Week Fifty - Happy New Year

Well as I write this we are only two days away from the dawn of another year - who can believe it's 2015? Why is it that the older you get the quicker the years slope by?

I always think New Year is a bit of a fresh start, a cleansing moment where we re-energise our focus on our goals and ambitions - physical, personal, career/work.  I'm not a believer in New Years resolutions but I do like those couple of days of taking stock (and obviously making lists).  So what are we all refocusing on this year?

And as 2014 comes to a close what better way to see it out than with a great bunch of friends in one of the most amazing settings in the world - The Highlands of Scotland.

As we speak there are fifteen of us slowly congregating in the massive dining room of our accomodation in Gairloch for the big fry breakfast we start another day that follows broadly the same pattern each day - breakfast followed by a walk (so far it's been the beaches rather than the hills as it is really really icy up here though a few of the boys braved a Munro yesterday).  After our walk it's cake and coffee (not directly correlated to the energy burned walking). After that it's time to hang out in the snug whilst we all take it in turn to cook dinner and the night then crescendos into a revelry of music song and sadly dance!!

And then it all starts again.  The young people are leaving us today so that will raise the tone of events - not!!!

So as a wee end of year gift please find below a selection of photographs of this beautiful part of the world taken by this weeks guest photographer Sammy Potter - some really lovely shots....

Unbelievably we had to abandon our cars yesterday as this lorry blocked our only route back to the house!! After a couple hours holed up in the pub and no sign of the truck being able to be moved, we were somewhat ironically reliant on the Munro climbers coming to rescue the beach walkers!!

Whilst hanging around, wining and dining I...

...HUNG OUT AT...the snug in the house in Gairloch...

...WINED ON...a beautiful Swiss red Hilary and Steve brought with them...

...DINED ON...a selection of beautiful dishes being made by us for us including red currant roast lamb, boeuf bourgignon and tonight we're on pad Thai noodles and Thai Red Curry!!! 

Post script - I changed my mind - New Years resolution is to stop eating and drinking!!

Have a wonderful new year and may 2015 be everything you hope for

And Happy Birthday to mum too. 

Week Forty Nine: Merry Christmas (never take it forgranted)

[I was going to update this blog in light of todays events in Glasgow.  However, the sentiment of what I have written just became more rather than less poignant and so I have not changed anything but ask each of us to think again about what is important in life - you never know when the day will come that you walk out the door and don't come back.  What do you want to be remembered for and do your actions align?  What do you want to achieve and what are you doing about making sure it happens?  To quote a cliche - will work be one of the things you wish you'd done more of?  For some it will be - a real measure of the difference you make to the world.

To all those who have lost someone today (whether in the tragic accident in Queen Street, through other accidents or just because their time was up, I wish you every condolence.  There is no good time to lose someone but there is no worse time than Christmas)]...

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I love the festive season.  A beacon to obsess about in what would otherwise be a very dark, depressing season of the year.  The lights, the trees, the parties, the food and drink, the people, the carols, the concerts, the tradition, so on and so forth.  It all makes winter almost bearable!! In fact if it wasn't for all that goes on around Christmas and New Year, I personally would become a sloth.  Motivating myself to get out of bed when it's dark and cold, getting through the to do list rather than just sitting under the blankie with a glass and TV, dealing with the ever present lousy circulation....I totally understand why people suffer from SAD.

So the Christmas decos and social calendar help no end....And we've obviously all needed it this year - I always maintain you can tell the state of the nation by how early in December we look to cheer ourselves up by putting up the Christmas tree.  This year we're all obviously needing cheered up as I think the majority of trees were up in the first week (according to all the facebook posts I saw anyway given I was still in the land of 30+ degrees at the time).

Over the last couple of years I have entertained in my house a lot - my afternoon of mulled wine and mince pies the Saturday before Christmas, hosting Christmas Day, baking for various events.  

This year is different on many levels.  Having been away and going away for New Year, I have done / am doing no entertaining in my house; I'm not hosting Christmas Day this year; I'm not in an office environment with Christmassy things going on and I haven't been in a position to splash out the way I normally do on presents for everyone.  Time has been more available than money this year!!!!  All of this has led to the realisation with an emptier house this year, that Christmas is about the smell of pine and cloves and cinnamon and mulled wine, the taste of mince pies and the time spent with people round about you.

