Go Yankees

I watched my first baseball game today at the Yankee stadium. Wonderful weather & amazing atmosphere made the game great fun. I learnt alot about the game & got on the smile cam without realising it. Also visited the natural history museum & saw the dinosaurs, which reminded me of night at the museum. On a walk through central park I found the statute of Balto, the dog that took medicine to Neem in the 1920s.

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Gay Buenos Aires

Since my last post i was getting ready to go to a Gay Milonga (tango club) for my Gay Buenos Aires class. I dragged my housemate and new partner in crime Susana (we"re the only 2 in our house the have to make the trek to the global campus in retiro/recoleta everyday so we pretty much stick together for everything) with me and after arriving 20 minutes late we finally found the club in San Telmo. I cant say it was awesome because the teacher wasnt super psyched that we were all there and we learned the same basic steps over and over again for an hour. it was cool though because it was a classic tango club in the neighborhood where tango was born (it was also kind of mysterious walking up the stairs and finding the class behind a black curtain :). Tango is beautiful and romantic but very slow, i think for me to enjoy dancing it, it would all depend on the partner. i like the faster latin dances like bachata and salsa that i got a small taste of while back in the states and have been dying to find a place to keep practicing. as fate would have it on the bus ride back i met a musician that plays at a salsa club that put the information about the club in my phone and gave me a card so i could contact him for more information. its times like these that make me love Buenos Aires, when people are helpful and excited that you are trying to learn spanish and immerse yourself in the culture. i only wish that all of my encounters could be so pleasant.
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Hong Kong is weird. Really weird.

It feels like it's been quite a quiet week this week but i'm probably forgetting stuff. Well it was mid-autumn festival a week ago so me, gemma and amy headed to causeway bay to the carnival thing. It was slightly disappointing because despite the persistent rumors of chinese people being really small I couldn't see over their heads to see the dragon dance! Maybe I am also really small. But there was lots of pretty lights, including a giant fish made out of lanterns, and a fairground that wasn't a real fairground but actually made of lights. Of course. Why not. Children don't want to actually go on the teacups anyway. So after wandering around a bit we retired to a bar for a few drinks. The next day I went to the temple of 10 thousand buddhas with Maeve and Danielle, which is in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It was beautiful, you walked up about 400 steps to get to the temple and there were buddha statues all the way up, but every one was different. 'Pick the one that looks like...' kept us entertained for most of the walk! The temple at the top was lovely, the weather wasn't totally stifling and it was great to get up and out of the city for a few hours. The rest of the week was spent at work, and then at the weekend we went for our friday afternoon cocktails but it wasn't a late one because I had to work on saturday (which was really annoying because everyone was going on an activity day in the New Territories!) But it was an open day for the pre-school kids and they were so cute it made up for it! Straight when we finished Maeve dragged me to the irish bar to catch the end of the match (she's irish and loves rugby, and I have to say it's really growing on me!) Standard night out in Lang Kwai Fong on saturday and then a day spent recovering with some crap tv on sunday, it was nice to have a rest!

I promised to talk about some things that I find really odd about Hong Kong, so here's a few of my favorites -
- The kids english names. A lot of them are normal, but some are very odd. Some of the best girls ones I've heard are cutie, angel and manchester. And of the boys the winners have to be happy and vodka. Happy is possibly my favorite student, after he was filling in his school profile and said 'can I put Mr Happy Miss Wallace?' Also, apparently Wallace is a really common boys name over here so it really amuses the kids when I introduce myself to them!

- The total obsession with not eating on the MTR. I made the mistake of finishing my chocolate bar on the MTR in the first week, people actually turned and stared me out until I put it back in my bag. I think they just want people to have their germy mouths shut as much as possible.

- This isn't odd, it's lovely, the way they really do respect the older generations. There are exercise corners for the elderly to help them do their tai chi. And I walked past a 'sitting area' today with lots of old men just sitting playing chess, there's no vandalism on any of these things, and it's really nice to see. Sadly respect doesn't always mean provide for, the welfare system is very poor in Hong Kong.

