My Big Wide World

Rio...dispelling the myth

2008-04-23T00:12:00.008+01:00

We arrived in Rio on Sunday morning after our last long bus journey (only a 6 hour one left and then we're done with buses!) which was even longer than expected due to a huge tailback and a 'technical difficulty' with the door which occured in the middle of the night. Having had two recomendations to stay at The Mango Tree hostel in Ipanema (just one block from the beach), we were really looking forward to our stay there. Unfortunately we have been really disappointed with the hostel. Our minature room is damp and smells it! The humidity has been stifling and with no AC, a pretty inefficient fan and unable to open our windows due to the fear of the dreaded Dengue mosquito, we've been suffering a little.

Rio itself is a really interesting city. We're staying in the more 'upmarket' Ipanema beach area and have done a fair bit of exploring both here and along the infamous Copacabana beach. Both beaches have their fair share of 'Brazilian bikini' clad women and speedo adorned men who strut and preen themselves only too aware of the passing audience and enjoying every minute of it. At the weekend and on public holidays (of which there seem to be many - would you believe that St. George's Day is a public holiday here!) the beachside road is closed and the lycra clad, body-concious residents of the city match their running shoes with their swim wear and pound the streets in the middle-of-the-day heat.

Today we joined a tour of the 'Favellas' of Rio de Janeiro. Steeped in mystery these 'shanty town' like neighbourhoods are beyond the law and governed by the all powerful drug barons and thier large gangs. Assured that as a result these tend to be some of the safer regions within the city (virtually no muggings or robberies take place here as the presence of the police is so unwanted) we walked the alley ways, met local artists and visited a community school. It was a fascinating insight into life in the infamous favellas. Our guide, Alfredo was warmly greeted by name on every street corner and our presence seemed truly welcomed. The local government of Rio doesn't like tourists to visit districts like these as it doesn't portray the kind of image that they want outsiders to have of the city. The residents of the favellas and the company which organised the tour feel differently though. They encourage these kinds of tours which demonstrate real life and dispell the myths surrounding the lives of the people living there. Tourists inevitably bring money which is sorely needed by the poorest neighbourhoods of this city (where the minimum wage is bearly $300 a month). The community school that we visited today is supported by the tour company for 75% of its funding and local artists are able to sell thier work directly to the tourists, cutting out the middle men and thus support their families. Having watched the movie 'City of God' we were expecting the favellas to be a much more frightening places than those we visited today. Although I'm sure that for the police and those who get on the wrong side of the ruling gangs, these districts are dangerous and life can be short, many thousands of happy and peaceful Brazilians life thier day to day lives here without trouble. Therefore for us I guess the tour had the desired effect...the myth was dispelled.

We have now entered our final week in South Ameica and tomorrow we head north to a beach resort called Buzios. The weather report is promising sunshine and the hostel looks lovely (fingers crossed it will prove to be). Maybe I will finally get to the beach and will come home with my Brazilian tan.

Here's hoping!

Pro tennis and rain at the beach in Brazil

2008-04-16T21:20:00.007+01:00

With the final (and easiest) border crossing by land under our belts, we have made it into Brazil - the final country in our South American odyssey. Our crossing from Puerto Iguazu in Argentina to Foz de Iguaçu in Brazil, just 30 minutes away by car, was uneventful compared with our previous day's journey to the falls and we had made it to the door of our hostel by lunchtime. Unfortunately the weather had really changed overnight and by the time we arrived, the rain was coming down by the bucket load and we were pretty much confined to the hostel for the afternoon. Hostel Bambu was not a bad place to be confined however. On arrival they invited us to join them for a communal lunch which was delicious and the staff couldn't have been more friendly or helpful for the duration of our stay.

The following evening we caught an overnight bus to Florianopolis which is the main city on the island of Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil. As we emerged from the station, bleary eyed from lack of sleep and keen to get to our lovely hostel we were greeted for the first time on our journey with a sign bearing our name. I don't know how many times we've exited a bus station or airport and made our weary way past the tens of signs bearing the names of those lucky people who've arranged transfers to their accommodation and wished that we were one of them! This time we were and it felt great.

Our host drove us the half an hour or so to our guest house (Pousada do Atoba) at the beach of Praia do Santinho and it was lovely to sit back in a car and not have to think about which bus to get etc. We arrived at the lovely guest house which is only a couple of minutes walk to the beach and were offered breakfast and able to check into our room straight away. This place is lovely. The hosts are helpful and friendly, the beach is beautiful and almost deserted and best of all we arrived to find out that there is a pro tennis tournament on all week in the resort down the road. We have spent our first couple of days enjoying the tennis (including a televised match between Gustavo Kuerten, who won the French Open a few years ago, and a Colombian player last night), running on the beach (trying to get back into shape) and generally relaxing. Unfortunately we woke to torrential rain this morning which hasn't relented all day. We've spent today making the most of our laptop by watching DVDs, catching up on what's happening in the world and hoping that the sun shines tomorrow.

After more than four months improving our Spanish to the point where we were more than just getting by, our short time in Brazil so far has already proved to be linguistically challenging. We are assured that Spanish and Portuguese have many similarities but our unaccustomed ears can't pick them out. We had forgotten what it feels like to arrive in a place so ill-equipped that we can't even greet our hosts or thank them in their own language. This final country will certainly prove a challenge but I feel that our short time here may just wet our appetite to return and see it at greater leisure.

We have been particularly moved by two stories in the news recently: the first being the horrific bus crash in Ecuador which killed several young British women and the second being the death of a British woman at Iguazu Falls in Argentina on the very day that we visited. These stories are particularly close to home and our hearts go out to the families and friends effected while we reflect on our wonderful journey and appreciate how fragile life is.

Una aventura en Iguazu

2008-04-11T21:06:00.009+01:00

Waterfalls, butterflies, a road block and the Argentinian army...

We arrived from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu by plane yesterday afternoon and checked into our hostel (where we have a private ensuite double with air conditioning for $22 US a night!). After exploring the town yesterday afternoon (it didn't take long) we were looking forward to a day at Iguazu Falls today. We got up early as we'd been warned about a demonstration that is taking place here which has been partially blocking the main road to the falls and airport. We boarded a bus at the airport and began making our way out of town slowing to a complete stop as we approached the blockade (if my Spanish is correct, the demonstration is about schooling and social welfare etc) where we waited (thankful of the air conditioning on the bus) for about 15 minutes. Eventually our driver got out to investigate further only to return and tell us that if we wanted to continue to the falls we'd have to cross the blockade on foot and try to get transport on the other side.

We are only here for one day so it was now or never for us to see the waterfalls. We've heard so many great things about them that we weren't about to let a little demonstration get in our way! We managed to cross the blockade as there weren't too many protesters and all the passengers crossed at the same time which left them a bit short handed (it didn't go without notice though and we weren't very popular). And...without a clue about how far it was to the entrance of the national park, we began to walk! We were walking with a couple of girls we'd met on the bus and were offered rides by a couple of taxis who were quoting extortionate fares (attempting to capitalise on our predicament I'm sure) we which laughed at and continued walking...and walking, and walking!

Eventually we decided that the park might be further than any of us had previously thought and attempted to flag down any of the few cars that passed. Thinking it a bit of a joke we stuck out our thumbs and waved our arms as an Argentinian Army truck passed us. To our shock and delight, the truck slowed to a stop on the other side of the road and the men dressed in fatigues gestured for us to climb in (no easy feat as the Unimog truck is a long way from the ground!). The very kind military men proceeded to drive us about 10km along the road at which point they had to turn off in another direction - a short but interesting ride nestled amongst the artillery and food supplies stocked in their truck. The road sign at this point suggested that we still had a further 7km to the park entrance and the temperature was rising steadily (to 32 degrees with very high humidity as we're in rain forest territory). We began to walk but were confident from our first hitching experience and decided to try our luck again. Having been passed by several cars (not able to get through the blockade much of the traffic had u-turned) we were beginning to worry about how long it might take us to walk the full 7km when a man pulled over at the side of the road. He offered us a lift (we clearly looked like four hot, tired and very nonthreatening tourists) in his air-conditioned car right to the entrance of the park and wouldn't accept a penny in payment (it's so nice and unusual to have an experience like that - if only there were more people like him in the world).

Feeling pretty proud of ourselves for making it all the way to the falls without paying a penny extra, we said goodbye to our travelling companions and began our visit to the falls. This is one of those occasions when the hype really doesn't spoil the reality - Iguazu Falls is breathtakingly beautiful and jaw droppingly huge! We made our way around the various trails on offer but weren't able to do the boat rides (would you believe, the boat company staff were on strike!) which was a shame as I just wanted to get closer and closer to the water and spray. The park is also famous for a host of wildlife including an enormous variety of butterflies. It's safe to say that I've never seen anything quite like the butterflies here - there are so many...large, tiny, beautifully coloured. They swarm around you in certain areas and land on your hands, bags and even heads!

Knowing that our journey back to town might be an eventful one, we left the park in the early afternoon in search of transport. There were buses leaving the park and going as far as the back end of the traffic jam at the blockade, so we jumped on the first one and made our way there. It was about 1.5 kilometre walk uphill (in the searing mid afternoon heat) from where the bus dropped us to the blockade itself but this time there were many more people and absolutely no way through. Simon tried but was told and shown that there was no way he was going to be allowed to pass! We had to wait until they decided to let pedestrians through (and some had waited for 6 hours on the road). Thankfully our wait was only about 45 minutes at which time they raised the barriers enough to let us through (if we moved fast) to the other side where we found a bus to bring us back to town.

All in all a good (and very eventful) day out. Tomorrow we head across the border to Brazil where we will spend a day and a half exploring the Brazilian side of Iguazu falls and then on to the beach.

Happy Birthday Mum

2008-04-11T00:44:00.003+01:00

We hope you have a wonderful birthday mum. We'll be thinking of you and we're looking forward to celebrating with you when we get home (soon).

xxx

Football and Tango in Beautiful Buenos Aires

2008-04-10T22:42:00.008+01:00

Since the very beginning of this trip (4 months ago now) I've been really looking forward to our stay in Buenos Aires. Everyone who's been here seems to return in love with this city and I couldn't wait to get here to find out what they were raving about. I must admit, I've come away also in love! Described in books as the 'Amercian Paris', Buenos Aires is a wonderful melting pot of cosmopolitan city life and eclectic, bohemian neighbourhoods begging to be explored. We arrived after an overnight bus trip (this time on a completely flat bed) from Mendoza and checked into our hostel in the bohemian 'antique quarter' of the city called San Telmo. It was a Saturday morning and the coffee shops and antiques stores were beginning to open as we made our way towards the main square in the area where we sat and drank coffee amongst the throng of local stall traders setting up for the day. The San Telmo area is famous for it's Sunday antiques market and numerous antiques stores lining the streets. Throughout the day it filled with serious antiques buyers and many tourists browsing the bric a brac stalls and crafts. I indulged my shopping fetish by purchasing some hand designed and made clothes which will be perfect as we continue our travels in hotter climes (no longer any need for the thermals and gortex!).

The next five days in the capital went by really quickly as we packed in as much sight seeing and exploring as we could manage. On our first evening we signed ourselves up for a local football match between the well known Boca Juniors and another BA team. This was the first football match I've ever been to and although I won't be giving up my rugby season ticket in favour of the round ball, I did enjoy it. The Boca fans are notorious in their volume and abuse of the opposition - they didn't disappoint (I wouldn't have wanted to play for the opposition) as things were thrown on to the pitch and general abuse was hurled at the players! I was very glad to have picked up a Boca shirt on the way to the stadium and we all joined in heartily with the singing (not sure what we were actually saying), whistling and clapping - there was no mistaking our allegiance.

On another of the nights we went to a Tango dinner show. Very touristy I know but we couldn't resist. The tango dancing on the streets is wonderful but the dancing and singing at the show was just amazing. As devout Strictly Come Dancing fans, we were both keen to see a Flavia/Vincent style Argentine tango in all its glory and the show lived up to our high expectations with plenty of leg flicking and drama. Walking around the streets in Buenos Aires it is hard not to be drawn in by the artists, dancers and musicians who jostle for space (both physical space and silence) to demonstrate their particular art. On Sunday in San Telmo we came across an amazing classical guitarist playing flamenco style music with enormous passion. We were enthralled for quite a while as was the rest of the huge crowd he'd drawn. It's impossible to be bored in Buenos Aires.

Our remaining days in BA were spent visiting wonderful art galleries, strolling around the varied neighbourhoods, wandering through the infamous cemetary in Recoleta (home to Eva Peron's (Evita) grave), eating delicious steak and bizarrely meeting up with friends (it really is a small world). We randomly bumped in to a couple who'd been on our Antarctic cruise and had a good chat with them. The following morning we received a message at our hostel saying that another couple from the cruise were in the city and would like to meet for lunch, which was lovely. We also met up with Elisa (and her sister) who we'd had the pleasure of meeting while we stayed at Estancia Despedida on Tierra del Fuego. She's studying in BA and we met up for delicious ice-cream and a catch up.

All in all we had a wonderful time. Five days and nights is just not long enough in this intoxicating city (although our wallets would take a hit if we stayed any longer - resisting the fabulous shopping was exceptionally challenging!). We both agree that we'd love to come back, and I for one can't wait.

Wine and birthdays in Mendoza

2008-04-07T13:54:00.007+01:00

After a one night stop-over in Santiago on returning from Easter Island, we hopped on yet another bus to take us on the eight hour journey across the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina. Hailed as the wine capital of the country it seemed like the perfect place to celebrate my birthday and we'd agreed to meet up with Lou (who we met on the Navimag ferry) whose birthday is the day before mine. We were quite excited about the hostel we'd booked as the website looked fantastic and it boasted a pool and a wine bar on site. However, as with many things in South America, it was not quite as we'd imagined and although beautiful from the outside, was lacking in character and cleanliness on the inside. The town was far larger than we'd expected, a city rather than a Provencal village but its parks and tree lined avenues were very pretty and there were plenty of activities on offer.

