Costa Rica 16.11.13

"We awoke at 5am, had a very 'exciting' breakfast of toast and wandered though San Jose to get a bus ticket. The wander was intense (because i'm a wuse) but we managed well and found the bus station. On our journey we saw rat corner, cup corner, human faeces street and came to the conclusion Billy is the master of directions (when i'm tired). After the purchase of the ticket we headed back to the hotel room and packed our stuff. The walk to the bus station was heavier and more awkward with our backpacks attached to our bodies but we made it.  I also managed to get money after calling my bank, apparently you're meant to do this before you go."

"we boarded the bus, comfy seats! The journey started with Spanish titanic, pure shite. but it was cut short and replaced with an awesome Spanish film which we will Google and watch again with English sub titles. It was bloody Brilliant. The bus was longer than expected, 7 hours! but was quite fun, more for me though, Bill got a bit grumpy. Selfies kept us entertained for a while. We drove through many villages and arrived eventually in Tamirindo where a very happy taxi driver drove us to Hotel Bula Bula in Playa Grande where I sit now. "

"Last night we enjoyed beer and food but turned in early as it had been 48 hours in total from Scotland to our first real hotel. We tried to learn Spanish on the bus but its not been overly successful."

So again you might get the impression that San Jose is not great and definitely a stop over place. Also we were not 100% sure that it was human shite but we defiantly saw a rat go over someones foot. I was pretty nervous about getting the bus, again because i'm a wuse, but it was actually totally fine. it was only $11 each, the seats were comfortable and the movie was great. It was 7 hours which was the negative part but we got stuck in traffic because of an accident i think.Also it was quite cool going through all the wee towns. It would have cost over $100 each to get there if we rented a car or got a shuttle bus thing. You get the bus from the Atlantico station (see map). Everyone said watch your bags and all that shite, everything seemed fine to me. But i would watch my bag on any train in Glasgow Central too so just use common sense. 

I'll talk more about the amazing hotel bula bula in the next post. 

Costa Rica!! 15.11.13

"we left my Glasgow flat at 6:30am. The taxi drove us to the airport and we began the long journey to Costa Rica. A stressful week prior to our departure combined with significant lack of sleep meant we were both like zombies, excited zombies. We hung about the airport for some time, got toasties and flew to London. The flight to London was uneventful although there was a water bottle explosions when the lid fell off my bottle soaking my leg and the lady next to me. London Airport was shite and pretentious (Gatwick) with shops like Tiffany's and Harrods. We discussed what we would shop lift and made judgments on innocent passers by. The pretension continued when we attempted to get food, out choices were Pret, a champagne sushi bar or Starbucks."
"We boarded our flight to Miami. The flight to Miami was uneventful apart from Rafa Nadals lookalike invasion of my personal space and the wastage of 1 hour 50 minutes of eye use on the worst film in the world, Grown ups 2. Rafa Nadal lookalike, who at first glance looked like a girl was the main memory, my main painful memory. "
"Arrival in Miami was F***ing ridiculous. we had paid the ESTA (which is essentially an admin fee) to pass the airport which involved a 6 lane queue, a bitch who couldn't speak, only tap and wouldn't let me borrow her pen, another bitch who stuck her hand in our faces rather than speaking and security people that shouted at you for having shoes on. Eventually we passed through the airport, was the best bloody £28 I've ever spent (ESTA)."
"We boarded our flight  to San Jose. We had another uneventful flight due to the fact that we both slept like logs. Arrival in San Jose was again uneventful and we walked out the door to meet millions of guys asking if we wanted a taxi. for no particular reason we chose a short chubby man who took us to out hotel Fleur de lys where we arrived and slept pretty much instantly. "

fleur de lys Hotel was a sweet little hotel and a perfect place for a stop over. San Jose is alright but there's so much to do else where that its really just a stop over place. So as far as stop overs go i'd recommend the hotel...only thing was the breakfast was shite and mostly gone by the time we got down at 9am, breakfast is really important to me.
Miami airport is a giant pain in the arse... if you can avoid it do, no amount of people watching will help you get through, everyone was raging. It was a bloody long queue (Rafa Nadal got through first which was salt to my wound), everyone has to pick up their bags and the security people were so rude! The level of irritation might have been related to how tired i was but me n Billy decided not to ever go through Miami ever again.

Scotland Road Trip 17.8.13

"Woke up very hungover and tired, headed for an epic breakfast! EPIC BREAKFAST! checked out and headed to Aberdeen. We drove past the smallest town in Scotland (Inch) and arrived at the Hilton Aberdeen to get our tickets for the game. We walked the wrong way to the stadium but eventually got to the terrifying crowd of green weegies. I didn''t speak for a while because it was overwhelmingly rough, I got searched. Eventually (after the first half) I began to relax and had a good time. After the game we headed back to Billy's flat for a nap before meeting a few of his mates for dinner and pints. The night ended in the casino. 

Was a brilliant holiday which ended this morning with a bath and brunch at Billy's. We're not posh, we don't often brunch, but we do often sleep in and have breakfast at lunch time. Brunch is really a jakey breakfast. Next Scotland Road Trip will be this time next year and we're going to go round the islands."

