City to Surf

Sunday morning, 7.30am and 65,000 of your closest friends....hmmm, well not quite?

But for a change this was not the end of my night, but the beginning of my day :)

Sunny and hot, claustophobic in the crowds, heartbreak hill (which for the 3rd time doing this run nearly killed me), 14km's (and what a beautiful 14km route it is), 110minutes later and the beautiful Bondi beach to greet me.

Sore feet, thigh's and bum, but worth it all the same. The fact I ran 10km's out of the 14 impressed me somewhat, as I am far from being a runner and didn't exactly train for the big event! Sense of accomplishment, sense of relief it was over. Definitely torn between the two emotions as I crossed that finish line.

Today I was feeling quite smug and all fit and proud of myself as my body seemed to recover rather well all considering. However as the hours pass tonight, I may have to kick myself for being so bloody cocky as I think the day after the day pain is really starting to kick in now???

Still, I might just take up running as my new fitness regime for the time being? It's quite theraputic once you get into your zone. And you never know...if I keep it up, I may just break that 100min mark next year!

Baby Browne has arrived!

Ivy May Browne arrived in the big, bad world on Tuesday, June 5th.

A big congratulations to my lovely friend Kate and her partner Ed. I can't wait to meet little Ivy sometime real soon!

Fun running in the name of MS

Last Sunday at the ungodly hour of 7am, our little fun running team of 6 headed across that famous bridge here in Sydney, to run a "challenging" 8km's around the Nth Shore. Thankfully it was an abolutely stunning day, although still a bit chilly that time of the morning!

The run was all about raising awareness and funds for MS. A friend's brother lives with MS, so it was only fitting that we did our bit to help out. We aimed to raise around $500 and ended up with a whopping $1400! So a HUGE thanks to everyone who sponsored us and made more than generous donations.

We all finished the hilly 8km's, although we did drop the pace to a power walk here and there for some of those hills! The route was beautiful and varied....along the harbour, through bush and reserve, road running and more than a few stairs thrown in for good measure.

To celebrate our successful morning run, it was off to Maroubra to a great little beachside cafe to indulge in bacon, eggs, toast, fresh juices and some strong coffee. Not a bad way to spend a lurvely Sunday morning after all.

More Netherlands

It was not all weddings, parties anything during my brief visit to the Netherlands!

Apart from getting over jetlag and the lead up to the big event, I did manage a few day trips, a good old Dutch style bike ride, museum visit, even a trip the beach.

Sping time in the Northern Hemisphere is truly a delight!

Little Sister's Big Day

The day was Friday May 18th, the time 5.00pm. The event was the long awaited wedding of my little sister and her long time partner Nico. They tied the knot in their current "hometown" Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

The entire day was both beautiful and loads of fun. Lenise looked the true princess in her gorgeous gown, actually bringing a tear to my eye when I first laid eyes on her.

The fact that I had only met Nico a couple of times, and that he and Lenise have lived abroad for the past few years, I still felt the day was a true representation of their personalities and their relationship. Individual, fun, relaxed and laid back!

Lenise did not stop smiling from the minute she danced down the isle with Nico, through to the 3am finish of the great party, where they finally called it a night! Only mum's speech would bring a tear to her eye :)

Overall, it was a brilliant day/night, everyone chatting and dancing the night away. True to my form, I kicked on with a few of the Dutchie boys until 4.30am at a local bar...as you do!

Anyway, not unlike Christmas, there is the long wait for the excitement of the day to arrive and before you know it, it's all over! For Lenise and Nico, it's only just begun...

Crazy February

February...a month of craziness for this intrepid traveller!

February saw the end of my Sth American adventure. 6mths of backpacking around this huge and vast continent was amazing. But 6mths was enough for me. I wanted to leave on a high. It wasn't my time in Sth America that I really wanted to end, it was more the lifestyle. Living out of my backpack and in hostels was starting to take it's toll. Getting old maybe? Heheee..who know's, but it was a good time to move on.

My final weeks were mainly spent in the wonderful city of Buenos Aires, the city that really NEVER sleeps! Stylish, bustling, corrupt, poor, arrogant, wealthy and loads of atmosphere. It's full of history, amazing architecture, fake money, English tourists and Tango! Basically there is never a dull moment in this fascinating city and it's always a whole lot of fun. I can see how people come here and find it incredibly difficult to break away. From the trendy cafe and bar scene of Palermo, to the colourful working class neighbourhood of La Boca (also home to the countries favourite futbol team), San Telmo and it's incredible Sunday market, to the city centre sights. Wherever you go there is always something going on to keep you more than entertained. BA is one of those cities I would love to return to with a bunch of friends to celebrate a New Year or just enjoy a week of shopping and partying. Need I say more...

