tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83181765966986069372024-02-20T08:26:58.250-08:00KittiKat World Tour Part 2I want you to experience my travels through my eyes...so please read on...Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-39889410687071544772007-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:002007-05-27T08:35:06.728-07:00Positano, Italy Sunday 27 MayKaren and I spent a very long day visiting one of the villages of Pompeii.PompeiiVolcano Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, and when the event was later recorded, it was thought the world had come to an end. The ruined city is now dug out from layers of dried lava that once swept through it. It was rediscovered by Pompeians / those who escaped / returned to their city when the ashes had cooled and Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-10343398581625239912007-05-27T08:06:00.000-07:002007-05-27T08:37:44.212-07:00Positano, Italy Saturday 26 MayMy movements have not been planned since in Italy, and ive decided to spend my last days in Positano. Ive met some great girls here who also love eating and relaxing, so id rather be spending time with like minded people in the sun before heading home to what sounds like may be chilly weather.Our trio turned four today, when we adopted another solo traveller, an American named Jennifer who Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-72306820412704445832007-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:002007-05-26T10:16:05.727-07:00Positano, Italy Friday 25 MayWoke to a gorgeous breakfast on the terrace, overlooking the ocean. The clouds were low and overcast but this did not detract from the beauty of my surroundings. We took the steep walk down town, walked around for a while then walked up and around to find a private beach. We could only see men on the beach and assumed it was a male only beach. I decided to check before we stepped foot on the Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-31059990502660114112007-05-24T23:33:00.000-07:002007-05-25T00:01:43.674-07:00Positano, Italy Thursday 24 MayThis morning I left Rome on a 9.45am for a 2 hour train trip to Naples. There I had to tackle the train station to find a ticket for the next train to Sorrento. After lining up for a while in the ticket line, I was told I was in the wrong place, and luckily another girl had just been told the same thing so I ended up following her and her new husband to the correct ticket office. The couple Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-35394635941935182232007-05-24T00:01:00.001-07:002007-05-24T00:03:01.405-07:00Italy - Thursday 24 MayHeading south today, via train. About a 4 hour train ride to Positano staying at www.brikette.comMore soon.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-87638975072519005242007-05-24T00:00:00.001-07:002007-05-24T23:33:45.098-07:00Rome - Wednesday 23 MayToday I toured some of Roma with the two Aussie girls I met the previous night, Ruth and Rebel. Our hostel was a 5 minute walk to the Colosseum so we started with a tour of that. It was surrounded by tourists and Italians dressed up as Gladiators, trying to get tourists to pay for a photo with them. Its summer here and the temperature has been around 30c each day, glorious!The ColosseumStands Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-47921892027329294092007-05-22T22:20:00.000-07:002007-05-22T22:28:21.928-07:00Rome, Italy - Tuesday 22 MayWe spent until 1pm walking around Helsinki, packing our bags and lunching until the taxi arrived to take us to the airport. We all took flights in different directions but of course my flight to Rome was delayed by almost two hours due to an air strike in Italy. It meant I arrived in Rome in the dark, but all was fine and without hassle.I sat next to an Italian businessman on the flight, who Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-52495455305977823272007-05-21T08:22:00.000-07:002007-05-21T08:32:05.125-07:00Finland - Monday 21 MayWe arrived in Helsinki, Finland last night around 7pm, to bright blue skies. The sun doesnt go down until close to midnight here, the same as in St Petersburg. Our hostel is a new theme, where there is no reception. You book your room over the internet, and are provided with a pin number that allows you into the building, then your room. Its a small, Ikea designed room, only one month old Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-76731677249864369822007-05-19T07:36:00.000-07:002007-05-20T01:21:20.056-07:00St Petersburg - Friday 18 MayOn departing our train we decided that with 4 huge backpacks, daypacks and