Global Road Trippers

Global Road Trippers - Travel Photo of the Week - 26 December 2011

2011-12-26T12:50:00.003+11:00

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA

This shot is a shout out to the place where I grew up – Newcastle, Australia. We road trip to “Newie” most Summers to enjoy the Christmas break lounging around in the sun and eating too much with my Mum and sister.

Nestled on the East Coast of Australia, Newcastle is a 2 hour drive north of Sydney. It is still largely known as an industrial town, but the steel works shut some 20 years ago, and what has emerged is a beautiful beach city, with a cafe and food culture. The best place to eat is Darby Street, where you'll find dozens of cafes dotted amongst boutiques full of photography, fashion, jewellery and art.

If you're a surfer, you're sorted, there's half a dozen top surf beaches to choose from.

Not convinced? Newcastle was named in Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities 2011

Enjoy the Christmas break wherever you are :)

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Global Road Trippers - Travel Photo of the Week - 22 August 2011

2011-08-22T17:23:00.001+10:00

CAIRO, EGYPT

This photo was taken as we wandered the back streets of Cairo. What I really love about the shot is that Cairo has so much incredible history and so many mind-blowing sights that you don’t often see photos of local families living ten streets back from the pyramids.

Having explored the main sights, we decided to go wandering the back streets and to our delight swarms of local kids wanted to say hi. This photo is just a real travel moment, the kids faces, just so excited.

To our further delight, one guy asked us into his house for a cuppa. He insisted that we have our tea on the third floor balcony because it had the best view. As we walked out on the balcony the view opened up to show us the expanse of the Sahara, the Sphinx and the three pyramids. I guess the saying ‘location, location, location’ applies all over the globe!

Interesting Cairo fact...

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the three famous pyramids in Cairo, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.

CAIRO, EGYPT

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Global Road Trippers - Travel Photo of the Week - 8 August 2011

2011-08-08T22:18:00.018+10:00

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

This photo was taken on the shores of San Juan Del Sur, a sleepy surf town on the south-west coast of Nicaragua. We spent three weeks here learning Spanish and surfing up and down the nearby coast.

About an hour by bus from the Costa Rican border, San Juan is the perfect place for travellers to top up their Spanish, enjoy uncrowded surf, fresh seafood and loads of Nicaraguan coffee.

If you are a surfer, make sure you head for the famous Popoyo surf spot. Ask any of the locals hanging out on the main strip, for a small price they’ll take you out on their boat.

Our top 5 in San Juan Del Sur:

1. Learn Spanish on the beach, there’s plenty of schools, we took lessons at San Juan Del Sur Spanish School - http://www.sjdsspanish.com/

2. Eat seafood on the beach at sunset and take in the world

3. Enjoy local coffee and English language books at El Gato Negro coffee shop

4. Watch turtles hatch out of eggs by moonlight – try hostel Casa Oro who can organise it for you.

5. If you’re not a surfer, try it – there’s great, uncrowded surf

SAN JUAN DEL SUR, NICARAGUA

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RIO'S CARNIVAL!

2011-08-05T16:28:00.000+10:00

Our trip to Brazil came about because of an irresistible invitation. Our mate Mick, who was living in Rio with his beautiful Brazilian wife Kelly, invited us to Rio to take part in Carnival.

That’s right – we were in Carnival.

We can still hardly believe this happened.

RIO'S CARNIVAL

Rio’s Carnival is the world’s biggest carnival and is the competition of the top 14 samba clubs of Rio. It's held immediately before lent every year, usually in February or March. Each of the samba clubs, of around 3000 people each (you read right, 3000 people in each club x 14!) gets it’s chance to parade down the length of the 1km sambadrome to the cheers of hundreds of thousands of Brazilians and on-lookers. The best club is named the champion.

Each club gets 90 minutes to parade. First the 3000 odd dancers, dripping in the most incredible handmade costumes dance, march and sing their way down the sambadrome. Behind all of the dancers is the drummers and the band – around 400 Brazilian musicians playing the club’s song, an crazily good mix of drums and percussion. The idea is that they spur the dancers forward. Motivating the drummers is the queen of the club, or drum queen, the Rainha de Bateria. Everyone knows this girl. She’s the one you’ll see in the newspapers, stunningly beautiful, with the most amazing body and in the tiniest of sequined outfits. She leads the drummers and the dancers forward.

Incredibly, we got to be a part of this. Kelly, who belongs to the club Mocidade Indepente, invited us to take part as long as we could learn the Portuguese song and send in our measurements. The heat, the excitement was beyond belief. 35 degrees, 1am in the morning dancing with thousands and thousands of others to Mocidade Indepente’s song. It was one of the most intense, happy and overwhelming experiences we’ve ever had.

If you can't make it to Carnival, it's no problemo, every street, every bar in Rio is full of music, colour and excitement for 4 or 5 days straight.

Costume mayhem on the street of Ipanema...

Mick and I

Kelly in Carnival!

Dane!

Me!

A friend took this from the stands... we are in this group bottom left!

Our Rainha de Bateria!

Global Road Trippers - Travel Photo of the Week - 1 August 2011

2011-08-01T20:55:00.002+10:00

THE TRANS SIBERIA RAILWAY

This photo was taken on the Trans-Siberian Railway as we travelled nearly one quarter of the globe from Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaator to Moscow in Russia.

We booked a 2nd class ticket so that we would be in a shared cabin and spent the trip bunked up with two young Mongolian guys headed for Russia to join the police force. It was one of the most bizarre, intimidating and interesting trips we’ve ever taken, almost an endurance test towards the end as the days became a crazy blur of Russia, food, sleep and books. In total we spent over 110 hours on the train.

Dane - somewhere in Russia...

A few interesting Trans-Siberian Railway facts:

The railway is the longest in the world - over 9000 kilometres of train tracks!
It spans 8 time zones
Lake Baikal, right near the Mongolian/Russian border is known as the Blue Jewel of Siberia. It’s the deepest lake in the world which contains 20% of all the world's fresh water!
The train crosses the Urals mountain range which marks the geographical boundary between Europe and Asia. There is an obelisk near Pervouralsk where it’s possible to stand with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia.
There is a lot of vodka in Russia.

Ulaanbaator - Lake Baikal - Pervouralsk - Moscow...

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Our top 10 adventures (OK, it’s 11 - we couldn’t cut it down any further!)

2011-07-15T01:00:00.015+10:00

After nearly 6 years exploring the globe, we thought we’d put together our top global adventures.

They range from South America to South-East Asia, Bosnia to Byron Bay and include back packing adventures, surf trips, trains, planes, van trips and chicken buses. There are incredible highs and food poisoning lows. We haven't been everywhere, but these are our tops picks from across 5 continents and over 40 countries worth of travels!

Over the next few weeks we’re going to blog about each adventure – and hopefully give you some good tips for planning your own adventures.

All questions and comments welcome – info@globalroadtrippers.com

Enjoy!

Global Road Trippers

Here they are, our top 11:

1. Carnival and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2. London, England

3. Morocco

4. Mongolia and the trans-Siberian Railway

5. Nicaragua (Granada to San Juan del Sur)

6. A road trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia

7. Beijing, China

8. Cairo, Egypt

10. Frank Island (and skiing the Rockies), Canada

11. Sydney to Byron Bay surf trip, Australia

The top 11:

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First up, Carnival and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...

An English surf trip...

2011-07-08T11:33:00.031+10:00

When we lived in London, we tried to get out of the city at least once a month. The below piece was written by Dane after one of our regular surf trips to Croyde Bay in Devon.

If you ever down that way, the best B&B we’ve ever encountered is there - Betty & Freddy’s house, a huge English house right opposite the beach which is run by the most beautiful couple in their 80s who were keen travellers in the 1950s and Betty cooks a mean bacon and eggs. They don’t have a website, but their home phone is: (UK) 01271 890 536

Enjoy.

***

AN ENGLISH SURF TRIP

It's the middle of an English winter - it's dark, it's cold, it's windy and I'm standing in my underpants, shivering in a beach-side car park alongside my fellow London surfers. I'm wrestling my way into a very uncooperative and still-wet wetsuit, and eyeing off the still-to-be-donned gloves, booties and hood laying on the ground.

The car thermometer has forgivingly stopped beeping its chime, telling us cheerfully that the temperature is below 3 degrees Celsius. The scene before us would be a very familiar one – car boot yawning open, boards laid out on the ground, wetties slung over old mangy surf-bags and a few towels strewn randomly in the mix – if it weren't for the temperature. The only sounds are of chattering teeth and a few grunts from my fellow surfers in various states of changing from the warm comfort of their Ugg-boot-and-jacket combos into the unforgiving neoprene grip of their wetsuits.

