Sunday, August 31, 2003
It's been a long time since I last wrote - well 2 months. I have had a month back in the UK attending friends' weddings and catching up with friends and family. The weddings were both great and it was lovely to see people, and also spend time back in the country and not working.
I am on the home stretch now, having spent the last few weeks travelling round Scandinavia by train, boat and bus. I haven't really been here long enough to do the area justice. My trip started in Helsinki then I travelled up to the Finnish lake district - the biggest in Europe, which was very mysterious. It was a change to see lakes without mountains all around. In contrast I am now in Norway, having come here via Sweden. As soon as I crossed the border on the train, there was a dramatic change in scenery. It is so mountainous and rugged. I am hoping to return so that I can see the North of Norway, as I only made it as far North as Trondheim.
My most interesting encounters were in a small fjord town named Alesund. There I met Johnny Kim from Korea who has been travelling round the world on his bicycle for 14 years on a mission from God. Only another 6 to go and he will return home. I was privileged enough to have a poem written for me during my stay and also have whale cooked for me. I won't say whether I ate it or not.
Stockholm has been the most beautiful city I have visited. I stayed on a boat and woke up with a lovely view through the porthole of Gamla Stan. In Bergen today and been hiking, then off to Oslo tomorrow then on to Gothenberg, Copenhagen and finally Odense where I will be visiting my brother and his family.
Then home.......and who knows where next......
posted by Alison 3:56 PM
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Just a quick posting to say that I will be back in the UK on 1st July. Spending the first few days in Shrewsbury with my parents, then off to Miss Bettys wedding. Very exciting stuff - can't wait. Then off to London for a few days and hopefully will catch up with a few of you readers then.
Had a great week in New York catching up with friends. I even saw Enasha who was over to start a Trek America tour. So I started and finished my trip with her.
Am now in Boston the land of Kinkos, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts - I have never seen so many stores in one small area. Took a trip to Cape Cod where once again I was attacked by mosquitoes, but also took in the beautiful scenery and coastline. Am off to sample my last clam chowder before I head off to the airport on my homeward trip. First stop Dublin, then Manchester.
Thanks for all your emails and comments if I haven't had a chance to reply in person, and see you soon.
posted by Alison 6:00 PM
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Since I last wrote I took another roadtrip with Richard, who was visiting San Francisco from London. We managed to drive over 2000 miles. Unbelieveable but we did see a lot of different things.
Our first stop was Point Reyes, just north of San Francisco. This is an ideal spot for whale watching although none were there for us, but 5 had passed the day before. We also managed to walk the 180 steps down to the lighthouse, only to have to climb all the way back up again. Our first night was in a little gold rush town named Jackson. There we met Bobby Ferguson - who apparently is a famous author currently publishing Fools Paradise and selling the film rights to it. We shall wait and see.
Richard was keen to try his hand at gold panning only to find out that I was much better than him and found a nugget - I wonder if I will be able to get it past customs!! After our success we ventured on to Lake Tahoe, which is a beautiful setting - we saw a coyote, a chipmunk and a BEAVER all in the space of a couple of hours. I found it difficult to contain my excitement, however Richard was a lot cooler. Lake Tahoe, being on the California / Nevada border provides a distinct variation of amenities around the lake. Just a yard past the State line are vast casinos. So, we stayed in one. It had amazing views of the Lake and we were also able to try our hand at Poker. We weren't too successful at that but proved ourselves more than able Black Jack players.
We took the Tahoe Queen paddle stamer on a cruise of Lake Tahoe and were able to enjoy the entertaining Tahoe Tessie, and her own rendition of the macarena. Richard was itching to get up and join in, but he had already spent too much time in the sun that day. We also took a balloon trip over the Lake which was great and not at all nerve wracking - I think because you would land in water if something was to go wrong, although we did have the very interesting experience of taking off and landing on a boat!!
Our next highlight was Death Valley which was even hotter than my first visit - 112 degrees in the shade. We didn't do a great deal of walking, but stopped off at some of the interesting rock and salt formations. That day we decided not to stay in the valley to shorten our drive the next day and ended up in Shoshone - a motel, gas station, restaurant and museum. Unfortunately even though it was a Saturday night, the restaurant and gas station decided to close early, so our dinner consisted of oatmeal in a mug and a few fig rolls.
