Attempted Mugging Thwarted!

Apologies for the delay in updating the blog. It´s not just because I wanted to keep the pic of Jonny boy (as his close friends call him) at the top for as long as possible, honest. We tried to update it on Monday put some pics wouldn´t upload.

We had a couple of unsettling days when we first arrived in Quito, Ecquador, from Chile. Firstly our flight changed and we had a stop off in Guayaquil, another Ecquadorian city, before arriving in Quito 3 hours late than expected. This meant the couple who we are staying with (a tango teacher and retired doctor) had left the airport already and we had to ring them and then get a taxi to their house. Then on Tuesday morning on our way to the language school (We are learning Spanish here so that the rest of our trip will be easier and more enjoyable as we pick up S American Spanish) some joker tried to grab my bag.

The scam was to ask Bec the time, then as I was distracted squirt me in some kind of ketchup type sauce and then pretend to help me wipe it off as he took my bag. He didn´t stand a chance for 2 reasons - I´ve lived in Manchester & London and since when has a big blob of sauce on my jacket bothered me? I wore my ski jacket all season with a massive rip all down one side. When he tried to show me the extent of all the sauce I just shrugged and carried on until Bec said "Gav, it´s dripping". This little kerfuffle has made us wary hence the lack of photos so far in Quito. Here´s a map of South America with Ecquador in black and me in our room learning some vocab.

So how is language school going? Well put it this way, when my dad rang this morning he had a longer conversation with Elena, our Tango teaching hostess, than either Bec or I have had so far but we´re getting there.

Here are some rules I´ve learnt from the school so far:

1) When there are only you and your wife in the class it isn´t wise to snort with laughter at her mispronunciation.
2) Punching a fellow classmate is OK when it´s your husband and he´s just laughed at you.
3) Waking up early and reading through yesterday´s lesson is not allowed in case you progress more than your wife.
4) Walking out of the classroom when laughing to avoid further punches is considered rude in Quito!

We´ll try and improve the standard of photos for the next update. I suppose Bec´s 3 entry ban is up now too.

Adios amigos!

Time travel and the President

When we last updated the blog it was Monday 12:45pm New Zealand time. We left the internet cafe, dropped off the campervan, were taken to the airport, caught the 11 hour+ flight and arrived in Santiago at Monday 12:45pm local time.

The flight was a bit hairy at times, as we were coming into land the Andes surrounded us and poked through the clouds. I had every confidence in the pilot despite Bec muttering that how did he know where the mountains were if the clouds covered them.

Santiago was in the middle of a long bank holiday weekend, Monday being National Day and Tuesday Military Day. The streets were deserted when we arrived, so we had a good chance to look around the city centre. The next day there was a military parade through the streets, with a guest appearance from the President herself. After allowing Jonah to have his pic taken with me 2 days before I refused her photo requests despite her frantic waving.

We had our first experience of a hostel in Santiago - a Spanish colonial mansion with high ornate ceilings, shuttered windows, courtyards and lots of travellers. We didn´t really chat to the others but I did end up having an argument with some idiot Aussie who was slagging off Ronaldo during the Liverpool v Spurs match. I set him straight on that score. John Arne Riise´s strike got the full GGGGGGGGggggggggoooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!! treatment.

Santiago was a very relaxed, self-confident city and the people (I know it´s a cliche) were very friendly to us. As in New Zealand, when people stopped to talk to us we didn´t think they had an ulterior motive. The main plaza, Plaza des Armas, has a chess podium where people can play in the late afternoon/early evening. I saw a young lad play against a guy old enough to be his great grandad. The older guy moved his pieces really aggressively as though playing this upstart was beneath him. The young lad just looked bemused by the fuss. The trouble was he was just bemused, he was hammered in about 10 moves and didn´t even know when he´d been beaten. Bec didn´t share my enthusiasm for chess as a spectator sport(!)

As much as we enjoyed New Zealand, when the oldest building in the country was built in 1820, it was great to see "proper" old buildings in Santiago and grand churches. (pic 2)

We tried various ways to combat the jet lag and ended up downing 2.5 bottles of Chilean white wine to "help us sleep" one night. Jetlag + hangover isn´t a pleasant feeling at all and that day was a bit of a write off.

We couldn´t miss the chance to go skiing in the Andes and spent the day with an American called Hal Fowler so here are Fowler and Owen together again. The resort was a lot bigger than the ones in NZ and there were lots of runs and decent off piste too. It was so good that I was disappointed that I couldn´t carry on at the end of the day and that rarely happens (as those of you who´ve skiied with me will testify!)

Go on then Ste, just for you:

Chile? No, it was quite warm actually.

Where are the Andes? At the end of your sleevies (although Bec insists it´s at the end of your wristies)

Me and Jonah Lomu

Instead of driving straight down the coast to Auckland we took the scenic route (bottom 2 pics) over on the West Coast and then cut across.

After our picturesque campsite at the Bay of Islands (Paihia) we were back down to earth with our urban setting in Auckland and the rows of "proper" campervans that tower our little "cosy" vanette (out of picture).

