LalalaWonderland

The first time I ever traveled over seas was when I was 16 turning 17. My family and I took a trip to Argentina and, best of all...Antarctika. It was the most amazing time in my life. That whole holiday, everything from the high buildings and crazy traffic of Buenos Aries to the silent bay and gray skies of Ushaia to the open bright blue and clear white of Antarctika... it switched something inside me on and changed me.

It all started with a 9 hour trip across the Atlantic Ocean. My poor judgement made me watch movies for most of that time. At last my eyes were so tired and I couldn't stay up anymore. I had just put my head comfortably against the headrest when all the overhead lights went on again and the passangers around me woke up and started to move. Perfect timing.

Buenos Aries was like nothing I'd ever seen. I had never even been in a real city before it, so the beauty and absolute magnitude of it astonished me. I couldn't get enough of it. Not of the language, or the pretty buildings, or the huge trees. We stayed in an apartment for about 2 days and took a flight to Ushuaia. The flight was terrible. I don't know if its the norm to have the aircon dripping on you or the toilet to smell all the way from the back, but let't just say that it was a VERY long flight. Those 2 hours felt way longer than any nine. Ushuaia is the lowest 'city' on earth, or what I mean to say is that its the farthest from the equator. And, if you were wondering, its not really a city, not at all. The only reason for calling itself the "Most Southernly City" is because there exists a town EVEN MORE southernly...
The main street is lined with many tourist shops, although why anyone would travel all that way to pay $300 for sunglasses is beyond me. In between these there are many little cute restaurants. If you feel like eating good meat - and I mean REALLY good meat - look for the sheep roast in the restaurant windows. The name of the game is 'coldero' (did I spell that correctly?) and it means lamb, which they all serve differently, of course: some hand over a plate with neat cuts, others chop a leg onto your plate, or better yet, a serving-pot filled to the brim with all kinds of meats and sausige and...lamb. I'm from Africa, I am proud to say I know good meat. Let me tell ya, Argentina has THE BEST lamb I've ever tasted. It aint good to be a vegetarian here, the temptation's too high.

OK, so enough with the meat. Along main street there are also these cute little cafes and shops specialising in choklate. My favorite was this sweet national spread they make called Dolce deleche, which litterally means 'sweet milk'. One lady who sold me some told me not to eat it too fast, its too sweet. Did I listen? Not a chance! And I enjoyed every morsel of the jar, even under the critical eye of my mother, who shared the saleslady's view.

The weather in Ushuaia, when I was there, was very chilly. And we visited it in their Summer! Crazy, but that's what it was like. Cold. And wet. I strongly advise any one planning to go there to take sturdy and waterproof boots. They are priceless.
I loved the feel of the town. The long days and wet pavements. The mountains... The little ships on the mirrored sea, calm and mirrored. All of it, its special.
One peculiar thing about that place are the dogs. They don't stay on their lawns, oh no. They stand alongside you at the street corner, waiting for the light to change, and cross when you do.

We stayed in a little Bed and Breakfast, which was fine. It had one bedroom, but did have a kitchen. No view, but it was nice and close to the shores and the shops. It was quiet too. It probably didn't cost much and there are alot of this kind of occomidation. But if you really feel like splurging I'd reccomend is the Los Acebos Ushuaia Hotel, situated on the drive up one of the mountains, overlooking the town and the harbour below. If you're wondering how the hell such a small town manages to keep a grande hotel (three to be exact), well, in the winter season many flock to Ushuaia for the skeeing. Even in Summer there was snow. It was the first time I'd ever touched snow. We went up a mountain with lifts and hiked some way up as well. The weather changed and we were almost caught in a storm. That was frightening.

For me, Ushuaia has great memories and I'm sure I go there everynight in my dreams. Its a spectacular place with great surroundings and history. Its definitly a destination of note, no matter its size!

Four years ago my brother and my parents went on a trip to London during the holidays. I couldn't go with them, because I had school. Every year since I have nagged them to take me somewhere special too. A bonding trip especially for me. So anyway this year my mother got in touch with her friends from paris who told her that we could stay in their extra apartment if we wanted to visit, since it would be free during spring. That's how the stone started rolling. I didn't think I would actually get to go, but now its looking like we really are gonna.

Two weeks in Paris, staying not in some fancy and pricy hotel, but rather a quaint little apartment of our own...well, not really ours, but that's a minor detail. I'm so exited! So I started googling images of paris so I would know where to go and what I needed to see for myself. Travel books are great, but they never have enough pictures for my liking. I found a great blog dedicated to Paris, called Eye Prefer Paris. I found wonderful pictures here. I was so impressed I knew I would be blogging full on when my chance came in Paris, although this lady - I prefer to think of the blog's author as a 'she' - researched every place she took a photo of and posted the information. Wow, I am totally blowing her trumpit right now, but I loved it, and intend to be using the bhlog for more future references. There's even a Eye Prefer Paris Tours, with the tag: see the paris tourists never see. Heehee OK I get the pun; the whole blog has blue eyes dotted around it. And by the way, the author is realy a man, Richard Nahem. Sorry dude, its nothing personal. I mistake everything cool as being made or created by a woman. My bad.

To the ends of time I shall stay in my mind in that place always. The place where souls escape to and the wind pulls at hems... My heart keeps the feel of you; my eyes the image of you; my mind the thought of you. I keep you with me until the moment I return once more to you.

Saved be the times when all was easy and right. Now nothing seems clear as morning air. Every moment has its sharp knife edge. Carefull which way you turn or you might be stabbed. Who knows where the rays will then shine, when we are long gone. Not for our poor heads they'll fall; too buisy searching for other brighter futures. The seemingly vast openess which the Lord placed at the feet of the newly confused and the realness of it all having not flattered quite how one imagened it would. Not quite how they would have minded it to be. So starts the next part and to all it becomes a strange new emptyness that would only fuel other curiosities and not the gifts we wish to bestowe ourselves. The dim light which leads to those other places seems distant and strange. What would be different then from now? It could all be the same or sink to the dark corners of minds no one wished to see.
No one can as of yet see clearly...