Crafty Monkey at the Beach Garden Office entry into Shed of the Year 2015

Posted by chrissyjbrown on February 24, 2016
Posted in: Shed Times. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

craftymonkeyatthebeach compilation

So last year I decided to buy a Dunster House log cabin to put in my back yard as I desperately needed an office for my business Crafty Monkey…it was just intended to be an office but the problem with me is that I don’t often do things by halves and once the creative juices took over it became so much more…

While in the midst of constructing it I read an article on She Sheds which had a link to Reader Sheds Shed of the Year so I decided to enter just for fun! It was half finished when writing the entry and the closing date looming gave me the determination to get it finished.

Well you’ll need to read my other blog about what happened after I entered but for now here is my very, very, very long entry! Good luck and have a look at my other shed blog posts to see pictures!

 

THE ENTRY:

Hello my name is Chrissy and I’ve become a ‘Shedaholic’!

I’m a newbie to shed life, in fact I’m very green as the outside is still being constructed as I type – just shingles to be put on one half of the roof and then the outside trim to do before complete, oh and then the beach style steps up to it and I will then need to totally recreate the garden to fit around what is rapidly taking over my life, so quite a bit still to do but yes my “She Shed” has quickly become my obsession and I have totally fallen in love with what has become my sanctuary at the bottom of my smallish garden.

Once inside I am transported to a happy, calm and uplifting space, blinkering out the fact I am actually situated mid terrace in a town with houses all around me. Instead, I step inside and am now at the beach listening to the crashing waves and tasting the salty air on my lips with the sun beating down and all the stresses are draining away – yes I do have a good imagination! I’m not much for urban these days and am happiest in rural settings. I love nature and I love rustic and I especially love the coast however when you live in Cambridgeshire it’s not always practical to go to the beach so I’ve managed to recreate the feeling of being at the beach in my new log cabin!

Not only has a lot of love, sweat and tears been poured into the creation of my new found space but I’ve tried to incorporate important parts of my life into the place.

I started by whitewashing the walls (have loved the whitewash effect after living in California for a year in the early 90’s) and in general feel white gives the impression of more space. White also creates a blank canvas ready for me to put my mark on the place. I am minded however that too much white may appear like an asylum which some days is where I feel I belong so maybe it’s quite apt but I decided to break the white up a bit by painting the beams blue to go with the exterior of the cabin. I had set out to do it out shabby chic/vintage stylee and was originally thinking of painting the beams pink but after a few stokes of my brush with the blue my creative flair just took over and I remembered I had a 3 part canvas under my bed of a beach scene that I bought in a sale years ago – I just had to have it as got it for a steal and when I look at it I’m transported there in my mind but is it a bargain when the only place you can put it is under the bed? I had no suitable place to put it but couldn’t throw it out hoping one day I would make use of it but nowhere ever seemed suitable until NOW! I rushed up stairs and pulled it from under my bed, dust everywhere and held it against the back wall of my cabin – Eureka! That was the moment it all clicked into place and the picture became a cornerstone – I knew that my new found space was to become my very own beach hut. It made perfect sense and just suits me down to the ground. I am a well seasoned traveller and over the years have backpacked to so many continents and countries and know I am my happiest with the sound of the waves crashing into the shore, sand between the toes, the saltiness of the wind rushing through my hair, time drifting by beach combing, the warmth of the sun soaking into my skin and up at the crack or dawn for walks on the beach watching the change of colours in the sky as the sun comes up or goes down – yes it makes perfect sense that I have a little bit of the beach in my back yard! In fact I find it difficult to visit the beach and not come away with a special little shell or polished looking stone which have always looked a bit out of place in my house but now I have a place to keep these little mementos of happy memories and have my collection of shells, coral, small bits of driftwood, stones etc from all the different places around the world I’ve visited.

I then went through the house picking out items that would fit into my new beach themed office and was actually astounded by how many things would fit perfectly in there so in they went. I also had lots of stuff in my garage that I’ve held on for years, how could I possibly throw it out as ‘one day I may need it’ – other people may call it junk and call me a hoarder (a trait I can thank my parents for) but at last I have found a use for these things – one example being two pine shelves which I must have had for near on 20 years and still in wrapper that I picked up from a car boot and are very dated now (I used to be a sucker for a good car boot bargain whether I needed it or not!). Anyway, a bit of white wash later and they make the perfect new home for more things I had cluttering up the house! Or the wooden box that I picked up from the tip for a fiver many moons ago (how many people do you know who go to the tip with an empty car and come home with a full one?!), I love this wooden box that’s been in my life a long time and has weathered with me but it recently got kicked out of pride of place as a coffee table in the living room when I got new furniture and was residing at the end of the bed in a spare room. Alas,it’s now once again enjoying the spotlight in my shed. All it needed to fit in was an old brown stripy mat I had wasting away in the garage and a few seat cushions to make it into a seating area and great storage for a blow up bed and bedding for when I want to spend a night at the beach – just because I can! I love camping and sleeping outdoors and now I can glamp in my back garden! Bonus!

My project has really given me a sense of fulfilment and I feel great as not only have I decluttered my house and garage making areas feel a lot more spacious but I’ve kitted out my beach hut without having to spend a penny! Yes, you may have picked up that I’m a frugal sort. I learnt it from my dad who made all sorts of contraptions out of junk, I remember he once made a conservatory for the grand total of ﾣ5, picking up free double glazing and even got old car seats for 50p from an auction. Believe it or not it’s still standing – Just!

Now for the next bit – moving the office in! Ummm…here I hit a stumbling block! Hold on a minute, I’ve just created this lovely calm space and now I have to ruin it by a boring looking imposing desk and having big ugly files staring at me from all angels. How could I possibly do this, it would take up way too much space and ruin the vibe! I seriously started contemplating keeping my office up in the small room which is a bit insane considering I bought it to be an office! On the verge of despair creativity hit again…

