Monkeying Around the World

Traveling through Europe

Ivan and I are traveling through Europe with Lil Dave. Check out our adventures on the blog Ivan and Jen do Europe here!

May 25th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (7)

One Hundreds Days of Travelling with Ivan and Jennifer

Here’s a video we made on our trip. It has us holding up a word every day for a hundred days. Watch the video to see what we say. Enjoy!

April 26th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ivan, Lil Dave and Big Dave and I just took a road trip across the USA. Read about our road trip here! We visited many places like the Grand Canyon, San Antonio, St. Louis, Arches National Park and New Orleans.

April 25th, 2010 | Category: Blog | Comments (1)

Souvenirs from Around the World

Souvenirs from Around the World, originally uploaded by Stimpdawg.

I got this idea from Andy’s My REAL Wall except I used souvenirs instead of postcards. I took some of my souvenirs that I bought or saved during our trip around the world.. and placed them on my whiteboard/corkboard. Click the photo or here to view the Flickr page with notes for each souvenir.

December 15th, 2009 | Category: Souvenir, art | Comments (9)

Headed Home

Ivan, Jennifer and I woke up very early on November 3, 2009. Jennifer couldn’t sleep last night. She kept hearing the songs from Priscilla Queen of the Desert in her head. I guess she was also thinking about flying back home. I know she’s sad to be going back to Las Vegas. Ivan and I will remain in England. In a few days time, we’ll be headed to Africa for a 54 day organized tour of Africa. Read about our Africa trip on Ivan’s blog.

Jennifer boarded her plane to Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It tooks 10 hours to arrive. Jennifer had to move her luggage for the next flight. Good thing it was all in the same room! She had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta. Most of that time was going through customs. She got on a plane headed to Vegas which took 3 1/2 hours.

So, that’s the end of our trip. Thanks for reading about our adventures!

December 7th, 2009 | Category: England, London | Comments (2)

Comedy, Fondue and Bright Costumes

Ivan, Jennifer and I met up with Neal at La Tasca on November 1, 2009. It was a great meal as usual.

We got a train into the city. We went to watch the show Change. It features an Italian man named Arturo Brachetti. He quick changes into different outfits. It’s really amazing to see! He’s pretty fast at it! The stage had a big box and it turned and opened into a different rooms. It’s a fun show.

We stopped by The Comedy Store to pick up tickets and reserve our seats for the show. We walked to Busabi Thai for dinner. There was a short line. I had the banana curry. Ivan got the Geng Gari Gari while Jennifer got the green chicken curry. The food comes out fast and is always amazing!

We walked back to see The Comedy Store Players at The Comedy Store. Ivan loves contributing to the show providing things like when the players ask for a job or a type of theatre show. The show is always really fun and keeps you cracking up.

Ivan, Jennifer and I chilled in the room on November 2, 2009. Ivan wanted to take us to Loughton where he grew up. But, we didn’t get a chance to. I’m sure we will see it next time!

We walked to the Gourmet Pizza Company.

Jennifer got a chicken and vegetable one and I got a banana one. I can’t recall what Ivan had. The pizza was very tasty here.

We walked back to the hotel and relaxed more.

We took a train into London. We went to St. Mortiz for dinner.

Ivan ordered us fondue with bananas, potatoes and bread. We dipped the food into the tasty cheese. It was really yummy! Ivan and Jen were so stuffed afterwards.

Next, we went to see the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. This musical has lots of great songs like I’ve Never Been to Me, Pop Musik, Always on My Mind and I Love the Nightlife. Jason Donovan plays Tick/Mitzi. His performance isn’t anything special though. Jennifer really thought Oliver Thornton was fantastic in his role as Adam/Felicia. The costumes are so bright and colorful. Wow, this is a fun musical! I recommend it if you want to have a fun time watching a good story and hearing some great tunes.

December 7th, 2009 | Category: England, London | Comments (1)

Spooky London

I said goodbye to my dad on October 30, 2009. Ivan and Jen said goodbye to Ivan’s parents. We got on a train in the afternoon to London.

We checked in to the Marriot West India Quay. It’s a great hotel in the Docklands. We got a nice room overlooking the docks.

We took a train into the city. We met up with Ivan’s brother Neal for drinks.

We walked to Satsuma for dinner. I had some banana sushi rolls and yaki soba with bananas. Ivan and Jen shared some spicy tuna rolls and marinated tofu steak. Ivan got the yaki soba with chicken.

