Wow, hadn't realized how much time had passed since I last updated everyone! What can I say........!
The big Family party was amazing! The setting was an old Country Hotel which we more or less had to ourselves and was like a setting for an Agatha Christie book.Everyone was in their best bib and tucker, and after a round of bubbles we sat down to a sumptuous meal and many hours of banter and some story telling.
As the Hamblin clan descended on Wimborne we vacated our rooms at Mums to make room for some of the others and based ourselves in Weymouth with big brother, Colin. The weather was hot and sunny so we made the most of it and had a family surfing lesson.... fantastic even if I was the only member of the family who didn't get onto my feet, and of course I haven't been allowed to forget it! The outfit was run by a Kiwi who was very pleased to have some fellow countrymen and woman to teach. I am hoping to have another go this week so I can keep up with the others!
Some other Kiwis from Cambridge got in touch and we ended up meeting them at Stonehenge. I think I had been there as a child but didn't really remember it. Quite a surreal place despite the people but the boys weren't impressed that it is all roped off and you can't climb on the stones.
Weymouth is the quintessential English seaside town with its promenade backed by a Georgian Terrace, deckchairs for hire and donkey rides. On a summers day there is no room on the beach, but in the early evening light when all the grockles have gone it is quite beautiful with sailing boats in the bay and the white cliffs to the east. I like the harbour where there is always something happening with all the boats and people and funny little houses along the edges. There has been alot of upgrading going on in and around the town as Wemouth is to be the sailing venue in the 2012 Olympic Games. Chesil Beach is an impressive and unique geographical feature. Nearly 11 miles long, it is a huge bank of pebbles with an area of water behind it called the Fleet. Fishermen can find their position by the size of the stones which vary greatly along the bank. On a stormy day the sound of the stones as they roll back down in the backwash is more of a roar!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wales
Q: How do you get two whales in a Mini?
A: Over the severn bridge!
We used to love that joke when we were kids, but when my kids hadn't heard of the Severn Bridge, or the River Severn for that matter it didn't have quite the same effect! Of course now there are 2 bridges across the Severn and Dad tells me that the new one is the most magnificant bridge in Europe!
Anyway off we went over the old bridge and into Wales (had also told the boys that they would need there passports but they didn't fall for that one)! To start with we noticed that the road signs wer in English with the Welsh written underneath, but the further into Wales that we got, the Welsh was at the top! We stayed in the Brecon Beacons National Park and our Welsh Long House was on a hill looking across to the Black Mountains. We were a long way from any towns down impossibly narrow lanes, onto a dirt track and over a ford....Brilliant! We did go into a couple of the nearest towns, but 3 of them all started with Ll, Llandeilo, Llangadog and Llandovery. Not suprisingly we got quite confused as to where we were!
It was a great week, with lots of walking including taking the Boys up onto Pen y fan (about 3000ft) where the SAS do alot of their training. The area is also a place where the Red Kite birds of prey have made a comeback from near extinction. It is a beautiful bird with a 2m wingspan and distinctive forked tail.Hundreds of breeding pairs are now thriving in Wales and we had 2 to watch every day out infront of the house!
This part of Wales is relatively unknown and is so beautiful and yet it is so close to the heavily populated "Valleys" area.
We came back to England over the New bridge and boy as that impressive!
The interesting thing was we one only had to pay a toll going into Wales, but not coming back out!
A: Over the severn bridge!
We used to love that joke when we were kids, but when my kids hadn't heard of the Severn Bridge, or the River Severn for that matter it didn't have quite the same effect! Of course now there are 2 bridges across the Severn and Dad tells me that the new one is the most magnificant bridge in Europe!
Anyway off we went over the old bridge and into Wales (had also told the boys that they would need there passports but they didn't fall for that one)! To start with we noticed that the road signs wer in English with the Welsh written underneath, but the further into Wales that we got, the Welsh was at the top! We stayed in the Brecon Beacons National Park and our Welsh Long House was on a hill looking across to the Black Mountains. We were a long way from any towns down impossibly narrow lanes, onto a dirt track and over a ford....Brilliant! We did go into a couple of the nearest towns, but 3 of them all started with Ll, Llandeilo, Llangadog and Llandovery. Not suprisingly we got quite confused as to where we were!
It was a great week, with lots of walking including taking the Boys up onto Pen y fan (about 3000ft) where the SAS do alot of their training. The area is also a place where the Red Kite birds of prey have made a comeback from near extinction. It is a beautiful bird with a 2m wingspan and distinctive forked tail.Hundreds of breeding pairs are now thriving in Wales and we had 2 to watch every day out infront of the house!
This part of Wales is relatively unknown and is so beautiful and yet it is so close to the heavily populated "Valleys" area.
We came back to England over the New bridge and boy as that impressive!
The interesting thing was we one only had to pay a toll going into Wales, but not coming back out!
Birthdays
Its official, I now have a 10 year old! We were very pleasred with ourselves as we managed to throw a suprise party for Lachie. All I had to do was get him out of the house for a while and what better excuse than having to buy new clothes for Grandpas party..........and he fell for it! Left Nikki, Erin and the others to blow up balloons etc and BINGO....
Quite a laugh when it came to pass the parcel and we didn't have a CD player. Sam volunteered to hum tunes from behind the sofa so we had everything from the Dr Who theme to music from Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond.
On Friday Dad turned 80! When you reach that milestone you are allowed more than 1 party, so on Friday it was the turn of his old friends, better known as "the Grumpy Old Men" and their better halves! It was a lovely lunch and good for us to see so many of the old faces from our childhood. Colin and I had raided the old photo boxes and put a couple of boards together. We found some great shots of Dad as a teenager and of him doing what he loved, hiking and climbing in places like North Wales. We also dug out some of National service days and his posting to Hong Kong!
Next weekend it is the turn of the family, including us 5 children and most of the Grandchildren. It will be the first time that we have all been together for 8 years so will be a very special weekend. So special that I have even been out and bought a frock (with the guidance of my niece)!
Quite a laugh when it came to pass the parcel and we didn't have a CD player. Sam volunteered to hum tunes from behind the sofa so we had everything from the Dr Who theme to music from Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond.
On Friday Dad turned 80! When you reach that milestone you are allowed more than 1 party, so on Friday it was the turn of his old friends, better known as "the Grumpy Old Men" and their better halves! It was a lovely lunch and good for us to see so many of the old faces from our childhood. Colin and I had raided the old photo boxes and put a couple of boards together. We found some great shots of Dad as a teenager and of him doing what he loved, hiking and climbing in places like North Wales. We also dug out some of National service days and his posting to Hong Kong!
Next weekend it is the turn of the family, including us 5 children and most of the Grandchildren. It will be the first time that we have all been together for 8 years so will be a very special weekend. So special that I have even been out and bought a frock (with the guidance of my niece)!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Ships: New and old
Had a great day in Portsmouth this week.....don't think I've ever been there before!
So much to see and do and a day was not enough. First onboard HMS Warrior, the first part iron, part wood and part sail, part steam battle ship. When she was launched in 1860 she was the largest, fastest and most powerful warship in the world. Now I wasn't sure if I was really going to enjoy Portsmouth, but I was Soooooooo impressed with Warrior and her 40 canons that I couldn't wait to move on the The Mary Rose and HMS Victory! If truth be told, I could see that historically the Mary Rose was impressive, but there really isn't that much left of her.
Victory was a different story, you could stand in the very spot where Nelson fell in 1805, and go right down into the hold and imagine the living conditions of the sailors; not nice! I read about the punishments dished out on a regular basis that kept the crew on task and disciplined. Apparently for stealing, 600 lashes were seen as appropriate. However because not many people could cope with 600 in one go,they often dished out 200 at a time with a break of 2 weeks in between. Imagine the anticipation/horror of knowing your next 200 were coming up!
