zoom in to the date for proof.
However, deposits of money better arrive soon as first the monkey gets it and then..................
Sunday 29 July 2007
Tuesday 24 July 2007
Miami
What a city!!! just got back from a swim in the sea, looking back at the beach from the water you can see all the art deco hotels rising out of the land.
South beach hasn't changed much since I was last here in 1994. The Latin beat is everywhere, in the faces, the bodies, the language, food, mojitas, margaritas, buildings and balcony's. The beautiful people strut their stuff on the streets believing them to be catwalks, mindful that modelling agencies are on the lookout for new talent.
The humidity is high and it rains most days, though it's gone very quickly. This is the off season here, winter is really the time to be here. There's food from all over the world, last night we went to a Greek place and had keftades and baked feta with retsina. Bizarrely, they had a belly dancer, but more conventionally, a few plates were thrown on the floor. Frozen margaritas at wet willies on ocean drive, finished off the evening very nicely.
We are staying at the clay hotel and youth hostel, the same place David and I stayed at in 94. It's a little rough around the edges but a great place, fantastically located, right in the Spanish village on Espanola way and 2 blocks from the beach.
David - it really hasn't changed much since we were there, however I've failed to see any transvestites running down the middle of Washington avenue waving at all the Cubans, nor have I seen the guy with a suit and briefcase intoning "if you go to hell, don't blame me"
Tomorrow we're off to Venice, Florida on the gulf coast.I'm a little nervous about negotiating my way out of Miami in a hired car. Back on the 27th and then it's count down to Quito. I can't wait to get to SA and start our journey down to David's in Argentina. I'm looking forward to a reduction in the budget as well, we've got to keep a tight control on our spending now.
South beach hasn't changed much since I was last here in 1994. The Latin beat is everywhere, in the faces, the bodies, the language, food, mojitas, margaritas, buildings and balcony's. The beautiful people strut their stuff on the streets believing them to be catwalks, mindful that modelling agencies are on the lookout for new talent.
The humidity is high and it rains most days, though it's gone very quickly. This is the off season here, winter is really the time to be here. There's food from all over the world, last night we went to a Greek place and had keftades and baked feta with retsina. Bizarrely, they had a belly dancer, but more conventionally, a few plates were thrown on the floor. Frozen margaritas at wet willies on ocean drive, finished off the evening very nicely.
We are staying at the clay hotel and youth hostel, the same place David and I stayed at in 94. It's a little rough around the edges but a great place, fantastically located, right in the Spanish village on Espanola way and 2 blocks from the beach.
David - it really hasn't changed much since we were there, however I've failed to see any transvestites running down the middle of Washington avenue waving at all the Cubans, nor have I seen the guy with a suit and briefcase intoning "if you go to hell, don't blame me"
Tomorrow we're off to Venice, Florida on the gulf coast.I'm a little nervous about negotiating my way out of Miami in a hired car. Back on the 27th and then it's count down to Quito. I can't wait to get to SA and start our journey down to David's in Argentina. I'm looking forward to a reduction in the budget as well, we've got to keep a tight control on our spending now.
Thursday 19 July 2007
New Jersey and NYC
We arrived, with a couple of hours delay, to heat and humidity in the 90's. Katherine's dad and step mum met us and drove us to their home in panther valley a private housing area built into woodland with lovely views of the valley. It's a few miles from a small town called Hackettstown in NW New Jersey about an hours drive from New York City.
Sitting out on the porch (we're virtually the only ones as everyone else are inside with their air conditioning) we've enjoyed some interesting wildlife. A ground hog sniffed along the grass close by, a raccoon was spotted briefly, and we were visited by hummingbirds and cardinals. Deer often cross the roads and go into peoples gardens and we recently had an evening at some friends who occasionally had black bears wonder into their garden and steal bird food. Apparently a mother and her cubs can be very dangerous, they have to keep dogs and themselves inside.
We had a day trip to NYC and wondered around the Soho area before heading off to Brooklyn Heights to look back at the Manhattan skyline and walk back over the Brooklyn bridge which is fantastic. We were told later that the bridge was packed with people fleeing Manhattan and its dust and debris and fear on 9/11, walking the bridge you could imagine it.