On Lou's birthday we signed ourselves up for a full day's wine tasting culminating in a lunch of local produce at the final winery. We were collected at 9am (a little early for wine if you ask me!) and visited 3 wineries and a liquor distillery. We were guided around and shown the wine making process and then able to taste a white and red wine at each (we all agreed that it would have been far better to be given wines of varying varieties to compare, with a little more instruction involved as this was very much geared towards a quick taste and then back on the bus). At the final (very small) winery we arrived to find a table heavily laden with local meats, cheeses, breads and all sorts of other delicious things for us to enjoy (along with free flowing red wine to wash it down). It was a picture perfect setting and the food was absolutely delicious - a great way to end the tour.

The following day (my birthday) we went horse riding which was wonderful. We rode up into the mountains with perfect weather, great horses, mate tasting and an authentic gaucho - what more could a girl want! Lou's excellent spanish enabled her to find out all about the fascinating life of a gaucho and relay it back to me while we rode through the low Andes wishing only that we could stay longer. That evening we went to a wonderful restaurant in Mendoza where we tucked into delicious steak and the best red wine we've tasted so far. Even though I wasn't at home to celebrate with friends and family, I've got to admit it wasn't a bad way to spend a birthday!

From Mendoza the next stop is Buenos Aires where we will spend five days and nights. We're both really excited about this part of the trip as we've heard such great things about the city. I'll update again from there.

A little bit of Polynesia

2008-03-31T20:43:00.008+01:00

After the worst bus journey of the trip so far (overnight to Santiago with a stomach virus that saw me unable to keep down food or water for 24 hours) and a full day and night in bed missing out on the beautiful weather in Chile's capital, we boarded a plane bound for the tiny island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island or Isla de Pascua) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. Rapa Nui is an overseas territory of Chile and besides Spanish being the main language, we couldn't have felt further away from South America. Famous for its large monumental statues called Moai, Rapa Nui is a world heritage site which entices people with its mysterious history and culture.

We flew in from Santiago (a 5 hour flight) landing at night on the tiny airstrip which literally spans the width of one end of the island - coming in very low over the water to touch down and being only metres from the ocean on the opposite side of the island when the plane finally slows down enough to turn around. We were greeted by our hostel owner, Bicky, with flower garlands as we left the airport and treated to passion fruit cocktails when we got back to our cabins by the sea - a very good start to a relaxing few days.

The following morning and feeling much better, we rented a car for the day to explore the triangular island. Being only 24km long and 12km wide, we only needed a day to visit all of the major historical and picturesque sites. The weather was beautiful and choosing to opt out of the standard guided tours we managed to avoid all of the big groups as we visited the Moai around the island, getting them for the most part to ourselves. These strange guardians of the island stand for the most part facing in towards the island with their backs towards the sea, protecting the land and its people. Only a quarter of the statues carved were installed, while nearly half still remain in the quarry or Moai 'nursery' at Rano Raraku and the rest elsewhere on the island, probably on their way to their final locations.

One of the most impressive sights is the row of 15 Moai (the most standing together) which have been restored at Ahu Tongariki (Ahu being the stone platform on which the Moai are erected). All slightly different in size and detail they were re-erected between 1992 ad 1995 and stand in front of the quarry used to carve all of the Moai on the island.

After our first day's exploration we spent a further two days and three nights making the most of what the tiny island of Rapa Nui has to offer. We visited the picture perfect beach of Anakena, watched the entrancing Rapa Nui ballet (traditional polynesian dancing and music), enjoyed a traditional meal cooked in an umu (earth oven) where the food is buried under ground on top of hot coals and covered with banana leaves and I went horse riding.

We left in the island with shell necklaces presented to us by Bicky, our host, having had a wonderful time. Rapa Nui may be tiny and very remote, but it was well worth the effort to get there.

Pesca en Pucon!

2008-03-31T15:27:00.004+01:00

After a long and very hot bus journey from Bariloche, Argentina, another border crossing and a few more stamps in our passports, we arrived in Pucon, Chile. With its reputation as the outdoor adventure capital of Chile we were not surprised to find the streets lined with agencies offering rafting, canyoning, hydro-speeding, kayaking, horse riding and the like. Having done our share of these, we were again really keen to do something a bit different (this is becoming a bit of a motto for our trip) and found ourselves negotiating a day of fishing on a nearby river. I must admit that I’ve never had a burning desire to learn to fish but was willing to give it a try and actually found myself strangely eager to don waders and get into the river for a fly fishing lesson. The agency owner managed to convince us that we should in fact try both fly fishing and ‘spinning’, which he told us was easier and much more likely to yield us a catch or two.

The next morning we were collected from our hostel and driven to the beautiful river outside town. Our fishing guide spoke very little english (“more line” and “stop” were about his limit) but rowed our boat or managed to keep us static in the fast flowing sections admirably. We began with ‘spinning’ which had a small, brightly coloured, plastic fish attached to the end of the line. With no finesse whatsoever, I unceremoniously dropped my plastic fish over the side of the boat and began to let out ‘more line, more line’ according to the guides instructions and within what must have been only 20 or 30 seconds I felt a tug on the line. “Fish, fish”, our guide assured me and told me to reel in the line and, sure enough, I’d managed to catch my first fish, a (very small) trout! Convinced that I had in fact had a fish attached to the hook before my line touched the water, Simon was less than impressed by my supreme fishing skills and I was beginning to think that I’d found a sport that I might be better than him at...I was indeed getting ahead of myself!

Over the next three hours Simon managed to catch five fish using both the spinning and fly fishing rods while I sat patiently with nothing but a couple of fruitless bites on the end of my line - that’ll teach me! Surprisingly I really enjoyed my first fishing expedition and although I’ll not be rushing out to buy a fishing licence on our return, I would definitely try it again.

The Navimag and the Lake District

2008-03-23T21:21:00.006Z

After a few days in Torres del Paine National Park we embarked on a four night, three day ferry trip from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt on the Navimag ferry which winds its way through the Chilean fijords. This voyage is supposed to be one of the most beautiful ferry journeys and often the highlight of peoples trips. However, the Lonely Planet markets it as 'not a cruise' and with a shared dorm of 20 booked and advice on how much wine (plenty) we should take on board with us, it was with a little reservation that we boarded the Evangelistas on the Thursday evening. The Navimag ferry is essentially a cargo vessel that has been converted to accommodate the eager backpacker who is willing to pay. The utilitarian nature of the boat was apparent from the minute we set foot onto the vehicle loading bay where the lorries full of cows, sheep and horses sang out beneath our dorm. The journey itself was beautiful despite the drizzly weather but I found that having recently had the beautiful fijords of Whalesound all to ourselves and experiencing them by kayak had perhaps spoiled me a little. Cabin fever definitely took over by the third day and although we'd met some great people, the lack of space and confined dorms finally got to me. I was very happy, then, to arrive on Monday morning in Puerto Montt and step on to dry land.

From Puerto Montt (a large and not very pretty town) we'd decided to head straight to Puerto Varas, a smaller, prettier, alpinesque town set on the huge Lago Llanquihue and at the foot of Volcan Osorno. We stayed there for a couple of nights with a some friends we'd met on the ferry (Lou & Anna) and I got to go horse riding again. It didn't disappoint and we had a wonderful day riding (South American style) through dense forest and salmon rich rivers. Thanks girls for a fab day. On Wednesday we got a bus to Bariloche, Argentina - the chocolate capital of the country...very up my street! Again set on a large lake, Bariloche is a largish town with a reputation for great food, lively nightlife and good hiking. We didn't have long but enjoyed some walking, great steak, chocolate tasting, several hostels (don't ask) and a trip to a couple of the local hospitals (wait for our slot on Emergency 999!).

We are now in Pucon, Chile after a long and very hot bus ride yesterday (Saturday). The weather is beautiful, we're staying in a great hostel with a magnificent view of Volcan Villarrica and have had a relaxing day with a lie in and a leisurely stroll around town. There's lots on offer here in Pucon: rafting, canyoning, kayaking, volcano climbing etc But tomorrow we've booked ourselves in for a day of fishing (don't laugh), both fly and spinning? We've never tried it before and thought that this might be a good opportunity.

Tomorrow night we get an overnight bus to Santiago followed by a flight on Wednesday to Easter Island. I can't wait: Moai, sun, sea, sand, more horse riding and staying in one place (a pretty cabin with sea views) for four nights!

Torres del Paine en bicicleta

2008-03-13T18:13:00.007Z

Having decided not to trek the traditional 'W' trek in Torres Del Paine National Park, we booked ourselves a 3 day, 2 night mountain biking/overland trip with Pablo of Sendero Aventura. We were exhausted when we arrived back in Puerto Natales on Sunday night after a long zodiac trip back from Whalesound to Punta Arenas followed by a 3 hour bus trip back to Puerto Natales (arriving at 11pm). However, we set off on Monday morning in the Land Rover (towing our mountain bikes on a trailer) with Pablo and another guide, Mariano to our first stop, the Milodon Cave. This cave is where Hermann Eberhard (in 1896) found preserved bits of skin belonging to an animal which is thought to be twice the size of a human and is now known as a Milodon. The largest cave is huge (30 metres in height) and very impressive. After visiting the large cave we got on our bikes and took a small, winding single track to the middle and small caves. Pablo and Mariano had organised everything brilliantly and thought of every last detail in the planning of the trip. Waiting for us at the entrance to the small cave, Mariano had set up a lunch stop complete with folding table and awning attached to the Land Rover and we enjoyed sandwiches and tea before moving on.

The trip had been designed so that we rode some sections, walked some sections and did some overlanding in the Land Rover (with it following behind as backup all the way). As one guide rode or walked with us, the other drove the Land Rover behind to the arranged meeting point or ahead to the campsite to set up for dinner. The trip was fantastic and we had a wonderful time. We rode small winding single track and old gravel roads (feeling every unused muscle in our out of shape bodies as we pushed against the notorious Patagonian wind!), walked a short (5km) section of the Sendero de Chile (an impressive trail stretching from the far north of Chile to the very south, a total of 9,700km of trekking paths) and took the Land Rover off-road to spectacular viewing points. We ate a home cooked lunch at a family run estancia and were treated to wonderful asado (barbeque) dinners and Chilean wine in the evenings. I was even reunited with the Trek 4300 - the same as my first mountain bike at home which was known lovingly as Tracy Trek. Deciding not to trek the 'W' made us a little worried that we may not get to see the spectacular torres (towers) that the park in so famous for. We needn't have worried though. The weather was very kind to us and the strong winds moved the clouds aside and uncovered the sun just in time for a spectacular view of the towers and the Paine Massif. We were treated to this beautiful view for two days as we made our way through the park and stopped at miradors and waterfalls, watched circling condors (and even one on the ground where we could appreciate how massive these birds are), saw the Grey Glacier and vivid blue icebergs on Lago Grey and finally made our way back to Puerto Natales. Again we returned tired but elated. Others will probably think that we missed out by not trekking the traditional routes to see the towers at sunrise in all their glory... perhaps we did. However, I've heard many a Patagonian trekker tell of their tough 4 day hike, a very early final morning getting to the viewing spot to wait for sunrise to find the towers covered in cloud only to descend the same way with the rain beating down and the wind blowing fiercely. We did it our way and enjoyed every minute, no regrets.

Whalesound...wow!

2008-03-10T11:36:00.009Z

After leaving Ushuaia we made our way via Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. With two weeks before we get Navimag ferry to Puerto Montt we had some time to kill and no plans. It seems that most people on our Antarctic adventure had the same idea and we bumped into many of them in our first couple of days in Natales. We spent some time catching up on news from home (making the most of the fast internet connection), catching up with a friend here and trying to decide how to spend the next two weeks. After considerable deliberation we devised a plan. Rather than trek the traditional 'W' route through the park, we would go on a three day mountain bike tour through the park, camping on route (with a handy Landrover backup with guide just in case the hills get too steep, the rain too hard or the wind more ridiculous than normal!). I know that I'd said no to bikes of any kind on this trip but I've given in just this once (the truth being that I just don't want to do any more trekking at this point). We had also heard about a mysterious place/company called Whalesound based on a small island called Carlos III where you can go and watch humpback whales close up by boat or kayak. Simon and I had both been really keen to get some sea kayaking into our trip somewhere and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

With plans laid down we headed back to Punta Arenas and were collected from our hostel there by our Whalesound guides on Thursday morning (6th March). To be honest, the allure of whale watching from a kayak had us both so hooked that we didn't ask many questions about the logistics of the trip and therefore had absolutely no idea what to expect from one day or hour to the next. We were collected by a pick-up with a kayak strapped to the back and driven an hour out of town to a small beach where a large zodiac style boat was waiting for us. As the sun shone and I added layer upon layer to my now clown like body I began to wonder what sort of boat ride this would be. At the time I thought that the enormous survival suits and oil skins were a little over the top but I hadn't realised that a 5 hour zodiac ride to the camp lay ahead. A five hours in which we would end up soaked to the skin and very cold but one with an unimaginable treat at the end. As the camp came into view we spotted the first whale ahead (the distinctive blow of water rising from the surface of the water) and made our way towards it. As we got closer we saw that hundreds of sea lions and albatross were in the same area: the sea lions going crazy in the water, jumping and flipping themselves over and the birds circling low overhead. As the captain idled the engine we drifted towards the frenzy and found that two very large (about 16-17 metres in length) humpback whales were feeding at the surface causing the commotion. It was a spectacular sight, the whales circled and swam beneath our small zodiac occasionally exposing their heads and huge mouths as they fed and the sea lions put on the most amazing show of agility as the leapt out of the water. We floated amongst the chaos for about 20 minutes seemingly unnoticed and certainly causing no disturbance to the whales, thus afforded an opportunity to get within centimetres of these truly amazing creatures. This was just a taste of what was to come!

We arrived at camp wet and hungry but exhilarated by our zodiac ride and first close-up whale encounter, ready for the next 3 days. The camp consists of several white pod-like tents raised off the ground on stilted platforms and connected by raised wooden walkways. Inside our tent we had low wooden framed beds with thick mattresses, sleeping bags and fleece liners waiting for us and our bathroom, which was a few steps along the board walk, contained a glass sided shower overlooking the trees and bay beyond.