We also had a harbour trip and there were about 20 present day Royal Navy ships in and I got a bit carried away with the photo taking. I did note that nobody seemed to mind me taking photos of any of them, even the newest and most up to date stealth ship....HMS Daring! (in Chile I was advised not to take photos of their fleet). There were also 2 aircraft carriers, Invinsible and Ark Royal, very impressive up close!
There was also an interactive centre called Action Stations where you could do things like fly a helicopter simulator and do Royal Marine fitness and agility tests......the boys loved the rotating climbing wall which tilted back and forth and just kept going until you fell off! Lachie has now decided that he wants to fly helicopters when he grows up!!!!!
What we didn't have time for was the Submarine museum, D-Day museum, and Royal Marine museum, so guess what, we are going back again!
So much to see and do and a day was not enough. First onboard HMS Warrior, the first part iron, part wood and part sail, part steam battle ship. When she was launched in 1860 she was the largest, fastest and most powerful warship in the world. Now I wasn't sure if I was really going to enjoy Portsmouth, but I was Soooooooo impressed with Warrior and her 40 canons that I couldn't wait to move on the The Mary Rose and HMS Victory! If truth be told, I could see that historically the Mary Rose was impressive, but there really isn't that much left of her.
Victory was a different story, you could stand in the very spot where Nelson fell in 1805, and go right down into the hold and imagine the living conditions of the sailors; not nice! I read about the punishments dished out on a regular basis that kept the crew on task and disciplined. Apparently for stealing, 600 lashes were seen as appropriate. However because not many people could cope with 600 in one go,they often dished out 200 at a time with a break of 2 weeks in between. Imagine the anticipation/horror of knowing your next 200 were coming up!
We also had a harbour trip and there were about 20 present day Royal Navy ships in and I got a bit carried away with the photo taking. I did note that nobody seemed to mind me taking photos of any of them, even the newest and most up to date stealth ship....HMS Daring! (in Chile I was advised not to take photos of their fleet). There were also 2 aircraft carriers, Invinsible and Ark Royal, very impressive up close!
There was also an interactive centre called Action Stations where you could do things like fly a helicopter simulator and do Royal Marine fitness and agility tests......the boys loved the rotating climbing wall which tilted back and forth and just kept going until you fell off! Lachie has now decided that he wants to fly helicopters when he grows up!!!!!
What we didn't have time for was the Submarine museum, D-Day museum, and Royal Marine museum, so guess what, we are going back again!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Catch-Up
We seem to have had a busy couple of weeks involving Legoland, a 21st birthday and a trip to Cornwall.
Legoland was fantastic......even for us adults. It was priceless to see the looks of sheer excitement on the faces of L and S as they literaly ran from one thing to another. The work that had gone into the building of some of the models was incredible. We found out that there are 6 full-time model makers and another 2 part-timers! I want that job!!! There was a life-size Darth Vader and an enormous Pharaoh amongst other things and of course Sams favourite ride was the one that involved getting very wet.
3 years ago when I was last here I was able to help Nikki celebrate her 18th and last week it was her 21st! How time flies! Her coach, CP, is enjoying the UK so much they are staying an extra week before heading to Belgium. N and fellow athlete, Erin are making the most of the endless footpaths and bridleways that allow them to stay off the roads. Graham was invited to do their long run with them and didn't do too badly.....reckons they covered 25km in 1hr 40, with a few stops to read the map! N very kindly came with her Mum and I on our run, but she did ride her bike and threatened to ride into the back of us if we slowed down too much!
We had a lovely long weekend just inside Cornwall, near Tavistock with Colin, Pam and the athletes.
The athletes had a track session in Plymouth on the Saturday, so the rest of us went too and some helped with time keeping while the sensible ones went and found a coffee (still not up tp NZ standards but 100 times better than Chilean)! Later we headed to The Hoe, where Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls as he spotted the Spanish Armada. Supposedly he finished his game and then headed off to sink most of the Spanish ships. Interestingly, seen as a hero by the English, while we were in Chile he was described as the biggest pirate to sail the seas!
We found a fabulous cheese shop in Tavistock and were able to sample before we made any decisions. We couldn't resist the one called Stinky Bishop and of course had to have some proper Stilton.
Being as far west as we were we decided to continue on to Falmouth to stay with some old friends who moved down there 3 or 4 years ago. We had a great time and had a look at St Michael Mount. We managed to get across to it via the causeway, but then the tide came in so we had to get the boat back!
We also managed to fit in the Eden Project which we all enjoyed. We spotted all sorts of NZ natives and loved the tropical biosphere (and not just because it was warm).
Back in Dorset now and Saturday involved 3 generations of Hamblin girls on a shopping trip! Need I say more except that one of my neices has incredible shopping stamina and that Grandma coped very well! Afterwards we met up with all the men (and boys), and took over the local Italian restaurant.
Today we hit the beach and the temperature hit 26 degrees. It must have been warm because even I swam and realised that the last time I swam in the sea was on Easter Island and it seemed such a long time ago. The boys did comment on the number of other people on the beach and my reply was, just wait till its school holidays!
Legoland was fantastic......even for us adults. It was priceless to see the looks of sheer excitement on the faces of L and S as they literaly ran from one thing to another. The work that had gone into the building of some of the models was incredible. We found out that there are 6 full-time model makers and another 2 part-timers! I want that job!!! There was a life-size Darth Vader and an enormous Pharaoh amongst other things and of course Sams favourite ride was the one that involved getting very wet.
3 years ago when I was last here I was able to help Nikki celebrate her 18th and last week it was her 21st! How time flies! Her coach, CP, is enjoying the UK so much they are staying an extra week before heading to Belgium. N and fellow athlete, Erin are making the most of the endless footpaths and bridleways that allow them to stay off the roads. Graham was invited to do their long run with them and didn't do too badly.....reckons they covered 25km in 1hr 40, with a few stops to read the map! N very kindly came with her Mum and I on our run, but she did ride her bike and threatened to ride into the back of us if we slowed down too much!
We had a lovely long weekend just inside Cornwall, near Tavistock with Colin, Pam and the athletes.
The athletes had a track session in Plymouth on the Saturday, so the rest of us went too and some helped with time keeping while the sensible ones went and found a coffee (still not up tp NZ standards but 100 times better than Chilean)! Later we headed to The Hoe, where Sir Francis Drake was playing bowls as he spotted the Spanish Armada. Supposedly he finished his game and then headed off to sink most of the Spanish ships. Interestingly, seen as a hero by the English, while we were in Chile he was described as the biggest pirate to sail the seas!
We found a fabulous cheese shop in Tavistock and were able to sample before we made any decisions. We couldn't resist the one called Stinky Bishop and of course had to have some proper Stilton.
Being as far west as we were we decided to continue on to Falmouth to stay with some old friends who moved down there 3 or 4 years ago. We had a great time and had a look at St Michael Mount. We managed to get across to it via the causeway, but then the tide came in so we had to get the boat back!
We also managed to fit in the Eden Project which we all enjoyed. We spotted all sorts of NZ natives and loved the tropical biosphere (and not just because it was warm).
Back in Dorset now and Saturday involved 3 generations of Hamblin girls on a shopping trip! Need I say more except that one of my neices has incredible shopping stamina and that Grandma coped very well! Afterwards we met up with all the men (and boys), and took over the local Italian restaurant.
Today we hit the beach and the temperature hit 26 degrees. It must have been warm because even I swam and realised that the last time I swam in the sea was on Easter Island and it seemed such a long time ago. The boys did comment on the number of other people on the beach and my reply was, just wait till its school holidays!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Daleks & Cybermen
We went to the Dr. Who exhibition in Coventry. The Tardis was there. Behind the Tardis was the Empress of the Racnoss, which is a giant spider with a human head and body. It was huge and moved up and down. Then there were pilot fish dressed up as Santa Clauses with flamethrowers disguised as trombones and Christmas bauble grenades.