While not wanting to ruin this Zen-like calm and tranquil atmosphere, and wanting to also put my stamp on my space, I was scouring ebay for a more suitable looking desk that would fit in more with the new environment – I currently had a boring looking big desk, beach coloured veneer, you know the type, the sturdy standard desks you find in most offices around the world, not offensive in the slightest but they are just there and do nothing for me. However, nothing was hitting me in the face and I’m not one for waste or detaching myself from things plus the desk was a decent size and very practical so I decided I would give it a chance and upcycle by decoupaging it with past memories. I set about getting together all those old bits of paper, tickets, bank notes from all over the world that I had left over (only small denominations before you plan on raiding me) and things that I can never throw out as they have sentimental value yet all they do is clutter up the place. I also have the very first bible that I was given as a nipper that has always been very special to me and also my first ever world atlas where as a kid I would open it up and the pages would spring alive. I’d be intrigued and daydream about visiting all the far flung places in the world not knowing that at a later date I would. Both travel and the bible are big parts of my life so it seemed fitting that I set about ripping them up and sticking them onto my desk! I did find this hard however as have a big respect for books so ripping up a bible did feel a tad wrong and the ultimate sacrilege but I justified it by the knowledge that this way I get to see them every day rather than once in a blue moon. Within the desk montage of memories, I have part of the letter from the NBMXA (National BMX Association) where I was ranked no 2 nationally back in the 80’s, I have an excerpt of the book I got from University which lists me achieving my first class honours degree (another important achievement) and other poignant moments of my life. Oh and of course I had to use some old Beano comics I found to cover the legs of the desk and drawers as another reminder of my childhood. Would have liked a bit of Smash Hits too and New Internationalist which I subscribed to at the age of 13 but I’m way to impatient to seek them out! The beauty is it can be added later but happy to give Jackie a miss though as that is a tad embarrasing! Yes you could say I live in the past, holding onto all those precious childhood memories! But hey, it worked, my desk certainly doesn’t look boring and I wondered if I’d gone a bit too far when I realised it would now be a mission to locate anything on it! Oh well I love it and will be too busy flitting in and out of daydreams about the good old days when I see the reminders of parts of my life all over the desk! In between being very productive at work of course!

Now to do something about those ugly files which unfortunately are needed in most offices! I had a couple of cheap pine untreated shelving units, one which I’d whitewashed back in the 90’s which has moved with me all over the place, and another one bare pine which soon got the white wash treatment and I managed to cleverly position them so that all I needed to do was cover the back of one of the units to hide all the unsightly files when sat in my calm chair. I found some cheap straw cladding used for fences and with glue gun in hand I set about uniting the unit and the straw (along with a chunk of skin from my elbow!) further adding to the beach effect! I had now created a filing area where I could also put my paints and brushes neatly creating a multi-purpose space, office and painting studio to the left and sanctuary to the right!

So far I haven’t mentioned what I do. I run a pottery painting, build a bear and craft studio called Crafty Monkey which is based in the local town (hence me having Charlie the Crafty Monkey, one of the build a bears, sat in the corner), I desperately wanted to find new premises for the business last year as it’s grown and I really needed my own office. Finding a new location that met with my stringent criteria proved hopeless so I had to change the plan and decided to have the office at home. I have girls who work in the shop which frees me up to work from home where I can get more done but now I can work from the beach (well in my head!) and I’ve created the perfect space for painting up samples and commission pieces! Bringing me to my next bit…

So I hear you gasp ‘you run a pottery painting business yet there’s nothing related to this in your space’. Well the reason for this is purely due to time, while I have samples in the studio that would fit in perfectly, I need to keep those for customers to see and I’ve literally only had it built a week or so ago and all my time has been spent painting the thing inside and out while also trying to get work done – yes I do keep having to remind myself I have a business that won’t run itself! I didn’t want to rush it but I am planning on painting a plaque for the outside saying ‘Crafty Monkey HQ, The Beach Hut’ or words to that effect with a beach scene as the back drop. I also need to paint up my ‘She Shed – Men allowed by appointment only!’ plaque as my partner seems to think it would be a great place to enjoy evenings in with friends (I may be generous and give him a few passes seeing as he helped me paint the outside and has to endure my obsession for it). I also have some pottery beach huts I want to paint up and lots and lots of more ideas for the place but I’m minded I don’t want to over fill the space and for now I need to concentrate on the outside and have great plans for garden: I want to make garden furniture out of all the pallets I get from deliveries to my studio and I want to make a table out of old apple crates, I want to put lights around my pagoda and so much more – the ideas keep flowing…

There’s also still a few jobs to do inside – paint the cork board white, get a round coir style mat for the seating area, a chair for the desk (my dining room chair is in there temporarily while I scour ebay for probably a wicker style chair) and a basket to put shoes in that will house flip flops to wear for me and for guests! I also have a love of photography so a few images i’ve taken of beaches and boats from around the world will no doubt surface adding more to the memories. Oh and I’d best get some electricity sorted too as at the moment I’m running an extension lead from the house.

I apologise for my verbal diarrhoea but I am head over heels in love with my new found shed!

To finish, I would just like to thank Cupronil for producing coastal mist and daisy white, without which it would not be what it is!

I would say The End but it’s just the beginning…

After visiting my accountant in his garden office I instantly had shed envy and knew I had to get a garden office despite the fact my garden is not very big. All logic went out of the window, I just had to have one and when I get this feeling I don’t stop until it happens! I set about researching log cabins, starting off looking for the cheapest one I could find and was looking at second hand ones (I love a bargain) but then considered the time it would take to dismantle then scratch your head trying to work out what bit goes where when home and thought it actually is not probably going to be cost effective. I also thought spending a bit more for a better quality one (slow grown spruce, thicker walls, floor and ceiling, insulation and double glazing) would actually pay off in the long term so I popped along to Dunster House to take a look and walked out of there as a brand new owner of a 5x3m log cabin! A few weeks later all the bits were in my back garden waiting to be put together and the rest as they say is history!

I actually set out to move my office from the smallest bedroom in the house to a larger area but what I have in fact done is create an oasis of calm and a place for escapism in a hectic world. Who would have thought a home office could be such a place. Also the project has also given me my mojo back, I was just trundling along in life and had got a bit lazy but this project has reignited me and got me off my backside and out in the elements getting lovely paint streaks in my hair and creating great tribal war paint all over my body, broken nails to boot and rashes on hands from wood preservative! It’s reawakened my creativity with new ideas buzzing around my head and in the mornings I can’t wait to get up at the crack of dawn (I’m not joking, I’m a bit of an insomniac) to work on and in my beautiful new haven!

Shed life – you can’t knock it!

Crafty Monkey at the Beach WINS Garden Office Category in 2015 Shed of the Year!

Posted by chrissyjbrown on February 24, 2016
Posted in: Shed Times. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

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Whoop Whoop!  Crafty Monkey at the Beach has won the category of Garden Office Shed of the Year!

What a fun experience and who would have thought when I first had the idea of getting a garden office that I would be appearing on Channel 4’s ‘Amazing Spaces’ presented by the lovely George Clarke! Not me!

Basically I was one of the last entrants into 2015 Shed of the Year and because my shed was effectively a flat pack (well not quite) log cabin from Dunster House I didn’t really think it was as inventive as some of the entrants where they had made their sheds from scratch from all manner of materials or they had a real uniqueness about them such as a shed built onto the back of a truck or a shed that was made to float down the river or perhaps the owl house, one of my faves!  So when I received the phone call to say I had made it through to the final 4 in my category and I was invited down to the final I was over the moon.

