Hey Carol! (and Chris, sorry we havent been fomally introduced but I have seen the pictures!!)

I have just spent a happy hour watching your travels and have a cheshire-cat grin from seeing all the wonderful experiences you are both having! What was it you said about the difference between being alive and really living Carol? Got it in spades mate!

To say I am envious is true, to say that I am thrilled for you and inspired by your adventure is a wee understatement! I am in my final 2 weeks of employment with the group and looking forward to some adventures of a more moderate kind with 2 weeks in Italy then setting up a freelance OD business in between doing a course in advanced OD/HRM at columbia university in New York in Nov.

I will be watching your progress with interest Carol and a vicarious excitement of one who knows (I think) just how much you will be gaining from this trip.
Much love
Ali

Sorry, cut myself off there. Was going to tell you that they are now offering odds on Man Utd being relegated!Kit starts school proper on Tuesday and is very excited about it. Ali's decided she does want to work in the legal profession and both her and Rachael are trying to pass their driving tests. Mum's coming up next weekend and we are taking her to Doncaster for the St Leger. Should be fun.

Hi. We got back from France this week. Quite a few mossy bites, but nothing to compare with yours. The clicker thing works well but perhaps not so on Amazonian mossie bites. Having what appears to be an Indian summer after a fairly wet and windy France.

Hi Carol and Chris! I'm so glad I got to meet you at the language school in Pampatar. Things sailed along smoothly after you left, and the creperia is still a popular meeting place for the students. We've been back to the Latin Bar several times, and the music was great! I've had more opportunity to dance with the local Margaritena girls. They took it as a personal challenge to help the gringo learn to move his hips. It turns out tha the best way to learn is through close personal contact. This white boy got rhythm, now. :)

My spanish got slowly better, and I was able to pass an exam in which I had to speak and converse in spanish for 10 minutes on a chosen topic. What made me happier, though, was when I was able to make a phone call back to the house and ask them to find a phone number I'd left in my room. Over the phone I couldn't cheat by pointing and gesturing, and there were no problems at all! Yeah!

I'm back home now in the land of the pale, and I very much miss the chicas from the beach. For some reason, everyone wears way too many clothes here. However, there is much to be said for living some place I don't sweat non-stop. I found out that the Margarita was having a heat wave the whole time we were there, and it was hotter than it had been in at least five or six years. What great timing we all had!

It was exciting to meet you at the start of your world tour. I wish you the best time. Thanks for sending your contact information so I can follow your exploits. I hope you can get you camera sorted out, I look forward to seeing the rest of the pictures from Margarita. Did you learn enough spanish at the school to help you get along in your travels?

Hi Carol & Chris,
I am amazed (as I see many are) about how you can use technology to keep us in contact with you & vice versa - do you have a Blackberry? You cant be relying on Internet Cafe's in the jungle!!!!
The pictures are just lovely - what an experiece... I've been musing - wondering how this may change you & your relationship.... what a fabulous adventure to reflect on over the years!

I will tell you more about my job another time but suffice it to say I'm thoroughly enjoying it & they are enjoying me & it seems to be a virtuous circle at the moment - long may it last!!!
(The company is Unite who you wont have heard of - they develop & manage student accommodation - they even manufacture bedroom modules, for assembling into buildings - fascinating)

I went to a Black Tie Ball in Huntingdon last night with a couple of girl friends - a drunken dancer stamped on my foot with her stiletto - agony!!

I am off sailing tomorrow then in Bristol & Swindon Wed - Fri & a course all weekend... no peace for the wicked! Fortunately my week in Lefkas (Greek Island between Corfu & Kephalonia) is only a couple of weeks away.... 1 week in Greece as compared with your adventure.... comical!

Love to you from me
J x

hi guys. absolutely wonderful to read your messages and see your photos. the wow factor does not do it justice. everything looks fabulous and so do you two. has chris put weight on? carol looks as if some has come off. sorry chris! either way you both look great. what a year this is going to be. marion has printed off web pages for vera and sammy. vera phoned me last night and sounded as excited as a schoolgirl, actually reading everything to me! could not get over the technology and you being able to let us know what you are doing and where you are doing it. cheered her up no end. coming here really cheers us up too. we bounce out of this cafe all smiles and laughter. sorry we missed your phone call, dad was golfing and I was shopping. looks like Utd. has stolen Mr Rooney. boo hoo from bill but suppose chris will be pleased. all ok here. bought another new suite yesterday plus a dining room suite. floor been laid and looks great. had sky+ installed. I have got no chance now. just waiting for the new tv etc to come now. it will be hard to get any work done after that is all installed I bet. today if i can bring him back down to earth, dad is putting all the new wood on the stairs. thats about it for now. catch you again soon. lots and lots of love from us to you, take care of each other and keep on enjoying yourselves. xxxxxx

Hi to you both - you seem to be having a wonderful time and both look VERY well. We enjoyed your leaving bash very much - are you having a welcome home one? Joanne is enjoying Nottingham - having a great time I think. Beaconsfield doesn't change and the weather is c**p but he ho you're enjoying yourselves.

Love from all the Smalleys

Halalujah!! At last we have overcome the problems downloading the photos. Much technical intervention required but got there in the end. Lots of new photos from Venezuela and Angel Falls. We are enjoying all the messages so please keep them coming. Even if we are not able to get back to everyone individually we do enjoy having new messages.

Re: Angel Falls, tremendous pressure, head in the clouds....hadn't realised you'd come back to work!! It certainly sounds like you're both having a fantastic time, not so sure about the termite diet though - although Chris I'm sure is already working on selling the Antkings Diet to Europe upon his return, Starbugs!! (Pat. Pending)
Ps. Your successor providing a stable hand at the helm, Operations (as usual) maintain a close guard on the lifeboats. COL & Ladies first.
:^)

Hi Glad your having a good time all your pictures look lovely. Hope the rest of your trip is just as amazin hope to catch up soon alison and kerry xxxxxxxxxx

Great to visit your website. I have posted pictures on notice board so keep them coming.
all the best Allan , Pauline and all at BSC.

hi guys, the trip so far looks breathtaking, particularly the falls...which leads neatly into the fact that that's exactly what the UK's been like ...waterfalls everywhere!! you probably saw the news about cornwall & scotland & horrendous landslides & flooding...you picked the right summer to bog off & get a tan!! take care, eileen x