Jennifer got the yaki soba with Japanese fish cakes and prawns.

Afterwards, we walked to the Avenue Q theatre. We saw Avenue Q. It’s a really funny show with puppets!

Ivan and Jennifer went to see Saw VI on October 31, 2009. They thought it was good movie I stayed in the room to work on the blog, jump on the bed and watch monkeys on the tv.

We took the train into the city. We were going on the Blood and Tears Tour. It was a special one for Halloween. A lot of people in the group were dressed up. We walked through the streets of London. Our guide told us about murders and spooky things that have happened in London. We did hear about Jack the Ripper as well. Our guide is writing a book about who he thinks was the real Jack the Ripper. It seems everybody has a theory! It was a good tour. The guide walks really fast though.

We got a taxi to Kenza. It’s a restaurant serving Lebanese and Moroccan cuisine.

Ivan and Jen shared the hummus, a pastry with chicken, falafel with prawns, a salmon dish and a chicken kebab. I had a good chicken and banana kebab. The food was pretty good!

December 5th, 2009 | Tags: tour | Category: England, London | Leave a comment

Back to England

Ivan, Jennifer and I took a bus headed to London on October 28, 2009. We took a ferry for an hour and a half. It was 6:30 pm when we arrived in London.

We went to dinner at Chowki. Dave had a banana curry. Ivan had a fish curry while Jennifer got a chicken madras curry.

Ivan thought it tasted better the last time we came.

We went to see the movie Couples Retreat. The movie was only okay. Ivan and Jen thought it would have been a lot funnier.

It was time to head to Southend. We hopped on a train to Ivan’s parents house. It was great to see my dad again! We were all so tired and we went to bed shortly after.

I worked on the blog on October 29, 2009. Ivan and Jennifer chilled and used the internet.

We went to dinner with my dad and Ivan’s parents. It was good, but not as tasty as last time.

December 3rd, 2009 | Category: England, London | Comments (1)

Sightseeing and Food

Ivan, Jennifer and I went to Notre Dame on October 26, 2009.

It’s very impressive inside.

The stained glass windows are very pretty.

We took a walk on Ille St. Louis Island. There are lots of quaint shops on the island. We stopped by a place that has famous ice cream. I had a nice banana while Ivan and Jen each had chocolate. It was a small portion on a cone. Ivan and Jen thought the chocolate was really intense and thick. We went back for more. I got banana again. Ivan and Jennifer each tried the strawberry sorbet. They loved the strawberry as well.

It was time to walk around the city more. We went over bridges and down by the Seine River. We stopped off for a crepe with some cider.

We went to the Eiffel Tower but the lines were way too long. So, we decided we’d come back the next day.

We took a boat tour down the Seine River. It was cool to see all the buildings lit up at night.

Ivan and Jen had some wine during the boat ride. They got a bit tipsy.

Ivan took some pictures, but most of the pictures didn’t turn out so good.

After the tour, we walked along a street filled with restaurants. Ivan and Jen chose a Greek and French restaurant called Acropolis. Ivan and Jen decided to get the set menu. They started off with onion soup and a salad with goats cheese on bread. They shared the two main courses of chicken and salmon.

I got a nice mousaka with bananas. The food was definitely better than last night. Ivan and Jen shared the creme brulee and a chocolate tart for dessert. The restaurant was really fun because the waiter was really talkative and excited.

We headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Ivan, Jennifer and I went out to get lunch at Sensing Guy Martin on October 27, 2009. It’s a very posh restaurant that Ivan booked on Toptable for a 50% discount. It’s pretty fancy inside. Jennifer felt a little underdressed. I told her that now she knows how it feels to go around all the time totally naked like I do.

Ivan and Jen started off with a crab dish that looked like it took ages to prepare.

It was an actual crab shell but it had crab meat inside and foam. It was completely bland.

Ivan and Jen shared the two main courses of cod and a sea bass dish.

The cod was even worse than the crab dish. It just had no flavor at all. The presentation was nice with a jellied octopus on top. The sea bass was slightly tastier but not anything special – especially with the prices the restaurant was charging. I had a really plain banana risotto.

Ivan and Jen shared a chocolate tartin. It was absolutely divine! They wished that they ordered two.

After lunch, we walked through the park.

We saw some old men play bowls. A drunk French guy refused to leave the bowling area. The other guys were mad that he was eating on the playing area. The drunk guy threw his false teeth on the ground. The police were called and they escorted him out of the park. How funny!