numerous bags of market purchases, we needed a cab rather than tackling the metro. After bargaining a big burling Russian down to a very reasonable price, he pimped out one of his drivers who walked us a few minutes away. The four of us looked hillarious walking like snails in a line, with our backpack homes on our backsKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-37317002045932849352007-05-19T07:29:00.000-07:002007-05-19T07:36:36.448-07:00Moscow - Thursday 17 MayToday was the most uneventful day of the trip, probably due to last nights celebrations. Three of us took the 25 minute walk from the hostel to the Red Square to use the internet and find food. As we were drained of all energy, we decided to take the Metro back to the hostel, which was a very bad move. We ended up lost in Moscow for over two hours. As the Metro is so badly signed, and what Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-10397748043129697162007-05-19T07:04:00.000-07:002007-05-20T01:06:28.846-07:00Moscow - Wednesday 16 MayToday we did a group tour of the following:St Basil's CathedralThe most famous sight in all of Russia. Originally called the Cathedral of the Virgin of Intercession, this architectual fantsia of multi-coloured onion domes was raised by Ivan the Terrible in 1555-1561 in thanks for his victory over the Tartars in 1552. Legend has it that Ivan put our the eyes of the architect, for fear that he Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-85144143713164427522007-05-19T06:46:00.000-07:002007-05-19T07:04:01.286-07:00Moscow - Tuesday 15 MayOur tour guide (or Honcho as they are called) met us at the train station and we all piled into an awaiting mini van to take us to our hostel. The Honcho told us the trip would take us 15 minutes but it took us almost an hour - not sure if it was her accent that I didn't understand or she underestimated the Moscow traffic. It was bumper to bumper mayhem. Everyone rushed to the showers when we Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-9043323673549043692007-05-19T06:08:00.000-07:002007-05-19T06:45:39.166-07:00Mongolia - Moscow Friday 11 May - Tues 13 MayFriday we ate a quick lunch, but of course not without the usual debarcle of the restaurant not having the food we ordered, or being able to use Visa, MasterCard or American Express to pay. Got to love the Mongolians. Finally at 2pm we boarded our train destined for Moscow, Russia. Back into a carriage with a 4 bed berth and little room to move, to be called home for 4 days and 4 nights, 101 Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-85427183510265051352007-05-10T18:22:00.000-07:002007-05-19T06:08:24.571-07:00Mongolia - Friday 11 MayWoke up today to a boiling hot shower! Yippee! This morning we are just ringing home, updating emails, picking up our laundry and food shopping before our epic train journey to Moscow.This afternoon at 2pm we board the train for Moscow, which will be home for 4 days and 4 nights! This will be interesting. We will make sure we're stocked up with plenty of food, plenty of entertainment and Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-27457722584211746912007-05-10T18:06:00.000-07:002007-05-10T18:22:15.519-07:00Mongolia - Thursday 10 MayWe left the Ger camp at 6.00am this morning to start the long journey back to Ulaanbaatar. We made sure we didn't get the back seat this time. We arrived back to the city around 12.30 and checked back into the hotel. Everyone jumped straight into their showers after not seeing one in 3 days. It was great to have the use of a 'real' toilet again as well. The drop style hole in the ground onesKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-12118728178814303922007-05-10T17:49:00.000-07:002007-05-10T18:06:23.494-07:00Mongolia Gobi Desert - Wednesday 09 MayIt was breakfast at 9 which was delicious bread with the most delicious homemade blackberry jam ever! We bought some for the long train journey to Russia. After breakfast we were loaded on the bus again, and drove back to the first Ger camp, stopping at some sand dunes on the way. Today we experience a desert storm which ended up in every orifice possible.When we returned to the Ger camp, we Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-38421215217739522272007-05-10T17:36:00.000-07:002007-05-10T17:49:14.109-07:00Mongolia Gobi Desert - Tuesday 08 MayBreakfast at 9am, bags packed and we were off on the bus for a 100km drive to stay in a different Ger camp for the night. On the way we stopped at a 2m high rock mound which was actually a shrine, and tradition meant if you threw a rock on and walked around the mound once, you would have