We had left London well before dawn, speeding towards the coast at a rate of knots, towards the promise of waves after a frustrated week at work scouring the swell-charts for predictions of the weekend's frozen waves.

Now, standing in a full ninja wetsuit consisting of booties, steamer, rashie, gloves and a hood, looking out over the wintry Atlantic at the solid lines of swell pushing in, everything seems as warm as toast.

I'm at Croyde Bay, on the west Devon coast of England, with a couple of other Aussie mates currently living in London. The place is pumping, the culmination of a beautiful low-pressure system well out in the ocean, and unseasonal off-shores fanning nicely out to sea. Everywhere we look, solid waves are unloading, from big grey a-frames off the main beach to a dark, gloomy but irresistibly pumping reef, off the southern headland. Unable to watch any more, we sprint towards the point, eyeing-off the rock that the last 'local' jumped from.

The first blast of freezing water hits like a freight train. It's hard to believe that water can be this cold and still stay in a liquid state. Any exposed skin goes numb in seconds - joints ache, eyes sting and the jaw locks up under blue lips. I duckdive the first few waves and see stars, as a spectacular ice-cream-headache sets in and I squeeze my eyes tightly shut to stave off the brain freeze.

My body slowly adjusts to the cold, as we all get out the back, keeping an eye on the rocks and reef, which seem increasingly cold and unforgiving. The 5 hour drive to the coast has been more than worth it, and we laugh at our luck as all the elements combine, with the point firing. Some solid sets come in off the reef, making the pack scramble periodically for the horizon, and curse loudly at the icy clean up sets.

As we all sit out the back, a few knowing nods pass amongst the crew, acknowledging the freezing wind which seems to strip us all bare and keeps conversation to a minimum. The surf keeps us all on our toes though, with a plenty of solid waves pushing through and a few catching us off guard. We hoot each other into the sets, making the most of the session while our energy lasts. The waves are great and we all seem a million miles away from the concrete jungle of London, breathing the fresh ocean air and rising over the swells which bend their way into the bay.

Looking back towards the headland, it's a very different scene of rolling hills, and quaint little cottages chuffing smoke from their chimneys into the frosted skyline. The sheep on the hills seem to be the only spectators, but even they seem indifferent to our hardships as they graze the frosty meadows.

We trade uncrowded waves, calling each other into the frosty pits and out onto the long walls off the point. We last an hour and a half before cold and hungry bellies turn our thoughts towards the warmer temptations of breakfast. Paddlingin, the shock of the cold air hits us once again, as we change out of our frost-bitten wetsuits back to the familiar comfort of our warm dry clothes. We pile back into the car, as salty claw-hands clutch for the heater dial, cranking it round to the highest possible setting.

Sadly, it’s time to head towards the familiar bustle of London, but not before we stop at a local bakery for a much needed feed of Cornish pasties and coffee. We head back towards the overcast and dreary capital city, beaming as we embrace the welcome crust of salty skin and sore shoulders, so unfamiliar in the rush of concrete London. With our lungs full of ocean air, we return refreshed and ready to face the next few weeks of work, knowing that the next mission back out to the coast is already on the horizon.

Bosnia

2009-08-11T23:27:00.037+10:00

A road trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia.

After our indulgent week amongst Croatia's islands we docked in Split, relaxed and with absolutely no plans. After a week of paradise, we were all ready for something a bit more crazy, so the decision was a road trip into Bosnia…

Turns out it was one of the best travel decisions we've ever made.

BOSNIA

We hired the tiniest of cars from a local hire car dealer in Split. The insurance was astronomical because we planned to drive the car from Croatia to Bosnia and the dealer said we were all "crazy".

As we left Split headed for the Bosnian border there was definitely excited nervousness in the car. Besides being off the beaten track, everything we'd read on Bosnia advised travellers not to veer off the road even the slightest bit because of unexploded land mines. D's knuckles were white as we hit the border crossing.

Google maps wouldn't let me 'get directions' into Bosnia - we left from Split on Croatia's coast.

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I think the strangest thing as we entered Bosnia was the scenery. It was stunning. I guess quite ignorantly we hadn't associated Bosnia with a scenic road trip.

Bosnia...

Amazing views from the car...

As we got close to Sarajevo, the scenery changed and it was overwhelming. House after house was peppered with bullet holes. It was strange to take in as the damage was set amongst a beautiful landscape. The hardest thing to put together in our heads was that the conflict between Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia happened between 1992-1995. I think we all felt like we didn't know enough about it all, given we were in our early teens when it happened.

As we hit the centre of Sarajevo we were shocked. Some buildings had holes as big as cars through their walls and nothing looked as if it had been repaired since the end of the war. When we found our hostel the view out the window was graveyards dotted between the houses.

Looking out our hostel window...

The "hostel" was actually a house with no locks. Our room consisted of four army bunk beds. I think we all felt a bit overwhelmed, as we all sat on our beds and stared at each other with a sort of "what are we doing" look.

We had driven for most of the day so we locked our backpacks to our beds and set out to explore Sarajevo...

SARAJEVO

It feels slightly clichéd to say it, but the centre of Sarajevo was a complete surprise. Restaurants, food stalls, markets and people everywhere. We had been told by a Croatian friend of ours to find cevapi - a Bosnian version of a kebab, however, before we found a cevapi stand, we stumbled upon the most incredible street café that was cooking steaks on bricks in a fire. The steak is served almost raw and the heat from the brick cooks the rest of the steak as you eat it! Big call, but it was close to the best steak I've ever eaten.

Weirdly, the waiter tied bibs around KT, Rhiannon and my necks before our steaks were served (it was all really amusing as no one else at the café had bibs on!).

Rhiannon and I with our bibs and our steaks on bricks...

Somehow through a miscommunication, D got a mixed grill served on a sword!

We strolled the streets for hours until we decided it was time for bed. Because there were no locks on the hostel doors, we decided to put a backpack against the door with a can of deodorant on the top - basically if someone tried to come in, the can would hit the floor and wake us up.

When the can hit the floor at 2am and in stumbled a drunken stranger we were all sitting bolt upright, very unnerved in an instant. The poor guy, with a few too many under his belt didn't know what had happened as three hysterical females and D told him he had the wrong room (slightly different language used though!). I don't think any of us slept particularly well the rest of that night…

ANTIBIOTICS IN SARAJEVO...

After a somewhat sleepless night we all awoke pretty tired. To complicate things slightly, the ear ache I'd had in Croatia had now spread down my jaw and I now couldn't lie on that side of my face. I'd been to the A&E in Croatia, but because of the language barrior, whatever I was given wasn't the right stuff. The biggest worry was that I had a long haul to Beijing China in five days time. Not a great idea to be flying with ear issues...

We all found it very amusing that the only time I had been sick on all of our travels was in Bosnia. We absolutely didn't speak a word of Bosnian and we weren't sure how I was going to either explain my troubles let alone get hold of the right antibiotics.

But it seems it's easier to get medical supplies in Bosnia than one might think... we found a chemist in the centre of Sarajevo and I played charades with my ear in an attempt to explan the problem. Then, in perfect English the gem of a girl behind the counter asked me what was up. After explaining my troubles, she reached below the counter and offered me at least a year supply of antibiotics - for about $1.

SARAJEVO'S TUNNELS

With the ear sorted, we had a breakfast of pita bread, honey and tea before taking a bus up into the hills to see the Sarajevo's tunnels.

Sarajevo is situated in a huge valley and during the war when the surrounding hills were occupied and supply routes cut off, the Sarajevans built a series of tunnels under the airport to bring food and supplies in and out of the city.

Entrance to one of the tunnels with the airport in the distance. The tunnels go under the runway.

Further up in the hills we saw the remnants of the 1984 Winter Olympics that were held in Sarajevo. In a bit of sad irony, the Serbs used the Bosnian's own Olympic infrastructure against them, using the concrete luge and bobsled track as a bunker and attacking down into the city from over the top.

D, Rhiannon and KT walk up the bobsled track...

It was fairly intense walking in the hills as there were signs like this all around...

That evening we found cevapi which was amazingly good and strangely enough we watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on the flat screens situated all around the city.

Cevapi!

Centre of Sarajevo - D, Yours Truly, Rhiannon and KT.

You can just see the edge of a flat screen to D's left.

SARAJEVO to MOSTAR

We left Sarajevo the next morning. In the car early, we headed west for the Bosnian town of Mostar.

The map of our Bonsian trip, you can see some of our pen marks...

Trip out: Split - Bugojno - Sarajevo.
Trip back: Sarajevo - Mostar - Metkovic.

Famous for its bridge, each Summer young men jump off the bridge to prove their manhood!

After D proved his manhood we had an amazing lunch of more cevapi.

