John Bennett - an old colleague and pal of mine from back in London days - recently published his first novel, Sea Otters Gambolling In The Wild, Wild Surf, and a bloody fine tale it is too. Take one bored teenager, add mother's credit card and an insatiable curiosity about a questionable pink statuette, light touch paper and stand well clear. Felix's global journey in search of the truth behind the mysterious, eponymous pink figurine is a ripping good yarn - equal parts funny, witty and touching - making it well worth your time indeed (plus, John's a top bloke and well deserving of your hard earned cash). Read without delay!‹ 23.5.06 / 1 comment(s) ›
That's 51 days (9 August to 29 September) and if that map's a little 'busy' for you, the itinerary is as follows:
Wellington - [Auckland] - [Hong Kong] - London - Montréal - New York - [Dallas/Fort Worth] - Las Vegas - [Miami] - Lima // Santiago - Buenos Aires - [Santiago] - [Auckland] - Wellington
The break between Lima and Santiago is a 22 day overland tour, Intrepid Travel's Southern Divide, which runs:
Lima - Cuzco - Ollantaytambo - Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes - Cuzco - Puno - Copacabana - La Paz - Sucre - Potosí - Uyuni - Salar de Uyuni - San Pedro de Atacama - Santiago
To find out where I'll be on which dates, visit my Yahoo! Calendar, or if you're down with the tech, hook into my Google Calendar (XML, iCal).
So, it's all fan-bloody-tastic I reckon! :) I'm absolutely stoked to have the chance to do this - and to have such understanding employers - and hopefully I'll be able to catch up with a few readers along the way, along with good friends of all makes and models, current and ex-colleagues (both English and Noozlelandish) and even a cousin thrown in there for good measure.
My español is progressing quite nicely too, thanks to the Hugo: In Three Months Latin American Spanish book/CD set - a 12 week course and currently only £16.50 on amazon.co.uk. Bargain.
Now, please please please leave a comment on this post with your top tips, must-sees, can't-misses, great hang-outs, cool consuming/imbibing joints and any other reflections on your own travels in any of the above spots ...
I'm particularly interested in hearing about Montréal, Las Vegas, Lima, La Paz, Santiago and Buenos Aires as I'll be losing my big city cherries to them on this trip. I've lived in London and have briefly visited New York before, but anything new and noteworthy in/on those two would be welcomed. Oh, and any recommendations as to good books or music to travel with would be ace as well. And if you don't want to use comments, I'll happily accept an email too!
The floor's all yours ... hop to it and with any luck I'll see you soon!
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Well, it's May so it must be New Zealand Music Month - a fine opportunity to celebrate all manner of Kiwi choons. April was a fun month too ... the Easter break was spent doing not very much at all, which was quite nice thank you very much. Yours truly is busy saving for his extended vacation this winter (more on that soon), so the bank balance appreciated the general lethargy too. My pal Andy and his lovely ladyfriend Robyn paid a visit the following weekend, over from Perth for a bit of quick tour of Noozild. It was great catching up, drinking a few bevvies and noshing out on some fine French food. Oh and we've moved offices at work too and are now a whole lot closer to the main part of the city, as well as having stunning views of the corridors of power and down onto Wellington Harbour. A good month all in all!‹ 1.5.06 / 0 comment(s) ›