The Slitheen were behind that with the damaged part of Big Ben after they hit it with their spaceship which was piloted by a pig.
The Ood were there. They were in a space capsule and it showed how they made the heads and faces for the costumes. One Ood talked if you pressed a button. Then there was the werewolf from "Tooth & Claw". The scarecrows from "The family of blood".
There were also Sontarans with their guns and helmets and muscle disablers.
There were others but Lachie & I got a real fright when we pushed the red button in front of the Cybermen, who came to life and wanted to delete us. The Cyber-controller was in there with them.
But the scariest one of all was the Daleks. Lachie & I hid around the corner and watched as they wanted to exterminate us. They blew out lots of smoke and green lasers came out of their exterminater guns and shone through the smoke. Just when that was over, Davros the creator of the Daleks came to life behind us and said some things.
sam
The Slitheen were behind that with the damaged part of Big Ben after they hit it with their spaceship which was piloted by a pig.
The Ood were there. They were in a space capsule and it showed how they made the heads and faces for the costumes. One Ood talked if you pressed a button. Then there was the werewolf from "Tooth & Claw". The scarecrows from "The family of blood".
There were also Sontarans with their guns and helmets and muscle disablers.
There were others but Lachie & I got a real fright when we pushed the red button in front of the Cybermen, who came to life and wanted to delete us. The Cyber-controller was in there with them.
But the scariest one of all was the Daleks. Lachie & I hid around the corner and watched as they wanted to exterminate us. They blew out lots of smoke and green lasers came out of their exterminater guns and shone through the smoke. Just when that was over, Davros the creator of the Daleks came to life behind us and said some things.
sam
Legoland in England.
Hello everyone.
Sorry that we haven't written on here in a while but there has been so much to do here.We have just been to Legoland where there are rides and attractions all based on lego!There were Viking water rides,roller coasters,driving school and a ride through an 'Egyptian tomb' where you blast lights with lasers in a dark tunnel!And the great thing was that we stayed the night in a hotel not far from Legoland so we could do it again thenext day!
Lachie.
Sorry that we haven't written on here in a while but there has been so much to do here.We have just been to Legoland where there are rides and attractions all based on lego!There were Viking water rides,roller coasters,driving school and a ride through an 'Egyptian tomb' where you blast lights with lasers in a dark tunnel!And the great thing was that we stayed the night in a hotel not far from Legoland so we could do it again thenext day!
Lachie.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
England so far
Having a wonderful time here, doing all the English things. The boys spent the weekend with their Uncle Colin, so Jane & I took in Exetor. The centre of town is surrounded by a wall that dates back to Roman times and has a canal system that was built in the 1600's. This enabled the boats to bypass the weir that was built by a local duchess 350 years earlier, so she could tax all the goods that were unloaded.
Also had a pint in the Ship Inn, which was apparently the favourite watering hole of Sir Francis Drake. The English believe him a true patriot and capable sailor. The Chileans regard him as the biggest pirate to captain a ship following his exploits off their coast.
On the way home we stopped at Lyme Regis for crab sandwiches and high tea with scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream.
Also had some time up in the Lake District. Beautiful countryside and not too many tourists. Dogs everywhere, although in contrast to Chile, they all seemed to have owners nearby. Couldn't quite cope with two labradors in the public library. They were blocking the sports section and thought I had come to play with them. Their owner carried on reading...
Skipton castle was fantastic. Started in 1090 and added to over the years, it is one of the finest examples of a Norman castle. 4m thick at the base and one of the few to hold out against Cromwell during the civil war. We got down into the dungeon and it really was not a nice place. Dark, deep and no sanitation. At least the upstairs loos overhung the moat.
Had a highly cultural visit to the James Bond museum which had only been open 3 weeks. The caretaker took a shine to us (most Brits seem to have an NZ connection somewhere, or a desire to emigrate there!) and so we got a few extras. The boys got to dress up in Commander Bond's jacket and naval cap and sit on the wetbike brandishing a silenced Walther PPK. We all go to sit in the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish with the twin shotguns poking out the bonnet.
Dropped in to see Jo & Phil, our friends who help run a boarding house at Rugby school. Saw the plaque and statue of Willie Webb Ellis.
Also caught up with Jane's brother Andrew and his wife Karen, the vicar. She insisted on taking us to The Abbey. Fortunately it has been converted into a pub.
I will leave the boys to tell you all about Legoland and the Dr. Who exhibition.
Also had a pint in the Ship Inn, which was apparently the favourite watering hole of Sir Francis Drake. The English believe him a true patriot and capable sailor. The Chileans regard him as the biggest pirate to captain a ship following his exploits off their coast.
On the way home we stopped at Lyme Regis for crab sandwiches and high tea with scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream.
Also had some time up in the Lake District. Beautiful countryside and not too many tourists. Dogs everywhere, although in contrast to Chile, they all seemed to have owners nearby. Couldn't quite cope with two labradors in the public library. They were blocking the sports section and thought I had come to play with them. Their owner carried on reading...
Skipton castle was fantastic. Started in 1090 and added to over the years, it is one of the finest examples of a Norman castle. 4m thick at the base and one of the few to hold out against Cromwell during the civil war. We got down into the dungeon and it really was not a nice place. Dark, deep and no sanitation. At least the upstairs loos overhung the moat.
Had a highly cultural visit to the James Bond museum which had only been open 3 weeks. The caretaker took a shine to us (most Brits seem to have an NZ connection somewhere, or a desire to emigrate there!) and so we got a few extras. The boys got to dress up in Commander Bond's jacket and naval cap and sit on the wetbike brandishing a silenced Walther PPK. We all go to sit in the Aston Martin V12 Vanquish with the twin shotguns poking out the bonnet.
Dropped in to see Jo & Phil, our friends who help run a boarding house at Rugby school. Saw the plaque and statue of Willie Webb Ellis.
Also caught up with Jane's brother Andrew and his wife Karen, the vicar. She insisted on taking us to The Abbey. Fortunately it has been converted into a pub.
I will leave the boys to tell you all about Legoland and the Dr. Who exhibition.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
We have just loved being up here in "the North". Graham was even heard to say that if we lived in the UK he could quite happily settle in this part!!!!! Even if he does refer to The Lake District as the Puddle District!
I have been in my element......taking the family to lots of old haunts I remember from all the holidays we had up here when I was growing up.
Of course our timing is perfect, with the school holidays being over and the weather has been great......1 day with rain in 2 weeks....unheard of!
We took a ride on the very scenic Settle to Carlisle railway which cuts a track over the moors and Dales with the help of viaducts and tunnels. The famous one is the Ribblesdale Viaduct with 24 arches, a masterpiece in engineering. The following day we drove up to have a proper look: very impressive.
Another day I took us to Malham, a Physical Geographers dream! It is Limestone country and within an 8km circular walk you get to see Gordale Scar with its towering sides, then up onto the Limestone Pavement and then down to take in Malham Cove and watch the climbers in action. Unfortunately we missed out on seeing the Peregrin Falcons that are nesting in the cliff, but read all about them in the visiters center.
We all decided we liked the "pavement" best although Sam renamed it "the Devils Cracks"!
We found out that a brand new James Bond Expedition had just opened in Keswick so that became a must see! Very good, with lots of the original vehicles on show. The curator was a very friendly guy who let the boys sit on the Water Bike and put on the blazer and Navy hat that Sean Connery had worn and then they + Graham got to sit in the Aston Martin Vanquish! That was definately the highlight of their day!
I have been in my element......taking the family to lots of old haunts I remember from all the holidays we had up here when I was growing up.
Of course our timing is perfect, with the school holidays being over and the weather has been great......1 day with rain in 2 weeks....unheard of!
