song tab" cutting and pasting yesterday... juria put those files into a worship book for the students. josh is organizing the sunday and wednesday church services and I'm picking songs. students arrived late last night, and showed up at the school around 9 for breakfast. they are korean students, sent here for english immersion. 23 kids, ranging from 3rd through 9th grade, and they know lots of english already. taught them how to play and say "frisbee" and "knock out." well, the 18 boys are more ... Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1309&usr=1596&r=18 http://www.globenotes.com/annelie 12.,13. und 14.07.2008 Also am Samstag waren wir abends noch im Kino und in Guate essen. Das kIno war spaet. Sex and the City der film und wir waren erst um etwa 10 vor eins morgens wieder in Anigua. Am Sonntag dann war echt nix besonderes, ausser, dass ich David aus Xela wiedergetroffen habe. Er ist samt seiner gesamten Familie angereist, inclusive Nachbarn. Alles Indigenas und manche sprechen nur Quiche. Naja, sie waren ueber ein paar Fotos die ich gemacht habe und die ich dann direkt ausdrucken habe lassen total aus dem Haeusschen und sind dann in drei Kirchen hierin Antigua gerannt- mit mir. Ich war erleichtert, als alle weg waren. Das war ganz schoen anstrengend. Naja aber auch echt nett, dass der David sich immerwieder mal meldet und sich bemueht mich zu sehen. Dann habe ich Sonja getroffen, wir sind zum Essen in ein arabisches restaurant gegangen und da kam noch Viola dazu, die in Panajachel ("Bechamel" oder auch Pana-Chanel") ein gutes Wochenende hatte, dass ... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1096&usr=1356&r=19 http://www.globenotes.com/jules2409 Yep we're in Sydney but this is where it ends, it is proving too difficult to finding places to logon and when I do there isn't always USB capability (like now!) so you'll have to wait until we're home to here about the rest! If I find in Queenstown our apartment has wifi then maybe but otherwise see you in two weeks!!! Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Travel Blog http://www.globenotes.com/diary.aspx?log=1292&usr=1579&r=20