tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-151300872024-03-13T21:27:17.351+01:00The Foreign TravelerLife and Times of Natalya Marquand.
Enjoy my wanderings, meanderings, ponderings, and stories of life.Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-49026779253473046422023-06-30T10:46:00.000+02:002023-06-30T10:46:22.259+02:00Stock photo upload - my experience so far<p>This has been one of the projects on my to do list for several years now in an attempt to create a passive income from the many many photographs that I have taken over the years. Having 1TB of images means there is a lot to go through and with the plethora of options out there, I have never found the time to actually get there. </p><p>This week I started. The websites and promotions for people talking about lucrative side hustles make it look so easy. My reality - not so much! They say the best way to sell photos is to sell them off your website, but of course that means you have to promote yourself and work out payments and such - I'm not big or good enough for that!</p><p>From my research, these appeared to be good options for me:</p><p>1. Getty Images</p><p>2. Istock</p><p>3. Alamy</p><p>4. Shutterstock</p><p>However, as nothing is ever straightforward! Here's what happened:</p><p>1. <u>Getty images</u> was desirable because it has licenses to the big names such as the NY Times (I think I'm aiming too high here). This means of course, that they want to maintain a very high level of uploads, and it requires you to choose 3 images that you think best represent you as a photographer and then they will judge whether to accept you. How to choose <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">only 3 images</span> to best display my content? So difficult and it felt like I only had one chance at at (when in reality you probably can submit several times). I let this factor intimidate me so when I first started this last summer, this was a far as I got - thinking about which images to use. Dead end.</p><p>2. <u>Istock</u> is a micro stock company which is owned by Getty images. It felt more accessible and doable, but also a gateway to Getty. However, for both Getty and Istock (formerly istockphoto), you need to upload via an app and the <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">website for contributor information has not been working</span> at all this month - so, another dead end for now.</p><p>3. I went with the next option - <u>Alamy</u>. They seemed quite lucrative because they appear to pay between 40% and 50% of the sales value (compared to 15% on other stock websites). Once again, they want you to submit 3 sample photos - but this time it does not mention they will be used to judge you as a contributor, but mainly to see the technical quality of the sample images you would upload. Less pressure, somehow? I chose a couple of images - a couple from Antarctica, a landscape and penguins, and one from Albania. They seemed a relatively good representation of me as well. However - all 3 were rejected due to being insufficient quality - the wording they use is <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">too soft/lacking definition</span>. I can completely see that this is the case, but this puts a huge dampener on my whole scheme as most of my photo collection were taken at this or a similar resolution. People have been telling me for years to shoot in RAW format, but the files were too large and storage was expensive (and still is) so I didn't want to. I haven't regretted it until now, so I guess I deserve this. I read more online about how to improve the quality of your images and while there are free tools, they're not great, so most pathways lead to either Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom. I will openly admit that my skills in these programs are not great. There's a steep learning curve for PS, but less so for LR, so I started there. I sharpened the images and did some very basic editing, and of the 3 images, 1 was accepted, but the other two still have the same - too soft/lacking definition. This shows promise, but also a lot of work to get there! I haven't given up yet.</p><p>4. Meanwhile, I was also looking into <u>Shutterstock</u>. Many websites point to this as a good place to start for beginners. I signed up and they ask for more uploads at the beginning to get approved - 10-15 images. I collected a variety of images - some more of Antarctica and some others from Dubai, Iraq, Cuba, Suriname and even one from a German Fasching parade here in Oberusel. I modified them lightly in Lightroom and then off they went to uploads. Any photographer will likely roll their eyes at these discoveries as obvious, but perhaps they're worth mentioning. This is what I have discovered:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Most travel photos have been quite heavily modified to reflect <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">bright sparkling colours</span>. Postcard quality as opposed to reality. This involves a lot of time and work. While Lightroom does allow you to edit in bulk, you need to prepare your settings beforehand. </li><li>People images are complicated: Two failed because they <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">needed a model release</span>. One of these seemed to be a mistake as the person was a tiny speck in the background. The second makes sense. However, this issue of needing model releases basically renders every single photograph of a person unusable unless they are a friend of mine. And do I really want to contact them and ask them to sign releases? Apparently the Fasching parade could have been submitted as an <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">'Editorial' photo rather than a 'Commercial' photo</span>, but then this needs to be date and location timestamped. I submitted it as such (not forgetting to mention to the reviewer that it was a resubmission) but this time it was rejected for being too busy - "Noise / Artifacts: Content contains noise, film grain, compression artifacts, pixelation, and/or posterization that detracts from the main subject". Sigh.</li><li>Pesky AI is taking over the world: Many of the other images I submitted were immediately ascribed with a new term <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">'Data Licensing Only'.</span> Upon investigation this means that they probably have quite a few of these images and so they will not sell them for Commercial use but will put them in a library to be used by AI to learn more about photography. The payment rates for these have been put into what seems to be a slim-chance-to-likely-never payment category. There's a fund for it, that will be distributed at a future time in a different way than other photo payments. What is frustrating is that they are given this label without being given a choice, and once they have it, they cannot be submitted for commercial purposes or resubmitted for evaluation. This included things like Erbil city walls in Iraq and a Paramaribo Christmas tree (despite my search showing there are less than 11 images of such a thing in their database). I had some lovely spiral stairwell pictures, but since these are plentiful, they got sent to either 'data licensing' or the '<span style="background-color: #fcff01;">too similar content</span>' bin. After the first instance I decided to opt-out of Data Licensing, but it seems Shutterstock will still assign your photos to this category even if you don't want to be considered for it. I now have to wait <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">a whole month before I can opt back in</span> to what is probably not really worth it anyway. Ho hum.</li><li>Other minor rejection issues:</li><ul><li>Of a Tbilisi Georgia old city view: An <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">English translation</span> is required for non-English text that appears in content - it's just a minor sign on the road!</li><li>Of another Tbilisi Georgia old city view: <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">intellectual property rights</span> (e.g. artwork, writing, sheet music, isolated modern architecture, or other objects protected by copyright) - for the building I'm assuming? </li><li>For my beautiful images of the sunlight passing into a Georgian church where the church is pretty unrecognizable: <span style="background-color: #fcff01;">intellectual property rights</span> again. </li></ul><li>Of the 34 images I have submitted (and that took ages to select and prepare them), only 9 were approved for <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Natalya+Marquand" target="_blank">my portfolio</a>. This is slow going. </li><li><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">Things that have been approved are random</span>: a penguin, one of the several Tbilisi old city views I submitted (that didn't have any Georgian writing), sand ripples in Dubai, flamingoes, a panorama of Georgia (though the other similar one was only eligible for data licensing), a temple menorah, a carved stone window, the modern cathedral (how is this not an intellectual property rights?). Am I to assume I submit the failed ones after scrubbing the signage away and a third will get approved? Is this a statistics game? See my slowly growing and slightly pathetic <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Natalya+Marquand">portfolio here</a>!</li><li><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">Payment rates are low </span>- 0.10c to 0.15c per photo, so you really only want marketable photos that will be used again and again. Do I really want to go out and take some fake looking photos of desktops, offices, currency, students backs (thus to avoid model releases).</li><li>They basically only pay 15% despite advertising as high as 40%. There are higher rates for those that sell more photos, but you reset every year in January back to 15% so not many are likely to get any higher. Wouldn't it be a bummer, though, to get lots of sales just before Christmas?</li></ul><div>My overall conclusion of this experience is that (of course), they really have too many submissions so will find as many reasons not to take your photos as they can. This is a time and numbers game. You need to have an enormous portfolio, and the ones that sell are not the ones that I appreciate and like. Do I really want to work at it? I do not have an hour to spend every day to only get 5 approved. I also don't see chances of getting paid licensing being very high - I'd have to get to $35 to get any money paid out anyway! How many photos is that? 250 sold or so. Do I want to pursue Alamy instead? </div><div><br /></div><div>I guess the positive on this one is that I've learned lots! Perhaps I should do a video on what I've learned except that won't earn me anything either! Haha!</div>Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-19705241770505073012023-06-30T09:36:00.004+02:002023-06-30T09:36:55.787+02:00A reflection - I'm back?<p>For the past several years I've been a bit dormant on blogger. I basically haven't had time to post anything and other life priorities have taken me in other directions. However, I am coming back to it and want to start adding again. I think I will likely need a whole new remodel and links update among other things. I'm not sure I have time for this vision, but I will try. At least it's still there to come back to unlike other things on the internet! </p><p>Also potential to be part of this revival:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A website?</li><li>Publishing material?</li><li>Photo stock uploads?</li><li>More travel content!</li><li>My other blog renewal?</li></ul><div>We shall see!</div><p></p>Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-12370195515665393782016-12-23T01:33:00.002+01:002016-12-23T01:50:55.562+01:00Seasons Greetings 2015-16<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Seasons Greetings to all friends and family for 2016 and best wishes for 2017!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Georgetown, Guyana</td></tr>
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It's mid December in Oberursel, Germany, and we finished school on Friday. I've managed to catch up with several German friends I haven't seen in months for brunch, visit the tiny Sachsenhausen forest Christmas market, see the latest Star Wars film, and generally relax in a way I never seem able to do during the school year. This time last year was manic and thus, no 2015 letter was written. I tried to return to it in February, but of course, here I am, so we know that didn't happen. Therefore this letter will attempt to cover both years -- no small feat!<br />
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2015 was wow and amazing and transformatory as I moved continents, and 2016, while feeling more chill in my books (but probably not compared to most people), still had some pizzazz. This really should be two separate blogs its that long, but it's not so if you only care about 2016, scroll down!<br />
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So let's start with 2015...<br />
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1. The Caribbean:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.de/2015/11/642-paramaribo-suriname.html">Paramaribo, Suriname</a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GsfRm6ylb4w/WFxaVZVjHpI/AAAAAAABwp0/AZ6yT7REVmwvHfoyIY2QhTDpnDmvtqDDgCK4B/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GsfRm6ylb4w/WFxaVZVjHpI/AAAAAAABwp0/AZ6yT7REVmwvHfoyIY2QhTDpnDmvtqDDgCK4B/s200/IMG_0465.JPG" width="200" /></a>I started the year in Georgetown, Guyana, playing pool in a very busy pool hall, as one does. I then flew to Suriname to be wowed by their majestic landscape, hear the strangeness of Dutch spoken in the tropics, and discuss the amazing wildlife there with other travellers (i.e. stories of a jaguar swimming past their canoe while stalking prey). Oh, how I would love to see a jaguar! After lamenting the shortness of my visit and vowing to return and also to visit French Guiana, from Paramaribo, I flew to Trinidad, and then onwards immediately to Tobago. It may have an international airport, but it's a tiny little one! A lovely island -- a fitting end to my months in the Caribbean before flying home. I rented a car and drove around the island past wild beaches, charming fishing hamlets, and chic villages. The lighthouse at the top of the island on the top of a hill looking back into a sun-streaked rainstorm had to be the favourite site!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A short video of flying from Guyana to Suriname.</span></div>
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2. Home:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEj-h3_PtDo/WFxcujhMczI/AAAAAAABwqU/pD_inlxN4C8xoQ_EfYyECMiJ0qJh0Ye3QCK4B/s1600/20150407_153102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEj-h3_PtDo/WFxcujhMczI/AAAAAAABwqU/pD_inlxN4C8xoQ_EfYyECMiJ0qJh0Ye3QCK4B/s200/20150407_153102.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Si7GWzFoNVw/WFxb5qVc3TI/AAAAAAABwqI/fsrf6deW-NEYSQnlpe3OUlRbzT2AhdyvACK4B/s1600/20150301_173442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Si7GWzFoNVw/WFxb5qVc3TI/AAAAAAABwqI/fsrf6deW-NEYSQnlpe3OUlRbzT2AhdyvACK4B/s320/20150301_173442.jpg" width="320" /></a>Heading back to Colombia briefly, I wrapped up my 3 years in South America. I caught up with friends there and heard all their travel stories. I packed my many bags and took off for home. I flew, a roundabout way, via Miami and Los Angeles, to take up a Business Class ticket bought on miles on Fijian airways. How does one go back to economy after that!? I arrived home into Auckland and picked up my rental car to drive around and visit some family. So lovely to see everyone up north. Then back to Queenstown and immediately off to see Three Dog Night and hangout in town. Loved being home so much. I love my hometown! I often wonder why I'm not living there still. After discovering that every job in town goes to backpackers, I eventually started relief teaching at Wakatipu High School. What a bizzare feeling to wander those halls of pre-teen years again. Relief teaching being what it is means that no one really treats you well, but it was interesting nevertheless. While at home I was thrilled to catch a lunar eclipse, and really enjoyed working on cloud timelapses and star photography.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A timelapse of the Remarkables from our balcony!</span></div>
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3. Asia:<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36lKvWjkG9A/WFxdPkVlMMI/AAAAAAABwqg/2ahSGVIc8osPWZeJ6RkDR87G9jOhc76_wCK4B/s1600/20150503_112815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36lKvWjkG9A/WFxdPkVlMMI/AAAAAAABwqg/2ahSGVIc8osPWZeJ6RkDR87G9jOhc76_wCK4B/s320/20150503_112815.jpg" width="192" /></a>Of course, I was not to stay hanging around! I was off to Asia for 3 weeks! Hadn't been to Asia since I left Myanmar in 2008, and I missed it so much! First to Singapore to catch up with several friends there and bask in the warmth and modernity. Then to Bangkok, where I revisited all my old haunts. David and Sandra obligingly came with me up to Kanchanaburi to the River Kwai ANZAC Day ceremony -- which was far too big and over extended! Still, what a lovely little riverside hotel we had. Third city on the list was Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to see various friends and reaquaint myself with that cute little city. Then it was to Hong Kong where I visited several friends' schools, and finally climbed Victoria Peak which I wish I'd done decades before! The trip wouldn't have been possible if it were not for the generous hospitality of friends in all four cities -- how lucky I am to know so many people in such great places!<br />
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Back to New Zealand to hunker down and do some more IB marking. Why do I set myself up for it?<br />
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4. Eastern and Southern Africa:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lioness in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHzE10HRMhs/WFxhqg70qzI/AAAAAAABwr0/7c1LwNKwE1UEfPJWC45CjXZpiqJs8mbEQCK4B/s1600/IMG_6274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QHzE10HRMhs/WFxhqg70qzI/AAAAAAABwr0/7c1LwNKwE1UEfPJWC45CjXZpiqJs8mbEQCK4B/s320/IMG_6274.JPG" width="213" /></a>By the end of May it was time to set off on my biggest adventure of the year -- a zig zag across Southern Africa. Some statistics that I can actually count: 2 months. 10 countries. 20 national parks. I lost track of the number of animals and cities and towns. It was incredible! Starting in Kenya, we headed up to Nakuru and I finally got to see the salt lake, except there were no flamingoes this year due to the high water level. Then it was across into Uganda and to Queen Elizabeth II National Park to see the Chimpanzees, and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see the gorillas (amazing!). Both fountains for corruption but amazing ventures into the forest to see these amazing animals up close.We slipped into Rwanda for the day, before going back to the Source of the Nile and to Kenya's Maasai Mara -- and wow the lions and elephants we saw there despite the tall grasses obscuring almost everything! Across the border to almost the exact opposite side (a week later), we went into the Ngorongoro Crater Reserve and the Serengeti National Park. A lion kill!! Amazing!!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Elephants in the Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Giraffes near the Serengeti plains</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lion jumping out of tree</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lion feast in the Serengeti</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zanzibar</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SkokicBI-oE/WFxlFlHlKaI/AAAAAAABwsI/iSXfpfdX5UcVDmKjp5VE4upoScIxpkVmACK4B/s1600/20150710_170233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Elephant Sands</td></tr>
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A few days in Zanzibar were a highlight, and then heading inland to Mikumi National Park and into Malawi. The poverty in Malawi was a lot more apparent than we'd seen up to that point, but Lake Malawi was lovely. The further south we went, the roads and general infrastructure noticeably improved. Would have loved to see the Luangwa National Parks, but alas, I'll just have to come back. In Livingstone, Zambia, I think I spent more money than the entire few weeks beforehand, but did some amazing things. I managed to be trapped under a raft for a harrowing 30 seconds, swimming where crocodiles roam. The helicopter over the Victoria Falls was spectacular, as was hearing how different it was for mum visiting in the early 70s. We crossed briefly into Zimbabwe before heading to Botswana. Chobe National Park's elephants were amazing, but the 'Elephant Sands' campsite where the watering hole is right next to the tents was also pretty incredible. Taking small <i>mokolo</i> canoes into the Okavango Delta fulfilled a lifelong dream after hearing about it in the 80s. Our last night in Botswana was spent in a Bushmen camp before crossing into Namibia.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjn4mhnILfU/WFxmYbDzYAI/AAAAAAABwss/Y6jJ3Sum0qMIvP5toqfLew_JPfTQk06TQCK4B/s1600/20150721_165838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjn4mhnILfU/WFxmYbDzYAI/AAAAAAABwss/Y6jJ3Sum0qMIvP5toqfLew_JPfTQk06TQCK4B/s320/20150721_165838.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xPn9grhPuDo/WFxmSDdVdiI/AAAAAAABwsU/Oyd81wUO3hwk1WD2CzrmgM7CMafvOUH1wCK4B/s1600/20150717_154530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xPn9grhPuDo/WFxmSDdVdiI/AAAAAAABwsU/Oyd81wUO3hwk1WD2CzrmgM7CMafvOUH1wCK4B/s320/20150717_154530.jpg" width="192" /></a>I have wanted to visit Namibia for years, and I must say this visit only tempted me to come back and visit again. It was without question, my favourite country on the trip. We spent a few nights in the north where we stayed at Etosha National Park. The game drive was the single worst game drive of the trip where we did not really see a single animal of note, but the watering hole that we could watch through the night was spectacular, with several rhinos, lions, giraffes, elephants and other animals coming to drink as we sat snuggled in heavy blankets sipping hot chocolate. The rock formations near Spitzkoppe were super, as were the Sossouvlei and Dead Vlei sand dunes. I saw whales off the coast at Swakopmund/Walvis Bay, and even went sand boarding. We stayed at Fish River Canyon before crossing over into South Africa at the Orange River. South Africa was really quite a short part of the trip (only the Cedarburg Wine Region and Cape Town), but it was great to come back again as I do enjoy my time time there.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Tq16LZRDYM/WFxm7QdQNoI/AAAAAAABwtE/qnYXLonNProelXYG-ybpWhPtNWZj4S9CQCK4B/s1600/20150809_172826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iCj-EVrKvPY/WFxmYPO7qMI/AAAAAAABwsk/cQUgMPLFmscxlaF3tmyb7giNg_OzrK5XwCK4B/s1600/20150721_170024.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iCj-EVrKvPY/WFxmYPO7qMI/AAAAAAABwsk/cQUgMPLFmscxlaF3tmyb7giNg_OzrK5XwCK4B/s320/20150721_170024.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l6Ca0CQ5rlM/WFxmW4Z4EWI/AAAAAAABwsc/dvBZR2FdndQtCOASvSCVuS_V0d8QeDAUgCK4B/s320/20150721_163652.jpg" width="320" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HqwjNRW2CM/WFxm0a-1SmI/AAAAAAABws0/5FLzQargw3o0IL2zQaMp6B_XJLkDQVc9QCK4B/s1600/20150805_104106.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Green Man' of <br />
