We stayed in Dublin all day. After the meet and greet we walked to the concert where he was performing that night, hoping we could get in, but we weren’t successful, so we had some sad pints at our favorite Dublin bar, Toners.
Galway was pretty. It was less urban than Dublin, with a big walking street full of pubs and bars with tents and patios. The drinks were very expensive though. After Galway, we went up the coast to the north west. There were a lot of cliff beaches and sheep. We visited Knock, which was a very religious place, and went to the basilica there, then headed to Siego. It’s very warm and sunny here, practically summer in Alaska terms. Today we are camped next to a beach. Jack and I explored the caves around the cliffs, though we couldn’t spend long there because the tide was coming in and we almost got trapped on the rocks. ]]>
The second hostel we stayed at was in London. I can’t recall the name of the area it was in, but it was only about three or four tube stops from Buckingham Palace. This hostel, in my opinion, was not as fun as the one in Edinburgh. Security was a lot more intense. You had to have a key to get inside,which wasn’t very fun. If you were outside talking, the security men made you go all around the building to the smoking area, even if you weren’t smoking. You had to be quiet because of the residential buildings nearby. And, one of the people we were with while there wasn’t much fun. I did meet a very nice Argentinian man, though,and they gave you free towels with your room.
The last hostel we stayed in was in Edinburgh, like the first one, but in a different area. This hostel had a lot of very nice qualities – free breakfast, free laundry, etc. The showers were particularly enjoyable. All of the hostels had a chill out room. The first one had many big cushions scattered along the floor and a TV that was always playing movies. The second one, I didn’t go into. And this one had comfortable leather couches and a little kitchen area for making food, and a TV. In the chill out room, Jack and I met a big group of people who were all staying there for the weekend, and who had also all met at the hostel. There was an American, but a majority of the people were from Scotland or England.
Eating food while staying at hostels is hard. It’s expensive to buy food from the city, and even more so to buy it from the bars that are usually attached to the accommodation. While staying there, Jack and I lived off a lot of kebabs and french fries with gravy. Mom bought us soup once, which was greatly appreciated, but I have lost count of the amount of times I’ve eaten french fries with gravy from a restaurant called the Clam Shell while staying at a hostel in Edinburgh. For future reference, it isn’t really a good purchase. They aren’t very filling nor good for you. Kebabs, on the other hand, are very much worth what you pay for. ]]>
o 60mph winds to accompany the rain. This point is most accurately described by the time we visited Harlech Castle, one of the four castles built by King Edward I in Wales, hundreds of years ago. Along with Harlech, there is Conwy, Caernarfon and Beaumaris. The best castle out of all of them was probably Conwy or Beaumaris. The day we visited Harlech, it was blowing so hard that when Jack and I walked up onto the castle walls,we almost fell off and were saved by a handsome stranger. If you leaned into the wind, you wouldn’t fall forward. The castles are fun for pretending to be country men, which Jack and I pretend to be when we’re exploring the castle. This usually means standing on the tallest tower, pretending to smoke pipe weed (what they smoke in the Lord of the Rings), calling each other “my good fellow” and talking about the peskiness of wives. Something that I have noticed about Wales, or the UK in general, is that almost everywhere there are restaurants that sell “Kebabs Pizza Burgers” in that combination. They are more common than fish and chip places, and show up even in the most remote of villages. The restaurants are also almost aways accompanied by pictures of chicken nuggets and pizza dancing around. In Chester,there was a weird café modeled after the one in the TV show Friends. Inside there were big TVs playing the show and sketches of the characters and their houses all over the wall. A couple of days ago we were in Cardiff, and went to the Doctor Who Experience, where we went on a simulation of the TARDIS and had to go through fields of various Doctor Who criminals. It was pretty cool, and Sylvia got picked to talk to the Doctor, who called her an android. After Cardiff, we went to Pembrokeshire, wher
e it was again, rainy. We walked around but there wasn’t much there, so we drove to another spot on the beach. There were huge waves and at night Jack and I explored a near by field. It was full of sinister looking mounds of dirt (ant hills? land mines?) so we quickly left, making sure not to step on any of them. The next morning we drove for a while until we got to where we are 
tonight, Aberystwyth, 
one of the biggest towns in Wales. -Jennah
]]>Once I was dressed and shoved out the door into the cold, I learned that the transmission on our camper had broken, and that the Canadians were going to try to repair it before the next day, when it had to go to the ship yard.
We walked to Tim Hortons and got coffee and donuts. Jack and I decided to leave and go to downtown, which was about a half hour’s walk from where we were. We got there, and first went to a poutinerie, a restaurant that sells a delicious Canadian cuisine (french fries, cheese curds and gravy). Jack and I ordered a large size and then we walked to the Halifax Central Library, a big modern looking place with glass walls. On the top of the library was a rooftop garden.
