A little bit of everything!

Colombia

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:25:00 GMT

We walked to the Colombian side of the border and unfortunately had to stand in line for about an hour, and it was getting dark and we still wanted to see the church! Finally we hopped in a taxi and went to the bus terminal (in hindsight we should've gone straight to the church)..we booked a night bus then just Cullen and I got another (very expensive) taxi to the church. It was almost dark as we rushed down the hill but alas it was still a beautiful site..we could just see the canyon the church was in and it was lit up with all different coloured lights (a bit tacky but still cool). We didn't spend too long there (as our taxi was waiting) so we struggled back up the hill and headed back to the station to get our night bus. I was still glad to have seen it, albeit all a bit rushed!!

It was an ok night bus (I got a bit of sleep)..we got in to Cali early in the morning (I had a flight at 5.30pm). I went with Cullen to his hostel and paid to store my bag and have a shower. Then, with little energy, I went to explore the city. I was headed to the bohemian area but on the way most things were closed and it was all quite dirty and there were so many people sleeping on the streets nonetheless I found the area and there was some beautiful street art and cafes etc (mostly closed, apparently it was a holiday). I found a vegetarian restaurant and had an overly sweet coffee and overly sweet pancakes then went and laid in the park for a while. Pretty underwhelmed with my first Colombian city I headed back to the hostel, said goodbye to Cullen then walked about half an hour to the bus station. I then got a bus to the airport (much cheaper than the taxi) and waited around. Feeling pretty exhausted from both the travel and a terrible cough I had. I then had to have a three hour stop over in bogota which was tedious although a call back home helped pass the time. Finally, after a horrid second flight (some really naughty and loud kids on board), I got a taxi to my hostel in Barranquilla and arrived about midnight. I only planned to spend the night there to rest as there was nothing much to be said about the city. Although it was a sweet hostel with some beautifully healthy dogs and cats and I also had a private room.

Needless to say i slept like a log, and could've kept sleeping all day! But as per usual I had to get up and pack and get going again. Although I didn't rush as was feeling quite unwell :( I went and found a supermarket and got some cough syrup and then got the public bus to the bus terminal. This took forever, terrible roads and busy streets through barranquilla. Finally I got on the bus headed to santa marta. I'm quite sure I saw a dead body on the side of the road surrounded by a bunch of people, covered in a tarp :( pretty horrid..then! we were stopped in some traffic jam and at first I thought it was a crash but when I saw a bunch of flames and a riot squad walk by I knew it wasn't a crash! Apparently people were rioting about the electricity..finally it cleared and we drove past, even through the bus you could feel the heat of the flames!! Crazy. Finally, a lot later and darker than expected, I arrived to santa marta. Trying to cross the busy road was hectic and a couple of ladies and I held our breath and did it together, was pretty funny really..I found a food court and grabbed some food and had a young student chatting to me trying to improve his Spanish. He thought I was soooo wealthy to be doing what I was doing..I guess in his eyes I am! I went back up to the busy road and waited for ages for a bus that said bonda. I'd decided to stay in this little town rather than santa marta as I was sick of cities. Finally on the crammed bus (difficult with my bags), he eventually dropped me in the middle of nowhere in the dark there were no more buses going up the hill where I needed to go so I finally flagged down a guy on a bike (motor taxis are a thing here) and asked how much to the hostel. Only then did I realize he looked max 12 and I think he'd only pulled over to say hi anyways he was happy to make a bit of money and I was tired and over it so I asked him to go slow and I got on and hoped for the best! It was mental with my massive bag on my back and my smaller one of front, plus I was wearing a dress would've been a site! He drove quite carefully and got me there safe and he ended up being the friend of one of the hostel workers! Pretty funny. Anyways a very sweet hostel in the middle of no where...just what I needed to relax and try get over this cold!!

Alas, obviously relaxing didn't happen..next day I was roped in to a waterfall adventure! I really should've rested but 🤷‍♀️ we hopped on the back of motorbikes and wove through the small town and then jungle for about 20mins, an adventure in itself! We were dropped at a spot by the river and the sweet guy from the hostel guided us up river to the small waterfall and waterhole, twas beautiful even with my cold I stripped off and hopped it, obviously..I also scaled the slippery walls to jump off the rock with the boys which was super fun :) unfortunately also got eaten by sand flies, again we walked back and the others opted to walk the two hours back but I got a motorbike as wasn't up to it..I decided to grab the bus in to town to grab some food and unfortunately had one of the shittier afternoons of my trip :( I saw two injured dogs, unbelievably thin horses dragging heavy carts (I have no idea how they even moved, they were merely skeletons) and a cock fighting ring :( I was devastated..sure I'd seen similar on my trip but not all at once..I rang home and had a cry and also had a big chat to my friend at the hostel, a similarly minded guy with whom I had a big chat about the current state of the world..feeling a bit exhausted I had an early night.

Next day I fully intended first, which I did for the first half of the day (chilled in the hammock by the pool, an accomplishment for me!). After lunch a couple from the hostel asked me if I wanted to go check out an eco village with them..sounded interesting so I couldn't resist! After a very sweaty 20min walk we arrived to the little community tucked away in the jungle. It ended up being a Hare Krishna community which was pretty cool. They had an awesome area for yoga/meditation etc and little huts and hammocks and artwork, twas beautiful..they showed us around and said they had a yoga class on if we wanted to stay. Again, probably wasn't up to it but I did it anyway! An hour and a half twas nice though..afterwards we stayed and listen to a philosophical reading which a Colombian man translated for us. It was about the importance of Mother Earth and looking after her and how the media etc make us focus on all the wrong things..afterwards we stayed and listened and participated in their prayers/chanting and then they invited us to share some soup. Such beautiful and welcoming people..I chatted to one of the men about the animal welfare situation in Colombia and his interesting response was that at least there's still so much more 'serving'/improving/good to be done here whereas elsewhere it's mostly done..Also apparently the Hinduism faith is big in colombia so I'm hoping it continues to spread - I don't believe with all they preach but the animal welfare/worshipping Mother Earth part is awesome. We trekked back via the light on my phone (nearly stepped on the biiiiigest spider!!)..What a positive contrast to the prior afternoon, perhaps not coincidental..

So obviously as I hadn't technically rested I was still feeling pretty shit but as I had limited time I decided to head to tayrona national park today. I packed an overnight bag (not sure if I'd stay one night or two or at all!) and headed in to town to get some supplies. Took a while (a nice man on the bus pointed me to a mall, an boy was it a fancy, very western mall!) plus I took the time to have a nice coffee..so by the time I located the local bus and got dropped at the park it was just after 1pm..one of the park workers suggested I just stay at the closest site tonight..so I got the shuttle and went there, snagged a private tent riiiiight on the beach looking over the Caribbean Sea, magical!! Unfortunately though due to strong currents that beach wasn't swimmable so I decided to walk to the next. Just in my bikini, a t shirt and things I trekked along the road and through the jungle..from afar I saw a group of monkeys and I also saw the loooongest army of leaf cutter ants, they're crazy..a very sweaty and difficult walk (harder and longer than I anticipated) I arrived at a beautiful viewpoint..I hadn't seen one person on the track! Pretty amazing experience waking through completely alone..and furthermore, the beach I arrived to also didn't have anyone on it! My very own Caribbean beach there were signs around saying there were caimans around but I wasn't too worried, thinking they'd be the size of the ones in the amazon..alas, waking back, there was a lagoon that was separated from the beach from a handful of rocks..I'd respected the signs on the way and scrambled across the rocks rather than wade through the lagoon..luckily, as walking back there was a MASSIVE caiman! I honestly believe it's head was about 1 meter! It had its head above the surface but I could also see its body, huge..and whichever way I did it I'd have to get quite close to get back around! Heart racing..at this stage I saw two other guys so called them over, a to show them and b just so somewhere was there in case..when I began to sneak behind it on the rocks it submerged and I couldn't see it anymore..but much scares me but thoughts of racing out of the water towards me (not a big distance!) definitely had me a bit worried! Though I knew they aren't as aggressive as crocs so figured I'd be ok..and alas I was, what an adventure!! Back at the camp I saw a big film crew show up, apparently they were shooting a documentary on a specific bird which was pretty cool..I stood on the beach and gazed at the stars for a while then enjoyed my double tent!

Next day I cruised in the morning (still battling a horrid cold) then packed up and began the trek to the main beach of the park. What a tough day!! It was beautiful trekking through the jungle with the path occasionally leading to the blast. But my gosh was it HOT and so humid and with a constantly running nose it was rough. It was also physically demanding, up and down scrambling over rocks.. at one stage I slipped pretty bad, whacking my bum head and elbow :( the fact I'd worn non hiking shoes didn't help! There were also stages that were like tough kidder style, mud deep and thick as! Nonetheless I soldiered on, stopped at one of the swimmable beaches for a quick dip. I made it Cabo San Juan mid afternoon..achievement! The thing to do here was to sleep in a hammock..not really my thing and certainly out of my comfort zone but when I asked there was one more available (it was super busy) so I took it as a sign! Pretty crazy, just a bunch of hammocks underneath a massive open sided shelter. I chilled for a bit and went for a couple of swims, was an absolutely gorgeous place! Although unfortunately too many people..I had to buy dinner as I hadn't packed enough food for two nights..I made two friends, they were also trekking solo..one of them, flin, told us there was a meteor shower that night! So we laid under the stars and sure enough there were plenty of shooting stars, magic apparently it was to get better later on so we went to 'bed' (I was surprisingly quite comfortable and slept pretty well!) and then got up again at 2.30am to see more shooting stars..just beautiful.

Next day after a quick swim I decided to trek back to the main road a different and less frequented way that went straight through the jungle via a traditional village. It was supposed to be a bit tougher and longer but I thought slow and steady I could do it. Flin ended up coming with me and boy am I glad she did!! I found it very difficult with my cold, it was up a lot of the way and physically very demanding, having to climb up rocks and scale ledges etc..not a clear path! There were hardly any people at all the whole day..and my gosh was it humid, we were covered in sweat! Flin chatted away which helped pass the time :) we were told the whole thing would take about 3 hours, with a couple of stops (a longer one at the the village to eat and rest) it took closer to 6!! We saw some traditional houses etc, one lady we saw carrying a massive bag of timber with her head and she was knitting at the same time, crazy. Exhausted but very satisfied we finally ended up on the main road and found a bus heading back to town. I hopped off and got a motorbike back up to my hostel to get my bag. I'd planned to try get to Cartagena that evening but as it was late and I was exhausted I opted to stay another night. Plus when I arrived they were so sweet and welcoming

Shitty sleep with a few coughing fits, i got up and began the journey to Cartagena (I really don't know how my body kept going!!). I planned to meet flin there. I had to get two different buses to the main town then another bus that took 4/5 hours to Cartagena bus station. It was quite a ways out of town so I met some other girls and shared a cab..found my hostel, exhausted yet again :P met 3 Canadian guys and a German girl in my room and we hung out whilst I waited for flin..when she got to the hostel we joined in on the free salsa lesson for a bit (I was as terrible as my partner ), had some drinks then headed out to experience the infamous Cartagena nightlife! We ended up going to Havana club, a salsa bar..pretty fun night full of dancing! I also met the owner of my hostel (plus several others), pretty funny..overall great night, the city had an awesome, lively vibe.

We only managed a couple of hours sleep so took it easy the next day. I decided to move hostels so moved my bags and then we explore the streets of Cartagena, I really loved the city! Indeed it was quite touristy and I knew outside the walls there was significant poverty and pollution..but nonetheless the buildings and streets were gorgeous. We had some delicious sushi for lunch then a milk shake in the afternoon. Then we went on a walking tour which as usual I had trouble concentrating but it was interesting to learn some history. The main thing I remember is how a priest was in charge of torturing innocent people for stupid things :/ and of course the other horrible things that came along with the Spanish..at the end we caught the beautiful sunset then headed back and bid farewell as flin had her flight home! I went for a walk around the city at dark to soak up the vibe once again..live music, dancing, beautiful Christmas lights..magic.

So standard emily, next day I decided to go try see the most famous beach in the area (playa Blanca) before my afternoon flight. Alas it was a mission, I got a bus for about an hour and then a motor taxi for about 20minutes. Indeed the beach was beautiful, with incredibly blue water. I had to have one more Caribbean swim before I left! I paid to have a seat on the water and enjoyed a whole 30 minutes () before I had to begin the journey back. I was glad I'd made the effort, it'd be incredible to see it without allllll the tourists though! By the time I got on the bus I was cutting it fine time wise..so eventually I gave up, hopped off and got a motorbike the rest of the way because it was faster!! lol I raced to my hostel, grabbed my bag and anxiously got a taxi..I still made it an hour before my flight but gosh it was stressful :P one reason why I like to travel alone so that when I decide to do stuff like that it's only me it affects anyways had plenty of time and with still wet swimmers and sandy feet I boarded my plane to bogota! I'd intended to try get public transport but feeling too tired I got a taxi to my hostel..as it was technically my last night in South America (how did that even happen?!) my room mate (a really lovely girl from New York) and I went to a nearby pub for a delicious craft beer. We chatted and got along really well and it was a great atmosphere as there was a soccer match on! Nice last evening :)

Even though it was one of the comfiest beds of my whole trip i unfortunately didn't have the best sleep..nonetheless my friend and I headed out to explore bogota city. I was pleasantly surprised! A massive city with heaps of people but some lovely older buildings and brilliant street art. We tried the traditional hot chocolate where they put cheese in it and let it melt (weird but not so bad) as well as a traditional rice and chicken dish wrapped in banana leaves. To keep the food theme going we also did a food walking tour which was great! Tried little bits of everything, from fresh juices to cheese filled balls to empanadas to soup to wages with dulche de leche (sweet caramel) to coffee..yum! It went for 3.5 hours so afterwards I rushed off to the souvenir shops to do some last minute shopping (seeing as I didn't have to carry my bag around any more!!) and see a bit more graffiti. Back at the hostel I organized my bag, had a shower and so the journey home began! I had a flight from bogota to Santiago which was ok but only 5 hours overnight so I only got a couple of hours sleep..and alas something I ate did not agree as when I arrived to Santiago I felt horrible! I tried to sleep on the chairs for a bit as I had about 5/6 hours to kill..had to vomit, tried to eat something to take some pills but alas vomited again. I ran in to two guys I met in Peru randomly which was nice but tricky to socialize when you feel like shit!! It was the toughest ~20 hours of my whole trip..I had t felt so sick in such a long time! I obviously had a fever as I was freezing with three blankets on me. At one stage I couldn't even make it to the bathroom and had to use the sick bag. Feeling very week and horrid I finally arrived and made it through customs etc. it was a tough time to get through on my own, not actually sure how I did it! Whilst waiting in the line for customs I ran in to Amanda Camille's friend, running in to people was no surprise anymore!! The amount it happened on the trip was just crazy. I waited for my bag, feeling like I might faint..finally through and saw mum and dad and what should have been a nice reunion ended up being me blabbering on their shoulders!! Haha so relieved to see them though..I was still sick on the way home and that night but it passed the following day..shitty old ending to the trip but sure as hell won't be the main thing I remember! Incredibly grateful for the adventure I'd just had. I'd been safe and primarily well and was so blessed with the people I'd met. Environmental/animal and human suffering challenged me as always but rather than dwell im trying to think of ways I might be able to help..as as wonderful as it'd be I just can't be ignorant! Stay tuned for whatever crazy adventures I get up to next..who knows what time will bring