We also found another most amusing Bosnian food…

After an overwhelmingly incredible five days in Bosnia, we headed west back towards Croatia...

Our experiences in Bosnia were some of the greatest we've had while travelling. If you're thinking of heading into Bosnia send us an email and we'll be happy to offer some tips where we can.

GRTs.

CROATIA

2009-07-16T00:13:00.009+10:00

The Global Road Trip continues...

CROATIA.

After our adventures in Athens and Santorini, we planned to leave Greece bound for the islands of Croatia. Unfortunately, we hadn't bothered to plan how to get there. After endless searches for buses, trains, even flights, it turns out it's not so easy...

After a flight, a three-hour train ride, a 16-hour ferry trip to Italy (yes Italy!), a night spent on the floor of an Italian ferry terminal tangled in backpacks, and finally, a second nine-hour ferry - we arrived absolutely shattered on the streets of Dubrovnik. KT was so exhausted she actually lay down on in the gutter and went to sleep.

Here it is...
Flight - Santorini to Athens, Greece.
Train - Athens to Patras, Greece.
Ferry - Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy.
Ferry - Bari, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Idiots.

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Anyone found an easier way to do it? Without paying crazy prices for flights?

Dane on the ferry between Patras and Bari. I love this photo. Dane looks exhausted and travel-happy at the same time.

Here's KT amongst suitcases and chairs trying to get forty winks…

Apparently we had it good...

The reason we had to get to Dubrovnik was because one of my greatest friends, Rhiannon, had flown over from Australia to join us sailing around Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. So literally we couldn't be late.

Poor Rhiannon, we looked shattered when we found her, could hardly talk, then we asked if she could she sneak us into her hotel so we could use the shower. Four days without showers, it wasn't pretty.

No time to rest though - an hour later we were due to meet the boat that was to take us to the islands. Unfortunately, this meant we had no time to explore Dubrovnik and her walls. After the 50-hour Greece-Croatia commute, Croatia's waters suddenly seemed worth it...

We joined a Busabout Croatia boat as our mode of transport which I would highly recommend if you're a single 20-something male. Of the 20 of us onboard, I believe there were 4 males, 2 of whom were single. Of the 16 girls, I think 14 were single! Most amusing.

It's not overly our style to join something like a Busabout boat, but in terms of getting us to and from all the islands, it was perfect. Here she is - our accommodation for the next eight days...

This is the route we took - a one way sail from Dubrovnik to Split:

Busabout's map:

I think the getting-from-Greece-to-Croatia ordeal actually tipped KT and I to the point of exhaustion. KT, having stepped onto the boat, took herself straight to bed and didn't wake up for 48 hours. I got an ear-ache and a prickly heat rash over my entire body. It got so bad I found myself in a Croatian A&E Department getting prescriptions for antibiotics and steroid cream.

Luckily, our days on the boat consisted of swimming, eating, sunning, reading, swimming and eating again.

The recovery begins...

Korcula.

One of my favourite experiences in Croatia was inside the castle walls on the island of Korcula. Inside the castle's turret there is a cocktail bar where we sat, watched the sunset and sipped cocktails. An incredible evening.

Korcula's castle walls.

Yours truly climbing up the into the turret.

Hvar.

Of all the islands off the coast of Croatia, Hvar is definitely the party place. Here we indulged in too much amazing seafood, steak and a few cocktails...

Rhiannon, KT and I enjoying Hvar's hospitality...

Slow start to the next morning as we set sail for Bol...

KT and I soak up the Croatian goodness.

Bol.

Bol is super famous for its shoehorn 'beach'. However, as Dane and I swum the 2kms from the boat to the tip of Bol's shoehorn - we found out the 'sand' is actually pebbles! A well kept secret.

Omis.

Although not on the map, the final island stop was Omis. We docked right at the bottom of a huge set of cliffs overlooking the bay. With a few others from the boat, Rhiannon, Dane and I set out to hike the cliffs in 30 degree heat. Not an overly clever idea given the heat, but the views were incredible.

Dane conquers Omis.

Lucky Omis has great views, its beach was holiday hell.

After a delightfully indulgent week, our boat docked in amazing Split.

We had five days left with KT and Rhiannon, so with not much thought, we decided we'd hire a car and drive into Bosnia...

GRT.

SANTORINI

2008-10-14T02:23:00.021+11:00

Up early, the gang of KT, Dane and I left the sweat, smoke and coffee of Athens, bound for the promised bliss of Santorini.

We had somehow got a cheap flight to Santorini, but this isn’t the usual way when heading to the Islands from Athens. Most people ferry it there, taking anywhere from four to 13 hours, depending on who you go with (we think Blue Star Ferries are apparently a good, even-keeled choice!). Although, if you are prone to sea sickness or claustrophobia, it might be best to fly. And when the gang plank is lowered, punters who haven't paid the extra for a cabin, scramble for the limited chair and deck space. So be ready when boarding begins!

Famous for its postcard panoramas, Santorini is a dreamy labyrinth of blue and white buildings staring lazily out over the Med. Hours can be spent wandering the mesmerizing laneways of Fira, Santorini’s major ‘town’, where ice-cream laden tourists ride donkeys and get snap happy. However, for those intent on days spent lounging on the beach, Santorini isn’t for you. Don’t get me wrong, Santorini is almost hypnotizing with its beauty, but the island is actually made up of volcanic rock, so don’t expect rolling dunes of perfect white sand here. The sand is soft and fine, but black as coal.

Driving the rest of the Island is definitely a must. White arches frame the Med in every direction, the Med stretches out endlessly from every point on the island. It is a stunning drive. Maps aren’t much help, but the Island is small, so aimless wandering will usually get you back to where you started. On the very south tip of the Island is the infamous Kamari (black) Beach. And aptly named. After a dip in the perfectly ambient Med, we trekked across the beach to reach our car resembling something of a mud wrestling team. Our tip, go there last, otherwise the drive (and the car) turn into a somewhat muddy affair.

Our final night on the Island was spent indulgently at Omis, the northern most point on the Island, laden with cheese and wine, we watched a glorious Santorini sun sink into the sea.Relaxed, tanned (burnt) and full of wine and cheese we left Santorini on a high bound for Croatia. What we didn’t know was that an incredible 50 hour journey lay in front of us…

GRT.

Santorini - Our Top Tips

Do: hire a quad bike or car to see the Island.
Do: take a night to watch the sunset into the Med.
Don’t: expect white sandy beaches.

We stayed: Stavros Villas, booked through hostelbookers.com

Our verdict... amazing place to relax poolside and enjoy nights in with wine and chats, but if you want nightlife, stay closer to Fira.

The idyllic views from Fira, Santorini

KT and I enjoy the hostel pool :)

Nom nom nom...

Black Beach.

Next stop: Croatia…

ATHENS, GREECE

2008-09-20T22:30:00.010+10:00

We arrived into the Greek capital Athens late and were instantly smashed by the heat. 30 degrees at midnight, it was like being hit with a hot baseball bat after rainy life in London. We tube-ed it into the city from the airport to find our hostel. After a bit of walking, sweaty backs, four flights of stairs and burning thighs, we found our dorm complete with KT - our mate who is joining us for the next couple of weeks.

Athens is a strange place. Not your usual European city of museums and monuments. It’s a tangled mess of streets, smoky cafes and confident Greek men sipping espressos. The entire city is dripping in sweat from the relentless sun.

After a decent sleep and hot strong coffees, we hiked up to the Acropolis, the dominant feature of the city, to enjoy the views. But it was a mess of tourists and construction so we trekked back down for gyros (pronounced year-os), Greek salad and more coffee.

Fun and games back at the hostel that night after a dehydrated Dane chugged water from the shower nozzle, only to say to KT:

Dane: So, can you drink the water here?
KT: No.
Dane: Bahaha.
KT: No, I’m not kidding.
Dane: #%*!

Dane spent the rest of the night listening to his stomach gurgle and hoping not to “tap out” as KT and I cried with laughter.

GRT.

Yours Truly and KT at the Acropolis.

We haven’t done this before, but we thought we’d post our top tips for all the places we go… if it stinks, let us know. Here goes:

Our Top Tips - Athens:

Do: take advantage of the amazingly strong, constantly flowing coffee.
Don’t: Drink the water! Bottled water is cheap from street vendors.

Remember:

There is no sewerage in Athens, so all toilet paper goes in the bins next to the loos, otherwise you’ll get a blockage! Not pretty.

Athens is a great place to use as a launching pad to see the Greek Islands. If you don’t like crowded cities, get out of Athens quick smart, a day is plenty of time.