The winner of each category was to be decided by public vote so I took to social media to try and rally votes from friends and the local community.  I was overwhelmed by the support I received.  I  had BBC Radio Cambridgeshire who sent a roving reporter Johnny around to interview me in my shed and related the story back to the lovely Dotty McLeod on her Breakfast Show in the studio.  He was great fun and when he spotted our Sinclair C5 in the garden he also interviewed me for that – being 30 years since they were born!

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I also appeared in the St. Neots local rag The Hunts Post and also in the Cambridge Evening News (see below pic). All the media interest was all very exciting and off the back of all this it seemed that ‘She Shed’s’ (shed’s owned by women) were flavour of the month.  ITV contacted me and came and filmed for a pilot show presented by the lovely Davina McCall as they were doing a feature on She Shed’s, we even got to go down to the studio in London and I met the lovely lady in the flesh!

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It was then time for the next stage in the competition and for the final of Shed of the Year to be filmed.  We went down the night before and were put up by Plum Pictures in a hotel in Maidenhead and then taken to the filming location the next day where we met all the other weird and wonderful sheddies and the judges and crew, not forgetting the lovely George Clarke and Mr Shed himself Uncle Wilko!

A lorra lorra fun was had as we rehearsed our oooooh’s and arrrrr’s and our applause ready for the finalists to be revealed!  My category Garden Office was pretty much at the end of the day…cue George Clarke ‘And the winner is….’  Yeay!  ‘Crafty Monkey at the Beach’ and a curtain fell down to reveal an artist impression of my shed!  I was actually speechless which for those that know me will find that hard to believe but I was a bit lost for words and thrilled to have won the plaque for my shed.

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This is the winners plaque!

Who would have thought a shed could bring so much joy!

Check out my other blog posts on my Crafty Monkey at the Beach entry and also Danny’s Beach Bar which was my next shed project!

 

L’Oreal Infallible Nail Varnish

Posted by chrissyjbrown on February 18, 2016
Posted in: Product Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Ooooh…very exciting to receive a mystery package in the post when you are not expecting it, well really I should have been expecting it as I’d signed up to receive one but when you lead a busy life and you don’t have age on your side then some things easily ship the mind!

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Woo Hoo it’s here!

Meet Infallible 2-step, the first long-lasting, 2 step nail polish from L’Oréal Paris that lasts up to 12 days. Gives a high shine, inspired by a salon gel manicure.

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Now it’s time to try it out and review! 🙂

Pause while I try it out, take some pics then wait a couple of days before writing the review – after all I need to see how it fares!

And the review is in…

Lovely flawless, glassy finish and great colour!

I’ve just been lucky to try out the new Infallible nail polish from L’Oreal – they believe in their product so much they sent it me for free in the hope I will review it. Luckily their faith in the nail polish was not misplaced.

Firstly, I need to explain that I am by no means a connoisseur of nail polish and I rarely wear it on my finger nails. I generally wear it on my toenails as whenever I’ve had a manicure or applied polish myself to my finger nails it usually chips in the first hour. I recently had a shellac manicure that are almost guaranteed for 3 weeks – mine lasted just short of a week and left my finger nails in a sorry state and very dry – apparently you’re not supposed to peel it off as it wreaks your nails (I can now see what they mean but hindsight is a beautiful thing!). Anyway what I am trying to get across is I am applying this new polish to wreaked fingernails so perhaps I’m not the best model and I just feel it’s important to explain this as I don’t have bog standard normal nails thus take my comments on lastability with a pinch of salt as it won’t be down to this particular product but down to my nails aversion to polish and the sorry state my nails are in after my recent shellac!

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Right now I’ve explained that I can now get on to review this polish and to save you the trauma of having to read through my ramble I will be kind and try and be succinct and bullet point the plus’s and negatives:

Plus points:

  • It goes on so lovely and smoothly with great coverage. With one coat the colour is a bit brighter and more of a red colour but with the 2nd coat the coverage give a fabulous solid deep burgundy colour and it looks so smooth, flawless and shiny like glass.
  • It’s pretty quick to dry which is good for me as I don’t have a lot of patience.
  • I liked the fact the two bottles can be pulled out so they are easier to use and apply (bit hard to explain what I mean here)
  • Loved loved loved the colour!

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(I’m obviously not the best in the world at applying nail varnish!)

Negatives:

  • I just received the nail polish system with no outer packaging thus no instructions however I guess most people know how to use nail polish. I applied two coats of the polish and then one of the top coat but maybe I was supposed to do more than one of the top coat? And how long was I supposed to wait in between coats?
  • OK so the polish lasted a bit longer than other polishes on my hands but by the next day it had all gone but once I got a chip in it I then set about peeling it off so maybe if I didn’t pick at it it would last longer! On the plus side it was easier to peel off than other polishes – as I say take this with a pinch of salt as this happens with any varnish I use and the shellac only lasted a week. My toenails however do not have this problem and the colour is still going strong on them with no chips at all and it’s been several days and I’d expect it will last until it grows out. (Update: it’s now been on for a couple of weeks with no chips and still beautiful and shiny :)). I would take a picture to show you but I wouldn’t want to put anyone off by my trotters!

Overall verdict:

On the whole I really liked this product and recommend it. I really love the colour but also the flawless, glass like finish it gives off and it applied so easily, while the lastability on my fingernails could be seen as a let down for me it would be the perfect polish to use for a night out as it came off nicely (again I stress I’m sure it would last the normal length of time on normal nails as it’s great on my toenails!). I would definitely recommend this product!

Bzz Agent Product Reviews

Posted by chrissyjbrown on February 18, 2016
Posted in: Product Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Oooooh…while browsing my Facebook page recently I saw a friends post saying that she had signed up to the Bzz Agent website to review products. Being partial to the freebie I thought I would pop on over to the website and have a quick browse.  Yep, it all seemed pretty legit so I signed up and answered various surveys – all pretty short and they are designed to find out more about you so they can offer you relevant products. The more surveys you answer, the more your score increases and what do points make?  Yes, you got it prizes!  Once I’d created a profile and taken as many surveys as I could there was nothing left to do but sit back and wait.

Within a few days I got the email offering me the chance to sign up to a new product to trial and in return they just wanted me to write a review on what I thought of the product.  They are also insistent that they want you to write an honest review so if you really didn’t like it then to say so.  Of course I signed up straight away as didn’t want to miss out on the chance and within a few days I got a lovely little package through the post of infallible nail polish from L’Oreal (see review) to trial.

Try out I did and I then spent about 15 mins writing a review – all very straightforward to do.  A few days later I had an email from BzzAgent saying they rated my review as exceptional and my points increased some more! The idea is the more points you get the more products you’ll be picked to try out.

I am now waiting for the next available campaign – I did get offered one the other day but by the time I responded the campaign was full.