Ecuador

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:22:00 GMT

We arrived in Cuenca quite early and got to the hostel but as we hadn't made a reservation (Jana's idea) they weren't sure if there was room. So we hung about, had a shower and went on a walking tour. Which was pretty chilled/not too info heavy which suited me perfectly! We saw some inca ruins, ate some delicious local food at the markets, saw an amazing art gallery, some beautiful parks..gorgeous city! Jana and I got a 2 course lunch for $1.75 (bargain) and then went back to the hostel, where we were able to check in..so we napped then went back to the local market and bought so much fresh and cheap food! So we had a yummy dinner then went to bed early :)

Next day Jana and I went to caja national park with three awesome guys we met at the hostel. Was so much fun! Quite cold and rainy and I was underprepared clothing wise but with such a good group it was great. The forests were magical and the lakes and plains reminded me of Scotland. Walking back along the road we found somewhere to have a hot chocolate, which was exactly what we needed! So good. Back in town the boys decided we were going to make ravioli for dinner so we went back to the market and got the ingredients and of course some wine. And what a fun night it was making delicious homemade ravioli! Sadly I then had to leave to get a night bus to banos as not enough time to hang around :( was another crappy night bus, loud music freezing cold and I was one of only two people on it for most of the time :/ anyways arrived early in banos safe and sound (as always). Found my hostel and had a nap on the bean bag, checked in and had another nap and then went exploring! It was such a quiet little town known for its adventure activities..I decided to take it pretty easy so I checked out the hot springs. They weren't overly beautiful (although a waterfall in the backdrop helped!) but I had t tried them before and it was cool! Different pools with differing levels of heat..I then went to get the bus to go up the big hill to the famous swing and who would walk on but bec and jolli, my friends I met 3 months earlier in Santiago!! So crazy. Spent the ride up the hill catching up. The view from the swing was incredible with a volcano in the background, the swing itself a little scary (especially when the guy made it spin around!!) but so cool. We had a beer and enjoyed the view then got the bus back down...tired from the night bus I bid farewell to the girls and had a quiet one at my hostel.

Next day I decided to try canyoning!! Was such an incredible experience, so much adrenaline and such beautiful scenery. Our (there was me and a couple) instructor/guide was great. We abseiled down several waterfalls of differing degrees. Sometimes the water was super strong and would almost push your legs off the cliff wall! awesome experience. Afterwards I went for a drive with the guide and his friend and his dog up to the volcano, cool drive but scary at times, some four wheel driving! I was able to get quite close and see the destruction the flowing lava had cause in previous eruptions. And it's still an active volcano! We waited around near the Refugio for his friend and I may a couple of horses, one of which really enjoyed a massage :P back down the bottom I moved my things from the hostel I was at to bec and Danielle's. That night we had a few (few too many drinks)..fun playing drinking games with everyone at the hostel however apparently straight him doesn't agree with me..

Next day was a bit of a right off as I felt terrible. Threw up a couple of times..so just hung in the hammock, had lunch with he girls..there was a massive parade going on in town for Ecuador week which was pretty cool. Due to me feeling worse for wear I decided to stay another night in banos..the girls headed up to latacunga.

Next day I walked to my Cuenca friend's hostel and we all went biking around the waterfalls. A beautiful ride though scary as my bike was a bit wobbly, we weren't given helmets and we were riding on main roads and through tunnels with cars I also tried zip lining! A challenge for me as I'm a tad scared of heights..awesome though, especially as it went over a gorge/waterfalls. On the way back I went superman style so went pretty fast, so fast at the end it was tricky to catch me but I survived! We finally got to the end of the cycling point and had some lunch then ventured down to see Ecuador's biggest waterfall, and wasn't it amazing! Soooo powerful. And the surrounding gorge looked like something out of lord of the rings, beautiful. It was a hectic climb back up so we treated ourselves to local frozen fruit ice block things then with our bikes jumped in a truck back to the town. I bid farewell (tried to convince them to join me in latacunga in a couple of days) and got a bus to latacunga, a town between banos and Quito. A couple of hours on the bus then I met the girls at the budget hotel they were staying at.

Next day we got up early and headed to Cotopaxi volcano. We decided to do it cheaply and get the public bus and then a private car, which worked out well. We were driven in to the national park which was beautiful within itself! Now and then we caught glimpses of the volcano but unfortunately it was pretty cloudy..and bloody cold :/ we were dropped at a car park and then began our ascent. There was an option to go straight up or serpentine, we decided straight! I took it pretty slow as the altitude was high (over 4000m), the wind was strong, footing was tricky and it was soooo steep! But incredible nonetheless. We got to the Refugio and had a little break (involving hot chocolate and cookies, yum!) then most of us continued to ascend another 200m or so higher. We went so high we got to the snow! Again it was mostly cloudy but now and again it'd clear for some magic views. And then down we went which was tricky due to having tired legs and it being insanely steep but at lest much quicker than the way up :P driving out of the national park we saw some feral horses which was cool..we then all (6 of us) crammed in a dual cab ute and went back in to town where we had delicious Italian for tea!

Next day the girls were starting the quilotoa loop, but I decided I didn't really have time for that..Maarten, Philip and Marco had come up from banos so I convinced them to join me on an adventure to the quilotoa lagoon/crater/volcano. I waited for them at the bus stop (I accidentally got steak and rice for breakfast due to my horrible Spanish haha) and then it was a windy 1.5 hour drive through some incredible hills. The lagoon itself was breathtaking, hard to believe we were standing on a volcano looking into its crater! We decided to walk down to the water which was lovely, albeit the walk back up very tough :/ particularly after having done Cotopaxi the day before! The guys sped ahead whilst I took my time. It was an absolutely magical place.

Back up top the guys had some lunch then we caught the bus back to latacunga. We decided to head to Quito that night, which was about 2 hours on the bus. It'd already been a massive day but whilst driving through the streets of Quito at about 10.30pm we saw sooo many people out and about and realized that Quito festival was happening that night! So of course we had to go out :P we found a shitty hostel near the action then hit the town. It was so much fun going out with 3 boys as I was hardly pestered! Finally, a good fun night out in South America :P

The next day I organized to meet up with Fernando, gabs friend. The boys came too and we all walked to the local markets to grab some traditional food, which was delicious. It was good to meet Fernando and he was super helpful (being a tour guide and all!). We parted ways and the three boys and I headed in to the city for a look around. We decided we didn't have the energy to do the walking tour so just strolled around the old quarter, which was beautiful..and there were loads of people out and about for the festival which added a cool vibe (albeit busy). We got some veggies to make a nice healthy dinner (our last one together!) and had an early night. Marco left for the amazon!

Next morning I bid my farewell and headed off solo again I the direction of Colombia. Beginning of a lot of travel! I decided rather than getting one expensive bus that crossed the border that I'd get a couple and DIY - one to save money and two because i wanted to see the amazing church just after the border in Colombia. So I got an uber to the terminal, figured out a bus that was going to the town closest to the border. Much to my surprise (although not really, considering how often It happened!) Cullen, one of the guys I'd met in Mancora Peru, hopped on as well! After 5 hours on the bus he and an Irish girl and I got a taxi to the border and got our Ecuadorian exit stamp, which took about half an hour.

Peru

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:19:00 GMT

We arrived in Arequipa about 5.30am and got a taxi to our hostel (an awesome hostel with pool room, table tennis, PlayStation etc etc) and they allowed us to use all facilities (even shower and breakfast, winning!!). We then met at an awesome (albeit touristy and westernized) organic chocolate shop and craft beer place for a city walking tour. Which as usual was super informative but tiring! But nice to learn that the historic centre of Arequipa is a UNESCO site due to the influence of the native people in the buildings etc. such a beautiful city, we both really liked the vibe and cleanliness etc..We we went to the supermarket and alas ran in to Jana (from workaway)! Such a small world..we organized to meet her back at the same cafe later which was nice and we were also joined by an American guy we'd befriended as well as two aussies (one of which knew toms mates as he went to Wollongong uni..).

The next day we decided to try take it easy. Ie, we decided against doing the colds canyon and seeing the condors and we also decided against paying to get in to the monastery (overpriced at about ~$20). So we booked a bus to ica for that night (although gab accidentally booked the next night, so we went to find an office to fix said mistake). They weren't overly helpful but moving on we found a super cute place where gab got a manicure (I didn't bother ). The owner was so sweet and gave me cream for my itchy bites and we struggled through a conversation. So nice. We strolled along and then went to the local market for lunch and had delicious fresh ceviche and stuffed capsicum (which was soooo spicy!). We then had a really nice coffee with our friends and then spent the afternoon/evening playing ping pong and pool and listening to the music. Then gab and I got our night bus to ica, it was such a fancy bus!! Brand new with screens on the back of the seats and pillows and blankets etc, lush!

Albeit it the fanciest bus I wouldn't say it was the most comfortable, didn't get much sleep..arrived to ica and sorted out the bus ticket situation (phew) then caught a taxi to the oasis town of huacachina. It was awesome! The tiniest town shadowed by huge sand dunes. We checked in to our hostel (bananas) which again was so lush! Living the high life a room to ourselves and the nicest common area/pool/bar..even though we were exhausted we decided to do the wine tour and follow it with the sand dunes later on. Which was a funny old decision! With 4 others we did a couple of pisco distilleries and wineries and did tastings..we weren't the biggest fan as they were either very sweet or very strong..the start was pretty chilled but then they took us to the final place and things got wild! It was an odd place, a museum of sorts (even had a mummified head that definitely looked real ) and drums of alcohol that they got out with bamboo. Long story short everyone got quite drunk and tthen when we got back to the hostel we had to go straight to our sand dunes tour! It was insane..good fun though because we were tipsy. The buggy out to the dunes was nuts, it went so fast and we bounced all over the place! Then we took the boards down the dunes on our bellies, the hills got bigger as we went..was sooooo fun!! Albeit a tad scary. The dunes were absolutely beautiful also, I'd never seen anything like it. We went to get some dinner with a kiwi girl we'd befriended then hit the sack early (we'd planned to stay up and watch the Peru v New Zealand football game but fell asleep!).

Next morning we enjoyed our delicious breakfast by the poolside then got a cab back to ica then a bus to Lima!! I watched a movie whilst gab slept..was pretty beautiful scenery along the coastline along the way. Once in Lima we got a cab to the hotel that was listed in the intrepid trip itinerary notes. Alas, there was no intrepid group there! The lady said it happened all the time so sent us to another one but the group wasn't there either. Eventually we checked our notes and found a different hotel address, which ended up being the right one..so frustrating! Anyways it was cool to be at a nice ish hotel! One that is never usually pay for but as part of the tour it was ok. We caught a cab in to town to meet the group as we'd missed the briefing. There were about 6 others there, all Aussie. We had a tour around Lima which was great. We checked out some catacombs which was crazy, the monks had excavated bodies and lined up skulls and hip bones etc in a kind of art work, quite weird! A beautiful church though and town square. We caught the bus back to the hotel and some of us went to get dinner but gab wasn't feeling well so headed back. The next morning we got up super early to get the plane to cusco. Super frustrating as gabs bag got lost! Eventually we discovered that it had gone to Arequipa for some stupid reason. Feeling stressed we had lunch by ourselves then had a tour with the rest of the crew followed by chocolate tasting at a chocolate museum, delicious! Really cool city..we had to be back for an inca trail briefing at 7pm. We felt really sorry for one lady who thought she'd booked the inca but had actually booked the quarry trail, she was devastated :(

Next day gabs bag finally arrived and we drove through the sacred valley and stopped at a local village. Although I hate being a massive tourist and having 'fake' experiences, this village was supported by intrepid and happy with the extra income the tourism brought. We were welcomed with colour fully dressed ladies dancing and putting Leighs around our neck. We went with them to their farming area and learnt about who they were and how they farmed. It was very touristy but still nice to get a glimpse of traditional mountain life. We had lunch and then were shown how they prepared the fiber for textiles (very interesting, they only used natural dyes like berries, bugs, leaves, lines etc). Of course that was followed by them selling us things..but I was glad to see a lot of the people on the tour buying things. We continued on to an incredible little town called ollantaytambo, the gateway to Machu Picchu. We purchased some last minute things like ponchos, snacks etc then all had dinner together. Such a lush hotel, slept like a log!

So, today we began our inca trail hike!! We joined 5 others (3 Aussies and 2 Canadians) - we were lucky to have a great group of people. Mostly young with one older, overweight retired policeman (not sure he knew what he was in for!). We met up with our porters (16 plus two chefs) and 2 guides - what a massive workforce for 11 people! I later realized that there were a lot of luxuries like a toilet tent, stools to sit on etc etc so hence the need for all the porters..again as much as I hate being a spoiled tourist at least they had jobs. It was crazy, they're so lightweight and short and they carry up to 30kilos and hike much faster than us (have to get to camp before us to cook/set up etc), crazy. Anyways! We began our hike! The first half of the day wasn't too bad, a bit of up and down..some beautiful inca ruins along the way. We reached lunch and I was surprised by the 2 courses, and the quality! A brief rest and we continued on..it rained a bit which made life tricky, we arrived at the campsite wet and buggered. And I realized I had holes in the heels of my hiking boots! So frustrating..muddy wet feet everyday. Alas our tents were already set up and we were giving a bowl of warm water to wash (again, such luxury!!). Such beautiful views from our campsite. Snack time and dinner, got to know our group a little better and played some cards..then bed!

Early the next day we were introduced to all the porters, which was nice. However as we didn't speak Quechuan (their native language), it was hard to communicate with them throughout the hike and I didn't like how separated we were from them i.e. how we ate separately etc, they felt like servants :( they also had to wait for us to finish dinner because they could relax because they slept in our food tent! Didn't feel right :( even though I knew it was still a great opportunity for them etc etc...the second day was exhausting as we climbed 1100metres I found it very challenging and had to go very slow - gab would go ahead and then wait. Which she said was a good thing as it made her go slow and appreciate! The views, vegetation, mountains, clouds, archeological ruins etc etc were all so breathtaking. More beautiful than I ever imagined, even if I was exhausted! We reached the summit, called dead woman's pass due to the shape of the mountains. Such a relief! It was beautiful, albeit cold..we were literally in the clouds! As usual we had to wait some time for bill, the older man, to catch up. Then we headed down with shaky and tired legs..but for me it was easier than up! It was tough on gabs knee but she was overall happy with how it was coping.