We sat inside for a while, charging our phones before Jack said we should find a cafe. Instead, we walked down the ocean, trying to see if we could get to the boat port, where a huge cruise ship was docked. Unfortunately, we couldn’t, but we found a cute farmer’s market that had lots of little stores that sold jewlery, pumpkins and egg rolls.
After that, we sat on the pier then walked up to downtown again, where we went to a restaurant called Elle’s Bistro. I think it was owned by a couple, because there was a baby in a crib in the corner and a young man and woman were the behind the counter.
Jack got a burger and I got soup and bread. It was a very nice place, with internet and a place they showed us where we could charge our phones, and a cheap menu, plus the free entertainment of watching the baby get tangled up in it’s balloon.
It was very charming until we saw a mouse dart across the floor – then we wondered if that meant the hyigene of the place wasn’t exactly up to par.
Jack and I returned to the library, where Mom and Dad picked us up, the camper apparently fixed. We went to the KOA, showered and started packing for the 2 week stay in Edinburgh.
The next morning we went to the airport. Since the camper had to be at the dock by 11 am, Dad dropped us all off and we went inside with our bags. Mom, Max, Annie and Sylvia left to go walk around Halifax. Since Jack and I had already seen it, we stayed there to watch the bags for the next 8 or so hours.
The family came back at about 7 with pizza and we ate then went through security.
We boarded the flight at about 10:05, and then was told that it would be less than five hours, actually shorter than the flight from Seattle to Tampa, which was a big disappointment because supposedly, Jack and I could have dranken on the flight, and we were originally told it’d be 8 or 9.
We landed at about 8 am, Scotland time, and had to stagger to the bus station, to take our bus to the center of Glasglow, then another bus to Edinburgh, about an hour away from Glasglow. Once we arrived in Edinburgh, we had to carry our bags through the Royal Mile, going the wrong direction once or twice, until we finally got to our apartment, where a nice Scottish man explained how everything worked.
Jack and I left to go to a pub. Jack was obsessed with finding his idea of the perfect pub, and I just really wanted to go to sleep. We wandered for an hour or so, looking for a pub that would match his cricteria.
Eventually we went into the Washbar, which was very cozy and cute. We ordered fish and chips, and Jack got a beer. Supposedly, I can drink in the UK as long as I’m with an adult, but since I forgot my passport and I wasn’t 100% sure about the law, I just ordered a lemonade. Apparently though, lemonade isn’t actually lemonade here, but a drink like Sprite or 7-Up. The fish and chips were exactly like one would imagine.
After Jack finished his beer, we left and went back to the apartment. I fell asleep almost immediately, and slept until 1 am, then woke up for another six hours. I fell asleep again at 7 am, and slept until noon.
— Jennah
]]>We ate Domino’s pizza for dinner, which was absolutely delicious after five months of rice and pasta. The first couple of days we lounged around our American hotel room (we could drink the tap water! People spoke English!) and just relaxed. Soon, though, we had to figure out a way to get to Wal-Mart, since we needed food and such frivolous things like that.
It was all very complicated to get to said Wal-Mart, since we were surrounded by complex freeways that had no sidewalks and expensive taxis (such a shock, coming from Lima, Peru, where taxis were the cheapest way of transport). It would take several buses and a mile of walking there and back.
In the end, we were able to get a ride from with our hotel peeps for ten dollars there and ten dollars back.
The first thing we did upon arriving was wander, awe struck, around Wal-Mart and gaze at everything.
Once we got over all the American things, we walked to Taco Bell, which had been missed dearly whilst in South America.
We went shopping, I got SweeTarts, and it was a good day.
We decided that we would fly from Dallas to Las Vegas, stay at the hotel/casino Circus Circus for a couple of days while we waited for Ryan and Dad got the van through customs, bought a trailer, and drove to where we were.
Vegas was a sweltering one hundred degrees and higher every day. I preferred to stay in the cool, dim interior of the casino but mother dearest insisted on exploring Vegas. I saw no point in this, since we had been there before, but oh well.
Jack and I explored Circus Circus to an extent, being social and making many friends.
Father and Ryan reached Vegas at midnight and we had to trek from our hotel room to the lobby to meet them.
We were all joyously reunited and Dad and Ryan went to Sam’s Town (the RV park we had stayed out on Big Trip l) and we slept at our hotel.
The next day everyone else took the bags to the new trailer whilst Jack and I stayed behind at the hotel and were social.
