Circumnavigation of the globe

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sail fish

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ONE YEAR ON

MONTH

Dec 2009 –
Dec 2010

COUNTRIES

South
Africa, Spain, France, Sweden, England and Wales

SITES

Isle of Wight,
Manchester, Sheffield, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Iron Bridge, Tenby, Peplow Olympics
2010, Guy Fawkes night, Texas Holdum Night.

TOP MOMENTS

1. Both
finding jobs quickly and at good places – Chris at Alfred Dunhills and Liannah at Five.

2. Finding a
great flat in Battersea with big rooms and a roof terrace.

3. My sister
giving birth to a healthy baby boy – Welcome to the world Pepy JR.

LOWEST
MOMENTS

1. Monday
morning going into the office – enough said

2. Cold and
rainy British weather.

3. Falling
off the back of a bench watching the world cup and breaking my wrist. Adding misery
to the disappointing English football display - Chris

SCARIEST
MOMENTS

1. Extreme cat race sailing at a
corporate day. Liannah’s boat nearly crashed into Chris’s boat at about 25 knots.

UNUSUAL FOOD

Pigs trotter,
Razor clams, Laver bread (seaweed), Crayfish (caught in the river Tern), wid mushrooms
– chanterelle, amethyst deceiver, chicken in the woods, puff ball. Sea urchin, rock samphire, pigeon.

MOSTLY
MISSING

Travelling,
adventure and sunshine

MOSTLY HAD
FILL OFF

London
Transport – now on the bikes most days

QUOTES

‘In one’

Ross to
Chris about his birthday Sambuca Omelete (raw egg) – grim

‘I am little
bit worried’

Liannah

FACTS

Battersea
Park is the 2nd oldest in London.

FISH CAUGHT
= 25

Mackerel =
20 / Roach = 5

BITES and
STINGS

CH = 0

LP = 0

TAN

Nada

NEXT ON
AGENDA

Snowboarding in France Alps and Glastonbury

Chris – Hong Kong and Tokyo

Liannah – New job at Shepperton Studios

Latest task is to win photo competitons. These pics are a few latest, the theme is looking down.

Launched a message in a bottle off the coast of Mexico with letter and pictures for the people who find it to email us.

Current Status: No News, possible going round in circles in the Atlantic!!

MONTH

Nov 09

COUNTRIES

San Blas Archipelago Islands, Panama, Mexico

SITES

Panama canal, St Cristobal; Na Bolom, Palenque, Tulum, Dos Oyos cenotes, Playa del Carmen; Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, Coba, Cancún and Mexico City.

WILDLIFE

Green and hawks bill turtle, starfish, barracuda, dolphin, giant
grouper, red snapper, whale shark, giant box fish, 100s of coral fish, lobster, crabs, stingray, eagle ray, hummingbird, iguana, howler monkey.

TOP MOMENTS

1. Sailing the San Blas Islands – lying on the white sandy beaches of the tiny coconut tree covered islands of the archipelago. Also catching tuna off the boat and hunting lobster in the rocks.

2. Cozumel Reef - Diving the tropical clear waters off the coast
Cozumel. The second biggest reef in the worlds.

3. Real Grand Caribe Cancun – One night stay in the 5 star all
inclusive luxury hotel we treated ourselves to. A beach view room with free room service, pool side drinks and all food we could eat. Also a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, a taste of flash packing on an Internet special.

LOWEST MOMENTS

1. No fish – spending 4 hours trawling for barracuda and catching nothing.

2. Overcharged – being ripped off by the colectivo {mini van} driver at our destination by charging us for an extra seat that he put our rucksacks on.

2. Wasted booze - dropping and smashing an expensive bottle of fine Mexican Tequila.

SCARIEST MOMENTS

1. Rough waters - snorkeling and spear fishing the reef 1km from the shore in 6 foot waves. The bubbles in the crashing waves made it impossible to see, not something too safe when you are surrounded by big rocks and coral. {Chris}

2. Hurricane Ida – after the Caribbean sailing crossing was delayed because of a massive tropical depression, seeing a water spout {non-super cell tornado over water} heading towards our boat. It did eventually dissipate.

UNUSUAL FOOD

Chayagra juice {a green blend of pineapple juice, lime juice,
cucumber, and chaya (similar to spinach)}

Ceviche (raw fish and prawns cooked in lime)

Taco, tacos and more tacos

Prickly pear – cactus

Mamey - a potato type fruit

MOSTLY MISSING

Different clothes from the ones in our backpack.

Price labels on products in shops

MOSTLY HAD FILL OFF

Mosquito bites

People trying to rip us off.

People presuming we are American and quoting in USD.

QUOTES

• ´I am just going to stay in bed until the sun comes out´*

Liannah, Tulum

Rain was coming through our beach hut roof the night before and we had a few cloudy days.

• ´Brother from another mother´*

Hotel customer service guy, Cancun, Mexico

He was referring to Chris wanting to have the same colour dark skin as him.

• ´Its to Mexican cuisine what the Hard Rock Café is to Jimi Hendrix ´*

Lonely Planet Mexico, about Senor Frogs

A very cheesy touristy restaurant, Yucatan, Mexico.