Third day was the longest and in a lot of ways the toughest. We hiked about 18kms, up and down, up and down..and just before lunch it poured ! We were at the top of the biggest mountain in the clouds and boy did it bucket down. But lucky we had the tent to hide in and somehow we had a four course meal! They'd somehow (I have no idea how) baked a cake - one because it was josh's birthday and two because Peru, the night before, had qualified for the World Cup for the first time in over 30 years! So everyone was in good spirits despite the weather. We continued on in the misty rain (at least it's settled), hiking through caves, past ancient ruins, down steep and slippery steps. One castle we could unfortunately barely see because of the fog but for me it made it soooo magical. All the time, the whole trek, I felt I was in a fairy tail land or perhaps the city of Atlantis or something..it was just so unreal and beautiful. As we trekked down the landscape changed to jungle. We stopped at the last site and the clouds miraculously cleared to reveal the most spectacular view of ruins and the valley. We spent some time enjoying it and trying to befriend the resident llamas. Then, with exhausted legs, we continued down down down to our final campsite..next day Machu Picchu!!

We had to wake up at 3.30am socthat the porters could pack up to meet the next group (you'd think there'd be a day in between mainly for their sake but also for ours!). We had to sit in the dark and cold for over an hour until the gates to the final section opened. But finally at 5.30am they did and off we went! We were all joking very fast with renewed energy. And the most incredible thing was how the weather was perfectly clear today! Couldn't have been any luckier. We scaled up the monkey steps and then at 7am reached the sun gate!! For our first views of Machu Picchu. Such a magical experience. We descended down, learnt a bit of history (essentially little is still known but apparently the Quechuan people fled the sacred place because the spaniards were coming. But alas they never made it! So they left for no reason..and I can't understand why no one ever returned?). Exhausted but elated we entered the sacred site. We had to exit and re enter in order to get our passports stamped. And boy was the sun fierce now! Our tour guide showed us around and it was just mind blowing. The perfect way they'd carved the rocks and built the buildings and figured out which way was north, east, south, west etc etc..we think we're so afnavced now but what they'd achieved over 4000 years ago, and the fact that it's still in spectacular condition, is just insane. We got the bus down to the nearest town aguas caliente and shared a well deserved drink and pizza together. Talk about a big day! We then got on the train to get back to ollantaytambo, was a fancy train (1st class) and as cool as it was again I felt uncomfortable as our guides had to take 3rd class..we then boarded a bus to get back to cusco and then had the best shower ever! Beyond exhausted we'd planned to all meet for dinner and drinks. Our original intrepid crew did but unfortunately the extras didn't show up..which I was a bit disappointed about. But not to matter, it was nice to have a celebratory drink and then after the longest day ever go to bed (in a double bed, mind you!). One of the best experiences of my life, and so grateful to have shared it with gab.

Next day we mainly relaxed, met some of the group for coffee, did some washing etc..wash an epic hail storm half way through the day, honestly looked like it'd snowed! we spent that night in the same hotel which was a luxury not to have to move straight away! Gab and I tried some soup at a vegan restaurant which was delicious..enjoyed walking around the quaint little streets of cusco!

Next morning we rejoined two girls from our original intrepid group (they'd done the quarry trail instead) and off to the amazon we went! No rest for the wicked :P we got a flight to a town called puerto maldonado, close to the borders of Brazil and Bolivia. I was worried about it being a very touristy trip but was pleasantly surprised! The local tour guide Victor picked us up and we had fried rice wrapped up in banana leaf for lunch. Then we drove another 40mins and got a boat down river (about an hour) to our lodge, we were the only guests there!! It was an awesome boat trip, we even saw the giant rodents capybara. Once at the lodge we relaxed for a bit (beautiful little rooms, double beds yet again!) then went for a night time walk through the jungle. Saw lots of insects (including a scorpion eating a grasshopper ) as well as several massive tarantulas !! One was in a den with loads of babies..it made our skin crawl but was pretty awesome :P

Next day we were woken up just after 4am by the lost ominous sound..turned out a group of howler monkeys had spent the night nearby! Pretty awesome. Breakfast at 5 then we hit the river again then hiked to an inland lake. It was great picking victors brain about the different trees and insects and things. And once again I think bar one couple we were the only people for miles!! So good. We got another boat and cruised the lake. We saw otters swimming from far away (if only I had a good camera), several different monkeys frolicking, prehistoric birds, macaws..we came across one spider monkey that had a cord on his leg so we assumed a lodge was keeping him as a pet :( victor said he'd mention it to the ranger..then we went fishing!! For piranhas I caught two straight away (felt a bit bad as I have my issues with fishing..but they seemed to be tough little things)..their teeth were amazing and these were just the small ones pretty awesome..

Later in the afternoon we chilled in the hammocks and then went for a trek through the jungle to a canopy tower. Awesome views..though sweaty to get up!! Here again, no one for miles..We then we had a little lesson about the difference between cayman, crocs, gharials and alligators - for me it was nice to have a refresher! Then to the river again to spotlight for cayman..we only saw little ones up to 1meter but it was still an awesome experience. Particularly when victor turned off the spotlight and it was pitch black and we were literally just floating under the stars surrounded by god knows what..there was even an electric bug in the boat! Then we headed back to the lodge just by the light of the stars, one of the most magical experiences of my trip so far :)

The next day was a massive travel day..I got up early to go for a walk on my own (both before and after breakfast - I did spot a group of wild capuchins which was awesome). I was disappointed not to see a snake or other creatures like jaguar, puma, ant eater, sloth etc however Victor said I'd need to stay there 6 months to see everything..so nevermind! What I did see was awesome. We caught the boat back, then the bus (through farmland and very poor areas..there were super skinny dogs and sharks built from plastic where people lived), then were dropped at the airport super early..so we passed some time playing cards. Eventually we got on the plane, which had to stop in cusco. Exhausted, we arrived in Lima. There was some confusion about our bags but eventually we were met by our intrepid guide, put on a massive bus (just the 4 of us) then spent the next hour in horrid peak hour traffic. I hate Peru traffic/the way they constantly beep! Drives me mad. Nonetheless we went out for some dinner as it was the girls last night (and potentially gab and I's last night together). Our hotel was in the very fancy suburb of Miraflores so it didn't feel very 'authentic' but was nice nonetheless.

The next day the girls had a late flight (including gab, who was heading back to Quito) and I'd decided to grab a bus towards Ecuador (to a mid way town called Trujillo). So we spent the morning relaxing then walked for hours looking at suburbs and this awesome art gallery. Had a coffee in a very westernized cafe then headed back..all three girls left, I had a good chat on the phone to rach then I too left to get my bus..I got an uber, got so mad about being stuck in horrid traffic once again that I opted to get out and walk the final 10minutes or so to the bus station. And off on my own again I went! Felt weird..as much as I hate overpriced tours etc it was kind of nice to have my hand held for almost two weeks!! Alas, no better way to jump back in to it again than with a night bus

I arrived in trujilo in the morning with the plan to find a cafe with wifi however it wasn't that kind of place (pretty basic). So I walked along and found a local bus that was going to huanchaco. Bumped along for about half an hour then wandered the streets lost for another half an hour (although plenty of people tried to point me in the direction of my hostel, if only I spoke better Spanish ). Finally found my hostel which was awesome although sadly really quiet (I felt sorry for the owners!). It was a sleepy little beach side town..but dirty and a lot of road works going on which affected the feel of the town and therefore the tourism (apparently people were leaving a lot earlier than usual). Anyways walked along the beach, had some seafood for lunch, had an afternoon nap then went for another walk and had some ice cream and watched the sun set.

Next day I went with two people from the hostel to check out the nearby 'Chan Chan' ruins. They were pretty cool!! Largest pre inca city. Made out of mud and stone (no timber), with lots of tributes to the sea (pelican carvings etc). Super hot so we didn't stay long..back in town had a cheap two course lunch then I packed my things. I got the local bus back to Trujillo which was a bit stressful as it got so packed and I had my big bag I had to literally squeeze my way out! But I did..albeit where I got dropped was nowhere near the bus station, obviously so I had to walk for about half an hour..but all good I made it! I was headed to another coastal town further north. Unfortunately it was a stressful old night bus as the cleaner accidentally spilt the blue toilet stuff all over me and my bag. I was so mad as trying to clean it just spread it and it was everywhere though eventually I just laughed or else I'd cry.. once at mancora in the morning I spoke to something and organized for my things to be washed. So I got a tuktuk to my hostel, was dropped at the wrong hostel but finally after trudging sling the beach with my bags I found the right hostel. Literally right on the beach!! An awesome place. They even gave me breakfast feeling pretty tired I walked around the sweet touristy town and had a smoothie on the beach whilst overhearing a surf comprising on. Walking back to the hostel I noticed not one but two washed up (dead) massive sea lions! No one could tell me why..maybe bycatch (either purposefully or accidentally killed), kitesurfing injuries, old age etc.. either way I couldn't believe they were left there to rot and be eaten by the vultures, in front of all the tourists!! There was also dead fish and s very old dead turtle..

Anyways back at the hostel I ran in to Jana!! So crazy. We spent the afternoon catching up and relaxing and also befriending some others st the hostel. Had a great vibe! We enjoyed the sunset then had some beers, joined another big group at another hostel for some drinking games..unfortunately by the time we waned to go out it was late and we couldn't get in to Loki (the party hostel) but nonetheless had some more drinks at a bar on the beach with some locals. Then walked home along the beach! Fun night

Feeling a little worse for wear I mainly just relaxed today. I noticed I either lost or had my little purse stolen so that was a bit stressful. However I luckily only had my license in it and a small amount of cash..got a police report regardless so I could claim it. Also picked up my washed bag etc from the bus office..hung out with some new friends I'd made and had a super early night!

Next day I mainly just relaxed..had some fresh ceviche for lunch with two Dutch friends I made which was nice. Then later that night jana and I got the night bus to cuenca, Ecuador! New country! I knew nothing about Cuenca but just decided to tag along. It was a shitty old night bus with a crazy driver and I got hardly any sleep but at least the border crossing was ok !

Bolivia

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:14:00 GMT

Gab and I were up early to begin our seperate journeys..me to Bolivia to volunteer and gab to Ecuador via bogota. Up at 4.30am we shared an uber with a girl from the hostel that was also randomly on gabs flight..I checked in ok but, being South America, it couldn't be all smooth - apparently the pilots from gabs airline were on strike!! So not knowing what the plan was with her I had to grab my flight..I later learned that they flew them late the same night but during the day they spent time at a nice hotel with great buffets so not so bad! I changed at São Paulo (but stressful as there wasn't much time) then had about 3 hours to Santa Cruz bolivia..the flight was pretty horrid as my cold meant I had painfully blocked ears :( anyways I survived and made it to Santa Cruz, a tiny airport really (even though it's their main one)..tired, I figured out how and where to get the bus (a taxi would've cost peanuts and be so much easier but I hate the thought of being ripped off and sometimes it even feels safer being in a bus with others rather than alone in a taxi)..I got dropped somewhere in town and had to get another little bus to the bus station..super crowded and most of the time the door was open with crazy driving so surprised either my bag or a person didn't fall out...alas the challenge wasn't over at the bus station..it was chaos! People everywhere trying to sell me tickets and the only buses I could find going the direction of villa tunari left really late, meaning I'd get to the volunteer place around 2am. Alas I finally found a bus leaving at an ok time so that was lucky..however it wasn't the nicest bus - no toilet (even though they said there was), no air con and it was sooooo friggen hot/humid..so pretty stressful. Toilet wasn't an issue as I was so dehydrated. Stopped after about 5 hours and had some road side food (survived) then finally was dropped in the town I needed to go to. About 9.30pm, pitch black, hardly anyone around and I had to walk across a car bridge (with my back pack on) that had no edge for pedestrians..so dangerous..someone from the Centre found me and I was walked further along the road in the dark (and mind you the humidity hasn't eased at all, I was sweating so much) to the volunteer house..cold shower and bed (bed was rock hard, made out of packed straw, I had a bruised hip the next day).

The whole reason I'd tackled an uber, 2 flights and 3 buses in one day was to start volunteering as I had to commit to two weeks but had little time. Alas, even though I was exhausted and got up early to go to the office, that didn't really happen. I met some people, had a tour..there were capuchins, spider monkeys, an aviary, a bear and a puma but I didn't get to see them..I was then asked to pay and of course they didn't pay card and I didn't get enough cash out (almost $400 worth!!) and the only atm in town only took visa. So. In the ridiculous heat I walked in to town, found a share taxi and was shoved in the backseat with three others. Then at one town I had to change to another taxi. Highlight of the whole ordeal was meeting a lovely old man called Charlie. We had a broken English/Spanish conversation and then he insisted on paying my fare which was so sweet..luckily the atm worked..o also got some drugs from the pharmacy as my nose was still unbelievably congested and my ears still blocked :( the same thing on the way back (about 40 mins, 2 taxis, the final taxi had NINE people in it (it was a 5 seater) and I had to sit shoved in the middle up the front on the handbrake which hurt)). Anyways. Hot and exhausted I paid then had a cold shower, had lunch then was told I'd be working with the capuchins. Split in two sections (heaven and earth) I was assigned to earth because a few monkeys in heaven hate females and they're semi free (on a runner system) so it's not safe. In earth all the capuchins are unfortunately caged and mostly alone. Not ideal but they can't be with others because they either fight or get too stressed or don't know how to be a monkey because of their back stories etc etc..because of their unnatural beginnings as pets or whatever :( so pretty bloody sad. Some are aggressive and grab you through the cage but some are sweet and give you high five or ask for a scratch through the wire (have to be careful or you can lose a finger). I helped feed out and clean and met two of the three spider monkeys that were also in the earth area. These three, for different reasons, can't be with the bigger spider monkey group deeper in the jungle (I haven't been there). They're sweet but strong so have to be careful but it's nice they're on the runner and not cages. Bloody exhausted I walked in to town to get things to make for dinner. Struggled with the market style shopping due to my lack of Spanish but survived. I accidentally gave a man 6 bolivianos instead of 5 and he gave me the one back which was very sweet. Very basic little village..