From Buenos Aires and it's balmy days of 30 degrees and more, I arrived in merry old England to it's not so balmy days. Actually, 2 degrees was the coldest and 8 was the highest during my brief stay. There was also the heaviest snowfall London had seen in 11years! It was really pretty to watch the snow falling again, especially when your view is from the comfort of the couch, slothed out and wrapped up in a cosy duvet :)

London was a social stop. A time to catch up with friends. So needless to say a lot of socialising, eating and drinking occurred! From French cafes to the good old English pub, there always seemed to be much food and bottomless glasses of wine being consumed! I stayed with my wonderful friend David and his gorgeous partner Ashley while in London. They are the most generous and wonderful hosts a girl could hope for. Throw in Toby the Tibetan Terrier who loves to sing along to the closing tunes of Coronation Street and you're gauranteed an entertaining stay. It was so good to catch up with old friends, some I have not seen in years. London always hit's a soft spot in me. There is just something about the place where I would never rule out living there again? Combine that with wonderful friends who are now based there and anything's possible I guess?

From London, I headed to Egypt. I have wanted to go to Egypt for as long as I can remember, but for some reason never made it there - until now. And it didn't get off to such a great start!

Cairo was the starting point of my trip and I hated it. With a passion. There are more people in Cairo then what there is in all of Australia. And I am sure it's about 70% men. Annoying, in your face kind of men. They did my head in from the moment I arrived. There is no such thing in Cairo as a nice leisurely stroll, soaking up the city. Instead it's mastering your Arabic - no thank you, go away or get your hands off me. In less then a day they had worn me down. I wanted out. The ONLY thing about Cairo that I did enjoy was the museum. What a fantastic collection. Treasures that were found in tombs of pharaohs, Tutankhamuns by far the most impressive. And to see that gold mask of his with my own eyes..amazing. The mummies, the sculptures, the art. I have loved all things ancient Egyptian since school, one of the subjects that never bored me, so to finally be amongst all these things and all this history was just awsome.

As for the pyramids....first impressions - they were kind of a let down for me. Well more the location I guess? They are pretty much in the middle of Cairo and are situated in what felt like a massive car park. Like you were just about to enter a theme park...I was waiting for the flashing lights, "Welcome to Egypt World". It just didn't feel or look like what I had anticipated all this time? But, when I ventured down to see the Sphinx it did have a more natural feel being a little further away from the arrival point and the oh so many tourist buses and people. And with the pyramids, particularly the great pyramid as the backdrop, I finally felt that little tingle up my spine, the much awaited excitement of where I was finally kicking in.

I headed to Aswan next. Fabulous little place after the dreadful Cairo. It was here I boarded a boat which would cruise down the Nile for the next few days, various stops to be made along the way. Before setting sail I had a leisurely day wandering around the town and another day to take a 3 hour bus ride to the very impressive Abu Simbel. At one time you could only fly as the road was closed off . Now you can drive, but only as part of a convoy. So again, you literally have dozens of minibuses and coaches all travelling the long tourist road together. Travelling in a convoy made me more nervous than anything. I figured if terrorists were going to strike, they had a pretty good chance of doing a fine job with all these easy targets on the road together, guided by local police just to make a shot all the more worth while. Warped that imagination of mine at times, I know? However, I digress...the temples! These two massive and extremely impressive temples are located deep in the heart of the desert, miles from the nearest habitation. The first temple has four statues - each one the seated figure of Ramses II, one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. The second temple, although smaller but just as impressive is a dedication to Ramses favourite wife, a Nubian woman who's names now escapes me? Although the temple is a dedication to her, Ramses is still the primary figure throughout! The temples date back to the 13th century, BC and were completely hidden by sand until the early 1800's. Then some 150 years later, they were almost destined to be submerged a second time by the rising waters of Lake Nasser. A massive UNESCO project actually dismantled the entire temple and the cliff out of which it is carved, and reassembled on higher ground. You can still see the watermarks around the base of the statues, seeing just how close they came to being submerged. What a history hey! It took my breath away, both inside and out the magnificent temples. I think I would have to note them as my Egyptian hightlight!

We sailed to Luxor next, stopping at various temples along the way. You can get templed out after a while but they continued to impress me day in, day out. Now Luxor I really liked. A million miles away from the crazy Cairo. Even though it was incredibly touristy, it just had a great feel with a lot less annoying Egyptian men! There were more western faces here than I had seen since my arrival in Egypt, but not even that could put me off the place :) It just felt more...well more Egypt? More local? Not as dodgy? I can't put my finger on it, but it felt good to wander around and spend some time there. The highlight of Luxor was visiting the Valley of the Kings. We actually rode donkeys the 7km's to get there. There were 8 of us and we all seemed rather amazonian to be jumping on the poor little donkeys. Well so I thought. Those feisty mules had more get up and go than some horses I have ridden, most of them actually wanting to gallop most of the way. It was a laugh and definately the best mode of transport I had been on in a while. As for the VOTK...another WOW. Not much above the ground, but get into those tombs way, way down under the ground and you witness some incredibly well preserved sites, their walls covered in amazing paintings depicting the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. The colours were magnificent prompting me to ask a guide if they were ever "touched up". She looked horrified that I would even speak such words aloud!