The few days we had at Whalesound were magical. We spent our days kayaking and zodiac cruising amongst the whales and sea lions and our evenings eating delicious food in a spot so remote that whales sleep just a few metres from the shore (so close that as you drift off to sleep at night or wake with the sun in the morning you can hear the lazy breathing of the massive creature in the bay below). It's hard to do the experience justice in this short blog entry (in person I'll do a much better job I hope) but for me it was far more than I'd imagined. We paddled our double kayak to within 10 metres of a humpback that was three times longer than us; we paddled to the front of a carving glacier as the ice dislodged into the fijord echoing off the surrounding mountains; we sat in our kayak as hundreds of sea lions played in the water around us, leaping and dancing just for fun and we accompanied the resident scientist as he attempted to collect skin biopsies for DNA testing of the humpback whales. As I said, there are not words to describe this adequately. Luckily for me, memories last forever.

Off-road adventure in Tierra del Fuego

2008-03-02T17:31:00.005Z

This is a belated post as it's taken some time to get the video uploaded. When we were in Ushuaia we went on a 4x4 off-road adventure day with a company called Nunatak. As part of the trip Sebastian (our driver/guide) took this short video.

Enjoy

Happy Mother's Day Mum

2008-03-02T16:37:00.005Z

Here's a video clip just for you mum. I know you wanted my to smuggle home a real one but hopefully this is the next best thing.

Love you

S

Cruising the Lemaire Channel, Antarctica

2008-03-02T14:36:00.004Z

I thought you might enjoy a little Antarctic experience. Here we are cruising through the beautiful Lemaire Channel through the brash ice.

The Coldest, Windiest, Whitest Continent on Earth

2008-02-27T19:19:00.004Z

Is a two day crossing (make that four days if you want to get back home again!) of the notorious Drake´s Passage worth the effort?

Without a doubt.

Visiting the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest, whitest continent on Earth is not everyone´s idea of money well spent, but it is mine. I have always wanted to visit the mysterious Antarctic region but I´m not sure that I thought I would ever actually get there. A place confined to beautiful coffee table picture books and scientific expeditions, Antarctica can seem beyond the reach of the humble traveller. These past nine days at sea on board the MS Polaris have had their ups and downs (literally and metaphorically speaking) but making it to Antarctica has literally been a dream come true.

The first iceberg sighting was made as we approached the South Shetland Islands and it didn´t disappoint. As we got closer in the fading light of our second full day at sea an enormous tabular iceberg emerged. Reaching over 100 metres in height (bearing in mind that only an eighth of an iceberg is visible above water) it was a monster! This initial sighting was followed in quick succession by others which appeared on the dusky horizon floating majestically on the Southern Ocean. With the calmer waters came a good night´s sleep and an early morning wake up call and the fun began. Our first trip off the boat was a zodiac cruise around Enterprise Island and to the wreck of the Governor (a 1920s whaling ship) in Foyn Harbour. It was a great first cruise and a good taster of how many layers (more) I´d need to wear on our subsequent outings! That afternoon we made our first landing of the trip on Cuverville Island, home to a large Gentoo Penguin colony. As we approached land it was clear that there were thousands of penguins on the island, both adults and large chicks. Identified by their distinctive orange bills and a white flash above the eye, these little fellows were my first introduction to penguins en masse and they were truly a sight to behold.

The following morning we sailed into Paradise Harbour and landed the Zodiacs at the now unused Argentinian base of Almirante Brown. We walked up the hill to enjoy the stunning view over the harbour and were treated to a beautiful sight - after a few grey days of rain and snow, the sun was rising over the mountains and the cloud receding. Looking forward to a day of good weather, the steep climb up turned into a great snow slide down for many. We got back on board the Polaris and set sail for the Lemaire Channel, a narrow ice-filled channel that was a truly spectacular sight. The most scenic part of the journey it was a real treat to experience it in such good weather. Picture postcard opportunities presented themselves one after the other as we cruised through the ice the sun lit up the snowy peaks surrounding us. I didn´t think it could get much better than this until we reached the aptly named Iceberg Alley where the Antarctica of my imagination revealed itself. We Zodiac cruised for about two hours around the icebergs witnessing an abundance of wildlife including: Minke Whales, Humpback Whales, Crabeater Seals, Antarctic Fur Seals, a lone Adelie Penguin and the spectacular Leopard Seal. All of this as the sun slowly began to set over icebergs that were even beyond my imagination - turquoise in colour and carved into beautiful shapes. Truly overwhelming!

With the weather forecast for the following day looking a little less than perfect the expedition team even managed to squeeze in a third outing for the day to the Yalour Islands, home to an Adelie Penguin colony. A little smaller than the Gentoo and without the orange bill, these penguins are really cute but exceptionally smelly. As opposed to our landing on Cuverville Island where we were able to land away from the nesting sites, at the Adelie colony we found ourselves right in the middle of what had been their nesting site earlier in the season. The guano literally coloured the island red and smelled so bad that I was convinced the Adelie scent had permeated my clothes and skin! That said, it was a wonderful opportunity to see another species of penguin in such large numbers and to observe their amusing behaviours. Feeling exhausted we returned to the ship where we had a good nights sleep at anchor.

The next morning we woke up to worse weather (which made us feel very thankful for the perfect day before). We had been planning to visit the Ukranian Vernadsky Station on the Argentine Islands. Unfortunately though, they were in the midst of their annual crew change and it was not possible to tour the station itself. Very kindly they sent their radio controller, Eugine onto our boat to tell us about the station and answer our questions. It´s a shame we didn´t get to visit as I´m sure it would have been fascinating. We did land however at part of the original station, Wordie Hut, which was part of the British base B which later became Faraday. It has been left as a testament to how things used to be and was a real eye opener - the marmite looked tempting though, despite its age (I'm having some serious withdrawal symptoms here)! That afternoon in slightly less picturesque conditions we sailed back down the Lemaire Channel and on to our next landing site back in the South Shetlands, Deception Island. As our ship´s captain skillfully negotiated Neptune´s Bellows (a very narrow opening into what is in fact a volcanic caldera), Whaler´s Bay came into view. Whaler´s Bay was home to a succession of whaling and research stations and is now an open air museum with many well preserved remnants of years past. This was a fascinating stop and gave us an idea of the scale of whaling operations in the region.

Whaler´s Bay will also hold memories for us of a different kind. All week we had been gearing up towards a dip in Antarctic waters and were determined to beat the last Polaris Antarctic Swim Team record of 31 passengers/crew. Had the sun been out it would have been a less daunting proposition but we took the plunge nonetheless. We had to wade into the water and ensure that we swam with our heads fully submerged in order to count as an official swim team member. It was a pretty amusing sight for the onlooking fur seal as 39 passengers/crew stripped down to their swimsuits and entered the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean. Not an experience I feel I need to repeat but one that with hindsight, and dressed warmly, I think I almost enjoyed!

After a hot shower and back into a sensible number of layers we made our final landing of the trip that afternoon at Walker Bay on Livingstone Island. The conditions were pretty interesting: the wind was blowing fairly hard and we had quite a big swell which made transferring from the gangway to the Zodiac and back quite exciting. We all made it unscathed though thanks to the hard work of the staff and enjoyed a final stroll on land taking in some new species and saying goodbye to some old friends. Large colonies of both Gentoo and Adelie Penguins lined the rocky bay as we walked to Hannah Point at the end of the island. The glacial ice washed up on the beach made for a spectacular sight and we were even lucky enough to catch our first sighting of Southern Elephant Seals. These monsters can reach four and a half tonnes when fully grown and if the juvenile males we saw (at about two and a half tonnes) are anything to go by, they must be gigantic!

And so began our journey home. My only complaint about this trip is that it was just not long enough. I could have spent many many more days exploring this last wildnerness but am thankful that I am one of the few who have been here at all. We were blessed that our return trip on the Drake was less eventful than our first and we will leave with wonderful memories of Antarctica. I feel a trip further north coming on...anyone ever seen a Polar Bear?

Drake's Passage - an experience!

2008-02-27T13:59:00.008Z

After a day pottering around in Ushuaia (I think it's fair to say we know this small town very well now!) we made our way to the passenger terminal at the port and boarded a GAP Adeventures bus bound for the MS Polaris: the Russian ice-strengthened boat that was to be our home for the next 10 days. As we approached along the pier, our little boat appeared dwarfed by the other vessels docked alongside her and it was at this point that I was both grateful for the small capacity of our cruise (65ish passengers) and a little worried at how much she might move in the swell of the Southern Ocean.

It's fair to say that Drake's Passage has a bit of a reputation for turning those with even the strongest stomachs and most hardy sea legs into whimpering, bed-ridden individuals begging for mercy as they are tossed around on the mighty Southern Ocean. With postcards for sale all over Ushuaia stating things such as "I've survived Drake's Passage", and even a Drake's Passage 'experiences board' in the local bookshop, I was more than a little concerned that no amount of Dramamine would keep me from my bunk! But, it was hard to believe the stories as we set sail along the glass like Beagle Channel, spotting Dolphins and sea birds and watching the sun set over the receeding mountains of southern Argentina and Chile.

With all the orientation stuff sorted we had a good dinner and began getting to know our fellow passengers over a drink in the bar. I had no trouble falling asleep that night with the gentle motion of the boat and dreams of what would await us in the mighty White Continent. However, I was woken up in the early hours of the morning by some fairly violent sideways motion of the boat which, considering the layout of our cabin and bunks, meant that we were tipped from one end of our bed (standing on the outside wall of the cabin) to the other (protecting my head from hitting the wall with my hands). I had followed instructions and taken my Dramamine (sea sickness) tablets before bed and thankfully in a lying position didn't feel sickness of any kind. No sickness...and no sleep! As the boat continued to sway from side to side at increasingly precarious angles and our belongings swam around on floor of our cabin I concentrated on trying to wedge myself into my bunk and make it through the rest of the night.

Our morning call by the ever cheery expedition leader brought no respite from the swell of the Drake, but determined that it must be mind over matter, I got myself out of bed and even (such a maratime amateur) into the shower. It was quite an experience trying to wash my hair at the same time as clinging onto the wall bars for dear life and probably not the best way to start my day. Feeling like I'd been through the spin cycle of the washing machine, I followed Simon upstairs to the dining room for breakfast. However, while waiting to be called I was overcome by nausea and retreated hastily to our cabin where Simon later found me clinging to the toilet bowl. I have felt sea sickness before but thankfully it has never progressed beyond a feeling of nausea. This time was different...feeling a complete lack of control I was sick before I'd even been to breakfast and had to lie down in my cabin for the next few hours before I felt able to try the vertical position again. The rest of the day passed in an uncomfortable haze of dramamine fuelled semi-conciousness, although I did make it to the brilliant and informative lectures given by our expedition team and the remaining meals of the day.

I had just about managed to adapt to the motion of the boat on day one of the Drake's Passage crossing when day two dawned. I could tell that the boat was moving alot more on day two by the angle reached by our waterproof jackets (hanging on the wall of the cabin) each time the boat swayed from side to side. I didn't make breakfast on day two either and was incredibly relieved when it was announced that lunch would be served to cabins (it meant that most people were feeling as bad as me). I did venture up for dinner where chairs and people were sliding from one side of the dining room to the other and many laps got a soaking from toppled drinks. I was relieved to hear that this is the worst crossing of the Drake so far this season and that I was justified in feeling a little under the weather. Thankfully as we entered calmer waters that evening people began to emerge from their short hibernation and the excitement at approaching Antarctica began to heighten.

Estancias, horses and planes!

2008-02-17T17:21:00.006Z

On Wednesday (13th Feb) we hired a car for our drive to the first estancia (ranch) that we are staying at (for two nights). The scenery during the drive was magnificent and we also managed to make a stop at a little town called Tolhuin which is reputed to serve up the best baked goods on Tierra del Fuego (we sampled and we agree!). We arrived at Estancia Viamonte at about 5pm and after a little confusion, finally found our way to the guest house. Set between rolling hills and the open ocean, its white buildings with red roofs made for quite a sight as we approached along Ruta 3. This estancia is owned by the descendants of the first European settlers of Tierra del Fuego and houses so much history of times and people past. We were welcomed in to the family and treated to wonderful hospitality throughout our stay. The guest house, Seaview, was beautiful. It had a very English feel on the inside which was enhanced by the tea and biscuits we were served when we arrived. Our room, with an enormous and extremely comfortable bed, was on the front of the house with views of the sea through the trees. What a treat it was to stumble across this place and manage to make a booking at such short notice. On Valentines day it was 10 years exactly since we got engaged and I can’t think of a more lovely place to have been. Our two days at Viamonte were spent walking along the empty beach, watching the men round up the sheep and sipping gin and tonic in the evening, with the owners, before dinner (at which we were served up delicious food in great quantities). After saying our goodbyes at Viamonte (along with promises to post out jars of marmite to the owners as soon as we get home – not the easiest thing to buy in Argentina!) we headed on to our next estancia, the more remote, Despedida.

An hour and a half down an unpaved road (in a Corsa!) brought us to Estancia Despedida. Again, this estancia was quite a sight to behold. Nestled at the bottom of a hillside it was another collection of white buildings with red roofs and with very few trees the area had a wild feel to it. As we pulled up outside the guest house (which we had all to ourselves) we were greeted by Maria Laura, the resident chef, and shown around. The house and bedrooms were beautiful, Vivina and Eduardo (the owners) have paid so much attention to detail - lamp stands crafted from sheep shearing machinery and coat hooks cleverly made from branding irons – creating a warm, welcoming and personal guest house where we spent a blissful two days and nights. We were treated to wonderful food, much of it home grown and all of it home made, a barbeque with the family, fantastic horse riding and Simon even got to see Tierra del Fuego from the front seat of a small plane! I spent both days on horse back and, a very sore bottom aside, I loved every minute. Simon (allergic to horses and unable to participate) was treated to an entirely unexpected opportunity to take a small plane flight over the island. The pilot flew the plane over us as we were riding on the hills and Simon even got to take the controls for a while, what an experience! As we left Despedida we explained that a fortunate stroke of serendipity has brought us to them. The more we travel in this continent, the more we find that it is the opportunities that come out of the blue that always prove to be the most rewarding and successful. We could not have asked for greater hospitality from our hosts…what a wonderful two days this has been.