We took a ride on the very scenic Settle to Carlisle railway which cuts a track over the moors and Dales with the help of viaducts and tunnels. The famous one is the Ribblesdale Viaduct with 24 arches, a masterpiece in engineering. The following day we drove up to have a proper look: very impressive.
Another day I took us to Malham, a Physical Geographers dream! It is Limestone country and within an 8km circular walk you get to see Gordale Scar with its towering sides, then up onto the Limestone Pavement and then down to take in Malham Cove and watch the climbers in action. Unfortunately we missed out on seeing the Peregrin Falcons that are nesting in the cliff, but read all about them in the visiters center.
We all decided we liked the "pavement" best although Sam renamed it "the Devils Cracks"!
We found out that a brand new James Bond Expedition had just opened in Keswick so that became a must see! Very good, with lots of the original vehicles on show. The curator was a very friendly guy who let the boys sit on the Water Bike and put on the blazer and Navy hat that Sean Connery had worn and then they + Graham got to sit in the Aston Martin Vanquish! That was definately the highlight of their day!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
UK
As we came into land at Heathrow it was a little distressing to hear the Captain tell us it was 5 degrees on the ground!!!!
Luckily we'd put our fleeces in an accesible spot so on they went.......it may have been 5 degrees but it felt like less!
Great to get down to Wimborne and catch up with family. The boys had a ball with their Uncle Colin who had them for a couple of days and took them to the Tank Museum open day and the Air Museum. Rumour is that Colin had to lie down at the end of each day to recover from the constant bombardment of questions from his nephews!
We have now headed north via Rugby to have a cuppa with friends and then Long Eaton to stay with my other brother.
Now we are in Kirkby Lonsdale, on the edge of the Lakes and have my sister's house for 2 weeks. It is a brilliant spot and perfect for exploring the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. We have had 3 days of warm sunny weather and so have been out and about to Lake Windermere and Lake Coniston.
Luckily we'd put our fleeces in an accesible spot so on they went.......it may have been 5 degrees but it felt like less!
Great to get down to Wimborne and catch up with family. The boys had a ball with their Uncle Colin who had them for a couple of days and took them to the Tank Museum open day and the Air Museum. Rumour is that Colin had to lie down at the end of each day to recover from the constant bombardment of questions from his nephews!
We have now headed north via Rugby to have a cuppa with friends and then Long Eaton to stay with my other brother.
Now we are in Kirkby Lonsdale, on the edge of the Lakes and have my sister's house for 2 weeks. It is a brilliant spot and perfect for exploring the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. We have had 3 days of warm sunny weather and so have been out and about to Lake Windermere and Lake Coniston.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Buenos Aires
We were all sad to say goodbye to Chile and have decided that we will definately go back some time. The flight from Santiago to B A was impressive in that it took us 40mins to cross the Andes and the skys were clear so we got to see how vast they really were.
We loved B A! It is a beautiful city with lovely colonial buildings and wide avenues. The main road through the centre is 9 lanes each way and they don't drive slowly. We crossed it a few times with the help of pedestrian crossings...... it took a while! We had booked a hostel ahead and found it to be very central. each morning we went back to the same cafe and had coffee, hot chocolate and Medialunas (croissants). We managed to find our way to the presidents palace which was lovely and I told the boys about Evita and of course finished with singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"! (Not too loudly).
We thought the Chileans loved their meat, but they have nothing on the Argentians. We ate at a couple of places, the second of which had a mixed grill for 2 or 4 on the menu. Graham was keen to go for the 4 person version, but I suggested perhaps 2 person would be enough. Well it arrived on its own bed of hot embers and we couldn't finish it. Steak, chops, sausages, ribs, kidneys, black pudding, liver, chicken and pork. (We didn't tell the boys what all the offal and black pudding was until afterwards!)
We wandered the streets at night and there was so much going on from street markets to demonstration marches which are apparently occur on a weekly basis and nobody really seems to know what anyone is demonstrating about. One man offered to braid Graham's hair. Until he took his hat off.
We had a day at a very old fashioned zoo. But at least were able to see some of the South American wildlife up close.
A word about the Argentinian drivers......
I had a terrifying drive from the centre of B A to the airport (26 km). One of the driver's techniques was to drive down the centreline between the fastest 2 lanes. This gave him the option of going left or right as he hit the traffic ahead. We are not sure what the speed limit was but at times in heavy traffic we hit 140kph. Oh, and there was a red engine light on and the petrol gauge read E! No seatbelts in the back either! Graham had one in the front and was oblivious to my terror in the back. That was until we exited at the airport and I had a meltdown!
We loved B A! It is a beautiful city with lovely colonial buildings and wide avenues. The main road through the centre is 9 lanes each way and they don't drive slowly. We crossed it a few times with the help of pedestrian crossings...... it took a while! We had booked a hostel ahead and found it to be very central. each morning we went back to the same cafe and had coffee, hot chocolate and Medialunas (croissants). We managed to find our way to the presidents palace which was lovely and I told the boys about Evita and of course finished with singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"! (Not too loudly).
We thought the Chileans loved their meat, but they have nothing on the Argentians. We ate at a couple of places, the second of which had a mixed grill for 2 or 4 on the menu. Graham was keen to go for the 4 person version, but I suggested perhaps 2 person would be enough. Well it arrived on its own bed of hot embers and we couldn't finish it. Steak, chops, sausages, ribs, kidneys, black pudding, liver, chicken and pork. (We didn't tell the boys what all the offal and black pudding was until afterwards!)
We wandered the streets at night and there was so much going on from street markets to demonstration marches which are apparently occur on a weekly basis and nobody really seems to know what anyone is demonstrating about. One man offered to braid Graham's hair. Until he took his hat off.
We had a day at a very old fashioned zoo. But at least were able to see some of the South American wildlife up close.
A word about the Argentinian drivers......
I had a terrifying drive from the centre of B A to the airport (26 km). One of the driver's techniques was to drive down the centreline between the fastest 2 lanes. This gave him the option of going left or right as he hit the traffic ahead. We are not sure what the speed limit was but at times in heavy traffic we hit 140kph. Oh, and there was a red engine light on and the petrol gauge read E! No seatbelts in the back either! Graham had one in the front and was oblivious to my terror in the back. That was until we exited at the airport and I had a meltdown!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Adios Chile
Spending our last weekend in Chile in the Vibrant, colourful city of Valparaiso. Our b and b is perched on one of the many hills of the city with an amazing view of the city and the harbour. There are 8 naval ships anchored just below us and many of the houses are brightly coloured in blues and yellows and reds. There seem to be hundreds of buses which career around the streets and make crossing the road very interesting. the city is kind of like Wellington on Speed!
Talking of buses. We have had some hilarious adventures on the local buses elsewhere in Chile. Like the time we hopped on the local bus instead of the express and ended up taking 3 hours and stopping at every little bus stop and house and tree and dog and telephone pole on the way to where we were going. The same journey by car was an hour. This was also the time when Graham decided to adopt some cost cutting tactics by only buying 2 seats, which meant the boys had to sit on our knees when the bus was full. No problem until the last 30 minutes. Lachie and Sam have both put on weight!!!
We also got on a local bus to get out to the Speights. It had about 30 seats so when it got to 45 passengers on board, the sales people started to arrive and push their way down the bus. Vegetables, fruit, biscuits, ice creams, newspapers, you name it. We had grocery shopping and the boys on our knees again and I may have mentioned that the Chilean people tend to be short, so legroom on the bus was minimal. It also meant our faces were at butt height. Just when we thought it was time to go, a busker walked on and proceeded to serenade us all with guitar and vocals. Just as well he was awful as we couldn´t have got to our pockets if we had tried. This was the one rainy day we have had in Chile. The bus steamed up something wicked. And could we see our stop? No way. We accidently got off about 1 km early which was a worry because there were no verges to walk on. We had to fight our way through the blackberry on the side of the road in between waiting for a break in the traffic to sprint down the highway. And having to look both ways in case their was some maniac overtaking behind us. ALl part of the experience!!!