Anyway overall my dealings with BzzAgent have been very favourable and I’m looking forward to reviewing more products which I will also review on this blog site so look out for products reviews of all sorts of weird and wonderful products!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiji: A taste of tropical paradise, 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on March 31, 2008
Posted in: Around the world trip. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 12 Comments

Life is easy

Imagine it now…

Lying in a hammock with the late afternoon sun casting coconut palm shadows over where white sandy beaches meet pristine water with a spectrum of reds and oranges alighting the clear blue skies with awesome sunsets…

Well folks that’s where I’ve been.

After flying from the cooler climes of Auckland to Fiji,  I spent a day on the mainland in the grotty town of Nandi before experiencing my first ever flight aboard a seaplane in search of a paradise island.  I sat next to the pilot, riding shotgun, in the 6 seater low flying vessel. The views were spectacular, abundant corral reef arranged in an array of colours of the sea, crystal clear turquoise waters through to deep blues.  Out of the water emerge volcanic islands with idylic white sanded beaches.  The movies ‘Castaway’, ‘Blue Lagoon’ and ‘Robinson Crusoe’ all filmed on various islands here.

View from seaplane

Loving the seaplane!

I land down onto the island of Nacula, part of the Yasawa group. Luckily this island has not yet appeared in the Lonely Planet thus tourism is pretty low key here and it’s negative effects on the land and locals have not yet reared their ugly heads.  Staying in Bures (grass huts), no mod cons and limited electricity – just the good old simple life.

The bure, just a hop and skip away from the sea!

Lots of relaxing, snorkelling around the Blue Lagoon, walking and spending time in the local village.  I made friends with a couple of the local families and get invited to Sunday lunch at both houses.  Not wanting to be rude I accept both offers – a bit of a struggle but I managed.

The locals

I also had the experience of trying kava, the local drink.  Kava looks disgusting and guess what?  It tastes disgusting too!  But I think the reason it is drank is more for its narcotic effects rather than the taste.  Anyway, it’s not really my cup of kava but the locals seem to love it.

This is Kava – never again!

It has to be said that the Fijian people are one of the friendliest races I have come across.  Yep, even friendlier than Kiwi’s, if that’s possible.

Now back on the mainland staying by the beach brushing up on the tan after losing it in NZ.  One more day here then off to try my hand at hula dancin’ in the land of Honolulu.  I will be transported back in time as my flight arrives the day before I depart.  All too complicated for me.

Oh, and for all those altruistic types that like to do their bit for charity, I have set up my own charity. It’s the CBIGF – “The Chrissy Brown International Globetrotting Fund”, donations graciously appreciated! 😉 No, I haven’t quite got to that stage yet but Canada and the US are on the way and money is running low.  Good job I only have 8 weeks left really!

‘til next time…

Western Australia: March/April 2005

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Western Australia – my kind of place

Another epic!  Believe it or not some people like to read them or at least they tell me they do!  Yep, mad I know but sending it to all so you have the option.  For those that delete now I’m back this Sunday, back at work Monday – Gutted!

It just keeps getting better!  Western Australia (WA) – the biggest state covering 1/3 of Australia’s landmass yet only holding 1/10 of the population, 2/3 of which live in Perth and the surrounds.  All facts and figures until you travel a big chunk of the 5000km coastline and realization dawns of how impossible it is to comprehend the size and emptiness of WA.  It really is the remote wild west in parts and I have been witness to some of the most awesome spots of sheer beauty in the world which more than made up for the fact I was sitting on a small coach with a load of fellow backpackers!

Despite the fact I’m like a duck to water when it comes to the world of backpacking, I was not looking forward to the whole ‘tour’ experience.  My ideal mode of travel would have been on a motorbike or in a 4wd with a friend however I’m yet to make my fortune to allow such extravagancies!  Determined to sit on the bus and be absorbed by my own little world and having minimal contact with fellow passengers I score a great seat at the front thus a great view.  However, within the first minute my plan rapidly erodes as I become the tour guide and DJ all in one and everyone knows my name!  How did that happen?  Ummm…let me see…the cunning driver, preoccupied with finding his way as it was his first day on the job, bribed me with a 4ltr cask of cheap and nasty wine to read the commentary in his tour guide as we went along.  I don’t even like cask wine but somehow I reasoned with myself that wine is wine (I was so wrong!).   So much for my anonymity everyone kept asking me questions after that assuming I was a fountain of knowledge!  I soon caved in and became my usual social self and made lots of new friends.The 10 days spent traveling up the coast was one of the best trips I’ve done and no way can mere words describe the grandness and the natural beauty of the diverse region therefore, you will be pleased to hear, I’m not even going to attempt to.  Additionally, I am minded of the length of my last email so am trying to keep this one brief (Yeah, fat chance that will happen!).  Instead I will list the highlights:The sunsets – every night on the West coast varying from soft pastel hues to bright red, vivid orange, purples etc. A great way to end the day!

Awesome sunsets

The stars – southern hemisphere skies are superb, especially when your in the outback where there’s not a lot of lighting.

Driving through miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of nothingness, long straight roads where only occasionally you may pass a car or truck, the further north you go the redder and more barren the land becomes.  I just love the feeling of space and quite often it could be 2-300km between road houses, let alone small towns!  So remote – Bliss!

The WA outback

Kangaroos – everywhere!  After about 4pm they are out in full force and seem to enjoy playing the game of chicken and quite often ending up as road kill!  At one campsite a lady had a couple of Joey’s whose mothers had become road kill.  I attempted to steal the cutie but didn’t get away with it!

They are everywhere

The Pinnicles Desert situated in the Nambung National park – a unique natural attraction of thousands of phallic shaped limestone mounds standing upright in the sand, some measuring a few meters for as far as the eye can see.  Very bizarre!

After the Pinicles we stopped for lunch on a beach in the middle of nowhere and I wonder off and find a jetty where I venture to the end of it, lay down and was so relaxed I fell asleep, on awaking I realise I’m supposed to have met back at the bus half an hour earlier and when I got there everyone is on the bus waiting for me!  Ooops!

Kalbari Gorges – magnificent and the bright red limestone rocks reminded me a lot of Kings Canyon near Uluru.  We climbed down and up one gorge, scrambling up and down massive rocks.  I even did a bit of abseiling and was brave (or stupid) enough to do an abseil face first!!!  Very scary when the rock is a flat face and all there is is down!!! But alas I live to tell the tale.  Unfortunately, my photos did not!

Shark bay world heritage region – I don’t need to explain why I wasn’t too keen on swimming here.  At one lookout, at least 100m up, we look around the bay and the water is so clear we spot many sharks in the water. We later went to Shell beach which as the name describes is made up totally of tiny shells.  The beach is idyllic looking, literally blinding white while the sea turquoise and very clear and while lying in the water someone in our group spotted a reef shark not too far away!  Hardly the size of Jaws or worth worrying about but still I don’t like the thought of sharing the water with sharks.