To celebrate Katherine's dad's birthday, we headed for the New Jersey shore, right to the southern tip of the state, Cape May. Here we lounged on the beach and were treated to some dolphins playing in the wake of boats not far from the waters edge. Also a wedding party descended onto the beach in the evening, so we sat on the balcony of our hotel, wine in hands, and watched the whole ceremony trying to guess who was who. We also sat around the pool, played shuffleboard(a game where you have a pole and shove a koit kind of thing into a numbered area) and were offered apple martini's by our partying young neighbours. We had lot's of good food and massive portions, risking being harpooned by whaler's the next day on the beach.
We're looking forward to Miami, and joining the latin beat. We go there on the 22nd for 3 nights and then rent a car to Venice on the gulf coast for a couple of days to see Katherine's grandparents. We fly to Quito on the 29th and have found a great hostal near to the old town, go to http://www.secretgardenquito.com/contactus.html we're there for 3 nights and will need to acclimatise to the altitude. Further south, close to the Peruvian boarder, we hope to stay at this incredible hostal http://www.izhcayluma.com/en/frameset.html Now we are getting excited!!!
Oh I nearly forgot, the clay hotel in south beach Miami, is the same place David and I stayed at back in 1994 when we first got to the US, so it will be fascinating to see it again.
Sitting out on the porch (we're virtually the only ones as everyone else are inside with their air conditioning) we've enjoyed some interesting wildlife. A ground hog sniffed along the grass close by, a raccoon was spotted briefly, and we were visited by hummingbirds and cardinals. Deer often cross the roads and go into peoples gardens and we recently had an evening at some friends who occasionally had black bears wonder into their garden and steal bird food. Apparently a mother and her cubs can be very dangerous, they have to keep dogs and themselves inside.
We had a day trip to NYC and wondered around the Soho area before heading off to Brooklyn Heights to look back at the Manhattan skyline and walk back over the Brooklyn bridge which is fantastic. We were told later that the bridge was packed with people fleeing Manhattan and its dust and debris and fear on 9/11, walking the bridge you could imagine it.
To celebrate Katherine's dad's birthday, we headed for the New Jersey shore, right to the southern tip of the state, Cape May. Here we lounged on the beach and were treated to some dolphins playing in the wake of boats not far from the waters edge. Also a wedding party descended onto the beach in the evening, so we sat on the balcony of our hotel, wine in hands, and watched the whole ceremony trying to guess who was who. We also sat around the pool, played shuffleboard(a game where you have a pole and shove a koit kind of thing into a numbered area) and were offered apple martini's by our partying young neighbours. We had lot's of good food and massive portions, risking being harpooned by whaler's the next day on the beach.
We're looking forward to Miami, and joining the latin beat. We go there on the 22nd for 3 nights and then rent a car to Venice on the gulf coast for a couple of days to see Katherine's grandparents. We fly to Quito on the 29th and have found a great hostal near to the old town, go to http://www.secretgardenquito.com/contactus.html we're there for 3 nights and will need to acclimatise to the altitude. Further south, close to the Peruvian boarder, we hope to stay at this incredible hostal http://www.izhcayluma.com/en/frameset.html Now we are getting excited!!!
Oh I nearly forgot, the clay hotel in south beach Miami, is the same place David and I stayed at back in 1994 when we first got to the US, so it will be fascinating to see it again.
Wednesday 18 July 2007
Tuesday 17 July 2007
Right you bitching posters!!!
yes we are in the US and more specifically in new jersey. I just had to post my pretentious piece first, all about how we got to here. Sorry about the delay, I've got to do better in SA otherwise anxious calls to embassies might be on the cards. Will post an update on whats happened since being here over the next couple of days.
yes we are in the US and more specifically in new jersey. I just had to post my pretentious piece first, all about how we got to here. Sorry about the delay, I've got to do better in SA otherwise anxious calls to embassies might be on the cards. Will post an update on whats happened since being here over the next couple of days.