We are now back in Ushuaia for the night. Tomorrow we set sail for the white continent in search of icebergs, whales and penguins. This afternoon I set off in search of dramamine! We are away for 10 days and will back date posts when we get back to South America.

Catching up…Chile to Argentina and a whole new continent on the horizon

2008-02-17T16:22:00.007Z

Our overnight ‘cama’ bus from San Pedro to La Serena on the Chilean coast about two thirds of the way to Santiago was great. Tur Bus have excellent coaches and our seats were very comfortable. We had even managed to book the front seats on the top deck so we were treated with spectacular views of the countryside as we made our way south on the Pan American Highway which virtually hugs the coast as it winds it way between the sea and the Andes.

We arrived in La Serena at about 9.30 on the morning of Thursday 7th February and checked in at our hostal which was really lovely. Close to the bus station and only a short walk from the centre of town it had many rooms set around sunny courtyards with friendly staff and a really nice atmosphere. I really liked La Serena. It was quite a small town but very pretty and laid back. We only spent a couple of days there, wandering around town and down to the beach where we ate a meal on our last evening overlooking the sea. It was a very relaxing place to break our journey to Santiago.

On the morning of Saturday 9th Feb we caught yet another bus for the six hour journey to Santiago. During the day and with great views the journey wasn’t bad at all and before we knew it we were in a taxi on our way from the bus station to our hostel in Chile’s (very European looking) capital city. With only one afternoon to spend in Santiago on this visit (we are going back later in the trip) Simon was determined to visit the Patagonia clothing store (earlier in the trip he lost his lightweight down jacket and with a trip down south on the cards he needs something warm to wear) so we set out to find the out of town mall. After lots of head shaking from our hostel manager at the distance of the mall from central Santiago, we hopped on the subway to the end of the line and picked up a taxi there. It actually wasn’t too far and was well worth the visit. Those of you who know me well will be aware that two months of shopping deprivation is a very long time and this mall was certainly a great antidote. It was probably the best mall that we’ve ever been too, fantastic shops, great prices and beautifully landscaped. We indulged in a little retail therapy, Simon left a happy man having picked up a new down jacket and as we sat back in the sun sipping our Starbucks Frappuccinos I must admit that I felt a little restored! Our stay in Santiago was fleeting and I’m already looking forward to going back.

The next day (Sunday 10th) we flew from Santiago to Ushuaia in Argentina. Known locally as La Fin del Mundo (the end of the world), Ushuaia sits at the tip of Tierra del Fuego, an island to the south of Patagonia and is one of the most southerly settlements in the world. Along with it’s beautiful surrounding mountains, lakes and glaciers, Ushuaia is also the start and end to most Antarctic cruises. With the enormous cruise liners and smaller expedition style boats come many travellers and tourists needing places to stay, eat and drink (and also a whole heap of marine style souvenirs if today’s Princess Cruises disembarkees were anything to go by!). The town is actually quite a nice place to while away a few days which is just what we’ve been doing. After yet another bumpy approach and clap-worthy landing (you’ll get bored reading about them soon: I know you all think it’s just me but the woman behind me gasped louder than I did and even Simon was quiet as we tossed and turned in the turbulence and seemed to fall out of the sky as we hit thermal after thermal!) at the tiny airport in Ushuaia we got a taxi all of about a kilometre to our hostel which was situated just outside of the main town (about a 20 minute walk away). The hostel was great. Lovely rooms, clean bathrooms a kitchen so that we could cook for ourselves and really helpful staff. We dropped off our luggage and headed straight for town…we were on a mission. Some of you will recall our ramblings about how we’ve heard that if you turn up in Ushuaia, you can sometimes pick up discounted tickets for trips to Antarctica…not sure how many of you thought it was a real possibility and I’m not sure that I even did. However we went straight to the Tourist Information Office and were directed to a couple of agencies who sometimes sell such tickets. The first (and we’d been told, most likely) had nothing that worked date or price wise for us and we left feeling a quite deflated. While trying to find another of the agencies that had been plotted on our map for us (to no avail: it had clearly been plotted in the wrong place) we stumbled across a sign outside a hostel come tour agency that said Last Minute Antarctica. Not feeling too optimistic, in we went. We regurgitated the question again…We would like to go to Antarctica, do you have anything available? To our surprise and delight, they did! We are booked to set sail on board the MS Polaris (a GAP Adventures boat) on Monday 18th February for 10 days. We saved a lot of money in the process and feel both very proud of ourselves and extremely excited about the prospect of visiting somewhere so remote and different to anywhere either of us has ever been before.

With the Antarctica trip booked and sorted we then had to work out what we wanted to do in the mean time. Reluctant to travel too far away from Ushuaia due to the difficulties in finding transport back (this time of year is really busy and buses and planes get booked up well in advance) we decided to spend a day or two in Ushuaia and then head out into the countryside on Tierra del Fuego to stay in a couple of traditional estancias (ranches).

Yesterday we went on an organised 4x4 off road Land Rover tour to the lakes outside Ushuaia. The trip was great with a visit to a Husky breeding centre, some exciting off road driving and a fabulous Argentinian asado (barbeque) for lunch. Our guide was fantastic and provided not only lots of information but some added fun along the way (look out for the video, which I’ll post soon, of our driverless Land Rover experience!) and the others on our trip made the whole day a real success.

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – The budget buster!

2008-02-05T22:38:00.000Z

We left the beautiful ‘white city’ of Arequipa, Peru on Friday 1st February bound for Arica: Chile’s northernmost town. We could only get the bus as far as Tacna, a border town in the south of Peru from where we had to get a taxi across the border to Arica. The border crossing from Peru to Chile was very civilised and afforded us our first glimpse of the stark difference between Peru and Chile. Even in Arica (a town so close that it has at times belonged to Peru) we noticed immediately a wealthier population who meandered their way through the pedestrianised shopping centre with ice creams in hands or sat at pavement bars sipping expensive beers. Our hostel in Arica was lovely – the Lonely Planet doing us proud again, and although there was not much to see in the town itself, we had a relaxing day or so there.

From Arica we booked an overnight trip with ‘Turbus’ (Chile’s most reliable and most expensive long distance bus company) to San Pedro de Atacama. Although a great bus, a night of ‘semi-cama’ (reclining seats) never encourages the deepest of sleep and coupled with a few enforced stops where our luggage was searched at ridiculous times of the night, we were very relieved to finally arrive in this desert Oasis. Our hostel (Soncheck) is only a couple of blocks from the bus stop so we had arrived and checked in within a matter of a few minutes. Another Lonely Planet special, Sonchek is a great little place with several rooms, all made out of the red desert ‘adobe’ with thatched roofs, set around a sunny courtyard.

We had arranged to stay for three nights here and therefore needed to organise some tours pretty quickly to ensure that we could fit everything in. With a recommended tour operator provided by our hostel hosts we set about quelling our hunger first and after a wonderful hot shower headed straight out for breakfast. This was to be our first insight into the spiralling costs of visiting San Pedro (a subject which has pervaded a lot of our discussions while here). With a (delicious) breakfast of pancakes for me and fruit with yoghurt and honey for Simon, along with two coffees and two orange juices setting us back close to $20 (£!0) we were made starkly aware that our three nights and four days here were about to blow our budget beyond recognition! We had been warned that we would find Chile (and especially San Pedro) expensive after a couple of months in Ecuador and Peru but I must admit that I hadn’t really taken it on board until now. Rather than eating on a rotational basis (I eat lunch while Simon has to wait until dinner…) we’ve decided to stick our heads into the sand for a few days and hope that we can redeem our finances next week while in Ushuaia, Argentine Patagonia (more on that later).

There is a fairly long ‘must see’ list when visiting San Pedro de Atacama and with it firmly on the gringo trail (and more recently catering to wealthier tourists via swanky upmarket resorts) there are a myriad of tour operators and excursions to choose from. We’d narrowed it down before we got here so we weren’t too distracted while shopping around for the best deals. In the end we stuck with our recommended operator and wangled a bit of a discount for booking three tours with them. We signed ourselves up for a late afternoon trip to Valle de la Luna (The Valley of the Moon), an extremely early morning trip to the El Tatio Geysers and a full day outing to the Altiplano lakes and the Salar de Atacama (Atacama’s salt flats).

The Valle de la Luna is a beautiful landscape of interesting rock formations set among mountains and sand dunes. Best viewed at sunset as the light casts its final shadows we set off from San Pedro at about 4.30pm in blistering heat. Unfortunately Simon and I have a slight aversion to large tour groups (and this was a big one) and we felt a little herded from one mirador (view point) to the next which slightly destroyed the ambiance of what could and should have been a really magical place. Sadly in SP there really is no other way of seeing these places than with organised groups unless you have your own car. The next morning our alarm woke us at 3.45am for a sunrise trip to the El Tatio Geysers a couple of hours outside San Pedro. The desert at that time in the morning is very cold indeed (a real contrast to the extreme heat of the day) and I was more than ready for the sun to rise when it did. Having never seen geysers first hand before, I was pretty impressed with El Tatio (although I know that others in the group were a little disappointed having visited Yellowstone Park in the the US or the geysers in Iceland) and really enjoyed the trip even though I ducked out of the opportunity to swim in the hot springs (a little cold, no changing rooms and very green water…need I say more?).

Today we had a full day’s outing to the Salar de Atacama (the third largest salt flat in the world – after Bolivia and Utah) and the Altiplano lakes which was great. The salar was not as I’d imagined at all as it was very lumpy and grey/brown in colour. Having seen photos of Uyuni in Bolivia, I was expecting a shiny and crisp layer of glaringly white salt. In the middle of the area is a salt water lagoon which is home to both Chilean and Andean flamingos. This was a fabulous sight as we watched them feeding and flying between pools. The Altiplano lakes were breathtakingly beautiful and also home to an abundance of interesting wildlife. We watched Guanaco drinking from the turquoise waters and a wild fox posed for photographs as we wandered by. All in all a good day out. On the way back to San Pedro this afternoon we stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn and had the obligatory photo taken. With a photo at the equator and now one at Capricorn under our belts, will someone please let us know the easiest way from Chile to the Tropic of Cancer so that we can complete the trio!

Tomorrow afternoon we leave San Pedro de Atacama. I really like this little town but for us it’s been prohibitively expensive and we daren’t stay any longer. We catch yet another overnight bus (saves on the hostel bill) to La Serena, Chile’s second oldest city. On the coast with lots of sandy white beaches and a beautiful town too, we’re looking forward to seeing what it has to offer.

The Colca Canyon

2008-01-31T22:44:00.000Z

After a couple of days relaxing and taking in the sites of Arequipa (The White City) in the south of Peru, we headed off to the Colca Canyon, on Monday, with Anne-Marie and David for few days of trekking. Feeling alot better after a few days of feeling under the weather and looking forward to the prospect of both hot springs in Chivay and an 'oasis' in the canyon itself I was really excited about this trip. We were collected from our hostel early on Monday morning and headed directly out of the city, climbing high on to the Altiplano, stopping to watch the wild vicunas and herds of alpacas and llamas as the altimeter topped out at almost 4900m!

From there we descended into the small town of Chivay which is the gateway to the Colca Canyon and attracts visitors with its hot springs located just out of town. Having missed out on the hot springs at Agua Calientes (Machu Picchu town) I was really looking forward to soaking in warm waters set in a beautiful Andean valley. The water was a lovely temperature and the view was spectacular but perhaps my expectations were a little high. I think I've been spoilt by the Thermae Spa in Bath and I found the whole thing just a little bit too dirty (perhaps not the seasoned and hardened traveller I should be by now - or maybe just a little too optimistic!). That evening we watched some local dancing and music and headed back to our hostel for a fairly early night.

An early breakfast the next morning set us up for drive to 'Cruz del Condor' where (you guessed it) we were supposed to watch the magnificent condors soaring on the thermals that rise out of the Colca Canyon (the second deepest in the world). Unfortunately thick cloud sat stubbornly in the canyon obscuring any view that we may have had and we had to leave the viewpoint without a sighting. It was here that we met our trekking guide, Remi. Together we boarded a local bus and rode for about 20 minutes to get to the start of the trek. This first day was almost all downhill into the base of the spectacular canyon, second only in depth to another Peruvian but more remote canyon further to the east. The enormity of Colca can be seen in the photo above taken by Simon that shows us on the path that winds around the canyon side. After reaching the river in the base of the canyon we crossed a bridge and ascended to the small village of San Juan where our guide used a local family's kitchen to cook us our lunch. Refueled and enjoying some seriously hot sunshine (the temperature in the canyon regularly reaches 35 degrees) we set off on an undulating trek to the enticingly titled 'Oasis' where we were to spend the night. This part of the trek saw some steep ascending, river crossing and finally a long down hill section giving us the opportunity to glimpse the oasis from a height.

A final bridge led to the 'rustic bungalows' where we were to spend the night. Again, my initial optimistic ideas about what these bungalows might look like were quickly redefined as we got closer to the 'oasis'. The circular buildings made out of bamboo (see the picture at the top) with dirt floors and bamboo beds were certainly rustic - but perhaps a little more rustic than I was expecting! However, the beds were comfortable and at shortly after 7pm, having eaten a dinner (again prepared by our guide - a little more basic than we've become accustomed to since our trek to Machu Picchu...) and with no electricity, we headed to bed: we had a ridiculously early alarm call the next morning.

At 1.50am Remi called vamos (let's go) through the bamboo walls - I must admit to already being wide awake, having slept very little for fear of creepy crawlies and other nasties making their way through the gaping bamboo and into my bed. At 2am sharp we set off on what was to be a 4 hour climb out of the steep sided canyon. There was definitely a feeling of triumph at evenutally reaching the top as the sun was rising, but I can't admit to enjoying the experience. I know that had I climbed in daylight it would have been blisteringly hot and we would have missed our bus back, however...it is not normal to be trekking uphill in the dark in the middle of the night and it was perhaps the first time that I have really longed for my own bed.

Back in Arequipa and fully rested I can look back on my Colca Canyon experience and feel pleased that I did it. The canyon is beautiful and the trip was certainly worthwhile...I'm just glad that I can leave my hiking boots off for a while and enjoy sightseeing in daylight hours!