reunification Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Romer Square in Frankfurt</td></tr>
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5. Germany:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Skiing </td></tr>
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After the epic long journey back to New Zealand via Dubai, I had five days home in Queenstown (where I even managed a day skiing!) before flying to Frankfurt, Germany, before starting at FIS. New jobs are always time consuming and there is a settling process. The group of new teachers and I explored the charming old city of our home in Oberursel, catching the church bells in action up close, and wandered the reconstructed old city of Frankfurt. I love the Romer square, and have adopted the pride of my host city in his democratic importance in Germany. So important was its democracy that the 25th anniversary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Unity_Day">reunification celebration in October</a> was held in Frankfurt rather than Berlin. I am horrified by the quantity of bombing that occurred during World War II, and wish the allies had faced consequences for their role in that. There were also castles, wine festivals, riverside concerts like Museumsuferfest, and buying a car!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RsZbPV5jMLs/WFxnzRIq7LI/AAAAAAABwtQ/_MK8PA4RdLgLRWG9YXpAijTyy7vgjwbNgCK4B/s1600/IMG_1843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RsZbPV5jMLs/WFxnzRIq7LI/AAAAAAABwtQ/_MK8PA4RdLgLRWG9YXpAijTyy7vgjwbNgCK4B/s200/IMG_1843.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyoning with Grade 8 in Austria</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1YfCZwBOTYc/WFxoUz8Y5lI/AAAAAAABwto/C1pWlNX8w5sCPmtELm2L6VTijyWmdyBPwCK4B/s1600/20150812_075209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1YfCZwBOTYc/WFxoUz8Y5lI/AAAAAAABwto/C1pWlNX8w5sCPmtELm2L6VTijyWmdyBPwCK4B/s200/20150812_075209.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taunus Mountains in August</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.fis.edu/">Frankfurt International School</a> is a large school with two campuses that was founded in the 60s with only a few families. I love the fact that we were one of the founding IB schools, and that our campus is located at the foothills of the Taunus Mountains where the many tree-lined walking and cycling trails criss cross up to the Feldberg (highest point) as well as hidden little pedestrian only cafes like the Fuchstanz (which means 'fox dance). I coached girls middle school soccer, which takes me all over Europe to other schools for competition, and I also love helping out with Model United Nations! Within the first week of school, we were off to Bregenz, Austria for Trip Week, and the action and busy-ness never ceased! Also loved catching up with my brother's family in the Netherlands.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXssSIqqquU/WFxoJQAXOwI/AAAAAAABwtY/KHdjFzI6pBIQnDjbG1FT3bEEjWcZzttLgCK4B/s1600/20150929_124618%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXssSIqqquU/WFxoJQAXOwI/AAAAAAABwtY/KHdjFzI6pBIQnDjbG1FT3bEEjWcZzttLgCK4B/s320/20150929_124618%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv1tlffVFuA/WFxoO-5fyYI/AAAAAAABwtg/LM0Sw2ItbswCyLu2I9EgxJ9XkA3VLpDmgCK4B/s1600/20150930_145007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tv1tlffVFuA/WFxoO-5fyYI/AAAAAAABwtg/LM0Sw2ItbswCyLu2I9EgxJ9XkA3VLpDmgCK4B/s320/20150930_145007.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
October break saw a friend and I exploring Bavaria and southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, returning via Switzerland. We saw the famed Oktoberfest, revisited Neuswanstein Castle and Dachau Concentration Camp, and spent a night in a charming little Austrian mountain village.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8E765Ug7lf4/WFxo9XkTHxI/AAAAAAABwt0/jaFcHjlaIYQc0fCglP4r1Kke2WQ2T2PPwCK4B/s1600/20151206_152716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8E765Ug7lf4/WFxo9XkTHxI/AAAAAAABwt0/jaFcHjlaIYQc0fCglP4r1Kke2WQ2T2PPwCK4B/s320/20151206_152716.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The view from the Heidelburg Christmas Market</td></tr>
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Mum arrived in December and we enjoyed the Christmas Markets together, and I had a brief ski trip in Austria, but there wasn't really enough snow, then I joined my brother's family in the Netherlands for Christmas. Mum and I headed off to France on New Year's Eve, with a fabulous hotel castle room to start our brief sojourn into Brittany. Thus wrapped up, as I said, a spectacular 2015!<br />
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Onwards to 2016...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjyIIfcFCAQ/WFxpVcdbT1I/AAAAAAABwuA/slC8ZHJ8jrkFv4t2kSEeiNQ92HIkhdRCQCK4B/s1600/20160104_173633.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihaZccfSWTY/WFxpYwfr2aI/AAAAAAABwuI/J-mdtg5wNAMirQDjO9e_ythVUBtxU89_gCK4B/s1600/20160102_114541.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihaZccfSWTY/WFxpYwfr2aI/AAAAAAABwuI/J-mdtg5wNAMirQDjO9e_ythVUBtxU89_gCK4B/s640/20160102_114541.jpg" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="84" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FjyIIfcFCAQ/WFxpVcdbT1I/AAAAAAABwuA/slC8ZHJ8jrkFv4t2kSEeiNQ92HIkhdRCQCK4B/s640/20160104_173633.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D33p-1z9W3U/WFxpkgyeXtI/AAAAAAABwuQ/mSnNq3EYY7YDlJueOKr-sVLo7W4BpVkuwCK4B/s1600/20160104_154401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D33p-1z9W3U/WFxpkgyeXtI/AAAAAAABwuQ/mSnNq3EYY7YDlJueOKr-sVLo7W4BpVkuwCK4B/s320/20160104_154401.jpg" width="320" /></a>It was mum's idea to go to Carnac, and what a good idea it was! Lots of prehistoric standing stones, megaliths, and stone mysteries! Predating Stonehenge by 100 years or so, there are more than 3000 upright stones in the biggest concentration of megalithic sites in the world. As you can imagine -- heaven for us! It was the first big sojourn for my little car, bought a few weeks earlier, and must say I'm very proud of Bertie! We came back via Mont St. Michel, which really is so beautiful and impressive. It was vastly different in terms of tourist infrastructure than it was in 1993 when we were there. You used to drive out across the causeway and park at the base, but now you have kilometres of car park on the mainland and you have to be shuttled out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bo61XAsvTYU/WFxp1_5GdsI/AAAAAAABwuc/N0lJIqn2Q0Awm4ZzablaB3KcTtebQqLewCK4B/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bo61XAsvTYU/WFxp1_5GdsI/AAAAAAABwuc/N0lJIqn2Q0Awm4ZzablaB3KcTtebQqLewCK4B/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyne Cot Cemetary, Belgium</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bo61XAsvTYU/WFxp1_5GdsI/AAAAAAABwuc/N0lJIqn2Q0Awm4ZzablaB3KcTtebQqLewCK4B/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WjkLUWe59xk/WFxqD3PyWCI/AAAAAAABwu0/nDNItQvPdPU5aAMttfViY4Je0Rv_lFN4QCK4B/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vqxca6joaRg/WFxqJST_bNI/AAAAAAABwu8/vk9AGrrJci0FU93ZK-Slwi7wz4rwE0HzACK4B/s1600/IMG_9198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ypres, Belgium</td></tr>
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We stopped in Ypres on our way back east. Impressively (or perhaps more like propaganda to some), there has been a sunset remembrance ceremony every night in Ypres since the war (except for brief periods in WW2). We went down to listen to the Last Post (Reveille) and the brief ceremony, and we were to come back in June to very different sized crowds at the summer ceremony. In a way, this year had quite a few instances of 'going back' to places I'd been before. Theme of 'revisiting', perhaps? We spent a day going to several wet and miserable cemeteries to find mum's World War I relatives. Being the 100 year anniversary of the Somme battles, it was very fitting to visit the Western Front. We found Harold Wilson Bolton's plaque at Tyne Cot Memorial, and Aylmer Henry Windsor in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetary, which was next to a hospital so had very good records. The third was Henry Marston Windsor who was at Caterpillar Valley cemetery, which we would find in June.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bBVEamHRXdk/WFxp79rA2aI/AAAAAAABwus/voDZ-3WxuqcG0zMVV_7p6b0mutFZg1Z5wCK4B/s1600/IMG_2413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bBVEamHRXdk/WFxp79rA2aI/AAAAAAABwus/voDZ-3WxuqcG0zMVV_7p6b0mutFZg1Z5wCK4B/s200/IMG_2413.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I5SdalESOI/WFxp5JfKwAI/AAAAAAABwuk/3wi3SnZOOLkOLNPuMzrOxD5vNshWyW4tQCK4B/s1600/IMG_2385.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I5SdalESOI/WFxp5JfKwAI/AAAAAAABwuk/3wi3SnZOOLkOLNPuMzrOxD5vNshWyW4tQCK4B/s200/IMG_2385.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WjkLUWe59xk/WFxqD3PyWCI/AAAAAAABwu0/nDNItQvPdPU5aAMttfViY4Je0Rv_lFN4QCK4B/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WjkLUWe59xk/WFxqD3PyWCI/AAAAAAABwu0/nDNItQvPdPU5aAMttfViY4Je0Rv_lFN4QCK4B/s200/IMG_2460.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMa47EMBRXI/WFxtL17Pp5I/AAAAAAABwwo/EKE1iy3Q2UAxO8hX5kl2CnuPTNzgSTVKQCK4B/s1600/20160630_165529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HMa47EMBRXI/WFxtL17Pp5I/AAAAAAABwwo/EKE1iy3Q2UAxO8hX5kl2CnuPTNzgSTVKQCK4B/s200/20160630_165529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TmFhMnX92kk/WFxrUFewTGI/AAAAAAABwvM/Zbvlsc4StHcf8LQ9-rJeI5KULn052EElACK4B/s1600/20160221_180655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TmFhMnX92kk/WFxrUFewTGI/AAAAAAABwvM/Zbvlsc4StHcf8LQ9-rJeI5KULn052EElACK4B/s320/20160221_180655.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obertauern, Austria</td></tr>
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Before January was over, I'd spent a week in the Hague for THIMUN and also visited Hannover for a conference! Ski Break in February took me off on a school trip to Obertauern in Austria -- loved the skiing and snowboarding there, as well as our quaint little hostel and sledding down the mountain squeals and all.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jowRAQz4GBg/WFxrry0OrPI/AAAAAAABwvc/HZPJEJp63PA6VTcH2a_mDSng9J8JfpZIACK4B/s1600/20160329_082151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jowRAQz4GBg/WFxrry0OrPI/AAAAAAABwvc/HZPJEJp63PA6VTcH2a_mDSng9J8JfpZIACK4B/s640/20160329_082151.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meroe, Sudan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lovwwERAY6A/WFxsEaUuD-I/AAAAAAABwvs/ig9Y3z-a-50k06CDWlRkdZZoTYd0Z1Q8QCK4B/s320/20160403_133024.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carthage, Tunisia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kXH9SwHxc8/WFxr0Lp-rnI/AAAAAAABwvk/FwtwzWunMUwz57Lilw5cKe-nr5oypTv2ACK4B/s1600/20160329_085918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kXH9SwHxc8/WFxr0Lp-rnI/AAAAAAABwvk/FwtwzWunMUwz57Lilw5cKe-nr5oypTv2ACK4B/s320/20160329_085918.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meroe, Sudan</td></tr>
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I think my colleagues here all think I'm a bit crazy, because for Easter, I planned a trip to Sudan and Tunisia to catch up with friends in both places. It's started a trend so that before each holiday, they ask me what place on the 'don't go' list I'm going to now. Khartoum was the dusty desert city you may imagine, but I really loved getting out of the city and visiting the ancient city of Karima where the sphinx-shap<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RllIiFG8-Ho/WFxrqvRQc6I/AAAAAAABwvU/CnVS0MWz2RkTDuWhn2Zyo7ubNjNWQv0-wCK4B/s1600/20160329_082120.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a>ed rock shadows the Nile near several small pyramid tombs. Merowe, where several pyramids atmospherically disappear into sand dunes, was also great. Despite less than a week in Tunisia, I managed to cover some ground in my little rental car, seeing the Roman ruins of Dougga, the Islamic pilgrimmage center of Kairouan, and the ampitheatre at El-Jem. I loved Tunis and Carthage, and Sidi Bou Said was so evocative of Morocco that I felt homesick for it!<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lovwwERAY6A/WFxsEaUuD-I/AAAAAAABwvs/ig9Y3z-a-50k06CDWlRkdZZoTYd0Z1Q8QCK4B/s1600/20160403_133024.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQX7Nd_Zgw/WFxsIS2US9I/AAAAAAABwv0/WpW0y3i6mkk6nYN_iaBYZgCrs9HspDfDQCK4B/s1600/20160403_174719.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXq5K3tYj4k/WFxsLhu7wsI/AAAAAAABwv8/Haj1-BzeAx8e1FrCTOPy1GXjPs3rzCygwCK4B/s1600/20160406_122227.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ-Z0LrP-CM/WFxsSCRlRSI/AAAAAAABwwE/lFE69OoDjwUfebyjKcgro4RWTVtsRqK-gCK4B/s1600/20160406_130131%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ-Z0LrP-CM/WFxsSCRlRSI/AAAAAAABwwE/lFE69OoDjwUfebyjKcgro4RWTVtsRqK-gCK4B/s640/20160406_130131%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UXq5K3tYj4k/WFxsLhu7wsI/AAAAAAABwv8/Haj1-BzeAx8e1FrCTOPy1GXjPs3rzCygwCK4B/s320/20160406_122227.jpg" width="320" /><img border="0" height="192" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQX7Nd_Zgw/WFxsIS2US9I/AAAAAAABwv0/WpW0y3i6mkk6nYN_iaBYZgCrs9HspDfDQCK4B/s320/20160403_174719.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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I think I need to plan more long weekends away, as the next time I travelled was over the summer. Perhaps the IB marking (which I've sworn not to do this year) didn't really help!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj1JTpv_x9E/WFxs7tRizBI/AAAAAAABwwQ/MQW4aemTI0U2pYBQgSx8v8E7fLS6PhWkACK4B/s1600/20160701_010702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj1JTpv_x9E/WFxs7tRizBI/AAAAAAABwwQ/MQW4aemTI0U2pYBQgSx8v8E7fLS6PhWkACK4B/s200/20160701_010702.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88oOfPM7sKE/WFxs8Ea2d-I/AAAAAAABwwY/hcw1p8GE_34MHEKcj2k8moB5GyG-ZwbaACK4B/s1600/20160630_220608%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88oOfPM7sKE/WFxs8Ea2d-I/AAAAAAABwwY/hcw1p8GE_34MHEKcj2k8moB5GyG-ZwbaACK4B/s320/20160630_220608%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mum and Dad arrived in early June and came for a visit. I joined the whole family in the UK for a brief trip to Manchester and then to Whitstable before driving back to Europe. We visited Ypres again before heading down to Luxembourg - a lovely little country only 3 hours from Frankfurt! Dad headed home while Mum and I flew down to delightful Albania.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcFRhvdMmHA/WFxtxB7HolI/AAAAAAABwxA/Do20ROchkN8PKXJEdBLqUMDnjuIpWxV2gCK4B/s1600/20160705_160208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcFRhvdMmHA/WFxtxB7HolI/AAAAAAABwxA/Do20ROchkN8PKXJEdBLqUMDnjuIpWxV2gCK4B/s640/20160705_160208.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Accursed Mountains' near Theth, Albania</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uq5Jm59sZ0/WFxtl9m_7dI/AAAAAAABwww/td4n3x_5f-M1fskjmzs116__KvcK10DaQCK4B/s1600/20160704_142023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoT-8DVXyuw/WFxttU-yarI/AAAAAAABww4/Y5opMcHkOQY6JbLzT1PpGVfri0J-g53vgCK4B/s1600/20160705_140726.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoT-8DVXyuw/WFxttU-yarI/AAAAAAABww4/Y5opMcHkOQY6JbLzT1PpGVfri0J-g53vgCK4B/s1600/20160705_140726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoT-8DVXyuw/WFxttU-yarI/AAAAAAABww4/Y5opMcHkOQY6JbLzT1PpGVfri0J-g53vgCK4B/s320/20160705_140726.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shkodar, Albania</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QoT-8DVXyuw/WFxttU-yarI/AAAAAAABww4/Y5opMcHkOQY6JbLzT1PpGVfri0J-g53vgCK4B/s1600/20160705_140726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uq5Jm59sZ0/WFxtl9m_7dI/AAAAAAABwww/td4n3x_5f-M1fskjmzs116__KvcK10DaQCK4B/s1600/20160704_142023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uq5Jm59sZ0/WFxtl9m_7dI/AAAAAAABwww/td4n3x_5f-M1fskjmzs116__KvcK10DaQCK4B/s200/20160704_142023.jpg" width="200" /></a>After exploring Tirana, we headed north to the 'Accursed Mountains' and had quite an adventure after visiting the Shkodra castle and trying to get to Theth, where there was a delightful new road to the pass, but an awful rough track down the other side that we were perhaps a bit overambitious and overzealous going down! But what a spectacular valley on the other side! We had a romantic night in a little farmhouse with traditional Balkan food. From there we drove south to Berat, and it's beautiful white windows and tiled roofs. Gjirokastra was the stone city that was superbly described by the Man Booker prize winner Ismail Kadare's winning novel, '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicle_in_Stone">Chronicle in Stone</a>'. It's an Ottoman-era mansion filled town, with an impressive hilltop fortress, complete with a downed American plane to ensure you don't forget that you're in a former-communist forbidden land. It was also the dictator Enver Hoxha's hometown. We headed even further south to the Roman city of Butrint and laughed at how Google maps sent us the very long way around to end up on the wrong side of the canal and no bridge! Enterprising local ferry owners saved the day by getting us across. We swam in the beautiful Ionian Sea/Adriatic near Saranda and I convinced Mum that we should drive back via the spectacular Llogaraja Pass above the sea. A marvellous little Roman site took us inside a military base, past thousands of the infamous bunkers, discarded on the beach. We stopped at Apollonia near Fier on our way back to Tirana, and wished we had much more time in Albania as a whole!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDFB8DGhJZ0/WFxujZOoHrI/AAAAAAABwxQ/TaSopBH43Kk8ugCqbS3WcJTG5ph3a6ELwCK4B/s1600/20160706_092030.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDFB8DGhJZ0/WFxujZOoHrI/AAAAAAABwxQ/TaSopBH43Kk8ugCqbS3WcJTG5ph3a6ELwCK4B/s320/20160706_092030.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihHnWTH3FI8/WFxulDFmeFI/AAAAAAABwxY/uaJUxGm9V0E_Rgk9nGxFTsU_ANji8zhmwCK4B/s1600/20160706_184132.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihHnWTH3FI8/WFxulDFmeFI/AAAAAAABwxY/uaJUxGm9V0E_Rgk9nGxFTsU_ANji8zhmwCK4B/s320/20160706_184132.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAmBKFUX9Zg/WFxuoTh4kRI/AAAAAAABwxg/4SmOVbOfmI4QAM_UoDBgHnIwr8PCD_ztQCK4B/s1600/20160706_184501.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QAmBKFUX9Zg/WFxuoTh4kRI/AAAAAAABwxg/4SmOVbOfmI4QAM_UoDBgHnIwr8PCD_ztQCK4B/s320/20160706_184501.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me9RpflYyq0/WFxu1R9zMfI/AAAAAAABwxo/abskzTJpy30Oek8y4gRsAcQG6KbJgOjxwCK4B/s1600/20160707_174439%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me9RpflYyq0/WFxu1R9zMfI/AAAAAAABwxo/abskzTJpy30Oek8y4gRsAcQG6KbJgOjxwCK4B/s320/20160707_174439%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8IEBlpZ_nQ/WFxvD2RBt3I/AAAAAAABwxw/wqYQGBLZi_Mqhn8cWWGTqri-7p_cTLHDgCK4B/s200/20160808_112531.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maputo, Mozambique</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_-FfxDy9-qI/WFxvPV_LwTI/AAAAAAABwx8/sgFS1VHLvqM9gYaQHw-4pacsVQ75Kn0WgCK4B/s1600/20160828_205507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_-FfxDy9-qI/WFxvPV_LwTI/AAAAAAABwx8/sgFS1VHLvqM9gYaQHw-4pacsVQ75Kn0WgCK4B/s200/20160828_205507.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankfurt skyline</td></tr>