We stayed:

Fivos Hostel - 23 Athinas Street Monastiraki, Athens.
We booked http://www.hostels.com/

Our verdict - pretty average, but clean and a complementary brekkie of stale bread, tomatoes, eggs and coffee. Bonus is it’s right in the centre of the city.

Next stop for us… Santorini in the Greek Islands!

On the road again...

2008-09-16T02:17:00.009+10:00

Yes, it's been a while. But we're hitting the road again...

After a couple of years working and saving our pennies, we've planned a massive trip which should see us driving the roads of Bosnia, exploring the rolling hills of Mongolia and surfing our way down the coasts of Spain and Portugal.

We'll try to update regularly, internet pending, and bring you the highs and lows of the trip.

Any suggestions or questions, let us know - info@globalroadtrippers.com

GRT.

And we're off... first stop: Athens, Greece.

SOUTH-WEST TURKEY

2007-07-22T23:43:00.025+10:00

Turkish Delight.

In late May we jetted off for Marmaris, Turkey to begin an epic week of sailing around the South-West tip. Armed with 10 of our best mates, we set of to explore the link between the Middle East and Europe.

The 12 of us put in to hire a yacht through Tussock Cruising (which includes a captain!) and when we arrived, this was the splendid boat that greeted us...

Dane took this shot pap style from the dingy!

Marmaris, Turkey.

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Setting sail from Marmaris, we settled into the good life....

Enjoying the Turkish goodness.

Dane enjoying paradise.

After a couple of days of "is this really happening?", we began sailing around the South coast with the aim of venturing ashore to explore more than just the Mediterranean. Captain Birol, the man, the master - led the map discussions... accompanied, of course, by a breakfast beer.

We sailed past Dalaman as far as Fethiye - a port town, which handles lots of Turkey's imports/exports... and headed on-land to start exploring.

FETHIYE and SAKLIKENT GORGE

We stopped in a road side village for a Turkish Breakfast . A traditional Turkish breaky is made up of boiled eggs, olives, cheese, honey and pancakes. Mmmmm...

The sweetest of pancake cooks!

About 20km inland from Fethiye is the Saklikent Gorge. This natural wonder is an 18 km gorge cut into the Daglar Mountains. We trekked against the current into the gorge. The rock walls have been shaped by years of water currents.

Through some mis-communication (we don't speak Turkish!) most of us had understood that we were supposed to take our shoes off! Yes, off! Which turned out to be interesting... especially after two hours of hiking...

Saklikent Gorge all to ourselves...

After about three hours of walking, and plenty of blisters we asked:

"So is there a look-out ahead?"

Captain Birol:

"Oh, I don't know... we've never been this far before..."

Hmmm.

The crew. Three hours in...

After Saklikent gorge we headed for the coast again and the markets in Fethiye. Plenty of spices, Turkish delight, jewellery, eccentric characters and bargains to be found...

Back at the boat we're greeted by Captain Birol and some Turkish goodness...

Turkey nights.

The nights on the boat were beyond words. You could jump off the boat at any time, snorkel, wind surf or just bob.

The Med at dusk.

'Jin tonic?'

On of the more interesting aspects of this adventure was the unlimited alcohol supply. Yes, unlimited. IN particular, G&Ts. Poor Captain Birol - trying to sail the boat with our help and unlimited alcohol. He said he'd never had Aussies on-board before...

I love this shot of KT and I. Just captures the mood somehow.

Caunos - Turkish Mud Baths and rock tombs.

We took a river boat from Dalyan to explore the mud baths and the rock tombs. You jump in the sulfur mud (coming up from natural springs) - it stinks!!!! then you jump out and let in bake on in the sun, before jumping in the clear spring water.

Getting amongst it. Stinks, but great for the skin!

As we continued down the river we stumbled across the rock tombs of Caunos. Tombs carved into the solid rock of the mountainside. We also explored Dalyan's 5000 year old ruined city.

Our amazing mates. Macca, Dane, Tom, Shilo, Rich, Chirs, Soph, Claudia, Bolz, Kate, Marty.

The girls - Claude, Bolz and Kate - Turkish style.

THE FINAL NIGHT!

For our final night we ventured ashore in Marmaris.

It all started so innocently at a Shisha bar...

Then the crazy apple shisha and cocktails set in....

Then the night got wild - in an OPEN AIR Turkish club... shooting fire, podiums and about 5000 people going nuts!

We couldn't resist a 'Turkish' kebab on the way home...

The perfect end to an amazing adventure. Turkey times.

The Global Road Trippers.

The Cheese Rolling Festival.

2007-06-04T02:45:00.001+10:00

We had headed out of London for the weekend to enjoy a spot of camping and a few bevies. However, we didn't expect to find ourselves at Gloucester's annual cheese rolling festival!

Absolutely craziness. It's truly an absolute death trap, but incredibly funny to watch.

So English. Running after cheese! Love it.

Crowd issues. A sign on the hike up said: Enter at your own peril.

The view, complete with rugby team at the bottom to tackle anyone who makes it...

And for your viewing pleasure - a video of the days madness.

TV Stars - filming in Scotland and Ireland!

2006-11-20T23:35:00.011+11:00

Yes - believe it or not, after seeing an add on the Gumtree - we got through an interview and then a screen-test to score gigs as roaming travel presenters on the 'In London' show (a backpacker travel show based on the Magazine of the same name). The show is aimed at Aussies and Kiwi travellers living in London.

I got sent to Scotland, and Dane to Ireland for three days each to film travel segments that appeared on the show...

We had to write, present and then co-produce the 12 minute packages that appeared in the show.

This is what we were faced with! Take deep breath... ....and don't say 'um'!

Scotland...

Here is Claudia in the higlands - plenty of snow about.

This is Loch Ness. The water takes on an oily-black sheen because of all the peat in the loch.

Ireland...

Dane and Simon on the very rugged West Coast of Ireland. The freezing cold Atlantic ocean smashes into the coastline every day.

This is the western-most point in all of Europe - the storm broke right as we stood out on the rocks.

Blarney Castle - home of the infamous Blarney Stone! The stone has magic powers and once you kiss it, it is said that you get granted the gift of the gab. The only issue is, the damn thing sits right at the top of the castle, out over a ledge - some old dude has top hold your ankles while you hang upside-down over the edge to plant a kiss! Of course, Dane gave it a good old smooch.

These are the mighty Cliffs of Moher - also known as The Cliffs of Insanity from the movie The Princess Bride.

One of Ireland's surprisingly many surf spots. It's a shame we were so rushed and had no time to stop - although it might have been a good thing, given the freezing water temps and a drastic lack of wetsuits...

PARIS FRANCE!

2006-09-24T01:53:00.018+10:00

A surprise trip for Dane's birthday in September saw us head to gay Pairs! Following Claudia's instructions to "meet me at Waterloo at 7pm" and having no idea what to expect. Thinking dinner out, Dane was very surprised to see Claudia there with bags packed, passport and tickets in hand, ready to depart for Paris! Sensational stuff.

Two hours later and the Eurostar had us in Paris!

Emjoying wine and cheese at la Tour d'Eiffel...

Paris, France.

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LE LOUVRE

The building itself is amazing, let alone the countless pieces inside... we spent a good while here and only covered a fraction of the place.

Like most, we did bee line it to the Mona Lisa... they actually have photo police who hunt down people taking photos of the lovely Mona and force them to delete their pictures. Naughty naughty.

Us inside the pyramid (a relatively new addition, still controversial with the locals).

The view inside...

Strength in numbers. Gold.

The Da Vinci Code's pyramids- the male and female symbols made famous by Dan Brown... a definite highlight with the tourists.

Delights of Paris.

L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE

Dane loses a bet here - not believing Claudia's story of a spiral staircase that runs all the way up to the top.

Claudia 1, Dane Nil.

Notre Dame... no hunchbacks in sight.

Deux cafés et les crêpes, s'il vous plaît.

We had an absolute blast in Paris - too much to do in a weekend - we'll have to go back....

SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN

2006-08-14T00:15:00.017+10:00

SAN SEBASTIAN...

With only a few days to enjoy some sun and sea, we choose San Sebastian on Spain's North coast.

Playa de la Concha.

San Sebastian, Spain.

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San Seb is historically a fishing village - which means the foreshore is packed with awesome seafood restaurants, with all sorts of delicious morsels from the deep. Recently, the town has seen the tourist industry take off, but the fisherman still go out every day and repair their nets in the afternoons.

Tapas and Sangria - a winning combo... our first night started out innocently enough in one of San Sebastian's many tapas bars...

But, as luck would have it, the local girls took a real shine to Dane - and ended up treating us to a great night out - plenty of Sangria flowing! Love the local tips too, they taught us how to haggle in Spanish at the night markets on the way home, ensuring plenty of bargains along the way...

