We got back into stonetown to take care of some business...namely get stronger suncream, money and book our ferry tickets for the next day. It was hot like nobodies business, and we were very tempted to hightail it back out to Bwejuu for some more beach...but we got our jobs done like good little soldiers (thanks to the help of a great cabbie) and then headed to another beachside resturant for more of the same good stuff, while the locals played beach football below the decking... Tomorrow, we had an early start as a 7am Ferry trip was booked.
Now you remember the monkey piss, from the last post. Was it lucky or unlucky...Hmmm, whaddyou reckon?
Firstly, Josie spots a coldsore on the lip appearing just before bed that night. But this is the real killer....about 5.15am Josie wakes me up with - 'promise you won't laugh'... and am I greeted with a vision from Rocky ...and not Rocky at the start of the movie, but Rocky at the end, after the fight !!
Well, us two geniuses forgot to put the mozzie net down and one (possibly the only) blighter got Josie right on the eyelid. And damn, didn't that sucker swell up impressively - the ref would have stopped the fight 1st round.
But brave travellers we are - Josie donned her sun glasses - and we set off for the Ferry (to buy some Anti-histamines in Dar Es Salaam). This trip should take 2 hours - and the seas were nice and calm as the winds had dropped. In fact, I even told Josie "no, you won't need sea sickness tablets"...(I can hear you lot chuckling already). Everything was grand (despite the lack of breakfast) for the first hour of the trip...and then all of a sudden, there was quite a lot of Swahili being spoken by some captain looking dude...
Well a boat had sunk, somewhere of the coast and we were going to the rescue. And what a rescue it was...when we arrived at the scene there was a big group of 20 odd people clinging in a group to anything they could, and a stragglers floating 50 odd yards around them. Loads of cargo in the water. Bugger knows how long these poor people were out there... as we did see plently of overloaded boats (only just boats) leaving Stone Town the night before.
So then we (and by 'we' I mean the crew) commenced a 1 hour rescue mission, literally throwing that orange ring out on a rope and pulling in kids and adults. It was amazing stuff! In then end, all 26 people were rescued (unfortunately one of the men died), two Scandanavian travellers who were doctors treated the injured, and a couple of other fishing boats also joined in. The media were waiting en masse at the port when we got into Dar, after 4 hours at sea...
So poor Josie was stuck on a boat bobbing around in 2metre seas for an extra 2 hours, looking a lovely shade of green, with an eye like a hot air baloon and a coldsore on the lip...
I blame the monkey piss. People, seriously, pay attention if you are listening out there - don't let a monkey piss on you, it is bad bad luck !!
Luckily we then got our 2nd excellent cab driver...he took us to a French doctor who checked out the eye and gave Josie some good drugs that started to work straight away (all in 30mins - NHS managers should be shot-shame on you all)...and then on to our lodging for the night (no air con and a squeaky fan - bugger) !!
Tomorrow we are faced with a 8 hour bus trip across Tanzania to Arusha...backpacker gods forgive me as I booked the luxury one with air conditioning. Josie has had her 3 bits of bad luck and now should be square with the bad monkey-piss mojo....which makes tomorrow a brighter day !!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Beautiful Bwejuu
Ahhh, so now we know why they are going on about Zanzibar. Don't get us wrong, but Stone Town has nothing on the other side of the Island...basically one long strip of palm fringed beaches, turquiose water and locals going about living Zanzibar style... We met another Dutch couple on the bus who shall remain nameless (as we never bothered asking their names - whoops).
To top it off, we found a cracker of a guest house. About 6 bungalows (think what Robinson Crusoe would have built if he were a German Civil Engineer, and decked out with a 4 poster bed draped with mosquito net, fans and lanterns) are set back just under the palms... oh yeah!! Under the shade in-between is littered with hammocks and locally made sun beds and umbrellas (the Med coastline could learn a lot from here)... and we had to share this 3 km stretch of beach with about 8 other people. And the best bit, we had 5 nights here and bugger all to do. For some reason this only makes the days last longer...and leads to interesting games of what day of the week is today :)
The first 2 days consisted of very little activity....lounging like lizards is the best way to describe it. For some reason we purchased Factor 10 suncream - which did feck all good in the tropical sun (which now seems so obvious)... So we were cooked a little tender but not too badly - lucky the hammocks were in the shade !!