My first week was a challenge but overall satisfying, albeit frustrating at times. The second night there was a massive storm, and I mean massive! A couple of times I woke up trembling from the loudness of the thunder, and I love storms! Said storm caused the wifi to go out and though they said it'd be a couple of days it's still out (a week later). Super frustrating. Anyways soldiered on..o was an hour late for work the second day because I slept through my alarm..I guess I was just so exhausted! I felt terrible but it was an accident. And after all i am volunteering my time (even though they're quite strict and often make you feel like you owe them, even though you've paid to be there and work so hard). Anyways..I helped with feeding out (they get a small amount 4 times a day which is great in terms of enrichment). I helped cut down branches with machetes for the monkeys (and tripped with the machete in hand :/ ). I washed pooey blankets by hand (some of the monkeys are so humanized they need blankets at night for comfort.:some when you give them the blanket put it over their head or sit on it and rock back and forward :(). I made friends with one of the three spider monkeys - I'd sit down and she'd come and sit on my lap. Which I thought was amazing however then she started grinding on my foot or leg and I asked the workers if she was humping they confirmed..alas I'd become a monkeys sex toy..apparently this wasn't very normal behavior, she's a very sexual spider monkey. I stopped allowing her to sit on my lad but one day she climbed on my head and I thought ok this is ok..but nope, she pinched the top of my boob sooooo hard! So now I don't talk to her :/ I was lucky one afternoon to go up to the main spider park to see the large group that lived free and semi free (on runners). The walk up was insane - about 10kg of food etc on your back, absolutely stifling heat (I have never sweated so much in my life) and climbing up up up! And the people that work in this area do that twice a day it's crazy. Anyways it was lovely to (briefly) meet some other spider monkeys (that were more 'normal'). It was like a little oasis. They were free to breed and there were a couple of young ones which although they wanted to play with the humans they were discouraged as they'd like them to be completely free one day, which is great. I had a grooming session with a couple of the spiders before I quickly made my way back down to the capuchins ie my 'station'. I can't believe no one breaks their legs heading back down, you have to step on rocks and roots and it's slippery etc etc, crazy. I had half a day off (for two solid weeks of work working from 7-5/6) so got to visit the massive boa pythons the park had..they'd been seized by the government, there were 3 massive ones and 4 young ones..they were kept in a dark room so we took them out to the sun (for their welfare) which was cool, their colouring in the sun was spectacular. I helped stopping them wondering too far (by placing a stick under their head and dragging them back a different direction). I also attempted to see the little nocturnal kinkashu however he wasn't ready to wake up so I only kind of saw him in his hammock..I also went in to town to use the Internet cafe to contact mum etc as still no wifi working in 'earth' I had my hair pulled three times (twice because I lent too close to the cage, and once because chepeto the spider monkey thought I was taking his food when in fact I wanted to feed him)..not fun!! A couple of times we saw adult monkeys having sex with the baby capuchin, gross..one night we had dinner at the cafe (I thought they put it on as a thank you type thing but nope we had to pay..not much though). It was lovely to socialize with everyone, we played a silly roll play game which was fun..plus I had a good chat with a vet volunteer Christian, who was an Italian staying long term..nice to have intellectual conversation with someone with the same interests! One evening after work, when we were so exhausted, we had to help move massive rocks through the jungle to the pumas (Marleys) new cage (crazy how much effort is involved for one animal, just because someone kept her as a pet when she was young!) a French couple volunteering had actually raised the money for her cage, which was amazing. Afterwards they were kind enough to give us icy poles and popcorn, we were exhausted!! Also for marleys cage one day we had to carry really heavy poles, and I whacked my shin so back on one of the spokes it ripped my pants but will be all worth it in the end, she will have a much bigger cage..there was also a bunch of militants that helped one day which was great.

Second week was great as I recovered from my cold and also got closer to the people and animals. I got a new roommate which was ok - a 19 year old German traveling South America solo for 6 months, very impressive! We had another insane storm which felt like the end of the world (twas so windy and all the mangos were falling on the roof). Wifi still out, obviously. One afternoon we'd planned to have a pool party but alas it stormed so instead we just got food at the cafe, drank beers and played games..which was fun anyways!! We also had a Halloween party , not much of a party as everyone has to work so early but there was sangria and food and games so good fun :) one of the nights I made a super healthy dinner of lentils and veggies and shared with three of my guy friends which was nice..poor queen, one of the capuchins with serious issues (she would constantly rock back and forth with her blanket and rub her hands todether) hit her foot bitten through her cage by one of the wild monkeys..the vet jarra sewed it up though and it's healing well. Also one day one of the monkeys from heaven escaped and then returned wet and sopey and although I'm not supposed to interact with heaven monkeys she likes me so I wrapped her up and rubbed her dry with a towel, so cute. Cheeky monkey! My last night a few of us went out for dinner (kind of because it was my last night and also just for something different). Took a while to find somewhere but we did and we shared some wine and I had some fish (courtesy of Christian) which was lovely. On the way home I stubbed my toe really bad, I always do it!! So Christian helped me clean it..

Next day I worked a half day and bid farewell to all the monkeys..jarra cleaned up my toe for me which was painful but necessary. In the afternoon I visited the aviary and met some of the beautiful birds and then afterwards went and met the cuatties (so cute, albeit super smelly and they licked all under my arms and face etc ). I'd had some issues with the administration chick (everything I seemed to do was wrong and she treated me/spoke to me like a friggen child) and because she had a cold she wasn't able to take me to see Marley the puma (bullshit). Anyways, I also briefly saw Balu the bear get his dinner so that was cool. I bid my farewell to everyone and Chris helped me carry my backpack to town (we had gelato on the way, delicious!). Bitter sweet to leave..sad to leave the people and animals but happy to recommence my travels.

Boarded a mini van to Cochabamba, what a bloody trip! I closed my eyes most of the way but god twas mental - the road was rough and the driver would take over on blind corners etc. anyways survived, got to Cochabamba then got a taxi to the bus terminal. feeling exhausted (hadn't exactly been a relaxing couple of weeks!) I decided to try travel through the night to meet gab in uyuni. So I managed to find a bus going to Oruro. Left about 11 And got in at 4.30am. Would've been an incredible trip during the day (with the full moon I could kind of see the mountains etc, twas gorgeous). I froze my arse of as although villa tunari had been so hot and humid I was climbing and climbing to a much higher altitude and lower temp!! Cold and tired I wandered around the bus stop at Oruro..no one could or would help me. Eventually I found a mini van going to uyuni and at about 8.30am I arrived! Have no idea how I managed the night but I did :P

Met up with gab and grabbed some breakfast, was so good to see her. We were going to try do the salt flats the same day due to time restraints but my toe was very sore and I was exhausted to say the least. So instead we booked in to a hostel (which had puppies on the roof, so cute!!) and wondered the town and got some food. Nice to just rest, including a proper bed! Even watched some Netflix, what a luxury. In the morning we joined our tour (the other 4 people Asian, with one super annoying man!) and set off in a 4WD. First stop was this fascinating train cemetery..apparently the trains used to come in from Chile, brazil etc for repair but if they couldn't be repaired or there were too many trains they were just dumped there..it was awesome! Moving on we drove across the salt flats and it was like nothing I'd ever seen..literally felt like we were driving across the ocean! Awesome. We stopped at a town on the outskirts for some lunch and for me it was a definite highlight as there was a gorgeous rainbow mountain, herds of llamas, donkeys, flamingoes, dogs..the contrast between the mountains and the flats was amazing. We stopped to take some cool pics (we hadn't really done much research as most people do, i.e. what props are good etc) which was pretty fun..then for the last stop we went to where there was a bit of water on the lake so it was reflective for the sunset, so beautiful! And some more cool pics :) the salt flats were definitely a highlight and much more beautiful than I expected. In our standard rush we got back to uyuni and then found a bus going over night to la Paz. We arrived in la Paz at about 5am - I was a bit disappointed I wasn't going to see the city (just didn't have time) but did see a bit from the station (and at the end of the day it's just a huge concrete jungle with some cable cars 🤷‍♀️). Gab had already seen it previously and said although it was cool it was just a city! So we decided to jump straight on another bus to copacabana, lake titcaca.

We arrived about 2/3 hours later (a beautiful drive along the coast) and had some lunch in an awesome little cafe..albeit touristy copacabana was a super sweet town with a beautiful church and loads of cool bars and cafes. Alas though not much time to explore as we had to grab the ferry across to isla de sol as we'd heard it was beautiful. Talk about a massive night/day of travel! And it wasn't over yet..once at the island we were told that the best hostels were up the top..so it took us about an hour with our massive bags and at an altitude of about 4000ft we were breathless climbing and climbing..just went forever ! But we made it to the top, such an achievement. Would've have been a feat even at sea level! It was such a magical place too.:the views, the people, the animals..apparently it's the birth black of the first two incas and their sun god but the stories vary..either way a very spiritual and beautiful place :) we finally decided on a super basic hostel that had a beautiful view (there were nicer ones but for double the cost!) and then found a cafe to have some dinner and watch a storm rolling in whilst the sun set, incredible. I went to bed very early as I was beyond exhausted!!

The next morning we had breakfast in a sweet cafe and watched the local farmers lead their sheep and llamas and donkeys down the mountain to the grazing grounds. We went for a hike to some ruins and accidentally wandered too far north (there was a conflict happening between the north and south of the island and tourists weren't allowed north). A lady got cranky at us so we turned around and wandered back but nonetheless was incredible scenery and super fun bush bashing and coming across grazing animals etc. Exhausted we got our bags and made our way back down to the bottom (definitely easier than the way up!!). At the bottom we had some wine and crackers (well deserved), and randomly a guy recognized gab from her death road tour! Such a small world. We caught the ferry back, got some snacks and boarded yet another night bus..we decided to skip the Peruvian side of lake titcaca due to lack of time and also because we'd heard it was super touristy. So we crossed the border, had to wait over an hour for our second bus and then overnight to a town we'd been recommended, Arequipa..

Brazil

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 16:08:00 GMT

The next day we saw the Brazilian side of the falls and it was just magic. It was bloody hot and humid but the sun was shining which made for a different experience! Also a nice way to see the falls as you kind of walked alongside them..at one stage we were taking pictures and this beautiful butterfly kept landing on us it was so special! The naughty little native monkey things kept snatching at our bags..once back in town we got a cab to the bus station as it began to storm..yet another overnight bus! This time the bus wasn't so nice, people were noisy and it kind of smelt..and we were even stopped for a random drug search involving several armed guards and a sniffer dog..and we could have got a flight for a similar price but when we factored in getting to and from the airport the bus actually seemed easier (sounds crazy)..but nonetheless we survived and 17.5 hours later we arrived in the massive city of São Paulo..we weren't really keen on staying in another big city but there weren't any more onward buses that day (cons of last minute travel) so we found a nearby hostel and sweated our butts off getting there (soooo humid!). It wasn't so bad, there were loads of friendly people and we shared a room with a really sweet old lady..couldn't communicate too well but she showed us pics of her family which was super cute..we walked downtown and got a beer and some local food (steak, beans, rice, salad) then had an early night..as yet another long bus the next day! Getting pretty tired from all the travel..such a big continent, so little time..

The bus the next day was really nice. I'd kind of just found a town between São Paulo and rio online that looked nice (called Paraty) so we set off to there..and I'm glad we did! 7 hours later we arrived in the beautiful colonial water side town..all the buildings white with different colour trims, just gorgeous. We were tired again so just walked around a bit, paddled in the ocean, taste tested some local liquor (the main one is called Gabriela!) and went to bed early in our funny little hostel with beds all lined up in a row. Next day we visited a town on the coast (as the beach at paraty wasn't very nice/clean) which was beautiful! Much nicer than I expected..we bought matching t shirts and hiked through the jungle to another beach which had slightly less people on it. Met a really nice Bolivian couple who gave us some pointers for rio. Gab wasn't feeling very well so we had an early night which was ok by me too! We were both pretty buggered from all the traveling.

Next day we decided to take a boat out to some islands which was pretty awesome..it was a bit rainy and cold (probs not the best thing for our immune systems) but did some snorkeling and relaxing :) some very pretty beaches and inlets and the overcast weather meant I didn't get burnt!! we then caught the bus to rio..I was glad it was a shorter 4/5 one! We saw the Christ the redeemer statue from afar which was cool, it was lit up and had most surrounding it :) made it to our hostel 'discovery hostel' which was really nice and had a great vibe :)

We decided to do a tips for tour with the hostel guy to get a feel for the history of the city, which was great..and interesting ! Although I always seem to forget when there's too much info..but anyways a highlight was that he took us to a trendy little coffee haunt that only the locals go to and the coffee was amazing!! Afterwards we went and had a beer and some traditional food then went to what was supposed to a Samba street party..but alas apparently there was a new mayor in town and the party had been causing trouble so no dancing :( well a few people attempted at one stage and they were pushed back inside a bar by the police..was like bloody 'footloose'! Anyways we enjoyed a Caprihini (local drink), people watched and made some friends..all in all a good night although I really would've loved to see a bunch of people dancing!!

Next day the weather was clear so we got a van up to Christ the redeemer..an awesome thing to see, so big! Although pretty annoying how many people were there taking selfies etc..but anyways back down we went to Ipanema beach (just next to the infamous copacabana beach) which was really quick beautiful..we were the only ones with swimmers that covered our bums and I was most definitely the whitest one there :P a great place to people watch, people were selling everything from sarongs, prawns on a stick, even haloumi which they had a little portable stove to cook..getting pretty tired we wandered over to copacabana for a look but the weather turned a bit..so we opted to head home rather than tackle sugarloaf mountain as we both were sick with a cold. But we gave rio a red hot go! Did a lot in two days.

Argentina and Uruguay

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 13:39:00 GMT

Over 30 hours of traveling, I arrived at my workaway place Haras - a thoroughbred stud that also trained endurance horses. I'd decided to try spend a couple of weeks here for a different kind of experience, try and learn more about horse training and also to save some money (you work for food and board). It was a stressful start, with the coordinator Fernando frustrated as he'd been waiting for me for an hour and I'd had no way of telling him where i was. Although I was surprisd he'd expected anything different from SA buses..He dropped me at the farm house and I met Jana (a German who I'd be sharing the guest house with). The house was big but a bit dirty and basic with very old furniture and only hot water if you lit a fire to hear the tank..there was also a flea and tick ridden stray dog (named by Jana as Easy A as she was so hard to keep away from the male dogs) that had to be inside with us as she was in heat and the owner had requested we take her in (no one here seems to desex their dogs nor treat them for ticks and fleas. The ticks are as big as my finger nails and the dogs are covered in them :( ). And boy were there a lot of dogs on the farm (I believe all originally strays)! So it's nice that they now have a home but they're not desexed nor properly looked after. Other than the constant loss of blood from ticks its not a bad life I guess, running around free and getting a bit of food. Our house was about a ten minute walk to the farm so I resisted a nap and went for a tour..a beautiful property with loads of horses and even a donkey, some Patagonian rats, a pet sheep, an aviary (with tortoises in it) and puppies (of course..cute but oh so frustrating)..as well as a brand new foal which was beautiful. I was slightly confused who I was working for but Jana introduced me to the head stable hand 'Puchan', who spoke zero English. I also met a 14 year old 'Nico' and he Jana and I went for a ride.. I rode a gaucho favored pony called Maximus who was cheeky and strong (because he was pent up in a stall and never ridden). Nice to be on a horse though! Needles to say I slept well that night!!

