In 2006, Brett and I embarked on what was to be a journey of a lifetime.
Geared up for the Cold!
We flew from Perth to Buenos Aires in Argentina, South America, and wow what a flight; It’s such a long way. After a few nights to Enjoy the colorful La Boca, Argentinean Tango and the food we were off to the very tip of South America to a place called Ushuaia.
Ushuaia is a quaint city, where you will definitely need your thermals. A great place to visit the Terre Del Fuego National park, and to stock up with that Fantastic Argentinean Wine, before embarking on your expedition.
We set sail one afternoon leaving the Beagle channel to enter the infamous Drake Passage. This is the moment I has been dreading since booking the journey many months before. I had such a fear about the ocean and being stuck under the water so I was scared about the journey down to the Antarctic Peninsula.
As they say there are two ways you can encounter the Drake Passage, the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake! On the way down we had the Drake Lake. Not so much a Lake like that you have in your mind but more a big rolling swell. It was enough to put in bed for a couple of days. Brett on the other hand was up and about, going to Lectures on the Antarctic wildlife that we would encounter, lectures on the geology and History and even Photography lectures.
After the 2 day crossing we were there! I was in Antarctica. Wow. It truly was beautiful. For the next 8 days we visited so many places including the Volcanic Deception Island and the UK and Russian Antarctic stations (if any of you have my business cards, this is where I posted the letters home from, expensive process…but heaps of fun !)
Stunning Icebergs!
We were off the ship every day either going whale watching and following Orca’s, Minke’s or Southern Right Whales, going ashore and being amused by the Gentoo Penguins (they are so inquisitive!) We even got close one afternoon in a bay to a Leopard Seal hunting for its food, needless to say that penguins were flying through the air!
We had the most amazing food onboard the ship. Every afternoon or morning when we got back from being on the Zodiacs, we always had fresh Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Cookies to come back to. Not to mention the 3 courses for lunch and dinner every day! We had an ongoing joke about the ship pulling into bakeries along the way because the rolls and the break were to die for!
Our Journey back was a sad one, not only because for me it meant another 2 days in bed but our experience in the Antarctic was coming to and end. Oh and by the way, you know how I mentioned about the Drake Passage…we had the Drake Shake coming back. 10 Meter swells and waves crashing left right and centre over the ship. I was glad to get back to the Beagle Channel.
I could talk for hours about my journey and experience but you are probably not all going to sit there and read the whole thing! So if you have any ideas about visiting this amazing destination and need some help please don’t hesitate to contact me.
No trip to Calgary in Canada would be complete without witnessing the spectacular event that is the Calgary Stampede; the world’s largest rodeo! The event takes place every year between 9 and 18 July 2010 and is sure to entertain visitors of all ages. On entrance to Stampede Park you’ll be blown away by the [...]
This Thursday 1 July is Canada Day, to celebrate Canada turning a very refined 143 years old! If you’re in London, why not dress up in red and white and join in the celebrations at Trafalgar Square? Here you’ll find Singing of ‘O Canada’ by the prestigious Canadaian Tenors as well as traditional Canadian cooking demonstrations, a fun street [...]
Last night marked the end of the financial year which means an annual tradition for the team at Jetset Albany.
Little did we know that we had a fun and exciting night ahead of us!
Our simple instructions for the mystery night: “Please be at 24 Munster Avenue, 6pm sharp on 30th of June”
And of course Kelly guessed it… we might be having tea cooked for us by Nilla & John’s friend, Daniel Sharp. (By the way who is the 2007 Australian Nestle’s Young Chef of the Year) .
She wasn’t very far off the mark either!
So as we all arrive to Nilla & John’s, we are greeted by Daniel and his waitress Mary with a fully prepared kitchen of… 9 chopping boards, knives, tongs and aprons! After a few minutes we figured out what was going on, WE were the chefs of the night!
After getting familiar with our 3 course menu of the evening, we settled into the kitchen for a night that was sure to be very entertaining.
Surprisingly there were no major hiccups, except for the fact that John and Nilla need a new set of scales!! (Just ask Tammy-Lee and Nilla about that one…) Everyone had a blast helping each other and working together outside of the office for a change, it was great!
Mmmm.. Pistachio praline semifredo served in a brandy snap
So as the night went on, we sat down and enjoyed our various courses we helped prepare while sharing a drink or two in between.
Our personal “Master Chef” Daniel did a great job in making sure everything was done perfectly!
He did an awesome job for his first cooking class at Munster Avenue.
As the night came to an end and everyone was satisfied on a full stomach, we had a lot of laughs and talked about nothing in particular really. It was awesome to have everyone in such high spirits as we all received graduation certificates from Daniel for his first ever class… which in my opinion was a great success!
