kiwigal_1's VirtualTourist Home Page

WELCOME - BIENVENIDOS - YOUKOSO - BIENVENUTTO - WILLKOMMEN

Hi all! Thanks for dropping by! Here is a little bit of info about me :)

I am currently living in Santiago, Chile. My work moved me to Santiago, for 6 months initially from June 2006 however... I did such a good job that I have now been given a permanent contract and Chile is my new home.

NEWS -
On 4th February at 11:30pm our first baby, Nicolás John Montoya Berry was born in Santiago, Chile. He weighed 3385 grams and was 48 cms long. He is our little "CHIWI" (Chilean-Kiwi).

2008 took me back to New Zealand where I am from. My hometown is Auckland where I grew up and where my parents and two of my three brothers still call home. I have also had the good fortune to travel to Brazil where became acquainted with Sao Paulo and Ribeirao Preto. Together Christian and I took two honeymoons, one to Rio de Janeiro and another one to Easter Island.
Other than that I travelled to various places in Chile (see links further down to pages I have built).

In the Christmas / New Year period of 2006/07 I went travelling through Peru and Bolivia. The first place we visited in Peru was the "white city" of Arequipa which was amazing. We did a two day expedition into Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world! Our next stop was Cuzco to acclimatize before our Machu Picchu trek. I was so excited leading up to this trip as I have dreamed about the Inca Trail as long as I can remember. It certainly met my expectations and then some!

Before that I was living in the beautiful country of Japan for 4 years. If you take a look at my Japan pages you will notice a fair bit of information on various places around the country. I am most familiar with Nagano and Fukuoka Prefectures (specifically the city of Kitakyushu).

During my time living in Japan I was fortunate to visit many countries in Asia including Seoul in Korea and Mongolia which was the was the experience of a lifetime. I stayed with a Mongolian family in Ulaan Baatar. I travelled to the countryside with them also. I experienced real Mongolian life for a month and loved it!!

Probably the trip that really shaped the person I have become was my time living in Honduras in the small coastal town of Tela, Atlantida. Forever the people of Honduras will be in my heart and soul and I will never forget the way they took me in and shared so much of themselves with me.

If you have any questions about any of the places I have been then please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

No puedo creer que es verdad
que tanta felicidad
haya llegado hasta mi
y simplemente aprendí
que el cielo siento alcanzar
pensando que voy a amar
por eso no puedo así
quitar mis ojos de ti.
Tu tienes que perdonar
mi insolencia al mirar
toda mi culpa lo es
me he encantado esta vez
difícil seré insistir
sin ti no quiero vivir
por eso no puedo así
quitar mis ojos de ti.
Me gustas mucho y bien compréndelo
me gustas mucho con toda intensidad
te necesito, te digo la verdad.
Me gustas mucho y pido sin cesar
que no me dejes, ya que te encontré

Te amo Christian y estoy tan feliz a tu lado. Espero que tenemos una vida larga y llena de felicidad, juntitos siempre. Besos, Rhianon

Christian proposed to me on 18th July 2007 and I said yes, we got engaged and then married on 5th January 2008 in Curacavi, Chile.

See my album for more pics of my special day.

Chile has been home for me since June 2006 and has been a fantastic host. I am currently living in Santiago.

I have had the fortune to see large sections of the country including the amazing deserts of the north around San Pedro de Atacama down as far as Puerto Montt in the Lakes District. The wine flows generously and the Andes provide a stunning backdrop under which to partake of it!

One of the places I travel to frequently is Osorno in the Lakes District of Southern Chile and to the coast about 1 1/2 hours from Santiago, to Vina del Mar and ConCon.

One of my favourite places in Chile is the Valle del Elqui which has the towns of Pisco Elqui and Vicuña which can be reached from La Serena. The Elqui Valley is a fertile valley with wineries and pisco distilleries. Another wine area of Chile that is great to visit is Santa Cruz.

Popular places in Chile for foreign tourists that I have travelled to include Easter Island which is 4 hours flight from Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama

Japan is such an interesting country! It was my home for four years between 1998 and 2002. I haven't covered it all yet but I have seen a fair bit so let me know if I can help!

See my Japan pages for more information! KIWIGAL IN JAPAN

NAGANO
Nagano is the city I lived in for a year and a half from 2000 - mid 2002. It is a beautiful location in the heart of the Japanese Alps.

Please see my NAGANO page for more details!

KITAKYUSHU
This was the first city I lived in in Japan. I was here for 2 years from 1998-2000.

See my KITAKYUSHU page for more information!

TOKYO

To find out what to do in this city and some good accommodation ideas check out my TOKYO page!

My travels in Asia have been an absolute delight! Although I have built interesting and informative pages on all the places I have been in Asia, I decided to write a small story about my more personal experiences in each place. For a trip down memory lane please visit my ASIA page!

One of the most interesting trips I made in Asia was to Mongolia which is where this picture was taken.

Russia and especially Moscow was such an awesome place to go to! I have included a small commentary on my experiences on the Trans Siberian Railway on this page.

For more details please see my MOSCOW page!

When I stayed in Russia I spent most of my time in SAMARA. Check out that page to find out about life in small-town Russia for a foreigner.

Honduras is a very special place for me. I was here on two occasions and this was my first major overseas trip as an 18 year old. I have left a piece of my heart here forever. I lived in the small coastal town of Tela, Atlantida and later on in the town of La Lima, Cortes. I have travelled all over the country including the infamous Bay Islands and Copan Ruins.

For more information please look at my HONDURAS page!