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I joined a school <a href="http://www.kalahariexperiencetrust.org/">Kalahari Experience</a> trip to South Africa in July, where we spent two weeks in several tiny villages just outside of Kuruman, working in local schools and community centres. I went from there to Maputo, Mozambique, where I learned a little about that amazing city and country before coming back for another year in Germany.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--44CZCcfwFs/WFxvtPQWf9I/AAAAAAABwyM/v_JOFL-O89QMQSaOpJOVNmtOu4Cc7pDYwCK4B/s1600/20161105_172135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--44CZCcfwFs/WFxvtPQWf9I/AAAAAAABwyM/v_JOFL-O89QMQSaOpJOVNmtOu4Cc7pDYwCK4B/s320/20161105_172135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oiCYQrSl9Sw/WFxvplfY_gI/AAAAAAABwyE/dYHZ1WpwfIMQFrEaqSDeb4NdyX3e-Y2ugCK4B/s320/20161105_133409.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Toulouse, France</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8IEBlpZ_nQ/WFxvD2RBt3I/AAAAAAABwxw/wqYQGBLZi_Mqhn8cWWGTqri-7p_cTLHDgCK4B/s1600/20160808_112531.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a>Year 2 has been just as busy as last year and I've continued coaching and working with the MUN program. I went to Waterloo, Belgium; Toulouse, France; Zurich, Switzerland; London, UK and the Netherlands, too, but that wasn't for work!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGr86D808l8/WFxwU5EbuqI/AAAAAAABwzA/z9e3P60BV6UXEXBwFWO2d-nBGxp3JPTwQCK4B/s1600/20161007_090311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGr86D808l8/WFxwU5EbuqI/AAAAAAABwzA/z9e3P60BV6UXEXBwFWO2d-nBGxp3JPTwQCK4B/s200/20161007_090311.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFo_AMNQfcc/WFxwSqYvBoI/AAAAAAABwy4/AUvAw4EWUUgaW7BkiPD3rLI-LMH5UixKwCK4B/s1600/20161007_065821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFo_AMNQfcc/WFxwSqYvBoI/AAAAAAABwy4/AUvAw4EWUUgaW7BkiPD3rLI-LMH5UixKwCK4B/s320/20161007_065821.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vtZD9vt374w/WFxwHHZj-gI/AAAAAAABwyg/DvH6T4SBPooBNfthuN1a0WqXjz94nyVwgCK4B/s1600/20161002_104932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GctNe7O7zso/WFxwL0xUlDI/AAAAAAABwyo/TUaP-z5CZPc_mUE5pW2Dke8t2ZmN7ujUACK4B/s1600/20161003_125134.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5BimZBy8DaM/WFxwRflz0LI/AAAAAAABwyw/_Xa-jA2tzSow8DSMKN5cneW74hiNEwTQACK4B/s1600/20161007_065812.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vtZD9vt374w/WFxwHHZj-gI/AAAAAAABwyg/DvH6T4SBPooBNfthuN1a0WqXjz94nyVwgCK4B/s1600/20161002_104932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vtZD9vt374w/WFxwHHZj-gI/AAAAAAABwyg/DvH6T4SBPooBNfthuN1a0WqXjz94nyVwgCK4B/s200/20161002_104932.jpg" width="200" /></a>October break this year saw me revisiting two places I love - Istanbul, Turkey and Baku, Azerbaijan. Both were places with lots of memories and spent with good friends catching up. Baku has changed incredibly since I lived there, with many new buildings and complexes mushrooming up across the city, but many of my favourite haunts were still there. I also felt quite proud and nostalgic when I went to the TISA International Day/25th birthday celebration.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GctNe7O7zso/WFxwL0xUlDI/AAAAAAABwyo/TUaP-z5CZPc_mUE5pW2Dke8t2ZmN7ujUACK4B/s1600/20161003_125134.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GctNe7O7zso/WFxwL0xUlDI/AAAAAAABwyo/TUaP-z5CZPc_mUE5pW2Dke8t2ZmN7ujUACK4B/s320/20161003_125134.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CDbwQodRX4c/WFxwEEddk1I/AAAAAAABwyY/mzQ8oLV4BZ4o_WQ353ak5k0jjmRqjQ9WwCK4B/s1600/20161002_103742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CDbwQodRX4c/WFxwEEddk1I/AAAAAAABwyY/mzQ8oLV4BZ4o_WQ353ak5k0jjmRqjQ9WwCK4B/s320/20161002_103742.jpg" width="320" /></a>This brings me almost to the end of 2016. Congratulations (and thank you) if you made it this far! I am so lucky to have such an amazing life and I hope this doesn't make me sound like a spoiled rich woman! This week I will keep true to form and visit a place on the 'watched' list with travel warnings. I am revisiting Turkey, and this time going inland to explore the many places I've wanted to go for a long while. Will have to report on that next time! Speaking of reporting, I've been quite slack on my <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/">1000 Amazing Places</a> blog of late, but vow to do more in 2017!<br />
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Life rolls onward with all sorts of surprises, challenges, delights and expected/unexpected turns. I hope that your holidays are joyous and that the new year arrives positively and that you are surrounded by happy reflections, good memories and that my good-wishes to you join the many others from your family and friends to buoy you into 2017 with anticipation and great plans.</div>
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-31770301951781844972015-01-02T04:15:00.000+01:002015-01-02T04:15:43.858+01:00Seasons Greetings 2014-2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BHCUsjFMncA/VJXaFBYoPZI/AAAAAAAAYgM/zEhlXEWWkes/s1600/2014-01-04%2B14.16.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BHCUsjFMncA/VJXaFBYoPZI/AAAAAAAAYgM/zEhlXEWWkes/s1600/2014-01-04%2B14.16.47.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Seasons Greetings!<br />
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Dear friends and family,</div>
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Greetings from South America. I was started this letter in Colombia -- perhaps a bit strange as I don't actually live there anymore, but my path brought me back to see friends. It has taken me a while to finish, of course, so I am now in Guyana with other friends. What a year!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0mtM7HtRh9s/VJXaPdQIYOI/AAAAAAAAYgU/Tjq23_Jh8GU/s1600/IMG_7936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0mtM7HtRh9s/VJXaPdQIYOI/AAAAAAAAYgU/Tjq23_Jh8GU/s1600/IMG_7936.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking up the Remarkables Ski Area in summer <br />
- see the view in the picture above!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KdFz8dnz3k/VJXcRg75QyI/AAAAAAAAYho/r4d2CL0DpFE/s1600/IMG_8671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KdFz8dnz3k/VJXcRg75QyI/AAAAAAAAYho/r4d2CL0DpFE/s1600/IMG_8671.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>I began the year in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/04/998-queenstown-new-zealand.html">Queenstown</a>, New Zealand in my childhood home. It was a quiet new year as it was cold and rainy. Mum and I drove up the hill to see the fireworks from afar, then back home to sleep early.<br />
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It was great being home. Every other visit has not been to our family home, so this was special. The first time I slept in my childhood bedroom in 20 years! I took advantage of the summer and made trips to <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/01/731-skippers-queenstown-new-zealand.html">Skipper's</a>, <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/05/678-arrowtown-new-zealand.html">Arrowtown</a>, Glenorchy, <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/03/696-cardrona-pub-new-zealand.html">Cardrona</a> and Bob's Cove in the Wakatipu area.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eK80b_KtB04/VJXZxApMSJI/AAAAAAAAYgE/l91YxZ5TFx4/s1600/IMG_7880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eK80b_KtB04/VJXZxApMSJI/AAAAAAAAYgE/l91YxZ5TFx4/s1600/IMG_7880.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcDwscpHBXM/VJXZorUqytI/AAAAAAAAYf0/DZiSoelma1g/s1600/IMG_7815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XcDwscpHBXM/VJXZorUqytI/AAAAAAAAYf0/DZiSoelma1g/s1600/IMG_7815.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91wh5v5vEYs/VJXZsZcH-EI/AAAAAAAAYf8/2npm3ORNs4o/s1600/IMG_7828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91wh5v5vEYs/VJXZsZcH-EI/AAAAAAAAYf8/2npm3ORNs4o/s1600/IMG_7828.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Walking up Queenstown Hill is one of my favorite things to do when I'm at home, but it's changed so much since I was there. These cairns are new, and the growth of the pine trees is huge. Still, lovely ferns like this are still there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHVEbm35gF4/VJXdxHykOAI/AAAAAAAAYh4/zKFqGO1Ioao/s1600/IMG_8593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHVEbm35gF4/VJXdxHykOAI/AAAAAAAAYh4/zKFqGO1Ioao/s1600/IMG_8593.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cheeky Kea on the car on the way to Milford.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8h-ea-5lDus/VJXcX0x72II/AAAAAAAAYhw/mQrnLBepajE/s1600/IMG_8682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8h-ea-5lDus/VJXcX0x72II/AAAAAAAAYhw/mQrnLBepajE/s1600/IMG_8682.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>In the first few days of the year I also used my Christmas present from my parents -- an overnight cruise into <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/01/729-doubtful-sound-fjordland-new-zealand.html">Doubtful Sound</a> in Fjordland. What a beautiful, peaceful, reflective spot! We watched the mountains clear after the rain with water tumbling off the steep sides. I went kayaking in the sound and we were rocked to sleep after a delicious meal. We drove back via <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/11/645-milford-sound-new-zealand.html">Milford Sound</a>. Despite living so close, I had never been and was determined to see it despite the long drive in and out. While stunning and beautiful, it was a contrast in noise (planes overhead), visitors, and solitude to Doubtful Sound.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UtP7BDhE2lY/VJXa1DiQdgI/AAAAAAAAYgc/sZrA7iUtJ1I/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UtP7BDhE2lY/VJXa1DiQdgI/AAAAAAAAYgc/sZrA7iUtJ1I/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(22).JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Z3VTGSFoWE/VJXa5sc7PtI/AAAAAAAAYg0/XBOo9t9KX6Q/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(36).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Z3VTGSFoWE/VJXa5sc7PtI/AAAAAAAAYg0/XBOo9t9KX6Q/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(36).JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0tmCmFWLVI/VJXa7A9xgMI/AAAAAAAAYg8/rQ-ctWc7PdY/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0tmCmFWLVI/VJXa7A9xgMI/AAAAAAAAYg8/rQ-ctWc7PdY/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tumAJKle_II/VJXbL4MZHEI/AAAAAAAAYhE/vN7RvyOXe9M/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tumAJKle_II/VJXbL4MZHEI/AAAAAAAAYhE/vN7RvyOXe9M/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8NhSFTxNs0/VJXb06R6oUI/AAAAAAAAYhc/RPLOEyklPJE/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(172).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8NhSFTxNs0/VJXb06R6oUI/AAAAAAAAYhc/RPLOEyklPJE/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(172).JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ECUSPyo_s08/VJXbjaFTpMI/AAAAAAAAYhU/sw_LvC9YAXg/s1600/IMG_8301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ECUSPyo_s08/VJXbjaFTpMI/AAAAAAAAYhU/sw_LvC9YAXg/s1600/IMG_8301.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Doubtful Sound</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-SV74sgn5c/VJXa1nXJUaI/AAAAAAAAYgg/HY2hP6CXFjU/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(110).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-SV74sgn5c/VJXa1nXJUaI/AAAAAAAAYgg/HY2hP6CXFjU/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(110).JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HUgWnRkxFZU/VJXa2G_Q0NI/AAAAAAAAYgs/ORpFk0iJ3-4/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(132).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HUgWnRkxFZU/VJXa2G_Q0NI/AAAAAAAAYgs/ORpFk0iJ3-4/s1600/Doubtful%2BSound%2BTrip%2B(132).JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Kayaking in Doubtful Sound</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RK4k4Keav8M/VJXekDZcmqI/AAAAAAAAYiA/zJU8O52khUY/s1600/.facebook_793249549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RK4k4Keav8M/VJXekDZcmqI/AAAAAAAAYiA/zJU8O52khUY/s1600/.facebook_793249549.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t88aFAo2K5k/VJXh8TPvKuI/AAAAAAAAYjk/Jxzc_dm_H-0/s1600/IMG_9513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t88aFAo2K5k/VJXh8TPvKuI/AAAAAAAAYjk/Jxzc_dm_H-0/s1600/IMG_9513.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mu7fxJsPQSc/VJXgzqXSDfI/AAAAAAAAYic/NMFxIQKReJQ/s1600/P1030301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"></a>I returned to Colombia for my last 6 months. It is quite stressful having to pack up a house and live in my apartment as if camping! But it wasn't an end to the sojourns. I loved the weekend rafting and rappelling in Tobia, a quick girls' weekend in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/09/936-medellin-colombia.html">Medellin</a> and Santa Fe de Antioquia, chilling and shopping with Carol in Salento, and a birthday weekend in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/05/986-villa-de-leyva-colombia.html">Villa de Leyva</a>. I really love Colombia!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Medellin, Colombia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salento, Colombia </td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2E5shBpv5vE/VJXg1PR1dNI/AAAAAAAAYik/6JLDEV-uUn4/s1600/2014-03-08%2B10.00.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2E5shBpv5vE/VJXg1PR1dNI/AAAAAAAAYik/6JLDEV-uUn4/s1600/2014-03-08%2B10.00.28.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq2hAaj9PcI/VJXg3jlft0I/AAAAAAAAYis/rOauvJndie4/s1600/2014-03-08%2B10.12.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wq2hAaj9PcI/VJXg3jlft0I/AAAAAAAAYis/rOauvJndie4/s1600/2014-03-08%2B10.12.26.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrUEMpHjpbw/VJXhAJJKDRI/AAAAAAAAYi0/DuU025MwLMI/s1600/IMG_9225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrUEMpHjpbw/VJXhAJJKDRI/AAAAAAAAYi0/DuU025MwLMI/s1600/IMG_9225.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2dLj_w-wX_4/VJXhDWdyTSI/AAAAAAAAYi8/cSEfxhLGQVM/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2dLj_w-wX_4/VJXhDWdyTSI/AAAAAAAAYi8/cSEfxhLGQVM/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Villa de Leyva, Colombia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Valle de Cocora, near Salento, Colombia.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZLE3M5fA_c/VJXiRt4YabI/AAAAAAAAYjs/v017Q-9UTVY/s1600/IMG_9644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZLE3M5fA_c/VJXiRt4YabI/AAAAAAAAYjs/v017Q-9UTVY/s1600/IMG_9644.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7L6VEPvui0Q/VJXiV5fFNqI/AAAAAAAAYj0/C6qqxArm24A/s1600/IMG_9664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7L6VEPvui0Q/VJXiV5fFNqI/AAAAAAAAYj0/C6qqxArm24A/s1600/IMG_9664.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Santa Fe de Antioquia, Colombia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing a Cuban cigar, freshly rolled!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--KpbZgFfBQo/VJXuLB_NqGI/AAAAAAAAYoo/M8xdJ2ucXZM/s1600/IMG_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--KpbZgFfBQo/VJXuLB_NqGI/AAAAAAAAYoo/M8xdJ2ucXZM/s1600/IMG_0658.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Loved seeing the Buena Vista <br />
Social Club in Varadero!</td></tr>
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In April, I was off to Cuba, right in the middle of Extended Essay marking season. After a couple of days on the beach in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/05/675-varadero-cuba.html">Varadero</a>, I joined a lovely 8-day tour which took us to charming rural <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/04/684-valle-de-vinales-cuba.html">Vinales</a>, art-deco-filled Cienfuegos, picturesque and historical <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/09/651-trinidad-cuba.html">Trinidad</a>, revolutionary Santa Clara and of course, beloved, jazz-filled Havana. What a fantastic country, though I admit to having felt as if hands requesting money were always out.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JGaThGQZi1s/VJXstzfZeEI/AAAAAAAAYoM/KLZ5grC3WlU/s1600/2014-04-10%2B13.20.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JGaThGQZi1s/VJXstzfZeEI/AAAAAAAAYoM/KLZ5grC3WlU/s1600/2014-04-10%2B13.20.28.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gq9D8AnKI3g/VJXszr2CL5I/AAAAAAAAYoU/quGbygyHK6Q/s1600/2014-04-10%2B17.30.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gq9D8AnKI3g/VJXszr2CL5I/AAAAAAAAYoU/quGbygyHK6Q/s1600/2014-04-10%2B17.30.19.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Havana, Cuba</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qWl2FpImfg/VJXjrIYJj3I/AAAAAAAAYko/haTS0aURJ9w/s1600/2014-06-30%2B11.33.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qWl2FpImfg/VJXjrIYJj3I/AAAAAAAAYko/haTS0aURJ9w/s1600/2014-06-30%2B11.33.24.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yCcCytiRPiI/VJXjnIUL-0I/AAAAAAAAYkg/Og72v2NWPIk/s1600/2014-06-28%2B18.27.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yCcCytiRPiI/VJXjnIUL-0I/AAAAAAAAYkg/Og72v2NWPIk/s1600/2014-06-28%2B18.27.39.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>A whirlwind end of term (there are always so many requirements and form filling) led straight into a lovely weekend with Andre, Janneke and Timmy in the Netherlands!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-70lm1HrVJFw/VJXlp79_LfI/AAAAAAAAYlY/GzD06FJLs4U/s1600/2014-07-13%2B10.55.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-70lm1HrVJFw/VJXlp79_LfI/AAAAAAAAYlY/GzD06FJLs4U/s1600/2014-07-13%2B10.55.36.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Paul and Aoife's wedding in Connemara.</td></tr>
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This was followed by a lovely cousin's wedding in Connemara in Ireland. Samantha from Beloit joined me to tour Ireland for 10 days and we did an incredible amount of both the Republic and Northern Ireland.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sr4EUVZXXgs/VJXkevqIMGI/AAAAAAAAYk4/OzMMz2auuz8/s1600/IMG_8099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sr4EUVZXXgs/VJXkevqIMGI/AAAAAAAAYk4/OzMMz2auuz8/s1600/IMG_8099.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvXQUnrp3w0/VJXk4hQ-ySI/AAAAAAAAYlI/H_7bjhrDDek/s1600/IMG_7979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvXQUnrp3w0/VJXk4hQ-ySI/AAAAAAAAYlI/H_7bjhrDDek/s1600/IMG_7979.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNG6dLcAZ5Y/VJXk2THRo_I/AAAAAAAAYlA/VdfIBprV0yc/s1600/IMG_7992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNG6dLcAZ5Y/VJXk2THRo_I/AAAAAAAAYlA/VdfIBprV0yc/s1600/IMG_7992.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kP9v4DJrmZ4/VJXltd7SABI/AAAAAAAAYlg/WnM91VhhU_A/s1600/IMG_8719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kP9v4DJrmZ4/VJXltd7SABI/AAAAAAAAYlg/WnM91VhhU_A/s1600/IMG_8719.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siSsRzJaLO8/VJXk_8G5ZPI/AAAAAAAAYlQ/1ENIVxcwHKg/s1600/IMG_7190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-siSsRzJaLO8/VJXk_8G5ZPI/AAAAAAAAYlQ/1ENIVxcwHKg/s1600/IMG_7190.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Spectacular and beautiful Ireland!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Big Sur, California</td></tr>
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I flew onwards to California, where I taught a CTY course in Model United Nations at Stanford for 3 weeks. It was great to get back to this program after 7 years away! I toured a bit, such as the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/11/646-big-sur-california-usa.html">Big Sur</a>, Point Reyes National Seashore, downtown <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/03/861-san-francisco-ca-usa.html">San Francisco</a>, before fulfilling a long held dream of visiting Yosemite National Park, and the Grand Canyon (with <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/08/653-zion-national-park-utah-usa.html">Zion National Park</a> in Utah squeezed in between). Apologies for the huge volumes of photos, but it was just so beautiful!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Zion National Park, Utah</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W8McApzsTgc/VJXmghldlSI/AAAAAAAAYl4/ZY1Pmk2308c/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W8McApzsTgc/VJXmghldlSI/AAAAAAAAYl4/ZY1Pmk2308c/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjXepnE60-w/VJXmiR5JxaI/AAAAAAAAYmA/plmFKe0UW20/s1600/IMG_0225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjXepnE60-w/VJXmiR5JxaI/AAAAAAAAYmA/plmFKe0UW20/s1600/IMG_0225.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">San Francisco, California</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhzORNjFDXA/VJXm5ju796I/AAAAAAAAYmQ/8QRPdNm1WDI/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhzORNjFDXA/VJXm5ju796I/AAAAAAAAYmQ/8QRPdNm1WDI/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G1W7vIUthkU/VJXm6PaMuyI/AAAAAAAAYmU/J9FAgCjTWI8/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G1W7vIUthkU/VJXm6PaMuyI/AAAAAAAAYmU/J9FAgCjTWI8/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WD16wem4hZ0/VJXmsk9tBLI/AAAAAAAAYmI/MceRxDUy7-I/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WD16wem4hZ0/VJXmsk9tBLI/AAAAAAAAYmI/MceRxDUy7-I/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Point Reyes National Seashore, California</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uLlaFveZjzw/VJXm_HfL7UI/AAAAAAAAYmg/PaybVu9hxGI/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uLlaFveZjzw/VJXm_HfL7UI/AAAAAAAAYmg/PaybVu9hxGI/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SA340i0dlHg/VJXnM4s7U7I/AAAAAAAAYmo/Z0udfLQYluM/s1600/IMG_0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SA340i0dlHg/VJXnM4s7U7I/AAAAAAAAYmo/Z0udfLQYluM/s1600/IMG_0773.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Yosemite National Park, California</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OProaHyLkoY/VJXoas8UcXI/AAAAAAAAYnE/vQnDcMcTl4c/s1600/2014-08-16%2B15.39.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OProaHyLkoY/VJXoas8UcXI/AAAAAAAAYnE/vQnDcMcTl4c/s1600/2014-08-16%2B15.39.50.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Sp7wWRT2z4/VJXot_atazI/AAAAAAAAYnM/bsPZBvG2SIk/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Sp7wWRT2z4/VJXot_atazI/AAAAAAAAYnM/bsPZBvG2SIk/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZSh9VXdTJQ/VKYIvlWQUfI/AAAAAAAAYtk/-BCNK-S9PBE/s1600/10612691_10153108736300898_4398729032448765000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZSh9VXdTJQ/VKYIvlWQUfI/AAAAAAAAYtk/-BCNK-S9PBE/s1600/10612691_10153108736300898_4398729032448765000_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne and I in Hamilton Harbour</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roomates from TCI: <br />
Me, Liz and Carrie</td></tr>