Tomorrow we head by bus to Tacna (in the far south of Peru) and then by collectivo taxi over the Chilean border to Arica. This will be our last evening in Peru and we're going out to treat ourselves to a good meal and a glass of wine. This is an amazing country of which I feel we've only scratched the surface: so rich in history and culture set within spectacular landscapes.

Trains, boats, moto-taxis and buses!

2008-01-28T02:01:00.000Z

Another blog entry title involving a variety of transport names can only mean that we've been on the move again and that I've been a little absent from the computer and therefore have some catching up to do! We are currently in Arequipa, Peru and thoroughly enjoying it. It's a beautiful and clearly wealthy city with a big choice of watering holes and eateries for us to indulge our food cravings. On my sister's advice we went this afternoon to a creperie in the city which lived up to her praise and I ploughed my way through a Nutella and banana crepe as good as I could find in France.....delicious.

So...where have we been? After a final relaxing day in Cusco we made our way (with plenty of time to spare) to the railway station to catch our 'First Class' train to Puno. On arrival by taxi the gates were closed and we were informed that the train had in fact left early due to a strike taking place later that day. We were ushered into the station office and told that we would be refunded our money and have to catch a bus to Puno. Bearing in mind the thought that had gone into our decision to blow our budget and book the trip on the Andean Explorer and the fact that the rail company had our hotel contact details and made no effort to let us know about the change to the train time, we were a little upset to say the least. After a heated discussion in broken English/Spanish with the poor woman who was on duty we managed to get her to arrange for the train to wait for us (and the other stranded passengers) at the next station, a mere 50km away! She called a taxi for us (although they refused to pay the extra cost - by this time we just wanted to make it on board and realised that any further arguing was not going to get us anywhere) and along with another passenger we were driven (at about 150km an hour) to the next station where we had in fact beaten the train. Drama over, we boarded and found our seats. It was easy to forget the unfortunate beginning to our journey once we'd had our welcome drink, spent some time in the glass roofed viewing car and relaxed at our linen clad tables. Needless to say, the extra expense of travelling on the train 'First Class' was really worth it (and all for less than a single ticket from Bath to London!) and we thoroughly enjoyed the journey. We travelled high in the Andes through hail and snow, past herds of Alpacas and Llamas and over a pass at 4300m - a spectacular trip.

As the train pulled slowly in to Puno we were afforded our first view of Lake Titicaca on whose shores the town sits. Puno is a small town and, the main street aside, quite run down. We stayed in a nice little hostal though and met up with a few friends whom we'd met on the Inca Trail (we were all following a similar itinerary for the few days after leaving Cusco). Our short stay in Puno was actually a lot of fun, catching moto and cycle taxis, visiting the islands of Lake Titicaca during the day and spending the evening playing Jenga in a local bar with new friends.

Rather than over spending on a tourist sightseeing boat, we decided to head down to the port early in the morning and hop on a local boat for our trip to the lake's islands. Local boats offer cheaper transport as they deliver food and people to the floating Isla Los Uros and Tequile. The floating islands were incredible. To think that people live on floating islands made of reeds is almost unimaginable until you see and step on them. Although very 'touristy' now, the islands are still really worth the visit and our explanation (although entirely in Spanish) was very interesting. We took a trip from one island to another on one of the islander's infamous reed boats and were sung to (in Engish and French nonetheless) by local children (who collected and shared out their money in true entrepreneurial spirit at the end of the ride!). From the floating islands we set sail to Isla Tequile (about a further 3 hours). The weather had picked up by the time we set foot on land and our view of the island and the lake were wonderful. After walking the 500 steps up to the 'town' we enjoyed a lunch there, had a walk around and then made our way back to the dock for our return trip to Puno. Some travellers choose to spend the night on the island but I must admit that we were quite pleased to be returning (it's a small island and easily explored in a couple of hours). The trip home was a cold one - as soon as the sun disappears at that altitude the temperature drops very quickly.

The following day we caught a bus to Arequipa (where we are now) with our new friends, David and Anne-Marie from Quebec, Canada. Here we've visited the beautiful Monasterio Santa Catalina and the incredible museum housing Juanita the sacrificial Incan ice mummy (along with other similar mummies) found on mountain peaks in Peru. Feeling a little under the weather for the past couple of days, it's been great to be in such an easy city.

Tomorrow we head out for a 3 day 2 night trek in the Colca Canyon where we hope to see Condors and mountain peaks. We also get the chance to visit hot springs and spend the night in the canyon itself. After that our plans have changed yet again and we have decided to make our way into northern Chile (rather than Bolivia) but I'll write more about that later as the plans unfold a little more.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

2008-01-22T22:16:00.000Z

We survived the Inca Trail and made it to Machu Picchu in one piece - if a little wet. We knew when we booked our trek that January is mid rainy season in Peru and so we expected at least some rain and Pachamama (Mother Earth) didn't disappoint. In fact, bar the first day's easy walk, it rained every day. Having said that, we had a wonderful time. Despite the weather, the scenery that was visible was outstanding and the ruins of Machu Picchu city are incredible. We had been told that we would really enjoy this trek and we really did. The tour company that we went with were great. The tents were dry, the food was out of this world and the porters super human! We certainly made the right decision in opting to pay a little extra and hire a third of a porter to carry some of our stuff as it meant that we could trek with only our day packs and not have the extra weight during the often steep uphill sections of the trek.

We were met by our tour guide and bus outside our hostel on the first morning of the trek (at a very unearthly hour) and proceeded to collect the other fourteen members of our trekking group. After an hours driving to Ollyantaytambo we stopped for a breakfast of pancakes to fuel the first day's trekking and got to know some of our fellow trekkers - a mixed group of travellers from UK, USA, Canada and Australia. As we began our trek and got our passports stamped at the official entrance to the Inca Trail, the sun shone down making the walk a beautiful one and lulling us all in to a false sense of security. Our first lunch stop (halfway to our first campsite) gave us our first insight into the food and service that we got throughout our four day journey. A dining tent had been erected; handwashing bowls, soap and towels placed outside so that we could wash our hands before eating and cutlery wrapped in paper napkins was laid out on the linen clad table...who knew camping could be like this (especially camping in the Andes!). The food itself was absolutely incredible. I'd opted for the vegetarian menu and my first meal consisted on vegetable stuffed advocados - wow! In fact the food was a real highlight throughout the trek. Our chef worked wonders with food carried by porters from the last town and treated us to a three course meal twice a day aswell as pancakes or omlettes for breakfast...amazing!

The mornings started early with 5.30am (and even one 4am) wakeup calls, accompanied by a hot cup of coffee and breakfast while the porters expertly packed away the tents and other equipment. We started walking at 7am (5am on the last morning) in order to arrive at our camp fairly early. We'd been warned that the second day of walking (an ascent to the hightest point of the trek - Dead Woman's Pass - at 4200m) was a challenging one. Considering that it quite literally poured with rain for the entire climb (parts of which are very steep indeed) it really wasn't that bad. Our few days in Cusco had obviously helped us with acclimatisation and we made it to the top and down the other side unscathed by the experience. It was only a shame that the rain and low cloud prevented us from seeing what surely would have been a spectacular view from the top.

The third day's walking (the longest) was the most enjoyable. The rain was on and off but the trail was just as I'd imagined it to be. Large stones laid into the ground with steep steps and tunnels winding their way around the lush hillsides. At the third camp we'd been told to expect a hot shower and the opportunity to buy food and beer. The beer went down very well as we played cards after dinner (but my shower was certainly not hot!). The final day of the trek means a very early start in order to trek to the Sun Gate for an unspoilt view of Machu Picchu city (minus the tourists). After a bit of speed march we arrived at the 'Sun Gate' to be greeted by nothing but a view of the low lying cloud. We couldn't even make out which direction Machu Picchu was in! Needless to say, we didn't stay long and made our way down to Machu Picchu itself (which we could see close up). I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little disappointed that we weren't treated to the picture postcard view of this amazing Inca city but it was spectacular to be there nonetheless and we felt a small sense of achievement at having trekked such an iconic trail and made it to the end still smiling.

After some time spent touring the ruined city we descended to the town of Agua Calientes where we spent the few hours waiting for our train back to Cusco eating pizza and playing cards. The train ride itself was very long and after three nights of camping (and a distinct lack of sleep) it felt a bit torturous, but we eventually arrived back at our hotel and I had the best night's sleep I think I've ever had!

Today we've spent the day in Cusco. We ate a hearty breakfast and treated ourselves to a £3.50 massage (a whole hour!) to ease our weary muscles...money well spent. Tomorrow we head to Puno by train from where we will visit Lake Titicaca. More on that later.

Cusco & The Sacred Valley of the Inca's

2008-01-16T23:11:00.000Z

Hello from Cusco, where we have been since Monday afternoon. Arriving here (3326m) from sea level in Lima we have both felt a little short of breath and I've had a fairly persistent headache which I've put down to the altitude. That aside, we're having a lovely time is this beautiful town. On Monday afternoon we did a little exploring of the centre of the town and yesterday was spent organising some logistics for our trek to Machu Picchu and our onward travel to Puno. After much deliberation we have decided to travel by train to Puno rather than bus. Although the bus is quite a bit faster, we are both a bit sick of bus travel and are keen to take advantage of the few opportunities to travel by train that are on offer in South America. That decision made we then had to decide whether to travel 'Backpacker Class' (I'll leave that up to your imagination) or 'First Class', there is no in between. The price difference is about 80% and we know we really should have gone for the cheaper option but we threw caution to the wind and splashed out, lured by the glass roofed viewing cabin, lunch, afternoon tea and white linen table cloths...not sure we have the correct attire for this trip on Peru's 'Orient Express'! We have an extra day in Cusco after our trek (to recover and because the train only leaves on certain days) and will be on our way by rail to Puno on 23rd January.

Back to the present then. While paying the balance of our trek fee at our tour company, Peru Treks, we enquired about the best way to visit the Sacred Valley. We really wanted to visit on Wednesday (today) as that way we would avoid the large tour groups which visit on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Not enjoying following someone holding a flag or jostling our way to the front of a good view point in order to catch a picture (which inevitably includes someone else catching snap of the very same thing), we wanted to hire a guide and driver and visit the valley alone. Peru Treks organised the whole day for us at a reasonable price with a taxi and English speaking guide. We were collected from our hostel at 8am this morning and have had a wonderful day exploring the Inca ruins of Pisac, Ollaytaytambo and Chinchero along with local markets and a llama/alpaca breeding site to boot!

The llama/alpaca site is run by locals and designed to explain the differences between the animals and demonstrate how alpaca wool is dyed and woven into the intricate wall hangings and shawls that stock the shops and market stalls of Cusco and the surrounding towns. The time and skill involved in this weaving process is quite phenomenal and the most intricate hangings can take many months to complete. Natural dyes are created using plants, herbs and even parasites of cacti plants and are then mixed with lemon juice to produce numerous colours and shades. The wool is dyed over an oven for up to four hours per batch and then hung to dry. The women of the Andean highlands pass the skills of weaving on to their daughters and spend hours at a time strapped to their weaving looms threading the wool into detailed patterns representing various aspects of their culture and Pachamama (Mother Earth). The results are beautiful and so unmistakably Andean.

After perusing the rather expensive gallery and shop at the site, we moved on to our first Inca fortress perched dramatically above Pisac (the market town of the same name). Arriving early and on a quiet day we were afforded an unspoiled view of the whole site which was spectacular. The ruins are well preserved and we stood awe inspired at the skill and sophistication that this ancient civilisation employed in their creating it. The irrigation system (still working successfully even if unemployed today) puts that of modern Peru to shame and the accurate (even perfect) brickwork and stone carving was almost unfathomable. The Inca citadel at Pisac is famous for it's extensive agricultural terracing which is still very much in place (though not used) and makes for quite a sight whether looking up at it from the road or down on it from the ceremonial centre of the site (complete with its circular Inithuantana or temple of the sun - seen in the picture above).

After an hour or so walking around the site, we headed in to the market town of Pisac for a lunch of empanadas (think Peruvian pasties) which were delicious and a stroll around the handicrafts market where I bought a necklace (which represents the Inca calender) and we haggled hard on a soft alpaca blanket which we now have to try to post home...hmm!

The day continued with a drive along the lush valley of the Urubamba river and visits to the Inca fortress at Ollantaytambo (where the whole town is set amongst the cobbled Inca streets and has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century) and Chinchero (known to the Inca's as the birthplace of the rainbow) which beautifully combines Inca ruins with a magnificent colonial church set at the highest point of the village.

All in all this has been a fantastic day topped off with a tasting of the local brew - Chica (fermented corn beer) served plain or with a strawberry flavour and a game of 'Sapo'. Feeling a little more acclimatised, I'm now looking forward to leaving for the trek to Machu Picchu on Friday and will take the opportunity to visit the musems and galleries of the town of Cusco tomorrow along with stocking up on snacks and an all encompassing plastic waterproof poncho necessary for trekking during the rainy season in the Andes.

Buses and Planes!

2008-01-14T21:24:00.000Z

After a short blogging hiatus, I'm back online. We seem to have spent alot of time travelling and in transit over recent days and it's nice to have finally arrived in Cusco where we will be based for the next few days while we acclimatise for the Inca Trail trek. After an uneventful stay in the commerical city of Guayaquil we left via an Ormeno 'Royal Class' bus bound for Lima, Peru...a mere 24 hour ride away. The bus as it turned out was not too bad, if not fit for royalty, and the passengers a mix of Ecaudorians, Peruvians and a few of backpackers, although we happened to be seated next to two young Jesuit nuns (not big on conversation and both Simon and I were a little hesitant to initiate it for fear of breaking some unknown protocol!).