It is less about (or should be less about) the gifts we give and the pressure we put ourselves under to have the perfect Christmas. Who dictates the perfect Christmas? Us? The marketing companies? The retailers themselves? Who cares if you don't have the perfect stuffing accompaniment or your Heston Christmas pudding to match your Jamie Turkey and your Delia gravy whilst Paul waits in the background with Mary to show you how to perfect the nibbles and you've not decorated your house according to the Kirstie Allsop handbook?

Wouldn't it be great to forget all of that? Recognise it is not just one day but a couple of weeks where we can relax with friends and family and take our collective feet off the gas for a few days. I'm sure if our focus shifted that way then this would definitely be The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!!

So to that end I hope, with two full days of work/mayhem left, you can stop, lay down the to do lists, get out of work on time and enjoy the experience of time with friends, family, light, smells, taste, relaxation, nostalgia, laughter and whatever else.

I wish you a very merry festive season and I look forward to sharing many new adventures with you all in 2015.

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[Let's keep our lives in perspective, remember we're not in charge and live each day like it's our last cos one day it will be.

There is no HUNG OUT at, WINED ON and DINED on this week as all of a sudden it does not feel appropriate.]

Have a good one

Gillian  xxxx

Week Forty Eight - Great Expectations

The last week of the trip - I've actually forgotten what it is like to live outside South America and to be able to have a conversation in English with people you come across every day!!  Even as I sit here in Miami Airport I would suggest English is not the first language of most the people working here.

This week was all about saving some of the big iconic attractions until the end according to the itinerary that had been put together so expertly by Nicola at Flight Centre.

First stop - Iguacu Falls.  This was definitely the wow moment of luxury on the trip.  Our hotel was the Sheraton in Iguacu National Park itself and the view from the lobby incorporated your first view of the Falls themselves.  They looked fairly impressive but as it turned out that was only a glimpse of the true extent of the experience.  On our first full day we visited the Argentinian side of the Falls (in total the falls cover 2.2km with 2.1km being in Argentina and 0.1km being in Brazil.)

Iguacu Falls National Park is over 182,000 hectares of subtropical rainforest home to over 2000 identified plant species, 400 bird types and many mammals and reptiles.  I spent some time with a lovely Brisbanite Clary who had set himself the goals of seeing four things in South America (Galapagos, Macchu Piccu, Antartica and Iguacu Falls).  We spent quite a bit of time not only marvelling at how the falls just keep coming at you but also discussing the completely separate ecosystems which exist above, in and below the falls themselves - something a friend of Clarys has studied for years and which I've promised to read more about on my return home (as well as watching The Mission which is set at Iguacu and is about the only Robert de Niro film I haven't watched).  

As for the falls themselves their sources come from Rio Iguazu and Rio Panama, two rivers which join at the point at which Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.  Quite interesting to see the three countries only 1km or so apart and two rivers which merge in colour if nothing else - Panama is blue whilst Iguacu is brown.

As Lonely Planet says "people who doubt the theory that negative ions generated by the a Falls make people happier might have to reconsider after visiting.  Moods just seem to improve the closer you get to them until eventually people dissolve into a giggling, shrieking mess.  And this is adults we're talking about.  The power, size and sheer noise of the falls has to be experienced to be believed."

Our trip incorporated seeing the falls up close and personal on a couple of walking circuits (the only disappointment being that storms earlier this year had swept away the walk / viewing platform for the Devils Throat which is the most spectacular) and we also opted to take what was described as the boat tour.  Well it was more than that - a full on thrill ride and if we'd known all involved I certainly wouldn't have worn a tight white tshirt and a pair of shorts I feared may go see through!!

You start up close to one of the tamer falls and get slightly damp before they then take you headlong into two of the more 'active' falls - where you get absolutely drenched - like shoving your face and body into the worlds strongest power shower which completely takes your breath away.  The most horrible feeling was as the torrents of water worked their way down your front and shorts - soggy all over to say the least.  Oh and then we concluded it all with a Rapids ride and whilst still drying off s jungle jeep ride.