From there we visited the Tecopa hot springs once again for a relaxing bath, then headed through Vegas and on to the Hoover Dam. We then took the long drive down route 66 to the Grand Canyon passing some trains which must have been a mile long.
We spent two nights just outside the national park and walked 8 miles around the rim of the canyon. We were expecting a paved path as most walks in the US are but oh no. Some of the paths were right on the rim and it was a case of not looking down or getting the shakes. We were both awe struck at the sheer vastness of the canyon - a mile deep and most of the time you can't see the bottom. We only caught a few glimpses of the Colorado river below.
We then went to Las Vegas for a completely different but also very hot time. I managed to win $20 on the Black Jack while Richard managed to lose about the same. Once again we watched volcanoes erupt and pirates blowing up ships.
We went back to San Francisco via Yosemite. This time all the roads and paths were open so we were able to drive along the Tioga pass. Lakes on the pass were still frozen and there was still a lot of snow on the side of the roads. We were warned of avalanches on certain roads and rock slides on others. We did another great walk from Glacier Point to Nevada falls, then down along the Mist trail which was even wetter than the first time.
Jacqui organised a trip to see the SF Giants play the Detroit Tigers on Sunday which was good fun and a tight ending with the Giants managing to beat the Tigers 7-6.
I left San Francisco on Tuesday and am now in Chicago which is lovely in the sunshine, unfortunately I had 3 days of fog when I first got here and the sun only came out today. Got my first proper view of Lake Michigan this morning which is enormous at 312 miles long. And from the tourist trolley on Wednesday we saw Marine 1 take off containing Mr President who had been in the city giving a speech. It was all very exciting and made up for the fact that we had been stuck in traffic for ages while all the roads had been closed off. I think people think I am a local as I have been asked directions 4 times today (managed to point them all the right way too).
So, off to New York on Monday. I feel like I am really on the final leg of my journey with only a couple of weeks before I get back to England. I am looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone, but not to the decisions I now have to make about my future.
posted by Alison 2:41 AM
Friday, May 23, 2003
Next stop after returning to Mexico from Cuba was Los Angeles, to commence my West Coast adventure. Stayed in Santa Monica in LA, which although a very upmarket area is full of weirdoes and vagrants - because they are allowed to use the beach showers, are fed in shelters there, and the people in the area are wealthy, therefore they stand a better chance of being given money. The other reason appeared to be that the hostel I stayed in opened its doors to all types. Which is fine in principle, but when you are sharing a room with someone who is pacing up and down, slapping themselves and cursing all night, it can be slightly frightening. It was the only night that I have felt remotely scared - worse than being in the company of dingoes, kangaroos, snakes, bears and mountain lions. Oh well I survived!!
While there I had to take a tour of the stars' homes in Bel Air, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills, but I have to admit I preferred the more laid back atmosphere in Venice beach. While there I saw the basketball court featured in American History X and White Men Can't Jump, and watched the muscles in Muscle Beach.
My next stop was San Francisco to visit Jacqui and to make our roadtrip to Las Vegas. It was fantastic, we went via Yosemite National Park and Death Valley. We kept our eyes peeled for mountain lions and bears, but instead we saw an awful lot of squirrels. We did however see some chipmunks, a coyote and a very cheeky raccoon stealing someone's pizza. The scenery was spectacular and despite some of the passes still being closed because of snow we managed to cover a lot of ground, including a hike of 1900 ft to the top of Nevada and Vernal falls which absolutely exhausted me, but provided us with the most tremendous views of the valley and mountains. Our walk down was along the very refreshing Mist Trail, the mist being created by the spray from the force of the waterfall, which also produced lots of rainbows. In complete contrast Death Valley is an extremely barren place, very hot (about 40 degrees) but still providing dramatic scenery. There is a small amount of salt water in the valley where the pup fish live but other than that it is desert.
We rode our luck with accommodation on a couple of occasions while driving. We would especially like to thank Johnny McNally and his enormous steaks for appearing in the middle of a mountain pass, not only providing us with an enormous steak and a great marguerita, but also some very comfortable beds for the night.