Scotland is a beautiful place despite the unpredictable weather. It rained every day on out holiday however if you embrace camping and go with the attitude that it might rain the whole time, you appreciate the sun shine. It can be a testing holiday as putting tents up and down can be a bit tricky but we managed fine with no drama. My advice for a camping holiday is bring warm clothes, a golf brolly each, wellies and most importantly an above ground camp fire. Most camp sites won't let you light a propper camp fire because it wrecks the ground. But after oor wee road trip the fire is an essential thing to have so you don't have to go into your tent at 7pm! 

Scotland Road Trip 16.8.13

"We awoke after our last day camping. we started the day with a three hour BBQ & salmonella sausages. We hadn't headed up the coals properly due to impatience. Sausages were abandoned and we settled for beans and bread. Tent ect packed and we headed to Urqurt Castle. The car park was full so we didn't actually get to go and see it but we drove past, which was nice. We passed a garden, got out the car but it looked pish so Billy took a pee then we went left. We then went to the golf driving range. Golf is hard but Billy was a good teacher. Unlike the dad with his two daughters next to us. After golf we checked into the hotel and went shopping for a bikini. We went round charity shops for a new jacket and had to get a Celtic scarf for me as i will be attending my first Celtic game in Aberdeen. "
"Got back to the hotel and swam in the pool for an hour or so. Initially it was calm and relaxing but things got pretty competitive. The more we raced the more my boobs popped out the bikini that was too small. After swimming we got ready and headed out to the mustard seed for dinner. Amazing food and wine, got half cut. we also sort of stalked a couple sitting next to us because we couldn't tell what their story was. A lady fell off her chair, then we went to the James Fox bar for a few more drinks. Billy got called 'stretch' by a grey haired wanker and the guy in the flowery shirt sharted, it was howfin. Brilliant day. "

The stuff we did during the day was daft and no recommendations come out of it particularly the gardens that Billy took a pee in! but there's pleanty of stuff to see, jus maybe not Urqurt castle, if that car park is full you're not getting in and its a tiny car park.
the Mustard Seed
The restaurant was great, food was braw, staff were nice and it wasn't expensive but it could have been because it was that good. I well recommend it, as does Billy. Inverness on the whole was really nice place had a great day walking about the shops n' stuff.
The hotel we stayed at was nice too, Craigmonie, but Billy booked it and he doesn't look for a bargain so might have been pricey. Although it was one of the best hotel breakfasts i have ever had!

Scotland Road Trip 15.8.13

"Woke up from another sleep in a bed with no hangover. The car was re-organised and we headed towards Inverness. Had to stop by My friends place of work to deliver cakes and Billy nearly dropped beer in the co-op. We drove over the Skye Bridge and wee windey roads to Culloden campsite. Posh campsite, mostly for motor homes but there was a few spaces for scabby campers. Upon arrival we were attacked by a swarm of flies. When the tent was up, the flies were gone. We headed to Lochness and fished away the afternoon with a few cans. We caught nothing. Was fun though despite a few tangled rods. Then we went to Asda, got dinner and a sea bream to falsify a photo suggesting we caught a fish so i could win a bet i had with my dad. As usual the fire was burning, we had a BBQ, marshmallows and more Stella. We had to be quiet because all of the motor home folks were sleeping."

This campsite, culloden, was a bit more up market and slightly more expensive at £20 a night but it was nice and everyone was friendly. Again we know nothing about fishing but i think we are getting better, despite the lack of fish.

Scotland Road Trip 14.8.13

"Woke up at my friends house. It was nice to sleep indoors. Had a fry up then left for serious hike up the Old Man of Storr. The serious hike we imagined came to an abrupt end because we reached the top pretty quickly. The views were incredible but we were slightly disappointed with the short walk...until we found a sign that said do not go past this sign. So we went past the sign. The less trodden paths took us round the different side of the hill. Pure bute.
"After our walk we had time for lunch so we drove to Carboost to the 3 chimney's restaurant. The restaurant was WAY more posh than we had imagined it would be and luckily they did not have a dress code as we rocked in with mucky hiking boots, hoodies and were somewhat sweaty. The waiters were wearing suits. It was awkward. The posh lady behind who sent her food back because of an out of place salad leave kept giving us the stink eye. Despite this, the food was amazing but we left thinking that perhaps posh restaurants don't suit out characters, or dress sense. We headed back to my friends house then took her wee girl to the beach in Staffin. I took a few shells. We then got drunk and slept. Skye is epic"


The old man of storr is a beautiful walk with stunning views so defiantly worth a visit. its busy so better to go earlier on in the day.

The Three Chimneys
This restaurant is recommended all over the place, personally it wasn't my cup of tea, its very up market. But if you enjoy a posh bite to eat, and i have to admit the food was good, then make sure you have a reservation and DO NOT go in wearing mucky clothes to avoid posh lady stink eye.

