"Piano, Piano, Piano"

"Piano, Piano, Piano" - these versatile words of wisdom were drummed into us by our skipper as we cruised our way around the Croatian coast last week.

The Trip

Our trip involved a group of us spending a week cruising on a yacht around the northern coast of Croatia. We left from the port town of Pula, spent a few days working our way to the south and then returned and spent a couple of days further north. A typical day would involve setting off mid morning and cruising for a few hours before finding a nice spot for a swim (or as Willy would say - to 'make swimming') and lunch. Once we were feed and watered we would continue on, typically to a small bay in reach of a good local restaurant for fresh seafood in the evening.

The Skipper - Willy

Our skipper for the trip was a slightly crazy Croatian - Willy. Our charter operator had forgotten to book a skipper for us - so Willy stepped in a very short notice (ie none). Willy had a liking for fast yachts, great food, drinking beer and relieving himself off the back of the boat (the latter two of which he did with amazing regularity). He was a great skipper, a bit of a character and his love of food and knowledge of the coast meant we were spoilt to a great week of boating. [Willy - slightly worse for wear after a long day of sailing... and beer]

His favourite word was 'piano', which we quickly learned could be appropriately used in almost any circumstances - drinking, manoeuvring the boat, when planning the day, during storms - you name it. Translations into English include easy, chill, gently and relax. Good stuff - and now also commonly used by those of us on board.

The Crew

The crew was comprised of 4 couples, all friends - although not everyone knew everyone at the start of the trip. We had a great time and plenty of laughs.

Willy let us get involved in the boating and by the end of the week our tacking had reached the "That's Great" standard - I can assure you, quite a compliment coming from Willy.

The Boat

Our yacht was a 49ft Bavarian. Her name was 'Summertime Girls Pula'..... the latter being a reference to her home port - rather than the magnetic effect she had on woman. It was nice spacious boat... albeit not quite as manoeuvrable as Willy might have liked.

The Places

Along the way we would visit islands, small towns and fishing villages and beautiful bays. Probably the highlights in terms of the places we visited were Cres Island (to the south of Pula) and Rovinj (to the north). Cres is said to be the closest thing to an Italian fishing village outside Italy. Colourful pastel houses line a crowded little harbour. The town is filled with restaurants, cafes and old woman selling olive oil - a nice spot to restock after a few days sailing. Rovinj is said to be one of the last true Mediterranean fishing ports. It is popular with Italian tourists - so is a mix of cosmopolitan eateries, but with the feel of an operating fishing port. An old church is perched on top of a seaside hill and below it the old town is built on the slopes of the hill. Cafes and bars sit on the edge of the rocky coast and artist's galleries line the narrow cobbled streets.

We also visited numerous incredible little bays,islands and villages. Set in the iridescent blue waters of the Adriatic they are are beautiful sight.

The Germans

The north of Croatia seems to be a hotbed of naturalist activity. As a result many boats passing by were skippered by nude men with their other half lying (equally nude) on the fore decks - more often than not, not a pleasant sight! Similarly the rocky coast is lined with sunbathers who are maximising the area they have exposed to the sun's rays. The naked sailing was particularly prevalent in yachts sailing the German flag, and thus this became known as 'going German' - an activity that (to my knowledge) did not take place on the good ship Summertime Girls Pula. [The crew -enjoying cards and Pimms... not German]

The Food and Drink

Willy had a great appreciation for food and knew all the right people in all the right places. We ate in a variety of restaurants... small family run places in villages, a little seafood place in a fishing village (where Brad Pitt had also visited) and more mainstream tourist spots in the bigger towns we visited. What didn't change was that each place specialised in fresh seafood. Typically Willy would order whatever was fresh - and we were rarely disappointed. The most interesting dish was the fresh Scampi.... which were eaten raw (while still moving!) and then the bodies taken away only to be recycled into a sensational Scampi pasta dish. Another highlight was an octopus and potato dish which was melt in the mouth. Yum! [Choosing dinner.... fish again!]

Drinkwise we were pleasantly surprised by Croatian reds and whites. Less delicious was their form of 'grappa' - a digestive that sometimes tasted like meths - although was more pleasant when combined with coffee or infused with honey.

The Storm

We were very lucky with the weather and enjoyed warm sunny days and light winds each day. The one exception was a freak storm in the middle of the week. Late in the day we were at an island about an hour from the mainland 'making swimming' when the winds suddenly got up and were gusting to 50-60 knots of 'apparent' wind. Twice we attempted to return to the mainland when the winds had seemingly dropped as quickly as they had arrived and twice we were forced back by steep 3-5m waves. The very strong winds came up suddenly 3 times, each time from a totally different direction - quite freakish - and not seen before by Willy in his 35 years sailing in the area. The third time it came up boats in the bay where we were sheltering started dragging their anchors and Willy decided it was necessary for us to motor back to the mainland. After an hour of hairy night navigation (and with a flare sighted behind us) we were safely back in port - quite an exciting evening! The next day we learned that 3 boats had been washed onto reefs that night and 15 people needed to rescued.... a bit of a news event for the local papers in an area where sailing is a way of life. [Right - Calm before the storm...]

The Experience

All in all it was a great trip. We had a fantastic time and we returned a bit browner, very relaxed and with some new friendships formed.

A Birthday in Bordeaux

To help get through the trauma of her 30th birthday Michelle decided a weekend of luxury was required – and what better place than Bordeaux?

After a very early start we arrived at Gatwick only to find that British Airways didn’t have a plane for our flight (odd for an airline wouldn’t you say?). The rest of the day was mainly spent in queues…. 3hrs queuing to get re-ticketed, followed by re-queuing for check-in, security etc etc….. Hardly the start to a nice weekend away we had hoped for! Still – at 6hrs later we found ourselves in Bordeaux - ok… so we were queuing for a rental car… but we were there!

Driving on the wrong-side of the road for the first time (more on this later) we found our way to our accommodation – a Chateau in the heart of Bordeaux – our room was in the loft of the old stables… very cool.