good luck. There were also gifts left on the shrine for Buddha which included traditional scarves, empty Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-70476231006488263442007-05-10T17:25:00.000-07:002007-05-10T17:36:35.773-07:00Mongolia Gobi Desert - Monday 07 MayToday we packed our bags again and left for the Gobi Desert, stopping on the way for breakfast and food shopping. It was 280kms to the desert, although took us around 6.5 hours to get there due to extremely bumpy and windy roads. There was one toilet stop on the way and...you guessed it...another drop toilet. Aaarrrgghh! The girls and I took the back seat of the mini bus, which was the worst Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-66143299618972756812007-05-10T00:58:00.000-07:002007-05-10T01:02:36.582-07:00Mongolia - 10 MayThis afternoon we returned to civilisation (well as civilised as Ulaanbaatar can be) after three days in the Gobi Desert, with no showers, hole in the ground drop style toilets and a Desert storm. Despite the inadequacies, we had an absolute ball and being in the desert was truely an amazing experience. We're off for a spa and sauna and a $17, one hour massage now, so i'm hoping to update the Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-24310438476806893642007-05-06T06:25:00.000-07:002007-05-06T07:09:08.576-07:00Beijing to Ulaanbaatar - Sat/Sun - 05/06th MaySaturday morning 5.20am wake up call that was literally me picking up the phone to 'Hello Wake Up!!' from an abrupt Chinese woman. What a wake up call! The tour group of 14 were piled into an awaiting minibus at 6.30am Saturday morning, and dropped at the train station to be loaded onto the train. We were greeted by a Gastapo style train attendant who was to be our keeper for the next two daysKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-51933326264195696922007-05-04T06:22:00.000-07:002007-05-04T06:55:36.349-07:00Beijing - Friday 04 MayLast day in Beijing - yippee! We've seen some great sights and have experienced a different and unusual culture, but this is one city i'm not sad to leave and have no inclination to return to. I'm really not sure how this city and it's inhabitants will be able to cope with the influx of westerners for the Olympic games next year, and they are a long way off with infrastructure, amenities, Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-28623488285221745782007-05-03T01:21:00.000-07:002007-05-04T06:22:17.425-07:00Beijing - Thursday 03 MayNot my favourite day in Bejing. We left our hostel and changed to a hotel, as we meet our tour group tonight. Although we have our own bathroom rather than a shared one, it's not the cleanest. We'll cope...it's Beijing!We booked a tour to the Summer Palace which is an immense park which was once a playground for the imperial court. Royalty came here to edlude the summer heat that roasted the Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-34205815716293303732007-05-03T00:44:00.000-07:002007-05-03T01:21:13.759-07:00Beijing - Wednesday 02 MayToday was the most exciting day for me - trekking the Great Wall of China! We had booked an all day tour which collected us from the hostel at 10am. We had a few others to pick up along the way, then it took around 2 hours to reach the wall. For anyone planning on doing a tour, I would recommend you go to the Mutianyu section because it's a less commercial experience and is equipped with a Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-21483807524636768672007-05-02T18:37:00.000-07:002007-05-03T00:44:47.349-07:00Beijing - Tuesday 01 MayAfter a long flight and a solid nights sleep for all, we set off in the morning on the first adventures of our trip. We stopped for some breakfast at a restaurant/gallery that had some very intersting arty peices, including some large glass sculptures that looked rather like large breasts pop art style - and there were many of them throughout the place. The bathroom hand basins were interestingKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318176596698606937.post-88924045677647176942007-05-02T18:14:00.000-07:002007-05-03T00:07:47.570-07:00Flight to Beijing - Monday 30 AprilWe left home for the airport around 7am, but on reachingthe airport unfortunately Dom realised she'd forgottenher day pack which was holding her passport, airtickets etc. 1 1/2 hours round trip later and she wasback at the airport. The rest of us had so muchtrouble checking in due to an employee with apparentlyno brains, but after 20 minutes of simple explanationsshe finally issued our tickets Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03565820708457147677noreply@blogger.com0