Josie continues in ignorance of how good the local seafood is cooked... now embarrassed by the erotic grunting noises I make while consuming it.
Day 3 yielded a rare spurt of energy...and we decided we would walk up to the lagoon (did I mention the beaches were fringed with reef?) supposedly good for snorkeling at any tide. And a good 1.5hrs later we found a jetty extending out some 200m from some posh hotels, with a bar at the end. We made a mental note to be back here later...
Vespa Day - for those not in the know...a Vesper is a mo-ped (spelling?)... now my Mum really only wanted one promise from me in life - not to ride a motorbike! And to date I had pretty much avoided them...hence my natural skills with this 'vehicle' were, as the Irish say, Shite. But not to be deterred, we hired one for the day (Sorry Mum) - to visit the jungle, see the Colobus Monkeys and take a spin to the southern end of the island to see if the grass was greener...
My main problem with the Vesper (is it Italian? - certainly not made by Ferrari or Lambo) was turning slowly... managing the clutch, gears and throttle and having to turn the handlebars was too much for this simple lad. Riding it through sand also brought about amusing consequences.... Josie showed a remarkable lack of common sense, having watched me practice a few laps, by then gamely getting on the back! And we were off to the monkeys... after a 15min 'getting my bearings' trip we were soon off on the right direction.
Somehow, we arrived safely in Jozani Forest... although I was a mess of shattered nerves and sweaty palms, and started our tour. Lovely walk through the steamy jungle, and then a close up session with the monkeys lounging in the trees... Now for those of you not familiar with Josie, a camera and animals - what happens is like a Tom Cruise Paparazi snap-a-thon. One monkey took exception, and had a good whiz on her to sort her out :) Very amusing - not sure if the Monkey whiz is good luck or bad luck though?
Then I said to Josie 'should we just head home?' (hoping for a graceful avoidance of unnecessary vespar riding)...but to Kizimkaze she wanted to go. Luckily for me, I got a bit better on the bike and even managed to get the wee beasty into fourth gear :) Kizimkaze was nice, but too hot (lacking the sea breeze) and for any locals reading - no dolphin trip now or tomorrow thanks! After a quick stop at another beach, and getting surrounded by locals - I produced one of my trade mark turns and drove us into a chicken coup or something... so with pride and manliness removed and Josie laughing in my ear - it was back to Bwejuu!
Our last full day, we headed back to the lagoon for some snorkelling (with Dutch friends) and a drink and lunch with the 'posh' crowd. We hired mountain bikes, designed by some sadomaschicist to hurt your ass and rode on up the beach. The reef was not the best... but lots of fish and a good snorkeling run down the beach with the current
...and so we came all too soon to the end of the beach bit. No more sunset beers, backgammon by the beach or swinging in the hammock. Tomorrow was back to Stone town for a night before the ferry trip to Dar. For your information these days are what we call 'work' days - where we actually have to do something...
To top it off, we found a cracker of a guest house. About 6 bungalows (think what Robinson Crusoe would have built if he were a German Civil Engineer, and decked out with a 4 poster bed draped with mosquito net, fans and lanterns) are set back just under the palms... oh yeah!! Under the shade in-between is littered with hammocks and locally made sun beds and umbrellas (the Med coastline could learn a lot from here)... and we had to share this 3 km stretch of beach with about 8 other people. And the best bit, we had 5 nights here and bugger all to do. For some reason this only makes the days last longer...and leads to interesting games of what day of the week is today :)
The first 2 days consisted of very little activity....lounging like lizards is the best way to describe it. For some reason we purchased Factor 10 suncream - which did feck all good in the tropical sun (which now seems so obvious)... So we were cooked a little tender but not too badly - lucky the hammocks were in the shade !!
Josie continues in ignorance of how good the local seafood is cooked... now embarrassed by the erotic grunting noises I make while consuming it.