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I caught up with friends briefly in Madison, Chicago and Toronto before flying out to Bermuda to see Anne from Azerbaijan. Then, I was back to Colombia again, thinking I was truly going to start my sabbatical. Within a week, I'd received an urgent email with a temporary placement in the Turks and Caicos Islands, so off I went back to work! I managed to see quite a bit of both the Turks and the Caicos Island groups, as well as a mid term break trip to the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Hispaniola. Such a huge contrast between those countries! Loved seeing old <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/10/649-zona-colonial-santo-domingo.html">Santo Domingo</a> and Puerto Plata, and Henri Le Roi's <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2014/10/648-sans-souci-ramiers-and-citadelle.html">citadelle and palace</a>. Incredible!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Stunning and tranquil Middle Caicos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sans-Souci Palace and Citadelle, Haiti</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, in my last week on the TCI, our house was burgled and I had a significant amount of both tech and personal things stolen which rather soured my time there. Despite the island being no more than a few kilometers long, the police had inadequate resources to catch the criminals. While I am mourning the school work and resources lost from my computer, as well as the photos from Bermuda, TCI, DR and Haiti and I am sad to have lost my mostly sentimental jewelry and angry at the bank hassle I have had to endure, I am grateful for the things they didn't find and for my personal safety. Onwards and upwards as it is just stuff after all, and a good opportunity to reflect on unhealthy attachments to technology and stuff!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypXoxY9PR9I/VKYJafmYQ1I/AAAAAAAAYt0/Q2DAJD_nXP4/s1600/10155576_10154956543525331_2986605139334927297_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypXoxY9PR9I/VKYJafmYQ1I/AAAAAAAAYt0/Q2DAJD_nXP4/s1600/10155576_10154956543525331_2986605139334927297_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4TA5Ag0k2Aw/VKYJGRJYC-I/AAAAAAAAYts/6GhK_1nXg8w/s1600/10259890_10154956543440331_6045938291199667902_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4TA5Ag0k2Aw/VKYJGRJYC-I/AAAAAAAAYts/6GhK_1nXg8w/s1600/10259890_10154956543440331_6045938291199667902_n.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>I spent a week in Key West, marveling at the engineering marvel that are the causeways and miraculously meeting up with Azerbaijan friends after an opportune Facebook post. I was a few days in Colombia before embarking on this current adventure. I was in Trinidad and Tobago for a night, and Guyana for Christmas and New Year - both quite quiet affairs. Tomorrow, I will head to Suriname (if they let me in, as due to bad planning, I didn't arrange for a visa beforehand!) and back to T&T and back to Colombia. I will say farewell (for now) to this corner of the world as am heading back to New Zealand in mid January. Nothing long or short term is planned at the moment, although my mind buzzes with ideas. Who knows what exciting opportunities will come in 2015?</div>
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I hope this finds you all, dear friends and family, happy and healthy wherever you are, full of your own dreams and plans to be fulfilled. I am so grateful for your part in my life although am sure I don't talk to you nearly enough to let you know. Hope you have made it this far in this long epistle!</div>
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Seasons Greetings and all the best for 2015. Do hope our paths may cross soon!</div>
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xxoo Natalya</div>
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-60458328692585608942014-06-27T02:02:00.000+02:002014-09-07T02:12:09.603+02:00Sabbatical plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, today I begin my year off -- a year of holidays and travelling. I have the dream that I could turn it into long-term permanent travel, but I don't think I work very well on my own time -- my own blog deadlines for <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/">1000 Amazing Places</a> is loose, at best. I've been following travel blogs by digital nomads and other permanent travellers, I've scoured the details on how they make enough money to travel and I've even managed to write a few things (see <a href="http://outrippin.com/">Outrippin.com</a>), but I travel to fast and do too much. I like breaks in between and I just don't know if I could get it to work, so I won't stress about trying to.<br />
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My plans:<br />
I'm off to a cousin's wedding in Ireland, and I'll catch up with my brother in the Netherlands, after which I'm teaching in San Francisco for CTY (I did it before, but am really looking forward to seeing a west coast campus). I'll travel around the Southwest for a while before catching up with friends in Chicago/Madison, Toronto and Bermuda before returning to South America to see all the places I didn't get to. Colombia has so much and is so beautiful, so I'm going to do a circuit then head south into Ecuador (Galapagos!), northern Peru, and hopefully, Bolivia. Guyana with a friend at Christmastime, then the world is my oyster (if I haven't run out of money first).<br />
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Perhaps I'll join the Japanese <a href="http://www.peaceboat.org/english/">Peace Boat</a>, or going overland from Cairo to Capetown, during which I'll catch up with a friend in Sudan and perhaps climb Kilimanjaro -- I've always wanted to! Maybe I'll relocate to London or take a temporary teaching job. Perhaps I'll find something exciting in New Zealand? I dream of joining the boats I did the Antarctic cruise with, but sadly I lack a specialty that they would need! Perhaps regular cruise ship jobs? Anyway, what happens, happens. I'm really excited to get this started!</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-57846928312711120342014-05-02T03:57:00.002+02:002014-05-02T03:57:17.494+02:00Top 5 Country Go To List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the travel blogs I follow, <a href="http://www.neverendingfootsteps.com/">Never Ending Footsteps</a>, posted on Facebook this week about the top 5 countries that she wanted to travel to. I decided to look at mine, and I couldn't really stop at 5...<br />
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The short list:<br />
1. Madagascar<br />
2. Malta<br />
3. Bhutan<br />
4. Namibia<br />
5. Mongolia<br />
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The long list:</div>
Bulgaria, Libya, Ukraine, Bolivia, Jamaica, Maldives, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Nepal, Norway, and the list goes on and on...</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-64999366392828197012014-05-02T03:47:00.000+02:002014-06-08T16:52:01.996+02:00Too many places to go -- Several checklists!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For some reason, this week my Facebook feed has been full of 'X amazing places to see' pages. If ever there was a type of page that I can't resist, it's these ones! One day soon when I'm no longer working I plan to write one or two myself, but I still have to think of a theme! For me, life is fundamentally about travel and learning about other places and eventually, getting there myself and experiencing them. The list of places to go and places to dream of going is never-ending. Perhaps this type of life-journey is futile, as I can't take any of it with me, but new places do make me happy, and sharing other places with others also makes me happy -- which is why I started my other blog <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">1000 Amazing Places</a>. I have loved counting my score up on these lists (which is up to date as of 1 May 2014). Seeing these makes me realise just how many places I still would like to get to.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20120925-ten-of-frances-natural-wonders?ocid=fbtvl">10 of France's Natural Wonders</a> Score: 0 of 10</b><br />
Of course I've been to France before but it was when I was much younger (12 years old!). I only returned last summer to Paris on a whim (I was in transit and a friend I bumped into at the airport convinced me that it was a fabulous idea to have lunch by the Louvre, which it was). My mother says that it is her favorite country in the world (or at least that's what she said when she was living there!). Haven't been to any of these places, except perhaps to see Mont Blanc from a distance.<br />
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<b><a href="http://news.distractify.com/culture/rather-unknown-but-really-special-places-on-earth/?v=1">40 Incredible Places Most Traveler's Don't Know About (Rather Unknown But Really Rather Special Places on Earth)</a> 7 of 40</b><br />
A great list of places -- very beautiful places. I suppose I could increase my score by 0.5 because I've been to Thingvellir Lake in Iceland, but only the surface and not in the beautiful crystal clear water.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.kensingtontours.com/compass-blog/10-must-see-buddhist-monuments/2014/04">10 Must-See Buddhist Monuments</a> 2 of 10</b><br />
Not sure if this link will work as even when I pasted it it didn't connect, but you can find it via the blog on the website. An interesting theme -- and such amazingly rich heritage!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20120706-ten-places-to-travel-for-a-higher-cause?ocid=fbtv">Ten Places To Travel For A Higher Cause</a> 0 of 10</b><br />
At first I thoguht this would be the BBC's link for voluntourism, but it turns out its for spiritual places -- and I do think they are rather random. Just missed out on seeing Medugorje in Bosnia, but chose to go to a waterfall instead!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places-to-see-before-you-die-2/">40 Breathtaking Places To See Before You Die</a> 8 of 39</b><br />
I think this list has the most places on my ultimate wish list -- Capadocia, Iguazu, Monument Valley, Mt. Roraima, Norway's fjords, Victoria Falls, Pamukkale, Yosemite, Tianzi, Bolivian Salt Flats, Meteora!<br />
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<b><a href="http://news.distractify.com/culture/trip-advisor-top-cities/?v=1">Here are the Top 25 Cities You Should Visit In Your Lifetime</a> 18 of 25</b><br />
With Istanbul as number one, and many great places on the list, this is where I seem to have scored the highest! Cities are amazing places to visit. Think I need to add a few of these to my 1000 Amazing Places blog!<br />
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<b><a href="http://news.distractify.com/culture/32-surreal-places-that-actually-exist-on-earth-i-cant-believe-this-isnt-photoshopped/">33 Unbelievable Places To Visit Before You Die (32 Surreal Places That I Can't Believe Aren't Photoshopped)</a> 1 of 32/33</b><br />
Many repeated places on this list, but some great places too. Have wanted to get to Socotra for ages! The only one I've been to is the Glowworm caves, and since I'm a New Zealander, so I should have! I'm hoping to get to the Cano Cristales in September.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.boredpanda.com/famous-landmarks-zoomed-out/">15 Famous Landmarks Zoomed Out To Show Their Surroundings</a> 7 of 15</b><br />
This is a great look at perceptions, photography and travel today -- we really are crowds in a gigantic yet small world!<br />
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And then there are the ones in Colombia, which I always have to look at because I live here!<br />
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<b><a href="http://discoveringice.com/2885/travels/top-10-places-to-visit-in-colombia.html">10 places to visit in Colombia</a> 8 of 10 </b><br />
The country I live in is so beautiful. It is the top place I've been posting about on my 1000 Amazing Places blog, and so I've had to stop and post about some other places so its more balanced, but honestly, the list of places still to post about is lengthy! This is such a diverse place and so untravelled --- sad. Maybe I need to pick my top 20 places in Colombia to share before I go!<br />
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<b><a href="http://colombiareports.co/ten-places-trekking-colombia/#">Trekking in Colombia: Top 10 Destinations</a> 2 of 10</b><br />
Colombia Reports (which is a great Latin American news website by the way) has this list of places to hike, some of which I plan to do come August and September of this year in my year off!<br />
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And then to end with: a video with many great travel images: <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14owgk3QfSE&utm_campaign=expressweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email&utm_content=Issue673Other">Travel is More than the Seeing of Sights</a></b><br />
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More lists -- added 9 May 2014<br />
As soon as I posted this, I found a whole lot more lists! I love lists!! :)<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TripNews-a_ctr.uniquebeachesEN4">10 unique beaches you need to see to believe</a></b> (2 of 10)<br />
A cool collection with a few I'd never heard of!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TripNews-a_ctr.lakesidehotelsEN">10 Lakeside Hotels</a></b> (3 of 10)<br />
Although this one's about specific hotels (promotions and percentages, yuck!) I decided to ignore the hotels and count how many of the lakes I've been to!<br />
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<a href="http://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/5-colombias-beautiful-places/"><b>5 of Colombia's Most Beautiful Places</b></a> (5 of 5)<br />
An excellent score on this one!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.lifebuzz.com/35-restaurants/#!LrG9L">35 Most Insane Restaurants With a View</a></b> (1 of 35 restaurants, 16 of 35 places)<br />
Ditto hotels above -- these restaurants don't need promoting! I was pleased by how many cities I've seen from this list however, although LA was repeated!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140303-five-destinations-you-should-know-more-about?ocid=fbtvl"><b>5 Destinations You Should Know More About</b></a> (1 of 5)<br />
This list made me excited because its one of the few that has somewhere from Guyana, where I'm planning to go at Christmas time.<br />
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<a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world/"><b>10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World</b></a> (3 of 10)<br />
With a nod to Carol who shared this with me, I liked this list because most of them were quite obscure places. It does have an annoying format of having to click from one to the next, but still, an interesting list!<span id="goog_1866050920"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1866050921"></span><br />
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<b><a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/gorgeous-places-everyone-should-visit/">10 Gorgeous Places Everyone Should Visit</a></b> (5 of 10) <br />
The same as the site above (they have lots of lists!) Pretty generic and typical, but nice places anyway!<br />
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<b><a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-fascinating-castles-in-the-world/">10 Most Fascinating Castles in the World</a></b> (4 of 10)<br />
I LOVE castles!!!! This is a pretty diverse collection, too.<br />
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<b><a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/best-airports-in-the-world/">10 Best Airports in the World</a></b> (8 of 10)<br />
I don't know if I'd agree that these are the best... perhaps the newest, or the most renovated or the most exotic. Changi in Singapore gets number one on this list though, which I do agree with!<br />
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<b><a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-beautiful-bridges-in-the-world/">10 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World</a></b> (4 of 10)<br />
This list could possibly be bumped up by one if I actually remembered the famous bridges in Venice!<br />
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<a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/worlds-most-visited-countries/"><b>10 Most Visited Countries </b></a>(10 of 10)<br />
Now this list is not objective -- it should simply be based on numbers. I am surprised, however, that Malaysia makes the list. I am proud to say I have visited all of them, and I am continually amazed that France always gets number 1.<br />
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<a href="http://travel.amerikanki.com/most-peaceful-countries-in-the-world/"><b>20 Most Peaceful Countries in the World</b></a> (16 of 20)<br />
The only ones on this list that I haven't been to are Norway, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Portugal, all places which I would love to go to! These places are pretty predictable though -- they all have high HDI indexes so Scandinavia, Australia/NZ/Canada and a few others thrown in.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/77508?affil=EML_EDITORIALNEWS_68">Strap Yourself In: The World's Most Extreme Road Trips</a></b> (0 of 5)<br />
Hadn't heard of some of these, but all are places I want to go to!<br />
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<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop-g1-a_Mode.expanded"><b>Tripadvisor's Top World Destinations 2014</b></a> (18 of 25)<br />
I have some big ones here that I really should have gotten to a long time ago. Barcelona, I promise, I'm coming soon!<br />
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And even more posts - added 26 May 2014<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/24/beautiful-castles-on-clif_n_5201651.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063">26 Castles That Have Reached Fairytale Status</a></b> (5 of 26)<br />
I better get visiting! Lots of great ones here!<br />
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<b><a href="http://thespiritscience.net/2014/05/24/5-mind-blowing-underwater-cities/">5 Mindblowing Underwater Cities</a></b> (0 of 5)<br />
Likewise, above, I better get swimming!<br />
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And even more - 31 May 2014<br />
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<a href="http://news.distractify.com/culture/most-beautiful-small-towns-in-the-world/?v=1"><b>30 Most Beautiful Small Towns in the World</b></a> (3 of 30)<br />
<a href="http://www.leeabbamonte.com/30-best/30-best-man-made-sites-in-the-world.html"><b>30 of the Best Man-Made Sites in the World</b></a> (18 of 30)<br />
<br />
And even more - June 8, 2014<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/minube/the-35-most-amazing-natio_b_5439362.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063"><b>35 Most Amazing National Parks in the World</b></a> (5 of 35)<br />
Hoping to knock off a few of these this summer!</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-15455637281159026622014-04-20T03:52:00.002+02:002014-04-20T03:52:43.270+02:00Reflecting on photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I just read this interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/travel/through-a-lens-sharply.html?_r=0">NYT article</a> about a woman who only had postcards of her early travels because she didn't have a camera and how much she regretted not having personal memories instead of the picture perfect mementos from a shop.<br />
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During my recent trip to Cuba (10 days) I took around 1500 photos -- or at least 100 a day. I know that many, ahem, most are not picture perfect framed images that I would hang on the wall, but to me they are memories of being in that place at that time and to look at them, especially in order, I am brought back to what I was thinking and feeling at the time --- visual memory.<br />
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After seeing a friend's fantastic little Rwanda/Uganda/Tanzania video of little excerpts of seeing the gorillas, riding on a boat, watching an elephant, etc, I decided to do a bit of pocket filming too -- little clips of a 10 seconds each to capture the moment in movement. I'll let you know how that turns out!</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-71727171262563790832014-02-15T20:41:00.002+01:002014-02-15T20:41:45.149+01:00Great photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I get (many) a daily email about photos, and todays collections were so interesting in their diversity and creativity that I wanted to share. Once I'm finished with my <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/">1000amazingplaces</a> Blog (which will be a few years yet as I'm only a quarter of the way through the 1000), I think I'd like to move on to doing a photography blog.<br />
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Anyway, here are some inspiring, unique photos about ordinary things:<br />
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<a href="http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/02/happy-valentines-photo-lovers-give-35-bouquets-flowers-sponsored-dripbook/">http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/02/happy-valentines-photo-lovers-give-35-bouquets-flowers-sponsored-dripbook/</a><br />
Bouquet photos<br />
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<a href="http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/02/jim-friedman/">http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/02/jim-friedman/</a><br />
The 'Pleasures and Terrors' of kissing by Jim Friedman</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-39819655937845818702014-02-09T23:48:00.004+01:002014-02-09T23:48:50.341+01:00What we leave behind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having gone home at Christmas and spent a month going through boxes from across my life has given me a lot of food for thought about stuff. I try desperately not to collect, but it is so much in my nature and background that I think it is inevitable. My parents have so much stuff in their house that the rafters are full and they keep finding new nooks and crannies to hang/store stuff. One day it will be my brother's and mine to go through, but what is important to us is never as important as it would be for someone else.<br />