Day Two took us to the Brazillian side of the experience.  This meant going through the Argentinian and Brazilian immigration controls so for the sake of one hour at the falls we spent seven hours travelling.  You'll get some sense of how amazing it was when I say it was completely worth it.  

A couple of days ago someone commented rather succinctly that on the Argentinian side you see the Falls whilst on the Brazilian side you feel the falls.  This is pretty accurate but one thing is for sure - the hundreds of photos taken and the whole of the Oxford dictionary would still not convey they full impact of this, deserved, modern wonder of the world.

By contrast, the final stop of our trip, Rio de Janeiro, left me somewhat underwhelmed. Various notions of what to expect were going through my head - party central, home to Christ The Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain both of which are icons of Rio.  The idea we have of Brazilians flaunting their beautiful bodies around Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.  My own ideas that both these beaches would be wall to wall trendy restaurants, bars and shops.  The whole place alive with colour and happy sounds.

The reality is somewhat different.  Gridlock from the airport to our hotel which meant a 10km trip took over an hour albeit it was made more interesting by our guide filling us in on lots of information from a locals perspective - we even drove along the outskirts of one of Rio's shanty towns (flavellas).  The city and the streets around the beaches are pretty grubby and a mix of shops, cafes etc which are more reminiscent of the style we saw in Peru - a developing country.  The beach is big and white as are the avenues which line them but the buildings along the avenue are somewhere between 1950s and 1970s tower blocks.  As for the beach inhabitants - well the stereotypical Brazilian Beach Babes were nowhere to be seen (thank goodness for me) and instead the trend is one that looks as if it's heading towards obesity (something our guide himself had commented on).  Hardly surprising when the endless kiosks serving food and drink which line the beaches sell predominantly fried food and beer!!  All that said the beaches are full of every life form therefore great for people watching and sunset is amazing.

Sugarloaf Mountain does tower majestically over the city (hard to believe it is only one piece of granite).  The views from the top of the cable car ride are amazing across every aspect of the sprawling city. Christ the Redeemer on the other hand does not impose itself over the city as much as I had expected.  From the photos you see of it it feels like it should be huge and tangible from any aspect across the city.  This is true when you go to visit it (an amazing little train ride that climbed ore than 1500m). It is huge and majestic and well worth the visit.

I sound like I'm being hyper critical of Rio.  That wouldn't be fair.  I only had a couple of days in Rio and wish I had had more to explore it further, find its soul and experience its legendary nightlife and carnivale atmosphere however it was not to be.  That said (by virtue of sending some thoughts on what to do in Buenos Aires to Lucy and Oli) I realise how much more BA grabbed me from the moment we arrived.  Maybe next time when the city hosts the 2016 Olympics, Rio will do the same thing (not that I'll be there)!!  

Our guide told us everything which is going on at the moment to get ready for the greatest show on earth - four new roads with tunnels being constructed, two new subway lines, hotels being built all along the dockside, converting the docks into a showpiece.  A massive massive undertaking with a long way to go.  Yes the Football World Cup was here this year however very few of the games were actually hosted in Rio and it would appear the city is well aware of the challenges which lie ahead (indeed the influx of contractors etc to get games ready is what is causing a lot of the gridlock today!!).

So the six week mega trip is coming to an end - as I write this (not post it because Miami Airport has no wifi to speak of) I am one flight down with two more to go (interspersed with a 15 hour layover and a 5 hour layover).  My summary after 41 days, 26 beds, 16 plane journeys, 80 plus bus journeys, 3 trains, 2 cable cars and a tuk tuk?

We have had the most amazing experiences over the last six weeks.  A quite contrasting trip and one that we probably had not anticipated being as full on and full of adventures as it has been.  The Amazon feels like a lifetime ago and was the perfect start to a trip to another continent as it was like nothing we'd experienced before but also gave you that 'pinch me' feeling as you wondered at the fact you were in The Amazon.  Whilst the early starts were a bit much at times, the G Adventures trip through Peru was my highlight.  Travelling with a group of people and a CEO who instantly bonded, experiencing all sorts of transportation to get to some wild and wacky places (you may remember the pics of the cemetery in Nasca) and having the expertise of local guides to take us to places and introduce us to people you would never have come across if you'd tried to do it yourself.  And laterally having time to get an overview of other big attractions like Mendoza, Buenos Aires, and Rio have also been great whistlestop tours.