Day 3 yielded a rare spurt of energy...and we decided we would walk up to the lagoon (did I mention the beaches were fringed with reef?) supposedly good for snorkeling at any tide. And a good 1.5hrs later we found a jetty extending out some 200m from some posh hotels, with a bar at the end. We made a mental note to be back here later...
Vespa Day - for those not in the know...a Vesper is a mo-ped (spelling?)... now my Mum really only wanted one promise from me in life - not to ride a motorbike! And to date I had pretty much avoided them...hence my natural skills with this 'vehicle' were, as the Irish say, Shite. But not to be deterred, we hired one for the day (Sorry Mum) - to visit the jungle, see the Colobus Monkeys and take a spin to the southern end of the island to see if the grass was greener...
My main problem with the Vesper (is it Italian? - certainly not made by Ferrari or Lambo) was turning slowly... managing the clutch, gears and throttle and having to turn the handlebars was too much for this simple lad. Riding it through sand also brought about amusing consequences.... Josie showed a remarkable lack of common sense, having watched me practice a few laps, by then gamely getting on the back! And we were off to the monkeys... after a 15min 'getting my bearings' trip we were soon off on the right direction.
Somehow, we arrived safely in Jozani Forest... although I was a mess of shattered nerves and sweaty palms, and started our tour. Lovely walk through the steamy jungle, and then a close up session with the monkeys lounging in the trees... Now for those of you not familiar with Josie, a camera and animals - what happens is like a Tom Cruise Paparazi snap-a-thon. One monkey took exception, and had a good whiz on her to sort her out :) Very amusing - not sure if the Monkey whiz is good luck or bad luck though?
Then I said to Josie 'should we just head home?' (hoping for a graceful avoidance of unnecessary vespar riding)...but to Kizimkaze she wanted to go. Luckily for me, I got a bit better on the bike and even managed to get the wee beasty into fourth gear :) Kizimkaze was nice, but too hot (lacking the sea breeze) and for any locals reading - no dolphin trip now or tomorrow thanks! After a quick stop at another beach, and getting surrounded by locals - I produced one of my trade mark turns and drove us into a chicken coup or something... so with pride and manliness removed and Josie laughing in my ear - it was back to Bwejuu!
Our last full day, we headed back to the lagoon for some snorkelling (with Dutch friends) and a drink and lunch with the 'posh' crowd. We hired mountain bikes, designed by some sadomaschicist to hurt your ass and rode on up the beach. The reef was not the best... but lots of fish and a good snorkeling run down the beach with the current
...and so we came all too soon to the end of the beach bit. No more sunset beers, backgammon by the beach or swinging in the hammock. Tomorrow was back to Stone town for a night before the ferry trip to Dar. For your information these days are what we call 'work' days - where we actually have to do something...
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Jambo !
That's right...we are now speaking Swahili :)
What a difference a good nights kip, some sunshine and a belly full of delicious breakfast can make... After briefly thinking 'what the heck am I doing here' last night, and planning a full scale retreat to somewhere more 'western' - today turned that all around.
Food fantastic, weather Beauuudiful, people and place is lovely - just not what I was expecting. We ran around the town today like locals, only getting lost once...bought a couple of paintings that may and may not make it back to Mum and Dad in Townsville - and started the process of chilling out properly, and getting all the rush rush London out of our system.
And damn, they do know how to cook octopus on the grill - and prawns here are NOT shrimp, they are real man size and oh so tasty :) As you can imagine this is making me very happy and of no interest to Josie.
So we have had a cracker of a day, and tomorrow are off the East Coast, for the beach proper for further unwinding, some navel gazing and I will probably do a lot of scratching my err, head :)
Bring it on ;)
What a difference a good nights kip, some sunshine and a belly full of delicious breakfast can make... After briefly thinking 'what the heck am I doing here' last night, and planning a full scale retreat to somewhere more 'western' - today turned that all around.
Food fantastic, weather Beauuudiful, people and place is lovely - just not what I was expecting. We ran around the town today like locals, only getting lost once...bought a couple of paintings that may and may not make it back to Mum and Dad in Townsville - and started the process of chilling out properly, and getting all the rush rush London out of our system.
And damn, they do know how to cook octopus on the grill - and prawns here are NOT shrimp, they are real man size and oh so tasty :) As you can imagine this is making me very happy and of no interest to Josie.