We had a routine Sat, shopping in a major city followed by an early dinner at Waggamamas. Just to continue the theme of normality we decided that on Sunday afternoon I would go to a sporting event while Bec did the laundry.

The local rugby union team, North Harbour, was playing in a cup match against Otago of the South Island. I'd seen bits of a North Harbour game in a pub in Waitomo and Jonah Lomu plays for them, he's still on the comeback trail after his illness but he's putting thousands on gates wherever he plays. He must be famous if Bec had heard of him so I thought it was a chance to good to miss as we were only 10 mins drive from the stadium.

At the end of the match people were scrabbling for his autograph and pictures, so I used all my London commuter know-how to elbow kids and pregnant mums out of the way for the pic at the top of the page. I'm about 4 steps higher than him; he was a true gent and as you can see was chuffed to have his pic taken with me!

We leave New Zealand for Chile later today (Mon 18th) and arrive earlier than we leave because we're crossing the international dateline. New Zealand is pushing Laos as the best country so far, we've done so much and the scenery is astounding. If the Aussies had New Zealand then they would have something to boast about.

Animal Magic

When Jonny Morris had his annual Top Ten animals on Animal Magic I was always routing for the dolphins but baffled when horses used to win every year. Bloody Home Counties' girls! We've had a few chances to have boat trips to see and swim with dolphins both in Perth and New Zealand but tried to leave it as late as possible so that the sea/Ocean would be as warm as possible. We booked in the Bay of Islands, a few hours north of Auckland, on the East coast of the North Island.

It was superb. It was a beautiful calm day, barely a ripple in the water, so the captain of the ship spotted some bottlenose dolphins straightaway. The group of about 10-15 dolphins swam around the boat, underneath, alongside and basically showed off for 45mins while we watched in awe. It's a shame we can't put video clips on because the footage of them jumping in and out of the water is fantastic. Unfortunately, as there was a young dolphin with its mother we weren't allowed to swim with them in case the mum became anxious and protective but we were so blown away that we didn't mind.

The boat's bow is very low in the water so we could lean over with our heads poking out and see the dolphins swimming beneath us about a foot away (see the real close up) at one point 3 were grinning right up at us as they swam on their sides.

We had a campsite right on the water's edge, so here's me having a relaxing beer one evening, the sunrise when we got up to see the dolphins and the bay itself. Just as an Owen bonus we were treated to a stunning rainbow at the beach!

3 Entry Ban

Bec is banned for 3 entries for actually giving you facts, so you're back to my meanderings after she gave you proper info about what we did, where and when. I thought I'd tell you about life in the van. The van is tiny compared to other campervans that have showers and toilets inside- ours is about the size of a people carrier with a sink, single portable gas hob and fold away back seat that turns into a bed, so we have to be very tidy and organised all the time. We have a little routine going throughout the day:

Obviously I wake up first but I'm banned from any earsplitting activities such as reading or Su Doku in case it disturbs sleeping beauty. Then it's off for a shower and when I'm back I'm greeted cheerfully by Mrs Owen(!) When she toddles off I pack all the Manchester stuff away (Kiwis call bedding Manchester for some reason) and put the back seat back in place and set up for breakfast, outside if the sun is shining. After brekkie; budget coco pops for me and porridge for Bec plus toast for both of us we do the pots and head off on the road.

What have Bart Simpson and Bec got in common? They both invent verbs. At 1 campsite the other day The Simpsons was on in the background while we were cooking in the kitchen, well it was the background for everyone else but as ever the telly had my undivided attention. At the beginning during the credits when Bart writes his lines on the board Bart had to write "Pork is NOT a verb". Bec informed me in Rotorua that she is "museumed out", after she'd chosen to visit 2 in Wellington. Anyone would think that's all we're doing.

Anyway, after we've been to a museum(?), beach, abseiled or strolled round a National Park and had dinner (not always super noodles) we wash up, and then I go for my nightly "read" while Bec sets up the bed.

There are some unrelated photos of the Kauri shop - the wood is between 35,000 and 50,000 years old, the trees themselves live for up to 4000 yrs. There is a bench for sale at 14 grand that I quite fancy - I'm sure it will go well with our Habitat rug and Furniture Land dining room table. I'm holding up the wooden fish I bought that our budget could stretch to. The staircase is carved out of a single tree trunk and they built the shop around it - it's the centrepiece of the shop.

We're still in the "winterless" Northland where it rained for 3 days solid. We were due to go quadbiking on the sand dunes yesterday on 90 mile beach (it's only 60 my mum must have named it!). However, when we turned up the guy, Greg, was a bit surprised and asked if we still want to do it. I said "Of course, a bit of rain isn't going to stop us." Greg, an Aussie, looked outside at the horizontal gale force storm and said "I'd say it's a lot of rain, mate. We can't go out in this." Wimp. Aussies may have speed limits for joggers in Darwin (honestly) but a bit of light drizzle in New Zealand and they crumple like a Rich Tea biscuit in a hot brew. The fact that schools closed early because of flooding danger is by the by.