Up early to go help muck out stables..we hadn't been given a starting time nor had we been told how many hours to work so we just did what we thought was fair. I struggled with lack of direction/acknowledgemnt of our presence and with not being able to ask questions but at least Jana spoke basic Spanish..after lunch fernando came and we took a couple of horses out for a light ride..they were off the track thoroughbreds that'd been rested for a month so they were sprightly! I rode Extreme..she was a good girl once settled..we rode again the next day and it was good to actually have a chat to Fernando about the farm and it's purpose. I also met the owner 'Claudia' very briefly..to both I attempted to relay my concerns about the ticks on all the dogs (particularly the dog with pups, and the pups also) as well as welfare concerns to with the horses (such as how many were standing bored in the stall all day not being worked and being fed twice per day with empty stomachs in between)..I hoped to have a chance to discuss this more with Claudia at a later date. In saying that, I was glad to see the workers did care about the animals and indeed they were much better taken care of then most in South America!

On Saturday we had no idea whether or not we were supposed to work (no communication in this place) so we just helped a bit and then cleaned all the bridles..we were running out of food (as were the dogs, so we'd been sharing ours) and were supposed to be taken to the supermarket (we had no way of going on our own) but that didn't happen..we were also supposed to be taken for a night out but that also didn't happen..feeling frustrated we downloaded some Netflix at the farm (where there was wifi) and had a quiet night at home. Although not too quiet as we had another little stray dog trying to get in the house.:we'd let her in the night before but as she peed everywhere she wasn't allowed now! Almost scratched down the door getting in..by her actions and her age it was clear she'd been someone's inside dog and had been abandoned :( also not desexed and had clearly had many pups..she really just needs someone to love her :( Jana named her Dobby because she looked like dobby the elf..but she was also skinny and it became apparent she was very happy with a 'master' - as Jana was involved in bringing her back to the farm she was her little shadow, literally.

One of the famr workers Marcelo kindly took us to a little shop on Sunday morning for some shopping..although it was only a little market it was good to get some basics. Back home we had a nice lunch and had a quiet day. Headed to the farm to check the horses water and had a funny old afternoon as the owner came and wanted to ride, I couldn't ride the horse I'd been riding as she didn't have back shoes (not what I'd originally been told)..anyways after some frustrating shenanigans whereby people weren't in control of their horses and the sheep was being naughty we'd both had it. I was also getting really over the lack of ground manners of the horses and all the dogs etc..anyways we decided to try stick it out a little longer.

Monday was an interesting day as we were involved in a lunch that Claudia hosted. We set up and packed up but were able to sit with her and her friends in the shade and share empanadas (made by one of the worker's wives) and beers..we'd also earlier gone in the to the vet to some tick and flea stuff for the new little dogs that'd arrived! So that was a little victory. Unfortunately couldn't give it to the Mum of the pups yet due to their age, so hopefully they remember to treat her once I'm gone as she's the worst..I've never know so many ticks! You go in to visit the puppies and they're literally crawling all over them and sooo many in their ears :(

In the afternoon we accompanied Claudia's friends to get a horse from the jockey club which was not a pleasant experience because the horse was terrified..they hadn't wrapped the legs so by the time we got it off there was bloody everywhere as it had scrambled and cut itself :( no riding again today..

The next few days were quiet as Fernando was away on business and nico also hadn't been around..unfortunately extreme still wasn't shod but we brought in a beautiful old skinny Arab 'Dudliq' so at least we could ride..I also commenced some ground working training on the three year old thoroughbred Maria Louisa and she's responding great..and finally easy a is off heat! She and dobby still constantly follow Jana like shadows. With dobby I've never know anything like it, she is at janas feet wherever she goes (thus accidentally gets kicked on occasion), she is fiercely loyal..i have not been involved in any rescues thus don't have such a shadow but I'm kind of happy about that! Don't want to get too attached or vice versa..one of the horses that had her leg cut up on the float (as they dont seem to use floating boots) had an odd reaction to the antibiotics and couldn't stretch out her neck..anyways the vet gave her three more injections (but sure what they were) - I found the whole thing frustrating as the leg shouldnt have been cut in the first place/if it'd been hosed and cleaned correctly it might not have needed antibiotics/no antibiotics would've avoided the bad reaction..anyways! I also got so frustrated about the ticks as I got millions off Dobby and also all the puppies had heaps in their ears which was horrible so again I asked what could we do (the other treatment only worked on fleas). Pablo said we could give the adult dogs some ivermectin orally so I set about finding all the dogs on the farm and with janas help we treated most of them. Unfortunately for the pups it was just powder for now and hopefully they'll treat the area they're living (I tried to explain that housing them in an aviary would mean more parasites but I don't think they understood). I had a ride on a clients horse (lampone) which was lovely as he was a quiet old boy however I felt bad later on as apparently he'd only supposed to have been walked due to an old injury but I'd been told I could do whatever. He seemed ok though..we also witnessed natural serving which was super interesting however the poor stallion had some trouble! Finally after about 7 tries and a bit of help guiding he was successful :P..Friday night we were involved in an afternoon tea and Saadi (traditional BBQ) hosted by Claudia..we tried matte tea which was really interesting and finally at about 10.30pm (not uncommonly late in South America) we had tea..not a big meat lover but was great to experience such a traditional Argentinian social occurrence.

On Sunday I had a nice ride on Maria Louisa then Cecilia (Fernando's girlfriend) kindly took us out for the afternoon to do something different. We went for lunch at a food court, visited one of her friends houses (which was lovely) and then we went for a drive to the areas artificial dam. Which wasn't that impressive but there was some indigenous art and as well it was just nice to get out! Monday we finally got to go on an endurance conditioning ride to the mountains with Fernando which was a great experience. Unfortunately extreme was still a bit crazy (I think from all the last she'd been fed and no exercise) and massively reared however we finally made a good team and had a nice ride! We had to ride through the rubbish filled dried creek bed again which wasn't so nice and also had so many things that the horses shied at..however once further away from civilization it was surreal to ride through the canyons and such! And on the way home it got dark so it was quite exhilarating (albeit dangerous) to be cantering in the dark weaving through bushes etc..about 3 hours and 22km all up!we arrived safely home at about 8.30 and then had to quickly change to met Claudia in town for a beer (as both Jana and I had decided to move on in the next couple of days). Claudia told us there was an earth tremor in San Juan the day before, we didn't even feel it on the farm! Again we didn't eat until about 11 and were pretty tired from the days work and the long ride but it was nice to be out with people at a nice bar. Afterwards one of their friends Augustine (a younger guy) bought us ice cream which was sweet.

Tuesday we worked the morning and went for one last ride. It was probably the funniest ride yet! We ride the two quiet old boys and just had fun galloping around (my boy might've been old but boy was he fast!). We also had massive condors circling which was awesome, there were so many weird and wonderful birds at the farm! in the afternoon we packed and then bid farewell to the workers, horses and dogs. It was so sad to say bye to Dobby and easy, especially for poor yana..I was also frustrated (for the millionth time) at my lack of Spanish as I couldn't bid farewell/say thank you properly to the workers. We left a long note for the next work awayer to give her an idea of what to do etc which we would've appreciated ! We also asked her to keep an eye on the dogs, obviously. we had dinner at fernandos house and Jana got the night bus to Córdoba whilst I stayed the night and got the bus to Mendoza the next day.

Once in Mendoza I had a difficult time deciding whether it was best to stay at a hostel or stay with Fernandos brother (which had been offered to me, he had a big house that international students stayed at)..I finally decided to go to the brothers house as I figured staying with a local might be beneficial. After a frustrating hour or so where I couldn't get in because the bell didn't work and I couldn't contact him as I had no wifi I finally got in..it was a massive house and pretty dirty but I had a room to myself..met the residents who were coincidentally all French and they were all super nice. Accompanied Armando (fernandos brother) to his friend's house for dinner and to watch a soccer match which was nice.

The next day I explored Mendoza city however there wasn't much to see..In saying that the streets are lovely and wide with big trees..I saw a massive crash where both air bags went off but everyone rushed over to help and from a distance they seemed ok..I'm surprised there's not more crashes!. I was supposed to accompany Armando to a winery in the afternoon but that didn't happen (no communication). In the night I went with the French people to their friends house for beers and pizza which was fun! Everyone there spoke a bit of English and even though I was the eldest (they were all younger students) I had a fun night chatting away and showing them some Aussie music (went straight for triple j hottest 100 :P). I'm always so impressed by how multi lingual non native English speakers are. Jealous even! I'd tried to convince the French guys to cycle around wineries with me the next day but as we'd had a pretty big night most were still in bed. One of them, Arthur, called in sick to work and kindly accompanied me! It was a funny old day as we were hungover and not very efficient/arrive to maipu (a wine district) a bit late..nonetheless we hired some bikes and checked out a couple of wineries. It was quite expensive to hire the bikes which was annoying because we could only have them for a couple of hours and we would've taken the ones from home had we known the others wouldn't join us. It was great to do the tours and learn about the production process. Particularly with the second one which was an organized farm. I was surprised at the cost, a tasting being $8 and you were only able to taste two. But anyways that's argentina! We had to rush in the way back to return the bikes, which was a messy adventure! Arthur's chain came off then we were accidentally riding down a one way street into traffic (with no helmets) so we opted for the side walk which was a challenge! We were going so fast and there were constantly drops and bumps etc, not to mention the people and cats and dogs we had to dodge! So annoying to the locals I'm sure, stupid tourists..it felt like we were mountain biking! Whilst Arthur found it all a bit frustrating I thought it was hilarious and I explained to him that this kind of thing comes along with traveling, especially when you're the queen of last minute :P tired but satisfied we checked out the local brewery then headed back to Mendoza for a semi early night. I really appreciated Arthur coming with me and it was great to have someone to do the talking/translate!

I decided to grab the night bus to Buenos Aires the next day so just spent the day organizing my things and walking around the nearby park..bid farewell and walked to the bus station (they all thought I was a bit mad as it was a decent 40mins but hey, I have legs that work!). A really nice man that loved rugby printed my ticket off for me..Night bus wasn't the greatest..no snack, wifi, or somewhere to charge my phone..alas I got at least a few hours sleep and 15.5 hours later arrived in rainy BA. I found wifi at the station and found a hostel in the city (another half hour walk with my bag...). Cecilia had been in the city for the weekend staying with her brother Juan so after dropping my things (and discovering my bag had got wet on the bus ) I went and met them in the lovely suburb of San telmo. Turns out Sunday was a good day to arrive as there were some massive flea markets on so twas nice to walk the cobble stoned streets through these..juan had the nicest apartment, like a mini antique castle! we shared a nice lunch together and after Cecilia got a taxi to get her flight juan and I shared some mate tea (I must get used to It!) and went exploring..it is a beautiful city (although alas it is just a city, not my favorite thing)

..wide open streets and in some parts lots of trees which is lovely..we checked out a local art exhibition, got caught in some rain and then I caught the subway back.

A bit undecided the next day I eventually chose to duck over to Uruguay for a couple of days whilst I waited for gab to arrive..was a great idea! After catching up with Juan for lunch I caught the ferry to Colonia Del Sacramento, which is actually a UNESCO world heritage site..beautiful cobble stoned streets, old buildings, gorgeous trees..friendly, happy people (At one stage there was a bunch of kids dressed up dancing in the street..I have no idea why but it was adorable!). Unfortunately not many people spoke English (I had an awkward evening walk with a guy whereby we had a 'conversation' using google translator..in fact he'd misunderstood me in the first place, I merely asked if he wanted something from the supermarket and he thought I meant do you want to come ). So again my lack of Spanish making me feel a tad isolated..I walked for miles to an old bull fighting ring (couldn't see inside though) and came across some gorgeous horses..I walked back along the water enjoying the sunset, watching people drink their matte, making some stray dog friends..quite a beautiful place really! The last 6 days I'd averaged 13.6km and 19,597 steps so was feeling pretty tired..

The next day I got the ferry back to BA and checked in to the air bnb. Gab and I (I was so excited to see her!) were sharing a room in a lady's (Leila) house so it was nice to meet a local/get some tips..she was a harp player as well! I chilled for a bit and then met gab which was awesome..we made some dinner then walked the streets to San Telmo to meet Juan for a drink..there was some live music in the bar as well, of course! We had an early night as obviously gab was pooped (although I was amazed she wanted to go out at all!) and slept in a bit the next day..walked around the city and did the afternoon walking tour which was interesting to get some history. So crazy, we ran in to my friend Jarren on the streets! In a city of millions I run in to someone I met in Patagonia..madness..we met up with him later to watch a soccer match at bar which was a cool experience. We decided to stay one more night to experience tango with a live orchestra.

The next day was a frustrating one..walking for ages to what we thought was the bus company to buy some tickets only to find it was an insurance company. Walked some more and got the subway to the bus station, found a good deal for cash, waited in line for the ATM for about half an hour to find it didn't have any money left (and of course there's only one in the whole hostel), found a different good deal (half price to be exact) on a bus that would take a bit longer (20 hours all up) so we decided to take that..ticket bought we continued walking (side note, averaging 13-16km a day walking) over to the wealthy suburb of recoleta. We walked through the epic cemetery which had insane head stones/crypts where you can even look in to see the coffins! We had a couple of happy hour beers at a brewery and feeling quite merry we headed home to get ready for tango..tango class was a subway ride away and started at 10.30..we were a little late but joined in and I was swiftly reminded how unco I am! But it was good fun and a couple of men that knew how to dance well grabbed me and guided. We made some friends (albeit a tad annoying ducking their advances) and Juan came for a dance too which was nice. We saw the live music and it was great to see the dance floor full of people that could actually dance well! We drank a little too much and unfortunately rode off the next day (we'd planned to see some more places) but nevermind, that happens sometimes! Although it was my second worst hangover ever, yuk. We went for a nice walk with Juan who bought us ice cream, lay in the park in the sun in Recoletta and then if farewell to Juan (who had to go practice for a gig he had that night). Was sad to say bye, he'd been very kind to us. We went back to leilas and organized our things then, still feeling worse for wear boarded our 20 hour bus one benefit of being so hungover was that we slept the whole way so it wasn't really that bad! And ended up only taking 19 hours :P we arrived to puerto iguazu and it was beautifully green and rainy (albeit humid). Checked in to our sweet hostel, made a poor excuse for fried rice for dinner, met a lovely American then (eventually) slept in a bed!

