December 2010
22 posts
Boat trip to Motutapu
My sister Lee and her partner Mark invited me, my other sister Kerryn and her husband Haydn out for an evening boat trip. We anchored in Islington Bay between Motutapu & Rangitoto islands, had a picnic dinner on the boat, and then Haydn & I went for a swim.
Boat trip to Motutapu (video)
Shopping in Queen Street
I went for a wander around the city centre, and a visit to my favourite Auckland shops. On the way, I saw a weta on the footpath, met up with my old school friend Laurence who runs King of Cards in Queen’s Arcade these days, had a look at our old place on Lorne Street, and noticed that the giant creepy Santa was back on the Whitcoulls where it belongs.
Ferry to the city centre
A trip to the beach with Mum & Dad
Mum & Dad took me for a drive, and we ended up at Maraetai. Lovely day for a swim - so that’s what I did.
Out for a drive with Mum & Dad
Christmas Day in Auckland
Christmas day at Lee & Mark's
Christmas morning in Auckland
Christmas with the nephews at Mum & Dad’s place - and a Skype call from Aunty Bobbie, Jake and Hannah.
In the jungles of Borneo
A stopover in Brunei on the way to New Zealand. I left the airport and went for a bit of an adventure.
Snowmageddon at Heathrow
Caught a coach down to London at stupid o’clock in the morning, and then the shuttle train to terminal 4 from the Heathrow bus station. Through check in and security without a hitch. So far so good, despite the horror stories over the past few days from the airport.
Scenes from the airport bus
Took a few photos out the window as we made the 50 minute trip from the Belo Horizonte city centre out to the airport. In that time, the weather went from torrential rain to beautiful sunshine and back again. Twice. I chose to take my pictures when it wasn’t chucking it down - and managed to get a few goodies along the way…
A little bit more record shopping
A bit of time to kill before heading to the airport today, so I went off on a stroll in a direction I hadn’t been yet. Another little goldmine. Could actually have spent a fortune in this tiny shop if I’d had one to hand - and I’ve made careful note of its address in case I ever make it back over this way with money. I did pick up a couple of utter gems though - stuff I’d...
Record shopping
I went for a walk in search of second hand record stores here in Belo Horizonte. I found a nice CD shop, and the woman there very kindly drew me a map to a couple of good places. One of them, Mandraghora - upstairs and on the rear-facing balcony at the Edificio Central - was an absolute goldmine. Check this lot out:
At the record store
Milton Nascimento concert
An outdoor free concert featuring Milton Nascimento, to finish Human Rights Week in Belo Horizonte. Amazing crowd.
Milton Nascimento outdoor gig
There was a free outdoor concert tonight to celebrate the last day of Human Rights Week here in Belo Horizonte. It featured Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento and a whole bunch of other musicians from the region. Big crowd - and a really good-natured one. Everyone sang along, danced and cheered at absolutely anything. Great vibe…
The art of lunch
One thing you’ve gotta love about Brazil is the food. The all-you-can-eat buffet is lifted to new heights here. Lunch lasts a good few hours, you’re expected to have a caipirinha, or at the very least a beer along the way… and the coffee is off the hook.
Great graffiti in Belo Horizonte
Sunday markets in Belo Horizonte
My keynote speech wasn’t until noon, so this morning I went for a stroll, and found myself in the biggest market I’ve ever seen. The photos don’t do it justice, but the sheer scale of it was immense. It took up several city blocks, and I think I only walked around the periphery of about a third of it. It was four stalls deep across the road all the way.
...
Scenes from Belo Horizonte
I’m in Belo Horizonte to speak at Feira Música Brasil. It’s a great looking city - and I’m so glad to be back in the warm weather, as you can imagine. This is where I’ll be this week…
Back to Brazil as the sun rises...