The point of no return
The bridges have been burnt, there's only one way to go now and that's onwards. It feels strange, we've been so long working towards this point, that now it's come, it doesn't seem real. There's a feeling of trepidation and excitement alongside, but mainly relief.
The house is finally sold, we wouldn't believe it until the keys were handed in, so many things had gone wrong before, which might explain the unreality of it all. When the house fell through the first time, we decided to stop reading all the south american guide books in an effort to prevent the disappointment of all our plans going up in smoke another time. We attempted to carry on life and live in the here and now, rather than have our lives on hold indefinitely. So when it finally happened, we were a little numb I think. It was sad to leave the home after four years, the first house I've ever bought, originally in quite a shitty state, but after some work, a cosy, modern, one bed roomed coach house conversion. I've made a very modest profit on it, which means for the first time in my life, I'm leaving to go in a new direction with a little capital behind me.
A couple of years ago, Katherine moved in her mountains of clutter, but feminised the place a little, and we had two wonderful summers sitting out in the patio area drinking and smoking far too much whenever the sun came out. We also struck up a great friendship with our neighbours whose kitchen window overlooked our patio. It could have been invasive, but instead, we got on so well that countless evenings were spent sharing wine and beer either on the patio or standing at their kitchen window. We could even lean through to open their fridge and help ourselves to some beer ( sorry T&J, I think you supplied us with more than we supplied you two ) and on some occasions champagne was on offer, often at two in the morning with work the next day. We started our sessions in the spring when it was still cold, sat out with coats on and building a small fire in a coal bucket to keep us out for as long as possible. When summer came and the nights were warmer, we designed drunken street sports, the most famous being oven glove racing. Injuries and the deterioration of the oven gloves put pay to that after a while, but it was fun while it lasted.
They actually sold and moved before us, which was an end to that time, but in a way, made it easier for us to go, because it wouldn't have been the same there after they had gone.
Despite being desperate to leave work, leaving our colleagues was sad and they gave us a great send off, even collecting some funds together for us to use on our travels and of course a medical kit. However, I won't miss the nhs (not as it is run now) I'm looking forward to exploring some new ways of living for a while and seeing where it takes us.
The house is finally sold, we wouldn't believe it until the keys were handed in, so many things had gone wrong before, which might explain the unreality of it all. When the house fell through the first time, we decided to stop reading all the south american guide books in an effort to prevent the disappointment of all our plans going up in smoke another time. We attempted to carry on life and live in the here and now, rather than have our lives on hold indefinitely. So when it finally happened, we were a little numb I think. It was sad to leave the home after four years, the first house I've ever bought, originally in quite a shitty state, but after some work, a cosy, modern, one bed roomed coach house conversion. I've made a very modest profit on it, which means for the first time in my life, I'm leaving to go in a new direction with a little capital behind me.
A couple of years ago, Katherine moved in her mountains of clutter, but feminised the place a little, and we had two wonderful summers sitting out in the patio area drinking and smoking far too much whenever the sun came out. We also struck up a great friendship with our neighbours whose kitchen window overlooked our patio. It could have been invasive, but instead, we got on so well that countless evenings were spent sharing wine and beer either on the patio or standing at their kitchen window. We could even lean through to open their fridge and help ourselves to some beer ( sorry T&J, I think you supplied us with more than we supplied you two ) and on some occasions champagne was on offer, often at two in the morning with work the next day. We started our sessions in the spring when it was still cold, sat out with coats on and building a small fire in a coal bucket to keep us out for as long as possible. When summer came and the nights were warmer, we designed drunken street sports, the most famous being oven glove racing. Injuries and the deterioration of the oven gloves put pay to that after a while, but it was fun while it lasted.
They actually sold and moved before us, which was an end to that time, but in a way, made it easier for us to go, because it wouldn't have been the same there after they had gone.
Despite being desperate to leave work, leaving our colleagues was sad and they gave us a great send off, even collecting some funds together for us to use on our travels and of course a medical kit. However, I won't miss the nhs (not as it is run now) I'm looking forward to exploring some new ways of living for a while and seeing where it takes us.
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