With quick stops in Dubai and Kuala Lumpa I made my way through many airline meals across a fair few oceans. So all of a sudden I'm on the other side of the world in a place where our queen appears on the coins and everybody speaks english. It's almost as if I'm home in Bristol, we're even experiencing bitterly cold winter winds. However there's no drum and bass or cream teas so it's not quite home.
Melbourne
Started in Melbourne with a Mauricio (work friend engineer from Parsons Brinckerhoff). Stayed in his beautiful house in the plush suburb of Ivanhoe. Went for runs along the creek with his dog, baked a lemon drizzle and rode his vespa scooter around the grand prix circuit in the city. Thank you Mauricio for letting me stay! Big culture shock coming from Tanzania. It's amazing how nice it is to have clean water from the taps, roads without pot holes, the english language and warm loverly showers.
Then biggest news...greeted Ray (Rachel), Ro (Rosie) and Ju (Julia) having flown in from various corners of the world. It put the biggest smile on my face seeing my beautiful best ladies friends emerging from the bus and we've been having endless banter and fun ever since.
In Melbourne we climbed a very big tower, ate the lemon drizzle and had a magnum gold. (Ju and Ro introduced this delicious ice cream into my life and along with the custard apple I think it will be forming a significant part of my university diet.)
Sydney
Went on up to Sydney which is very cool and happening. Staying in the cleanest hostel I've staying in so far. (Wake Up incase anyones already been here) We've been cooking proper healthy meals Mum (salad and all). Went and watched the dissappointing England defeat, shame they went out because I wanted to wear my England shirt a little more. Went on a big night out fueled with lots and lots of cheap aussie wine (called goon here) and today we went on a little day trip to some mountains. Basically I couldn't be happier at this moment in time, we're heading up to Cairnes on Friday. Hopefully to a little more sunlight and heat and beach fun.
Hope alls well with everybody. I hear Bristol's starting to fill up again, don't have too much fun before I return and try and make sure the sun keeps shining for when I fly in.
Love from Grace x
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Saturday 19 June 2010
The island of spice and all things nice
Zanzibar has been absolutely lush. We (Me, Nick, Dave and Nick's 2 sisters Anna and Lucy) started in Stone Town (mini capital). In keeping with tradition we kept up a constant diet of fresh delicious seafood. We headed into the markets and hunted down 5 realistic England shirts and many metres of beautiful african material.
4 clear events stick out on this island so I'll try and describe them (briefly)
1. England's opening match
We were based at the northern tip of Zanzibar for england's opener, we headed down the beach to a recommended local bar, 2 english supporters dressed in red fake england shirts with a big red cross on each of our faces. The bar was empty so we made the decision to RUN 3km to another place along the beach in the 25 minutes before the match began. We arrived, after being chased by dogs and stamping on coral and starfish the sweatiest people in the bar but I feel we showed true patriotism that evenin, shame about the score.
2. Crab search
In the north of Zanzibar decided I wanted some crab. We went on a wander to the fish market up the beach but it was closed. So a local guy took us through the winding alleys of the maze that is the village of Nungwi. After trying many places we ended up some guys front yard where 2 deep freezers sat and at the bottom of one sat a freshly caught blueish pink lobster. We had to go (me lobster in hand) to the local football pitch to find the lobster owner. After some bargaining I got it for 5000 Tanzanian shillings = 2 pounds 50. Cooked it with ginger and garlic, gert lush. (And didn't even get ill from it!)
3. Shooting Star
Stayed in a luxury honey moon hotel thanks to the generosity of Nick's dad. Me, Anna and Lucy shared a mini castle and spent the last evening taking a roof top, sun set bubble bath. The food was incredible and in Nick's words 'literally made you sigh with pleasure from every bite'. Loads of fresh fish and the best chocolate mousse ever.
4. Spice/fruit tour
If any of you ever come here make sure you do a spice tour. We ate ginger root straight from the ground, pepper corns from the vines and star fruit from the tree. Had a mini fruit tasting session my new/equal favorite fruit (after the custard apple) are the seeds of the cocoa bean, try it, their immense.
So that's it for Zanzibar and Africa and Nick and Dave who will shortly be flying down to South Africa for a little bit of football. I'm heading to Melbourne tomorrow to join Julia D-A, Rosie Gosling and Rachel Read for some FUN.
Love to all, Grace x
4 clear events stick out on this island so I'll try and describe them (briefly)
1. England's opening match
We were based at the northern tip of Zanzibar for england's opener, we headed down the beach to a recommended local bar, 2 english supporters dressed in red fake england shirts with a big red cross on each of our faces. The bar was empty so we made the decision to RUN 3km to another place along the beach in the 25 minutes before the match began. We arrived, after being chased by dogs and stamping on coral and starfish the sweatiest people in the bar but I feel we showed true patriotism that evenin, shame about the score.