So we have had a cracker of a day, and tomorrow are off the East Coast, for the beach proper for further unwinding, some navel gazing and I will probably do a lot of scratching my err, head :)
Bring it on ;)
Abort Abort Abort !
we touched down in Zanzibar a little after 9pm local time, after nearly 21 hours of airport suffering (Josie particularly enjoyed the non-stop bumpy flight from Dubai to Nairobi) not quite knowing what to expect of this little island... however, as i had finished my book by Dubai, I spent the last 6 hours devouring the lonely planet guide...and of course focusing on the scams, ripoffs and dangers. Let's see them pull the wool over our eyes...
Stepping off the plane was a lot like coming home to Townsville ...walking through the tropical air, heavy with humidty and with a lovely sea breeze (what southerns call walking through soup). So we expected the airport would be pretty bad with the touts...and were ready to grab our bags and defend our US dollars with our lives...but this is Africa, and things don't always work like that - as the guys grabbed the bags off the plane, before we even saw them !! Then our transfer was not there...hmm, getting dodgier by the minute...so taxi time, after tipping our 'baggage handlers' a dollar a piece. Cab ride $10... me feeling like the scammers 2, brad 0 !
Into a taxi we went and headed into Old Town, the major city on Zanzibar. After about 15mins he stops the cab in front of a very dark alley, with plenty of dodgy looking blokes and says "We go down here, one of you stay with the car". Yeah right buddy, you all know what chance he had of us following that plan. So we said 'we both go', and I am wired to the eyeballs...ready to throw some quality Rudduck haymakers (last used in Grade 5) at the foes surely about to leap from the shadows.
Now, I had spent some quality time reading about the town, and in my head pictured these cobbled streets and close knit white arabian fronted places...interspaced with internet cafes and backpackers. The streets were not what I had carefully constructed in my head... But we got into the backpackers ok, and the room was good. We thought maybe a late night snack before turning in. Our fella at the backpackers says not a problem, 5 minute walk and gives us a map that needs a NASA magnifying glass to go with it. Josie, is feeling quite brave and insists we give it a read hot go. So we tried, but the alleys are dark, about the width of your arms, not marked and we are watched sinisterly by men sitting at every intersection. We make about 3 turns before the directions we are given no longer make sense - and hightail it back to the backpackers to wait for the sunlight.
Stepping off the plane was a lot like coming home to Townsville ...walking through the tropical air, heavy with humidty and with a lovely sea breeze (what southerns call walking through soup). So we expected the airport would be pretty bad with the touts...and were ready to grab our bags and defend our US dollars with our lives...but this is Africa, and things don't always work like that - as the guys grabbed the bags off the plane, before we even saw them !! Then our transfer was not there...hmm, getting dodgier by the minute...so taxi time, after tipping our 'baggage handlers' a dollar a piece. Cab ride $10... me feeling like the scammers 2, brad 0 !
Into a taxi we went and headed into Old Town, the major city on Zanzibar. After about 15mins he stops the cab in front of a very dark alley, with plenty of dodgy looking blokes and says "We go down here, one of you stay with the car". Yeah right buddy, you all know what chance he had of us following that plan. So we said 'we both go', and I am wired to the eyeballs...ready to throw some quality Rudduck haymakers (last used in Grade 5) at the foes surely about to leap from the shadows.
Now, I had spent some quality time reading about the town, and in my head pictured these cobbled streets and close knit white arabian fronted places...interspaced with internet cafes and backpackers. The streets were not what I had carefully constructed in my head... But we got into the backpackers ok, and the room was good. We thought maybe a late night snack before turning in. Our fella at the backpackers says not a problem, 5 minute walk and gives us a map that needs a NASA magnifying glass to go with it. Josie, is feeling quite brave and insists we give it a read hot go. So we tried, but the alleys are dark, about the width of your arms, not marked and we are watched sinisterly by men sitting at every intersection. We make about 3 turns before the directions we are given no longer make sense - and hightail it back to the backpackers to wait for the sunlight.