Shell Beach – Blinding!

Monkey Mia – no monkeys but plenty of dolphins that swim up to the shore and come within a few inches of you!  Truly magical!  Altogether 10 dolphins were there at the same time.

Monkey Mia – no monkey’s to be seen!

Coral bay – so nice here I stop off for a couple of days.  Ningaloo reef is only 10ft from the shore and in my books is a much better reef than the Great Barrier.  I contemplated going on a trip where you go out to sea and snorkel with whale sharks – they are huge some reaching 8 meters, however it was over 150 quid and I ended up getting a quad bike and sped around the dunes and went snorkeling from deserted beaches further north seeing some amazing underwater life.  Massive stingrays, turtles and a large variety of tropical fish.  Sunsets were spent on the beach having a few drinks with my newly found friends.

Coral Bay – loving the reef

Karijini National Park – yet more stunning gorges, but they differed to Kalbarri.  Again climbing up and down, under and over rocks to get to beautiful pools with waterfalls where you can dive in for a refreshing swim – only mind the pythons!  I spotted quite a big one in one gorge and my fear of snakes after seeing one got in the way of me fully relaxing in the pool!  Especially after Carl the driver said last time he was there a massive one was swimming around! Thanks Carl.

Karijini National Park

80 mile beach – self explanatory, white sands, pale blue sea, very wild, very long! Love it!

80 Mile Beach – Yes please!

Broome – did I mention the temperature has been steadily increasing on the journey up the coast starting around 28 degrees and now reaching over 40 degrees and quite humid!  A big night on the beers was had the night before I left and I nearly died struggling in that heat with a banging hangover and no air conditioning!  You jump into the pool or sea expecting relief only to find the water is bloody hot!  The cold water in the shower is hot!  You just can’t win!  Unfortunately, cold beer is one of the few things that’s cold and refreshing so it all ended in tears.  Broome is surprisingly small and it was quite bizarre when I left the hostel for the airport – a journey on foot of about 5 mins.  It’s literally right in town.

A typical Broom sunset

An uneventful flight later I’m back in Perth for some relief from the heat and am welcomed back in the land of luxury at my friends house.  The next day was spent doing as little as possible until the evening when we set off for our trip down South.  Before exiting Perth we go to Kings Park to eat our takeaway Thai’s.  4km sq of parkland high up on the western edge of the city overlooking the lit up city and Swan river which is more the size of a very large estury, a very nice spot with great views.

View of Perth from Kings Park

We then head for my friends beach house about 90 km out of Perth near to a holiday spot called Mandurrah.  I’m up at the crack of dawn on the beach to see the sun rise.  Despite now being on the West coast I still enjoy the light reflecting off the clouds and take in the sound of the ocean crashing into shore.  Not a bad way to wake up and gather ones thoughts.  About 150 photos later I go back to the house for breakfast which started healthy but soon deteriorated into eating Lamingtons with cream and Mum’s home made cake which became our staple diet – my friends insisted we were on holiday thus had to eat junk and lots of!

After breakfast we take the boat down to the water for our trip around the estury and in and around the housing estate where magnificent large houses have the water as their back yard complete with nice boats and moorings!  This seriously is a nice lifestyle to have.  Not only that but dolphins I’m told quite often are sighted swimming around and I was not disappointed when we spotted two which we followed around for a bit before stopping off at a park where we had a good old Australian Barbie and some of my new fave beer to wash it down.  Pure Blonde is the latest attempt from Carlton & United Beverages to crack the so-called “health-conscious” beer drinkers’ market. (Notice I didn’t say “female beer drinkers”, although that’s presumably the main target for this “low-carb” brew.) With 20 percent less carbohydrates than standard, full-strength beer, Pure Blonde promises to keep you slimmer (apparently) without wimping out completely and drinking light beer.  Not only that but it tastes great and still maintains a good % alcohol content. Well I’m sold by the idea!

Mundurah Marina

Back on the boat and I’m put in charge and drive it all the way home – so much fun – I want one!  We later leave the beach house to head further south to another beach house at Eagle Bay in the Margaret River region, famed for it’s wines but there’s also some pretty awesome surf beaches and coast line.  On arrival we make it down to the beach for the sunset with fine Margaret river wine (no more cask wine for me), cheese and biscuits – how refined I’ve become!  The next day we attack a fair few of the abundance of wineries for free wine tastings, we are obviously selective and visit the best.  Lunchtime is spent at the brewery to break up the wine drinking by sampling beer!

Vineyards galore at Margaret River 🙂
G’day Bruce!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The countryside down south is far removed in many ways from up north.  The climate is much cooler and if you take away the orange soil, kangaroos hopping around, beautiful coastlines, vinyards and karri trees, you would not be mocked for comparing it to the countryside to England.

On our way back to Perth, we stop for a stroll along the Busselton Jetty.  Claimed to be the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere and at 2km long I am not about to argue with that.  Such a picturesque place and there’s even an aquarium at the end of the slender jetty.

The day after returning to Perth we take a trip out to Rottnest Island, roughly a half hour fast ferry ride.  Only workers there are allowed to live on the island and visitors are forbidden from using cars thus cycling is the mode of transport.  What a great day cycling around the coastline and inland to the salt pools and old colonial buildings and barracks as this island was once home to the army.  Snorkelling here was great and at one site I felt I was in the middle of a giant fishbowl with fish all around. I’m not about to say how stunning the beaches were and how clear and a gorgeous colour the sea was for fear of repetition but I never cease to appreciate such things.   The day passed far too quickly and I could have easily stayed in one of the holiday homes for a long time however the sights of Perth were calling!

Cycling around Rottnest Island

Next day I’m taken to a couple of pubs in Cottlesoe beach and onto Fremantle which is a great place to eat fish and seafood!  Unreal!  I was also taken to Little Creatures, a brewery kind of pub thing by the water, I loved it there so much I even bought the t-shirt!  Yesterday, we went into the city and surrounds and did Kings Park by day which is a completely different experience to night.

 

Little Creatures Brewery, Freemantle – Tres cool!

Today I will probably head into the city again for a touch of window shopping as there’s no way I could possibly fit anymore stuff into my bags and then to the beach for my last chance of rays!  I keep telling the girls they have to start taking me to horrible places so I won’t mind going home so much but they told me the only horrible place they could think of was the airport and they would take me there Tomorrow!

Thus, alas the day is looming closer and tomorrow will be my last supper (in Australia for now!) before I board that big bird in the sky for the mammoth journey home.  That’s if I am allowed on the plane as the girls have planned a big day out for me, starting off at the Vic pub for drinks and lunch, then to an Aussie rules football game, one of the girls knows a few of the Carlton players so we’re invited to some party thing, then they want to show me a few more pubs before rocking up at the airport at 11pm!  Well, I’ve got to make the most of my last moments.  Besides, I should have drunk myself sober by then hopefully!  Then back to reality for me!  It’s a cruel world at times.