Talking of buses. We have had some hilarious adventures on the local buses elsewhere in Chile. Like the time we hopped on the local bus instead of the express and ended up taking 3 hours and stopping at every little bus stop and house and tree and dog and telephone pole on the way to where we were going. The same journey by car was an hour. This was also the time when Graham decided to adopt some cost cutting tactics by only buying 2 seats, which meant the boys had to sit on our knees when the bus was full. No problem until the last 30 minutes. Lachie and Sam have both put on weight!!!
We also got on a local bus to get out to the Speights. It had about 30 seats so when it got to 45 passengers on board, the sales people started to arrive and push their way down the bus. Vegetables, fruit, biscuits, ice creams, newspapers, you name it. We had grocery shopping and the boys on our knees again and I may have mentioned that the Chilean people tend to be short, so legroom on the bus was minimal. It also meant our faces were at butt height. Just when we thought it was time to go, a busker walked on and proceeded to serenade us all with guitar and vocals. Just as well he was awful as we couldn´t have got to our pockets if we had tried. This was the one rainy day we have had in Chile. The bus steamed up something wicked. And could we see our stop? No way. We accidently got off about 1 km early which was a worry because there were no verges to walk on. We had to fight our way through the blackberry on the side of the road in between waiting for a break in the traffic to sprint down the highway. And having to look both ways in case their was some maniac overtaking behind us. ALl part of the experience!!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Catch Up!
Where do I start!
Well forgot to report on the Observatory trip. It was extremely worthwhile! We had an English speaking guide and an expert Astronomer to give us a taste of Star Gazing!
The moon was fairly bright, which meant we could have a really good look at it and the boys were able to take photos of it through the telescope! We also saw Saturn with its rings and its moon Titan. We saw the Orion Nebula, which is a star factory and a close up of one of the southern cross stars which is a binary star. The guy was really good with the boys and made sure that they saw everything and was very impressed when Lachie knew what Saturns moon was called.
I finally had a go driving and found it wasn´t as bad as I had expected. We were on a pretty rough dirt road and at one point I don´t think Graham appreciated my rally driving skills....... Still he only grabbed the wheel once. Personally I couldn´t see what the problem was! I did have to stop quite suddenly going up a hill when we spotted LLamas very near the road and wanted photos! Oh and then a Chilean Fox ran across the road, so it turned into quite an eventful drive!
After La Serena we drove about 100km south to a place where thee are Thermal Pools. There was accomodation so we decided to stay and made use of the hot baths and cool swimming pool. We met the owner who was very interesting. Firstly when he found out we were from NZ he insisted on giving us a discount. This was because he had gone to an English school in Santiago and his headmaster was a Kiwi! But wait, theres more. It turns out this Kiwi with the surname Lowe, was the photographer on the Hillary Everest expedition! This chilean Ronald, took up photography and about 40 years ago spent 6 months living with and photographing a tribe of Head Shrinkers in the Amazon Jungle! So guess what the boys had a lesson in that day..... Head Shrinking. Now I don´t think they would have learned about that in school! Turns out its quite a simple process but I´ll let he boys fill you in on the details.
We are now about 30km south of Los Vilos staying in a wonderful little fishing village called Pichidengui. The summer season is over so we are about the only tourists here. There is a little dairy and a Pastelaria that sells bread and the yummiest Empanadas we have had so far. We can buy fish straight off the boats although we have no idea what kind of fish it is, but it is delicious. There is a great rocky headland so lots of rock hopping has been done and a beautiful beach for walking on and swimming for those of our group who are part polar bear!
We went all day yesterday not realising that the clocks had gone back here in Chile! We found out quite by accident and were glad this wasn´t next weekend or we may have missed out flight to Argentina!
Talking of flying to Argentina, Graham couldn´t believe that I sat up the other night and watched the movie Älive¨!
So less than a week left in Chile now and still G hasn´t got his Poncho! Times running out.... will it be a rushed buy right at the end!
Well forgot to report on the Observatory trip. It was extremely worthwhile! We had an English speaking guide and an expert Astronomer to give us a taste of Star Gazing!
The moon was fairly bright, which meant we could have a really good look at it and the boys were able to take photos of it through the telescope! We also saw Saturn with its rings and its moon Titan. We saw the Orion Nebula, which is a star factory and a close up of one of the southern cross stars which is a binary star. The guy was really good with the boys and made sure that they saw everything and was very impressed when Lachie knew what Saturns moon was called.
I finally had a go driving and found it wasn´t as bad as I had expected. We were on a pretty rough dirt road and at one point I don´t think Graham appreciated my rally driving skills....... Still he only grabbed the wheel once. Personally I couldn´t see what the problem was! I did have to stop quite suddenly going up a hill when we spotted LLamas very near the road and wanted photos! Oh and then a Chilean Fox ran across the road, so it turned into quite an eventful drive!
After La Serena we drove about 100km south to a place where thee are Thermal Pools. There was accomodation so we decided to stay and made use of the hot baths and cool swimming pool. We met the owner who was very interesting. Firstly when he found out we were from NZ he insisted on giving us a discount. This was because he had gone to an English school in Santiago and his headmaster was a Kiwi! But wait, theres more. It turns out this Kiwi with the surname Lowe, was the photographer on the Hillary Everest expedition! This chilean Ronald, took up photography and about 40 years ago spent 6 months living with and photographing a tribe of Head Shrinkers in the Amazon Jungle! So guess what the boys had a lesson in that day..... Head Shrinking. Now I don´t think they would have learned about that in school! Turns out its quite a simple process but I´ll let he boys fill you in on the details.
We are now about 30km south of Los Vilos staying in a wonderful little fishing village called Pichidengui. The summer season is over so we are about the only tourists here. There is a little dairy and a Pastelaria that sells bread and the yummiest Empanadas we have had so far. We can buy fish straight off the boats although we have no idea what kind of fish it is, but it is delicious. There is a great rocky headland so lots of rock hopping has been done and a beautiful beach for walking on and swimming for those of our group who are part polar bear!
We went all day yesterday not realising that the clocks had gone back here in Chile! We found out quite by accident and were glad this wasn´t next weekend or we may have missed out flight to Argentina!
Talking of flying to Argentina, Graham couldn´t believe that I sat up the other night and watched the movie Älive¨!
So less than a week left in Chile now and still G hasn´t got his Poncho! Times running out.... will it be a rushed buy right at the end!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
La Serena
As you can see by the boys comments the Penguin and Sealion National park was a great success! We were out for 3 and a half hours and just saw so much! Sam was really excited about the dolphins swimming around the boat and jumping out of the water! It was a stunning spot at the end of a dirt/sand road about 45km from the main highway. We found a wonderful place to stay and the owner kind of adopted us and insisted on taking us for a drive to a beautiful beach and then showed us around and showed the boys how to catch shrimps!
As we drove back to the main road we came across about 10 LLamas and then a bit further on a Chilean Fox (el Zorro) crossed the road infront of us.
We are now in a small city called La Serena which is near the coast and is one of Chile´s oldest cities. It is very nice with lots of colonial buildings and churches.
We arrived at some cabins hoping to stay but thay had just rented the last one.....no problem though, the owner said he had a house in town we could have for the same price so we followed him there to have a look! We now have a 3 bedroom house in a nice safe, quiet area, walking distance to everything! Perfecto!
Have been to the big supermarket called Jumbo and are having steak on the BBQ with some funny looking vegetables that we can´t identify for tea. We also have some ice cold corona so all is well!