After the trauma of the day (flights and then driving…) we were ready for a treat. Thierry (our host) sorted out a great seafood restaurant. Although we couldn’t do French, and our waiter didn’t do English, he read us well… and proceeded to ply us with all sorts of interesting drinks?! He obviously noticed that we really enjoyed the aperitif he gave us (‘Lillet’ – kind of a light liqueur from Bordeaux – yum!) so took it upon himself to give us a couple of glasses of a Sauterne white after our meal. Those of you know Michelle will know that she has a soft spot for dessert wines – she was very taken with Sauterne!

The next day we had arranged visits to several of the Chateau in nearby St Emilion. Driving in France was a bit of an adventure for us… afterall it had been over 6 months since I had driven… let alone on the wrong side of the road. Each time we went to get into the car Michelle would find a steering wheel in front of her and we would need to swap sides. Fortunately although we made this error consistently, we only found ourselves on the wrong side of the road once… and only very briefly!

Finding our way to various Chateau was also a bit of an adventure… our maps were not the best… but we got there in the end and saw some great French countryside in our travels! The three Chateau we visited were all very different. One had recently be acquired by a US investor and had a lot of money poured into it. The second was family owned – and recently been awarded a special classification…. quite an distinguished honour. The third was an immense castle-like building with huge caves underneath which were home to its various vintages not yet released.

St Emilion has a lot of history – and the remains of the seven huge walls that once surrounded the city in medieval times are still clearly visible. St Emilion is named after a Saint who moved there to live in isolation in a small underground grotto. In keeping with this idea, monks later carved a huge church into the hill on which St Emilion stands – very impressive – and our second fairly unique church in recent times (see Amsterdam)! [Church in hillside to right]

Sunday brought with it Michelle’s birthday. It was a beautiful day so drove to the coast (only 45mins away if you drive at the 130kph speed limit?!). On the way we turned off to Gujan Mestras – an old oyster port with the huts of oyster fishermen dotted everywhere! When in Rome right? So we settled in for a feast of oysters…… mmmmm! From here we headed on to Arachon a wealthy coastal holiday spot and host to tourists on the cruise ships that stop here. Nearby is Dune de Pilat – Europe’s largest sand-dune which is slowly moving inland and swallowing up a pine forrest as it goes! Quite a climb up – but it takes no time to run down!

We had a great time in Bordeaux. We enjoyed the wines… although we were surprised that the sweet whites had stolen the show from the famous reds. The surrounding wine region was extremely picturesque and was just like the image we had of what the French countryside should look like (more so that Champagne). Our thirst for exploring in France is far from satisfied….. perhaps Provence next?

Amsterdam… Where anything goes!

After a couple of weekends away, it’s about time we updated you on what we’ve been up to lately. May in London brings with it two bank holidays… one of which we spent in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is an unusual mix. On the one hand you have beautiful buildings and homes, trendy students, scenic canals, old bikes rattling down cobblestone streets, amazing art galleries and other historic attractions…. And on the other hand you have sex and drugs as an open and accepted part of life – which brings with it plenty of rowdy stag and hens parties. Strangely enough the two seem to co-exist with no real issues and we enjoyed a great weekend there.

Our three days were all quite different: Day 1 - Acclimatisation, Day 2 – Sightseeing, Day 3 – Culture.

Acclimatisation

After an early morning flight, we arrived with plans of getting into some sightseeing. However after a canal boat trip where we both spent a substantial portion of the trip snoozing, we decided that a day of relaxation was more what was required! We quickly settled into Plan B and had great afternoon and evening wandering around and chilling in various cafes/bars and restaurants. We quickly learned that in Amsterdam there are cafes and there are ‘coffee shops’. The former is what we would expect from a café…. The latter is quite a different beast – and although they do coffee (no alcohol), there will also be a separate counter where bags of marijuana/joints are on offer…. complete with menus to ensure the punter gets the effect they desire?! Whether or not you are into this sort of thing – they’re an interesting place to visit to see what goes on.

As nightfall arrived we ventured into the redlight district to see the famous windows which line main streets and back alleys. From their small rooms, which have large street facing windows, woman of various ages, shapes and sizes (some very attractive – others far less so) attempt to lure men in, so that they can close their curtains and carry out business. The fact that it is so open makes it all seem a little less seedy, however it still seems like a fairly unpleasant way to earn a living. Day or night though – they will be there… open all hours. In between clusters of windows there are sex shops, clubs offering sex shows together with regular bars/cafes – you name it… its probably on offer somewhere! Interesting times… and I guess you can’t really say you’ve ‘done’ Amsterdam until you’ve ventured there.

Sightseeing

Day 2 was spent on more conventional sightseeing. An unexpected highlight was a hidden church, recommended by John (Michelle’s dad). Built in 1663, this catholic church was hidden in the attic of a canal side house… tolerated only by the protestant majority as it was out of sight. Very strange to think – that what looked like a normal house from the outside, in fact housed a church that could accommodate a congregation inside!? [Left - House from the outside, Right - Church on the inside!]

Continuing on the ‘hidden building within a building’ theme we also visited Anne Frank’s house. This was quite a moving experience and you hear the story of the Frank’s and their demise as you walk through the various rooms of their hidden annex (including climbing the step stairs hidden behind a bookcase out of sight of the Gestapo. Things have been kept in a very original state – even the newspaper clipping used by Anne to decorate her walls are still stuck to the original wallpaper. Really brought it home for people of our generation how recent in history the war is.

Can’t end this day without mentioning a beautiful meal we had at Restaurant De Belhamel (www.belhamel.nl). Beautiful French food – washed down with a bottle of Luigi Bosca Malbec (a favourite from our time in Mendoza!).

Culture

Last day - and time to try and squeeze in some of Amsterdam’s famous art galleries before heading to the airport. First (and as it happened – last) stop was the Van Gogh museum. We spent ages here, wandering around with our audio tour – learning about where Van Gogh was when he created various paintings. We both found this really interesting… a good change for us, for whom cultural attractions do not always rank highly! Unfortunately that was all we had time for….. but it was well worth the visit – and we left with the obligatory Van Gogh print, which may find its way to our wall one day!