It stormed for most of the night which was beautiful but a tad frustrating as we waned to visit the falls the next day..but after handing in gabs Brazil visa application in the morning (which was sooooo easy its ridiculous) we decided screw it let's go, who cares if it's raining! And we did, and it was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen..the strength and magnitude of the falls was other worldly..literally felt like we were on another planet! Typical South America the park was closing early because the president was coming but of course they hadn't told us that. So unfortunately our visit was cut short and we didn't get to catch the boat over to the little island but nonetheless it was still a fabulous day and rather than stressing about being saturated we found it quite funny! Back in town we went for a burger with an Aussie called Harry who'd been on the same bus as us..and again it stormed allllll night, seriously bucketing down rain, no idea how we didn't float away!

The next morning we packed our things and gab picked up her passport and visa (again, so easy, which is fantastic but frustrating because of the effort I'd needed to put in back in aus!) and got the bus across the boarder to the Brazilian side of iguazu falls (Foz de iguacu). We got dropped at the border and had to wait a while for the next bus but it was ok as we made a nice friend (Argentinian man) who knew a bit of English). We had to stand on the next bus and I nearly went through the front window (and took gab with me) because the driver broke suddenly and I had my bag on my bag..alas we found the hostel and were quite hot and sweaty by the time we arrived! It was a really nice hostel for the price (about $15 each), we even had a room and bathroom to ourselves and there was a pool! We chilled for a bit then went for a walk around the local zoo, which was free..I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise but even though they were caged (and some of the monkeys and the jaguar showed signs of boredom/distress/wanting to escape) I could tell the enclosures were well designed with enrichment etc and also very clean. There were beautiful birds and monkeys and big cats and cayman and everything! Was really quite great albeit a bit morally challenging..if nothing else hopefully it educates people. We then found a massive supermarket (super maffado) and then made a lot of fresh and healthy meals to keep us going the next couple of days..met some lovely Brazilians at our hostel (it was more of a hotel) who were celebrating their sons birthday, very sweet people.

Chile ~ the beginning

emily_witenden — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 13:18:00 GMT

Arrive in Santiago airport bloody tired and wondering a little why I choose to take myself so far out of my comfort zone..but I knew I'd feel that way at the beginning! Finally made it through customs and immediately realized how stupid it was not to have learned better Spanish! Nonetheless I figured out the bus and metro and finally found my hostel (because a taxi is way too easy)..first impressions of Santiago were a big dirty concrete jungle..met a lovely Aussie girl called bec (nice to have someone to chat to), made the most of the free hostel dinner then hit the sac. 13 hours sleep later I felt a little better! Spent the next couple of days exploring the streets and indeed Santiago redeemed itself somewhat..the quaint arty streets of Bella vista and the awesome views of the andes lifted my spirits..tried some street food (empanada)..met another couple of lovely people, climbed a mountain (one way to get over jet lag) had a pisco sour and shared some delicious local food..learnt a little about Chilean history (military coo, dictator, how well the street dogs are looked after) on a walking tour then decided time for the next destination!

Caught a bus to Valparaiso..which took a lot longer than expected due to an epic crash on the highway..walked a bloody mile with my bag and then had to climbed a ridiculous amount of stairs to find my hostel (Casa Valparaiso), which was tucked away in a delightfully arty alleyway. What a city! Each building a different colour..so much street art even a non artist can appreciate the beauty of..met a nice Aussie guy who was at the end of his trip so kindly pointed out highlights for me (thinking 3.5 months is nowhere near enough time...). Explored a little though was cautious not to stay out too late, I'd heard plenty of times to 'be careful', even just from passers by..even so, people had been kind..one bus driver even giving me a chocolate 😝

Explored the city some more, got a tad lost meandering the hills (oh my gosh are there some hills in this place 🙄) and met up with Aussie friends bec and Jolli .Had some wine whilst we watched the lowering sun light up the colourful buildings..shared some ceviche (local dish with cured fish)..according to my phone I'd walked 72 floors today, boy were my legs feeling it! (Yesterday 50 floors also..)..terrible nights sleep with snoring roommates! The challenges a light sleeper faces in the Hostelworld..

Bec, Jolli and I got a bus (we were the butt of the bus drivers joke, but of course we couldnt understand why he kept laughing) to nearby town vina Del Mar,.wouldn't recommend it :/ their version of a resort town however essentially just an overpriced place with horrid architecture and an average beach. To be fair, we were there in the wrong season! I got a cool bumbag though so that's something :P Bid farewell to bec and jolly and got my bag from the hostel..stupidly spent my last change on chickpeas (of all things) so had to withdraw money (with a massive charge), then struggled massively (with my stupid bag on) to get someone to change the big note for bus change! Post office, bank, street vendors..finally had to pay $4 for a 'coffee' (hot milk with instant) to change the note..anyways! You find your true strength a bit when you're traveling and you're exhausted/mad/frustrated and have no one to turn to but yourself :P Note finally changed I got the trolley bus and coach and headed back to Santiago to an awesome hostel on the edge of the city (Princesa Insolente)..met a few more nice travelers then hit the sack!

Up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight down to the end of the world (Patagonia)..it was a bit of a last minute decision to fly down there and I knew three nights in a place that many plan to explore for months wasn't long however it was the time i had and I thought why not!..had a bit of trouble at punta arenas airport as I hadn't booked the bus but I waited around and was lucky enough to jump on one that had a spare seat..we had to stop for a herd of cows being drafted which was cool and omg I'd read about the Patagonian wind this time of year but the way it moved the massive coach around was something else! Safely arrived at puerto Natales (gateway to Torres del Paine NP) late afternoon, checked in to the Singing Lamb..it honestly did feel like the bottom of the world! Freezing cold, not many people and surrounded my ocean and snow capped mountains..awesome (glad I packed thermals). Booked a tour for the next day (I'd wanted to do my own thing at the park but being off season transportation wasn't available) and walked around the odd little town..met some more travelers, most of which were more hard core hikers etc than i!

Woke up very early to catch my tour bus..what a drive to the NP! Stunning vistas everywhere..plus we saw loads of Guanaco (Patagonian Llama) and even some emu things. I didn't really know what to expect from the day, I just knew we were hiking around 18km to the iconic three tours in the park (the east wing of the infamous W circuit, a hike that takes around 4 days and requires you to carry your tent etc and camp at refugios)..I was crossing my fingers for good weather! And also that I'd be up to it with my average fitness..although I met an older Aussie woman who assured me she too was not very fit!

Began the walk with our guide Al near one the uber expensive hotels in the park (there's also little igloos that people stay in). Walking along laughing with the Aussie (Sunny) it was all fun and games until we hit the first incline..which lasted about 4kms 😳 was feeling the burn and we were just at the beginning! Nonetheless I soldiered on and enjoyed the absolutely breathtaking scenery, feeling so blessed to witness it..we were super lucky with the weather, only windy and cloudy sometimes but mostly sunny..the hike was extremely difficult and at the very end the last km was almost vertical (literally had to climb up rock faces) and then had to walk through snow!! That was so deep my leg sometimes sunk almost to my knee..lucky for my good boots, I'm not sure why (stick technically being their winter and all) but I hadn't expected to be trudging through snow more had I expected such a climb! Areas were treacherous whereby there was a very real risk of falling down the verticals cliff if you slipped (which happened frequently seeing as we had no snow boots on)..the hiking stick helped somewhat..whenever I thought we were nearly there there was always just that little bit more to go!! FINALLY we made it, to a final elevation of 875m (although there'd been a lot of up and down)..and it was all worth it :) beautiful blue lake with the iconic three towers behind. Absolutely stunning..although they were shadowed by some cloud it didn't matter as it snowed! Which made it all the more magical..as we sat on the rocks in the snow and ate our lunch you could hear thundering sounds as massive rocks slid down the cliff to the water (at first I thought it was an avalanche)..we also observed a cheeky fox steel someone's drink bottle thinking it might contain food! It was a very surreal experience and we had some laughs trying to walk around to get photos without loosing our legs in the snow or slipping over completely (which of course I did once)..alas, it was time to turn around and walk the 10km back..indeed it was mostly downhill although not always easy (particularly at the start with the snow, at one stage we opted to slide down as it was just too slippery and dangerous). And my legs were exhausted from the way up! But somehow they stayed strong and I picked my way back down..walking down, I had absolutely no idea how I'd made it up..it was often so steep and it was so far that I didn't think I was capable! But I did it. It was also so nice that there were very few people doing the trail, being shoulder season. At the bottom there was a herd of beautiful horses which had obviously been carrying tourists around as they were tired and sweaty..but in fairly good condition thank goodness, it was such a lovely thing to watch them at the base of one of the mountains. Finally, at 7pm (we'd started at about 9.30am), we made it back to the van!! What a day!!! My phone said 36840 steps and 24.6 (up and down!) kms..crazy..but what an achievement and experience :)

Needless to say I slept like a baby..I was thinking about going back to the park the next day on a bus tour that took you to different sites but opted not to as it was quite expensive and I felt I'd experienced the park pretty bloody well! And that sitting on a bus and taking pics wouldn't make it more special..Would love to see lots of it but maybe another time..instead I went on another hike (sucker for punishment) with Aussie friends I'd made Steph and Jarren. It was a mountain on someone's property and yet again it was quite a challenge (particularly with tired legs!) but slowly and surely I made it up..not quite as stunning as the day before but beautiful trees on the way up, chats with good company and awesome views of Puerto Natales and the surrounding water and mountains made it worth the effort! There were also massive condors circling which was spectacular. It was soooooo windy at the top we had to crouch to avoid being blown over, the windiest wind I've ever experienced! We were supposed to go and have coffee and cake with the owner of the farm at the end (part of the $10 we'd paid) however we opted not to as we were pretty upset by the site of one of her sheep dogs tied up outside..you could see every bone in its body and we couldn't see any water :(

We rested up a bit then headed to the local brewery for a beer with one of the locals, who helps hikers prepare for the W trek..it was great to talk to him, an interesting character..he mentioned that cruise ships would be going to the area in the coming years so I was glad to have seen the place now, even if only so briefly!!

Next day I began an epic journey to Argentina..a 3 hour bus ride to punta arenas, 3 hour wait at the airport, 3 hour flight to Santiago, waiting/transiting for about 4 hours..an overnight bus that was supposed to leave at 9.30pm arrived at 10.30pm, if been waiting outside in the freezing cold having no idea what was going on (eventually a guy that spoke broken English helped me a bit)..I was also anxious I wouldn't make my connecting bus in Mendoza the next morning..and didn't that turn out to be true! We got stuck at the chile-Argentina border for scout 3 hours..I was so stressed but a kind girl helped me get wifi so I could at least contact the work away man (Fernando) due to pick me up that I would be late..actually everyone was very kind, realizing I didn't speak Spanish they helped however they could (when using google translator to tell me to hold my hands up going through customs)..once at Mendoza (5 hours later than scheduled), a nice guy even helped me translate to try allow my ticket to be valid but no luck..so I bought another one, contacted Fernando with the time I was due at the pick up spot..but alas my travel stress wasn't over, the bus arrived over an hour late and I'd had no way of letting Fernando know (so he'd just been waiting)..

Journey home...

emily_witenden — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:06:00 GMT

Can't believe this day is here!!!

Mex got the bus into the city with me this morning for the beginning of my epic journey home (6 flights in 7 days :S)..had a coffee then bid farewell..definitely bitter sweet to be heading home!

Got the bus from Manchester to Leeds..then flew to Zurich via Copenhagen..I'd organised to couch surf (being flat broke, it was a good reason to try it in expensive Switzerland!!) so made my way in to the city..annoyingly couldn't get wifi (where have I heard that before?) and then my phone died (oh, and that?!) but was able to find some friendly people at a closed restaurant to help me out..eventually located the girl (Pegah), who was pretty cool and very accommodating..particularly as I'd kept her waiting being lost and all :S I was to sleep on the couch in her room..we chatted a little but she was busy with her research (she was a neuroscientist and also did stuff with artificial intelligence) and I was happy to keep to myself, being exhausted from traveling!

As my flight wasn't til later this afternoon I decided to explore Zurich a little..I got the tram in to the city and walked down to Zurich lake..it was all very picturesque :) slightly cloudy so I couldn't see much of the alps but I'd been spoilt with views of them when I drove through Switzerland with Maike so I wasn't too worried!! Walked around the streets, went to get a coffee from Starbucks but a small was almost $8 ! Sat down and for the millionth time this trip someone assumed that a female sitting alone obviously wanted some company!! A guy presented me with a love heart chocolate then proceeded to sit next to me..but luckily he actually turned out to be quite interesting and we had a good chat :) went back down to the lake and lay in the sun and read my book..got the tram out of the city and was finally able to locate a cheaper coffee! Then headed to the airport, picked up my big bag (which I'd pay to store for the evening) and boarded my overnight flight to Bangkok!

Landed in Bangkok and feeling a bit groggy, lay on some chairs trying to rest..once again I was disturbed, this time from a pretty strange man who got me up to take a picture of him :/ needless to say I left that resting place and found another! I had about 7 hours all up but decided by the time I got through immigration and figured out transport into the city that I'd be cutting it too fine! I'd just have to return to Thailand :) (I was technically supposed to have already spent a week there, but changed my flights to spend more time in the UK instead). Got some terrible pad Thai (ironic) and then made camp on a lounge and tried to catch some z's!!

Boarded my flight to Sydney and yet another night spent on the plane (and like on the previous flight there was a very loud snorer nearby :| ) bit of a trek home!! Arrived in Sydney but my travels weren't over yet! It was weird coming through the international terminal onto home soil and not actually heading home/seeing people I knew..I got a bus to rach's auntie's, freshened up, ate and dumped my big bag then headed back to the airport! But to the domestic terminal this time, via the luxury of getting a lift from Kerrie :) then I flew to Brisbane (5th flight in 4 days...definitely had cankles :P) to meet gab for a girls weekend with her mates :) A weekend in the Gold Coast in an awesome apartment (bit of an upgrade from my European hostels...) complete with a Halloween party, a winery tour and a fun night clubbing..I was doing my best to ignore exhaustion and jet lag, and somehow managed to survive a 14 hour drinking day! Ok, so I might've had a cheeky powernap...