Monday, January 22, 2007
An airport farewell
Well, we have a few minutes to spare as we inhabit probably the closest thing we will have to a home for the next 3 months....the airport waiting lounge. A place that always seems poorly designed to look after you for several hours of waiting, unless you consider drinking or shopping yourself into a stupor.
It is a bitter sweet parting for us..Josie moves further from home, while I move closer. We head for a stonking holiday but have to leave our friends behind...
Thanks again too all who have supported our homelessness and moochinesses... we have a great time flitting over the uk and drinking the drinks that needed to be drunk.
Strange to say this, but I am definitely going home more Pom than I ever would have bet arriving 5 years ago...don't get me wrong, there is still nothing finer that kicking the poms at any sport... but there is also some good ol fashioned grit in the Queen's men and women.
The barmy army always say it best...and from Old Trafford that bloody "we are the army" song still haunts my quieter moments...but I am all the better for it ;)
So all the best, and speak with you soon...next time hopefully from Zanzibar...the airlines and visa people willing. Otherwise, it will be another foul mouthed tirade from another internet airport station when access for 10 minutes costs either a kidney or pint of blood.
Bring on the sun, the sun and more sun...with a bit of sea, and one more does of sun for good measure.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
The farewell pissup
I thought it only fitting that I should write this entry with quite a spectacular hangover...I am very lucky we are not flying out today !!
What a good pissup it was last night too... we are very lucky to have found such nice people for friends (considering the amount of lunatics there are out there!). So from us, Thank You !!
What a good pissup it was last night too... we are very lucky to have found such nice people for friends (considering the amount of lunatics there are out there!). So from us, Thank You !!
As usual a big night out at the Walkabout can only go one way...and that is steadily down hill. I suppose when shots and snakebites come out, we got what was coming. I will not go into sordid details here, as the photos are far more damning - it will be some time before I can put those up - hopefully I will even forget to. The singing and dancing at the end of the evening would not be called a pretty sight...The group cigarette smoking seemed like a good idea at the time...ice fights...and watching Will struggling with the text service...kept us entertained :)
Eva got the waterworks started at the end of the night, but by that stage they were tears of alcohol. We then got ripped off by a London mini-cab (for the last time) ... and we stumbled home at stupid oclock...
Aaron has special homework to re-learn the lyrics of Khe Sahn.
So thanks again for a fitting farewell - and we can't wait to see you all again soon !
Tomorrow we leave the UK for the last time and head to the tropical beaches of Zanzibar :)
Congratulations should also go to absent friends Simon And Jo...who were far too busy getting ENGAGED to attend...we will forgive you this once!
Friday, January 19, 2007
You've got to know when to hold em
Another last for me, my last UK poker night with "the boys"...and absolute 'mare to get in and out as all the trains stopped working in the wind. But always worth it, especially for such a big turn out. We had Fingers, The Professional, Krusty, Sharon, Wassy, Stretch, Piles and Little Simon all vying for the biggest pot in the history of the game.
Things all started off to plan, The Professional and Krusty kept losing and I kept winning. Shenanigans were called several times due to our incompetence and effects of the beer - but as usual it all came down to the last 3 hands. Wassy, pulled the biggest one out of his arse to win about 20,000 in chips and secure 1st place. Krusty as usual, then came 2nd (from behind) to win his money back.
There is nothing like getting pissed with the boys and talking a whole load of nonsense. Wassy had to win stupidest comment with his "whose chips are those?" referring to Mark, who had been there 2 hours before going for a whiz... how he ended up winning is testement to how bad we must be.
Still, The Professional (aka Jonno) still hasn't won - despite telling everyone else what they were doing wrong (while they were beating him I might add) is always satisfying... :) hee hee
Things all started off to plan, The Professional and Krusty kept losing and I kept winning. Shenanigans were called several times due to our incompetence and effects of the beer - but as usual it all came down to the last 3 hands. Wassy, pulled the biggest one out of his arse to win about 20,000 in chips and secure 1st place. Krusty as usual, then came 2nd (from behind) to win his money back.
There is nothing like getting pissed with the boys and talking a whole load of nonsense. Wassy had to win stupidest comment with his "whose chips are those?" referring to Mark, who had been there 2 hours before going for a whiz... how he ended up winning is testement to how bad we must be.