A great weekend in such a diverse city.

Brugge.... Beer, Mussels and Chocolate - Something for everyone

Time flies - but already its been a year since we were married! As a belated 1 year wedding anniversary present to ourselves - we decided to head to Brugge for a weekend of relaxation and luxury.

Michelle had selected a very nice B&B (http://www.sintnik.be/). The owner Sean, who turned out to be from Taranaki was very helpful - and pointed us in the right direction for bars, restaurants and sights. The breakfasts he served up were amazing - all the food came from local producers and it was a great way to start the day. Nothing like chocolate for breakfast right?

Our time in Brugge was very laid back. We did a tour of the canals by boat with a very funny guide - who conducted the tour in 4 languages?! The rest of the time we spent wandering around or sitting in bar or restaurant. The Belgian beers were fantastic - one bar we visited had over 300 to choose from - so there is something for everyone. Even Michelle developed a taste for them. Her favourites were the fruit beers (raspberry etc) and blondes. We also did a tour of a brewery - it took me back to my homebrew days!! The chocolates in Brugge were also very good..... although we didn't over indulge in this respect.

We left Brugge very happy and relaxed - although probably a few kilos heavier! Hopefully we will manage a trip back at some stage.

One day in Paris........

We kicked off our Easter trip to France in style by sitting back and enjoying a bottle of French Red on the Eurostar..... we had been told it was the best way to ensure our 'French experience' started as soon as possible!! We arrived late - and were fortunate to find a cab - which took us to our accommodation in Montmartre- which happened to be just off the Red Light district..... Crumpy had arranged our hotel - but he assured us this was just a coincidence..... hmm. As it turned out, it was a great base to explore from.

We only had one day in Paris - so were up early and into the day. We enjoyed a french breakfast in the sun, while watching the stereotypical images we had of France wander by... the man in a beret and neck scarf with a cigarette, carrying a baguette. Very cool.

It was a beautiful day, so we spent the morning exploring the area around Montmartre including the spectacular Sacre Coeur perched on the hill overlooking Paris. We had our work cut out for us in the afternoon with the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and of course the Eiffel Tower all on our list. We were in no real rush though and just enjoyed walking around the streets of Paris. The views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe were spectacular - and it was hilarious watching the chaos in the traffic circling below. From there we wandered down Ave des Champs' Elysees towards Notre Dame. Notre Dame was packed full of people - but was very beautiful. The architecture of the building - especially the many gargoyles on its exterior.

In the evening we caught up with Han and Jamie (yes... another holiday they had organised!) and Catherine (one of Michelle's workmates from Welly) joined us for a beautiful meal at the Crump's favourite Parisian restaurant.


Our time in Paris was brief - but it was filled with beautiful buildings, parks and monuments. It was probably one of the more picturesque cities we have been to, the locals we met were friendly and we will be back sometime soon to see the rest of it.

Off to the home of Happy Juice!

The next day we took a train 2hrs east of Paris to Reims in the Champagne region. Most famous for its Champagne houses, Reims is also were the Nazis surrendered to end World War II.

Before long we were into our work and that day we enjoyed a tour of Taittenger and Verve Clicquot. The Verve tour was very good - and girls especially enjoyed its history - a young widow left to run the business at a time when woman were unheard of in business. It seems she was very successful - and they continue to use her image as a symbol of the house today.

The wine tours include a walk through the underground cellars. These are pretty amazing. 30m below the surface of Reims (and nearby Epernay) is a vast network of tunnels - hundreds of kilometres - many of which date back to Roman times when they were created through the mining of chalk. Through history they have been used for wine, as hospitals in the war - and one even hosted a car rally! Today they are home to literally hundreds of millions of bottles of aging bubbly. Yum!

The next day we celebrated Mr Crump's 30th Birthday with a cycle tour out of Epernay. I was a little unwell (unfortunately it was not self-inflicted) so we didn't get too far - but enjoyed a bottle of champagne and a picnic on a the side of a hill overlooking the vines. A great way to pass the time!!

In between champagne houses there was much eating - and the food was incredible! A great intro to France!

Canal Boats - built for pleasure.... not speed

A few weeks on and time for another trip (planned by Han and Jamie... again). This time a crew of 8 of us took to England's historic canals for a weekend of boating. After catching a train to Rugby (the birthplace of the sport) we met the rest of the crew at a pub. Parked out the back was our boat 'The Sundance'.

About the Sundance: She was a beauty. 70ft, 15 tonne and controlled by a keel and throttle at her stern. Put simply - she was a long, narrow, heavy - but a smooth boating machine. With us in control (80% of the time) she ruled the canals. Over the course of the weekend we all took turns at mastering (or attempting to master) the art of guiding her down the narrow canals. Having driven a few boats in my time - I think I can safely say that this was the least responsive craft I have ever seen - you would turn the keel.... and a minute or so later the bow would turn.... and before you knew it you had steered past your intended bearing and were headed for an obsatcle in the opposite direction.......... which brings me to the next topic of interest.....

About our crashes: Not all of us mastered the art and we had a number of crashes and near misses. Our biggest hit was a head-on collision with a brick bridge. We hit hard - and it was a bit scary for those of us sitting on the front deck at the time - but all parties - captain(ess), bridge, boat and passengers all survived to tell the tale. Others took a 'zig-zag' approach to driving - bouncing from one bank to the other as they guided the Sundance down a straight stretch of the canal. Fortunately they built the Sundance tough - and while she came back less a bit of paint and carrying a bit more brickwork than what she started with.... she was still canal worthy.

About 'locks': Even when she was headed in the right direction, progress was slow - about walking pace(not kidding - even a bit slower!). Apart from lack of speed - the other obstacle to progress were the locks - we encountered 4 on our trip up the canal. These things were pretty crazy - all to do with gravity and water I think. And talk about pressure - in similar league to launching or retrieving a boat at a busy NZ launching ramp. On our first attempt veteren canal boaters looked on no doubt bemused and 'tut-tutting' at our virgin perfomance. Fortunately we were successful, but slow. By the time we hit our final lock on day 2 we were like a well oiled machine (arguably Glen's liberal pours of wine to clear out the provisions meant some were more well oiled than others).