As we drove back to the main road we came across about 10 LLamas and then a bit further on a Chilean Fox (el Zorro) crossed the road infront of us.
We are now in a small city called La Serena which is near the coast and is one of Chile´s oldest cities. It is very nice with lots of colonial buildings and churches.
We arrived at some cabins hoping to stay but thay had just rented the last one.....no problem though, the owner said he had a house in town we could have for the same price so we followed him there to have a look! We now have a 3 bedroom house in a nice safe, quiet area, walking distance to everything! Perfecto!
Have been to the big supermarket called Jumbo and are having steak on the BBQ with some funny looking vegetables that we can´t identify for tea. We also have some ice cold corona so all is well!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Cacti and penguins.
Where do you find cacti and penguins in the same place? Chile of course! Went on a boat trip out to an island and found bottlenosed dolphins , Elephant seals , Sea lions , sea otters , pelicans and penguins! Do you know why penguins live here? The Humboldt current runs straight up the coast of Chile , so it is really cold. Speaking of cold , how is the weather over in NZ? we aren´t having ANY rain over here at all. Great race Nikki , and hope you Iron men and women had a good race.
Lachie.
Lachie.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Cacti and Desert
We only realized how long Chile was when we started driving north! Infact it is 5000km from top to bottom. We drove 1300km from Pucon and its still another 1000km to the true Atacama Desert!
We are in Semi-desert and it is amazing. Cacti are everywhere, all different shapes and sizes, from Prickly Pears to Chandelabra Cacti. Many of the latter are bigger than me and some of them have beautiful red flowers. The size of some of the spikes is a bit scarey... lets just say you wouldn´t want to fall into one!
Yesterday we headed up one of the highest passes across the Andes to have a look. At its highest point it reaches about 4500m! Its only open in summer and is amazing. we didn´t get all the way to the top, but were completly dwarfed by the mountains. The boys had a lesson in plate tectonics and mountain building.... or at least we told them what we could remember!
This area is famous for the grape that they make into the national drink Pisco, a kind of brandy and you wouldn´t believe the scrubby ground that the vines grow on. Also due to the clarity of the air here there are lots of Astronomical Observatories. We have booked to go to one tonight so will have to rport back on that!
There is a pool where we are staying so at least we can cool off when we need to. The Holidays are over here now so it is quite quiet... we have noticed the lack of Gringos generally on the trip, but he boys have met afew local kids along the way and have managed to communicate.
We are off to the coast tomorrow and hope to find some more penguins and sealions, I´ll let you know!
Good luck to the Ironmen and Women this weekend hopefully it won´t be as hot as it is here!
We are in Semi-desert and it is amazing. Cacti are everywhere, all different shapes and sizes, from Prickly Pears to Chandelabra Cacti. Many of the latter are bigger than me and some of them have beautiful red flowers. The size of some of the spikes is a bit scarey... lets just say you wouldn´t want to fall into one!
Yesterday we headed up one of the highest passes across the Andes to have a look. At its highest point it reaches about 4500m! Its only open in summer and is amazing. we didn´t get all the way to the top, but were completly dwarfed by the mountains. The boys had a lesson in plate tectonics and mountain building.... or at least we told them what we could remember!
This area is famous for the grape that they make into the national drink Pisco, a kind of brandy and you wouldn´t believe the scrubby ground that the vines grow on. Also due to the clarity of the air here there are lots of Astronomical Observatories. We have booked to go to one tonight so will have to rport back on that!
There is a pool where we are staying so at least we can cool off when we need to. The Holidays are over here now so it is quite quiet... we have noticed the lack of Gringos generally on the trip, but he boys have met afew local kids along the way and have managed to communicate.
We are off to the coast tomorrow and hope to find some more penguins and sealions, I´ll let you know!
Good luck to the Ironmen and Women this weekend hopefully it won´t be as hot as it is here!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Wine
After Pucon we drove 700km to Santa Cruz which mum and dad liked because there were lots of winerys. we had a tour round one and found out how to make wine. we tasted the grapes then we tasted the wine, me and lachie included!!
sam
sam
Monkey Puzzles and Tarantulas
Decided to go and find a Monkey Puzzle forest we had read about, so drove about an hour further into the mountains to the start of the track. A stunning walk, 7km uphill through forest but not a monkey puzzle tree in sight! Having thought that there really haven´t been any nasty creepy crawly things in Chile, there in the middle of the track was a dirty great big Tarantula!!!! It was very hairy and as big as my fist! After spending a while watching it we moved on. After 7km the track droped over a small ridge and it was really as if we had entered another ecosystem. Very prehistoric, with heaps of Monkey Puzzle trees, bright red Fuschias and Hummingbirds. All this at about 5000 feet! There were 3 little lakes and of course the boys had to have a swim!
The walk back down was much faster and we definately needed beer and juice to replace all our fluid!!!
The walk back down was much faster and we definately needed beer and juice to replace all our fluid!!!
Under the Volcano
From the honey farm we moved on to Pucon, adventure capital of Chile! It reminded us of Queenstown with agents offering everything from climbing an active volcano to white water rafting. It had a good feel and we spent 3 nights there. The boys were interested that there was a very visible evacuation procedure involving red, amber and green warning lights and a very obvious route out of town......follow the green line!
Luckily the volcano didn´t blow while we were there, but was constantly smoking!!! We went up pretty high on the volcano and it was very, very hot, and there were lots of lizards. We also found a Monkey Puzzle tree just on the tree line.
The boys sampled some of the local juices and approved and G and I sampled the local Ceveza and also approved!
Luckily the volcano didn´t blow while we were there, but was constantly smoking!!! We went up pretty high on the volcano and it was very, very hot, and there were lots of lizards. We also found a Monkey Puzzle tree just on the tree line.
The boys sampled some of the local juices and approved and G and I sampled the local Ceveza and also approved!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Honey and Horses
Are staying on a Honey Farm at the moment. Unfortunately, due to the drought the poor bees can´t find the nectar they like so the farmers are having to feed their honey back to them! There are also horses and Maggie has given us a horse each while we are here and we´ve been riding every day! Its brilliant. Real South american saddles and I even have a pair of ¨chaps¨ (leather over-trousers). Quite scarey for a Mother to see her older son, who has never been on a horse before, cantering across a field as if he is Indiana Jones.......HE LOVES IT!!! Sam has a little Sam sized pony called Chocolito and he just trots along happily looking a bit like a Hobbit! (Sam that is, not the pony)! Graham really wants that Poncho now to look the part on his horse!
We have decided to hire a car again so that we can do some more exploring. We are currently about an hour and a half north of Osorno and it is a lovely area... still lots of lakes and mountains.
Went to see a farm belonging to a 6ft 2 red-headed Irishman today. So interesting, he lived in NZ for 2 or 3 years and then came here and worked for a big farming outfit before going out on his own about 6 months ago. He´s an expert horseman and came out riding with us yesterday on a very fiesty horse and made it look easy.
We are hoping to go and spend some time with the Mapuche indians next week.. sounds very interesting seeing how they live and learning about their culture.
We have decided to hire a car again so that we can do some more exploring. We are currently about an hour and a half north of Osorno and it is a lovely area... still lots of lakes and mountains.
Went to see a farm belonging to a 6ft 2 red-headed Irishman today. So interesting, he lived in NZ for 2 or 3 years and then came here and worked for a big farming outfit before going out on his own about 6 months ago. He´s an expert horseman and came out riding with us yesterday on a very fiesty horse and made it look easy.
We are hoping to go and spend some time with the Mapuche indians next week.. sounds very interesting seeing how they live and learning about their culture.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Lakes and Mountains
We feel like we´ve been away for quite a while now and then realised it was only 3 weeks! In the swing of things now...language still a bit tricky but we are getting by. Occasional mistakes like when G ordered 12 Empanadas as a starter! (they are the local pie/sandwhich)Have hired a car for a week and have made the most of it. Driving not too bad, have been on the Panamerican Highway a few times. A little disconserting when there are pedestrians wandering along the side, occasionally crossing and the speed limit is 120km!