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My friend's very thoughtful blog entry about packing up her house here in Bogota was poignant and an interesting take about things passing from generation to generation. <a href="http://noessinomivida.blogspot.com/2014/01/letting-go-things-you-take-with-you-and.html">http://noessinomivida.blogspot.com/2014/01/letting-go-things-you-take-with-you-and.html</a><br />
I particularly liked her comment about not burdening future generations with your own hangups, although this is definitely not a comment on my parents things -- many of which I love, although I do know that there is an awful lot of them! <br />
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Yesterday my parents told me they had collected all the National Geographic magazine collection from the family farm to bring home. I rolled my eyes and laughed -- they have an enormous collection of their own! They now have some dating as far back as 1939 or somewhere thereabouts, and many copies of ones they had of their own, mostly dating from the 1960s. They loved going back through them to admire articles of certain places and certain times, which gives them value to all.<br />
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I also just saw this very interesting photo exhibition: <a href="http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/01/photographer-memorializes-her-grandfather-through-objects-he-left-behind/">http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/01/photographer-memorializes-her-grandfather-through-objects-he-left-behind/</a><br />
It shows the simple things in life that we collect and that mark our time but that have reduced meaning once we're gone. Photos are a nice way to remember it without having to actually keep the stuff itself. </div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-43935968066035935302014-01-30T03:47:00.003+01:002014-01-30T04:21:52.634+01:00Seasons Greetings 2013-14<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E4EfpLHkTwc/UsPpi9rXJlI/AAAAAAAAJnw/XTQ4MNRtc1Y/s1600/Pano_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E4EfpLHkTwc/UsPpi9rXJlI/AAAAAAAAJnw/XTQ4MNRtc1Y/s640/Pano_0026.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUrC5vYZT-w/UuciyflLBsI/AAAAAAAAJ1M/3Lk2heH14dI/s1600/IMG_7307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUrC5vYZT-w/UuciyflLBsI/AAAAAAAAJ1M/3Lk2heH14dI/s1600/IMG_7307.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>Hello all dear friends and family from <u>stunning Queenstown</u>, except, oops, I've been back in Bogota three weeks now...<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R5zkyREQqRQ/UucipvxdBLI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/yzFdGmk6yLQ/s1600/P1010510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R5zkyREQqRQ/UucipvxdBLI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/yzFdGmk6yLQ/s1600/P1010510.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>What a year, 2013! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvQ6x9EYo4c/UucnBDPaBjI/AAAAAAAAJ10/IdI3HBgvOxM/s1600/IMG_7949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DvQ6x9EYo4c/UucnBDPaBjI/AAAAAAAAJ10/IdI3HBgvOxM/s1600/IMG_7949.JPG" height="133" unselectable="on" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVdGyjrq45o/UucnfzqdoVI/AAAAAAAAJ2M/JQ3NpkkH3BQ/s1600/P1010939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVdGyjrq45o/UucnfzqdoVI/AAAAAAAAJ2M/JQ3NpkkH3BQ/s1600/P1010939.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJmzs_mW0u0/Uuck-sT2rkI/AAAAAAAAJ1g/GAJJ_9VYp6g/s1600/IMG_7601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJmzs_mW0u0/Uuck-sT2rkI/AAAAAAAAJ1g/GAJJ_9VYp6g/s1600/IMG_7601.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>I began the year in a tiny little diner in Bariloche, Argentina, which kind of feels like I've come full circle because <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/11/755-bariloche-argentina.html">Bariloche</a> is sometimes compared to <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/04/998-queenstown-new-zealand.html">Queenstown</a> in its ski resort, lake-town vibe. We looked everywhere to find a restaurant but everything was either closed or reservation-only. <u>We shared our table (not the done thing!) with two Argentinian guys</u> who were there to hike and cycle. I had just spend the most amazing 10 days going to <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/search/label/Antarctica">Antarctica</a> from <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/12/890-ushuaia-argentina.html">Ushuaia</a> -- am still nostalgic about such a trip of a lifetime!<br />
After <u>beautiful weather in Bariloche</u>, we then went on to further amazements like <u>horseback riding</u>, <u>white-water rafting</u> and <u>wine-tasting</u> in Mendoza, following the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/03/856-jesuit-ranches-cordoba-argentina.html">Jesuit trail in Cordoba</a>, to exploring the delta and historic districts of Buenos Aires. Argentina was so vast and diverse and had mixes of Europe, Southern Hemisphere, and South America everywhere. We loved the <u>bizzare touristy cemetery</u> where Evita is buried, the great art museums and the <u>tango show</u>!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I8atyTbq-YQ/Uuck3yQBBkI/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/e8cgA0-YaFk/s1600/P1040467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I8atyTbq-YQ/Uuck3yQBBkI/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/e8cgA0-YaFk/s1600/P1040467.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8enOfzZUrk/UucndMJDUSI/AAAAAAAAJ2E/AmkJiHfbjbQ/s1600/IMG_7859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L8enOfzZUrk/UucndMJDUSI/AAAAAAAAJ2E/AmkJiHfbjbQ/s1600/IMG_7859.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQcLEiAJ1bs/UucnWxCgOeI/AAAAAAAAJ18/_CtGVt8QYvk/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQcLEiAJ1bs/UucnWxCgOeI/AAAAAAAAJ18/_CtGVt8QYvk/s1600/IMG_7931.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cgNoOAZ7mI/UuclCCEiP0I/AAAAAAAAJ1o/rrDn3_ZdzXI/s1600/P1010576.JPG" height="150" width="200" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycOczkFat-o/Uuchus_QP2I/AAAAAAAAJ0s/NWYTaU6PC5E/s1600/IMG_7543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ycOczkFat-o/Uuchus_QP2I/AAAAAAAAJ0s/NWYTaU6PC5E/s1600/IMG_7543.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpHTUVR3onU/Uuhk5uhKeAI/AAAAAAAAJ2s/EgSGDBh4haY/s1600/2013-06-14+18.03.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FpHTUVR3onU/Uuhk5uhKeAI/AAAAAAAAJ2s/EgSGDBh4haY/s1600/2013-06-14+18.03.10.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM_8vEwmOgQ/UuhkenhXjFI/AAAAAAAAJ2c/h6C2bvKq-3g/s1600/P1030148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM_8vEwmOgQ/UuhkenhXjFI/AAAAAAAAJ2c/h6C2bvKq-3g/s1600/P1030148.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>January through March were a hard slog of work -- not a single long weekend, and the greatest concentration of deadlines and catch up work. However, I still managed to fit in my first <u>Chiva ride</u>, climb <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com/2013/03/guadelupe-and-choachi.html">Guadalupe</a>, and visit <u>Choachi</u>,... I continued to work on my little project, my blog called <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/">1000 Amazing Places</a>, whose self-imposed deadlines have been good for me (when I manage to make them!) and the reflections of places, magical. Perhaps its a bit overly positive, but I'm enjoying it (detesting it) immensely! Most of the links in this blog post lead to it, so please peruse!<br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-njRSUfAwYrU/UuhnWgw2UbI/AAAAAAAAJ3I/LhF0--Cqnb8/s1600/IMG_8522.JPG" height="213" width="320" /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zDQNXhOJoK8/Uuhn2gXQ2DI/AAAAAAAAJ3c/rq-i9RnZ3mk/s1600/IMG_8742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zDQNXhOJoK8/Uuhn2gXQ2DI/AAAAAAAAJ3c/rq-i9RnZ3mk/s1600/IMG_8742.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANk9ec9o84k/Uuhp__3NVKI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/Qe0lUjJHPkg/s1600/IMG_8317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANk9ec9o84k/Uuhp__3NVKI/AAAAAAAAJ3k/Qe0lUjJHPkg/s1600/IMG_8317.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0AMGJwDwGhg/UuhnWA5A6JI/AAAAAAAAJ3E/l2VBg22aQqo/s1600/IMG_8596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0AMGJwDwGhg/UuhnWA5A6JI/AAAAAAAAJ3E/l2VBg22aQqo/s1600/IMG_8596.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>Over Easter my parents joined me for a quick tour of Colombia -- La Calera mountain farm villages near Bogota, Guatavita (although the mystical Laguna de Guatavita was closed after the public holiday - my second failed attempt), charming colonial <u>Villa de Leyva</u> and Barichara, with lots of <u>pottery</u> bought in Rakira! We walked down the ancient Camino Real (pre Colombian) trail to Guane and marveled at the fossils in the rocks in its tiny museum.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rt52fACv0wk/UuhlhUjXVqI/AAAAAAAAJ24/hUkWlizgW7U/s1600/IMG_9886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rt52fACv0wk/UuhlhUjXVqI/AAAAAAAAJ24/hUkWlizgW7U/s1600/IMG_9886.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sk0QxvzmaY4/Uuhut3U2e2I/AAAAAAAAJ48/s7pCQhlMQqo/s1600/IMG_0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sk0QxvzmaY4/Uuhut3U2e2I/AAAAAAAAJ48/s7pCQhlMQqo/s1600/IMG_0205.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>June gave us a few long weekends to play with -- zipped off first to Pasto to see the magnificent <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/08/796-santuario-de-las-lajas-ipiales.html">Sanctuaria de Las Lajas</a> and the beautiful <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/813-laguna-de-la-cocha-pasto-colombia.html">Laguna de La Cocha</a> then the following weekend we went on almost the same flight path further south to Quito in Ecuador -- the traditional Incan market in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/821-otovalu-market-ecuador.html">Otovalu</a> was colorful and traditional, but I think I loved the vistas from the Panecillo hill best coupled with the super <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/07/811-quito-basilica-ecuador.html">Quito Basilica</a> which is the only one I've ever been in that lets you walk inside the roof and climb every turret and tower. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRgeISWQ8NU/UuhuLkxDs5I/AAAAAAAAJ4s/qcSVM0N2Xvs/s1600/179771_10151960437449196_208775653_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRgeISWQ8NU/UuhuLkxDs5I/AAAAAAAAJ4s/qcSVM0N2Xvs/s1600/179771_10151960437449196_208775653_n.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpqQSDVFovk/UuhubA1apII/AAAAAAAAJ40/AQ8LQ0feVes/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kpqQSDVFovk/UuhubA1apII/AAAAAAAAJ40/AQ8LQ0feVes/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>Bogota continues to bring delights like my Salsa Casino -- see the videos below -- (although I haven't managed to get there for the last part of the year), excellent restaurants and a mild (ahem, wet, rainy and cold) climate. I love walking to school in the mornings, my teaching/HoD role is more manageable this year, I have a fabulous mix of great friends to spend time with and life is good (but doesn't it always seem so from a far away holiday?). I lament the lack of (non-salsa) live music, the distance I live from the center of town and best restaurants, and the overly-fanatical or non-existent sports/outdoor options in Bogota, but love the short <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com/2013/05/nature-hike-in-middle-of-bogota.html">hikes up the mountainside</a> when I manage to get up early enough to enjoy them (my favorite one is only open from 7-9am).<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ojvUIchKvw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VbrvKvM7L-Y?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPVXoMUyMp0/Uuhx0GQdIBI/AAAAAAAAJ5U/dZeR8OLcAEo/s1600/IMG_5436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GPVXoMUyMp0/Uuhx0GQdIBI/AAAAAAAAJ5U/dZeR8OLcAEo/s1600/IMG_5436.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PZRypPIZ-o/UuhxwkNtSgI/AAAAAAAAJ5M/tqPEtZnp_Ng/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PZRypPIZ-o/UuhxwkNtSgI/AAAAAAAAJ5M/tqPEtZnp_Ng/s1600/IMG_0925.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>I am addicted to Audible.com's talking books so can say I've 'read' more this year than ever -- most recently <em>I, Claudius</em> but also <em>The Disappearing Spoon</em>, <em>Birdsong</em>, <em>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</em>, <em>The Unbearable Lightness of Being</em>, <em>Salt: A History</em> (after which I was full of amusing salty anecdotes to drive people crazy with!), <em>Things Fall Apart</em> (finishing just before Chinua Achebe's death), <em>Cutting for Stone</em>, <em>The Night Circus</em>, <em>Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey</em> and <em>Mirror Mirror</em> -- I really can't remember the last time I read so many great books -- audio books have changed my life! I won't tell you about the bad books I read, though <em>Mao's Great Famine </em>almost killed me (luckily I stopped reading it part way through and let the lovely ladies of my book club tell me the key parts).<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1ZUU9FFMc4/UuhyB3bF4hI/AAAAAAAAJ5c/s4P_5PIUfkU/s1600/P1040722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1ZUU9FFMc4/UuhyB3bF4hI/AAAAAAAAJ5c/s4P_5PIUfkU/s1600/P1040722.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yLyWq2B25uo/UuhxOzE5RxI/AAAAAAAAJ5E/OUaClkt1jew/s1600/IMG_0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yLyWq2B25uo/UuhxOzE5RxI/AAAAAAAAJ5E/OUaClkt1jew/s1600/IMG_0739.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
Ah, Summer... the reason I am a teacher. Two months of me time to travel, see family and catch up with friends across the world. I started July in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/07/805-london-england.html">London</a> (met my darling <u>nephew</u>!), which at that point was a bit cold and wet, but went on some nice little trips to <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/06/814-canterbury-cathedral-england.html">Canterbury</a>, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and York (yay, <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/07/798-york-cat-trail-york-england.html">cat trail</a>!) to see Michelle and Carol. On July 5th I fulfilled a long-held dream: I flew to Iceland (country number 80 or so). Wow, what a place!!! So amazingly beautiful, wild, safe, friendly, spectacular, lovely, gorgeous, photogenic, green, wet, majestic, etc, etc, though a bit cold when I was there. I rented a car and circled the island counter-clockwise and it was one special vista after another. Highlights included the amazing <u>waterfalls</u>, <u>walking on a glacier</u> in the East Fjords, driving through the East Fjords (especially past the <u>iceberg lagoon Jokulsarlon</u>) and staying in charming <u>Seydisfjordur</u> (one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at). Peculiar Krafla and volcanic Myvatn and the Husavik <u>whale watching</u> (though my flight over the central mountains was grounded due to bad weather), I thought the northernmost city of Akureyri was very livable (but likely miserable in winter as its almost on the Arctic Circle). The Western Fjords were majestic and rough -- large paths of gravel roads and a roaring wildness emphasized by the isolation and the wind. Reykjavik was charming and the trip ended all too soon!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hri-lRkdj9k/UuhzSBJUK1I/AAAAAAAAJ5k/mGHn6l37bfU/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hri-lRkdj9k/UuhzSBJUK1I/AAAAAAAAJ5k/mGHn6l37bfU/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-acTcWqtpsBo/UuhzjtoVhAI/AAAAAAAAJ50/Um4vsom9kpk/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" height="133" width="200" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aw02lZT3lWA/Uuh0AdG0hrI/AAAAAAAAJ58/tgvkIeb3MP4/s1600/IMG_1647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aw02lZT3lWA/Uuh0AdG0hrI/AAAAAAAAJ58/tgvkIeb3MP4/s1600/IMG_1647.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YeUxE9sCVxg/Uuh0TT3TI-I/AAAAAAAAJ6M/0oB2m4Uftvc/s1600/IMG_1675.JPG" height="133" width="200" /> <img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nIigu283mwo/Uuh0QWVLhbI/AAAAAAAAJ6E/6sUReyyRY5E/s1600/IMG_1690.JPG" height="133" width="200" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvbfgcejWFU/Uuh0p0dMyZI/AAAAAAAAJ6U/jVEVDWgZoAw/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvbfgcejWFU/Uuh0p0dMyZI/AAAAAAAAJ6U/jVEVDWgZoAw/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iYYdWIhnGvE/Uuh09hPPU7I/AAAAAAAAJ6c/wZX48N4lM9A/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" height="133" width="200" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjCE3BZLjP0/Uuh1atTz4eI/AAAAAAAAJ6s/-zuNLvy-AK8/s1600/IMG_1821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sjCE3BZLjP0/Uuh1atTz4eI/AAAAAAAAJ6s/-zuNLvy-AK8/s1600/IMG_1821.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P50y3t4ER54/Uuh1jVO6ooI/AAAAAAAAJ60/ETr_Ql4ERzg/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P50y3t4ER54/Uuh1jVO6ooI/AAAAAAAAJ60/ETr_Ql4ERzg/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N7vIlyawpKA/Uuh18RAZOGI/AAAAAAAAJ7E/aAqCPU2xHiA/s1600/P1040803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N7vIlyawpKA/Uuh18RAZOGI/AAAAAAAAJ7E/aAqCPU2xHiA/s1600/P1040803.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iwCFNTdIAI8/Uuh2NkYhspI/AAAAAAAAJ7M/o-8TAoE90_Q/s1600/IMG_2250.JPG" height="133" width="200" /> <img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pVCjjDxo1Ko/Uuh2-SsOsII/AAAAAAAAJ7k/0Db5um6kjm4/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" height="133" width="200" /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1QnxgIN2F8/Uuh2p_JoyrI/AAAAAAAAJ7U/V4ViyioKFsY/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1QnxgIN2F8/Uuh2p_JoyrI/AAAAAAAAJ7U/V4ViyioKFsY/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14CilxUCzJY/Uuh2ye2YThI/AAAAAAAAJ7c/O6OF0oATo1M/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14CilxUCzJY/Uuh2ye2YThI/AAAAAAAAJ7c/O6OF0oATo1M/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFNwuQGx4Cc/Uuh3Vo77nuI/AAAAAAAAJ70/BlGC7WA7_xw/s1600/P1050070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFNwuQGx4Cc/Uuh3Vo77nuI/AAAAAAAAJ70/BlGC7WA7_xw/s1600/P1050070.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCOX_NvIoIw/Uuh3QdlCKlI/AAAAAAAAJ7s/g0acwniYQY8/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCOX_NvIoIw/Uuh3QdlCKlI/AAAAAAAAJ7s/g0acwniYQY8/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>I flew straight from the cool Arctic winds to the Mediterranean heat in <u>Dubrovnik</u>, Croatia -- I love that city!! The history and the ambiance, despite the billions of tourists and inflated prices, were fantastic while the solid impregnable walls shadowed over the glistening Adriatic. We did a day trip into Montenegro and then bussed up into Bosnia and back into Croatia to Zagreb. My friends took off and I enjoyed Slovenian alpine hospitality (and <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/10/765-postojna-cave-slovenia.html">caves</a>!) and sites alone. I caught up with Jo in her idyllic home near <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/11/748-fethiye-turkey.html">Fethiye</a> in Turkey, and she showed me all over the area before I flew back to London for a last catchup with my brother and his wife Janneke in London (and of course, my charming nephew, Timmy) before life in Bogota resumed.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sUzhsYtgBb4/UuhqZB7O3LI/AAAAAAAAJ3s/zUixUPy98d0/s1600/IMG_5520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sUzhsYtgBb4/UuhqZB7O3LI/AAAAAAAAJ3s/zUixUPy98d0/s1600/IMG_5520.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1aDL6ZmRE0/UuhqrWrjQcI/AAAAAAAAJ30/oxyP5sTAuEA/s1600/2013-08-23+22.25.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g1aDL6ZmRE0/UuhqrWrjQcI/AAAAAAAAJ30/oxyP5sTAuEA/s1600/2013-08-23+22.25.32.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I had a lovely weekend in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2012/05/986-villa-de-leyva-colombia.html">Villa de Leyva</a> for the <u>Kite Festival</u> -- beautiful, enormous decorations floating in the serious Andean wind!<br />