About our lifestyle: As alluded to above there is not much going on either on the canals or in the canal boats. On a wander through the boat at any given time you would invariably find a mixture of the following: people eating, people sleeping, people cooking, someone steering - others bracing for imminent collision, and of course probably a few drinking. After a hard day's navagation we would skillfully moor the Sundance and then wander to the nearest pub. We visited some great country pubs - one with a 'skittles' table (where wasn't more to life than beer and skittles) and another (which Daz would have loved) were dogs almost out numbered patrons.... and this is inside the bar.........

Great weekend - we'll be back in summer!

Vanishing in Venice

It felt like we had hardly unpacked our bags in London and already it was time to pack them again for our first weekend away - or 'city break' as they like to call them here. Han and Jamie had a return trip to Venice planned - and we were lucky enough to be invited to tag along!

Venice was a great spot for us to start our adventures into Europe. As newbie tourists - it was compact, safe and easy to explore. Having said this - it did feel as thought we were constantly wandering through a maze and on more than one occassion we found ourselves completely lost... but that is part of the fun in Venice (or so we were told!).

Venice looked just like it does in the pictures..... all over. Canals, cute cobblestone streets, old houses and tall leaning bell towers. It was great wandering around - especially given there were no cars (or even bikes) to avoid - just huge tour groups during the day.

Top of the Basilica - as seen from the 99m 10th century Campanile (bell tower)

In terms of sightseeing - our highlight in Venice was probably a tour of the 'secret passages' in the Doges' Palace. The Doge was kind of like a mayor in Venice - and had a secret service. The secret service and city archives operated in a series of secret passages and rooms within the Doge's Palace. Our tour took us through these and we even got to see the room where Cassablanca was imprissoned - and from which he later escaped. The Basilica was also amazing - it seems like every surface was coated in amazing mosaic detail.

But the real highlight for us (as always seems to be the case) was enjoying great food and wine and soaking up the atmosphere. We had some great culinary experiences - my favourite was a black pasta dish - Michelle's a little bruschetta bar we stumbled upon. Drinkwise - we found a very old bar where the girls enjoyed the local drink (a Bellini) while Crumpy and I kept it simple with a nice cold beer!

Big thanks to Han and Jamie for helping us get our travel off to a prompt start!

Final photo included for no other reason than I love the 'taxi' boats they have in Venice - if I ever end up with far too much money and have a house on a lake or harbour.... owning one of these boats (whose engines make them sound even cooler than they look) will be a priority!

Life in London

Hi again everyone - sorry for the delay between posts!! We have now arrived and are into life in London.

We have moved into a place in Earls Court - it is a nice area and our place is modern and simple. Its about 30 min on the tube into our works and there are plenty of bars/restaurants/parks and transport options within easy reach. [Right - Our street]

Our intial impressions of London have been overwhelmingly favourable. It was a bit of a shock to arrive from the balmy summer of Brazil to the middle of winter in London - but, having said that we didn't find the winter too bad. We enjoyed two dumpings of snow in London (which is more than usual apparrently) but apart from that it was quite mild to the normal winter. Daylight hours were short - which took a bit of getting used to - however now, as we enter summer, the opposite is true and it seem light at 6am and is still 'dusk' at 8 in the evening! For the past month or so we have enjoyed great weather - allowing us to enjoy the very London pastime of sitting around in a park to relax the afternoon away.

We are also still finding the abundence of old buildings and landmarks a bit of a novelty. Its odd to be wandering along at lunchtime, look-up and see Big Ben - or to run past Buckingham Palace on the way home. Its great though - we'll be able to spend the summer lunchtimes sightseeing?!

All in all we are really enjoying life here. It has been great catching up with heaps of good friends that we haven't seen for a while - and having them here made it really easy for us to settle into life quickly. Although the week in London can be a bit of a drag there are plenty of weeknight distractions on offer and with all the UK and Europe has to offer at the weekend, the grind of the week is soon forgotten. [Above: It didn't take Michelle long to find the sweet stand at Borough Markets....]

Brazil... Bahia, Booze, Beaches, Bikinis and Budgie Smugglers

The final stage of our journey took us from Buenos Aries north to Iguazu Falls which sits on the border of Argentina and Brazil. There is much debate over whether the falls are best seen from the Argentinean or Brazilian side.... We had a day on both and think that if you have the time you probably appreciate them most if you can do both.

Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side.......

The Iguazu Falls, while failing to top other falls around the world in terms of volume or height, are undoubtly beautiful. They stretch for 2.7km and are a collection of hundreds of waterfalls, rather than 1 big waterfall.

A day on the Argentinian side allows you to get up close to the many falls - walking above, under, around and between the different falls. While there are many tourists around, the vast number of tracks which weave through the National Park mean that it never feels overly crowded.

While there we went on one of the boat trips to see the falls from the water. Probably the best bit of this trip was when the driver took us right into one of the falls!!! We got absolutely saturated, but this was a welcome respite from the temperatures in the high 30's, and high humidity.

We found that a day here was easily filled with walking, swimming and absorbing the the beauty and power of the falls. A bonus was the wildlife,which far exceeded that which we saw in the Peruvian jungle - butterflies, Cayman crocs, coates (like racoon things....), lizards and birds.

Iguazu Falls from the Brazilian side......

Our next day was spent viewing the falls from the Brazilian side. The Iguazu Falls experience on the Brazilian side complements time spent on the Argentinian side well, as it offers panoramic views of the falls and allows you to see them in their entireity. Unfortunately, there is only one path on the Brazilian side, and therefore its numerous viewing platforms were at times fairly overrun with other photo-hungry tourists.

We again took our time here and were happy to stand and take in the enormous power and volume or water pouring over the falls - suffice to say it leaves Huka Falls looking somewhat modest by comparison!