These Spanish girls definitely knew how to party...

Next morning, only tiny, but we got a couple of waves to freshen up...

BIG statue of JC up on the hill - enjoying the views...

There's an old cable car in the town which we took to the top of the surrounding mountains. Expecting a lookout, we were a little surprised to find a fun park, with horsie rides, haunted house, laughing clowns and plenty of chances to win oversized stuffed fluffy animals. But the views were definitely worth it...

More incredible views around the headlands...

On our last night we wandered down to the foreshore, and were just a tiny but surprised to find thousands of people all in party mode - dressed up and all over the beach and streets. Turns out the San Sebastian Festival was on while we were there - sweet!

This was nuts. Festival guys had rigged up a two man paper-mache bull, and strapped fireworks to the thing. Panic unfolded as they ran through the crowd, rocketing flares at innocent bystanders...

Its supposed to be an imitation of Pamplona's 'Running of the Bulls' - except, of course, the bulls are fake and there are fire crackers!

A crazy, beautiful place.

HEATHROW

2006-08-13T08:04:00.003+10:00

A HEATHROW NIGHTMARE...

This is the scene that greeted us as we rocked up to Heathrow with bags packed, ready to fly off to Spain for some much needed summer sun, sand and surf. A false start though - this is Heathrow - in pure chaos. Turns out that the morning we were due to fly, was the day of the terrorist scare - with plans uncovered to blow-up 20 planes flying out of Heathrow heading for the US. Heathrow shut down and we waited all day to learn that our flights had been cancelled. Very surreal to be in the airport and see the live BBC news covering the scene as its unfolding right in front of us.

After some hasty last minute re-booking, we managed to get flights out the next day from a different airport, still hell-bent on getting over to Spain. They put a total ban on hand luggage for months afterwards, and only now are they letting you take things in carry on...

LONDON, ENGLAND

2006-08-06T03:53:00.002+10:00

The Motherland...

After a year of adventures in Canada our visas ran out. Rather devastated and not ready to return home we decided on a change of scenery and flew to London, England.

Living in London is a rite of passage for many young Aussies. A chance to live overseas and explore Europe at the same time. Like many, we headed to London thinking we'd be there a year of so and ended up leaving 5 years later...

We arrived late April 2006, just as summer and the 2006 World Cup was kicking off - brilliant!

London, England

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A new home sweet home...

Because we’d spent a year in Canada living in a van and a ski resort, we were beyond broke when we arrived in London. We also knew no one we could stay with, so we spent the first month in a shared hostel dorm room in Shepherds Bush sorting out jobs and a place to live. We ate dinner between 2pm and 4pm when the hostel had their 2-4-1 meal deal on!

Eventually we chose Clapham in south-west London as our new home. About 15 minutes from the city and right on the edge of Clapham Common. Living with 3 others in a big share house, it would be fun and games and turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made. Dane scored work as a PM and I scored an amazing gig with the BBC.

Clapham High Street...

I love this photo. The fun begins in our house in Clapham...

Clapham in all her glory. The view from our loft.

LONDON LIFE...

Despite the sometimes dodgy weather, there is always something on in London. It has an amazing music scene, an even more incredible drinking scene and a colourful history. What we found is that whatever you're interested in, you'll find it in London.

We've had many a crazy night out in London… but here are some of our favourite London to do's:

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club - an amazing night of jazz in Soho.
Gordon's Wine Bar - London's oldest wine bar, it's built underground right near Embankment.
Royal Ascot Races - held each June, cracker day.
Pretty much any gig at Brixton's Carling Academy
Drinks at the Boathouse - Putney.
Lazy Sundays in Clapham Common.
Cable wakeboarding near Heathrow.
Borough Markets - amazing food markets each Saturday morning near London Bridge.
Shakespeare at the Globe theatre right on the Southbank.
Spitalfields market - a Sunday market with all sorts of vintage clothing followed by a curry in Brick Lane.
All you can eat sushi at a tiny place called Hi Sushi in Soho.

Seems to be an eating/drinking trend in there… any other suggestions?

Here are some of our favourite London pics...

Sarah soaks up Clapham Common.

A quintessentially English scene - cricket and tea at a graveyard just outside Kew Gardens, Richmond.

Frivolities at the famous Ascot Races...

More frivolities after Ascot... attempting some Michael Jackson moves!

SW4 Festival in Clapham Common...

Dane and I at one of the many fancy dress dress partys...

More Summer goodness in Clapham Common...

D wake boarding near Heathrow.

I love this photo. It perfectly captures Summer in London.

Got any other London suggestions?

FAREWELL CANADA!!

2006-04-26T09:55:00.008+10:00

A year in Canada...

After 12 months in beautiful Canada our visas have run out and we’re off to try our luck in London, England. It’s been an awesome and incredible year. The highlights? We...

Spent: 3 months living in a van
Ate: cheese every day
Learnt: some local words, eh?
Saw: the world's tallest building
Got: 2 flat tyres and 1 black eye
Tried: ice hockey, poutine and BBQ-ed eel
Acclimatised: to life at 7100ft
Missed: Real bacon, vegemite and tim tams
Extingusihed: one fire
Drank: too much jager
Enjoyed: staff cafe chats at Sunsihne Village
Travelled on: ferries, buses, sea-planes, sky-trains, bicycles, ice skates, zodiacs, ski-doos and snowboards
Met: heaps of cool people
Made: some life long mates
Disagreed: with tipping and too much franchised food
Loved: Tim Horton's french vanilla coffee
Enjoyed: super fast internet everywhere
Saw: bears, wolves, killer whales and the northern lights
Rode: Sunshine, Whistler, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse, Big White and Silver Star ski resorts
Drove: across the Canadian Rockies
Hiked: 3 mountains
Froze: at -40 degrees celcius
Got: frost bite twice
Cracked: up so many times
Scored: countless fresh tracks
Broke: one gondola
Slept: at airports, in hostels, in the Beast, and at 7100 feet
Had: some of the funniest camping experiences of our life
Celebrated: Australia day and Haloween like never before
Did: not want to leave
Will: be back one day...

SUNSHINE'S SUNSET

2006-03-30T11:07:00.004+11:00

Last days...

Having spent 6 months living in the Rockies and with Winter nearly over, we made plans to leave our beloved Sunshine Village and road trip our way to Eastern Canada.

Sunshine Village...

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But before we left...

DELIRIUM DIVE

Delirium Dive is what makes Sunshine Village famous. It's an extreme bowl that you can only access by hiking across the right hand top ridge before dropping into the basin. You also can't get in without a partner and avalanche gear (beacon, shovel and probe). Finally we both 'did the dive' after borrowing some avi gear...

Crazy stuff. You can read about it at:

http://skibanff.com/the_mountain/extreme_terrain.php

Delirium Dive conquered. Here she is in her intimidating beauty.

Claudia about to drop in...

Here's some amazing footage of the dive...

Last days at 'work'...

The Resort.

Dane and Nick hard at work.

Claudia even harder at work...

FAREWELL SUNSHINE

Of course living in the Rockies is going to be naturally beautiful, but it's the cliche that is so true - it's always the people that make the experience!

Staff Caf, Sunburst, the Gondola, Standish... and of course Trappers.

Thanks guys - big love and awesome memories.

The ultimate shot. You know who you are - and where... Algeria.

Sunshine Village

FIRE CREW - in the Rockies

2006-03-29T15:42:00.011+11:00

FIRE CREW:

Sunshine Village, the ski and snowboard resort where we are living, is nestled 9000ft up in the Rocky Mountains. It is only accessible by a 5km Gondola ride and is about 10kms from the closest town Banff.

At night, when the Gondola stops, the resort - made up of 1 hotel and its guests, 1 pub, 1 hot spa and 150 staff that live on hill are left to their own devices.

Crazy.

Because at night we are separated from the world, the resort needs a fire crew, which are picked from the 150 staff who live on hill for the season (Banff's local crew has about a 20 minute response rate to get up to the resort).

Dane and I applied to be trained… and BOOM, we got in.

FIND 'EM HOT... LEAVE 'EM WET...

After passing our Fire Crew exams, it was time to get real. Enough reading textbooks and tying knots.... bring on the flames!

Here we are all suited up - axe, extinguisher and breathing apparatus on our backs.

Our final training drill involved a corrugated iron drum, with three valves spewing out propane gas. Hold a torch to the end of these babies and bam! Instant situation - our job was to work in teams of two and inch toward the flames using high pressure fire hoses to shield us from the heat, while we turned the valves off - BY HAND!

This is the scene - fully alight, before we headed in.

Our Fire Chief gave a few extra blasts of propane to keep us on our toes and ensure we didn't get too cold out on the snow.....