Still, The Professional (aka Jonno) still hasn't won - despite telling everyone else what they were doing wrong (while they were beating him I might add) is always satisfying... :) hee hee
Edinburgh
Ach, Aye laddie - well, we just got back from 3 days up in Edinburgh, Scotland - to say are goodbyes to PC Campbell. Such a stunning city, and probably not a bad place to live but for the cold weather.
We had several lovely (long) walks around town (for anyone that knows Sam this is not surprising)...with the highlight a great night in a pub on Grassmarket...I think it was Irish, where a live band played some great fiddly diddly music!! This type of pub and it's charms will be missed back in Oz, where we have as much history as a 2 year old.
Unfortunately, Sam was too evasive and we were unable to get a photo of her in uniform, on the beat. We contemplated committing an offence to even get arrested by her... but chickened out.
We luckily got our flight back to London about 3 hours before the 160kmph winds hit the UK and caused chaos. And are now annoying our friends by crashing at their flats.
We had several lovely (long) walks around town (for anyone that knows Sam this is not surprising)...with the highlight a great night in a pub on Grassmarket...I think it was Irish, where a live band played some great fiddly diddly music!! This type of pub and it's charms will be missed back in Oz, where we have as much history as a 2 year old.
Unfortunately, Sam was too evasive and we were unable to get a photo of her in uniform, on the beat. We contemplated committing an offence to even get arrested by her... but chickened out.
We luckily got our flight back to London about 3 hours before the 160kmph winds hit the UK and caused chaos. And are now annoying our friends by crashing at their flats.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Finnish Lapland
Well our first real trip was to Yllas, about an hour drive from Kittala airport. It is a good way into the Arctic Circle - so should be a lot of snow and pretty bloody cold. I had grand hopes of seeing the Northern Lights - but didn't really know what the chances were. We arrived to -9 degrees, a good start and lots of snow.
We did a typically english package holiday, so were meeted and greeted and piled onto a bus with the other crowd. The package holiday is not all bad...the best thing being the price. Also, most people who go on them tend to stick very close to the hotel and only take the 'tours' they sell. For this trip we wanted to avoid the snowboarding and try the other snowy activities'...
Monday, we had not much planned... the temp rose to (apparently hot) -1 degrees and we got about 10 cm of fresh snow. We trekked down and hired our snow gear - Josie got an especially sexy 1 piece suit :) that made her look like super mario ! The boots were great, no more slipping over and warm feet. We then piled down to the supermarket to store up on 'supplies' to ensure we could eat nice and cheap. Luckily, our holiday included a 3 course breakfast and dinner - good for the budget, but not the waist line :( However, given we are facing the shits for the next few months, it makes sense to store up some fat for the hard times ahead. That night we discovered one of the downsides of the package holiday - hill billy families and their kids (that appear to have been raised by feral animals). These little shits proceeded to play musical rooms with their friends and ran up and down the hall until 1 in the morning.
Tuesday morning - we moved rooms, right down the other end of the hall. It was that, or kill a few of them. Today we were going ice fishing - I felt obliged to do this and swap fishing stories with someone on the other side of the world. Josie was not too keen, but the 15km snowmobile trip provided some promise... As we booked this ourselves it was just us and the guide which always helps... The snow mobile was great, I was only allowed to drive it at 40km per hour, but the dial went up to 160 !! Wouldn't mind trying that again sometime without a guide around and see how fast they really go :)
We got to a small lake in the middle of nowhere... got given a reindeer skin to protect us from the cold. Our guide, Damo, then drilled a 4" hole in the ice, and produced a fishing rod that looked like a kiddies toy....about 8 inches long, made of plastic and with just a break in terms of reel functionality...
It was then we found out it was not really the season for ice fishing...it is best for the 1st ice and the last ice of the season, when there is still plenty of light getting through the ice. In mid-winter, the ice is about 50cm thick, with another 50cm of snow - it is very dark in the water, and the fish are not really looking for food. So you need to drill a hole pretty much above a fish, drop your fake worm right onto his bottom lip to stand a chance... So with bugger all chance of catching a fish, we did what all good fishermen do best and share some tales. Damo spoke good english, and had one great story where they go ice fishing in a competition where they release tagged fish into the lake, and if you catch one the tag number is matched to a prize. Total prizemoney is 1M Euros !! and 32,000 people turned up to fish this one lake !! Madness - surprised the ice didn't crack with that many holes!!