Zimbabwe to Capetown on an Overland Truck: February 2003

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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Yep, I’m still alive and well in Zimbabwe and for those wondering I’ve seen no sign of political unrest.  I think people here are more concerned with the rapidly deteriorating economy that has resulted in food and fuel shortages and insane inflation.  Queues for bread, milk, etc are a common sight and then rationed when you finally reach the end of it!  A four hour queue for petrol (if you can find it) is the norm and things are getting quite desperate for many.  This is the story for many and it makes me feel uncomfortable when I have not gone hungry but landed into the lap of luxury.

fueltotal

I have been staying with a really lovely Zimbabwean family who have adopted me and can’t do enough for me.  I have been living the life of a queen with a plate sized steak for breakfast! The neighbourhood they live in resembles Beverly Hills, very nice indeed and their large house is complete with maid and gardener.  I made the mistake of thinking the dogs were pets and went to stroke one but soon realised after he took a chunk out of my leg that they are in fact guard dogs!  I even have  my own personal chauffeur called William at my disposal to take me where my heart desires – which was straight to the poorer area’s of town to see how the majority live.

After Fedelis, the head of the family who works for Barclays Bank sorted me out with some black market money (an exchange rate of $1000 Zim dollars to $1 US, compared to a bank rate of $50 Zim to $1 US), I hit the streets of Harare with his daughter Vari to hunt out some bargains.  It wasn’t long before I got back into the swing of bartering and was procuring some heafty discounts, paying 40%  of the asking price.  The locals were asking Vari where I had learnt to bargain so well and were impressed.  I then got a bit of a guilt complex, realising that these people depend on tourism which is sparse at the moment and needed the money to buy food so got far too carried away trying to give everyone a bit of business at fairer prices and ended up adding an extra 17KG to my already heavy load!  I could open a shop with the amount of stuff I have bought and this is just the start of my trip!

A day of shopping and touring the local attractions such as the Balancing Rocks was followed by a day out of town at a game park and what a great day it was.  I was the only tourist there which, while fantastic for me, was quite bad for the tourism trade.  Due to the troubles in Zimbabwe tourists have been warned to stay away – obviously that doesn’t stop me though.  We managed to get up close to many wild animals that you could only see in Zoo’s in the UK.  Such a wide assortment. My finger was a bit too trigger happy and I was shooting film like it was going out of fashion.  Opening my window to get a better shot was probably not the brightest of idea’s but actually getting out of the truck was pure stupid but I got some great photos!  While at the park I met Tommy the 300 year old massive tortoise with a sign on his back that read: ‘Please do not sit on me or kick me’ – Poor sod!  He took quite a shine to me and I’ve never seen one as huge of him move quite so fast!  I also got to play with lion cubs who’s claws are decidedly sharper than the average domestic feline.  Funny how something that looks so cute can hurt someone so much!

Balancing-Rocks-Zimbabwe

While I was in Harare I was shown around the main sites of the town including Bob’s residence (Mugabe) and Zanu HQ.  I won’t tell you that I took a picture with my SLR camera and big zoom lens, unaware I had a fake press pass in my filofax which was in my bag (I had this made for about 50p when in Thailand as thought I could blag my way into gigs for free!  While fake it looked pretty genuine and in view of the fact British journo’s are currently banned from the country, it’s probably not the smartest of moves!).   I kept abreast of the news and current affairs which not suprisingly were heavily concentrated around politics.  It was very interesting to say the least to see how the news here paints a completely different picture to the situation painted in the press back home.  Apparantly, Tony Blair is heading the opposition MDC party and is attempting to revert Zimbabwe back to British rule!  Don’t you just love propaganda.  My view is that Blair is probably not interested in helping the African nations as England has already raped these countries of their natural resources and is more interested in the oil producing nations as that’s where the money is at. That is just my sceptical opinion and I am not an expert in these matters so I should probably keep my unfounded views to myself.

zanupf hq

During my stay with the Mubaiwa family, I was introduced to traditional Zimbabwean fayre of Sudza, a chicken dish and a dish resembling spinich that’s mixed with peanut butter.  This is all eaten with the hands.  I have also learnt of a new way to drink red wine by adding coke.  At first I was horrified at the idea of watering down good wine but not shy of trying out new things I took a massive swig and it seemed to go down fine.  Fedelis tried to convince me that the drink has portuguese origins but I was dubious and thought that he’d been pre-warned about me and  vino thus it was a ploy to water it down!

sudza

This morning I bid my farewells to my new found family and their lovely home and boarded a plane for Vic Falls to slum it.  Harare was hot but Vic Falls on arrival was swealtering, well at least for the first hour before the heavens decided to open, and open they did.  Rain fell heavily from the sky, and fell and fell and is still falling – It’s like being in England!  Now, I know it’s monsoon season and rain is much needed but it’s interfering with my plans to get a tan!

I am now sat awaiting the arrival of the truck which will be my home for the next 3 weeks and on board should be my kiwi friend who is unaware I am here to meet her – poor girl!  So I guess the night ahead will consist of sampling lots of the local beers and catching up.  In fact the bus has just got in which is great timing so it’s time for you to wake up now ‘cos I’m outta here.

Nepal: September 2000

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Dunbar Square
Whitewater rafting camp
Dunbar Square
Paddy Fields
Pokara lake
Pokara Lake
Whitewater rafting
Whitewater rafting
Nepalese Bus
Pokhara
Chitwan Elephant Safari
Chitwan National Park

We hit Nepal nearly 3 weeks ago and words cannot describe how beautiful it is.  The scenery is amazing, big lush green paddy fields, big green hills with massive snow capped mountains in the background that look surprisingly near.  I really like the Nepalese people too. It is definitely my most favourite place so far….

Our first stop was in a village just outside Chitwan National Park.  Chitwan is in the Terair region of Nepal.  It’s sub-tropical forest with rice paddies and numerous rivers.  Scattered around are mud huts and bright coloured sari’s.  So green and sparsely populated.  After India it is just what we needed.

While here we did the customary elephant safari to see the rhino’s.  Was a bit disappointed not to have seen the tigers and freshwater dolphins – other residents of the park.  I also went down the river in a canoe in search of crocodiles, stopping off at an elephant breeding center to play with the cute baby elephant.

From Chitwan we headed to Pokara where we stayed by a massive lake.  Pokara was great and very hard to leave.  Well apart from the rain.  When I say rain I am not talking of your average occasional shower as experienced in the UK.  This is full blown monsoon rain – once it starts it doesn’t stop.  The skies open with a vengeance and after 20 mins the road transforms into a river complete with rapids!  Quite amusing at first but can become a bit tedious.  However, the monsoon season is coming to an end so there has been less rain everyday.