Heading in to the drum - this is actually US!

Claudia head first into the drum, while Dane keeps it cool with the hose.

Fire's out - success! Claudia chills out after a warming experience inside the flaming drum.

Relieved to still have eyebrows, we unsuit back in the fire hall, and hang up our helmets. Sunshine Village is safe once more.....

KICKING BACK AT KICKING HORSE

2006-03-25T15:39:00.009+11:00

KICKING HORSE

Another road trip beckoned - this time to Kicking Horse Resort outside Golden in British Columbia.

But first, we had to dig out our Beast!

Kicking Horse. This place is stupidly extreme. Plenty of incredibly steep terrain with incredible views. I was getting the knee shakes most of the day. Didn't really want to catch a rail going down this...

This is the view down the valley - Golden is nestled under the cloud at the back of the pic.

Seriously incredible views.

A quick photo op for me after coming off the ridge in the background. The shadow on the face of the ridge gives you an idea of just how steep this place is...

D enjoying the goodness.

Another big panoramic view - check out the lifty hut on the left!

If you're ever in BC, this place is definitely worth visiting - http://www.kickinghorseresort.com/

BANFF HOT SPRINGS

We said farewell to Edwina and Pete in late Feb - they lived in Banff for 3 months with us, but it's back to sunny Australia for them.

Before they left, we had a trip to the Banff's Hot Springs. Cool place. You sit in the hot waters of the natural hot spring in the middle of Banff''s National Park, your hair freezes on your head, while underwater your body enjoys the +40 temperatures of the natural hot spring. Turmoil for the internal organs...

Posing for a quick pic as the steam and the Rockies behind us.

It was great to hang out with Ed and Pete in Canada - have fun back in Oz! For anyone who wants to check out Ed and Pete's amazing journeys, log onto the impressive:

http://www.shoestringtravels.blogspot.com/

A BIG WHITE VACATION...

2006-03-24T15:43:00.009+11:00

BIG WHITE

In mid March, we made a second road trip to Big White Resort - the huge ski and snowboard resort in the middle of British Columbia. D's parents Helen & Paul joined us there. It had been nearly a year since Dane had seen them.

Sunshine Village Alberta to Big White British Columbia.

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On top of the world. Here we are enjoying the sunshine & warmer temps of Big White, me looking a bit wonky...

Paul, D's Dad on-top of the world.

Deja vu - as we venture back to the tube park... but this time Helen and Paul enjoyed the adrenalin rush too!!

SKIING?

Why not?

We decided to strap on skis for a day and see what all the fun was about. Funny times.

Claudia rips it up Olympic style...

We all headed to dinner at Snow Shoe Sams - the local at Big White and were treated to an awesome night - topped off by the desert special.

The waiters ignite Grand Marnier and pour the flaming liquid down the barrel of a Shot Gun. A total spectacle - even for us hardened fire fighters...

Cruz' the Blues...

The Cruz the Blues weekend is an annual event at Big White every March. Participants are issued with 'passports' and you have to find stamps hidden along every blue run on the mountain. Here we are about to stamp away.... we scored t-shirts and a bunch of prizes at the presentation night! A stellar evernt - and you definitely get your moneys worth out of your lift pass!

D and I stamp collecting.

The Sinclair Boys about to cruz a few blues...

A final snap from Big White - a beautiful place with heaps of fun terrain. Thanks so much to Helen and Paul for all your generosity and an incredible time.

AUSTRALIA DAY

2006-02-12T14:16:00.000+11:00

AUSTRALIA DAY 2006

A much anticipated Aussie Day celebration! We actually ended up celebrating the day harder than we ever had - must be something about being away from the mother land on that special day...

The party kicks off in Club 306 (a dorm room turned makeshift nightclub for the evening). And yes, that's daylight coming in through the window.....

The crew in CLUB 306. The boys arranged special T-shirts for the day - No T-shirt, No Party.

Of course, the celebration moved onto to Mad Trappers pub, complete with random renditions of the National Anthem, Waltzing Matilda, and "We are one, but we are many" - remember, that Telstra ad...

Claudia shakes her tail feather Aussie style

The crew rev it up.

A final scene from inside Trappers - love that sign....

Claudia & Sarah hit Hollywood

2006-01-17T16:38:00.002+11:00

HITTING HOLLYWOOD WITH SARAH

Claudia headed down to Hollywood, California to spend a few relaxing days with her soul sister Sarah, Sarah's bro Chris and his lovely lady Bec - who were there on a stop-over after spending a month in the UK. Lots of fun and SUNNY weather...

Claudia and Sarah hitting Venice and Santa Monica Beach on the tandem... most amusing!!

Showing off the bodies Hollywood style...

Here we are after a night out enjoying AMERICAN style pizza..

Sadly no celebrity spottings. Ha ha. Was awesome to see Sarah. Thanks for a great time guys.

Sunshine Perspectives

2005-12-17T16:37:00.003+11:00

SUNSHINE SIGHTS

Thought I'd post some Winter shots Dane took during the season.

Sunrise over the Continental Divide - taken from Mount Standish. The Summertime rain that falls on the Continental Divide seperates into three oceans - the Pacific in the West, Arctic to the North and Atlantic to the East. The Divide mountain range also splits the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

A REAL Christmas tree holds its snow in the morning light...

A Mount Standish Sunrise.

A frozen hand rail catches the sun on a bluebird day. Perfect for fresh tracks...

Twilight over the Rockies - the sharpest peak in view is Mount Assiniboine - it's the highest point of the Canadian Rockies...

I love this shot. Dane took if from Mount Standish's chairlift. You can see the village in the valley.

Dane mucks around with a self-portrait in the goggles...

Dane took this photo during the last cold snap - its the inside of Beastie's windscreen showing crazy ice crystal formations!

An ice sculpture in Banff...

The view from Angel Mountain - me there on the right...

One of the staff accom buildings blanketed by Christmas snow.

Life at Sunshine Village

2005-12-16T06:29:00.000+11:00

The Playground...

Welcome to Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort!

This is our new home. We are lucky enough to be both living and working here. The Resort sits at 7000ft in Banff National Park in the Rockie Mountains, and spans across both British Columbia and Alberta.

Check out the view. And, yes - that's Claudia on the right!

THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
(spliting Alberta and British Columbia)

View from the Angel Express Chairlift looking down over Dane's office.

Just to give you an idea of size, the barn on the bottom right holds all the equipment and goodies for the snowboard terrain park.

Dane's Office

(the top shack - on the right) at Mount Standish.

Claudia's Office - the Gondola

Claudia (with mate Amelia) hard at work on the Gondola...

Our House

This is the view from our bedroom window.

Enjoying a ride up on one of the many chairlifts...

Us at home, about to head off to work...

The Rocky Mountains, Canada

2005-11-28T07:06:00.025+11:00

BANFF, LAKE LOUISE & JASPER

But first...

Camping, Canadian style...

Arriving late into beautiful Banff, we stopped for a couple of beers at one of the local pubs before crawling into the Beast for another night on the road. It did feel a little colder than usual, nothing too crazy - but when we woke up... BOOM. This was it!

Snow had fallen silently throughout the night and coated our poor Beast (with human cargo inside) in a thick layer of fresh snow. The campsite looked amazing as we packed up our things and crossed our fingers for the frozen engine to start...

Thankfully, the Beast roared to life and we began scraping off the snow for another day on the road. Dane smiles from inside our frozen bedroom...

The next leg of the roadtrip...

Banff

Lake Louise

Jasper National Park

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We left Banff headed for Lake Louise - the tiniest of towns with not much more than the Lake Louise Ski Resort, a gas station and a great kebab shop! The infamous lake didn't disappoint though - it is absolutely iridescent blue.

LAKE LOUISE

Lake Louise and the crazy water colour.

The most tranquil of places - we were there on a rainy day, and the whole place was still stunning - low fog over the crystal aqua blue water.

THE LAKE AGNES TEAHOUSE HIKE

We started walking around the edge of Lake Louise on a trail that seemed to climb uphill constantly. We saw a few small timber signs and a little plaque saying 'Lake Agnes Teahouse' with an arrow ahead. We followed the trail on and on (and up and up), until all the ground and the rocks were covered in a slippery combo of ice and snow. Then it started snowing.

We were seriously undergunned (once again!) in our street shoes, jeans and jumpers, while other hikers pushed past us in climbing gear with fully stocked backpacks.... We figured we had come too far already to turn back, so we pressed on, up and up on the icy trail - often assuming a crab-like crawl to get up the slippery slope. Turns out the hike is just under 10km (a detail which was not signposted!), but visions of hot coffees and a warm fire at the teahouse at the top kept us going.

Views of Lake Louise during the hike.