It was only -4 today - so we went back to have a cup of tea around a fire to warm up... before another session for some more fishing. We caught nothing, but good fun. Josie finished the day with one of the longest wee's in the history of the world. She was worried about getting out of 14 layers of clothing and freezing, so had been crossing her legs for 5 hours. I think she clocked somewhere between 2 and 3 minutes of uninterrupted flow !!
And that night, we discovered we were at the other end of the hallway race track for the mutant kids... But they weren't too bad - finally been dragged to bed at 11.30pm.
Wednesday was a big day, we had Reindeer sleigh safari in the morning and then tobogganing at night. The Reindeer sleigh ride was good, very sweet and romantic, although Josie felt sorry for this poor reindeer that had to drag our (now xmas loaded) asses through the snow. Again, minus 2, so not too cold. That night we all got taken up to the ski slopes for some sledging (note to aussies - this is not taking the piss from your sporting opponents but riding down the hill on a sledge). Was good fun, but very tiring. Josie won the race series 3:2 as I kept falling off. We then sat round the fire drinking hot chocolate and Cointreau and Mint Liqueur - very nice.
We got back at about 10pm, and the cloud had cleared so I talked Josie into a stroll down to the lake...and we got lucky. We saw the northern lights!! They started feint and we argued over whether it was a cloud or the lights... but as the time wore on they got more pronounced and more green. It wasn't a brilliant display, but considering the next day one couple had been there 5 years in a row and never seen them !
Thursday the temperature dropped, down to -25. And bugger me it was cold. And today we had the Husky Safari... It was soo cold the hairs in your nose freeze, which is a very annoying feeling :) The husky safari was brilliant....Josie drove first (I had no chance of stopping that) and the dogs were mad for running. We had a team of six dogs and can they run. The temp was perfect for them...as -10 is too hot... and the ran and ran and ran. Especially amusing was the dogs running and crapping at the same time... I nearly froze to death sitting on the sled, but soon warmed up once I managed to get Josie to give up driving. We got back to the Husky Farm and several kids were wailing - as they had nearly frozen to death on the sled while there parents drove. I hoped it was the little shits who had been running up and down the hall at night :)
Friday was a rest day..still stupid cold but also windy. We chilled out, wandered out for a walk and then quickly retreated back to the hotel for a swim and a sauna. Saturday was a trip to the ice hotel in Sweden..which was amazing, but why you would pay 400€ to spend a night in -5 degrees was beyond us. Lovely design though, and they have to rebuild the thing every year so it is always different.
It was a great trip, I have had my fill of snow and cold weather...we are now off to Edinburgh.
We did a typically english package holiday, so were meeted and greeted and piled onto a bus with the other crowd. The package holiday is not all bad...the best thing being the price. Also, most people who go on them tend to stick very close to the hotel and only take the 'tours' they sell. For this trip we wanted to avoid the snowboarding and try the other snowy activities'...
Monday, we had not much planned... the temp rose to (apparently hot) -1 degrees and we got about 10 cm of fresh snow. We trekked down and hired our snow gear - Josie got an especially sexy 1 piece suit :) that made her look like super mario ! The boots were great, no more slipping over and warm feet. We then piled down to the supermarket to store up on 'supplies' to ensure we could eat nice and cheap. Luckily, our holiday included a 3 course breakfast and dinner - good for the budget, but not the waist line :( However, given we are facing the shits for the next few months, it makes sense to store up some fat for the hard times ahead. That night we discovered one of the downsides of the package holiday - hill billy families and their kids (that appear to have been raised by feral animals). These little shits proceeded to play musical rooms with their friends and ran up and down the hall until 1 in the morning.
