Alannah's News!

"Are you sure this is our house?"

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:17:17 -0400

“Are you sure this is our house?”

- The McBride Family

Ahhhh…. Home once again… * This was not taken by...

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:15:00 -0400

Ahhhh…. Home once again…

* This was not taken by me.

Home in Ottawa Once Again!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:13:11 -0400

Well, we’re home! We are moving in again. I have my bed, a desk and drawers in my room. And I am trying to keep out junk. We have opened all our boxes that we sent home and it is like Christmas! I have all these new clothes and souvenirs! Some from Egypt, some from China, some from Argentina, some from Thailand or Cambodia. I can’t wait until we are all moved in!

I have visited one friend of mine. Mairi. I dance with her. We have also gone to a welcome home party that was hosted from my Moms friend, Liz. Liz is really funny and very nice. Thanks Liz!

Also, before we arrived home, we visited another friend of my Moms, Janice. No not my Mom. My Moms friend. Her house was really beautiful! Janice is an architect. I showed her an awesome design site http://www.designrecoleta.com.ar/index.asp. You can look at the shops in this all design mall. It has some super-funky stuff!

It is great to be back in Ottawa, once again!

And when you see me, are you going to tell me how much I’ve grown?

I have to go now. This is possibly the last post of this blog. So, thank you for following my blog! I don’t know you is reading it, maybe nobody! Naw! I am sure someone must read it!

Once again, Thank you for reading the blog!

-Alannah :)

This is a horse at the Ukrainian Vilage not to far from...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:00 -0400

This is a horse at the Ukrainian Vilage not to far from Edmonton, Alberta. Alex, Luke and I were trying to give some long pieces of grass but it didn’t work. When he started to walk away, he made 6 large ,loud farts. We almost couldn’t stop laughing.

I hope you come to Ottawa some day Alex!

This picture was taken at a Ukrainian village near Edmonton. We...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:53:00 -0400

This picture was taken at a Ukrainian village near Edmonton. We saw the mother and father come frequently to feed the chicks. The one in the middle got most of the regurgitated food. They also pooped a lot.

Isn’t that beautiful! I love Canada! I don’t know...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:48:00 -0400

Isn’t that beautiful! I love Canada! I don’t know what the name of this lake is because we were on our way somewhere and we were just passing by in our Nissan something.

I am pretty sure that these are elk. Don’t their ears look...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:43:00 -0400

I am pretty sure that these are elk. Don’t their ears look so fuzzy!

This is Lake Peyto (Pee-to). The colour was amazing! you can...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:40:00 -0400

This is Lake Peyto (Pee-to). The colour was amazing! you can see the lake continues a bit out in the distance. It was fabulous!

These are Big Horn Mountain Sheep. This is a mother and baby...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:34:00 -0400

These are Big Horn Mountain Sheep. This is a mother and baby and as we drove by, we noticed that the mother was, in fact, eating gravel! Maybe she needed minerals. We saw them when we were passing by on the other side and my mom just turned around and headed over to them. We didn’t stop, since you are not aloud too.

This is either an elk or caribou. We think it is an elk because...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:29:00 -0400

This is either an elk or caribou. We think it is an elk because the caribou are very rare to see in the Canadian Rockies. The picture is a bit blurry but it was the best I could do. The Park Rangers tell people not to stop and look but to drive on by. If you do stop, the animals will become accustomed to humans and might come to close to the roads.

Many people were stopping and getting in my way…. Oops

Phoenix.

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:55:57 -0400

It was hot in Pheonix. We ate at Pizza hut and saw a man yelling at a flight attendant. Nothing much to talk about. But, it was hot!! It was 103 degrees out!! Oops! I mean 40 degrees! But, it was so hot!! That would be it!

Mexico

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:53:01 -0400

Puerto Escondido was great! Our home was a two story house. You can see some photo’s if you go to http://www.vacationhomeinmexico.com/sheila/images.shtml.

It looks exactly like the photo’s.

In Puerto Escondido, Connor and I learned how to surf. We did get up, but unfortunately, Connor rubbed his belly on the board so many times that it was all raw and pink. Also, his knees were raw. Our instructor was named Silas. He was very nice and very funny! Dad thinks he must have been the best surfer in town! He could surf while doing a head stand on his board!! He was pretty amazing. I couldn’t do that…

Connor had a “difficult” time sleeping. He was worrying about jaguars coming to get him…. You see, one night, I had fallen asleep very fast and Connor was the only one awake in our room (I shared a room with Connor). Two cats, like household cats, had a fight and it was loud since we were on the bottom floor and my parents on the top floor. Ever since that night when I “ditched” him for sleep, he has told me ” Alannah…. NEVER fall asleep before me AGAIN!” But, hey! I can’t help it!