After they came back we walked to the Venetian. There were giant creepy masked dudes walking around and these really freaky tree ladies that scared me.
We took the car to the RV park, where it still hot, so we went to the pool. Of course, people there flocked to me and more friendships were made.
The next day we went to the buffet at the casino/hotel there. I ate a lot of donuts and stuff. It was good.
Annabelle really, really wanted to ride the New York, New York so we headed there after the buffet. Unfortunately, she wasn’t tall enough and was very sad.
We walked to the Aria and the Cosmopolitan, which were both very fancy in different ways. The Aria was swanky, with marble benches and air conditioners on the floor so your feet wouldn’t get hot. The Cosmopolitan had giant crystal chandeliers that stretched twenty feet and down three floors. Very pretty.
It was midnight when we got back, and since we were going to get up early and leave, we all went to sleep.
The next morning we left Vegas and a while down the highway turned around and went a different route.
Once we were going the right way, all was well.
We camped in Carson City, in a Wal-Mart parking lot (ah, memories) and disconnected so we could drive around. Carson City was quaint and charming. It was a nice town.
The next night we camped next to a salt lake that turned out to be caustic. Slightly disturbing, because the campground said we could swim in it. Hmm…
We arrived in Reno and Jack, Ryan and I toured the university. It was very nice, and if I didn’t want to go to Seattle I would consider going there.
Outside Nevada City, California, our friend Marian lived so we visited her. She lived in a little camp thing and we were able to stay at the top of a ridge there where the sunset was quite pretty.
The next morning Aunt Marian took us to a thrift store where I got some books and clothes and whatnot. Then we ate lunch, which was macaroni and cheese. There was a little pond with pink lotuses growing on it. Sylvia ventured into the water and picked one. Brave child.
We left around mid day and stayed somewhere of insignificant importance.
The next thing was Sisters, Oregon where we were seeing a rodeo.
It started at seven and it was nice. It felt kind of like a giant party.
I enjoyed the rodeo, though some of was sort of barbaric. There was bull riding and whatnot.
We stayed overnight at the rodeo and left early the next morning, making it into Washington.
We camped at a Wal-Mart parking lot and fully planned to leave today, but the car is having transmission problems so we’re staying another night.
-Jennah
]]>It was decided we would go into Lima, so after preparation we waited for the bus on the dirt strip between roads for the bus.
We caught one to Lima that was only moderately filled with people, but on the way it rapidly became jam packed. It was quite hot and stuffy on the bus and I zoned out for most of it.
The section of Lima we were exploring had several malls and we spent the first fifteen minutes talking to the Olo Internet people.
The plan was to take the little ones to Divercity, a children’s museum of sorts. We found out it wasn’t open until three, so we walked over to the food court in one of the malls.
After some discussion, we ate there and I watched the siblings as we staked out a table and Mother and Father got food.
Whilst we ate, Mother and I made a bargain that if I took the young ones to their museum, I would get Nutella. I was quite happy with the situation, until we found out I wasn’t old enough to take them there myself.
We left Father and the small ones there and walked over to Plaza Vea. Ryan and Mother had long conversations about chocolate for a while before we walked around the upscale mall and looked at clothes and whatnot.
I made them stop at a Nescafe sample store thing, and we got free chocolate coffees. Well, Jack had the caramel, but in my opinion the chocolate was better.
My stunning beauty was so impressive that the Nescafe guy invited me to take a photo shoot for the Nescafe Facebook page. Since he didn’t want to be rude, he had to bring Jack along too.
Once I had finished modeling (and Jack) Mother and Ryan went shopping and Jack and I walked over to Divercity to see if Father was still in there.
Jack lurked around for a while before finally being brave enough to talk to them and we asked to fetch Father for, which they did and we went back to Mother.
We caught the bus back to our beach house and so ended our day in Lima.
Today was spent lazing around the house and discussing the Amazon trip and whatnot. Lovely times.
Jennah
]]>A little of a let down after being in Chile for so long. No more clean places and such.
The first day here was spent getting comfortable and helping Mother, Ryan and Jack to get ready to go to La Paz.
The next couple of days were spent recouporating from our airport shanigan.
It was all very chilled and Dad went out to get hotdogs. We cooked them about was about to eat them when we made the startling discovery that the hotdogs were wrapped in plastic wrappers.
Ah, Peru.
So father used a butter knife and attempted to scrooge the hotdog out in little clumps until we had a big plate of shredded hotdog and made sandwiches.
Luckily, the adjoining nights were better.
The pool has been getting used frequently. Sylvia seems to enjoy getting out, taking a shower and getting dressed then deciding to get back in.