And now I'm sitting in Brisbane airport awaiting my final flight..can't wait to see ma and pa at the airport :) almost 5 months to the day I left for an incredible adventure..with limited funds and plans..but holy crap, hasn't it been incredible! The people I've been lucky enough to catch up with, the people I've had the pleasure of meeting and at the places I've seen have been indescribably amazing..no idea what's next but hey, that's the best bit! Until next time, Bon voyage...

Scotland

emily_witenden — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:05:00 GMT

Mex caught up with some friends this morning then we headed on our road trip :) stopped by Becky's house on the country outskirts of Manchester, 'twas so beautiful..met her welsh rugby player boyfriend George, shared some of our baked goods then hit the road..was tiring for me to drive as it'd been a while, the last time had been on the right side of the road in canada! Had a few breaks and about four hours later arrived in Edinburgh..which from the limited things I could see by night (including the lit up castle!) was stunning and deserved the impressive reputation I'd heard so much about :) we found a hostel and checked in then mex and I went for a stroll..so many lovely people wanting a chat..and so much awesome live music! Including violins (jig style) and guitars..love it :)

We had our continental breakfast with awesome views of Edinburgh..then we bid farewell to T and hit the road! No real plans, just wanted to head north to the highlands..we stopped by Arthur's Seat for an epic hike up to some chapel ruins and the hill where a castle used to stand..pretty pooped by the top but homemade brownies and an awesome view made it worthwhile ;) we drove a couple of hours to Dollar where mex's brother spent his gap year..had a picnic by the stream then spent some time in the cutest cafe, where the workers gave us loads of advice and sent us on our merry way with scones :) I'd say the scenery and friendly people of Scotland were almost unsurpassed in my travels..

lucky I'm not a nervous driver as the windy roads up and down the mountains in the rain were tricky! Drove by a loch and saw an outrageously nice motel..and some deer, which was awesome :) we got to the cute little fishing town of Oban and had tea at a pub..chatted to a drunk local, asked around for accommodation and got a good deal at a decent motel! Such luxury...

Went for a stroll around the town then hit the road again..big day of driving with some awesome stops..stopped at Fort William and Fort Augustus, where we had lunch by Loch Ness! Pretty sweet..stopped at rainy Inverness tonight and made tuna salad in the car (like pros!)...decided to save some money so we parked at a tourist info place and slept in the car..it was a little cramped in the back of the polo but we managed!

Woke up to a pretty nice view out the back of the polo, of which I enjoyed whilst eating my breakfast hunched over..went for a brief walk around town (the horizontal rain Scotland is known for limited our ventures), stopped in a warm cafe for a little while then continued driving..pretty amazing scenery of the Scotland coast this afternoon..wild and cold weather and exhausting roads (lots of gear changes!!) but very beautiful..came across the awesome Dunrobin castle, which was pretty well deserted!! definite pros to adventiing in non-tourist season ;) turned off for a pee stop and found the coolest bay with a beautiful bridge...we arrived at John O'Groats where we'd planned to catch the barge across to the Orkney Islands we'd heard so much about..but a couple of locals in a pub (the only other patrons in the only open pub we could find..definitely heading in to winter!) suggested it was a bad idea as there was the edges of a hurricane on the way and we'd likely have a miserable time and get stuck on the islands..bit disappointing but we decided it wasn't worth it..so we played some pool (mex won both times, boo!) then drove out to the northern most point of Scotland (Dunnet Head)..we'd planned to sleep in the car there but the wind was insane so we retreated to a little village where we parked the car by a barn and slept with the wind howling and the rain falling..lets just say it was a challenge to go outside the car to pee :P

Well, we survived the night!! Pretty funny experience...got the polo out of the hiding place next to the barn (it was near a car park for a B&B and a couple of people that saw us must have thought we were nuts!) and drove back out to Dunnet Head so as to see it and the lighthouse in the daylight...pretty special spot :) Headed back around the top of Scotland to the west coast..the route is famous for amazing roads and coastlineand it was definite some of the most beautiful scenery I'd ever seen..dodged some sheep on the road (looked like they were checking out the surf ;)) and stopped by an awesome bay to have brecky sheltered in the car..stopped on kyle of tongue crossing for some stunning pics, including some of an angel statue...which seemed appropriate for the mystical area..Got to Ullapool on the west coast..were going to go for a walk but the weather was too miserable (I think we were getting a little bit of cabin fever!)..saw that the weather was meant to be -3-0 and -21 in the wind the next day :| bit chilly for October! Checked in to a hotel (luxury!) and had pizza downstairs for tea..sooooo nice to have a shower and bed, could fully stretch out!! 'Twas so comfy we slept in til 10 :/

Checked out and headed for isle of Skye! Our fallback option to the Orkney Islands.. Crazy winds again, wild oceans..stopped at some really cute markets (protected in a hall thank goodness) and had some pumpkin lunching chatted to some sweet old people..couple more hours driving then I needed to snooze in the car..mex found a cute pub with a fire to go on his computer..crossed rhe bridge to Skye (bridge was closed to trucks etc because of the wind, so they were all just parked on the side of the road waiting...) and got to Broadford on the east coast and checked in to a hostel..once again planned to go for a walk but couldn't..made a delicious home cooked dinner :)

Had a look in a local candle shop which had the factory below..we wanted to drive around Isle of Skye before heading back to Edinburgh later that day..drove up the road to Dunvegan planning on visiting the castle, but decided the weather was too shite and the entry too expensive so we drove around to the other side of the loch instead..tried to spot for seals but no luck..beautiful drive nonetheless..headed to Portree to a cute cafe looking over the harbour, battled with the wind and rain to sightsee a little then continued on..stopped on the side of the road to pat the cutest highland cow, she was so friendly :) drove along more narrow, windy roads (observing a near miss, by centimeters, of a logging truck flying around a bend only to have to squeeze past a big bus at high speeds :S)...then more and more driving...quick stop in Perth then finally got to Edinburgh! Travelled for about 10hours today..pretty buggered! Chatted to mex's mate Olly (at who's place we were staying) then crashed..

Having a bit of cabin fever from the car, we went to the park and kicked the footy around..went and checked out an awesomely fancy school that resembled hogwarts..walked along the street where we were staying (seriously at least 10 op shops in one street) and met olly in awesome bike cafe for a coffee..walked in to the city and up the hill to the amazing Edinburgh castle then back down the miracle mile..had some food and did a little touristy shopping then headed back home to chill..we'd planned to meet Anna and T later on at a pub that mex's mate worked at but Anna was running late..somewhat relieved to have a night in :P Olly made us a delicious seafood risotto then we made the most of the luxurious tv and bed!

Today we met up with T and Anna (also briefly saw Wally and Emma, other mates from Topdeck) and went on a super random history/ghost tour of the old vaults below the bridge..it was very theatrical, to say the least! Learnt about the torture and so forth that occurred back in the day, which was a little confronting..the lady even reenacted the whipping, which involved mex getting some pretty hefty lashings across the arse!! We went in to the vaults which were super eerie..apparently one of the most haunted places in Scotland..were told the legal and illegal history of the vaults and ghost stories/instances on possession of tourists..one ghost apparently hates that people go down there and is malevolent..another is a little kid who tries to hold peoples hands :S I definitely felt that there was a chill down there..quite the experience :P

Back up in the real world we found an awesome bar and had a drink..headed back to the girl's hostel and had some more drinks and food and chilled for a bit (well, I chilled, the others had a field day taking over each other tinder accounts..)..headed to a bar (conveniently located near Olly's) and met up with mex's mates that play rugby for Edinburgh and their friend at the bar waved our bill! Winning :)

Today we headed back to manchester via the lakes district..which was so stunning..beautiful countryside with all fences and majority of buildings made out of stone..went for a walk around the harbour then headed back for a chilled night in!

My last day in Manchester today :( organised my bag then went and meandered around some markets..had coffee with mex's mate..then we had date night! we actually scrubbed up for once! And had deeeeeliciois food from a menu we didn't totally understand :P can't say I've been on many dates so it was a lovely way to end my travels :) although 'twas sad to be leaving mex behind in England..but I was grateful for the experiences we'd been blessed enough to share together..

Manchester

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 14:55:00 GMT

Mex and I got up early to take Elle to the station..after about 6weeks together it was farewell for a little while! Had brunch with Luke and stu (mex's housemate who'd also been on top deck and an Aussie mate), met T, booked a bus and headed to Manchester! A long 4.5 hours later we arrived in chilly Manchester..headed back to their cute apartment in withington and T and I chilled while mex and Luke went to a birthday do..so nice to sleep in a bed that night!

Next couple of days we just chilled, caught up on sleep and washing and what not..bought some warm clothes at primark (getting super cold now!)..went for a hike in the hills district for some awesome panoramic views of the rolling hills and stone fences...followed by lunch in a cute pub in an even cuter town in the foothills..went to the trendy northern quarter of Manchester (very Melbourne like) to have tea with Luke's friend..then Luke flew back to Aust so 'twas just the three of us..and as mex is a major social butterfly we met lots of his friends ;) dinner party with a couple of his girl mates (one of which is a world champion GB cyclist, Becky James, who's dating the welsh rugby player George north..and has the cutest sausage dog, Lola :) and another that trains paraolympians) consisting of bruschetta (by me), chicken cooked in beer (by mex) and lemon tarts and carrot cake for dessert (by Becky)..yum!..went to the movies and saw maze runner..I cooked pumpkin soup and mex's neighbour came over for tea and helped recover some photos I'd lost due to a virus..had a bake sesh where we made brownies and cookies then mex and I went next door to the other neighbours for a chat..really nice people with a super cute dog, mex and Luke are lucky to have such great neighbours :) then we decided to head north the next day to Scotland Woohoo! Definitely a place I wasn't thinking I'd get to :) I'd changed my flights which meant longer in the UK and no Thailand but the company and the places I'd see would make the change worthwhile :) mex had his work car which he couldn't drive but he put me on the insurance so road trip time it was! And T planned to stay in Edinburgh to try find work..we just planned to head north and go with the flow :)

Amsterdam

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:22:00 GMT

Pretty tricky to get up out of our warm and comfy bed today! But we were on our way to Amsterdam! Had a big driving day ahead..in the late afternoon we stopped at a cheese and clog factory which was pretty cool..did some taste testing and watched a clog making demo then headed to our campsite..had 45mins to set up camp and get ready to head in to town! Caught the bus in and walked around a bit..awesome city! With it's meandering canals and quaint terraces..walked to the main square and WWII memorial and palace..then of course checked out the red light district..it really is another world! Pretty interesting..bunch of us went and had tea before meeting back up for the live sex show! A pretty bizarre show involving ribbon, candles, boob bitch slapping and a pretty interesting couple having sex on stage..an experience, to say the least :P headed to the club, did what you do in Amsterdam, walked around in circles in the main area then when 2 girls and myself realized we were really the only non-prostitute females around (it was about 2am) we headed home!

It took such a long time to get all the way back to the campsite last night that I only ended up getting about 3 hours sleep..up and in to town to bike around Amsterdam! The bikes were awesome and our tour guide very imformative..learnt that the essential law enforcement ideal was that 'if you can handle it and you're not hurting anyone then it's ok'..such a different city! We then went and had some delicious Dutch pancakes and strolled around the city..had half a brownie and went to the sex museum which was very interesting, had a bit of everything..when in Amsterdam! Walked around the church and palace for a bit then headed back to the campsite to get changed..freshened up then headed back in for our last dinner! At a Chinese restaurant..then some went on to the river cruise (we didn't pay for that extra) and we made our way to where we'd be meeting them..met up with the rest and had a dance but Elle and I were just a little pooped so headed back for the last night of camping..and of course, our tent and lilos were saturated from the rain :P

Packed up for the last time and bid farewell to a few people that weren't coming back to london with us..and off we went! We got to the port of Calais, France around lunch and bid farewell to our bus and driver..caught the ferry across to England, hopped on a random bus and arrived in London a couple of hours later..where mex was waiting to greet us :) a few of us went to tea then mex, Luke, Elle and I trekked across London to mex's mates house..nice to meet some of his friends :) Elle packed up her things to leave for Iceland the next day and we crashed on a mattress on the floor..sad that the tour is finished, it went so fast!

Berlin

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:16:00 GMT

Back to Germany today wohoo! Some of my fondest memories from this trip have been from Germany..mainly thanks to the beautiful people there..but today's destination was Berlin, which I was sure would differ quite a lot from the south of Germany I had already explored..we stopped in a town called Dresden and checked out a WWII mural and church, which was blackened from bombings..tried some yummy traditional currywurst sausage (Elle and I only got a 2 on the hotness scale of 0-7), got some drugs from the pharmacy then back on the bus..drove around Berlin, which certainly was different ! A lot more modern and hip..although I got the feeling you'd have to spend a few days here to really appreciate the city..we drove around, there was beautiful art everywhere..drove past the wall, pretty crazy! Checked in to our AWESOMELY luxurious hostel (cosy beds, a pillow, nice shower and toilet..#winning) then got ready for our pub crawl! This trip is literally gogogo..had dinner in the hostel restaurant (really was a fancy and hip hostel..even had an artist stationed in the middle of the courtyard, so Berlin ;) )..we all had a shot then headed in for our pub crawl! Began with dancing like crazy on our bus at red lights..then a beer whilst walking to the first bar..three bars later we headed to a nightclub to dance the night away..we were used to having to trek for ages and take public transport to get back to our accommodation but tonight the hostel was literally over the road woohoo!

Everyone was a little secondhand this morning..but we had to smarten up for our historical walking tour, which involved some pretty heavy info! We learned that after the war there were issues with the allied forces trying to figure out what to do with Germany and Berlin..Russia wanted to make it communist and hence eventually the wall was built to separate the non communist 'western' side (set up by the British, French and Americans) and the eastern side..it was interesting to hear the original plans for a communist society, the idea was for equality etc..but it just didn't work and people were suppressed with no freedom..and as the wall literally went up overnight (1961), people were separated from their friends and family..for up to 28 years (1989)..insane..we also went to the site of hitler's bunker..and learnt how he blamed his country for losing the war and decided to poison his dog, his wife and himself..an easy way out if you ask me..it was really interesting seeing the wall and learning the history..sadly, so much suffering didn't end with WWII..we also checked out the holocaust memorial, which was an area with huge cement blocks built on undulating land..symbolizing the isolation and suppression people would have felt..very powerful walking through it.. I felt a bit sorry for our tour guide, but everyone was doing their best to concentrate! We did have to stop for a coffee break though :P afterwards we went and had lunch for Theresa's birthday then walked up to primark to get some warm essentials (although still no shoes, feet are still freezing!!)..we then made our way to checkpoint Charlie, one of the monitoring areas between the east and west..read about escape attempts and how strict the east really was..we then caught the bus back with the few others that'd managed to remain out and about for the whole day..walked along the wall near our hostel and got some pics...Elle and I did some washing, we signed cards and presents for the crew, had a birthday cake for Theresa and hit the sack..