After 2 very short weeks in Pto. Escondido, we left. We flew to Mexico city and stayed at Sheraton Centro Historico. We took a tour of Teotihuacan (te-o-ti-wa-can). We had a very nice guide named Fransisco. He brought us to eat at his mothers place! And, Oh my God!!! It was the most delicious food I had EVER eaten!! She made Tortilla soup and chicken with mole (mo-lay). It was excellent!!!

Fransisco’s niece and nephew came over to eat the delicious meal. The nephew was named Micky and I can’t remember the nieces name. Micky was 12 and the niece was 17, I think. Micky was very embarrassed and was listening to Justin Timberlake- Sexy Back…

The temples in Teotihuacan were really cool! There was a team of Korean people (about 5) and they were doing a documentary about why Koreans should go to Mexico. They asked me to say some things so they could translate it to Korean. I think it didn’t go too well. I mean ” Umm.. I think that Teotihuacan is really amazing and it is cool to see what the Aztecs worshiped and why they did it. I like it a lot. I would come back here again. I like the surrounding area, like the volcano’s and mountains.”. There how did THAT sound? That is kinda like what I said…

Before getting dropped off at the temples, Fransisco brought us to a very small factory that makes copies of obsidian carvings made from the Aztecs. He also showed us a plant that they make an alcoholic drink out of. This cactus also contains a plastic-y paper that you peel off the heart of the plant. Also, what I find really amazing, is that there is a pointy part of the heart and you cut it, not fully though, because as you pull out the brown pointy part a string like substance emerges. Yes, like a needle and thread!! It was really cool! He gave it to us to bring home and you know what? I LOST IT!!!!! I am so sad! Oh well, maybe Fransisco will send it to us.. We gave him our postal code and e-mail and all that stuff so his niece could come study in Canada some time…

Also at the factory, they actually gave Connor and I the alcoholic beverage! I drank and it tasted funny!

That is it for Mexico. On we go to the United States of America! To Phoenix!

Mexico City

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:32:00 -0400

We arrived at the Mexico City airport early this morning at 7:00 am (Mexico City time) and we got approached by a Tour Booker for a Tour Company. He had perfect English and gave us all these suggestions for getting to Puerto Escondido. ” If you go here first, it would be cheaper to get to Escondido…” Blah, Blah, Blah!!!! We all knew were this was going! Next he said something along the lines of ” I also have a wonderful city tour of Mexico City, if you’d like. I have a large van. You can go for 2 hours, whatever you want….”. Ya, no thanks!

So, we got in a very, very large TAXI to go to the Mexico City Bus Station. Don’t worry, we booked through a company so it was a real TAXI… But the funny thing is, is that we thought it was going to be at least 1 hour. It was around 45 minutes. So, as we arrived at the Bus Station, I had just fallen asleep… My Mom gently woke me up and I was totally out of it! I snorted when she woke me up! I snorted!!!!! I was really groggy. Kinda like when you first wake up.

Anyway, the Bus Station is actually really nice! I had maple syrup with pancakes!! Am I still sleeping? Maple Syrup!!!!!! After that, we played a game of Cribbage. I won! Yay! I read a bit, did some time on the computer, read more, came back to the computer and now I am typing this!

Not much else has happened…

Bye

-Alannah

Snowfree Blog

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:24:25 -0400

Snowfree Blog:

This is just to make it easier to get back and forth from the two sites.

Our plan

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:23:19 -0400

This is our plan for the next few weeks.

June 11- In Patagonia
June 15- Check into hotel in Buenos Aires
June 16- Fly out of Buenos Aires
June 17- Arrive in Mexico City
June 18- Arrive in Puerto Escondido

July 3- Fly to Calgary
July 19- Fly Winnipeg-Ottawa!!!!
In between the 18th and 3rd we don’t really know what we are doing! All we know is that we fly out of Mexico City to Calgary on the 3rd. Then from Calgary we have rented a car to drive to Winnipeg and then once in Winnipeg, we fly to Ottawa. We arrive in Ottawa in the afternoon of July 19. Yes, we miss Canada Day…

Hope to see you soon,

Alannah

-Alannah

Whales, Sea lions and Sea elephants...