Temperatures were again close to 40 'C, but the less interactive nature of the Brazilian side of the falls meant that we had to settle for spray drift from the falls to cool us off.

Flocks of Brazilian Birds

At the entrance to the Brazilian national park is a private bird park. The park is a good way to spend the rest of a day on the Brazilian side (which, if you have done the Argentinian side, does not warrant another full day). The bird park was pretty cool - lots of very large enclosures which you could walk through and view and interact with birds.

The star of the show there were the Tucans, which were extremely bold and happy to fly right up to you for a closer look. Very cool to see a Tucan so close - even if it wasn't exactly in the wild!

Into the heart of the Bahia region......

From Iguazu we flew north to the city of Salvador - in the heart of the Bahia region. Salvador is about a 2 hour flight north of Rio. For us, the journey here took a combination of 4 flights on GOL..... the Brazilian airline which was involved in an accident (total loss) around the time we started our trip in South America. This was a fact hard to put out of our mind during each takeoff and landing... and while they do boast one of the newest fleets in South America...... this was little comfort as their plane that crashed was on its maiden commercial flight!

We arrived in Salvador at around midnight on a Sunday evening. We had arranged for a transfer to our hotel, which was in the heart of the historic part of the city. We wound down narrow cobbled streets and happened upon a crowd of young Brazilians spilling out of a local bar all over the street.... things looked a bit out of control.... and we were highly taken aback when our driver stopped to let us (the only white people for miles) out to walk the rest of the way to our hotel! It turned out fine but was a big culture shock for us..... it felt like we had arrived in an African city.... quite different from the very european Argentina which we had become accustomed to!

We only had one day in Salvador, but it proved to be a real highlight, and in hindsight a couple more days there would have been nice. It had amazing characther - due mainly to the history of slave trade here, which has left a rich African culture in amongst often near deralict colonial buildings. It is not uncommon to hear the sound of bongo drums coming from a house as you walk down the street and artists are scattered around the city painting street and beach scenes as you walk by.

We just spent the day wandering and enjoying the city - stumbling on cool little cafes, bars and other interesting spots as we went. It is along way to go - but if you have the time - it is an interesting spot to spend some time.... perhaps en-route to some of Brazil's best beaches, which we were told were further to the north.

Morro de Sao Paulo

We left the sights and sounds of Salvador and took a ferry to a small island 2 hours away - Morro de Sao Paulo. We didn't know quite what to expect here, as english speakers seemed few and far between. We had been trying to book accommodation and 'Neide', the person we had been dealing with had been sending all sorts of strange emails.... including one which seemed to ask us if we could buy her some perfume..... understandibly, we were a little unsure what we were getting ourselves into!

Upon arrival we discovered that the main means of transport on the island are wheel barrows... and locals will happily carry your bags in their 'taxi' in return for a bit of money. Our bags were pushed for about 15 minutes over two beaches to a waiting bus, which took us another 20 minutes down the island to the 4th beach and Hotel Praia do Encanto (http://www.praiadoencanto.com.br/) where we were staying.

It didn't take long after arriving to discover two things about Neide.... 1, she was a woman (we had envisaged a man) and 2, she didn't speak a word of english, rather had been typing english emails using a Portuguese/English dictionary! Her emails to us must have taken hours - and the many miscommunications we had experienced made far more sense!!

The 6 days that followed on the island were fantastic. We had expected the beaches to be the stand out feature of our time here, but in fact it was the people that we met there which made our stay so enjoyable. The staff and other guests (predominantly Brazilian) were so open and welcoming. We quickly formed a great friendship with Neide - who took it upon herself to give us a crash course in Portuguese! The other staff were also very friendly and on numerous occassions the guitars, tamborines and shakers would come out and Michelle and I would be treated to a spontaneous sing along amongst the staff and their friends and family. Musical instruments were so common, that one night when I went to the bar to order a drink I was instead handed a tamborine - only in Brazil!

We also were helped along by Julia, a 14 year old niece of one of the staff, and the only person around who could speak english! She was a very sweet girl and her help is just another of the many examples of friendship that was extended to us.

Our days here were spent lazing by the pool with a book and a caipirinha, swimming and wandering along the beaches. The weather was stunning - and we hardly saw a cloud the entire time we were there. Caipirinhas are Brazil's national drink and are basically cachaca (a spirit made from sugar cane), sugar and lime juice. Definately not for the faint hearted - but I was treated to a course on how to make one by the bar staff.... so watchout next time we have a cocktail party!!!

One day we took a day off our usual routine of lazing by the pool and took a day trip around the island. We started out with some snorkelling in the crystal clear water and then headed on to a beautiful beach for some lunch. Neide had recommended a spot to us and we were treated to fresh grilled prawns..... yum! From here we carried on and stopped at an oyster farm in the middle of an estary..... we jumped onto a floating platform and were then treated to fresh oysters straight from the water....... gold! The boat continued around the island and it was a great chance to see some of the other beaches around (which were nicer to those near to us).

We were very lucky to receive such special treatment at our hotel and saying goodbye to everyone when our time was up was a bit sad...... Neide even told us she loved us as we hugged goodbye!! So cute.

Rio de Janerio

From Salvador we flew back south to Rio where we arrived on Christmas Eve. We were staying close to Copacabana Beach for 2 days so weren't too far from all the action.

Christmas Day was spent sightseeing. We went for walk along Copacabana Beach which was packed full of Brazilian beachgoers. The costume of choice was bikinis for the girls and hot pant budgie smugglers for the guys. No matter what shape the bodies were in there was plenty of flesh on display! The beach itself was huge, nice, but very busy.

Next we headed by gondola up the Sugar Loaf. These are huge stone pinnacles that provide a great panoramic view of Rio. Not much more to say really.... a picture can explain it better than we can!

The next day we headed up to see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. The statue is of course a real landmark in Rio and there were thousands of people up there taking a look. Something that must be done while in Rio.... and worth a look.

The afternoon was spent wandering down Ipanema Beach, the next bay round from us, and the more 'happening' place to be. The beach is divided into sections.... amongst the informal splits are the sporty section where people play different games and sports, the young section where teenagers hangout and a gay section which was absolutely packed full of budgie smuggling guys.