Tuesday morning - we moved rooms, right down the other end of the hall. It was that, or kill a few of them. Today we were going ice fishing - I felt obliged to do this and swap fishing stories with someone on the other side of the world. Josie was not too keen, but the 15km snowmobile trip provided some promise... As we booked this ourselves it was just us and the guide which always helps... The snow mobile was great, I was only allowed to drive it at 40km per hour, but the dial went up to 160 !! Wouldn't mind trying that again sometime without a guide around and see how fast they really go :)
We got to a small lake in the middle of nowhere... got given a reindeer skin to protect us from the cold. Our guide, Damo, then drilled a 4" hole in the ice, and produced a fishing rod that looked like a kiddies toy....about 8 inches long, made of plastic and with just a break in terms of reel functionality...
It was then we found out it was not really the season for ice fishing...it is best for the 1st ice and the last ice of the season, when there is still plenty of light getting through the ice. In mid-winter, the ice is about 50cm thick, with another 50cm of snow - it is very dark in the water, and the fish are not really looking for food. So you need to drill a hole pretty much above a fish, drop your fake worm right onto his bottom lip to stand a chance... So with bugger all chance of catching a fish, we did what all good fishermen do best and share some tales. Damo spoke good english, and had one great story where they go ice fishing in a competition where they release tagged fish into the lake, and if you catch one the tag number is matched to a prize. Total prizemoney is 1M Euros !! and 32,000 people turned up to fish this one lake !! Madness - surprised the ice didn't crack with that many holes!!
It was only -4 today - so we went back to have a cup of tea around a fire to warm up... before another session for some more fishing. We caught nothing, but good fun. Josie finished the day with one of the longest wee's in the history of the world. She was worried about getting out of 14 layers of clothing and freezing, so had been crossing her legs for 5 hours. I think she clocked somewhere between 2 and 3 minutes of uninterrupted flow !!
And that night, we discovered we were at the other end of the hallway race track for the mutant kids... But they weren't too bad - finally been dragged to bed at 11.30pm.
Wednesday was a big day, we had Reindeer sleigh safari in the morning and then tobogganing at night. The Reindeer sleigh ride was good, very sweet and romantic, although Josie felt sorry for this poor reindeer that had to drag our (now xmas loaded) asses through the snow. Again, minus 2, so not too cold. That night we all got taken up to the ski slopes for some sledging (note to aussies - this is not taking the piss from your sporting opponents but riding down the hill on a sledge). Was good fun, but very tiring. Josie won the race series 3:2 as I kept falling off. We then sat round the fire drinking hot chocolate and Cointreau and Mint Liqueur - very nice.
We got back at about 10pm, and the cloud had cleared so I talked Josie into a stroll down to the lake...and we got lucky. We saw the northern lights!! They started feint and we argued over whether it was a cloud or the lights... but as the time wore on they got more pronounced and more green. It wasn't a brilliant display, but considering the next day one couple had been there 5 years in a row and never seen them !
Thursday the temperature dropped, down to -25. And bugger me it was cold. And today we had the Husky Safari... It was soo cold the hairs in your nose freeze, which is a very annoying feeling :) The husky safari was brilliant....Josie drove first (I had no chance of stopping that) and the dogs were mad for running. We had a team of six dogs and can they run. The temp was perfect for them...as -10 is too hot... and the ran and ran and ran. Especially amusing was the dogs running and crapping at the same time... I nearly froze to death sitting on the sled, but soon warmed up once I managed to get Josie to give up driving. We got back to the Husky Farm and several kids were wailing - as they had nearly frozen to death on the sled while there parents drove. I hoped it was the little shits who had been running up and down the hall at night :)
Friday was a rest day..still stupid cold but also windy. We chilled out, wandered out for a walk and then quickly retreated back to the hotel for a swim and a sauna. Saturday was a trip to the ice hotel in Sweden..which was amazing, but why you would pay 400€ to spend a night in -5 degrees was beyond us. Lovely design though, and they have to rebuild the thing every year so it is always different.
It was a great trip, I have had my fill of snow and cold weather...we are now off to Edinburgh.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Happy New Year
Well we are recovering from Xmas and New Year....and have managed to pack plenty of Winter stores on to sustain us over the coming months. As usual, it has been a mad wonderful time at the Boggins Farm - and there is not much better than falling asleep infront of the fire with a full belly !
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