The double decker bus, although old, was fairly comfortable and the seats did recline a fair way so I even managed a few hours of sleep. The driver seemed relatively restrained in his driving for the most part and we made it through immigration both out of Ecuador and into Peru without a hitch. Due to some considerable roadworks on the Pan-American Highway fairly soon into our journey we managed to lose alot of time (which the driver decided to try to make up on the cliff top road into Lima...a little hair-raising to say the least - again I thought of you Dad!). Our stops were very seldom and I must admit the last few agonising hours were not easy as we lurched through heavy traffic on the outskirts of Lima. My relief at arriving was tinged by the exhaustion of the journey (who would know that sitting still for so long can be so tiring!). Thankfully we had chosen a really lovely hostel for our stay in the capital of Peru. Hostal El Patio is on a quiet street in the heart of Miraflores (the waterfront district of the city) and really was a sanctuary of calm and quiet. Based around a central courtyard full of flowers and birds we were on the first floor looking down over the sun terrace below and felt far removed from the busy city outside of the gates. We'd been told by many people that Miraflores feels European and they weren't wrong. It's a very developed district of Lima and is home to a waterfront shopping mall filled with high end shops, bars and restaurants all looking down over the beach and surfers below. I must admit to a little retail therapy and an indulgent frappacino in Starbucks. I know it's not really in keeping with our trip but we couldn't resist!

After a couple of days in Lima sightseeing and relaxing we headed to the airport this morning at the ungodly hour of 3.30am to catch our 5.30am flight to Cusco. Everything was going swimmingly (despite the turbulent flight) until we began our descent into Cusco at which point the pilot informed us that the weather conditions were too poor to land and that we would need to be diverted to Lima...diverted - we'd just come from Lima! After some considerable passenger groaning and an hour's return flight we landed at Lima airport where we were told that we had to stay on the plane as we would be taking off again in an hour...bound for Cusco. We did take off (not within the hour) and after another turbulent flight and the sportiest (as Simon choses to refer to it...terrifying I say) landing I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing we did get to Cusco (only just skimming the mountain tops on the way down). We are now safely ensconced in our hostel which again is just lovely. Another courtyard theme but this time hidden behind an original Incan doorway which in a bygone year lead to a sacred place. Here we rest and acclimatise for our Inca Trail trek which begins on Friday and from what I've seen so far, I can't think of a better place to hang out.

Website blog working again...

2008-01-10T22:22:00.000Z

I know...don't hold your breath - it might be offline again next time I try to update. But for now, to make life easier for you and me it's up and running. Please try to leave your comments directly on the website. I'm going to have a go now to make sure that it works.

We are now in Guayaquil (with a great internet connection hence the website fixing) just for the night after a beautiful bus trip from Cuenca through the Parque Nacional Cajas reaching almost 4000m in altitude. Guayaquil is on the Ecuadorian coast and is not really a tourist town but we're hoping for a good meal by the water tonight. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we catch the bus for our epic 24 hour journey to Lima. Think of us as you sink into your comfy beds for the night :)

S

Cuenca and the Montecristi

2008-01-10T14:43:00.001Z

We thought we'd left ridiculously early mornings behind us when we left The Beagle and her 'sunrise breakfasts' in the Galapagos. However, in order to capitalise on the cheapest flights we had to catch a very early one to Cuenca on Wednesday morning. Cuenca was originally in our itinerary and was then dropped due to time constraints and added once again when our plans for travelling to Peru changed from air to overland. Cuenca was one city that I had always been really keen to see and so I was really pleased that we were able to squeeze in a flying visit on our way south. After a 5am start with hot coffee and filled bagels to take away, provided by the Magic Bean hostel, we made our way to the airport and on to the 7am TAME flight to Ecuador's most beautiful city.

During our stay in Ecuador so far we have felt somewhat cheated that due to low cloud we had yet to see the high peaks and volcanoes that the highlands of the country are so famous for. Simon even managed to get very close to the top of one without ever actually seeing it in all its glory. We were thrilled then that an early morning flight above the clouds afforded us a spectacular view of the high Andes. We witnessed the top of Ecuador's highest peak, Volcan Chimborazo; the beautiful beast that is Volcan Cotopaxi; the jagged cresent peaks of El Altar and the clouds of steam and ash billowing from the crater of 'Little Hell' or Volcan Tungurahua which can be seen in the picture above. The view certainly made up for the somewhat bumpy ride and landing that often goes hand in hand with small commuter plane travel.

And so to Cuenca, the colonial jewel of the south. In 1999 Unesco declared the centre of Cuenca a World Heritage Site and it does not take long to work out why. Beautiful architecture lines the cobbled streets and domed churches nestle comfortably amongst the red tiled roofs of whitewashed buildings. Upon leaving the airport it was instantly obvious that this city is different from any other we've visited so far. It feels less frantic and is 'cleaner' somehow. The parks are beautifully maintained and there is a feeling of greater wealth amongst its population. Although a relatively popular tourist destination we saw very few gringos roaming the city's streets. Obviously equipped to deal with the busy tourist months though, the city owns one open top bus which it uses to take passengers on a tour of the city and up the hill to a viewing point. Although the tour was entirely in Spanish, we did hop on board and made the most of seeing as much of the city as we could in the short time that we had.

Tour over we went in search of Cuenca's most famous export...the Montecristi hat. Globally known as a Panama hat, this woven sombrero de paja toquilla (toquilla straw hat) actually originates in Ecuador. It's 'Panama' name dates back to the 1800s when Spanish entrepreneurs began exporting them to Europe via Panama and workers on the Panama canal used them as protection from the fierce sun. Cuenca is home to the 'Panama' hat museum, several large export companies and many independent, traditional hatters. Keen to sample the local trade we briefly visited the museum and then made our way to the Casa del Sombrero Alberto Pulla. Alberto Pulla is a Cuencan in his 80s who learnt the hat trade from his father from the age of 6. He both refurbishes old hats and finishes new ones and we were thrilled to find him in his workshop. He showed us the hats that he is refurbishing and then took us upstairs to his shop so that Simon could find the perfect Montecristi for himself. He is a delightful man who, although unable to speak, conveys his intentions and delight perfectly when he fits Simon with his handiwork. After demonstrating how to roll the panama up to fit into a pocket or in our case a small wooded box for travel, he signs and dates the box to Simon mi amigo. What a special souvenir!

Galapagos

2008-01-09T13:55:00.001Z

I know that I had promised to write my blog updates offline each day while sailing around the Galapagos but I confess that I didn't get that far. While Simon typed feverishly and edited his photos below deck early each evening, I spent my time on deck taking in the last of the daylight. Mostly, I was chatting to our fellow sailors but on one or two occasions I was concentrating hard on the horizon! So...I'll have to summarise the experience which will not be easy as it was truly out of this world. We knew that this part of our trip was going to be special but I don't think that either of us was really prepared for the magnificence of each island and its unusual inhabitants.

We arrived at the airport on Baltra on New Years Day, a little unsure of what awaited us. We were met by our wonderful and exceptionally knowledgeable guide, Camilo, at the airport and were swiftly transferred along with the eleven other guests to our home on the water, The Beagle. A welcome cocktail greeted us on board which we drank while the crew attended to our luggage. I'm not sure how dangerous it is to have such a luxurious portion of the trip so early on. I guess I'll have some adjusting to do now as I get reacquainted with the budget hostel lifestyle! The yacht was beautiful. There was plenty of room on deck to sit and read or lie in the sun and we ate all of our meals around a large dining table at the rear of the boat. We were fed like kings by our on board chef, Miguel (who is a published author and has a very interesting story to tell about being lost at sea, presumed dead, for 77 days!) and our every need was attended to by the professional and friendly crew and El Capitano. Our fellow passengers were a diverse mix hailing from England, Scotland, Switzerland and USA and at 13, far from unlucky, we were the perfect number. As we passed or anchored close to larger motor cruisers we appreciated the tranquility of the small group and the fact that we were all able to fit into one Zodiac dingy for trips to and from the land. No queuing for us! We were in cabin two which was small but perfectly formed. It came complete with an upper and lower bunk, under-bed storage, air conditioning and a full en-suite with hot shower...providing you got below deck and into it before the majority of the other guests! Every two days our towels were renewed and laid out in like fancy linen origami on our beds. My personal favourite was the 'swan' shaped towel, I was informed that this always happens on cruises and that you can even purchase 'how to' books so that you can pursue towel origami at home!!!

So...to the 'Islands of Fire' themselves. There was no gradual introduction to their awe inspiring beauty. We were dropped off at our first island, North Seymour, just an hour or two after boarding the boat and it was magical. I took over 250 photos within about 2 hours and was overwhelmed to be wandering amongst the infamous inhabitants of these mystical islands. In that first visit we witnessed an abundance of Blue Footed Boobies, Sea Lions, Frigate Birds, Pelicans, Iguanas, Gulls, Cacti, Lizards and more. The documentaries make the Galapagos out to be diverse, dramatic, volcanic, wondrous and abundantly populated (in the natural sense) islands where you can walk amongst animals and plants who are uninhibited and undisturbed by your presence. They are right. In fact the most difficult thing to get to grips with is to remember to keep looking at the path in front of you to ensure that you do not step on the tail of a resting iguana or disturb a nesting Boobie. The weird and wonderful (and at times prehistoric looking) animals are literally strewn across paths and the birds fill the sky and trees with their dancing and shrill calls to attract mates. It is quite literally beyond comprehension.

Our eight days on board The Beagle were spent navigating from one island to another to observe the diverse qualities of each. We were also lucky enough to snorkel on most days and the underwater world didn't fail to disappoint either. We swam with playful sea lions, elegant sting ray, sea turtles, rainbow coloured fish and the slightly intimidating White Tipped Reef Shark. Having never snorkelled before I feel priveledged to have had my first experience in such a magical location.

On one day we visited the most populated island of Santa Cruz where the Darwin Centre is housed. It was here that we were introduced to one of the Galapagos' most famous residents...Lonesome George the giant land tortoise. We met him along with his friends at a breeding centre and then in the wild further into the island. These bizarre creatures were utterly fascinating and although fairly sedentary most of the time, displayed quite aggressive personalities when food was around, fighting each other for the last green leaf or the best patch of grass.

I could go on and on forever about how wonderful this part of the trip has been. I will leave out the occasional sea sickness and the lack of sleep caused by night navigation as it pales into insignificance when I think about how much I learned and what a magical experience I have had. Don't forget to check out the photo gallery on my website under the South America heading.

If you ever get the chance to go to the Galapagos, jump at it.

S

Quito old town and New Years Eve

2007-12-31T21:22:00.000Z

Having returned from our trip to Cotopaxi National Park we have spent the last two days back in Quito, staying in The Magic Bean hostel and doing the sightseeing we missed out on when we first arrived. Yesterday we spent most of the day in the 'Old Town' which is very different from 'Gringolandia' where we are staying. The old part of Quito is beautiful. It's full of magnificent colonial architecture along with large plazas where people gather to sing, dance and generally people watch. We visited churches, museums and a wonderful cafe set high above Quito with incredible views over the city. We've also been really lucky with the weather over the past couple of days and have been enjoying almost unbroken sunshine, the first we've seen since we arrived in the country.

Today is New Years Eve which is a very big deal here in Quito. Preparations started very early this morning and many roads have been closed for the day. New Year celebrations begin a few days before the 31st here in Ecuador with processions, dancing and music. During our walk around the old part of town yesterday we bumped in to a procession on it's way to the Plaza de San Francisco. It was made up of bands, dancers, drummers, clowns, men on stilts and the obligatory men dressed as women (it seems to be a new year theme of sorts here!). Today the main street in our area of Quito is closed and effigies line the pavements alongside bands both traditional and modern and food stalls. The streets have been packed with whole families in fancy dress and an inordinate number of police and security guards. Having been warned of the dangers of Quito at night, we decided to take a look during daylight hours and stick to our hostel after dark. Hopefully we'll catch a glimpse of the effigies burning as they are set alight at midnight. These 'puppets' represent all sorts of well known people and characters and we've seen everything from Bart Simpson and the Ecuadorian football team to Fidel Castro! The celebration seems to be an opportunity to vent political frustrations and as a result George Bush becomes is a regular sight when strolling down Ave. Amazonas!

Early tomorrow morning we leave for an 8 day cruise around the islands of the Galapagos. This is a part of the trip that we have been especially looking forward to and having checked the weather forecast it looks as though we're in for a warm and sunny week. We will be based on a yacht called the Beagle and will sail between the islands finding out about their unique habitats and wildlife. We won't have internet access while we are there but plan to write blog updates offline and upload them when we get back to Quito. We're particularly looking forward to the photo opportunities - be sure to check out our photo galleries when we get back.

Today was also a day of administration. Due to the ridiculous price of flying between Ecuador and Peru we've decided to change our plans a little (check out the itnerary on my website for more details) and travel overland to Lima by bus - should be an interesting 24 hours!

I hope you all have a wonderful new year's eve and wish you all a very happy 2008. I'm just off now to buy Simon a dress...while in Rome!

Cotopaxi...the refuge and the mountain

2007-12-30T21:21:00.001Z

After a relatively luxurious stay at The Black Sheep Inn, we got a lift to our next port of call - Hostal Valhalla (just outside Cotopaxi National Park). We arrived late in the afternoon and the place was shrouded in cloud, cold and damp. It wasn't the best introduction in the world and was not bettered when the manager was not aware of our booking. After some firm gesticulating (on Simon's behalf) and a few serious phone calls (on his behalf) he finally relented and agreed that we had indeed booked and paid!

Hostal Valhalla is owned by the agency that we had booked for our attempt to climb Cotopaxi (Agency Moggley) and is more functional than beautiful. In fact, it is a large, bright orange/pink concrete block in the middle of the countryside and certainly won't be winning any design awards. Also staying there were a group of English guys who were to be our climbing partners. We only stayed at the hostel for one night and were met by our mountain guides the following lunchtime. They'd returned from climbing Cotopaxi with another group of travellers who were all looking distinctly worse for wear (only 2 of their group of 8 reached the summit) and were turning around and heading straight back there with us! After handing out our kit (ice axes, crampons, glacial goggles, plastic boots etc) we piled into a transit van for the very bumpy hour or so to the final dropping off point for Volcan Cotopaxi. The 'parking lot' is an area of volcanic soil at 4500m in altitude. We then had to drag ourselves and our packs up a further 300m in altitude (on a 45 degree slope) also on volcanic soil...two steps forward and one backwards the whole way. By this time I was really feeling the altitude (as you can probably tell by the grimace on my face in the photo above). My head was pounding and the nausea was beginning to set in. I really had to give myself a good talking to in order to make it to the 'refugio' at 4800m. I did eventually get there but had (during my good talking to) already decided that there was no way that I was going to be able to attempt the climb. I was struggling with the altitude and wasn't really in the right frame of mind. I was also conscious that I didn't want to be the reason that anyone else in my group had to turn around, therefore denying them the opportunity to summit. With that decision made, I concentrated on keeping myself hydrated and warm.