Scotland Road Trip 13.8.13

"Again written in hindsight- Woke up tidied tent, had a coffee and cake for breakfast. Drove to Portree tourist info centre. Then we drove to a place near ferry pools and found a quite fishing spot, fished n' stuff for a few hours. Billy crossing the river with no shoes and the wobbly bridge were the highlight of the fishing part of our day. We caught no fish."
"We then walked a few hours at the fairy pools. Pure Bute. After this we met my friend and her wee family for dinner near the shite campsite at Sligachin Hotel. Good food, good chat. I decided to have a few pints so my friend offered to drive my car back to her hoose. She bloody tanked it! Skye only has wee roads, i was shiteing myself. Anyway got to her house, got drunk Billy was more pissed than me. Was a great day not doing it justice"

Defiantly go have a walk at Fairy Pools stunning!

 The Wobbly bridge, not entirely sure where but its close to the fairly pools.

Oor wee fishing spot, picturesque but there was no bloody fish. Me and Billy know nothing about fishing. 

Scotland Road Trip 12.8.13

"This is written in hindsight so some of the element of the story might be shite. Currently its 15.8.13 and i'm in Iversneckie (Inverness). So we woke up, tidied tent then drove towards Mallaig. When we got there we were the lucky basts that got the last ferry tickets to Skye at 1:30pm. So we had a couple of hours to kill in Mallaig. We had culin skink soup and peppermint tea. As one does. Then we walked about the town. The highlight was mallaig view point."
"Then we ferried it to Skye. Pure bute. Was a wonderful afternoon...then things took a turn for the worst. Billy and i have learned that rough camping is hard and we needed to be more prepared. We drove for quite a while before coming to this conclusion. However while in the process of reaching this conclusion i was tired, needing a pee and being a bit of a grumpy cow. We caved and abandoned the idea of rough camping and headed to a campsite. Campsite number one, shite, campsite number two looked braw so we decided to stay there."
"We started a fire and sat under the brollys cooking more meet on the BBQ. Because of he combination of Stella and campsite surroundings the bitchy cow that was hanging around died and the night ended on a good note. Also Skye is so pretty and it should also be noted that although Jean was more grumpy, Billy showed some signs of grumpyness"

Getting the ferry from mallaig to skye is a must, it was amazing Also there's loads of nice cafe's and stuff in Mallaig to kill time before your ferry. The campsite we stayed at, I cant remember the name of but it was 5 miles outside of Portree and easy to find. Do not attempt to rough camp in Skye, the grounds are mushy, there's millions of midges and way harder than anticipated.
http://www.road-to-the-isles.org.uk/mallaig.php
I cant be sure but I think this is the campsite we stayed at.
http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/gallery.php?n=515

Scotland Road Trip 11.8.13

"Today the weather was very Scottish and as a result Ben Nevis was dingied. The Gnome was left at the tent side and Billy and I headed to town. We realized that we are touring Scotland and we (mostly me) were somewhat unprepared for the rain. I did not have suitable footwear and was known in the hill walking world as a 'tracky wearing fanny.' So we left Mountain Warehouse stocked up and ready to take in the weather, in the next place, not here. Instead of climbing Ben Nevis we went to the Nevis range high wire challenge. initially it appeared it was a place for children as we were the only adults that were not parents. However when we started it was in fact for grown ups and brave children. We did two high wire courses with no falls or awkward frady cat moments."
"After banter at a height we went to Tesco  and bought meat for a BBQ. After much manlyness from Billy the fire was lit and meat began to cook. Everything tasted amazing although Billy has a mild salmonella scare, He's was ok. Due to the epic spot under a tree, 2 massive brolly's and a warm fire we stayed outside in the on/off rain drinking Stella till 9:30pm, ending the night with a cup of tea."

I cannot reiterate how important the above ground fire was. No one else was able to sit outside because of the weather. an essential Scottish
camping bit of equipment.
Banter at height

Scotland Road Trip 10.8.13-17.8.13

Our 'sunny' holiday isn't till November so for a summer get away we decided to go for a wee road trip round oor wee country.

10.8.13
"After a restless nights sleep we awoke at 9:30 am to a full fry up. We left my ma n pa's hoose with all the camping gear and headed to Perth. Perth is all of 20 minutes away from my ma n paw's hoose but there was a few last minute items we needed at the camping shop. There was much last minute faffing about in shire of Perth including a long walk around Asda, an expencive trip to the camping shop, halfords and McDonalds for milkshakes and camping essentals. "
"we got to Fort William at 2:45pm. Our road trip we saw the place where Billy first walked a dog, a man running with a fridge on his back and bonnie scotland. We put up the tent-Nae bother because of my amazing skills. We then went to a gondela up the Nevis range. While on the Gondola we discussed whether you would die if the gondela fell off. It was felt that serious injury would be sustained but life would be ok, A previous accident on the Ben Nevis confirmed out thoughts. We googled it, no death"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5177392.stm
"After this we returned to the tent for beer and soup. We sat outside as long as Scotland allows making fun of the loud English man and the couple in the tiny tent. Billy gave me a gnome, the gnome will accompany us on our road trip"

Brilliant camp site http://www.glen-nevis.co.uk/campsite
You camp right next to Ben Nevis, views are stunning and the toilets are good by campsite standards. Advice for camping is to bring an above ground camp fire for warmth and fending off midges. This allowed us to stay out doors much longer than other campers.