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September saw serious protests in Colombia where farmers (<em>campesinos</em>) across the country were blocking roads and leading strikes and marches which led to looting and military clashes. Colombia recently signed a free trade agreement with the United States, and while parts of this were one issue being protested, other problems such as smuggling of (cheaper) goods from Venezuela and Ecuador and government subsidies were causing problems. We had two days of school cancelled and a curfew over half the city shaking up our new teachers a bit who had barely been in the country a month!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C6q-yLIFjqc/Uuhsaz6YhCI/AAAAAAAAJ4c/e51B2MmEPdQ/s1600/IMG_5979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C6q-yLIFjqc/Uuhsaz6YhCI/AAAAAAAAJ4c/e51B2MmEPdQ/s1600/IMG_5979.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKtJGWtNCp4/UuhsQXFkDjI/AAAAAAAAJ4U/TjBQhl6DZ_E/s1600/P1030255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IKtJGWtNCp4/UuhsQXFkDjI/AAAAAAAAJ4U/TjBQhl6DZ_E/s1600/P1030255.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecg_a46HxZM/UuhsMN-iCmI/AAAAAAAAJ4M/7Yb38cOAIEI/s1600/IMG_5841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ecg_a46HxZM/UuhsMN-iCmI/AAAAAAAAJ4M/7Yb38cOAIEI/s1600/IMG_5841.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3LC4aJbCOYo/UuhspM-cM7I/AAAAAAAAJ4k/yYIRHvLiqDw/s1600/IMG_6431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3LC4aJbCOYo/UuhspM-cM7I/AAAAAAAAJ4k/yYIRHvLiqDw/s1600/IMG_6431.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ojy7AEQA3WI/UuhrX2eFokI/AAAAAAAAJ4E/4OuCSdJ6DrY/s1600/P1030213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ojy7AEQA3WI/UuhrX2eFokI/AAAAAAAAJ4E/4OuCSdJ6DrY/s1600/P1030213.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Two of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Colombia, <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com/2013/10/768-san-agustin-huila-colombia.html">San Agustin</a> and <u>Tierradentro</u>, have amazing connections to the pre-Colombian civilizations of Colombia, and I made that my destination for the October break, flying to pretty <u>Popayan</u> and wending my way on crowded local busses through the high mountains to see them both. <u>San Agustin</u> is famous for it's carved standing stone figures and ancient Stonehenge-like tombs and Tierradentro for its painted underground tombs. San Agustin was prolific in its beautiful carvings of animals and people on sites that reminded me of Maori Pas, and Tierradentro impressed with the hundreds of tombs scattered across a very steep mountaintop -- ancient symbols and colors decorating man-made caves initially found full of rubble.</div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWtrf0KLpGs/UuhrNpZLooI/AAAAAAAAJ38/AL211-kFXD4/s1600/IMG_6716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWtrf0KLpGs/UuhrNpZLooI/AAAAAAAAJ38/AL211-kFXD4/s1600/IMG_6716.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><br />
We rented a car in November to take us to Melgar and La Mesa which was unexpectedly eventful with power cuts, stolen hubcabs (rims), and a tiny little house. Seeing the Magdalena river at its point nearest Bogota and it's now defunct railway brought thoughts of colonial Colombia and the interesting travel mechanisms that we are nostalgic about.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAGopWqiwpc/Uum5sjl_r2I/AAAAAAAAJ8E/SpPOcIlUeCo/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HAGopWqiwpc/Uum5sjl_r2I/AAAAAAAAJ8E/SpPOcIlUeCo/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eIs2eDfKozo/Uum6VMqAwYI/AAAAAAAAJ8M/kddHC25mShg/s1600/IMG_7236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eIs2eDfKozo/Uum6VMqAwYI/AAAAAAAAJ8M/kddHC25mShg/s1600/IMG_7236.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cUHCyft961c/Uum7EkR0mCI/AAAAAAAAJ8s/XPzPNs-ldqE/s1600/IMG_7687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cUHCyft961c/Uum7EkR0mCI/AAAAAAAAJ8s/XPzPNs-ldqE/s1600/IMG_7687.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRqwnE3__6A/Uum6frwbp5I/AAAAAAAAJ8U/_emt6-SWF60/s1600/IMG_7134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRqwnE3__6A/Uum6frwbp5I/AAAAAAAAJ8U/_emt6-SWF60/s1600/IMG_7134.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>After a lovely Dec 1st <u>Christmas dinner</u> we headed into exams and then I flew via Santiago, Chile to New Zealand -- the first time I've come home in more than four years. It is so wonderful to be back and to be in our family home (for the first time in 20 years). My brother and his family joined us for Christmas and we have had many other friends and relatives here to catch up with. I loved the spectacular mountains that I can stare at for hours and the long drives down all the remembered paths to other beautiful local destinations like <u>Glenorchy</u>, Skipper's, Arrowtown, <u>Bob's Cove</u>, Jack's Point, Moke Lake, and of course Queenstown itself.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq0seD9EEX4/Uum68zoLYKI/AAAAAAAAJ8k/umMkC4hPBMw/s1600/2014-01-04+14.16.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rq0seD9EEX4/Uum68zoLYKI/AAAAAAAAJ8k/umMkC4hPBMw/s1600/2014-01-04+14.16.47.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jjIbLcQOdzk/Uum6qgql3FI/AAAAAAAAJ8c/ZRNkXjeGyCc/s1600/IMG_7613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jjIbLcQOdzk/Uum6qgql3FI/AAAAAAAAJ8c/ZRNkXjeGyCc/s1600/IMG_7613.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
New Year's eve meant Queenstown fireworks, reflections on a great 2013 and the promises of 2014. I will be finishing my current job in July to take a year off from work for travel, projects, volunteering and reflection and possibly short-term contracts or work. It is very exciting! I will probably be in and around South America until December, but who knows after that?<br />
I had hoped to get this written soon after I arrived in New Zealand and before Christmas, but too many cups of tea, hokey-pokey ice cream excursions, barbeques, picnics and day trips seemed to get in the way! Returning to Bogota meant even more delays. <br />
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But am done, now, January 31st. I hope its not too late to wish that 2014 brings wishes come true, dreams realized, love, light and laughter for you all. <br />
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Much love from Natalya xx<br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-LCOX_NvIoIw%2FUuh3QdlCKlI%2FAAAAAAAAJ7s%2Fg0acwniYQY8%2Fs1600%2FIMG_3505.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCOX_NvIoIw/Uuh3QdlCKlI/AAAAAAAAJ7s/g0acwniYQY8/s1600/IMG_3505.JPG" -->Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-44562717572080070442013-07-17T06:01:00.000+02:002014-05-02T02:58:31.541+02:00So how much does Iceland really cost?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You often hear how expensive Iceland is for travelers, so I tried to travel on the reasonably cheap and still see as much as I could.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some typical costs:</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To/from airport on either of two bus companies <a href="http://flybus.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">flybus.is</a> or grayline 3500 return</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hostel bed from 4000 (43 euro)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Golden circle tours 9500 add more to around 22000 to 24000 for snorkeling, snow mobiling, rafting, etc. Don't wait until you get there to book your tours. They fill up early... I missed diving, whales, and glaciers because I didn't get in early enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Busses ARE expensive... Try and fly</span><br />
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Cars are minimum €60 per day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hostels are minimum $40 4000k per day. Add 1000k ($8) for bedding or buy a 4700kr sleeping bag at hagkaup. Shop at Bonus, its cheaper. There really are only small small towns in east and southeast. </span></div>
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Breakfast seems to be a standard 1500kr whether its a hostel or a hotel. Buy your own! </div>
You won't find much below $80 a night outside of Reykjavik except camping. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There doesn't seem to be anywhere to rent tents and sleeping bags in Reykjavik but you can probably buy them cheaply in hagkaup. </span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are those package tours worth it?</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I looked before I came and found 3 day tours from London with Iceland air for £220. On Wow air the flights were around £100 each way, and hotels are minimum $50 a day, but the cheapest circle tours are $75 a day, a bit less for afternoon -- so in short: yes, they're worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Did you know there are direct flights to Greenland so you can go on a day trip!?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">What did I love about Iceland?</span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Very safe and clean, good nature, good air</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Simple life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Socially calm, nice, relaxed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alaskan lupin everywhere</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bad: isolated, need own car, long cold winters</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Interesting: </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate and licorice together</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Renting and apartment is rare in Iceland not culturally normal, expensive, short term</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">The rotating restaurant went around in 1 hour but people got seasick so they slowed it to 2 hours for a rotation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Hot water is piped into houses for $1.20 per day or €1 per flat, from power plant at 200 degrees to town and it only loses 2 degrees en route</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">The biggest problem is soil erosion from wind and water. Trees existed before but when humans arrived in 800 AD they cut them down and they could not grow back</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Iceland is a r</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">eally solid unique rock which was when volcanoes erupted under glacial ice or sea water. Heat from below and pressure from above</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">The t</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">wo tectonic plates are 7 miles apart</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Highland are arctic climate, lowlands are subarctic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">In 930 AD they held the world's first parliament and it's reenacted for 2 weeks each summer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">Population of Reykjavik is only 118700 and the w</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">hole country 319400</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">The Golden Circle l</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">ake has 70m visibility and 120m deep</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Travel Tips</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There really aren't enough hotels, especially on the east cast near Skaftafell and Hofn. Book really early or you'll end up in a dump or with nowhere at all! </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">HI Hostels in Iceland can only be booked via the HI website.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Highway 1 has almost exclusively one lame bridges and often has gravel roads</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most towns are the size of Kingston (a tiny town in New Zealand near where I grew up). A big town would be smaller than Cromwell or Alexandra</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's like New Zealand's South Island, probably in the 50s or 60s, was dropped into the North Atlantic. Christchurch is Reykjavik, and all sizeable towns like Nelson, Queenstown and Invercargill are small. Actually, forget Dunedin, it doesn't exist. Most towns are the size of Tekapo with the excitement of somewhere like Timaru. It's astonishing, really. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Its 1250 or so km to drive around the ring road, but with side trips and touring I drove 3119km in around 10 days</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are lots of handsome rugged, smiling men.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's so safe!</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">People are so nice!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.insidethevolcano.com/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="12" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Www.insidethevolcano.com</a> 37000isk</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<a href="http://gentlegiants.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="13" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gentlegiants.is</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://discover.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Discover.is</a> landmannauger 39000isk, thorsmork 35000isk</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Golden circle 33000</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">South coast 35000</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bustravel.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Bustravel.is</a> blue lagoon to Reykjavik and to airport</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Golden circle evening</span></div>
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<a href="http://flybus.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="16" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flybus.is</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<a href="http://www.re.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="17" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Www.re.is</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://adventures.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="18" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Adventures.is</a>... Canoeing, rafting, swimming</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<a href="http://isafoldtours.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="19" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isafoldtours.is</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<a href="http://dive.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="20" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dive.is</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://myflug.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="21" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Myflug.is</a> </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<a href="http://myvatntours.is/" x-apple-data-detectors-result="22" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors="true"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Myvatntours.is</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My trip was basically as follows:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fri to Reykyavik</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sat Golden Circle and Reykyavik sat 6th</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sun7th Vik </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mon 8th Skaftafell, glacier hike, Seydisfjordur LONG DRIVE</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tues Backtrack driving Seydisfjordur to sleep again </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Weds 10th Myvatn, Akureyri </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thurs Backtrack, Husavik, tried to fly, Akureyri again </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fri 12th Around northern peninsulas to Seaborg hostel </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sat 13th Isafjordur </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sun 14th Around western fjords ferry to Stykksholmur</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mon 15th Snaefellsnes peninsula, under sea tunnel to Reykjavik </span></div>
</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-72111401070363831342013-05-11T20:57:00.002+02:002013-05-11T21:14:27.895+02:00Quebrada la vieja: Nature hike in the middle of Bogota<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uk4IefkaIg0/UY6OtmOGzVI/AAAAAAAAHww/vruSNwb25so/s1600/2013-05-11+08.57.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uk4IefkaIg0/UY6OtmOGzVI/AAAAAAAAHww/vruSNwb25so/s200/2013-05-11+08.57.10.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MGz-6Vf-oFs/UY6OvyK8bRI/AAAAAAAAHw4/_tNKk644C5M/s1600/2013-05-11+08.57.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MGz-6Vf-oFs/UY6OvyK8bRI/AAAAAAAAHw4/_tNKk644C5M/s320/2013-05-11+08.57.03.jpg" width="240" /></a>So I went on a walk this morning to a place friends had recommended that's not listed anywhere on the internet that I could find and not on google maps -- a tragedy! It's great! A nature-filled hike right in downtown Bogota.<br />
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Tucked in behind some apartment buildings to the east just off the circunvalar in Bogota (between 70 and 72) is this great walking trail.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5jVDEMr5k8/UY6O4S7rNUI/AAAAAAAAHxA/5U_UM4i-7SA/s1600/2013-05-11+09.02.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5jVDEMr5k8/UY6O4S7rNUI/AAAAAAAAHxA/5U_UM4i-7SA/s320/2013-05-11+09.02.10.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NqrnnFf7zk/UY6O9ABJM_I/AAAAAAAAHxQ/WAjFIpyQY_E/s1600/2013-05-11+09.09.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NqrnnFf7zk/UY6O9ABJM_I/AAAAAAAAHxQ/WAjFIpyQY_E/s320/2013-05-11+09.09.04.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_3ZsSBLH18/UY6O7IUwwgI/AAAAAAAAHxI/0NlTdRzvp48/s1600/2013-05-11+09.04.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_3ZsSBLH18/UY6O7IUwwgI/AAAAAAAAHxI/0NlTdRzvp48/s320/2013-05-11+09.04.10.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EI7tX4OCqCw/UY6PKhs2EKI/AAAAAAAAHxw/i413fIuScHA/s1600/2013-05-11+09.09.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EI7tX4OCqCw/UY6PKhs2EKI/AAAAAAAAHxw/i413fIuScHA/s320/2013-05-11+09.09.11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Part of it follows a road up to an army storage cave, and the rest is a walking trail that criss-crosses a gushing stream, following what look like an indigenous path up a valley (anyone who's been to the lost city will be familiar with these!). Near the top the roosters crow from a small farm, where unfortunately, I had to turn back because the gates close. The best part, especially for Colombia, is that it's safe -- police were scattered all along the path, and it's only open from 7-10 from Monday to Saturday (not Sundays or Festivos), so there are other walkers on the route. No one's allowed to enter after 9, and while I walked out the gate at 10.15, and others were behind me, the police told me they always close before 10.30, but earlier most days.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XWgcP-kEeE/UY6PHAuoUDI/AAAAAAAAHxg/6r21KiEzGVw/s1600/2013-05-11+09.13.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XWgcP-kEeE/UY6PHAuoUDI/AAAAAAAAHxg/6r21KiEzGVw/s320/2013-05-11+09.13.20.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2NVmoG-5iGo/UY6PGVWIxEI/AAAAAAAAHxY/zsBATqmr6yk/s1600/2013-05-11+09.36.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2NVmoG-5iGo/UY6PGVWIxEI/AAAAAAAAHxY/zsBATqmr6yk/s320/2013-05-11+09.36.55.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlNHvcmHd04/UY6PJw1bELI/AAAAAAAAHxo/hvj2TOOIHiQ/s1600/2013-05-11+09.37.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlNHvcmHd04/UY6PJw1bELI/AAAAAAAAHxo/hvj2TOOIHiQ/s320/2013-05-11+09.37.01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCSXPU_F6SE/UY6PQxyvOCI/AAAAAAAAHx4/E9Fc2Ad6K0I/s1600/2013-05-11+09.41.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XCSXPU_F6SE/UY6PQxyvOCI/AAAAAAAAHx4/E9Fc2Ad6K0I/s320/2013-05-11+09.41.37.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coolest gate for walkers I've seen -- no need to use the gate!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p911db5MVHY/UY6PV4rjZ0I/AAAAAAAAHyI/pTmUxcdt3UM/s1600/2013-05-11+09.53.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p911db5MVHY/UY6PV4rjZ0I/AAAAAAAAHyI/pTmUxcdt3UM/s320/2013-05-11+09.53.23.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5tXyOifuelg/UY6PSBbyYZI/AAAAAAAAHyA/Zl1irPMT5_0/s1600/2013-05-11+09.55.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5tXyOifuelg/UY6PSBbyYZI/AAAAAAAAHyA/Zl1irPMT5_0/s320/2013-05-11+09.55.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJnSPzAMMZw/UY6VtisP77I/AAAAAAAAHyg/AlkL2mzZJgg/s1600/2013-05-11+13.58.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJnSPzAMMZw/UY6VtisP77I/AAAAAAAAHyg/AlkL2mzZJgg/s640/2013-05-11+13.58.59.png" width="384" /></a></div>
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-86978234184086769642013-03-04T03:40:00.002+01:002013-03-04T03:42:53.710+01:00Guadelupe and Choachi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OB1-ElJYJeA/UTP-qUmZvwI/AAAAAAAAGrs/lMnKu7b5DnQ/s1600/P1030148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OB1-ElJYJeA/UTP-qUmZvwI/AAAAAAAAGrs/lMnKu7b5DnQ/s640/P1030148.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<u>Guadelupe</u> 3300m<br />
<u><br /></u>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2lFX1KV6Tw/UTP-M1LBA6I/AAAAAAAAGp8/6WaBuORgd6Q/s1600/P1030099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2lFX1KV6Tw/UTP-M1LBA6I/AAAAAAAAGp8/6WaBuORgd6Q/s320/P1030099.JPG" width="320" /></a>It is every tourist's mission while in Bogota to go up the famous Monserrate, whether by funicular, gondola or a steep walk on a Sunday morning. Very few foreigners make it to the twin hill, Guadelupe's top, however. We made it our mission to get there today. It was not an easy journey. We took a transmilenio to the Tercer Milenio station, where the busses up the hill park nearby. However, today was the first Sunday of the month (a special time), and it was Lent. This meant that the mountain was extremely crowded. The collectivo busses couldn't get up the hill for all the traffic, so we had to walk up. It was about a 40 minute walk up from where it dropped us off, and when we saw how far it should have taken us, we wished it had gotten further than what it did.<br />
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Aside from the tacky religious souvenirs for sale, and multiple fried bread, meat snacks and cheese with jam and arequipe snacks, there was not much space at the top. A mass was being held so all the people had spilled out of the church onto every available chair. There must be mass going on all day by the look of the crowds! It was a pleasant walk down the road to the main road.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Bogota with Monserrate in front on the hill. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The view from Guadelupe looking over the hills behind to our way to Choachi.</td></tr>
