First draft of the Peru Journal now has a link

Go to Peru posting and click on journal link.

Note: so far only covers first few days! I'll update over the next couple of weeks and issue a posting to say when finished

Cheers!

Mick / Mike

Today

Right, we are up to date.

I have slightly enhanced the Bali post today as I remembered a couple more nicknames and movie sketches!

There will be more stuff added to the Peru posting as I am getting photos from the guys on the trip and I have yet to publish the journal as a link.

I shall be doing these updates as I shelter from the midday sun in Phuket!

Off tomorrow, so next post will be just to say arrived ok, after which there will be irregular posts and, if I can organise it, photo dumps.

Cheers!

September 2007: Kuala Lumpur and Bali with the "family"

A long arranged holiday of the "family" in celebration of Jackie's 40th birthday. I was asked if I would like to join, and so was born "The Add On" / "Dodgy Uncle Mike".

Participants were:

• Jackie (aka "Judith Chalmers" / tour guide / "control freak" / "The Director")
• Tracy (aka "The Smiter" / "she who takes photos of toilets")
• Dave (aka "Dad")
• Libby (aka "Mum")
• Taff (aka "Uncle" / "Bobby" / "Wobert" / "David Bellamy")
• Lin (aka "Aunty", "Lindie")
• Mike (aka "The Add On" / "Dodgy Uncle Mike" / "Rex Hunt", and the one who always seemed to get the blame for everyone's hangovers, tiredness, lateness, illness - but do I get any sympathy?)

Publishable photos on this link:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/KL_and_Bali

Also a certain set of movie sketches (who's idea was it to give Jackie a camcorder for her birthday?), the highlights of which include:

• Judith Chalmers' travelogues
• David Bellamy's wildlife documentaries
• Panorama-style hidden camera stalking. These include the quite brilliant ideas of: stalking the victim from in front of him; and doing "silent stalking" with a commentary! But the director can never stop talking so not really a surprise.
• "Cutting Shapes" in an "if you are ever in KL, this is a real cool club" club
• "Buddha eating a Chinese meal"
• The hotel band singing "Who The **** Is Alice?"
• and culminating in the dark, drunken "I Need A ****" sketch

All cheques for the movie to be addressed to B. R. Ibery, Alton.

Enjoy.

July 2007: Peru Tour and Inca Trail Trek

A four week tour of southern Peru through a tour company, The Adventure Company http://www.adventurecompany.co.uk/


This consisted of an effective seven sections:

1. Coast, Deserts, Nazca and Puerto Inca - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Coast_Deserts_Nazca_07_2007
2. Arequipa, the Altiplano, Volcanoes, Colca Canyon and the Condors - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Altiplano_Volcanoes_Canyons
3. Lake Titicaca, Sillustrani and Sacred Valley (first visit), which also had a surprise in store - a general strike! - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Lake_Titicaca_Sacred_Valley_1
4. Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Inca_Trail_to_Machu_Picchu
5. Inside Machu Picchu - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Inside_Machu_Picchu
6. Sacred Valley (2) and on to Cusco - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Sacred_Valley_2_and_Cusco
7. Amazon Rainforest trails - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Peru_Amazon

I have a Journal (Word document) under construction (still!), so this piece is an intro with links to photos and the journal - http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dff2nsff_1gf69vp

I have created separate web photo albums for each section due to size and allowing for boredom factor!

Enjoy

June 2007: Sailing in Greece

A late offer from Sunsail was too good to refuse. A week sailing around the Sporades islands and Volos gulf (mainland).

They do a share-a-boat scheme within a flotilla group, the risk is always who you are stuck with to share the boat. Done it before, had a really good time.

This time I was berthed with 2 skippers who fought each other for control whilst I sat and refereed - terrific. Worse was that one was an OAP who was really past skippering and a bit forgetful but "a decent chap", and this egomaniac bullshitter who was an excellent racing skipper but had a fuse the length of a hamster's toenail.

Luckily you always meet up with the other boat crews in the evening and have drinkies (surprise!) and dinner together, so they were laughing at our antics every day and I managed to talk to humans every night!

Anyway, the Greek islands are a superb setting for sailing (and some motoring when no wind), so a couple of photos are on this link:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Greece_06_2007

May 2007: Worldham Golf Club Tour to Devon

No photos, thankfully. Just including this as a reminder.

4 days in Okehampton, Devon organised at the golf club.

About 40-50 supposed golfers play "sociable" golf on a huge complex near Okehampton, can't even remember the name!

Managed to get some sleep between drinking, eating, golf and all sorts of other indoor "sports".

March 2007: Antigua and BVI

The start of a new chapter.

Get back to sailing, learn SCUBA diving and travel.

Easy start, a package through Sunsail including 2 weeks on land at their club in Antigua, getting RYA Dinghy Sailing Level 2 ticket, followed by a week in British Virgin Islands doing an RYA Competent Crew course.

Managed to get some golf and mountain biking in too! Plus the cricket world cup was on in the West Indies at the same time, so the locals were well excited and chatty, taking the piss out of the English efforts as usual.

See selection of photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/laurentmik/Antigua_and_BVI