While in Pokara I went on a 4 day white water rafting expedition down the Kali Gandaki River (4hrs west of Pokara) and had the most fantastic time.  Far superior to any white knuckle ride I’ve ever been on and I can’t wait to come back one day and do a longer trip.
After a days rafting we’d set up camp on a beach and consume lots of rum punch.  The others on the trip were a good laugh as well as the Nepalese guides.

I am now in Kathmandu after quite a long bus journey and have just been round Dunbar Square.  Not long left now in Nepal before we leave for Bangkok tomorrow.

prayer flag.jpg

I’m falling asleep at the keyboard so guess it’s time to finish and go and take a nap – such a hard life!

 

India: August 2000

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
Posted in: Around the world trip, Travel. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Photography by Marco Martinelli contacts: lightopinion@gmail.com website: http://www.light-opinion.com

Back on the road again – well more potholes and puddles than actual road!  Makes journeys in the rickshaw’s quite interesting anyway.

auto rickshaw

Arrived safely into Delhi and was very shocked by the lack of people attacking us for taxi’s etc.  In fact we have not been hassled at all yet which is very surprising as we do sort of stick out like sore thumbs! Been getting some good bargains though.

Also the monsoon rain is quite disappointing as it has been lighter than the rain we’ve been having in the UK (didn’t need to have packed my waterproof outfit after all!)  Tomorrow we are going to do Delhi – opted for the easy option of a tour (8hours tour for the equivalent of 1 British pound) so we can get it all over with in a day and then move out of the hustle and bustle of the city on down to jodhpur in the Rajastan region.

delhi

Thought I’d found a bargain with this email cafe – 20p an hour, only I didn’t realise that it takes 5 minutes to perform each task!  It took me 30 mins to read 2 emails.

Anyway off for an early night as up bright and early tomorrow.

 

 

Still alive despite the many collisions with rickshaws, bikes and cattle that densely pack the streets. After doing Delhi in a couple of days we headed for the pink city of Jaipur where all the buildings were more a pale orange colour rather than pink.

37_jaipur_hawa-mahal

jaipur-pink-city-palace

We arrived on Krishna’s birthday (a hindu god) so a big festival with floats lined the streets – sort of like the Notting Hill festival but not quite.  kristnas bday.jpg

From Jaipur we boarded our first train to Jaisalmer – the journey being an experience in itself!  indian trainEveryone’s very friendly and you end up knowing the life story of all your fellow passengers.

 

 

 

jaisalmer-india

The hotel in Jaisalmer was a bargain at 5 rupees a night (equivalent to 7p!).  Admittedly that was to sleep under the stars on the roof but their deluxe rooms were only 70p.  Here we traipsed around the alleyways in the fort and even got invited into an Indian family’s home.

 

camel safari

The next day we departed on a 2 day camel safari in the desert.  This turned into a bit of an adventure when the heavens opened up – the monsoon we had heard about hit us at full force and didn’t we know it!  the desert now resembled more of a marsh and we were wading through knee high water dragging the camels behind   as apparently they don’t like water.  After a couple of hours the rain stopped and we hit the soggy sand dunes where we camped under the stars after watching a beautiful sunset. camel dunes It took a while to relax enough to go to sleep after one of our guides found and killed a dangerous snake in front of us – Nice!  2 days on a camel has left us with John Wayne swaggers.

 

 

jodpurFrom Jaisalmer we took a train to Jodhpur, known as the blue city which you instantly know why.  While here we visited yet another impressive fort.

 

 

 

Today we took another bus to Udipur which is a very relaxing place and have found a great hotel with the back garden being a lake.  In the middle of the lake is a palace where we will treat ourselves to dinner tomorrow night.

A lot of mileage has already been covered and we have met loads of people.  I  have also sat through a 3 hour Hindi film at apparently the best cinema in India (the
same cannot be said for the toilets there though).

Cheers to all those who have emailed.  I will be replying in the next few days now we are stationary.

 

I think the last time I wrote I was in Udipur where we ended up staying quite a few days buying lots of stuff that I don’t actually need and have no room for!  Also visited all the usual tourist sites including Monsoon Palace for sunset high up in the mountains.  While there we treated ourselves to dinner at India’s equivalent to the Ritz, ‘The Lake Palace’ – funnily enough it is a palace situated in the middle of a lake.  It was a bit too posh for my liking with one meal using up nearly a weeks food budget!  As for the price of beer, they add on 70% tax on an already largely inflated cost – outrageous behaviour!  I am now back on my Thali’s at 20 rupees (about 30p). Thali’s are meals that consist of about 3 dishes and come with rice, chapatti & curd – very tasty.

From Udipur we travelled to Agra, stopping off back in Jaipur as we heard of to a cheap hotel with a pool so spent a couple of days there to cool off.  The main attraction in Agra was obviously the Taj Mahal which was truly magnificent.  We got up at the crack of dawn to get there before everyone else, only to find that everyone else had the same idea!!!  Needless to say our Princess Diana shots were more like group shots full of strangers in the background.  After the Taj, we did the Red Fort, Baby Taj and the rest of Agra.

agra

Next stop from Agra – Varanasi.  I woke up from the night train to find that some person has taken a liking to one of my bags which while solving my excess baggage problem was rather inconvenient as it was the bag with my wallet, camera (with fab Princess Diana-esqe shots of the Taj!), my favourite new blue t-shirt with camels on it that had cost me about 65p, and many other treasured items.  Surprisingly, this had not put me in the best of moods for the day and I proceeded to take out my frustrations on the rickshaw driver who would not leave us alone – no change there then!  The next few hours were spent attempting to learn Hindi so I could communicate with the local police who for some reason have no knowledge of English.  Fair enough, but strange when everyone else I have come across can.  Anyway, I had quite an amusing time with the police,organising them and trying to educate them on the health dangers of chewing tobacco, also expressing my view that it is not pleasant to see people chucking up their guts and spitting out in front of you what looks like blood every few seconds!  I don’t know maybe it’s just a personal thing?  The police just found it all very funny so maybe health promotion is not for me after all.

I do like India and the Indian people, they have a good sense of humour and I’ve been having quite a laugh with the locals.  Although I sometimes get the impression that they are humouring me and that they actually think I am quite mad.