What a fun and unforgettable night to mark the start of a “new financial year”.
Please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions!
New Zealand is just such a great country to visit.
And to some people especially the confident freewheeling traveller there is no better way to explore the “Land Of The Long White Cloud” than in a motor home.
Motor Homes are easy drive and inexpensive. What most people do not appreciate is that if you hire a category or two larger than you first thought you will be much happy thanks to the extra room and storage area in the larger model.
If you are a couple a 2 berth seems to make sense on first assumption. Caution:Don’t be too taken just by the price. A lot of 2 berth motor homes are not as economical as the larger 4 or 6 berth which in part is false economy.
Secondly the smaller models are not as high off the road limiting your view of the majestic New Zealand countryside. This alone is enough for me to suggest you give serious consideration to upgrading.
Please check out what else you can learn from my short video below…it could be the difference that sets your next trip to New Zealand as your best ever!!!
Now if you have any interest in South America and it is in the top 10 travel destinations then you will want to check back in shortly as Nilla and I reveal details of our trip to Peru commencing this Saturday.
Nilla is on her 4th trip to this wonderful detination and will start sharing some in her words awesome photo’s taken from our 2004 adventure. So be sure to check in each day between now and when we leave.
And remember if you want to be happy…just be it!!! Happy that is.
Most travellers would find it hard to get too excited about a toilet…but not Tammy-Lee Spinks.
You see Tammy- Lee has suffered from Chrohn’s Disease for 8 years.
Correction she used to suffer from Chrohn’s Disease but since her operation a couple of years ago she now enjoys a full and rewarding life which includes travelling overseas.
Now for those among us who are free of such challenges in our life we probably just take finding and using toilets as no big deal…hey maybe we don’t even need a toilet!
But for Tammy-Lee and other Chrohn’s affected people a toilet is very important.
This sign gives great comfort if you have Chrohn's issues
Tammy-Lee and her family recently enjoyed what Tammy-Lee describes in her own words the most amazing holiday of her life…in no small part because Japan is very Chrohn’s friendly. This allowed her to relax and soak in the whole spectrum of her holiday.
And now she urges anyone who either has Chrohn’s or maybe has a family member affected to not put off travel. Go to Japan and give yourself permission to really enjoy it.
It just maybe the tonic you need.
So please check out what Tammy-Lee has to say on her experience in Japan. Just click on the video below.
Enjoy all things good because if you don’t some else just might!!!
If you’re in Venice on the third Saturday and Sunday in July, be sure to take part in the feast of Festa del Redentore, which commemorates the end of the plague of 1576 and is an important and authentic local event for Venetians. Every year a floating bridge is placed over the Giudecca Canal which reaches across [...]
The sharp eyed have already picked it up that’s not me on the video.
It is my wife Nilla who would like to share her recent experince while checking her requirements for our forthcoming travel to Peru.
Nilla’s attention to detail saved her from being refused entry into South America. Now I am sure that would be worth avoiding right?
Watch the video and let Nilla explain in her words what she discovered and how you can be sure your passport is in the correct order.
I do need to qualify myself here and say we know this is applicable for Australian passport holders and may not affect you if you are traveling on a different nationalities passport.
I would suggest you check it out…just to give yourself peace of mind.
Want to see the chic residents of Florence dance, sing and parade around the streets on 24 June 2010? That’s just what will be happening at the Festival of Saint John in Florence, Italy, where you can also catch boat races, fireworks and masked characters, all enthusiastically using Florence’s charming streets as their stage. Saint John [...]
I just had a interesting link skyped to me from a friend in America.
Frankly it is not something I could see myself using…but once I played around with it I was impressed enough to feel it worth sharing in case you might find it handy.
Now this map is a really cool map if you are trying to get some idea of what flights are available from say your home airport in dollar terms.
Basically it shows you how far you can fly for a set dollar amount which you can tweak and control to whatever amount you want.
Protect you and your family for up to 12 months including your dependent children under 21 who are covered for FREE with SureSave travel insurance. Underwritten by certain Underwriters at Lloyd's.
There are many tours planned with the first being to my homeland Italy in May 2010, this journey encompasses all of my passions which I would love to share with you, walking, cooking, culture, people, scenery and history.
We commence this Gourmet Walking journey in Florence staying in a villa just outside of San Gimigiano, walk amongst the vineyards and olive groves, learn how to cook a Tuscan feast, then we walk the Amalfi coast and attend a cooking school in Sorrento for 6 days where we will learn how to make Limoncello...
If you would like to know more about this trip to Italy, visit here