In the last week of my trip we...

...HUNG OUT WITH...our phrase book.  Just as we're mastering the basics of speaking, hearing and reasonably understanding Spanish, we move onto Brazil where the language is Portuguese.  In my niavity I thought they'd be similar but they're not.  Add to that the insistence that even when they know you don't speak their language, they insist on carrying on at high speed like you're taking it all in.  If I said gracias rather than obrigado one more time I was going to be upset with myself (until I decided to pretend I was merely an ignorant Spanish traveller!!)...

...WINED ON...whilst I enjoyed a bottle of AS3 Cab Sauv one eve, the focus of the trip was based on the premise of "when in Brazil..." And so it was caipirinhas rather than wine that were slipping down pretty well after an initial cheek sucking hit of strong alcohol and lime...

...DINED ON...the one and only big meal out we've had on this trip.  It was at a restaurant well chosen by Claire in the suburb of Leblon in Rio.  Called Zuka it was full of traditional upmarket Brazilian faire and despite my best attempts to fit in the dessert I've wanted the whole trip, it wasn't to be after eating a massive succulent melt in the mouth steak with something resembling Welsh rarebit and salad.

Whilst I've had a blast and would definitely love to explore other areas of South America its time to come home and see everyone, get ready for Christmas and get on with my businesses with a new sense of excitement and a slightly more worldy wise outlook.

Looking forward to catching up - I've missed you all

G

Week Forty Seven - Everywhere You Go Always Take The Weather (& your phrase book)

So the next part of our adventure started this week.  Having said fond farewells to our G Adventures family, Raul and to Peru/La Paz we set off on our own again to meet up with Gareth and take in the rest of the trip - something that in theory should be at a more relaxed pace.

First stop and meeting point was Santiago, Chile.  Claire and I arrived late at night (too late for the jet lagged Gareth to be at the bar with our drinks awaiting us) so it was straight to bed and up on Saturday for our one and only day to take in Santiago.  

Our orientation was made somewhat easier by virtue of the city tour we had organised with our guide Casper.  Many costume changes took place between breakfast and leaving with Casper an hour later as it became apparent it wasn't going to be great weather in Santiago that day.  Turns out that annually Santiago experiences no more than thirty days of rain - today was to be one of them and the temperature didn't make it passed 12 degrees.  Our tour took in the main sites of the city which was pretty quiet as it was early at the weekend.  It was definitely a step up in civilisation from a number of the places we'd been in Peru (not least the buildings were actually finished and traffic is controlled by things such as traffic lights).  We took in the cathedral, the central market, the bohemian area of town, the rich area of town and by the end of the tour had got the most important information from Casper - best places to eat, best ice cream, best bars!  All that said we lunched in a place Oli and Lucy had told us about in Bella Vista then had ice cream on the way home (The one in Arequipa was still best) and due to the rubbish weather at night, didn't make it passed the Irish bar at the end of our street.

It's hard to sum the city up as we were on such a whistlestop tour so I don't really feel like I got to see it that much.  

Next stop we got a bit more time in - a whole two nights in Mendoza - wine capital of Argentina and accountable for 70% of Argentinas wine production.  It was a bit of a bouncy flight over the Andes but with spectacular views of this amazing mountain range.

On arrival in Mendoza we were met by our local guide who informed us there were only a handful of days each year when the sun didn't shine and today was one of them - top temperature 9 degrees.  So the bottom of the bag holding the proper shoes, trousers and scarves was opened up again and outfits changed.

We spent Sunday exploring the city - apparently every day in Mendoza they have siesta between 1pm and 5pm.  In addition Sunday is reserved for family.  So it was a pretty sedate introduction to this city which is classed as the most picturesque in Argentina.  Definitely a relative thing and you do have to adjust your lens somewhat in South America with such statements - the cities don't have a patch on others around the world for being picturesque.  We took the city bus tour and were hugely surprised in the second half when we were taken out to an amazing park in the north of the city that housed some amazing statues and is entered via a set of very ornate gorgeous gates which were made in Glasgow as it turns out.