Have discovered önces¨which is a very German style High Tea that one can have at 5 or 6pm before moving on to dinner at 10ish. We haven´t been getting out of the door very early in the mornings, but we still seem to beat the locals!
So far I have managed to stop G buying a Poncho! He can just see himself in one a la Clint Eastwood, watching winter sport!
Got into some stunning scenery quite near the Argentinian border at the weekend...felt like we were right in the Andes. Lakes, majestic peaks and of course the odd Volcano. The boys tried swimming in some of the lakes but the temperatures were not pleasant, even for these two who I am sure are part polar bear!
Have been to the coast today and boy there were some huge breakers coming in. Yesterday we went to an old Spanish Fort from about250 years ago. Not a whole lot left of it, but still interesting.
Heading a little further north next week. will keep you posted!
J
Have discovered önces¨which is a very German style High Tea that one can have at 5 or 6pm before moving on to dinner at 10ish. We haven´t been getting out of the door very early in the mornings, but we still seem to beat the locals!
So far I have managed to stop G buying a Poncho! He can just see himself in one a la Clint Eastwood, watching winter sport!
Got into some stunning scenery quite near the Argentinian border at the weekend...felt like we were right in the Andes. Lakes, majestic peaks and of course the odd Volcano. The boys tried swimming in some of the lakes but the temperatures were not pleasant, even for these two who I am sure are part polar bear!
Have been to the coast today and boy there were some huge breakers coming in. Yesterday we went to an old Spanish Fort from about250 years ago. Not a whole lot left of it, but still interesting.
Heading a little further north next week. will keep you posted!
J
Surounding Stuff 2
We have done a lot lately. We went to a volcano beside a lake and went quite high up on it to where the snow was. I threw snowballs at Lachie and he threw some back. After that we went to a place called Ensenada and found a cool place to stay. One day we had Onces, which is afternoon tea and it was yum. There were LLamas and an emu there. We have been watching Bob es Sponga (Spongebob)in Spanish, the characters sound funny.
Sam
Sam
Valdivia 2
Just been back to Valdivia as we didn´t get any fish last time. Said hello to the Sea-lions (again) and got filleted Salmon for dinner. Checked out an old Spanish fort that had been used to defend Valdivia a couple of hundred years ago.
Sam is not too happy about Mrs.Weston saving him work and is not looking foward to coming back.
It is hard for us to believe for us that we have only been away for three weeks now as it feels like months.
Lachie.
Sam is not too happy about Mrs.Weston saving him work and is not looking foward to coming back.
It is hard for us to believe for us that we have only been away for three weeks now as it feels like months.
Lachie.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Valdivia
Valdivia was founded in 1552 and was the main port for Chile and Peru. It is at the mouth of 3 rivers and has several forts around it. Apparently pirates were a problem. It was the Spanish gateway to the Pacific.
These days it is known for its fish market and brewery, a legacy of the Germans who settled the area 150 years ago. The local brand is called ¨Kunstman¨. Try getting your tongue around that one when you have had a few.
The fish market is on the wharf and the fishermen fillet the fish and throw the scraps over the side. The local sea lions have worked this out and there is a pack of them that live by the wharf. They are big!
We are having a few laughs with our Spanish. Boarded a local bus which took 3 times to get to Valdivia as we had hoped. Also had a few strange things turn up on the table after ordering from the menu. I managed to get a double portion of starter yesterday!
All good fun. Our hosts are exceptional, as is their maid Irma. Fantastic cook and we may have to consider kidnapping her. I have a feeling she will be well guarded though.
These days it is known for its fish market and brewery, a legacy of the Germans who settled the area 150 years ago. The local brand is called ¨Kunstman¨. Try getting your tongue around that one when you have had a few.
The fish market is on the wharf and the fishermen fillet the fish and throw the scraps over the side. The local sea lions have worked this out and there is a pack of them that live by the wharf. They are big!
We are having a few laughs with our Spanish. Boarded a local bus which took 3 times to get to Valdivia as we had hoped. Also had a few strange things turn up on the table after ordering from the menu. I managed to get a double portion of starter yesterday!
All good fun. Our hosts are exceptional, as is their maid Irma. Fantastic cook and we may have to consider kidnapping her. I have a feeling she will be well guarded though.
Strike!
Hi everybody. We´re still having a great time here. Itis raining today for the first time in a while. Just found out that the kids here go back to school in March,and leave school at the same time as we do! So I persuade all of the kids reading this to go on holiday strike for another month or two!
Lachie.
Lachie.
Surrounding Stuff
We have been to 1 Surrounding town lately the it was called Valdivia there was a huge fish Market and loads of greedy Sea Lions hanging out waiting for fish scraps.
Monday, February 2, 2009
What we have done lately
Went to the local national park. Not quite what we were expecting, but had a lovely beach, very like Kawhia. Dark sand and long stretches of wild surf.
Headed to Ancud and booked onto a penguin tour. We were bussed to the beach and then launched into the surf to visit the offshore islands. Saw Magellen penguins as well as Humbolt penguins, which are endangered. The weather packed it in so no photos. Jane saw a sea otter and we all saw sealions as well. Judging by the worn out ponchos we were provided with, the weather was not unusual. Typical west coast really.
Headed back to the mainland, including a ferry crossing. Then headed to Orsorno where we were picked up by Andrew Fraser´s cousin. Have had two nights there so far. They took us sightseeing yesterday to Fruitillar and Peurto Octay. Both lovely little towns on the side of a lake with a huge conical snow capped volcano as a backdrop. Think Taupo if it had been designed by the Germans in the 1800`s.
The boar on the spit was sensational. Are thinking of heading through the mountains and having a quick look at an Argentinean tourist town. This area is where a number of New Zealand dairy farmers have invested. It is apparently unusually dry and Mark and Sarah are battling to keep the cows fed over the 22,000ha that they help run. As we have a client who has invested here, I am assuming this part of the trip will be tax deductible.....
Headed to Ancud and booked onto a penguin tour. We were bussed to the beach and then launched into the surf to visit the offshore islands. Saw Magellen penguins as well as Humbolt penguins, which are endangered. The weather packed it in so no photos. Jane saw a sea otter and we all saw sealions as well. Judging by the worn out ponchos we were provided with, the weather was not unusual. Typical west coast really.
Headed back to the mainland, including a ferry crossing. Then headed to Orsorno where we were picked up by Andrew Fraser´s cousin. Have had two nights there so far. They took us sightseeing yesterday to Fruitillar and Peurto Octay. Both lovely little towns on the side of a lake with a huge conical snow capped volcano as a backdrop. Think Taupo if it had been designed by the Germans in the 1800`s.
The boar on the spit was sensational. Are thinking of heading through the mountains and having a quick look at an Argentinean tourist town. This area is where a number of New Zealand dairy farmers have invested. It is apparently unusually dry and Mark and Sarah are battling to keep the cows fed over the 22,000ha that they help run. As we have a client who has invested here, I am assuming this part of the trip will be tax deductible.....
Greetings from Lachie
Sorry to hear you are all going back to school. Wishing you were all here right now. Yeah right!
Wild boar
We went out to tea last night to celebrate school starting without us and had wild boar cooked over charcoal on a spit. It was yum! You could eat as much as you liked!
Sam
Sam
Coffee in Chile
Those of you who know my coffee habits will be impressed/horrified that I am not only drinking Nescafe, (the powdered variety) but that I have also purchased a small tin of it.
The cafes in Cambridge can feel safe in the knowledge that nothing rivals their flat whites down in the coffee growing mecca that South America is.