Up and up, the snow kept falling, and we kept climbing. We finally arrived at the top - exhausted - to find a sign on the door of mountain-top lake-side teahouse, cheerfully announcing: "CLOSED for the Season - See you next June". JUNE! Right. Perhaps a small sign at the BOTTTOM of the trail could have informed us of this development. However, the views were amazing - a frozen lake gathered snow while the craggy tops of the Rockies jagged skywards...

The semi-frozen Lake Agnes reflecting nicely

Us at the (closed!) Teahouse - notice the attire - fit for climbing in the Rockies... We again attracted many "what are you THINKING" stares from the locals who came PREPARED.

PEYTO LAKE

After our hike down, and a kebab, we drove the short drive from Lake Louise to Peyto Lake. Peyto Lake is almost more impressive than Lake Louise, but lesser known. The colour of the water looks so bright, it doesn't look real - as though someone has added dye to the water. Apparently, the water gets its colour from the mineral-rich glaciers, which have compressed the ice to such an extent it looks blue.

JASPER NATIONAL PARK

This one is taken from the van on the long road to Jasper, north of Banff and Lake Louise. It has been dumping snow here already - a great sign for the coming winter. Yew!

ATHABASCA FALLS

Inside Japser National Park, we stopped to check out Athabasca Falls. Another hike ensued...

Athabasca Falls - the water was FREEZING.

A Rockie Roadtrip

2005-10-17T10:45:00.005+10:00

ROAD TRIP TO THE ROCKIES...

We left Vancouver after a few days recovery from our Vancouver Island road trip and pointed the Beast East toward the Rockies...

Hitting the Trans-Canadian-Highway with Beastie - this view is of the massive Okanagan Lake (right near the US border - views like this make long drives super easy!).

The road trip...

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In Kelowna by the Okanagan Lake

After Kelowna, we headed toward Golden, however, the Beast decided to come to a complete stop in the middle of British Columbia (Castlegar to be exact) on Thanksgiving weekend... 'Thankfully' although we konked-out in the middle of the highway, we were right outside the Castlegar campgrounds so we literally rolled in for the night and slept in our broken Beast.

After two days of chillin in the Castlegar campground eating salmon Dane had caught during the Salmon season at Rivers Inlet, we eventually tracked down Ernie the mechanic.

Below: a very unamused Claudia looks on as double-denim Ernie attempts to fix the Beast @ 7.00am on his Thanksgiving Long-weekend Monday monring! Ernie, although short on teeth, was mechanically gifted and the Beast scored a new alternator and roared to life...

Back on the road again...

The Canadian 'fall' (thats Autumn in Australia) put on some spectacular views... an awesome time of year to be driving in BC.

The cliffs of Canal Flats - just before hitting the Rockies... we camped here for the night. A very cold night in Beastie. We saw wild Kokanee Salmon jumping out of the river here.

On we go...

A local traffic cop stops to give directions outside the Rockies... we crossed from BC into Alberta (the first province East of BC).

As soon as we hit the Rockies the scenery changed dramatically. Absolutely amazing views. The frozen roads definitely put Beastie to the test...

We camped in Tunnel Mountain, Banff, Alberta surrounded by the Rockies...

Frank Island (off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada)

2005-09-17T10:40:00.015+10:00

SURVIVOR: FRANK ISLAND

(off Chestermann's Beach, Tofino)

Frank Island is a tiny island off the west coast of Vancouver Island. It's connected to the mainland for only 4 hours a day, at all other times the high tide covers up the sand spit (you can see it in the below pic - we cheated and took a photo of a postacard, no we do not have a helicopter).

Leaving our van behind on the mainland, we decided to stay on the Island itself, in an octagonal cedar cabin, called 'La Piccola'.

It is probably the most remote location we have ever stayed. We had 4 hours of daylight to hike over the spit laden with backpacks and supplies for the next 4 days. It was absolutely extraordinary, there was no one on the island except us. In the evening, when the tide completely covered the spit, there was a moment that was slightly scary but also totally exhilarating as we realised we were completely cut off from the mainland.

It’s not super cheap, but if you’re looking to absolutely get away from the world, this is your spot. It is amazing beyond imagination. There is no telephone, no reception, no television, even the tap in the kitchen is operated by a pump. The most amusing part, the outdoor toilet only has 3 doors with a view out to sea! To book the cabin, just click here.

Frank Island - off the west coast of Vancouver Island:

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The cabin, La Piccola and its blustery surrounds...

This place was amazing - there are solar panels on the roof charged the halogen lights, a fireplace kept us warm, and we used a foot-pump to work the taps in the sink! It was so unique - complete seclusion in an ocean-side setting...

This is the incredible sunset view from the cabin - looking west into the Atlantic Ocean.

Ni night...

TOFINO - on Vancouver Island

On the western coast of Vancouver Island, Tofino is home to Canada's hottest (and only!) surf spot, and bustling surf industry. The entire place packs out with crazy Canucks every summer, living the surfing dream, Canadian style...

Wickininnish Beach, Tofino. Check the driftwood! One of the few spots to surf in Canada.

As you'd imagine, the water here is FREEZING. Seriously. Cold. We put our feet in and our ankles just about froze off... Surfers' wetsuits are super thick - 8mm, booties, gloves, a hood are all standard gear!!

The locals build these little A-frame huts (below) out of driftwood on the beach, and they light fires inside - every little while they paddle back in to de-frost by the fire and soothe the ice-cream-brain-freeze headaches. The mushy (iceberg-laden) two footers were not tempting enough for Dane, deciding NOT to don the full divers suit and paddle out a rental mal. Needless to say, Claudia's bikini stayed firmly tucked away in the bottom of her backpack....

Fall foliage on the drive out of Tofino.

After our adventures on Frank Island we left Tofino, headed for Nanaimo to begin our road trip across the Canadian Rockie Mountains...

Galiano Island, in the Gulf Islands, Canada

2005-09-10T16:42:00.002+10:00

The Gulf Islands.....

We drove from Victoria to board the BC Ferry at Swartz Bay, headed towards Sturdies Bay, on Galiano Island, the ‘Gem of the Gulf Islands’. The Gulf Islands are an island chain located between Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

Another exciting and beautiful ferry ride for us and the Beast (our live-in van), we disembarked and drove to Montague Provincial Marine Park to set up camp. The pic below is the view towards our campsite from Montague Bay.

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We set up our camp while watching a beautiful sunset from a white shell beach across the island studded Pacific.

This is one of the most remote places we have camped - there are only a few dozen peole living on Galliano Island and only a handful of shops which are only open Friday, Saturday and Sundays.

Claudia in the sunset...

The Beast (complete with moutain bikes!) admires the setting sun....

Galliano Island has amazing hiking, so today we drove the Beast to the base of Mount Galiano and decided to hike to the summit. It wasn't too steep and we hiked it in under an hour, 1,100 feet up, to a sensational view over the Gulf and San Juan Islands (USA) and Vancouver Island (Canada). At the top, we sat in the sun watching the BC Ferries and even a wild sea eagle circling overhead.

A panoramic view of the Gulf Islands.

We watched a BC Ferry coming into the island.

More from the top.

Tired from the climb, we returned on dusk to our Montague Bay home

The Beast, fully loaded!

A final Galiano Island sunset.

After three nights on Galliano Island we pointed our van west headed for Tofino and Frank Island....

VANCOUVER ISLAND - cruising with Killer Whales

2005-08-30T07:04:00.001+10:00

Hunting the Killers......

An amazing day. It was D’s birthday so we decided to treat ourselves to a killer-whale-watching cruise. We suited up in our full-body-one-piece-extra-bright-red-spray-suits, and got into a customised Zodiac with a bunch of Dutch Travel Agents (on a business trip!).

Go Team....

Astronaut Sinclair prepares for departure - headed fearlessly into oblivion, to venture forth and discover unknown worlds and realms, etc etc etc....... Cue: heroic background music.

We sped out of Victoria Harbour, and headed south towards the waters of Washington State.

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We paused in a huge undersea kelp forest (shown below) - impressive fact: these kelp plants grow a foot and a half EVERY DAY.

It was a perfect trip - awesome sunny day, a GREAT tour operator, and we cruised right into the path of a ‘superpod’ of over 90 killer whales.

We were treated to an amazing display - dozens of whales breaching the surface at once within metres of the boat, sending massive plumes of noisily exhaled air into the warm afternoon sun.

This huge whale ‘bobbed’ in the water right next to us, allowing us a great view and a million photo-ops.

Another highlight - We were (to quote the tour-operator) “absolutely among the luckiest humans on earth” to see live ‘Whale Porn’. The operator had only just finished describing the mating habits of the whales, when a few surfaced - one displaying an impressive whale penis to the delight of the crowd. Hilarious. Although, after some heavy deliberation and legal advice from Miss Lawson, we decided agaisnt posting any explicit pics...