My other mention for Egypt has to be the Red Sea. Staying in the town of Hurghada which is on the edge of the Red Sea and supposedly one of the worlds great diving locations. I hated the town. Now this place was definately set up for tourists in that disgusting tacky kind of way. Hideous really but easily avoided as you slothed on the hotel's private beach away from the reality of it all. The water was cool and clean. The change of scenery much welcomed after all those temples. I went on a boat trip for a day to enjoy some sun and snorkelling out at a few of the coral reefs. Quite a bit of the coral was dead and colourless, but in some parts still bright and beautiful. The water clear to the bottom and the brightly coloured marine life spectacular to watch. It was my final stop in Egypt before having to face Cairo again. The perfect wind down after a pretty perfect and incredibly interesting February!

Beach Bum

Beach bumming in Uruguay. That´s what I have been up to the past 4 1/2 days and it´s been absolutely heavenly. I think it is the first time I have actually stopped and done nothing at all in 6 months? Well for more than a day anyway!


After experiencing a few drama´s the past couple of weeks, (I won´t bore anyone with the details), I had the urge to escape, be completely unsociable and find a nice beach. So I boarded a boat destined for Colonia, Uruguay. Three hours later I had arrived in Colonia but jumped on the first available bus heading to the small town of La Paloma. La Paloma is a beautiful little spot situated on the south east coast of Uruguay. A tiny town with both bay and surf beaches, beautiful clean & clear turquoise waters, white sand, pine forests, a very laid back feel with enough people about for a nice vibe but by no means too touristy.



My day´s consisted of getting out of bed anytime between 10.00am & midday. Breakfast. Walk 15minutes to the beach. Lay in the sun and swim in the surf until about 6.30pm (no point doing anything before this as everyone is having their siesta!) Walk 1/2 hour to town and potter about the little shops and market. Sit on the bay beach to watch the amazing sunsets. Eat dinner. Walk back to hostel, shower, read and bed. This routine didn´t change much at all until the final night when there was a funky Spanish band playing on the beachfront that I decided to go check out. They were fantastic and had everyone singing and dancing into the wee hours. I think EVERYONE in La Paloma turned up for the big event. From grandparents to toddlers, all of which knew the words to every single song played! When the band had finished playing, I had a little boy all of 3 or 4 years old next to me yelling out for more and demanding a certain song be sung. In front of me I had a woman of about 70 doing the same thing! It was hilarious!

It´s definately one of my favourite things about the Sth Americans, no matter what country you´re in. Entire families come out for fiesta´s and celebrations. I don´t think there is such a thing as a babysitter over here? It doesn´t seem to matter what the occassion, old and young are out having a great time until all hours of the morning. Nobody seems to get tired, cranky or upset...it´s just the way life is? I love it. I think everyone in the world should have afternoon siesta´s and evening socialising time for all family & friends to enjoy. What a happy, relaxed world we would be :)

Tupi-Guarani (Great Waters)

I recently decided to take some time out from my busy city ¨living¨ in Buenos Aires and head north to visit the much talked about Parque Nacional Iguazu. All natural beauty with a habitat of many rare and endangered species, this national park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site sometime back in the early 80´s. And no wonder! It´s a magical place with the falls being nothing short of spectacular.

I must admit, before the visit I had been a tad skeptical as to how wonderful these falls were actually going to be? I was dreading another 16 hour bus ride just to get there, in addition to the insane heat and humidity that lay ahead (think 42degrees and 90% humidity!) All I could think was, ¨these falls better be worth it¨ as the memory of Niagra Falls was suddenly fresh in my mind...

While living in Canada a few years ago, I was continuously told by locals and tourists alike that I MUST visit Niagra Falls. Everyone raved about how amazing, how huge, how lovely, what a must see they were! Much like the Iguazu talk all over Argentina. But my expectations and grand visions of the famous Niagra Falls were crushed once discovering the incredibly tacky town and the not so impressive falls? Well not in my eyes anyway. A bit of a disappointment for me in the end after all the hype. Thankfully Iguazu was a different story.

The Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat) is the most popular and spectacular of the falls. 150m wide and 700m long, the shear volume of water and power of the falls is enough to take your breath away. It was definately another nature nerd moment for me :) The only frustration visiting the most popular waterfall, particularly this time of year, are the never ending hoards of tourists. Given it is still the Argentine summer holiday´s, the family vacation is in full force! And they ALL want that ¨special¨ kodak moment with Devils Throat as the back drop. Some tempers were flaring when the many other tourists were getting in the way of the family photo or taking up all the space at the front of the viewing point? Honestly? This ¨vacation rage¨ was a little out of control!

Still...a day in this stunning location was worth it. And you can escape many of those nasty families once you start venturing about and visiting the many other parts of the park. There really is so much to explore and so much to do. Just to stroll about and appreciate the actual size of the national park while discovering the many spectacular and pretty falls. The lovely walks, tropical surroundings, bright & colourful birdlife and even the odd crocodile or two! You soon forget the stifling heat and annoying families and just enjoy the moment.