Once we had crossed the border into Nevada, there was a distinct change in class. Posted on billboards were hundreds of advertisements for casinos, and Madame Butterfly - providing massage and 'extras', all of which is illegal in California. Las Vegas is a blot on the landscape appearing in the desert, and is just a big themepark for adults. However it was still an experience and quite a lot of fun, and we were also lucky enough to see Cirque du Soleil's Mystere in Treasure Island, as well as one of Siegfried and Roy's striped tigers, some lions in the MGM Grand, a volcano erupt outside the Mirage and gondolas outside the Venetian. Where else can you see the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building and the Sphinx all in one day?
This week I spent a few peaceful days in Monterey, which is south of San Francisco. It is a beautiful small town with some history (!) and has a wonderful aquarium with some great feeding shows and also looks out over the bay where you can watch seals, sea lions and sea otters swimming around, as well as cormorants diving. I took the Greyhound bus, romanticised by Simon and Garfunkel, but which is a lot less civilised than the Greyhound in Australia. Met one fella whos passion was rock climbing in big trucks, and who thought that England was full of castles and everything stopped for tea at 4 o'clock. I corrected him by explaining that we stop for tea any time of the day and that we all live in castles!
posted by Alison 11:18 PM
Saturday, May 03, 2003
Well, having been told off by Tara for not updating Ali on Tour, I thought I had better update the site with the rest of my time in Japan, then Mexico and now Cuba.
The last week in Japan I went to Takayama for the festival (Matsouri) which was very interesting. There is a night parade through the streets on floats with lanterns and have people dressed up as a dragon Gods knocking on all the doors blessing all the houses. It was nice to watch all the floats which are wooden, decorated in lacquer, with no axle, so are quite difficult to turn, being about 20 feet tall. The town itself has a lot of old streets and houses remaining and is set in the mountains so is very picturesque.
I then went to Kyoto, which has some beautiful old areas and lovely parks. It is chockablock with shrines and temples, so visited a couple, but there are only so many you can manage. Spent my last few days in Tokyo with Keiko who organised a great last night. A lot of the people I had met during my stay came along. All Keikos friends are very nice, so it was quite sad to say good-bye.
So, then last week we set off for Mexico. Stayed for a few days in Cancun, which has wonderful beaches and great weather, but unfortunately we came across a lot of American students on their Spring break whose behaviour was appalling. It even shocked me! They far out do any Brits on tour. Such foul language. The buses are quite an adventure too, and am very surprised that we made it about in one piece. We did visit Chichen-Itza for a bit of culture and also took a Jungle Tour which involved us driving a two seater speed boat across the sea and into a national park. I think Keiko was a little scared at my driving, but not as scared as I was when she took over! We must been the closest to capsizing the boat than any other.
We left Cancun and went to the sanctuary of Cozumel, the only Caribbean Mexican island. It was so much more relaxed, and the people were a lot more friendly. We swam with dolphins one day which was great - they were captive unfortunately, but looked happy enough, and it was fascinating to be so close to such beautiful creatures, even if I did nearly lose my bikini bottoms being pushed along by my feet. The video was very amusing. We also went diving which was the best I have ever done. The visibility was up to about 30 metres, there were so many fish including a couple of barracudas and lots of very colourful coral.
So, as Cuba is only 45 minutes from Cancun we decided to come over here for a 3 night stay. It is like going back in time about 50 years or walking into the set of a gangster movie. We are staying in Old Havana where the buildings have a colonial feel about them. Those that have been renovated are spectacular, but there are a lot of run down buildings. There are so many old cars which I am surprised are still running and I'm sure would be collectors items anywhere else, pictures of Che Guevara everywhere and lots of Latino bands playing in the squares with locals just getting up and dancing. I feel like we have seen so much and we only got here last night. The Cuban men are also forever trying to sell us cigars, which we have already learnt to switch off to.