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<u>Choachi</u> 1900m<br />
Ever since Julian told me about the hot pools in Choachi, reached via a gorgeous drive, I have wanted to go. What a spectacular drive it was! Sheer cliffs drop off what was the level of 3000m to around 1900m in true canyon fashion, with striation and colors and gaping chasms. The road disappeared for a while and when we looked back up and saw the precarious bridge we had crossed we were amazed.<br />
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The town center in Choachi is similar to many other colonial era towns in Colombia with a church perched on a town square surrounded by shops and cafes. We wandered into a cute little hotel, and then found a great little restaurant just off the square. We took a bus out to the hot springs (1500 pesos, 2.5km), but decided it was too crowded, too over-manicured, too overpriced, and not rustic enough, so came back again. Oops, wasn't that why we were there? We wandered up the hill to the buses going home, past the cute little chivitas (tuk tuks), waving to our football team friends, for a spectacular view on the ride home.<br />
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<u>Information:</u><br />
Getting there: Transmilenio H93 goes to Tercer Milenio from our area up north. The collectivos up to Guadelupe are 1450 pesos and leave as they fill up. We <u>do not</u> recommend going on the first Sunday of the month, and on other days of the week, security on the road can be an issue. Unlike Monserrate, there are no full restaurants up Guadelupe, although there are lots of snacks -- I even found some nougar (touron).<br />
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Collectivos to Choachi leave from the same station, or you can pick one up on the road there (such as at the turnoff up to Guadelupe) for 8500 pesos. It takes around 1 hour to get there. A nice hotel with a Mexican flavor in the center of town is Casa Espinel at www.choachimilco.com 313 892 3710 (around 80-100000 pesos per night). We do not recommend Hotel Central (which shows up on Google Maps) -- it looks cheap and shady! There is also the Hotel Santa Monica on whose grounds the thermal baths are -- around 250000 per night. To enter the hot pools it is 26000 per day (domingos and festivos) or 21000 Mon-Sat. </div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-38838616192468105642013-01-30T06:29:00.001+01:002013-01-30T06:29:19.723+01:00These slippers make me happy<p>Not just because I won't slip out of them and fall on the stairs and drop water everywhere, but I enjoy looking at them. How can you not smile? They are fuzzy and cute and have glow in the dark toes!</p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MPyuPtrQVQA/UQivrXkGUmI/AAAAAAAAF8E/4gPd2OJf3DE/s1600/20130130_002409.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MPyuPtrQVQA/UQivrXkGUmI/AAAAAAAAF8E/4gPd2OJf3DE/s640/20130130_002409.jpg' /> </a> </div>Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-86797778131212623022012-12-31T05:27:00.000+01:002014-01-28T05:27:57.683+01:00Thinking about visiting Antartica?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may have seen my photos or heard about my trip, or perhaps you just stumbled upon this page while surfing the internet. Yes, I have been to Antartica and I am not a scientist, famous explorer, biologist, penguinologist, geologist or any other profession most likely to get there. I am a teacher, and yes, I earn a teacher's salary, but it was my dream and so I made it possible.<br />
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You can book ahead through any big travel agent, or directly through the specialist companies that run the trips -- Quark is just one.<br />
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Or... you can just arrive in the place that most of the boats leave from: Ushuaia, Argentina, and ask around at the travel agencies to pick up a place left on a boat that's leaving in the following few days -- southern hemisphere summer, of course! Ships want to fill their empty berths, so 10 day cruises can go for around US$3500-4000 -- not cheap, of course, but when a balconied super suite can go for up to US$25000 it's a steal in comparison.<br />
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And don't ask about the polar bears -- there aren't any!</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-30764569008715902412012-12-30T03:10:00.000+01:002012-12-30T03:10:51.558+01:00Seasons Greetings 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mjnrFsc7rwE/UN5XQU4_dII/AAAAAAAAFgQ/3KYSxTknVRg/s1600/Iran+2011+471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mjnrFsc7rwE/UN5XQU4_dII/AAAAAAAAFgQ/3KYSxTknVRg/s200/Iran+2011+471.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oXkvLquaCI4/UN5YKWI7IwI/AAAAAAAAFgo/U34_yjNpL2c/s1600/P1080733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oXkvLquaCI4/UN5YKWI7IwI/AAAAAAAAFgo/U34_yjNpL2c/s320/P1080733.JPG" width="320" /></a>Seasons Greetings 2012! Hope you had a Merry Christmas and that your new year will be wonderful.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CAPvszVu8b8/UN5XBILCdOI/AAAAAAAAFgI/tpUIKckYatE/s1600/Iran+2011+390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CAPvszVu8b8/UN5XBILCdOI/AAAAAAAAFgI/tpUIKckYatE/s320/Iran+2011+390.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0cK0XSNo80/UN5XjOZYb2I/AAAAAAAAFgY/KWLzWyR4wCI/s1600/Iran+2011+536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0cK0XSNo80/UN5XjOZYb2I/AAAAAAAAFgY/KWLzWyR4wCI/s320/Iran+2011+536.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiPDKxFEBwY/UN5X5lOXXaI/AAAAAAAAFgg/02yOd7lBm6U/s1600/P1080531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BiPDKxFEBwY/UN5X5lOXXaI/AAAAAAAAFgg/02yOd7lBm6U/s200/P1080531.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-np6PDsAFUUY/UN5Wnpjw0oI/AAAAAAAAFgA/83bEA7nokX8/s1600/Iran+2011+218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-np6PDsAFUUY/UN5Wnpjw0oI/AAAAAAAAFgA/83bEA7nokX8/s200/Iran+2011+218.JPG" width="133" /></a>I brought in the new year in Shiraz, Iran, where it was very quiet and subdued, as their new year is in April. While we were in Iran we also went to <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/perspolis.html">Persepolis</a>, <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/bishapur-ancient-city-iran.html">Bishapur</a> and to <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/ghesm-island-iran.html">Qeshm Island</a> off the coast, which you can read about by clicking on the links! It is such a beautiful, hospitable country. After that, I tried very hard to get an Azeri visa, but was unable to due to the new rules. Instead, I spent the time in Dubai with my parents before returning to Bogota.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uSI5YqBOW5M/UN5aGagF5zI/AAAAAAAAFhE/qWICgOaPNVE/s1600/P1020869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uSI5YqBOW5M/UN5aGagF5zI/AAAAAAAAFhE/qWICgOaPNVE/s200/P1020869.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aahMBBCiP3Q/UN5dR0_ZH3I/AAAAAAAAFhg/QiacLoeGUK8/s1600/P1000748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aahMBBCiP3Q/UN5dR0_ZH3I/AAAAAAAAFhg/QiacLoeGUK8/s200/P1000748.JPG" width="200" /></a>I did much more travelling in Colombia this year, going to Villavicencio in Los Llanos (the plains), and the eerie high Andean <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/928-chingaza-national-park-colombia.html">Chingaza National Park</a> with its unusual tundra-like vegetaion, and in June, off the Caribbean coast where the seven ocean color tones of Isla <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/san-andres-providencia-islands.html">San Andres and Providencia</a> proved true. During my July holiday, I fulfilled a long-held goal of mine to walk in the Sierra Nevada National Park where I <a href="http://natalyamarquand.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/treking-to-lost-city.html">climbed to the Lost City</a> -- an amazing jungle city of the Tayrona people that was ¨lost¨ until 1975 when the grave-robbers´ new stash of gold significantly affected the gold market triggering alarms and then a search. Afterwards, I also spent time in <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/900-cartagena-colombia.html">Cartagena</a>, such a gem!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWNtyCrSi1w/UN5femtQtbI/AAAAAAAAFh8/_mGGHC75BZw/s1600/IMG_8859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XWNtyCrSi1w/UN5femtQtbI/AAAAAAAAFh8/_mGGHC75BZw/s320/IMG_8859.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DE6t0ETQe3A/UN5gTQVXGrI/AAAAAAAAFiM/8R6X7Qy8aGc/s1600/IMG_9176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DE6t0ETQe3A/UN5gTQVXGrI/AAAAAAAAFiM/8R6X7Qy8aGc/s320/IMG_9176.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fiblmdf3jpY/UN-W8lKFOhI/AAAAAAAAFio/UHMhIhg7eCE/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fiblmdf3jpY/UN-W8lKFOhI/AAAAAAAAFio/UHMhIhg7eCE/s320/IMG_0360.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hpKcE--Giaw/UN-ZR3FR0jI/AAAAAAAAFjE/orMJB1kL8P4/s1600/IMG_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hpKcE--Giaw/UN-ZR3FR0jI/AAAAAAAAFjE/orMJB1kL8P4/s320/IMG_0441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x_AfVJDvBKE/UN5f8RJ38II/AAAAAAAAFiE/YIovj8EBWNQ/s1600/IMG_9143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x_AfVJDvBKE/UN5f8RJ38II/AAAAAAAAFiE/YIovj8EBWNQ/s320/IMG_9143.JPG" width="213" /></a>During the Easter holidays, I dived into Peru. <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/04/1-machu-piccu.html">Machu Piccu</a> is many a Traveller's dream and I expected to feel underwhelmed, but it lived up to expectations.... an incredible place in a beautiful location. I wanted to do the Inca trail but had hurt my ankle in March, but taking the train and walking all around was plenty! Peru also had many other delights that I had not expected. Lake Titicaca was interesting, but not nearly as good as the Nazca lines, the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/923-huacachina-peru.html">Huacachina</a> Oasis, or the Colca Canyon gorge. Loved the cities of Arequipa and Cuzco, and Lima had a lot going on, too. I didn't feel like I'd seen hardly any of the country, however: the more I see, the more I discover other things I want to see!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvfSjG1a3LQ/UN-bix4nCuI/AAAAAAAAFkY/7WR81lUFA8k/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvfSjG1a3LQ/UN-bix4nCuI/AAAAAAAAFkY/7WR81lUFA8k/s200/IMG_1838.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vZJWvYpdCzY/UN-ayVx3NVI/AAAAAAAAFj4/zhLem71ssTM/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vZJWvYpdCzY/UN-ayVx3NVI/AAAAAAAAFj4/zhLem71ssTM/s200/IMG_1784.JPG" width="200" /></a>One thing I've wanted to do for years is related to the Darien Gap, which is the one barrier between driving from the top of North America to the bottom of South America, an area so wild there are several rebel groups and paramilitaries that fight over territory. It is near impossible to cross it, but the alternative is to go around it, so I took a yacht from Cartagena da Indias to the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/916-san-blas-islands-panama.html">San Blas Islands</a> in Panama. It was around 30 hours to cross the strait and then we spent a blissful 5 days in the San Blas islands, before being deposited in Panama City. Was lucky enough for return to Panama with my students for a Model United Nations conference in October, in the middle of the rioting and protests, so several afternoons, including the closing ceremony were cancelled, but we made it to the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/920-panama-canal-panama.html">canal</a>, much to many of my students despair.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWoSLwkcgaM/UN-dxqTRZZI/AAAAAAAAFmE/NqNQ5KAy6FE/s1600/P1020027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YWoSLwkcgaM/UN-dxqTRZZI/AAAAAAAAFmE/NqNQ5KAy6FE/s200/P1020027.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGAWm2aMDy0/UN-dB0RU9hI/AAAAAAAAFlQ/v7vJPZUEHSk/s1600/IMG_1987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGAWm2aMDy0/UN-dB0RU9hI/AAAAAAAAFlQ/v7vJPZUEHSk/s320/IMG_1987.JPG" width="320" /></a>I spent the rest of the summer elsewhere in Central America, exploring the ancient Mayan cities of Chichen Itza, Tulum, and <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/954-tikal-guatemala.html">Tikal</a>. I love the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/953-grand-cenote-tulum-mexico.html">cenotes</a> (sinkholes), the amazing diving and the gorgeous beaches. One of the highlights was <u>whale encounter #1</u>: <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/915-whale-sharks-off-cancun-mexico.html">whale sharks off of Cancun</a>, where they swim in their hundreds on the surface of the water. The incredible beasts are covered in spots, a fingerprint of uniqueness, and are harmless to humans as they swish past you. Snorkellers are permitted, but touching and diving is not. What an amazing experience! Have wanted to go to Belize for years, and loved diving the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/the-blue-hole-belize.html">Blue Hole</a> and snorkelling to see the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/930-shark-and-ray-alley-caye-caulker.html">sharks and rays</a> even if we didn´t see a manatee, and the caves in the mountain are excellent. Tikal--- an ancient Guatemalan jungle city of awesome proportions! <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/947-semac-champey-guatemala.html">Semac Champey</a>, also in Guatemala, an unusualy rock formation, was followed by a wonderful catch-up with a friend from Burma, Cecile. What a wonderful year it was for Myanmar. It was so special to hear of Barak Obama visiting that place so close to my heart. Anyone who lived there and saw the suffering of the people can only have felt wonder at watching such a historical event take place and hope for the future, despite the short term hardships in transition such as huge inflation, uncertainty, and rapid changes.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zspU75GtkUk/UN-evYGuUfI/AAAAAAAAFmg/laORqNvkjKc/s1600/IMG_3136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zspU75GtkUk/UN-evYGuUfI/AAAAAAAAFmg/laORqNvkjKc/s200/IMG_3136.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8eMuJ52rNw/UN-fP0ERAvI/AAAAAAAAFm4/yO_Bev1g2nc/s1600/IMG_3274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8eMuJ52rNw/UN-fP0ERAvI/AAAAAAAAFm4/yO_Bev1g2nc/s200/IMG_3274.JPG" width="200" /></a>For my October break I diverged from the norm and took a solo trip to the island of Gorgona, off the Pacific coast of Colombia. Very isolated and quite difficult to get to, it is a haven for diving and whales. Thus saw <u>whale encounter #2:</u> I swam with humpback whales, a mother and her baby, as they swam south. Up close and in the water with them they are awe-inspiring. The island was <u>a prison</u> at one stage, with some political prisoners held here. Being on Gorgona, I was cut off from civilization for the week in a misty quiet place of reflection: just what I needed. I took on a head of department role in August at my school in Bogota and am finding that my work day is very long and my private time is precious and limited, so the respite was amazing. Incidentally, I have decided to stay another year in Colombia, so will be here until June 2014. Colombia is such an amazing place, under visited, and much much safer than its reputation. There are so many wonders and different places to see and things to do; its very close to North America. Please come and visit before I leave!!<br />
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In November I was privileged to visit the <a href="http://1000amazingplaces.blogspot.com.ar/2012/11/908-colombian-rio-amazonas-colombia.html">Amazon</a> again with my school. In a reversal of typical schools, my school in Colombia has more men than women, so I as one of the only females in upper Bach I was able to go the the Amazon a second time! The Colombian Amazon is small, and in reality we jet across to Peru and into Brazil without ever leaving Colombia officially, but I love the birds, the jungle, the water and was thrilled to see alligators, pink and grey dolphins, spiders, parrots, tucans, monkeys and other amazing things. Returning, my proud moment of the year was two-fold as I became an Aunty to my brother's son Timothy and bought a house in the same week. I have been looking at properties in my hometown, Queenstown for the last couple of years and finally settled on one, but I will be poor for a while!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zh2q4HV6nRM/UN-hPfwrs-I/AAAAAAAAFnU/v_Y5RTtoclE/s1600/IMG_6799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zh2q4HV6nRM/UN-hPfwrs-I/AAAAAAAAFnU/v_Y5RTtoclE/s320/IMG_6799.JPG" width="320" /></a>The delight of my year though has been in anticipation of my Christmas trip: Antarctica! On December 18th a friend and I set sail for a 10-day voyage in the Antarctic peninsula and the islands off its western coast. The voyage of a lifetime: it has been truly fantastic. Asking other passengers on the ship over the heavy dinners, we all agree that seeing the volume of ice in the glaciers and ice caps and in the icebergs that have dotted out path has been a humbling experience. The whales, seals and penguins truly rule down here and our insignificance in nature and the harm humans are so capable of becomes clear - I felt the global warming every day of the trip -- it was practically balmy. I wanted to become a penguinologist and wished I'd studied to be a marine biologist to follow my lovely whales around the world. This, of course, was <u>whale encounter #3</u>. Humpbacks and minke whales breaching, diving under the small zodiac boats, flashing us their flukes (tails), and spying on us with one eye above the water from the great oceans below. I learned all about krill in ways I would never have imagined... did you know they are a crustacean? Did you know they are the life force of everything in the food chain down there? Watching, hearing and feeling the wave of a glacier or iceberg calving reminds us how small we are.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-6gzee9f20/UN-iQbcTIII/AAAAAAAAFng/wCKjv-2Fk0Y/s1600/P1040140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-6gzee9f20/UN-iQbcTIII/AAAAAAAAFng/wCKjv-2Fk0Y/s320/P1040140.JPG" width="320" /></a>We started and ended the cruise in Ushuaia, Argentina, which was also a penal colony/<u>prison</u> for many years and the southern-most city in the world. My friend and I will spend the next two weeks circling Argentina, and then back to work again.<br />
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For me, this has been the year of the whale: three times, three different places... and perhaps prisons: two times, two places... whales have always been important to me, and this year certainly proves it!<br />
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I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and festive season. Best wishes for 2013 and hope all your dreams come to fruition!<br />
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xxoo Natalya</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-31016209756953106522012-12-12T23:10:00.001+01:002012-12-12T23:10:57.446+01:00A new use for an old rice machine...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-90762625388863247812012-12-12T23:08:00.002+01:002012-12-12T23:08:19.249+01:00Some new graffiti - Usaquen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e1FskrTVVc/UMj0qixPesI/AAAAAAAAFN0/o3hQ9yMPYys/s1600/P1010379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e1FskrTVVc/UMj0qixPesI/AAAAAAAAFN0/o3hQ9yMPYys/s320/P1010379.JPG" width="320" /></a>I was going for a walk today and there were some street artists at work on the Septima in Usaquen. Toximonaico had recently finished this new one of a lady photographer, and other arts were finishing their work further down the street. I love the Bogota street art!</div>
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-53821331438477312632012-10-15T03:20:00.001+02:002014-01-28T05:32:52.445+01:00Gorgona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Gorgona<br />
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We arrived into Gorgona in the afternoon after about an hour's crossing. I looked for a whale the whole way, but didn't see any. We ate before leaving, then ate again when we got there. Dinner was another massive meal so I felt like all I did was eat the first day. It was challenging on my Spanish, too! No one spoke English at all. Wish I'd brought my notebook to review.<br />
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During breakfast on the second day, we could see a whale breathing off the coast--was proud of myself for spotting it. As I had to leave to prepare for my dives, I didn't see it jump, but how much of a cool welcome is that? On my way to the dive shop I spotted one of the legendary snakes. The dives were good-- lots of big fish and fish schools. We spotted some dolphins in between the two dives. Colombia has an excellent law that says no swimming with them, but as no one was looking we did try and jump in with them. They're smart, however, and swam away. It rained all afternoon although not as hard as the night before where the roof rattled in the storm.<br />
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There are very few places in the world you can go and be completely out of touch, but Gorgona is one of them. Colombia's Pacific side is wild and empty, so of course no cell phone towers, and Gorgona is far enough off the coast to miss most of that anyway. Not enough people are here for a tower of their own. A satellite dish is all that there is but that's not for us. It feels like the holiday I wanted... Total relaxation and peace. I can make peace with myself about whatever I need to, and have absolutely no distractions to do it. Will I do it, though, or will I just while away the afternoons sleeping and reading? <br />