We walked out of the park and went to Pierre Patiserie.

It’s a really posh bakery place. They’re known for their tasty macaroons. Ivan bought 6 macaroons for a snack. Ivan and Jennifer liked the passion fruit and chocolate ones. I was sad that they didn’t have banana macaroons.

We walked around the city more. It was nice walking down along the Seine River. We chilled by the river.

It was time to visit the Eiffel Tower.

We got in the wrong line. The other line was longer, so it was alright. But, Ivan and Jen had to walk up to the second level. It was a long walk! Jennifer didn’t like it. I’m so lucky I can ride on Ivan or Jen’s backs while they do all the hard work! We got an elevator to the top.

The views were amazing! It was cold at the top with the wind blowing hard. Jennifer almost lost her beret since it was so windy.

We went to the restaurant Dans Le Jardin. We were very late for our reservation. The waiter wasn’t very happy, but he dealt with it. We didn’t think the Eiffel Tower would take so long! Ivan and Jen got the set menu.

For a starter, Ivan and Jen got the gazpacho which tasted average. The next dish was a tasty goats cheese everrine with figs and salmon. I had a great banana encrusted chicken dish.

Ivan and Jen shared the crusty salmon pie with tarragon and wheat risotto and trout medallions with tomato. They really liked their main courses! We were so glad to finally have an awesome French meal in Paris. Dessert was a selection of cheeses which were scrumptious. Jennifer didn’t like one of the smelly ones though. I had a banana cake and it was tasty. Ivan and Jen also shared the white chocolate and red fruit charlotte. What a tasty meal!

We headed back to the hotel satisfied.

December 3rd, 2009 | Category: France, Paris | Leave a comment

Paris

Ivan, Jennifer and I checked out of Park Plaza Vondelpark on October 24, 2009. We took a tram to the train station.

We got a train into Paris. It was evening when we arrived in Paris. We hopped on the metro to the hotel. It’s nice that the Metro is across the street from our hotel.

We checked in to Citadines Place D’Italie. The room was average, but it was handy having a kitchen. We were all tired. Ivan bought food at the local Carrefour. He got Cambert cheese but it was smelly and tasted bad – so he threw it away.

Ivan cooked some ravioli. The ravioli wasn’t very good though. We watched tv on the laptop and then went to sleep.

Ivan, Jennifer and I had breakfast in the room on October 25, 2009. We got the metro to the meeting place for the bike tour. We were going on a tour with Bike About Tours.

We took off on our bikes.

We stopped at many places like Jim Morrisson’s house, The Bastille, The Louvre and Notre Dame. The tour took us to the backstreets of Paris and not all the main sites.

Since it was Sunday, it was really quiet on the streets. We stopped in the Latin Quarter for a break. There’s a street that has lots of cafes and shops. We stopped by a bakery. Ivan and Jennifer shared a chocolate croissant and a delicious creme brulee.

I had a croissant and put bananas inside it.

It was time to move on. We stopped at other sites like Museé D’orsay, The Pompideau Centre and Tuileries Gardens.

We did see the Eiffel Tower in the distance as well. The tour was good. It’s always great to see the city when you’re on a bike or a vehicle.

Our guide gave us a sheet with tons of recommendations of places to go. He also recommended a restaurant for us. We walked to the restaurant. The waitress pretended she didn’t speak any English. I think she was just being snobby.

We ended up grabbing some crepes to eat. Ivan and I shared a nice banana and nutella crepe. Jennifer had a great cheese crepe.

Next, we walked to the Pompadeau Centre. We saw street entertainment. Ivan and Jen really wanted to see a mime – but there weren’t any in the area.

Our next stop was The Louvre. There’s lots of artwork but also relics and sculptures.

We saw the Mona Lisa. It’s behind glass.

We also saw the Venus de Milo.

We walked around to check out the art. We had to leave since it was closing time.

We took a nice walk along the Seine River. It was time for dinner. We walked to a restaurant Ivan wanted to visit. It was closed though. We were really starving at this point. So, we chose a nearby cafe. I don’t recall the name. Sorry about not putting the names of places. Jennifer writes it down in a little notebook. Unfortunately, she lost her notebook in Amsterdam. The meal turned out horrible. Ivan had an onion soup which tasted like a store bought packet. I had a banana pasta which had no flavor. Ivan and Jen had a salad which was alright.