Got a taste for margueritas in Mexico and lost count of the number that I had, but some were the size of buckets. They're not too great in Cuba, so have switched to Mojitos. Have had loads tonight so I think its now time for bed.
posted by Alison 5:39 AM
Monday, April 14, 2003
I had a busy week last week travelling by train around the East of Japan - first Tsuruoka, then Aizu Wakamatsu and then Nikko. Managed to wear myself out a bit and was exhausted on the weekend in Izu with Keiko and her friend Karen. I am not too sure how I didnt get lost either considering I cannot speak Japanese. I have perfected the art of pointing. I also now understand why Japanese tourists seem to take so many photos in the UK - I must have taken nearly 150. There are such a lot of fascinating things to see.
Stayed in some lovely traditional Ryokan and Minshuku complete with tatami mats on the floor and beds which you had to search for in the cupboards. Climbed the 2800 stone steps up Haguro-san in the Dewa Sanzan mountain region, cycled round Tsuruoka in the rain where they thought I was completely mad, visited the hill where the Byokkotai warriers disembowelled themselves in an act of ritual suicide and got stuck in a graveyard when I tried to explore the hill a bit more. Had to climb over the fence to escape. Luckily noone was watching, but I am concerned I may have disturbed the spirits.
From Nikko I visited Chuzenji Lake in the midst of the mountains. The scenery was spectacular. Wild monkeys live in the area and are prone to stealing peoples lunch. Nikko is a beautiful town with an abundance of shrines and temples which are fascinating, built in the mountains and surrounded by forest. It was quite cold but fortunately because it is early in the tourist season it meant that quite often I was the only person around for a few kilometres.
At the weekend, Keiko took me to Izu where her family has a summer house. It is on the peninsular just south west of Tokyo, surrounded by sea and mountains. Despite the cold we went to the beach, visited the aquarium where they have regular dolphin and seal shows. We also visited an Onsen (Japanese baths) for a relaxing and warming couple of hours.
I am now in Takayama for the Matsuri (festival). It is supposed to be one of the best in Japan. The town is very busy, and Im not sure I will get to see much of the procession given the amount of people, however there are lots of interesting stalls, markets and more temples to be explored.
posted by Alison 3:28 AM
Friday, April 04, 2003
I have had quite an eventful week or so since my last posting. Headed down to Sydney on the overnight bus with Rhian. Surprisingly, even though the bus was full we still managed to sleep most of the 12 hours. Spent some time in Sydney organising my Thailand trip, which as it has now turned out was a wasted effort. Had a great last night in Sydney with Rhian. We met up with Sam from the Fraser Island tour and then Rhian endeavoured to keep me awake all night until I had to leave to catch my flight to Hong Kong. It didnt work though and I managed a couple of hours sleep.
The flight to Hong Kong was very quiet due to the outbreak of SARS and the war. A lot of people had cancelled their trips. The majority of the people on the plane were heading to the Sevens as well including Scotts brother Leigh, although I didnt know this at the time.
Spent a nice couple of days before the Sevens, Amanda was a great hostess throughout. Had dinner at the Peak with Amanda, a bit of shopping in Stanley market, and a trip on the corporate junk on the Friday afternoon before the rugby. All very civilised. Then we got to the Hong Kong Stadium.......
The atmosphere in the South stand was amazing. The rugby was pretty good too. Met up with some old work colleagues - Lee, David and Scott. Managed to see a fair few games, and especially enjoyed watching England beat the Kiwis in the final. Sadly for Australia, who lost to Kenya, and England, they didnt quite make it. Fairly soggy with beer by the time we left on the Sunday evening.
After the tournament, it was back to reality. SARS had become more of a worry in Hong Kong and the chances of me being infected made me feel uncomfortable about going trekking in Thailand without access to any medical assistance. So, spent a day changing my flights, cancelling tours, and am now in Tokyo staying with my friend Keiko. I even wore a mask on the flight over because people around me were coughing and spluttering. Arrived here on Wednesday and have already been to Yoyogi Park, and the Meiji-jingu shrine, where the gardens were very tranquil and I managed to see some more turtles! It is a very nice time to be in Japan as it is Hanami (blossom viewing) which the Japanese like to celebrate and the cherry blossom is now in bloom. I am not very well equipped for the cold though.
posted by Alison 5:15 AM
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Alison Travels the World
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