-People put shoes on their dogs. And sunglasses. And they wheel them around in prams. Every time i see it I think sally and Katie would really like it here!

There's loads more, it really is a very strange place. But it's time for bed now, so i'll think of some others for next time.

Love to everyone. xx

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fjerde blogindlg.. Eller er det femte

Hvad har jeg s? at fort?lle? Jaaaa. Jeg har nok f?et mig et job som engelsk l?re p? det lokale sprogcenter! Jeg h?ber p? at starte i denne uge, det kunne v?re rigtig sp?ndende. Dog ville det blive lidt kompliceret, samtidig med mit arbejde p? fabrikken, men jeg h?ber det g?r. Men hvis jeg bliver tvunget til at v?lge, v?lger jeg jobbet som l?re. Det tror jeg passer bedst til mig, trods alt.
Udover det er jeg begyndt at kigge lidt p? studiejobs til n?r jeg kommer hjem. Men det er selvf?lgelig sparsomt. Jeg fandt dog et opslag med et job som juletr?ss?lger! Det kunne v?re super fedt! Men det passer, sjovt nok, ikke rigtig ind i mine planer. N?ste ?r skal jeg v?re juletr?ss?lger. Der er ingen vej udenom!
I g?r blev jeg v?kket da vi skulle spise frokost. Vi skulle ud til det helt store familie tam-tam, s? jeg var lidt malplaceret. S?dan f?lte jeg i hvertfald. Men de fleste af dem har set mig f?r, og de synes bare jeg er interessant.
Jeg m?dte en amerikaner der hedder John, som roste mig til skyerne. Han var rigtig flink, og en RIGTIG amerikaner. Han havde v?ret i fl?den og da han var f?rdig der, startede han sit eget firma.
Jeg slog ham i bordfodbold, (3 gange) og han slog mig i pool.

Ellers er der ikke helt overdrevet meget at fort?lle. Jeg sidder p? arbejdet, i frokostpausen, imens de andre sover. Det er ?benbart meget normalt at tage sig en time p? ?jet imens der er pause. Der er en eller anden der snorker. Sp?ndende sp?ndende. Den havde nok ikke g?et i Danmark.
Jeg har for resten for f?rste gang f?et en manicure med damen jeg var til jobsamtale hos p? sprogcenteret. Anny. Hun er virkelig s?d! Selvom hun er 33, gift og mor snakker jeg rigtig godt med hende! S? jeg h?ber at skulle v?re meget p? sprogcenteret s? jeg kan se en masse til hende.
Jeg er l?bet t?r for ting at sige.
Udover at Rune lige har v?ret i byen med mine venner. Snyd!
Over and out

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Fort William to Mull

With diesel prices on the mainland a little lower than on Skye, we filled the tank this morning and still gulped at the price. We’ll need to keep it filled now, with only a week left until we return the car in Manchester.
Today we completed a zigzag drive past lochs and mountains to reach the departure point of the ferry to the Isle of Mull and thence to Tobermory where our hotel for the next three nights awaits.
Highlights of the drive on this fine dry morning included reflections on the glassy waters of still lochs, where huge slopes of grass and heather plunged down to the edge and autumn colours tinged the foliage lining the road. At Glenfinnan we stopped near the edge of the loch to look at a monument commemorating the Jacobite rebellion. For railway enthusiasts, this is also the site of a large viaduct, unfortunately almost obscured from view.
Before long we arrived at Lochaline, from where a vehicle ferry runs a shuttle service across to the Isle of Mull. We arrived and drove straight on board for the short trip, then it was off down the ramp and onto the island. At first we were on a broad sealed two lane highway, but very quickly we realised that was just a taste and the now familiar one way road with passing places resumed. With bright sunshine and warm temperatures we removed jackets and opened the car windows as we progressed along the beautiful coast towards Tobermory. Suddenly we came over a hill and there it was, with its picturesque harbour lined with coloured buildings. On this summery day the town looked most inviting, but ice cream was needed to fully enjoy a stroll along the waterfront. The cheerful shop assistant told us she was from Latvia and made us feel very welcome in Tobermory. Finally, it was up the hill to our hotel, where we were welcomed by a happy young Australian receptionist who had come to the Isle of Mull for a holiday and has now stayed for 10 years!
We have checked the weather forecast and today may be the only fine one, with increasing rain promised over the next two days. We plan to visit the island of Iona tomorrow and hope for some fine breaks between the showers.