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:13:00 -0400

We saw whales!! Whales!! One stuck his head out of the water fully and we saw some jump! Although I can’t even start to believe that all that fat and blubber can actually get that far out of the water… They were amazing!! Now, I think that the word “amazing” can only be used for the whales. They would come right up to the boat and swim around. We saw them from shore too. They are massive! They come to Puerto Madryn for pregnancy. So, many have their babies with them. I didn’t take pictures because it was very wet. Very wet! And cold. Very, very cold…. But sometimes the whales had picture perfect tails. You know when they dive and their tails come up? It is extremely beautiful…

It got very wet and cold on the boat. I was very sea sick on the boat, so being wet and cold took away from the vomit in my nose. But I loved it! Even if I was throwing up. But people were very nice. Even Mom who grew up by the sea in Halifax wasn’t feeling great. But she got through it.

As we were heading back to shore, the captain was going very fast to get back and the waves were quite big. Actually, they were very, very big… And I got very, very wet and cold. Very, very cold… Of course, the captain was having a great time in his water proof snow suit going over 3 metre high waves at full speed. Lucky for him, he got Alannah vomit on the side of his boat. At least someone had a great time. Don’t get me wrong! I loved seeing the whales but being cold and wet, very cold and wet, stranded on a boat surrounded by grown whales, very curious grown whales, who knock your boat is not exactly the nicest thought!

Then we get in a van to drive to a spot were you can see seals and sea lions. Ya, that was cool. They weren’t a very active group but they were definitely alive. They were cute too. I could tell today was going to be wet and cold, but seeing all those animals still in the wild made the day! Usually you see these animals in zoo’s and reserves but they were in the wild!

Sea elephants… These are the ones that you can’t tell if they are dead or alive. They didn’t move one bit. Oh, I shouldn’t say that. One moved his tail up and down once. I’ll give that one some credit! They also look really funny! One group had some action though. One got up and did that sea elephant thing. You know when they throw their heads/neck back and forth. Yes, head/neck because you can’t tell where their heads start! So, that is it for now.

-Alannah

The Salto Hot springs and Some Other Neat Stuff!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:05:00 -0400

In the Salto bus terminal, I wasn’t feeling very good and thought that I probably couldn’t go to the Hot springs. But I was wrong! They were really nice! I can’t use “awesome” because we have reserved that word only for the Iguazu Waterfalls. But, the water in those pools were just the right temperature. There were hot pools, medium hot pools and super-hot pools aswell as a nice cold pool. I felt really good after so I thought I had magicly cured myself or something! Then we got on the bus at 12:00 midnight and I started to have another fever. Mom gave more Cipro. Do you know where we got the Cipro from? It says Thomas Southworth on the container. Thomas Southworth gave us those pills in India. So I am taking someone elses perscribed pills. Oh My!

Now in Puerto Madryn, I feel really good and healthy while Dad seems to have a bad cold. Today we are going out on a boat to see whales, sea lions and seals. They say the whales come so close they can knock your boat! They also flip right infront of you. The man running our hotel, Gaston, says they aren’t very smart because that makes them easy to be hunted. So, I can’t wait to see them! I just hope they won’t flip our boat over!! It is only 8:00am to we haven’t left yet. Bye!

-Alannah

We haven’t been able to take a good picture of a maté, so...

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:07:00 -0400

We haven’t been able to take a good picture of a maté, so I just got one off the Internet. South Americans fill it 3/4 full of those maté leaves and pour in a bit of hot water, drink it, pour more, drink it, pour more and so on. Just thought I would post one.

Our friends El Jefe, House and Wilson.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:26:33 -0400

So far in Uruguay and Argentina, we have made 3 doggie friends that follow us around. El Jefe was in Puerto Iguazu. And when we left him his face was showed that his heart was broken. We really sealed our bond when we gave him a whole piece of cheese! I will have to get a poster of my dog Jefe for my room!

Now, House and Wilson… I bet you know the T.V show House? Well, the lead guy, House, has a limp and is the leader. And our doggie friend has a limp and is the leader. Wilson is Houses freind in the T.V show and hge is more down to earth. As I write this, Wilson has been at the Internet Cafe Door for over 30 minutes.

Man! I want a dog!

Bye!

-Alannah

"The Maté has to Maté the Maté to Maté. Translation: The person who drinks a maté ( a popular south..."

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:18:33 -0400

“The Maté has to Maté the Maté to Maté.
Translation: The person who drinks a maté ( a popular south american hot drink) has to make the populer hot drink to drink the popular hot drink.”

- Porteño tour guide. (A Porteño is a person from Buenos Aires.)