Rio was a beautiful city, however my perception of it is a bit tainted by its reputation for crime. Everyone we spoke to (locals and other tourists) warned us to be careful with belongings.... the beaches are not safe after dusk and even during the day you are told only to take your towel and swimsuit.... anything else is fair game. Sadly, there seems to be an acceptance that this is the way it is, but to my mind there is no point having a beautiful city and beaches if you can't relax and enjoy it.

Ilhe Grande..... an island paradise?

From Rio we headed to Ilhe Grande. We got off to a bad start.... I dropped the camera and it ceased to function.... our transfer didn't turn up..... and when we did get to our accommodation they gave us a twin room rather than a double.... However, once settled in we got back to relaxing!

Ilhe Grande is billed as a bit of an island paradise away from Rio - upon arriving by boat we were reminded of the Malborough Sounds..... dense bush covered island with little hostels etc scattered around the coast.

We only had 2 nights here, as all the accommodation was then moving onto '5 day New Year' packages. The island was nice (and had some beautiful beaches which could be accessed by boat), however we probably didn't see it at its best.... it was filling up for New Year and we had our first rain affected days in Brazil! We did a bit of kyacking, more relaxing and enjoyed fantastic food at the restaurant of Sagu Mini Resort where we stayed. For me, Morro de Sao Paulo was the pick of the islands.... but nevertheless we had a good time on Ilhe Grande.

Paraty and on to Sao Paulo

From Ilhe Grande we found our way back to the mainland and then a few hours south to Paraty... a colonial town on the mainland coast. This was basically an overnight stop-off on the way to Sao Paulo where our flight to London departed. Once there we really only had time to wander down to one of the local beaches and then look around the town. It was a nice town with cobble stone paths and the shopping here looked pretty good (although we had run out of money by this stage!). The sort of place we could have spent a few more days, but alas the next morning we boarded the bus for Sao Paulo.

The bus trip to Sao Paulo was a bit surreal..... thousands of Brazilians heading out of Sao Paulo for the beaches meant that traffic was crawling, but everyone was in good spirits - dressed in their beach gear, music playing, drinking etc..... felt like New Years Eve in the Coromandel - and there a hint of 'I wish I was in NZ for New Years' sentiment around!

We arrived in Sao Paulo..... a city of over 10 million people and one which is dirty and in parts dangerous. We were staying in the Chinatown part of the city... one of the safer bits... and home to great cheap eats. We basically killed time here until the moment finally arrived for us to head to the airport for the last time on the trip........

We'll try and do some overall reflections of the trip, but on Brazil some of our reflections were that it was worth a visit... but that due to its size you can only scrap the surface in 2 weeks, it is diverse in both its people and landscapes, we were a little underwhelmed by the beaches (I'll take a deserted Coromandel beach anyday) but were over whelmed by the many friendly open people we met in the north. For us, it was a great country to finish the adventure in - as the beaches and culture means that to sit back and relax is very easy.

We`re in heaven.......(updated with pics!)

We´re in heaven (more commonly referred to as Argentina)! Apologies for the gap since we last wrote - not sure why it has taken so long.... our only explanation is that we have been too busy enjoying the good life to take time out to write!

As its been over a month there is a fair bit to say... so for those of you who want the summarised version, here are a few of our observations on Argentina:

Cosmopolitan: Argentina is very ´cosmopolitan. Lots of bars, cafes and styley people. It is a mix of beautiful colonial architecture, modern European living and Latin American culture. These things fuse together to make a perfect holiday destination.

Food: The food is unlike that we have experienced anywhere else in South America. There is a great mix of traditional Argentinean parillas (where they serve beautiful steaks), modern restaurants with beautiful seafood and modern cuisine. (Pic: Lunch in La Boca)

Wine: The red wine is superb..... especially for the price.... We have been careful in our research on this front, and have left no stone unturned when it comes to experiencing this aspect of Argentina. Wine is so important here that in many restaurants the length of the wine list far exceeds that of the menu. We like it.

Affordable: For anyone shopping with a foreign currency (even the NZ dollar!), Argentina is very affordable. A bottle of quite drinkable red can be purchased at a restaurant for 12 pesos (that's about NZ$5). A whole meal for 2 in a nice restaurant (including a very nice bottle of wine) can cost as little as $NZ50. The cost of food etc seems to be around half what you would pay in NZ (or less when it comes to wine). You can live extremely cheaply, or, you can do what we seem to.... and spend almost what you would in NZ and eat and drink like royalty!

People: The people here are extremely attractive. As we are a happily married couple, there is probably not more we can say here.

Climate: The weather has been fantastic. We´ve had sun everyday and temperatures have ranged from very mild (15-25°C) to very hot (30-35°C). Not looking forward to the London winter!

Lifestyle: The lifestyle here is very much one of eat late, stay out late and if you live outside Buenos Aries, have a siesta in the afternoon. Some clubs don´t open until midnight, and most people turn up around 2am and stay until daylight. I am now sure that Sanjay is Argentinean.

White is black: Argentineans love to wear white. This is especially so for the women, however is also apparrent with men.... yet further proof that Sanjay is part Argentinean.

For those of you who are suckers for punishment.... here is the full uncensored version......

Salta

Last time we wrote we had just arrived in Salta, a small city in the far north of Argentina. For us Salta was a European oasis after months spent in ´South America´. It is a beautiful city, with plenty of great colonial buildings. It is not ´touristy´, however its population combined with tourists (South American and foreign) ensures that there are no shortage of cafes, bars and restaurants. Its fair to say that our week here was very relaxed.... sipping, shopping, eating and relaxing.

The pace of life here was fairly peaceful compared to other Latin American cities and the tradition of a ´siesta´ is alive and well. For us the siesta took a bit of getting used to. For the first couple of days we would enjoy a sleep in and get out and about around 11am, only to find most shops and other businesses would close up at 12 and not reopen until 4:30 or 5pm. Fortunately cafes do not have the benefil of the seista, and so we could hunker down in one until life emerged post-siesta!