In the evening we headed out to one of the trendy areas we'd seen on the tour to grab some drinks and dinner.  This is where language became an interesting barrier.  Firstly we were questioning if they speak Portuguese in Argentina as the many words and phrases Claire and I had become very familiar with on the rest of the trip weren't apparent.  Secondly the Argentinians seemed to speak with a different dialect which again may as well have been another language.  And lastly (and I'm not complaining as we should be more prepared) but unlike other countries, when Argentinians work out you only speak English they just continue talking to you in Spanish anyway!!! Fair enough but does make for some interesting "conversations".  And as it turns out led to an interesting episode at dinner where I just didn't know what I'd ordered and Gareth and Claire's grande pizza (on which they'd passed on the accompanying chips and salad) turned out to be in effect a schnitzel for two people topped with cheese and presented on a massive board looking all lonely without its accompaniments!!!  A lesson learned.

Next day, with the weather finally improved to high twenties and sunny, we were off on a wineries tour.  One that I think we'll say was classier than what any of us are used to.  In Marlborough you either have bikes or a sober driver and usually make your way around at least five wineries in a day sampling maybe five to eight wines at each one.  Well not on this tour - two wineries with full tour and a degustation lunch at one (see WINED ON and DINED ON).

The first of our wineries has a long history of family ownership, sale and repurchase and whilst it doesn't produce all its grapes, all of its wines are made in the old concrete tanks that were used decades ago.  It was a real eye opener seeing this type of production and especially interesting going down to the cellars to see the original 50,000 litre tanks which were in effect rooms and are now used as cellars for the barrelled wine.

Our second winery was Alto Vista which is French owned (the small champagne house they mentioned as belonging to their owner is Tattinger!!).  It uses a mix of concrete and stainless steel production methods and has a huge range of wines producing in excess of 65m bottle per year - a real contrast from Clos de Chacra.

After a day of lazing around the park on Tuesday it was back on the plane as we headed to Buenos Aires.  Arriving somewhere at night is always a bit strange as you get no real sense of the city.  Again the next morning we went out on a private city tour with our guide Laura.  Whether private or on the tourist buses I always do these tours just to get a handle on where you are, what's available and what you might want to come back to.  We visited many of the contrasting regions of BA from the wealthy areas to the CBD, to the political centre and to the bohemian then slum areas.  All of them interesting in their own right and all of them leading to us having Don't Cry For Me Argentina going round our heads on an endless loop.

The city has a real energy about it and reminded me a lot of an amalgamation of Paris (they do consider themselves the Paris of SA) but also Melbourne with its wide avenues, different districts, focus on food and drink and a very temperate climate.  I definitely really liked it as a city and the ability to visit many different types of areas.  I would highly recommend a visit to the main square and the museums which offer an insight into Argentinas turbulent past - something they're not ashamed of and can actually be quite brazen about.  They've decided to knock down a gifted beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus coz they don't like that part of history any more but are happy to retain the British Clock Tower which was gifted to them after their revolution - but lest we forget they'll make sure it's positioned next to Belgrano!

The Modern Art a gallery was also really interesting with an exhibition of the works of Berni on display - we'd never heard of him but his works focused on two characters and moments in their lives - Juanito who was born into and makes his life in the slums of BA and Romana who becomes a prostitute.  Over three floors and interspersed with their permanent collection it was really interesting.

My favourite place (and anyone who has seen the colours in my house will understand) was Carmilito, the home of brightly coloured corrugated iron houses, tango and cafes and shops with amazing Parisian style signage.  A rally vibrant if not edgy place.

The other great thing we did was to go to the obligatory dinner and tango shows in one of the most renowned venues in BA - Carlos Gardin restaurant and show.  It was amazing even though in other circumstances the huge high speed three course dinner served to us would normally have had you falling asleep straight after - a bit like a Christmas dinner / party night where it's all just brought out in quick succession.  The show itself was amazing and took you through the evolution of tango throughout the 1930s to the present day - amazing.

So BA is definitely somewhere I'd visit again if I was ever back in SA.  

As for what is next?  Well I'm writing this on my 11th flight of the trip as we head to Iguacu Falls for three nights then our final port of Rio de Janiero - a couple of massive highlights to end the trip.

Whilst city hopping we...

...HUNG OUT AT...see above...

...WINED ON...and DINED ON... A stunning degustation lunch matched with our wines at Clos de Chacras

  (The entree)