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On day three, the sun peeked out from behind the still grey day... The morning was punctuated by seeing a whale before the first dive. Even though it's technically against the park rules, we moved the boat to jump in next to them. Wow! Three white humpback whales! Baby, mama, and a protector. They moved fast so it was hard to see them and stay with them, but definitely the highlight of my trip. The only thing that could have been better would be to come up during a dive and find them there. Two more fantastic dives with lots of fish and life, including a white tip reef shark hiding in a hole. In the afternoon we went for a walk around the old jail, closed in 1984. Amazing how much had grown! I did wonder how notorious the prisoners were, and what it would like to be incarcerated on an island that I had chosen to be holidaying on. Ended the day watching the whales swim off the beach swimming into the sunset. Lovely, but sadly no jumping, which I had missed the day before. I suppose I got to swim with them so I can't complain.<br />
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And the rain poured down! What a wet night. I got up to several more rivers, and wet everywhere. Nevertheless, the dives continued. Two other guests joined me, and it was a very wet ride over there (all around the island the long way around). We stopped for our snack on a turtle-hatching beach and had a chat to the researchers there. Saw lots of sharks at Montanita and a sunken statue... The statue even had a shark guarding it! The weather was clearer for the ride back, thank goodness! Went for a walk around the jail, but no more snakes, sadly. Juan made an amazing movie for me... Such a lovely guy.</div>
Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-64770312918521401992012-10-13T07:17:00.005+02:002012-10-13T07:53:58.026+02:00Guapi, Colombia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The flight to Guapi is on a small former LOT plane from a hidden corner of Cali airport. As I checked in, so did 3 boxes of chicks. They chirped the whole flight while I smiled. <br />
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Guapi is only accessible by land and sea and we flew in over wild jungle with winding rivers and small canals dotted with only the most remote of homesteads. Its felt like our plane would clip the trees and the jungle encroached on the airport on three sides.<br />
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Only 6 women on a flight of 40. Are the menu all travellers or is this their home? I suppose a lot of army.<br />
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-60974684693436733552012-10-07T10:18:00.000+02:002012-10-07T10:18:21.409+02:00Anglo Dances -- Bailamos!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At the Colegio Anglo Colombiano, the month of September in bach (secondary school) is dedicated to Dances. Homework is put on hold, students stay up till 1am rehearsing and fall asleep in class, and it all culminates in a house competition in three parts. The lower bach compete in a National Dance competition, and middle bach compete in an International Dance competition (this year's theme was Latin countries). They bring in professional choreographers and pay a fortune in costumes. Stage decoration was finally banned a few years ago because the cost just got too great!<br />
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However, the dance that everyone really wants to see is the Modern Dances. With the moves, lighting, costumes and all aspects coordinated by the senior students, it is a culmination of their school life, and life depends on it. Tantrums, stress, practices, no-show dancers, and everything else to manage, each dance is around 15-20 minutes long, occurs in several parts according to themes. They often have 5 or 6 costume changes in the 15 minutes and it is an impressive show!<br />
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Last year, myself and a few other teachers were coaxed into participating in one small part of Rodney's dance. Can't say I liked the costume much, or the pressure to attend every single practice no matter where or what time, so this year I was more than happy to be just a spectator.<br />
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I managed to record all of the dances this year and have copied the links to the shows below. Unfortunately, my camera was not intended for extended recording and the battery died before the first dance was even half over, which meant that the recordings were mostly on my phone, which while they gave some cool effects, did not have the highest stability or quality. In order of performance: Beatty, Hood, Rodney, Nelson. Winning order were Beatty, Nelson, Rodney and Hood.<br />
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Colombia4.5980556 -74.07583333.5796691000000003 -75.3392608 5.6164421 -72.8124058tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-17490299546675766862012-07-30T06:30:00.000+02:002013-02-12T03:57:39.731+01:00So you want to sail between Panama and Colombia?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Dorien Gap is a break in the Pan-American highway that really is as wild and untamed jungle as it gets in South/Central America. You are nuts to expect to traverse it overland. But, there is an alternative: You can sail around it from various ports in Panama (Colon, Portobello, El Porvenir, Carti) via the San Blas Islands to Cartagena (or Carpugana) in Colombia. It only takes around 3 days to cross, but most boats spend 2-3 days island hopping in the idyllic San Blas islands on the way, extending the trip. Depending on the boat, it costs between $350 and $600, most boats being $500. Hostels DO take a cut so if you can arrange with the captains directly, you will pay less. <br />
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The first thing: this is a backpacker trip. Expect it to be crowded, don't expect gourmet food, most captains/boats are doing this for cash -- you are not their best friend, it is not a luxury cruise, and many boats take more passengers than they should. Yes, it's a rough crossing, so do bring sea-sickness tablets and do actually take them if you are likely to feel ill. Also, it is BYO so plan wisely for what you'll want to drink for the whole time, including non-alcoholic drinks. Bring snacks -- there is nothing scheduled between meals.<br />
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There are lots of yachts out there: do your research on forums online and ask at the hostels. Note: if leaving from Panama, you will not see your ship until you are getting onto it. The San Blas departure area is remote (3-4 hours from Panama City), so you are committed to it in a way you aren't in Cartagena (although most people don't bother to check out the boats in Cartagena, either, though all will dock in the bay where they're visible).<br />
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Here are a list of boats that were running the trip in July 2012 with websites when I could find them:<br />
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<a href="http://sailboatgypsymoth.com/Home_Page.php">Gypsy Moth</a> -- quite sought after<br />
<a href="http://www.independence-ms.com/">Independence</a> -- biggest boat doing it, 25+ people on board<br />
Mintaka<br />
<a href="http://www.sailseeadler.com/index.html">Seeadler</a><br />
Desdemona<br />
<a href="http://www.colombiapanamasailing.com/the_cruise/sailboat_colombia_panama/black_dragon_fly_san_blas.html">Black Dragonfly</a><br />
<a href="http://svavemaria.wordpress.com/">Ave Maria</a><br />
Nani Moaina<br />
<a href="http://svdrifter.net/">Northern Drifter</a><br />
Nacar</div>
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Or check out this hostel in Panama: <a href="http://www.mamallena.com/sailboats.html">http://www.mamallena.com/sailboats.html</a> or this hostel in Cartagena <a href="http://www.casaviena.com/sanblasisland.htm">http://www.casaviena.com/sanblasisland.htm</a> although almost any of the main hostels will be able to help you. This <a href="http://sailpanamatocolombia.com/page/san-blas-island-tours/">website</a> may also be useful. Or <a href="http://www.colombiapanamasailing.com/">this one</a>.<br />
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Despite some websites online saying that there is a ferry, this no longer runs. From what I understand it ran for about a month in early 2012, but stopped soon after due to lack of demand. <br />
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The shorter alternative to the Cartagena route is the shorter Carpugana/Sapzurro/Puerto Obaldia trip, but be warned: there are no ATMS on either side, so bring enough cash to get yourself out if no boats are going -- it is not uncommon to get trapped there! This also does not really avoid the open water crossing, as you will likely still have to go across the Gulf of Darien by ferry in Colombia (unless you fly to/from Medellin). One regular company that runs this trip is the <a href="http://www.dariengapster.com/">Darien Gapster</a>. These shorter trips are usually around $300-$350.<br />
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Yes, motorbikes and bicycles can be transferred on the bigger boats. Expect to pay a full person's fare for the bike. It will have to be transferred to the boat by crane and go on the small river boats to get to/from land in San Blas -- most boats do not dock at either end, transfers are by speedboat/zodiac.<br />
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Yes, Fritz the Cat sank in June 2012. They are rough open seas and sailing is not without risk. Make sure you feel confident with your captain and discuss their experience.<br />
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Do bring a waterproof camera or a dry bag if you can get hold of one -- the San Blas islands are idyllic, but you have to swim to get to them.<br />
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Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-32487784799664489582012-07-28T23:19:00.001+02:002012-07-29T04:09:18.638+02:00Treking to the Lost City<html><body> <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mv6pR9zCz4g/UBRXCwaPXXI/AAAAAAAACI0/7IBxxhqDqO8/res1343243120.134313.jpeg" align="right">Deep in the jungle in the Sierra Nevada behind Santa Marta in Colombia lies the Lost City, a pre-Colombian Tayrona settlement rivalling Machu Picchu in its inaccesible, yet spectacular location. There are various companies (Turcol, Guiyas, Magic Trek, etc) that run different types of trips, but most are around 5 days. Here's how mine went:<br /><br /><div style="clear: both;"></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctfofs768Wg/UBRW6KnigII/AAAAAAAACH8/UU3cuCj5QRI/res1343243003.782957.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">Day 1<br />Elevation: 100m at village Machete Pelao to 400m<br />Walking time: 3 1/2 hours<br />Adan Camp<br />I started the day with a 2 hour drive from Santa Marta to the little village of Machete Pelao. We stopped on the way so that the jeep could be used to help a friend move some wood. After turning off the main road we wound up a dirt track in the land rover. I waited a while for the rest of my group to arrive and watched a finishing group celebrate. 3 hours for one pair, then 4 hours, 5 hours, etc. Lunch was a delish sandwich. We walked 3 1/2 hours with a swim in the gorgeous river after half an hour then 1 hour straight up! Had a watermelon snack at the top with the ducks eating the scraps and seeds before walking along the ridge and back down again to the camp on the river in a gully. We slept in hammocks and had quite a lot of time to chat and get to know one another. Pistachios! There was another swimming hole and showers were possible. It rained hard at night and I was glad it wasn't during the day.<div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-naBfatA042A/UBRXBbe3ALI/AAAAAAAACIs/Aj_A1PWOfcY/res1343243193.331572.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;"><div style="clear: both;"></div><br />The group was really international: Miguel, Jenny and Wilson were the guides, and we had English, Czech, Colombians, Swiss (French and German), Spanish, Dutch, Belgians and me, the token kiwi.<br /><br />Day 2.<br />Elevation: 400m to 700m<br />Walking time: 3-4 hours approx 2+ swim + 1<br />Camp 2<br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ImXKJak1fVI/UBRW9TTiZ3I/AAAAAAAACIU/Wf6jVFTGWg0/res1343243266.638746.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">We started the day going up a small rise, then around a ridge past another camp and a few villages, then more upwards hiking, but not too bad. A delicious orange at the top-- its amazing how good fruit tastes when you're hot and thirsty! Along another mountain top then down around the ridge, across a creek then we stopped for a welcome swim. Big relief! A leisurely sit in the sun to dry off, then a pineapple snack before resuming walking. 1 hour more up a valley to the second camp (beds!). It had a lovely grass area (likely used as a helipad), and a convenient swimming spot. The further up we went, the cooler the pools and rivers got. Many rains upstream made the river quite full so only those who swam early got a dip. Our soup lunch was perfect for our appetite, then most of us were content to snooze all afternoon, especially when it rained. Camp 2 had no electricity so our 7pm dinner and chat about local tribal traditions was by candelight.<br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JiHDGxk12Vg/UBRW-qWeINI/AAAAAAAACIc/BlNhuY1gcxo/res1343243215.910645.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;"><br />Some interesting tribal traditions: <br />-A man marries an older woman with children and later chooses one of her daughters as 2nd wife (in theory it avoids conflict)<br />-A chief is usually born during a full moon and lives in a special house alone for 5 years as a rite of passage with no meat, salt, oil, etc<br />-Shamans make a coca leaves and shell mix as a drug for men which creates wild visions (likely toxic!)<br />-Marriages can end (separation) if it's not working<br />-Marriages are arranged by tribal elders after a girl's first menstruation and these husbands are much older than their wives<br />-They bury people under their houses, so the houses (like those in the Lost City) are sacred<br />-There are only 3 tribes in the Sierra Nevada, and they are all descendants of the lost Tayrona civilization. The Lost City is sacred to them. Tribes: Arsarios, Cogis, Arquaco <br />-The Cuidad Perdida was first built by a Tayrona tribe around 6 BC.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_Xe1Bly2PqM/UBRWyVXySOI/AAAAAAAACHk/sClSjAEix_0/res1343243328.413101.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">Day 3<br />Elevation: 700m to lunch to 1200m in lost city.<br />Walking time: 4 hours to Base camp. 1 hour up to lost city<br />Camp: in lost city<br /><br />We were up at 5.30 am to leave at 6 and started with and upward section, across a new suspension bridge (3 months old) then around a saddle. My favorite day of walking: 4 hours beautiful walk through fields and lovely forest, fording a river and bypassing the trail by going up the river. I sprained ankle very badly just before lunch camp. I had a swim in the river to bring down the swelling then Wilson taped it up and I hobbled up the steps 1 hour to the lost city itself, arriving around 3 pm. Many people were in the lunch camp ready to head down, but really this was the only contact with people not from our group in the whole 5 days. The stairs were incredibly intact after so many centuries, and there were lots of them (1200?). There was another river crossing (3 all day) before the stairs. I needed walking sticks to get across! <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w0acAR9Q4lo/UBRW1OaFpuI/AAAAAAAACHw/lsXur84b-eQ/res1343243516.441457.jpeg" align="right"><br /><div style="clear: both;"></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vLc3c5TZdB0/UBRW7O9b_wI/AAAAAAAACII/EZvAemG93Os/res1343243379.901611.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;"> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9i_ESJf9hgs/UBRWx0Ox1-I/AAAAAAAACHc/SXFYmx-oOFk/res1343243460.351370.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">The lost city itself had many circular areas of housing areas then more stairs. A main road of the city goes up along ridge, 3 stones wide. There was a Colombian Army camp in lost city and it was astounding to see people watch the Euro Football Cup finals at the top in the barracks! I enjoyed a snooze at 4 pm to help my ankle get a rest, then enjoyed some nuts and beer - the army's way of making some extra funds. Dinner was finished by 7pm so we moved on to rum, chatting, and a special local ankle treatment made from boiling dead/brown banana leaves up and getting a massage. The camp included a big frog and a friendly spoiled cat.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ld4nxsLLWZ4/UBRW0VtKPeI/AAAAAAAACHs/gHnoXHOjFEo/res1343243416.053286.jpeg" align="right">Day 4 <br />Elevation: 1200m to 700m<br />Walking time: 3 on site, 1 hour down, 4 hours out. Long day!<br />Camp: back to camp 2<br />I started the day with a scorpion sting! I grabbed my towel from the hook and he was hiding beside. If I am afraid of any creepy crawly, this would be it, only second to snakes. I woke the whole house up in my panic, and wondered if I would die. Our dear guides turned the room upside down to find him, then lopped off his head, slit its stomach open and rubbed the guts over my sore finger. The contents of its stomach negate the poison making only my hand hurt instead of my arm (and no taste on my tongue, either). Disaster averted. Miguel said if it'd been a black one, we might have been in a bit more trouble.<br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1cqIIkx6eIk/UBRXA9zWhMI/AAAAAAAACIk/HStuvHkrKD8/res1343280614.144121.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">We then had a 3-hour guided walk around site learning about how the huts were built, how the rocks were cracked using heat, the grave robbers history, etc. such an amazing place. Each circle, of which there were many, covered a family burial plot. 1 meter below was a small treasure, then a layer of coal, then another meter or so, and pots filled with more burial artifacts and a bigger treasure. Each dead person's soul was inside a statue of gold, explaing the drive of the grave robbers. Our guide, Wilson, who has been guiding people to the lost city for 20 years or so, explained that each circle with a tree was one the grave robbers had not gotten to, and was currently unexcavated. There was some government excavation in the 80s, but the traditional people were upset at what they saw as the souls being removed from their resting place and put in prisons (museums). They protested the excavations so all were stopped. Future excavations are still under negotiation. The Tayrona descendants would like to bury the gold unearthed in a secret location but whether they would allow archaeologists to document it first is just one of the issues being discussed. Several other old Tayrona sites exist but are closed to visitors, including one high above the snow line built after the Tayrona were beginning to fear Spanish encroachment.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MuygjyTSrjU/UBRW6GLWGoI/AAAAAAAACIE/Qor6dP6NEu4/res1343280645.061423.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;">We then had 1 hour down the steps, a quick stop for lunch, no time for a swim. It was 3 1/2 hours along the ridge and down, across the swinging bridge and along river past a camp to the friendly spacious camp of 2 nights before. Rain started so it was very muddy and slippery, so slow going. Definitely not a good hiking day.<br /><br />Day 5<br />Elevation: 700m to 100m<br />Walking time: 4-6 hours all the way out<br />Camp: None<br /><br />Up at 5am for one of the longest days: Two major uphills to get all the way out. It wasn't as tough going as I thought it would be. We stopped briefly for a swim and a break half way through, but lunch was not till the end. I think I made it in 5 hours? Not bad for stopping to film an ant march and for having a sprained ankle. Such a feeling of accomplishment, and a beautiful journey to an amazing historical place. No comparing or judging, just enjoyment.<br /><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1KIUAIGlnac/UBRXStyutyI/AAAAAAAACI8/xPLaV9ryUBQ/res1343243585.239368.jpeg" align="left" style="margin-right:25px;"><div style="clear: both;"></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><br /><i>Posted via <a href="http://www.draftcraftapp.com">DraftCraft app</a></i></body></html>Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15130087.post-54448607053254515852012-07-09T16:16:00.001+02:002012-07-18T01:02:59.266+02:00Testing Blog Ap<html><body>Since I'm on the road with only my phone and Ipad, so I'm posting using only those and have found quite a few hiccups in terms of uploading photos and HTML formatting. Blogger only has an ap for the iphone so quite a few limitations with it, sadly. I am posting this post with another ap, and then I'll go to the paid aps. Let's try a photo:<div style="clear: both;"></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z-BXsIsFMVU/T_rnxqONwMI/AAAAAAAAB54/4rehjy4jjgs/res1341843212.190722.jpeg" style="display: block; margin: 0 auto;"><div style="clear: both;"></div>I like the resize ability and I can move it side to side, but whether or not I can add a label to it or to wrap text around it I can't see. Since it isn't connecting to blogger yet, it also can't access photos from the other blog. Bummer. Ok. Time to post. Let's see how it looks. (This was posted with DraftCraft Free, which it turns out, only gives you 10 free posts-boo!)<div style="clear: both;"></div></body></html>Natalya Marquandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14346107423803478723noreply@blogger.com0