Salta also has no shortage of stray dogs. One evening while sitting at a restaurant table in the street one sat with us in one of our spare chairs. The repeated attempts of restaurant staff to eject him did not seem to phase him and since we had been subject to such attempts by bar staff in our past we felt a real connection with him. This began our relationship with Baxter. He followed us to our taxi that night, joined us in a park one day (until we all got kicked off the grass) and also found us at another bar where he sat and enjoyed a drink with us. We really bonded with Baxter and he joins the long list of great people (and now animals) we have crossed paths with on the trip. (Above, Baxter, our furry gentleman friend)

Cafayate - the home of Torrontes

From Salta we began our trip south to Mendoza. As we were going overland by bus and it is a long way, we decided to break up the trip with a couple of stops. What better place to take a break than Cafayate... a small town in the north which is home to ´torrontes´ a white wine variety which we understand is pretty much only grown in Argentina. Its hard to describe... but is very floral and not too bad on a hot Argentinean day.

Cafayate was very quiet...... with only the odd tourist on bikes to spoil the peace. Feeling guilty after not doing any sightseeing in Salta we packed our day here full of activities. First things first, we hired bikes and took to the road in search of wineries. We visited Etchart (one of the biggest producers in the area) and had a tour of the winery. Like all our winery tours here, we were shown right through the winery, as workers lined the bottling line and forklifts wizzed past with pellets of wine...... it seems Argentina is free of OSH restrictions still! We were also pleasantly surprised to find that their award wining ´top of the line´ red wine sold for just 40 pesos (that´s about NZ20!). Two more wineries and then a peddle back to town.

In the afternoon we took a tour of an area of valleys just out of Cafayate called Quebrada de Cafayate. Here the rock formations have eroded over time to reveal layers of different colours and unusual shapes. Although we were in two minds about whether to do this trip, we did actually enjoy it). Our ´guide´ was hopeless (basically just drove the group around and flirted with two Argentinean girls) but did come into his own in one cave called ´The Ampitheatre´ when he picked up a guitar and sung while a thunder storm broke out. Pretty cool to hear the booming thunder mixed with this guy´s tunes.

From Cafayate we bused to Tucuman another city en-route to Mendoza (again a stop to break up the trip). Not much to say about Tucuman, except that it was hot and was where the abundance of stylish dressers became more apparent to us. After a day and night here we hopped on a night bus to Mendoza.

Mendoza - a desert full of Malbec

Mendoza is a small city (130,000 pop) tucked in by the Andes (to the east of Santiago). The news to us was that it is in the middle of the desert, but to look at it you wouldn´t know it - the streets are lined with lush trees and like all Argentinean cities, there are plenty of lush green plazas scattered around the city. This is all made possible by open air aqueducts (used even prior to Spanish settlement) that irrigate the city thanks to melting snow in the Andes. This is the same water that makes it possible for the grapes which produce 70% of Argentina´s wine to be grown in this desert which surrounds Mendoza.

It is fair to say that the week we had here had a strong focus on wine. However, when in Rome right?

Our accommodation here was very nice.... an apartment with a big deck from which to enjoy the hot sunny days (average high here in December is 30°C). Not exactly backpacking.... but to be honest.... although we each have two backpacks, I´m not sure I would say we have been backpacking.

In an attempt to ease into the wine experience we took ourselves by local bus to the nearest wine region (there are 3 main regions), the Maipu valley. Here we again took to the roads on bikes and visited a few of the local wineries.... good times, but you wouldn´t want to get too carried away as the roads are narrow, the trucks on them are large and fast, and the dogs that chase you are less than friendly (nothing like Baxter). Most interesting thing learnt that day was that if a winery does not irrigate using a drip feed system (ie black piping) they simply open the aqueduct gates into the vineyard when required and flood the areas planted with vines. Apparrently this is the traditional way. (Pic is flooding of winery)

Not having satisfied our cravings (and with our bums not up to further biking) we booked the next day for a full day ´premium´ tour of Valle de Uco, to the south of Mendoza. This region has great scenery as it is surrounded by vines and has the snow capped Andes as its backdrop. It is also emerging as the most prestigious Mendoza region as the elements here produce a great wine.

Guided by Anna, a recent law school graduate, we visited 3 wineries over the course of the day, each of which was very different. Our first stop was La Azul, a small winery owned by 2 Argentinean businessmen. The winery is a hobby for them and produces just 30,000L per year. Our tasting here was carried out in the room where the vats are housed and barrels stored - basically the only building on site. Here we tasted 3 wines, two of which we sampled straight from the barrel...... noticing how experienced Michelle was with a glass of wine in hand the guide at the winery even allowed her to pour her own glasses from the barrel! Included in our tasting from the barrel was their top wine, of which from the last vintage only 600 bottles reached the market (all of which sold to a single buyer for 80 pesos each .... NZ$40). The tasting was unlike any other we had experienced in NZ - even the wine glasses were large fine glasses of the type you would expect at a nice restaurant (with large tastings to match....).

From here we went on to Andeluna, a much grander and very new winery, which sells only domestically and in some states in the US. Demand far exceeds supply for them, and thus prices for their wine started at around US$30 per bottle.... quite a contrast to La Azul! We were again shown the vineyard and right through the winery and so in addition to tasting, you also learned a lot about how different wineries produce their wines.

Next on to Salentien, probably the largest in the area and owned by a Dutch businessman who has spent a fortune on the winery. The winery, with a star shaped interior is quite an architectural feat (see view from level 1 into barrel room to the right)! We had a great 3 course lunch here followed by tasting. Like Andeluna, the winery buildings are very new - apparently a lot of foreign money has poured into the industry since the 2001 crisis made investment here so much more affordable (until then the peso had been pegged 1 for 1 to the USD). It was a great day and we learned (and tasted) a heap!