Simon, who had very patiently stayed with me on the climb up to the refuge, was feeling fine. He did not appear to be suffering at all from the altitude and was really looking forward to the experience. Late that afternoon, he went out on to the glacier with the other (by now only two) climbers in our group and the guides. He was shown how to effectively use his ice axe and crampons and climbed a little higher to aid his acclimatisation. After an early and basic dinner we headed up to our bunks on the top floor of the refuge (which sleeps over 70!) and were tucked into our sleeping bags (and in my case all of my clothes too) by 7.15pm - a record even for us!

At 12 midnight Simon and the other climbers got out of bed and readied themselves for the task ahead. After a snack and kit check they hit the mountain. I remember saying goodbye, telling him not to be too macho and to come back if things looked too dangerous. I also remember hearing the wind...it really was blowing a gale out there. For details on the climb itself check out Simon's blog where I'm sure he'll relay the cold hard facts. He arrived back at the refuge at about 7am the following morning looking like a broken man. I don't think I've ever seen him so close to tears as he was that morning. Exhausted both physically and mentally and no doubt by then suffering the ill effects of altitude himself, he really was at rock bottom. Coming down in altitude, rehydrating and forcing himself to eat, slowly enabled recovery and by the time we arrived back at The Magic Bean in Quito in the early afternoon he was getting back to his usual positive self. He has said that climbing Cotopaxi was the most challenging task he has ever undertaken but if I know Simon, by the time he updates his blog, it will also be one of the most rewarding!

Christmas at the Black Sheep Inn

2007-12-26T21:41:00.000Z

Christmas away from home is always difficult for me. Growing up, Christmas was something that we looked forward to for months and Mum and Dad managed to make it last not just one but several days. I am still such a big kid when it comes to the day itself and really enjoy the process of buying and giving gifts (I'm quite partial to receiving them too!) so this year was always going to be hard. We are not only miles away from home but quite literally in the middle of nowhere here at the Black Sheep Inn. While that is its great appeal we found that it didn't feel at all like Christmas here. We had decided to have a relaxing day as we'd done a couple of long hikes on the days before but with hindsight we probably should have planned an activity as a relaxing day can make for a long one when you're not really where you want to be. Don't get me wrong, we're having a lovely time but I really felt the distance yesterday and I think it dawned on me that we 're going to be away for a really long time.

It was not all doom and gloom though. Simon surprised me with a lovely gift (a gift token for Mallory jewellers to be used on our return) and we had a wonderful dinner with the other guests here on Christmas evening. The dinner was also topped off by a big sing song lead by a very musical family who were staying here. The day certainly ended better than it began!

We decided, after much deliberation, to travel with our laptop and it has really proved it's worth over the past couple of days with both Simon and I being able to call home via Skype to wish our families a happy Christmas. It was wonderful to be able to talk to them all (despite the delay on the satellite line) and it really made our day. I must say that the 'internet cafe' here really beats any I've ever been to before. We sat in the treehouse overlooking the hills and clouds below us to make our calls and check our email. This really is testament to the speed with which technology is making advances...that we can sit in a treehouse in the high Andes of Ecuador and call the UK via a wireless satellite connection! We were even able to lend out our laptop so that another couple here could call home and surprise their families which was lovely.

Today is 'Boxing Day' (although no such thing exists outside the UK) and we decided to go for a long walk to keep ourselves busy and get in some more acclimatisation for our Cotopaxi climb. We walked in a big loop from the Inn, passing through a small village, following the river past an unusual sand bar and gorge to a suspension bridge (which tested my nerve - see Simon's photos) and finally visiting an Italian mission and word work studio. The walk was again breathtakingly beautiful but we were caught out by a huge downpour on the steep ascent out of the valley. The walk was about four and a half hours long in total, with the first hour and a half being all downhill and the last two and a half hours being all uphill! We were both thoroughly exhausted and absolutely drenched by the time we made it back to the lodge at the Black Sheep. A hot shower, some food and a couple of cups of tea later, I feel revived.

We leave the Black Sheep Inn tomorrow morning to make our way to Cotopaxi National Park in preparation for our attempt at the summit of Volcan Cotopaxi on Saturday morning. We are hopefully going to share a lift in a truck to Latacunga and then make our way by bus to Hostal Valhalla tomorrow (that would surely beat the 4am bus out of Chugchilan, which is our only other option). We will sleep at Hostal Valhalla tomorrow (Thursday) night and then meet our climbing group on Friday morning. We then travel together to the edge of Cotopaxi, walking the last 45 minutes to the refuge which is at 4800m in altitude. Friday afternoon is spent doing some basic training in the use of crampons and ice axes on the edge of the glacier followed by some food and a very short nights rest in the bunkroom. We leave the refuge at 12 midnight and climb through the early hours of Saturday morning, hopefully making the summit 6 - 8 hours later! I'll let you know in a few days whether our attempt at the summit was a success (many people fail to reach the top due to altitude and exhaustion - we've been told it's a case of mental strength...not sure where I stand on that one!). Wish us luck.

S

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T16:28:00.001Z

We just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas. We hope you're enjoying your day and over indulging as we would be had we been at home. Thinking of you all.

Sarah & Simon x

The cloud forest and fresh milk!

2007-12-24T20:23:00.001Z

Today we visited the Ecuadorian cloud forest high above Chugchilan. As its name suggests, the cloud forest sits in the clouds high in the hills. It is a very humid environment and the perfect breeding ground for hundreds of different plants. We were hoping to see some orchids and although we're not here at the best time of year, we weren't disappointed. There were many orchids, some of which were in flower, alongside a multitude of other plants. Our guide (a sixteen year old local boy called Rodrigo) was excellent. Even with our broken Spanish he persevered in his explanations until we understood and put up with our rambling attempts to ask questions. In fact I think my Spanish improved a lot today as I was forced to find ways to make myself understood as well as listening carefully and trying to decipher his replies. For more detail about the plants and some great photos, check out Simon's website (he does a much better job of the photography than me and is, as I write this, looking up the correct names for the plants we saw!).

After our tough hike back to the Black Sheep Inn from the Laguna yesterday, we decided to take it a bit easier today as my knees are feeling the strain. We got a lift up to the cloud forest in the back of truck and hiked back down. After our walk through the cloud forest we ate our packed lunch next to a small waterfall, sitting right in the clouds. The walk back down to the village was great too. Much more gentle than yesterday's decent into the gorge with beautiful views. We spent this time finding out as much as we could about the area from Rodrigo and even helping him with his English a little. Halfway down the mountain we stopped to watch a local woman who was milking her cows in the steep field just off the path. She gestured for me to join her which I did...she then asked me to drink some of the fresh milk. Not wanting to tempt fate I decided that it might be more than my stomach could handle. Simon was keen though. The woman proceeded to decant some milk into a tin pot and pass it to Simon. He took a few sips and told her that it was delicious whilst trying to return the pot to her. She wasn't having any of it though. Simon was not allowed to return the pot until he had finished up all of the milk. He thinks it was just over a pint in total - don't forget that the milk was straight from the cow and very warm! The woman thought the whole episode was hilarious and was very happy to have her photo taken.

We arrived back to the Inn to a good cup of tea and a bus load of new guests. I guess these are the people we'll be spending Christmas with. It feels strange to think it's Christmas and we're not at home wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music and spending time with families. We miss you all but be sure that we're having a wonderful time and you're in our thoughts constantly. We often remark how one or the other of you would 'love this' or 'hate that'. We hope you're enjoying the blogs as much as we're enjoying using them as a way of recording our journey.

Hiking to Laguna de Quilotoa

2007-12-23T21:53:00.001Z

After a bone shaking four hour bus journey we've arrived safe and sound at the Black Sheep Inn. It's absolutely beautiful here and we are enjoying the relative luxury of the hotel. We arrived to a very warm welcome from the owners and staff and have been enjoying good food and good company ever since. The hotel is set in the middle of nowhere (quite literally) and it feels amazing to sit looking out of the window into the clouds while uploading my blog via wireless internet!!! Our room is really pretty with a wood burning stove which kept us warm during the cold night. We woke this morning to a pancake breakfast and then set off in a large group of 12 to hike around the Laguna de Quilotoa. We rode in the back of a pick-up truck to get up to the lake which was a bumpy but fun hour and a half long! When we got there it felt as though we were on top of the world. The temperature had dropped considerably and we felt very lucky that although it wasn't sunny, there was not rain and little cloud. We were therefore able to enjoy what was a spectacular view of the lake. The hike back to the hotel took us four hours and was at times quite gruelling. The altitude makes what would normally be fairly easy, a bit of a struggle. However some of the climbing that we did would have been challenging at any altitude. It's good acclimatisation for our attempt to summit Cotopaxi in a weeks time though.

We were fairly exhausted when we arrived back at the hotel but had that wonderful post-exercise feeling that we'd really earned our dinner this evening. After a hot shower and a cup of tea, I'm sitting in the lodge of the Black Sheep Inn which really feels like a home away from home.

Tomorrow we plan to visit the cloud forest and hunt for orchids. We've decided to take a truck up to the forest and hike back down - giving ouselves a bit of a break after today's adventure. In the meantime I'm looking forward to a hearty meal served around a big table and getting to know some more people who've just arrived.

Signing off...exhausted but happy.
S

Farewell Latacunga

2007-12-21T23:54:00.001Z

This view from our hostel window is perhaps a little misleading as far as demonstrating Latacunga to those of you back home. I will admit that in order to take it, I had to stretch out of our 5th floor window and zoom in to exclude the other more common, and less picturesque buildings, in view. Latacunga sits at the base of Cotopaxi and has in fact been destroyed by her eruptions, and subsequently rebuilt, three times over the course of time. The history of the town is therefore not all that old and the buildings that do stand represent a real mix in architectural style an age. Latacunga itself does not feature heavily on the tourist/backpacker trail other than as a gateway to Cotopaxi National Park and the starting point for the treks that are frequently undertaken in the area. Arriving by bus from Banos along the Pan-American Highway, Latacunga appears split both by the highway itself and the Rio Cutuchi river. It is a busy market town that clearly thrives on local trade out of the several bustling markets (see Simon's pictures for a taste of the market in full swing) quite unlike the relaxed and rather touristy Banos.

This time my Spanish had paid off and again we had successfully reserved the correct hostel for the correct number of nights.! The hostel is exactly as described by the Lonely Planet in that it is cheap, clean and the owners are friendly. Predictably though it lacks any sort of character which is a shame after our stay at the very pretty hostel in Banos. What the Lonely Planet failed to point out is the fact that the hostel is in an extremely noisy location and we were kept awake long into the night by car horns, shouting and one very irritating barking dog which even our earplugs failed to quieten.

Luckily we'd picked up a leaflet in Quito about a recently opened backpackers hostel and cafe in Latacunga which we hot-footed our way to immediately after check in. We've spent quite a bit of time there since and it has provided a welcome haven from the hustle and bustle of this town, along with good coffee, delicious cookies and a helpful owner.

I'm sure that this post will differ wildly from Simon's...we really are in the same place, I promise! This is the kind of town that makes me feel a little homesick...not much to do or see and a feeling of treading water until we move on to our next destination.

Latacunga has been interesting but is not somewhere I'd hurry back to. On the plus side...we're off to the Black Sheep Inn tomorrow, where our room has a wood burning stove; there are no roads; we'll eat great vegetarian food (I certainly need that after today's market experience) family style with the other hostel residents; we can take beautiful walks and we can enjoy Christmas. Apparently they do have internet so hopefully we'll be able to write all about it. Stay in touch, I love reading the blog comments and receiving emails.

Sarah x

Website blog back up and running

2007-12-21T15:27:00.000Z

Just a quick note to say that the website blog is now back up and running so you can access the blog and post comments directly to the site by going to: www.mybigwideworld.com
We are now in Latacunga (just on the edge of Cotopaxi National Park) and we're moving on to The Black Sheep Inn tomorrow. We're not sure if we will get internet access there or not (we're thinking it's quite unlikely) so if not...we hope you all have a very Happy Christmas!
Sarah

Video as promised

2007-12-20T15:45:00.000Z

Hope you enjoy the video, it should give you a feel for our canyoning experience. My abseiling skills are far from honed as you can see but I had a fantastic time nonetheless. Our guide (ever so slightly crazy in my opinion) thought he'd test his own skills by undertaking a couple of front-facing descents that were even scary to watch!

I'd wondered all afternoon why we were all wearing slightly strange looking PVC 'nappies', but found that they were put to very good use as we slid down the final two smaller waterfalls in to deep pools of water...lots of fun.

We´re off to Latacunga today and so we embark on another bus journey and a change of location. I've really enjoyed Baños but in the true spirit of travel, I'm ready for another new experience.

Canyoning in Baños

2007-12-20T00:17:00.000Z

Today Simon and I went canyoning just outside Baños. Until this week I had no idea what canyoning actually was but it seems that I'm being inducted into the world of adventurous water sports at quite a rate on this trip. Having abseiled only once before and being a little nervous of heights, canyoning ticked all the right boxes to have me scared out of my wits and at times it did just that. I must admit that I wasn't too keen on changing into my wetsuit at the tour company office in the middle of town but as the pickup truck dropped us at the end of a dirt track and we realised that we had a bit of a climb on our hands I'm glad that I didn't have to carry all of my things. My poor legs are still suffering from yesterday's hike so the 15 minute scramble to the top of the waterfall wearing my wetsuit, plastic jacket, harness and helmet was more than a little uncomfortable! The descent consisted of abseiling down 5 waterfalls, starting with the shortest and finishing on a 40 metre whopper!

Despite the nerves and the destruction of our 'white collar' hands (Simon spent a while suggesting that the guide offer gloves to the next group...such a delicate little flower that he his!) we had a brilliant time and felt as though we were in very capable hands. Our confidence grew as we gained a bit of experience and just as we thought we'd really got the hand of it, our guide showed us how it should be done!

I'll post a video of the experience tomorrow.