• ´Its a small boat for small Mayan people.´*

Dive boat guy, Cozumel.
They are a very short nation.

FACTS

The name ‘cocktail’ comes from Campeche in 17th centuary when English pirates drank with palm fronds in their drinks, that looked like cocks–tails.

Over 20,000 Mayan people still exist in Mexico and the Mayan language is still used in many areas.

FISH CAUGHT = 5 (7)

3 x Bonito (small tuna). 1 x large Tuna, 1 x small grouper and 2 x lobster.

BITES and STINGS

CH = 50+ mosi

LP = 50+ mosi

TAN

Toastada – good tan, slowly fading from now on.

NEXT ON AGENDA

Mexico city then…….home

MONTH
Oct 09

COUNTRIES
Peru, Ecuador, Columbia

SITES
Huachina, Lima, Cuenca, Banos; thermal baths, Tena; Amazon Jungle, Quito, Mindo; Cloud forest bird watching, The Equator (00:00:00), Otavelo, Popayan,San Agustín Archaeological Park, Salento; Coffee Factory, Bogota; Gold and Modern Art Museum, Santa Marta, Taganga, Tyrona National Park, Cartagena; Fortress of San Felipe de Barajas.

WILDLIFE
A big list this month with Jungle, Cloud Forest and Caribbean Coast.
Grey bearded hermit and red hummingbird, king fisher, cookoo, pale mandiblad aracan, red billed parrot, bronze winged parrot, crimson rumped toocan, white hawk, roadside hawk, black vulture, hookbilled kite, masked drogan, white winged tanager, swallow tanager, blue necked tanager, golden tanager, druffles mot mot, sunbitten. chameleon, boa constrictor, caiman, iguana, turtle, skink, stick insect, tarantula, butterflies, spider monkey, woolly monkey, jungle squirrel, puffer fish, spider crab, moray eel, sea urchins.

TOP MOMENTS

1.The amazon jungle trip into Huaorni terratory, Ecuador - We learnt the tribal way of poison blow darts, climbing trees of 15 meter with just a loop of vine, trapping wild pigs and medicinal plants. Also surviving Ray Mears / Bear Grylls style the Quechua / Huaorni way for 2 days with only a machete and our wits. We fished, collect fruit, built a raft from balsa trees, made a shelter and drank river water.

2. Sandboarding - Sliding down a 300ft high sand dune at high speed, belly first on a snowboard then driven to the top again in a dune buggy.

3. Zip lining - Traversing the cloud forest 100s of metres above the canopy on a steel cable.

4.Horse riding - Exploring the coffee region on horse back. We crossed rivers, visited waterfalls and cantered through stunning valleys.

LOWEST MOMENTS

1. Lost - Passing the same point 3 times in the jungle, even though we had a local guide.

2. Delays - Being constantly delayed on buses because the roads are closed for cycle races.

SCARIEST MOMENTS

1. Feeling the ground shake, like the tube was going under us during the 5.4 on the richter scale. It was only for a few seconds and the centre was over 100kms away but was a worrying moment.

2. Coming face to face with our first Huaorni tribe member. He was completely naked, carrying a spear and blow gun and wondering the jungle, he was a very primeval sight.

3. Walking into a tarantula web at head height in the jungle. (Lil)

UNUSUAL FOOD

Juice: More fruit than english names, some known some not - Yucca (Chicha), tomate de arbol, naranjilla, palmo, lulo, cuyabana, maracuya, mora, curuba, nispero

Pisco sour and Ceviche (raw fish cooked in lime)
Chamacuroa Grub (roasted grub like a widgy grub, tastes like crackling)

Cakachana - Jungle river cat fish
Canaron - Jungle river shrimp
Lemon and black ants
Plantana soup - green savory banana

MOSTLY MISSING
Sunday Roast

Banoffee pie

MOSTLY HAD FILL OFF
Fried chicken and rice

QUOTES

´Hey, Senor Blanco´

Huaorani tribe leader, Gareno, Amazon jungle
The name given to Chris in the village. (Mr White)

´In England do you have an hour when you all sit down and drink tea´
Adreano, a Columbia guy misunderstanding the true meaning of tea time.

´Liannah, your name in quechua is bejuco´
Sandro, Tena Jungle guide.I am powerful and i surpass the witches in power. Upon blowing my magic darts,
i erase all spells and witchcraft, with my blowing i even take away the power
that the witch doctors receive during the trance.´
Shaman in the Amazon

FACTS
There are more animals and plants per square km in Equador than any other country in the world.

Over 70% of the worlds cocaine comes from Columbia.

FISH CAUGHT =1
CH =1, Bonito (small tuna). I did however catch the grass hopper that caught our 2 jungle catfish (caught by our guide) we roasted in a banana leaves and ate.

BITES and STINGS

CH = Assorted jungle insects 30-40. Micro Jellyfish sting 1.
LP = Assorted jungle insects 100+.

TAN

Cappuccino - dark in some places, pale in others.

NEXT ON AGENDA
Sailing boat to Panama via the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean, then Mexico.