Yesterday we checked out the beach and discovered that it was at the bottom of a cliff/steep hill. There were locked gates and such so we have yet to go there.
We explored the neighborhood a bit, walking about a mile to the nearest ATM. It was pretty much the same; restaurants, one fancy restaurant and a barren strip of dirt between the roads. How pretty and photogenic it was.
Ryan, Jack and mother got back last night and brought me a wonderful leather jacket. It wasn’t the original one they had shown me, which was garishly red and has a horrible fur collar. It was apparently a joke. Ha. Ha.
They also brought back several bars of Bolivian chocolate, which was quite delicious, some oven mitts that father got endlessly excited over and other things.
Now that they are back, I’m sure adventures shall start soon…
Jennah
]]>The first town we went to was Arica, Chile. It was on the coast, and while I was paranoid about tsunamies and the like, I enjoyed it. It was quite pricey, and we were worried that all of Chile would be like that.
The next place of signifigence we went to was San Pedro de Atacama, one of the dryest places in the world. The days were cool, but the sun was considerably warmer. The nights were cold and required one to swim deep in a sea of blankets.
San Pedro de Atacama had many things to do, such as sandboarding, salt lake frolicking, and horseback riding.
Jack and I, ever the social butterflies that we were, got invited to a college party out in the desert. We had already had made plans, so we did not go.
We dawdled in that town for a fair amount of time, trying to decide if we were to go to Argentina or the rest of Chile (Santiago, La Serena, Antofagasta, ect.). We eventually decided on Chile.
Before we left San Pedro we hiked among the salty flats and spikes. At the top of a particular hill there was a huge, cavernous hole. A small pool of water resided at the bottom.
We drove on.
The next town was considerably cheaper, and we went to a food court, the first food court is a long time. A very long time.
The next town was Antofagasta. It was on the coast, and we camped a couple of miles away.
Antofagasta wasn’t a big tourist destination, and we went to a large mall. A delightful discovery I made in Chile was that they had my drink of choice, Arizona Tea Raspberry Flavor. I purchased a can of said drinkJ
Easter was spent mere feet from a rocky coastal beach, the sound the waves in our ears. The next morning was spent hunting down our baskets. I got chocolate and an Amazon giftcard, which I was anxious to get music from. Unfortunately, I could not purchase it due to geographical difficulties.
We briefly departed from the coast, only to rejoin it in La Serena.
We camped at a gas station away from the ocean, more in the town. We spent the first night driving to Hiper Lider, or otherwise known as Wal-Mart (!). We shopped and whatnot, then made our way to trailer sweet trailer.
Today we had a relaxing, scenic drive through the streets of La Serena.
Sincerely,
Jennah
]]>The floating islands were cool, though they smelled bad. I think that the reeds under were rotting. We walked around the reed desert and looked at what they sold. I wandered away from the rest of my kin and was promptly called back in. One of the local persons forced a local wear on me, which wasn’t very flattering. We then took a reed boat to the other island. I rowed for a few moments, as did Jack, but then the original rowers took over, since we were being too slow. Jack started talking to some guy he thought was Ryan, but then it turned out to be some British guy.
One day in Puno, Ryan, Jack and I walked to the top of a mountainous hill. It started off as a gentle slope, then escalated to a very, very steep road then ended as stairs up the hill. At the top was viewpoint with a giant condor on the top. Ryan took pictures of Puno and I had to take pictures of him. We headed back down.
The other night Mother, Jack, Ryan and I went out. We went to the witch market, which sold llama fetuses. Jack tried to take a picture of them but the lady tending the booth started to yell at him. Mother and Ryan looked at blankets and I wandered off to look at red pea coats. The market was separate into ,rows and you couldn’t go to the next one unless you went all the way to the end. There was, however, a space to cross over which I did. When I was finished looking to coats I realized my bridge had closed. I was stranded.
I went all the way around to get back. Whilst I was preoccupied Jack had unwisely bought something from a cart. It was in a clear plastic cup and topped with cinnamon. It resembled banana pudding. He, at first, said it was really good and I refused to taste it. He then said it was ‘the foulest things his taste buds had ever touched’ so of course I had to try it. I didn’t think it was that bad, but he kept calling it sludge and abandoned it on the side of the road. We walked up to the fanciest hotel that had a bar on the top. It had windows so you could look over Lake Titicaca. Unfortunately, it was closed, so instead we went to Macchu Pizza (haha) to eat. The pizza took forty-five minutes and was greasy, but still good. Mother ordered a pitcher of sangria, which tasted okay and had little apple slices floating on the top. We finished and walked around a couple of moments before going back.
Jennah
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