GLOwen and the gloworms

Waitomo is famous for its caves and gloworms so here are some pics of us abseiling (35m) , exploring the caves (you go 1.5kms into the cave) and then climbing back to the starting point. It was one of the best days so far, once inside the gloworms almost lit the way and in some places you don't need a torch. I was "encouraged" to go first on the abseiling and rock climbing as the most nervous participant, there were only 4 of us; me and Bec and a couple from Brighton. To my surprise I didn't freeze and enjoyed it all, maybe we'll try it in Derbyshire when we get back!

We were driven to a farm, and at the end of an innocuous looking sheep field there was a cravass that led us underground.

Hot Rocks

Just before we left the South Island, after a hard day wine tasting in Marlborough (started at 10am at the Montanna Vinyard) I took Gav for some mussels in a place called Havelock. Havelock claims to be the green lipped muscle capital of the world. The muscles were huge mutants. But he said they tasted good.

We spent the next day in the capital, Wellington. We went to a couple of museums and then did a bit of book shopping. There wasn't much else to do, so we headed north to Napier.

Napier was flattened by an earthquake in 1931, then totally rebuilt in the next 2 years, so the whole town centre is Art Deco. It was fascinating, we did a self-guided walking tour - we didn't realise there were so many different Art Deco styles. It's like being in the 1930's but with modern stuff in the shops . Unfortunately none of the pictures really did it justice (GO had the camera) - the starbucks one is the best. But if you're ever in New Zealand, visit Napier.

After Napier we headed inland, a 2-3 hour drive. Before we set off , I suggested we get more petrol (in the countryside,ie. most of NZ, petrol stations are few and far between). Gav didn't want to though.

The journey was up and down hills so the van was drinking petrol. 50km from Taupo (our destination), in the middle of no-where the needle was on empty, but Mr Owen was still claiming we'd make it. Then out of no-where there was a cafe/shack with a petrol pump outside - brilliant - that Owen luck again. But no - the owner said they'd stopped selling petrol years ago. The price on the pump was $1.36 (aprox 45p a litre)

We made it - there was another petrol station, so gav didn't have to hitch into town.

Taupo is a termal hotspot, the town is on the edge of New Zealand's biggest lake - the size of Singapore.It was created by the worlds biggest volcanic erruption in the last 5000 years - they reckon it was so big it was even commented on in China and Rome/Greece.

We wanted to do some walking. We saw a fantastic water fall, that has tempted us to give white water rafting a go when our budget looks a bit healthier. The water was so blue, it looked fake.
At the end of the trail there was a warm stream. I'm afraid gav wouldn't let me publish the pics of him bathing in his Y fronts so you just get my feet - I can't believe even my feet look fat. It was so hot it turned my legs pink. After that we went on another walk to the 'Craters of the Moon" - where steam just comes out of the ground - it was very strange.

Taupo is also famous for trout, so we thought we'd treat ourselves to a meal out tonight, but we can't find anwhere serving it so it looks like it will be noodles in the van again.

Driving on the road to nowhere

Sometimes we wake up without a plan for the day but often they turn out to be the best times.
We're moving around the South Island a lot and have done over 2100 kms in 8 days. The casmpsites are mostly right by the coast with differing facilities like trampolines.

We visited Puzzleland in Lake Wanaka where I could have spent the whole day, illusions, puzzles and games but Bec dragged me away before I got settled. I'm supposed to be yawning nonchanlantly in the pic but look like I've got my thumb up (yes, Ste I did have my thumb up in the surfing pic). We've passedthrough Rotherham, Sheffield and countless other places in England but I couldn't resist taking a pic of Springfield.

We nipped over to the West coast for 2 days and took in the sights of the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier. It's the lowest glacier (to sea level) in the world and moves up to 5 metres a day down the valley. The West coast intrigued us as the weather was very British; rainy and grey but the vegetation was tropical, so whilst you're driving in grey conditions the countryside still delights you. As we crossed the Southern Alps again to come up to Kaikora on the NE coast the weather and scenery changed in an instant - bright blue skies with reds, yellows and oranges.

Kaikora (where we are now) is famous for it's oceanlife - whales, dolphins and seals especially. When we arrived at our campsite the Irish lady on reception gave us some blarney about a whale and her cub being in the bay all week but we didn't see her. The seals were right on the coast though, literally 5 metres from the road. The sight of a big lazy lump scratching its backside and trying to find a comfy position lying down seemed strangely familiar to Bec.

I'll let Amar, Si and Ste make the jokes and comparisons about the seals and the pictures of me in the spa...

Yesterday we drove to Hanmer Springs and enjoyed the natural hot spas (another free offer allowed us to have our own private pool for half an hour). Bliss.

I'm going to return the favour and drive Bec around while she tastes some New Zealand white wines this afternoon and then we'll sample some sea food for dinner; will make a nice change from the supper noodles we've been having(!)