Sorry no photos. Having trouble uploading them.

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kolkata

Day 1 - Pulling into Kolkata train station 4 hours later than scheduled, we made our way outside to find a rickshaw, only to discover there was nothing but taxis. Paying at the pre-paid taxi stand, we hopped in the vehicle and made our way to the backpacker district located around Sudder Street. Due to Kolkata's infamous heavy traffic, the 5km journey took us over one hour. When we finally arrived we made our way to Hotel Maria, where the four of us checked into a grubby quad room for the night. Throwing the belongings in the room, we headed out to explore the city stopping next to the local meat market where Chris enjoyed a hair-cut and shave in a wooden shed for the bargain price of 40 rupees (50 pence)! Following this we all met back up at the swanky Lypton hotel for beers, given this was the only place screening chris's beloved Liverpool football match. Once the match had finished we headed to a much cheaper bar for food and reasonably priced beers. With closing time nearing we were forced to drink up quickly and leave by the grumpy doorman! Back in the room pissed as farts, we listened to music, chatted and played with pois before retiring to bed.

Day 2 - Knowing we would be departing that day for Guwahati, we made our way around the local market in search of sewing materials before heading to a rooftop bar for great views across the city. With departure time looming we grabbed some snacks in preparation for the 17 1/2 hour train journey. Collecting our belongings from Hotel Maria, we hailed a taxi and were on our way - Guwahati here we come.
There are more photos at the bottom of this page

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Poland's High Tatras

 The train from Prague was modern and travelled at a reasonable pace. Then, suddenly it slowed down dramatically. We notice that the stations were neglected with weeds in the platforms – we have moved into Poland. No sign of a border but we can tell we have changed countries.

At Katowice, we change trains. A few people of many nationalities are trying to find the train to Krakow. Nobody is very sure which platform it will go from, if at all - the electronic signs remain blank. A local helps us out - it is ten minutes late and might arrive at Platform 4, which it duly does. The train, a somewhat older and emptier version of our previous train, is not actually going to Krakow centre we are told, just a suburb. The conductor advises us to get off at the next station and catch a local train to central Krakow - it will arrive in 5 minutes. The next station is in the middle of nowhere and our conductor smiles as his train pulls out, leaving us all on the weedy platform.

But 5 minutes later, a little train going to central Krakow arrives. As we draw

in to the city, Saturday night is just starting. The lights are on around the square and music is everywhere. We have a quick dinner and head for bed – it has been a long day.

Next day, we are on the early bus into the mountains so that we have time to hike We have a plan but it is Sunday and half of Poland is in a queue for the mountain chair lift. We quickly make a new plan and head off up another, smaller and quieter mountain on foot. After cities, trains and buses the peace is wonderful. Hills and mountains. Pine trees and pastures. Hidden huts and edelweiss. And goulash soup for lunch. Happiness.

Monday and we are up early again to make the most of the day - rain is forecast for later. We take a little bus to the start of a walk up to the five tarns. This starts with a gentle plod and ends with a near vertical ascent beside a spectacular waterfall to reach the first tarn. We thought that was the top and had lunch, walked west a little and discovered another 200 metre climb to get out

of the valley. Great views, though, of mountains big and small and, of course, those five tarns. After a hairy descent, we splash out on a horse-drawn cart ride back to the village bus stop.

Today is Gill's birthday, so a celebratory meal awaits. Tomorrow we hope to take that chair lift, very early before the queues, and then walk down. Then it will be an international bus ride (well, minibus actually) into Slovakia and the south side of the mountains.

And for those still interested, the passports are still unexamined since St Pancras.
There are more photos at the bottom of this page

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