It was in Mendoza where we had our biggest ´it´s a small world´ experience so far in the trip. While at a wine tasting in town, we bumped into one of the only 2 people we knew in Argentina prior to the trip (only we thought they were in Buenos Aries). Luke and Suzie (who we had met only once or twice through Dazza) had done a trip like ours to South America 4 years ago. Like us, they vowed to come back and earlier this year they did and now work in Mendoza. This was a great chance encounter and Luke and Suzie really looked after us for the rest of our time there.

As it happened, Suzie was working as a wine tour guide, so the next day we found ourselves booking onto our second `premium´ tour, this time of the third region, Lujan de Cuyo. With Suzie as our guide and Luke along (he was writing an article on the tour) we had another fantastic day. I have raved on enough about wine tours and tastings, but in short.... we did another barrel tasting, visited one of the oldest wineries in the area and had a beautiful 5 course wine matched lunch. Another fantastic day and we left knowing a little bit more about wine and how it is made here. (Pic, us with Suzie and Luke)

Of course there is more to life than wine. When we weren´t drinking, we were eating, but when these things were done we also spent plenty of time exploring the area and experiencing the culture. In addition to its tree lined streets and plazas, Mendoza has a 400 hectare park (Parque General San Martin). The park is home to a man made lake, used to irrigate the city and is positioned in the direction of the prevailing wind to add humidity to the otherwise dry desert air. quite clever really. The cultural highlight was sitting a terrace cafe outside the Hyatt, which is a huge old colonial style building, listing to jazz by moonlight.

All in all Mendoza was a fantastic place.... we will be back!

Santiago - Chile

We took a bus for the 6 hour journey across the Andes and into Chile. We had been told to expect spectacular views and scenery along the way, and while it was quite impressive, we have probably become a bit spoilt in this respect from the scenery we have seen further north on the trip.
We had 3 days in Santiago.... this time in accommodation that would be fit for a true backpacker, but which was central in its location. Santiago was a busy, bustling city. Once again there are beautiful plazas, parks and colonial buildings. It has a great underground rail system and we quickly found ourselves using this to get around the city and region.

The highlights for us while here were probably a gondola ride up to a park that overlooks the city. From the top there is a great panoramic view across Santiago. There is also a huge Christ the Redeemer statue at the top which overlooks the city. Open air church services are held at the top, which I am sure would be an amazing experience to attend.

We enjoyed a day trip out to the coastal port town of Valparaiso. The unexpected highlight here was a trip to Pablo Neruda`s hillside house (he is a Noble prize winning poet.... but we had never heard of him.... sorry mum....). It seems that the guy was fairly eccentric and his house is filled with odd bits and pieces, each with a great story. For example, he was given a portrait of a woman which hung on his wall..... and so as to ensure that she didn´t get lonely, he purchased a portrait of a man and hung it on the wall opposite! He also enjoyed things nautical and his home overlooked the busy Valparaiso port. A cool little town to visit. (pic, view from lunch)

The only downside to Chile is that it is relatively expensive. We found that things cost about the same or a little more than they do in NZ..... a bit tough on the wallet after weeks travelling in Bolivia and then Argentina!

Roll on Buenos Aires.......

Our flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires provided us with a fantastic view of the Andes. I don´t think we had appreciated how immense they were until we saw them from the air!

In Buenos Aires we checked into our home for the next week... a small B&B in the heart of Palermo (www.palermoviejobb.com). Our stay there has been fantastic. Ariel the owner was quick to sit us down and talk us through the city and what we needed to see. Armed with a map he gave us (which incidentially points out the location of gay friendly businesses all over BA..... in Ariel´s words, the map is gay, but its good!) we have really experienced Buenos Aries. (Pic is Ricoletta cemetary)

Highlights have been :

Living in Palermo...... Palermo is the heart of the Buenos Aries cafe, restaurant and designer clothing store area. Every street is a mix of residential buildings and places to eat, drink and shop. Naturally it is a place Michelle could easily get lost in for weeks! It has all been on our doorstep, which is dangerous, but great!

Tango in La Boca..... We spent a day looking around La Boca.... a working class neighbourhood and home to Maradona Diego´s football club and tango. Despite the Lonely Planet´s warnings not to leave ´tourist areas´, we ventured down back streets (complete with piles of rotting rubbish everywhere you looked) in search of a local restaurant Ariel had recommended we visit. Sure enough we found it nestled amongst industrial buildings..... it had been around for about 60 years, was very local and the food was stunning (and cheap!) and the wine list extensive. From here we ventured into the tourist area and watched tango in the street, and back out of the tourist area, a local rock band play to locals on a soccer pitch.

Ricoletta cemetery.... Nestled near the city is the historic Ricoletta cemetery... Evita`s resting place. Although one must go to see Evita´s grave, the cemetery is more spectacular for the mix of grand crypts, some of which have been lovingly cared for over the past 120 years, others which are in a sad state of disrepair.

Sunday in San Telmo..... Sunday in San Telmo the streets convert to a massive antique (and other old stuff) market. You could spend (and we did) hours here looking at all sorts of stuff.... matchbox toys from your childhood (remember the light blue car transporter Scott?), tonnes of coloured glassware from the 60s (had to drag ourselves away) and several deco stores where Bruce and Alan would be in their element!

Uruguay.... We took a 1 hour ferry across the river to Colonia, a small town in Uruguay. The city is a world heritage site and has extremely rustic cobble-stoned streets and stone houses. It is like we would picture an old Italian or Spanish village and was a nice peaceful break from bustling BA.

Of course we have done heaps more here.... enjoyed fantastic food and wine, shopped, visited galleries, parks and plazas, late nights out in dance clubs (complete with g-string clad dancing girls, drag queens and freestyle (ie BOP) dancers), wandered through markets, weaved around the city on local buses and just tried to absorb as much of this great city as we can.

As you can see - we love Argentina and we are already planning a return journey here. From here we head to Iguazu falls, then on to Brazil for a couple of weeks mainly spent on beaches. Will try and let you know about that before we leave South America.

Hope this finds you well. Don`t get too carried away in the silly season, have a great Christmas and New Year. We have Christmas in Rio and New Year in the air en-route to London where we arrive on New Years Day.