Bye S

Trekking in Baños

2007-12-18T22:59:00.000Z

After a disappointing start to the day when we were told that we could not trek up to view the volcano due to a big eruption during the night, Simon and I went to the tourist information office to check how long the hiking routes would be closed for. The woman there told us that we'd been misinformed and that the routes were in fact open. She told us that the volcano regularly erupts to the degree that it did last night and that we should not be unduly worried about it. We took her advice and set out walking at lunchtime. We decided (well Simon did actually as I'd wanted to go the slightly easier route!) to walk up the steep steps to the Virgen de Agua Santa (a monument positioned half way up the mountain on the slopes of Volcan Tunguruhua). We really felt the altitude as we ascended very slowly up the near 45 degree slope! The locals on the route whistled past us having barely broken sweat in the heat of the early afternoon. Our slow pace paid off and we made it in one piece to the top where the view of Baños town and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. Sadly no volcano to be seen as the top of the mountain was again shrowded in cloud as it has been since we arrived.

The weather lower down the slopes was beautiful though and we continued to walk high above Baños around the mountain to another viewing point. The diversity of the plants and wildlife here is breathtaking. Flowers of vivid reds, pinks and oranges are visited constantly by enormous numbers of butterfly. They seemed totally unperturbed by our existence and danced around us for most of our walk.

We got back to our hostel in mid-afternoon and both felt as though we'd had a good workout (good preparation for the longer treks to come). After putting our clothes on to wash in the hostel's washing machine we headed out for a hard earned iced coffee...this is the life!

S

Baños

2007-12-18T15:01:00.000Z

We arrived in Baños on Sunday after a 4 hour bus journey from Quito. Again the bus was on time and the journey uneventful. All bus journeys here seem to take on the feel of a mobile market as street sellers jump on board at every stop (or even when the bus driver merely slows at the lights) hawking thier wares. We were offered all sorts from the predicatbale fruit, sweets and crisps to CDs and so on. Our 'direct' bus to Baños turned out to be a little less direct than expected and the Baños Express (as they laughingly called themselves) not very quick at all but we've already come to expect that in the short time we've been here. Baños is a relaxed place with lots of travellers both American, European and Ecuadorian - here to swim in the hot baths and try one of the various outdoor pursuits that are readily on offer. I guess it's the equivalent (relatively speaking) of Bath at home with its hot springs and it literally translates as such too.

Our attempts to book our hostel ahead of time over the phone from Quito paid dividends when we turned up at 'Le Petit Auberge' to find that they were indeed expecting us! Our limited Spanish enables us to reel off sentences and requests fairly easily but we often find ourselves at a complete loss when the well meaning local in turn reels off their very rapid response - to which we normally nod and utter 'Si, Si'. The hostel is quite rustic and very pretty. It has beautiful garden and the room comes with a fireplace which we intend to crank up tonight as it does get pretty chilly in the evenings here.

We spent our first afternoon exploring the town which is quite small and easy to get around. There are an enourmous number of internet cafes and tour companies lining the streets amongst the bars, restuarants and many hostels and hotels. We can't get WiFi here so we're having to use the internet cafes to blog and check our email which is working out ok despite the exceptionally slow internet connections that seem to be the norm here.

We had already decided that we wanted to do some of the activities on offer in the town and having heard some horror stories about the reliability and safety of some companies offering such activities we decided to stick with the Lonely Planet's recommendation and booked up to go white water rafting with a company called GeoTours. Their reputation was well deserved and we had a brilliant day. Having never rafted before I must admit that I was a bit nervous beforehand and terrified at some points on the water. We did a grade 4 river which is the most challenging I can ever imagine wanting to do! Our leader was fantastic and really knew his stuff. We had a short briefing before we got on to the river and then, dressed in some very flattering neoprene (no pictures of this you'll be relieved to hear), we hopped on board the raft and took to the water. Simon was sat at the front of the raft (as was I until I decided just before setting off that I'd rather sit in the middle...I'm such a chicken!) and coped admirably with the huge white water that we battled through. I found it difficult enough to remember my right from my left as the instructor shouted commands from the back of the raft. I made it to the end (without falling out - although there were some close calls!) though and am very glad I tried it.

Yesterday evening we bumped in to (and had dinner with) a guy who'd been on our flight from Houston to Quito/Guayaquil, and his girlfriend. Simon had met him while waiting for some free food at our unexpected overnight airport stay. They (randomly enough) are staying in the same hostel as us, in the room next door (it's a small world!).

Today we were supposed to be trekking up the mountain to the volcano viewing points. Baños is located at the base of Volcan Tunguruhua which is an active volcano. The last big eruption was in 1999 with smaller eruptions in 2005/6. Apparently it is has been fairly active recently (which was apparent to us as we approached Baños by bus...we could see the top of the volcano spewing ash into the sky which was pretty spectacular) and it's possible to walk or take guided trips to see the volcano both at day and at night. We were planning to head off this morning for our trek but were told that the volcano had erupted last night and that all the trekking routes and roads are now closed. Apparently it sounded like a jet taking off and considering the distinct lack of airport in Baños it must have been quite scary (Simon and I didn't even stir from sleep...typical!). So we now have some time on our hands today and I thought I'd make good use of it by posting my blog and trying to upload a few pictures of the hostel where we're staying.

Tomorrow we are going canyoning which is basically (as far as I can work out) abseiling down waterfalls. Apparently we begin by practising on waterfalls of about 4-6 metres in height and as we gain experience and confidence the height of the waterfalls increases. Finally we are supposed to tackle a couple of waterfalls of between 40 and 60 metres in height...we'll see! We're able to take our camera tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have some hilarious photos to upload over the next couple of days.

We think we might rent a quad bike this afternoon and drive out of town on the scenic waterfall route. This might be the only opportunity to see the falls from the comfort of dry land!

Check in again soon

Otavalo Market

2007-12-16T12:56:00.000Z

On Saturday morning we were up early as we had a bus to catch to Otavalo Market which has a reputation as the biggest and best in South America. You know me...if there’s an opportunity to do some shopping I’m there (however early I have to get out of bed!). Actually getting up was extremely easy as the jet lag ensured that we were both wide awake and ready to go by about 5am! We managed to snooze for a little longer and after a very temperamental shower we indulged in our Magic Bean complimentary breakfast. A couple of pancakes and some yoghurt and granola later we headed to the bus station.

It turns out that bus travel here is fairly cheap and really easy to negotiate. You pay about a dollar for each hour of the journey. Having said that, the driving leaves a little to be desired. Again Simon’s hand bore the scars of my intense gripping as we hurtled at break neck speed up and down winding mountain roads (Dad you would have loved it!!!). Two and a half hours later we arrived at Otavalo and made our way to the ‘Plaza de Ponchos’ which is home to hundreds upon hundreds of brightly coloured stalls selling (yes you guessed it...) ponchos, along with hats, clothes, embroidered goods, arts, crafts, hammocks, jewellery, toys, and more interestingly fresh foods and spices. It was indeed Gringo heaven as the hoards of American exchange students bartered for their must have ethnic jewellery and the items of clothing which they are sure never to wear again! We managed to contain ourselves and bought very little (I know that may seem hard to believe) as we were very aware that this was only day 2 of our trip. We bought a couple of presents (Becky G your christmas present will be winging it’s way to you from Ecuador - not sure how long it will take though) and a little painting. The bus journey back was almost as torturous but Simon kept his hands well away from me and noone suffered any injury.

The altitude is affecting our appetites somewhat and on Friday night we didn’t eat dinner. On Saturday we couldn’t eat lunch but by late afternoon they had restored themselves somewhat and we ate at a Steak House just down the road from our hostel. Without wanting to sound dramatic or caught up in the moment, it was probably the best steak I’ve ever eaten...cooked to perfection and delicious. We treated ourselves to dessert and coffee back at our hostel where a band were playing. Either old age or jet lag (I’m hoping the latter!) forced us to retire very early again and we were both tucked up in bed by 8.30pm!

As I write this it is before 6am on Sunday morning and I’ve been awake since about 3 (dozing on and off since!). We leave for Baños this morning which is a three and a half hour bus journey. We attempted last night to book our hotel in Spanish...not sure if it’s reserved or not. I guess we’ll find out how successful we were when we arrive.

Fingers crossed.

Sarah

An eventful 36 hours!

2007-12-14T21:58:00.000Z

We are finally in Quito, Ecuador. The good news is that we made it in one piece and our bags WERE successfully reunited with us when we arrived at Quito airport (my experience in China has made me very nervous about parting with my bags especially with a fairly tight connection to make). The other side of the story is that we made it to Quito a day later than we were supposed to. Most of you know that I am a nervous flyer to say the least (ask Simon about a now infamous flight on a smallish plane back from Scotland if you need verification of the level of my nerves and what I put him, and the other poor passengers close enough to hear me, through!) and I am happy to report that the first leg of our journey (Gatwick to Houston, Texas) was pleasantly uneventful. We took off and landed on time and the flight was blissfully smooth if punctuated by some interestingly laid back Continental Airlines staff! Arriving in Houston ten and a half hours later afforded us welcome relief as we had an hour and a half to get off the plane, stretch our legs and eat some relatively edible food.

It was all going too smoothly and we were obviously being far too smug about the whole affair. We again boarded our connecting flight to Quito on time if a little anxious that we would be sitting next the (relentlessly) screaming child. The flight gods blessed us again and we were in fact at the opposite end of the plane, again a self satisfied smile must have crossed my face as we were repaid in abundance by the events that followed! The five hour flight is notoriously (I have subsequently discovered) bumpy and a little unreliable (in fact I was told today that 80% of flights in the last two months have suffered a similar fate to ours...shame we didn't know that before we booked it!). As I sighed a (barely audible) sigh of relief that the pilot had again (in my humble opinion) accomplished the impossible and made it to cruising altitude without any drama and the flight attendant was telling us that food would shortly be served, the flight gods decided that our run of luck was coming to an end. As the plane appeared to plummet by about a kilometre (I know, I know...Simon also tells me it's much less but I'm going on 'feel' here!) my barely audible sigh turned itself into a very sharp (and very audible) intake of breath as my nails plunged into poor Simon's hand. The flight attendant, also obviously a bit shaken, tried to turn of the microphone pretty pronto as machines started beeping all over the show. When the plane recovered its position (tenths of a second later I'm sure) the other passengers again struck up their conversations but there was a distinctly nervous edge to their chatter.

We then went through considerable turbulence until we were about half an hour away from Quito, at which point we were informed that bad weather conditions and in particular very low visibility due to fog was putting our landing at Quito airport into question. If you are unfamiliar with Quito, it is situated in bowl surrounded on all sides by mountains. Luckily for us we had a very informed fellow sat behind us who proceeded to explain to the entire cabin (you know the type...talks very loud and knows it, laughs hysterically at his own jokes and clearly enjoys being the one who's been there and done that) that due to a recent accident on landing at Quito airport which apparently damaged the instrument landing system, the pilots are understandably a little anxious about landing there. He also helpfully educated us on the difficulties of landing at the airport in general and explained that pilots have to specially trained for the privilege...GREAT! As you can imagine this all added to the pleasure of my flying experience...

Anyway to cut what is becoming a long story just a little bit shorter, we were informed after half an hour in a VERY bumpy holding pattern outside Quito, that the airport had been closed and that we would be diverted to Guayaquil. And that is exactly what happened. We arrived, and by that time the original screaming baby had very understandably been joined by several other screaming babies (I did really feel for their poor parents but it was not fun nonetheless) which made for quite a noisy cabin full of tired and grumpy passengers. The cabin crew by this time were skulking in first class where they cleverly avoided the need to answer questions from the aforementioned customers. You would think that if this has in fact happened to 80% of flights in the last two months that someone would have implemented a system for such an event. Well you might think that...we thought that as did the many new friends we had made by this point. Guess who had all the answers? Oh yeah he certainly did! 'We'll be sleeping in the terminal' he informed us ('we have four hotels organised', one of the flight attendants finally offered); 'they won't let us have our baggage', he continued (PLEASE SHUT UP, I thought!). Rather unfortunately for all concerned, he was in fact fairly well versed in (almost inevitable) outcome of this diverstion. We did indeed sleep in airport terminal although sleep is probably not the best word to use for the way I spent those hours. And, we did not get our baggage! The airport was light, bright and noisy all night as you can probably imagine. As it is indeed the festive season the staff were kind enough to play 3 or 4 Christmas carols on a continuous loop for approximately 12 hours (only occasionally broken by the announcement of a flight (never ours) that was about to depart 'on time'!).

Back to the beginning then I guess. We did eventually make it to Quito late this morning. We have checked into our hostel which is called The Magic Bean and seems to be great. I"ll add a link to my links site when I get a minute. As you can imagine, no photos to show you of any interest today but I thought I'd include the one at the top so you can see how I spent my first night in South America.

I'm stopping now.

Sarah

Here we go!

2007-12-12T21:46:00.000Z

A very quick post to say that we're on our way! We're now at Gatwick awaiting our flight to Quito in the morning. Stay in touch everyone...I'll leave you with a quick picture taken by Simon's dad as he dropped us off at the station. x

At last!

2007-11-19T23:29:00.000Z

I think I've sorted it. Although those few words will probably be the kiss of death!!! In theory I can now upload directly to the Rapidweaver site as well as remotely from Blogger and add photos to either to boot. Lets see how long this lasts!

Photo no show!

2007-11-19T20:51:00.000Z

I knew it was all going too well. Back to another problem I've been having with Flickr. The little blue square and white question mark...what is that all about? This happened when I added a photo to the blog post via a Flickr url. Lets try and add one straight from the computer. Here goes

Can I add photos from Blogger?

2007-11-19T20:40:00.001Z

If the photo has appeared in this post then the answer to my question is yes.

I hope so

Second Post

2007-11-19T20:21:00.000Z

This is going too well...something is bound to go wrong soon! I think I've finally got this up and running and can now successfully blog from within Rapidweaver and my blogger account. Happy reading.

First post

2007-11-19T20:17:00.000Z

This is my first blog post written within Rapidweaver. I've been having a few issues with syncing this with my blogger account so that I can remote blog from internet cafes while we're away. I think I've cracked it!
Fingers crossed.

S