2. Crab search
In the north of Zanzibar decided I wanted some crab. We went on a wander to the fish market up the beach but it was closed. So a local guy took us through the winding alleys of the maze that is the village of Nungwi. After trying many places we ended up some guys front yard where 2 deep freezers sat and at the bottom of one sat a freshly caught blueish pink lobster. We had to go (me lobster in hand) to the local football pitch to find the lobster owner. After some bargaining I got it for 5000 Tanzanian shillings = 2 pounds 50. Cooked it with ginger and garlic, gert lush. (And didn't even get ill from it!)
3. Shooting Star
Stayed in a luxury honey moon hotel thanks to the generosity of Nick's dad. Me, Anna and Lucy shared a mini castle and spent the last evening taking a roof top, sun set bubble bath. The food was incredible and in Nick's words 'literally made you sigh with pleasure from every bite'. Loads of fresh fish and the best chocolate mousse ever.
4. Spice/fruit tour
If any of you ever come here make sure you do a spice tour. We ate ginger root straight from the ground, pepper corns from the vines and star fruit from the tree. Had a mini fruit tasting session my new/equal favorite fruit (after the custard apple) are the seeds of the cocoa bean, try it, their immense.
So that's it for Zanzibar and Africa and Nick and Dave who will shortly be flying down to South Africa for a little bit of football. I'm heading to Melbourne tomorrow to join Julia D-A, Rosie Gosling and Rachel Read for some FUN.
Love to all, Grace x
Thursday 17 June 2010
Just a quick post (more will follow). If you a participate in this new fangled "facebook" craze you might like to take a peak at Nick and Daves world tour - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=270210229910&ref=ts. There's updates of our adventures from Nick aswell as a few crackin pictures.
Love Grace x
Love Grace x
Thursday 10 June 2010
Beach excursions
Mambo jambo all,
Firstly I hear you've been having a little bit o' loverly weather so I guess I can't do to much boasting about that side of things but anyway. So I have spent the last week or two on beaches in Kenya and Tanzania and it has been lush.
In Tanga, northern Tanzania I made friends with a Tanzanian rasta man named Mashaka. He worked down the local yacht (a word which africans cannot pronounce to save their lives) club in proper copplestone-perry fashion and managed to get me aboard a Belgium Eric's dhow, a traditional african fishing boat. We went out all afternoon, i steered and tacked and everything. Mashaka got a kid to deliver a fish on his bike to the hotel. Cooked it in the kitchen with tomatos and onion, very tasty dish.
North of Mombasa I had a go at fishing. Fished from a restaurant on the water and spent the day 'reeling off'?? not so good with all the terminology and drinking very many (too many) Tuskers (BEER). I caught a little white snapper, very proud moment and a very tasty fish.
Lastly, met up with Nick, Anna (Nick's sister) and Dave and sepnt 6 days in another of the Kenyan Wood's beautiful houses at a beach called Tiwi on the south coast of Kenya. It was pretty much paradise, beautifully designed huge house with 4 double rooms, white sand palm tree'ed beach, swimming pool + slide, caves with bats for our last meal and an immense cook to cook us the most delicious meals. The menu included fresh tropical fruit salads, curries, pizza, quiche, I'm sure a lot of you will be uninterested by this list of food but it literally was amazing. Had red snapper (didn't look or taste like a goldfish mum) caught and delivered fresh.
Sadly we had to leave Tiwi, took a mammouth journey all the way to Zanzibar. Just about to go exploring and hunt out a perfect bar for all the football to come.
Love Copplejiwe x
Firstly I hear you've been having a little bit o' loverly weather so I guess I can't do to much boasting about that side of things but anyway. So I have spent the last week or two on beaches in Kenya and Tanzania and it has been lush.
In Tanga, northern Tanzania I made friends with a Tanzanian rasta man named Mashaka. He worked down the local yacht (a word which africans cannot pronounce to save their lives) club in proper copplestone-perry fashion and managed to get me aboard a Belgium Eric's dhow, a traditional african fishing boat. We went out all afternoon, i steered and tacked and everything. Mashaka got a kid to deliver a fish on his bike to the hotel. Cooked it in the kitchen with tomatos and onion, very tasty dish.
North of Mombasa I had a go at fishing. Fished from a restaurant on the water and spent the day 'reeling off'?? not so good with all the terminology and drinking very many (too many) Tuskers (BEER). I caught a little white snapper, very proud moment and a very tasty fish.
Lastly, met up with Nick, Anna (Nick's sister) and Dave and sepnt 6 days in another of the Kenyan Wood's beautiful houses at a beach called Tiwi on the south coast of Kenya. It was pretty much paradise, beautifully designed huge house with 4 double rooms, white sand palm tree'ed beach, swimming pool + slide, caves with bats for our last meal and an immense cook to cook us the most delicious meals. The menu included fresh tropical fruit salads, curries, pizza, quiche, I'm sure a lot of you will be uninterested by this list of food but it literally was amazing. Had red snapper (didn't look or taste like a goldfish mum) caught and delivered fresh.
Sadly we had to leave Tiwi, took a mammouth journey all the way to Zanzibar. Just about to go exploring and hunt out a perfect bar for all the football to come.
Love Copplejiwe x
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