Tuesday 25 December 2012
Wishing you a Berry Christmas
I didn't realise it as a kid, but Christmas in New Zealand really is a schizophrenic experience.
On one hand you have sun-filled days spent at the beach, you eat bbqs + salads and you're tucke... read more.
Sunday 03 June 2012
A fabulous fortnight in Buenos Aires
Sitting on the balcony of my Buenos Aires apartment I am
reflecting on the past fortnight and embracing the last bit of hug
left in the waning winter sun. These little quiet moments have
... read more.
Sunday 20 May 2012
Who's the Argentinian New Girl? It's Indy
I love living in Buenos Aires but sometimes I need a break from
the madness of a place that feels like Spain - but with half the
rules and twice the graffiti. When I have one of these over... read more.
Wednesday 09 May 2012
Buenos Aires: Oh oh, who hit the SHUTDOWN button?
When I wake up I'm looking into Nick's eyes. Something is
definitely wrong, I didn't go to sleep opposite this man and now he
is looking at me with that oh too familiar frame of face. Part
... read more.
Wednesday 21 March 2012
Chocolate cycle: From bean to bar to blog
Where does chocolate come from? Does it grow on trees complete
with a metallic wrapper to protect it?
My chocolate education started on the streets of Ecuador, when I almost ran over two peo... read more.
Wednesday 07 March 2012
Galapagos Part 3: To Floreana Island
On San Cristobal Island they hand-harvest and export 200 tonnes
of coffee every year but everyone drinks the 'Colombian' stuff...
instant Nescafe!
It's a crying shame for those of us who lo... read more.
Tuesday 06 March 2012
Galapagos Part 2: San Cristobal
Sea lions litter the esplanade of San Cristobal. Like drunken
louts they lie passed out in awkward positions wherever they fall
on the boardwalk and beachfront each evening.
I kept c... read more.
Thursday 01 March 2012
Going bananas for peanuts in Cuenca
Before this trip I was a BIG fan of bananas but after two weeks
of eating them sweet, savoury, for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner
and as a snack, I've hit my limit. Plus, we've had the monot... read more.
Monday 27 February 2012
Flat road, long days & fairytale romance
----------------------------------------
MONTANITA TO BELLENITA
Distance cycled: 55km
After having a night on my own in Montanita I cycled further
down the coast of Ecuador to the beau... read more.
Friday 24 February 2012
Montanita: Tantrums in the surf
Check out my little $10 a night bungalow below in Puerto Lopez.
I sat, singing, swinging and typing in my aqua blue hammock chair,
the palm frond roof shielding me from unbearable heat which w... read more.
Sunday 19 February 2012
Day 5-7: Chilling out and Carnaval
DAY 5: Camarones to Esmeraldas
Distance cycled: 15km
The quick pace of our cycle tour means we're on the road at
7.30am each morning and normally don't arrive at our destination
until af... read more.
Saturday 04 February 2012
Horse 'n Cart-agena (Colombia)
The adventure continues in Cartagena, Colombia as Indy is voted
to take a horse and carriage ride around the walled city with her
friends Becky, Adam, Brenda and a horse called Pepe. Click... read more.
Monday 30 January 2012
Lost City video: 5 days squeezed into 4 minutes
This video documents a 5 day trek in the Colombian Jungle to
find the Mayan Lost City of Ciudad Perdida. River crossings, hill
climbs, medical dramas and ancient civilisations... it's more... read more.
Wednesday 18 January 2012
It's the people that make the places
I received a comment yesterday, from Kate
Lord, a fellow cycle nut who while cycling from Istanbul to
Norway broke her leg in three places doing an (unsuccessful) sky
dive. Sadly her trip was... read more.
Friday 06 January 2012
Road rules to (hopefully) live by in Argentina
This morning I saddled up, ready to cycle to San Antonio De
Areco in search of my inner gaucho (cowgirl). Rather than risking
my life on the shoulder of the national highway with a peleton of
... read more.
Tuesday 03 January 2012
3 things I learned on 2 wheels in 2011
Riding a bicycle for hours on end does weird things to your
brain. On a good day you find yourself slipping into an almost
meditative state where your head is clear and life seems gloriously
... read more.
Tuesday 27 December 2011
The spectacular Teatro Colon and stringy gooey cheesey heaven
"In the early part of the last century the vast quantities
of meat and grain that Argentina exported to the world made it a
country of colossal wealth. Completed in 1908 and occupying an
enti... read more.
Saturday 24 December 2011
Polo day: Hockey on horseback & delicioso Argentine Asado.
One of the most common questions I'm asked when I meet someone
here is: De donde es? (Where are you from?) To which I
reply: Soy de Nueva Zelandia and normally their face
lights up and the ne... read more.
Friday 23 December 2011
Buenos Aires: Witness to a hit and dash
In Buenos Aires, not speaking Spanish or knowing the customs
makes the most trivial chore quite complex and time consuming,
often requiring multiple attempts for success. I've been here two
w... read more.
Thursday 22 December 2011
Eat Plants. Make Friends. Be Merry.
Asado, Parilla, Empanada, Carne, Pollo, Milanesa … Two
weeks in Buenos Aires has extended my Spanish vocabulary but most
of the words I've learned seem to describe meat! There's an
abundance ... read more.
Wednesday 21 December 2011
Indiana June needs a helping hoof this Christmas
Over the past four months the Indiana June pick-a-path adventure
has seen me cycle more than 3000km over three continents, doing
everything from inseminating sows on a pig farm in Limerick... read more.
Sunday 18 December 2011
Finding the fun in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is like an onion with layer upon layer of fun
things to do - you just need to know how to peel it. Here are four
things I recommend giving a go...
---------------------------... read more.
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Spanish lessons: Before I walk I must crawl like a bebe
Día
uno: Tongue gymanstics and
alpha-beta-whata?
I arrive at Road2Argentina in Recoleta at 4.30pm for my
first language lesson with Interspanish. The plan is to do a two
week, two hour ... read more.
Sunday 11 December 2011
Plaza de Mayo: Banging drums and swearing in a president
Argentinians sure like to bang a drum and I got to see a whole
lot of it today when Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sworn in as
president for a second term. (She's the first female
p... read more.
Saturday 10 December 2011
Buenos Aires: Facing my fears = plenty of tears
Considering how much I've travelled, I thought arriving in a new
country like Argentina wouldn't be scary at all - how wrong I was.
The best way to describe how It feels to be plonked in the m... read more.