A great trip - we saw a bald headed eagle, kelp forests, seals and sea-lions, and some energetic porpoises.

Headed back to Terra-Firma....

The map below shows where we went - our route is marked in green. The US/Canada border is visible in red....

Vancouver Island - Nanaimo and Victoria

2005-07-30T06:11:00.000+10:00

TOWARDS VANCOUVER ISLAND

NANAIMO

We drove from our hostel at Jericho Beach, through North Vancouver, to the Ferry Terminal at Horseshoe Bay. We jumped on the ferry, (Beasty-Van as well) and motored across to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, about an hour and a half off the West Coast of British Columbia.

We arrived at the Living Forest Oceanside Campsite, just outside Nanaimo - found a spare site, and bedded down in the Beast for the night. Here's the Beast - snuggled safely under the massive Spruce trees.

VANCOUVER to... VANCOUVER ISLAND

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We awoke to a perfect day weather wise - for a bike ride to downtown Nanaimo and around the foreshore - fish and chips in the sun at the Marina for lunch.

Back to the campsite around dusk - caught an amazing sunset and twilight from the water’s edge as the Nanaimo tide rose.

Campfire tales.....

VICTORIA

We packed up our site, piled all into the van, and headed south towards Victoria (British Columbia‘s Capital and 2nd most populated city - behind Vancouver). A beautiful drive through Autumn (Fall!?!) trees, weaving through the red, orange and yellow foliage. We stopped to view the painted street murals at a little town Chemainus (outside Duncan), and arrived in Victoria in the late afternoon.

The Victorian Harbourside view....

Victoria yielded an impressive surprise, as we had both anticipated Canberra-style boredom, but were treated to a beautiful and pretty harbour-side city, bustling with activity, and marked by impressive historic buildings such as the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Buildings - beautifully lit up at night with over 300 fairy lights on the facade.

Here are the Parliament Buildings, by day.

Back on the foreshore - The Empress Hotel is the building to the right.

The wonderful Captain Cook - he was also on the ship that founded Vancouver!!! - Well travelled guy for the 1800's!

By night....

Treated to another beautiful sunset - Victoria style.

Sleeping In Seattle

2005-06-17T11:02:00.000+10:00

ROADTRIP...

VANCOUVER to SEATTLE

From Vancouver we decided to take the Beast on her maiden journey into the States. Heading south, we pointed the Beast towards Seattle!

VANCOUVER CANADA... to SEATTLE USA

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SEATTLE

Seattle City taken from Puget Sound. The Space Needle is on the left, and interestingly enough, all the downtown buildings to it's right have been built since the 1960's.

Twilight and the Space Needle, taken from under the artistic folds of the Seattle Science Centre.

Sunset reflecting in the Science Centre facade.

Public Art in Seattle - plenty about.....

The Space Needle is the public's nickname for this structure, as it apparently resembles a UFO perched atop giant knitting needles....

Science Centre

Claudia super excited about all the mind-expanding knowledge within....

Claudia - hangs up the travelling lawyer boots for good, and embarks on a new and prosperous career (lifelong dream) as Seattle's Newest Weathergirl.

Ok. This was scary. Claudia ventured out over the edge of the Science Centre roof after countless bloopers as the weathergirl. Luckily, Dane was ready (note the pluggers.....) to talk her through the situation - back onto the safety of the roof, and was able to rescue this weathergirl's career. One small step for a man, one giant leap in meteorology.

Cruising the Harbour

You can take a sail around Seattle's harbour, so we decided to take a look, as it seemed we got lucky and saw Seattle in Sunshine! (yep, that's right folks, its cloudy in Seattle an average of 226 days a year!!)

A male Sealion poses atop a harbour marker.

Seattle Sailing....

We finally managed to find some HEALTH FOOD among all those expanding American waistlines - this gem featured two double scoops, hot fudge, and a (carb reduced?) waffle cone.

Life in the Beast

Battling dementia. Seriously. The mind was losing its grip on sanity. After navigating the concrete spaghetti of Seattle's highways, we found the Issaquah Highlands Camping and RV Site (under the management of Ranger Gary).

Claudia insisted on sporting the minor's light headress inside a moving vehicle to navigate the map while Dane steered the Beast. Crazy times indeed....

The back of the Beast in our Seattle home.....

Folks, we'd like to introduce you to the evening's special guest, Ranger Gary. We produced a digital camera, and Gary exclaimed - "it's just like a little TV!" - it was the first digital camera Gary had ever seen. Righteyo.

OK. This was completely hilarious. Gary then rushed us excitedly back to his camper and produced these two guitars, while we braced ourselves for the ensuing jam session. Amps and microphones later, the stage was set, and we opened the show with some blistering guitarwork and harmonious vocals. tsk tsk. We took plenty of pictures with our little TV......

Gary. The man. The moment. Eyes closed, Bud in hand. Loving it.

Head down, emotions ran high, as we sang through the duct-taped mic...... Gary played the next tune, which was ended prematurely, as he couldn't continue through his tears. The song reminded him of his "ex old-lady" and he left the trailer to weep gently outside.

Well, we are in the home town of Nirvana!

The global road tripping begins...

2005-05-26T10:26:00.001+10:00

CANADA

Woo hoo - the travels begin!

Dane had arrived in Canada a few months before me to do the salmon season at Rivers Inlet Resort in Northern British Columbia, near Alaska.

So, at the end of the salmon season I joined him in Vancouver. With no plans and not much money we decided that the best way to see this country was to buy a van that we could sleep in, eat in and explore in...

Introducing: THE BEAST

Purchased from travelling Irishmen, this sleep-in-able Dodge(y?!) Van was kitted out with a full camping set up including tables, chairs, stove, lights, pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, tarp, poles, and TWO MOUNTAIN BIKES which perch ridiculously on the roof racks.

Cue: The Price is Right Music - "It's a neeeeeewww Caaaaaaarrrrrr - Come on Downnnnnn!".

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VANCOUVER, CANADA

Before hitting the road we spent a few weeks fixing up the Beast and exploring Vancouver...

GROUSE MOUNTAIN

We braved the 'Grouse Grind' - hiking up nearly 3km of vertical rise in the mountains of North Vancouver. This one taken from about halfway up.

There is a wildlife reserve at the top which is home to two Grizzlies - very active once they saw a camera!

Keep munching...

GRANVILLE ISLAND

In downtown Vancouver is Granville Island. Situated on the south shore of False Creek it is connected to the city by a causeway. A sprawling market of sorts, it's home to amazing dining spots, art galleries and a fabulous public market that offers the freshest fruit and veg, desserts, fish and cheeses.

Market flowers...

Street Theatre performances are common at Granville Island. This guy, Lord Baron from England was a nutter. Quick off the mark and never short of a come-back. Of course, we were both picked to participate in his show - yes, that's Dane with real fire, real straight jackets, and real chains.

I also became involved somehow...

STANLEY PARK

We headed down to Stanley Park to christen our new mountain bikes with a 10km ride around the sea wall.

This is downtown Vancouver taken from the entrance to Stanley Park.

A racoon hides in Stanley Park...

Boulders on the seawall.

AN EVENING AT ENGLISH BAY

One of my favourite spots in Vancouver. Continuing down the sea wall from Stanley Park, you can sit right on the coast and enjoy seafood and beers in the afternoon sun. Here we are with some of D's crew from River's Inlet - Dane, Jack, Hetta, and me .

To have a look at Dane's adventures at Rivers Inlet Resort click here.

Global Road Trippers... it begins

2005-04-03T12:36:00.029+10:00

Essaouira, Morocco

Dane and I met in Australia at the end of 2004 and pretty much within six months decided to go travelling together. We started off in Canada, bought a van and with almost no money we started road tripping our way across North America.

There were no real plans when we left Australia except to see what happens. Since then we've snowboarded the Rockies, climbed the great wall of China, danced on the streets of Rio, caught the trans-Siberian and surfed our way down the Portuguese coast. More importantly though, we've met the most incredible, crazy, amazing people along the way.

Besides landing a one-time gig as travel presenters, we do have other 'careers' - Dane works in project management and I worked with the BBC in London and now in media in Sydney, but it's amazing how cheaply and how often you can travel if you really want to. Our poorest times have often been our most fun.

I hope our updates give you some idea of the incredible times we've had and maybe even inspire some random, crazy travel. We also try to throw in a few useful travel tips. If you'd like to get in touch it'd be great to hear from you - you can email us at info@globalroadtrippers.com or follow us on Twitter @GlobalTrippers

Claudia + Dane
Global Road Trippers