I am not sure that placing a tin of Nescafe and a thermos of hot water on the table of The Deli or Tocatta would catch on.
The cafes in Cambridge can feel safe in the knowledge that nothing rivals their flat whites down in the coffee growing mecca that South America is.
I am not sure that placing a tin of Nescafe and a thermos of hot water on the table of The Deli or Tocatta would catch on.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Chiloe
Flew south from Santiago 1 1/2 hours to Puerto Montt. Then negotiated the bus terminal and hopped on a bus to the island of Chiloe. Completely different vegetation down here. Lots of beech forest and have even seen a type of cabbage tree. Staying in Castro which is famous for its houses built over the water on stilts. Very colourful!
We now call Sam "Chico" as that is what the locals seem to call him. Graham seems quite tall amongst the Chileans. Not much English down here but we are coping with our pidgin Spanish.
Intending to go into the local national park tomorrow. Will keep you posted.
We now call Sam "Chico" as that is what the locals seem to call him. Graham seems quite tall amongst the Chileans. Not much English down here but we are coping with our pidgin Spanish.
Intending to go into the local national park tomorrow. Will keep you posted.
Sam´s Easter Island
Easter Island was Awesome!The heads were massive.I liked the Guided Tours the first Tour was of one of the Volcanos it was enourmous! after that we went to a village were the Birdman was held. We saw petraglyphs engraved in rock and we saw houses made out of rock stuck together.
The next day we had a full day tour and we took a route round a volcano and saw loads of Easter Island heads. After that we went up into the crater of the volcano then came back. After that we went to the only sandy beach on the island for a swim. There were more heads there.
The next day we had a full day tour and we took a route round a volcano and saw loads of Easter Island heads. After that we went up into the crater of the volcano then came back. After that we went to the only sandy beach on the island for a swim. There were more heads there.
The South American World
Hi it´s Lachie here. We´re having agreat time here and it has been really funny with all our Spanish,but I think Mum and Dad are doing a bit better than Sam and I at it. I suppose it´s a bit late to tell you now,but Í´ll tell you anyway. Back on Easter island we had just got there with no money or water an I was really tired,so I fell asleep Bang in the middle of the footpath! Have fun laughing about that one for a while. The food has been really good and I really like the ice cream and now I can order it in Spanish.
Keep an eye on the blog,
Lachie.
Keep an eye on the blog,
Lachie.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Big Heads 2
Wow, think I just took the longest way possible to publish the photos!!!! Anyway, we thought the Heads were amazing and hope you do too. The thing the boys are standing next to is the Top Knot or Hat that only some of the heads have. It would have been a tremendous feet of engineering to move the heads once they were ready and there is great debate as to how they did it!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Santiago
Easter Island was fantastic. Always a danger that this sort of place will be an anticlimax. This was not. Very polynesion. The local cave called `kai tangata` did not need any interpretation. This is where they ate people.
Jane`s bag is now with us, which is a bonus for us boys, but cuts out a very good reason to go shopping for her.
Santiago has been a wonderful first day. Roger our travel agent gave us a contact through Rotary and we have just had a day gatecrashing part of the orientation for the latest group of NZ Rotary exchange students. We were late joining them and had to bluff our way into the presidential palace. There is a story behind that!
Had a very pleasant afternoon barbequing, sampling Chilean red wine and generally eating ourselves silly. The boys had a ball swimming, playing football and generally being fussed over by the locals and the students.
The interpreter is meeting us for coffee tomorrow to help us with plans for the rest of the trip. Her sister is a travel agent. Thinking at this stage we will fly south, then work our way north overland to the Atacama desert, then fly back to Santiago to catch our flight to Buenos Aires.
The spanish is kind of coming along. Went to Vacas Gordas (The Fat Cow) for a meal last night. Big Chilean steaks, but really hard to order when you know the word for beef and underneath it there are about 25 options!
Jane`s bag is now with us, which is a bonus for us boys, but cuts out a very good reason to go shopping for her.
Santiago has been a wonderful first day. Roger our travel agent gave us a contact through Rotary and we have just had a day gatecrashing part of the orientation for the latest group of NZ Rotary exchange students. We were late joining them and had to bluff our way into the presidential palace. There is a story behind that!
Had a very pleasant afternoon barbequing, sampling Chilean red wine and generally eating ourselves silly. The boys had a ball swimming, playing football and generally being fussed over by the locals and the students.
The interpreter is meeting us for coffee tomorrow to help us with plans for the rest of the trip. Her sister is a travel agent. Thinking at this stage we will fly south, then work our way north overland to the Atacama desert, then fly back to Santiago to catch our flight to Buenos Aires.
The spanish is kind of coming along. Went to Vacas Gordas (The Fat Cow) for a meal last night. Big Chilean steaks, but really hard to order when you know the word for beef and underneath it there are about 25 options!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Easter Island
Wow! we made it to Easter Island, nearly minus 1 bag! Great place, amazing heads and wonderful people. Spanish improving slowly and Pisco Sours going down well.
Adios Amigos
Adios Amigos
Saturday, January 17, 2009
1 more day!
Hi. It's Lachie here. I can't believe we're really going tomorrow! It's so exiting. This morning I had snakes in my stomach I was so excited. Sam said I should try drinking milk and drowning them. Wish us luck and keep looking at the blog.
Lachie.
Lachie.
Sam speaking
I'm really exited about going away but it's quite sad as well because I'm not going to see my Friends for a while.I'm exited about seeing the Leening Tower Of Pizza and the tank museum.
Graham's first blog!
Reality is finally sinking in. We have been planning this for about 15 months now and couldn't be doing it without the crew we are leaving behind to run the business. Thanks guys!
Finally managed to give my liver a day off yesterday after some seriously alcoholic goodbyes. We had a party last Saturday and there was so much leftover booze that we had to have another one. While we are away, Nikki and Cam are house sitting. They are both serious athletes and any left over alcohol would be past it use-by-date when we got back, so as you can understand our options for disposing of the excess were limited.
We are now just sitting around finishing off a coffee and psyching ourselves up for the final push to get packed up and cleaned up. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute! Jane & I work so much better under pressure!
Finally managed to give my liver a day off yesterday after some seriously alcoholic goodbyes. We had a party last Saturday and there was so much leftover booze that we had to have another one. While we are away, Nikki and Cam are house sitting. They are both serious athletes and any left over alcohol would be past it use-by-date when we got back, so as you can understand our options for disposing of the excess were limited.
We are now just sitting around finishing off a coffee and psyching ourselves up for the final push to get packed up and cleaned up. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute! Jane & I work so much better under pressure!
Saying Goodbye
The only down side of heading away is having to say "Goodbye". Just ask my family back in the UK....... its horrible! Anyway we have had a great couple of weeks catching up with friends and family, and to be honest everyone is so excited for us that it has been fun!
So now its a case of loading the bags (G and I still in discussion over whether to bring in the big pack at the last minute). Then a quick tidy of the house ready for N and C to move on in!
Easter Island for 3 days and then on to Santiago, Chile!
Hopefully we have done everything we should have, and if we haven't, I'm sure it can be sorted!
Hasta luego!
So now its a case of loading the bags (G and I still in discussion over whether to bring in the big pack at the last minute). Then a quick tidy of the house ready for N and C to move on in!
Easter Island for 3 days and then on to Santiago, Chile!
Hopefully we have done everything we should have, and if we haven't, I'm sure it can be sorted!
Hasta luego!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
10 days and counting! We have 4 very small packs (still have my original larger one sitting there if required) We practiced packing very little for our few days at the beach.....we just had to spend time at an awesome NZ beach before we set off! Also have the camera and am VERY excited about that. Am now brushing up on my Spanish, particularly the phrase "please speak slowly"! Its OK though as "una cerveza por favor" just seems to roll of the tongue!
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