Varanasi-GhatsBack to Varanasi – the home of the ghats (large steps) on the river Ganges.  Varanasi is considered the most religious place on earth for Hindus with thousands of pilgrims and residents on the Ghats performing their daily ritual ablutions.  You wouldn’t catch me bathing in there, especially after out dawn row boat trip where we spotted a dead body floating around – Nice!!! Quite a lucky person though as dying among the bathing Ghats of Varanasi apparently attains instant moksha (enlightenment).  Many dying people come here to spend their last days, however, most people are cremated on the burning Ghats before being scattered into the water, but if poor you don’t have the luxury of cremation.

varanasi-ww-10

rickshawWe have been getting cycle rickshaws around town but the other day I felt quite guilty after getting on one as I seemed to have picked not the healthiest of people who had very short legs.  This made it very difficult for him to reach the peddles – thus cycle. This combined with my weight…well you can imagine, bless him.  Despite the energy he was exerting, the rickshaw was still going slower than a snail so I insisted that he sat in the back while I hopped on and cycled his rickshaw bumpily along the road.  I quite enjoyed it and managed to build up quite a speed while the poor guy sat in the back in shock!

Anyway off to the tailors now to have some clothes made for about a quid an item!

That’s all for now folks, until next time.

Cxxx

PS. By the way the very short haircut I had in Delhi for 50p that has left me resembling Jack Nicholson from The Shining still refuses to grow into something that looks half decent!

 

 

Hawaii onto Canada: June/July 2001

Posted by chrissyjbrown on October 7, 2006
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 From the peace and tranquillity of Fijian island life, I leave for the high rise tourist Mecca of Waikiki, Honolulu.  Home to world renowned surf beaches.  Beach life here a complete contrast but the change was good.  In my time here I ran around exploring and attempted to tick off the main To Do list:  a hula show; a hike to the summit of Diamond head (big volcano) to get a great view of the surrounding area; a day spent at the picturesque Hanuama Bay where the best snorkeling on the island can be found (the fish here, obviously well used to the masses invading their space, allow you to get very close); the obligatory shopping trip (went a bit mad!) and being topical with the latest Hollywood blockbuster out – a trip to Pearl Harbor.  This went all a bit pear shape as I fell asleep on the bus a couple of stops before arriving there and didn’t awake until I was virtually back to the point where I got on the bus.  I decided to abandon this mission and gave it up as a bad job.  The thought of a rest on the beach and a touch of body boarding sounded a much better prospect, so I settled on buying the postcard and seeing the movie!  I am not quite so ardent with my sightseeing as at the beginning of my trip.  All in all I had a good time in Hawaii, however I was very disappointed not to have bumped into Tom Selleck although his cardboard cutout was everywhere.

I hung the Hawaiian shirt up and board the next plane which is to take me another step closer to home.  At this point I was beginning to get a bit jaded with the traveling lark, the novelty of living out of a backpack and sleeping in bed bug infested beds surrounded by a load of others had begun to wear thin and I had even started to look forward to returning to the UK and home comforts such as having a bedroom.  However, landing down and spending the last week in Canada has been a breath of fresh air and has rejuvenated the batteries.  So far I love Canada, more particularly the Rockies.

Despite not really being a city tourist person, I did find myself warming to Vancouver.  Amazingly enough the public transport here has been on strike since April 1st!!!  The taxi businesses here must be booming.  I find an alternative form of transport to explore the city and hire a mountain bike.  The city itself is quite small so it doesn’t take long to get around, I spent most the time in Stanley Park which covers quite a large area on a peninsular and is more like a forest.

After a couple of days I am itching to get out to the mountains and board a backpacker bus trip with 21 others and head for Whistler, a top N. American ski resort. Whistler resembles a town in the Alps.  Despite the blazing sun and clear blue skies there is still a lot of snow for ski-ing in the mountains.  The hostel where we stayed was set out of town in the middle of the forest on a lake, majestic snow capped mountains behind, a fantastic setting that is to become the standard scenery as I carry on around.  In fact the scenery gets even better, if that’s possible.  A couple of the crazy kids in our group braved a dip in the freezing cold water of the lake but I managed to hold back, instead getting my exercise from hiking to and around another lake.

From Whistler we head east stopping off at more beautiful lakes, this time I am either brave or stupid and go for a swim myself.  I last a total of about 30 seconds which is about as long as it is possible to stay in icy cold water before getting hypothermia.  We also stop along the way to do a fair few hikes and spend a night in an old courthouse, a night camping in Valemount and a night in log cabins in Jasper National Park. In the evenings sitting around campfires ‘til the early hours with a Canadian (it’s the brand of beer) has been the thing to do here.  The days are so long here with the sun setting as late as 10.30pm.  I’ve also did a  bit of mountain biking on the tracks in the mountains which was great apart from being attacked by a million mosquito’s.

On July 1st – we celebrate!  Not only is it Canada day where carnivals, parties and fireworks line the streets but more importantly it was my birthday – 21 again!  I am with a really good group and they decorated the bus with balloons and birthday banners and they were even kind enough to make me a special birthday frock to wear for the day.

moose

My Birthday Dress!!!

A very revolting bad taste dress that they had enhanced by writing all over it, complete with a polka dot shower cap.  I was made to wear it all day thus got quite a bit of attention from the public.

kinney lake

Kinney Lake

We saw some more spectacular scenery, hiked to Kinney lake for lunch and also visited Maligne Canyon which was superb.  I also got to see my first wild bear which made my day and also got a photo of a mountie in traditional uniform.

 The day after we arrive in Banff which is a place I instantly fell in love with. I have been to quite a few places now but I must say Banff would be one of my favourites.   Set in the national forest with 360 degree mountains around you.  What’s more the surrounding area is home to some of the best lakes I’ve ever seen.  Lake Peyto being my favourite which is just the most amazing milky turquoise blue colour with Lake Louise and Lake Moraine being close competitors.  On the way to Banff we also stopped off at the Athabasca falls and for a hike up a glacier.

Banff
Walking up the mountain in Banff
Lake Louise
Athabasca falls
Athabasca falls
Lake Morrain

 It was in Banff where we celebrated my birthday night (a day late) and had a big night out on the town checking out the local bars and clubs.  All good stuff.  I depart the tour bus in Banff to spend some time here.  The weather has heated up and it gets as high as 40 degrees which happened to be the day a few of us decided to hike to the top of Sulphur Mountain, had I realised how steep it was I don’t think I would have attempted it.  It was a killer but once at the top we were rewarded by  a brilliant view and also a free ride down in the gondola.

 I have since moved on from Banff and am relaxing at my friend Lin’s house in Windermere set on a lake (not the lake District but BC in Canada).  Lin is a great tour guide and is doing a good job of showing me around, last night she took me on her friends house boat on the lake and she has more things lined up before we take off for the infamous Calgary Stampede – possibly the biggest rodeo in the world.  Apparently 10 days of partying, festivals and hard-core rodeo with good old country and western – Yeehaa cowboy bring it on!  Laren – I’ll say hi to your home town for you.

 Just under 6 weeks to go now before I hit Blighty again!