Prague

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:06:00 GMT

This morning was a challenging one..we stopped at the Matthausen concentration camp on our way to Prague..a fascinating but somewhat sickening experience..we watched a video at first, hearing first hand from survivors and soldiers that liberated the camps..it was brutal to see the people in the camps that were literally skeletons..some had five spoons of food every three days..and had to climb up steep stairs with boulders..and at times the guards would make the people push each other off the cliff to their death..when it was raining, the guards would make the prisoners lie face down in the mud so they could walk over them and not get their boots dirty..hitler didn't like to visit the camps as it 'turned his stomach'..etc etc :( we walked through the holding rooms and down to the incineration room..and where they'd strip the people and take their gold teeth..I finally let the tears come when I stood at the door of the gas chamber..overwhelming anger, sadness and nausea hit me..hitler really had sat down and planned mass murder,.beginning with completely exiling Jews (as he blamed them for the state of Germany after WW1) and any other minority groups from society..embarrassing and humiliating them..before literally hoarding them in to camps with political prisoners..sickening..this man, who had been on the streets and taken in by Jews as a kid, manipulated his way to a position of unsurpassed power..and somehow tricked the German people so many didn't even know the extent of what was going on..the people were literally told that the camps held 'dangerous prisoners' and so forth..when the truth finally came out, it was nice to hear stories of German families risking their lives to help escapees..the allies finally liberated the camps, but the issues didn't stop there..many of the people that survived died from the conditions soon after..and many had absolutely no one or no where to return to..and then there was the issue of determining what to do with this country, which hitler left in a mess (will discuss more in Berlin!)..but it was an experience that I feel was important to have..important to pay homage and respect..but also important not to dwell for too long..

Back on the road we reached the campsite outside of Prague..had our last dinner cooked by Katie which was a delicious BBQ..everyone got pretty merry and we headed in to town (I'd heard lots about Prague nightlife!)..we went to a bar and then headed to a five story night club! Pretty sweet..a hip hop floor, oldies floor, radio floor, chillout lounge and ice bar..danced the night away then headed home, which was a massive trek first to find the tram then wait for it then ride the half hour or so back then walk about 20mins to the camp..but we made it! 2 hours after leaving the club..

We scrambled out of the tent at 9.30 to grab some breakfast..our cook was passed out on one of the boxes..everyone was a little seedy :P we had pretty bad colds too which didn't help..sIckes it up and headed in to town..had a look at the markets and awesome old town, the buildings were beautiful..saw the astronomical clock, listened to some awesome buskers then walked over to the Jewish ghetto..found a cool cafe to chill in and just ordered a coffee without checking the menu..woops, $15 dollars later! Ripoff..crossed the river and walked around the senate building then trekked up a beautiful part of town to Prague castle/St Vitus cathedral..awesome views :) had some traditional food (beef goulash with dumplings) then feeling pretty exhausted headed home to bed!

Vienna

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:52:00 GMT

Sadly mex had to leave us today..he had to get back to Manchester for a doc appointment on Monday...but he'd been able to stay two weeks longer than originally planned so that was awesome :) so we packed up, got a big group photo and bid farewell..then we were on our way to Vienna, Austria! We stopped in Bratislava, Slovakia for lunch..as you do! Was pretty cool..we walked around the old town for a bit then back on the bus to Vienna..once again, three countries in one day..had a bit of a drive around beautiful Vienna the headed out to our camp..set up (we're getting pretty good at it now!) then just used the wifi..I finally read mex's website which hit me pretty hard..he's been through hell and is still amazingly full of life and positivity..a very inspiring and special person..an uneventful night tonight, broccoli soup and stew for tea then bed..

Another freezing night in a dewy tent..looking forward to a warm bed! Elle, Anna, em, Scott and I went to the Spanish riding school planning on just watching training but bought tickets for a show that night instead..so Elle and I went on a sightseeing mission! Walked around the winter palace of the hofburg royal family, where hitler stood and announced control over Austria..we wandered the pretty streets, had a coffee (wasn't that great, considering Vienna is known for coffee!)..caught the metro to Schrobrunn palace which had stunning gardens..which we meandered through and did some stretching..shared a giant pretzel then headed back to meet the group..we headed to the schnapps museum which was really interesting to hear about the history of the factory..and how they lost so many buildings during the world war..did some tastings then got dropped back in to town where a few of us checked out the markets before heading to the Spanish riding school show! Was incredible..the horses were so strong, rearing and jumping forward with riders on their back..the Vienna boys choir were also performing so we got to hear some classical music as well! Awesome show..very special to see..Scott, em and Elle and I headed back to the markets and had a delicious Asian duck salad for tea..we managed to fit a lot in today! Back to our wet, chilly tents for the night..off to Prague tomorrow woohoo!!

Budapest

emily_witenden — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:41:00 GMT

Packed up our dewy tents and headed for Budapest today! Quick stop for tuna wraps at a rest stop then the rest of the day was driving..got to Budapest (Buda on one side of the river and Pest on the other) and were driven around the main sights to get our bearings..stopped at Buda castle (Fishermans Bastion and Mathias church) and climbed to the top for some pretty sweet views then headed to the outskirts of town to our campsite..which was a breeding ground for mosquitoes!! We threw the footy for a bit, did some washing, had a traditional rice and chicken paprika dish, finally did a 'newbies' intro (as we'd gotten more new people that day), sung along to camp songs with jack, chatted with mex and jack then went to bed!

Free day today to go sightseeing..had yummy sausage and mushrooms for brecky and Elle and I went in a bit after everyone else as we didn't want to rush..caught the train to the centre (across the river from the impressive parliament building), walked across the chain bridge to the pest side and met the others at the house of terror museum...wasn't keen for that so mex, Elle and I found a cute cafe and chilled for a bit..then the three of us had lunch with T and Nicole and wandered around beautiful Budapest..went and saw the shoe memorial (moulds of shoes of jews that had been killed and thrown in the river :() and the stunning basilica..which had the preserved hand of a king on display :/ had some amazing gelato in the shape of a flower..walked across to the other side of the river to an incredible church built in to the wall..Elle, T and Nicole went and got a massage whilst mex and I enjoyed the view from the bridge and walked through the markets..Elle found us again and we went to an awesome colourful cafe for a beer..got changed and went to meet everyone else for dinner..shared a giant schnitzel with Elle and once everyone was pretty merry we moved on to a dive bar..it was really cool and alternatively decorated, like a Melbourne bar on steroids! Elle and I had a disgustingly strong Hungarian shot, hung out for a bit longer then mex and I left as we were buggered..we walked with some of the others for agggges and then just missed the last train! But we were able to get a couple of buses and the walk was worth it to see the city lit up at night..Elle stayed out with some of the others and didn't get home til 5/6am..crazy kid!

Croatia

emily_witenden — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 16:58:00 GMT

Another big day of driving today..pretty crazy windy narrow roads..we all had to get off the bus at one stage as the breaks had overheated and it was smoking..had an awesome lunch time stop in budva, Montenegro..beautiful place by the water..walked along the sea, through the beautiful old town, had gelato and a kebab for lunch..back on the bus for another couple of hours driving before coming in to stunning Croatia (three countries in one day!!)..absolutely beautiful driving in to Dubrovnik, with the medieval buildings set against the sparkling sea..we set up camp (first time yet and Elle and I rocked!) in the dark and had another delicious Katie meal (pasta) before heading in to town..had a brief walking tour if the stunning ancient city..learnt about recent wars and saw the set of game of thrones..we then went to a cool nightclub and got to know the crew a bit better..got the last bus home and stargazed outside a while (I saw a shooting star! 'Twas a special night) before heading to bed..

There were a few sore heads this morning but it was a free day so we all headed in to the city..mex, Elle and I decided to spend our money on a kayaking tour rather than climb the city wall so we left some others and went and found a cute cafe up an alleyway..walked around the old town, had some lunch then headed to meet for our tour..mex partnered up with a random girl and off we went! It was hard work (''twas super windy) but awesome to see the city aka 'kings landing' from the sea..we stopped and snorkeled and mex and I scaled a cliff (friggen scary, there was hardly anything to hold on to and it was windy) and jumped 10m into the sea! Needless to say I got the biggest wedgie of my life and had a sore bum :| but talk about an awesome adrenalin rush! we continued kayaking around an island and went in to a massive cave which was apparently cursed (something like if you lived on the island you got bad luck)..slightly sunburnt with sore arms we made it back..'twas money well spent :) walked around and saw the set and props for GoT which was pretty cool..even though we were a but wet and cold we went and found a cliff bar (cafe budiva) Elle's mum had told us about, which was incredible! Literally built in to the side of a cliff..mex bought us a beer and we watched the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen..even had ships etc sailing by..time for a bit of reflection..even more cold now we had a quick bite to eat before heading back to defrost and snuggle up!!

Sad to leave Dubrovnik today (definitely one of my favourite cities) but excited to remain in Croatia to go to Plitvice National Park..had an afternoon stop in Zadar which was a cool seaside town..had a random 'sea organ', literally someone had designed an organ that the waves from the sea played..music from the ocean :) we all chilled together for a bit, walked through markets, had a look at roman ruins and stood around the pole of shame then headed back to the bus..couple of hours drive later we arrived at our campsite, which reminded me a lot of canada..mountains, loads of pine trees, freezing..threw the footy, had delicious burritos and tacos for tea, played beer pong and Elle's game then settled in for a frreeeeezing nights sleep..even wore my jeans to bed :|

Not well rested we got up and headed to the lakes..which were stunning! Crystal clear water, the fish you could see literally looked like they were flying..and such beautiful turquoise colours..we walked around for the day, along the lakes and up and down the meandering hills..checked out the waterfall, at which Elle and I did a cheeky 'boobs to the world' pic and mex did a speedos shot ;) got the ferry back over and headed back to the campsite..had a yummy chicken dish for dinner followed by heated bananas with melted mars bars in them (yum!! Might've had seconds..)...followed by another cold nights sleep!! Least I'm getting the wear out of those heavy winter clothes..although missing those boots I gave away in Portugal :S loving stunning, chilly Croatia...

Greece

emily_witenden — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:21:00 GMT

We arrived in Greece and disembarked at about 9am..drove a short distance to the port town of Plataria where we were split into groups of 5/6 for our yachts..lucky we had tif who had sailed before! There was one man on the main boat that was in charge but other than that we were alone to our yachts :S we had a crash course of what to do how/how things worked..bought sailors hats and set sail early afternoon! The port was lovely..unfortunately we weren't going anywhere like santorini, with the blue and white buildings, but I'll just have to come back and see that! We were headed for less touristy towns..the first afternoon went fine although it was a bit too windy to put the sails up..and I felt a little queezy so had to mostly sit up the front..but it was nice to get to know the girls on 'Apollo' (our yacht) a bit better..Nicole, Molly, tiff and dani..we were in a good group :) got to the island of Mourtos which was a really small and traditional fishing island..pretty cool..moored our boats together, had a beach shower, changed, went and had a traditional dinner (tzaziki and eggplant dip, Greek salad and snapper), yum! We then did some traditional dancing, which included lifting tables with teeth, dancing inside a fire circle and conga lines,.pretty funny..then we jammed the night away by the sea :) we were pretty much the only ones there so it was pretty cool..then slept on the boat! Bit cramped but quite the experience :)

We couldn't make our stove work so we had cereal for brecky and organised Apollo to leave..once we got to open ocean the swell was massive!!! Soooo big..the main skipper said if he'd known it'd be that bad we wouldn't have gone out..pretty crazy..needless to say I felt sick so had to sit right up the front, which was insane with the waves! I'd look back at the others sitting at the back of our boat and they'd be so far down at the bottom of the swell with a huge wave looming over..but we made it to our new island of. Corfu in one piece..annoyingly the other topdeck group were waiting to dock so we went around in circles for ages..I felt so sick so had to abandon ship and swim in to shore..so mex (who'd thrown up several times) and I chilled by the beach trying to settle our stomachs..finally the others docked and we had a late lunch then walked in to the super cute town..this island was a little busier/more touristy,.had gelato..went back and chilled by the pool..definitely still 'swaying' :S showered, had tea, played card games..no one really had a big night as people were feeling pretty ill..a bunch of us decided there was no way we were sleeping on the boats so we grabbed our sleeping bags and set up camp by the beach..slept on deck chairs under the stars, 'twas awesome! It was a bit of a cold night but surprisingly not too uncomfortable!

Slept through til 8am and woke to the sun over the water, absolutely stunning..went back to the boats and I cooked our crew bacon and eggs to apologise for abandoning them the previous day..it was such beautiful weather and the water was crystal clear so we all went for a swim, jumped off the deck and threw the tennis ball for a bit :) set sail (we actually did put the sails up today!)..even I was able to enjoy it today as it was pretty calm :) stopped for a swim break and then made it back to the original port of Plataria early evening..we docked our boats for the last time but we still had to sleep on them that night..so we showered and had tea with the other topdeck group..used wifi, had gelato (yep, yet again ;)), chatted to the other group for a bit, had a free shot then I headed back to the boats (Elle stayed out a while)..

Got up at 6ish and it was still pitch black..grabbed some cereal and milk from other boats as we'd pretty well eaten our food ration :S cleaned the boat and boarded the bus to head to Albania!! Which was a pit stop on our way to Croatia..it was a long travel day, plenty of stops on the way..interesting driving through, with donkeys, mountains and bunkers everywhere (the paranoid communist president had ordered 700,000 built)..once in Tirana a guide came onto our bus to give a brief history..it was interesting to see how it was in the times of communism, with big plain apartment buildings etc..it has only recently been freed from communism and is hence not overly frequented by tourists which is cool..we got to our motel which was open plan apartments..so spacious!! Had tea then a few of us hung out in our room..pretty early night, everyone was keen to sleep in a bed after sleeping on the boats!

Rome

emily_witenden — Thu, 6 Nov 2014 16:08:00 GMT

The bus ride to rome was beautifully picturesque, with vineyards and loads of clustered towns atop of hills..with a castle and/or cathedral :) we got into rome and walked uphill a ways to find our hostel..it wasn't too bad, although it felt a little like a prison and gab had an old strange lady staying beneath her :S we just stayed in that night and ate dinner we'd bought earlier..and sorted out what gab would have to do to get her early flight the next day..

I got up with gab at 4 and walked her to her bus (goodbye for a couple of months!) then went back to bed..Elle and I decided to check out as neither of us had slept very well on the springy mattresses..so we stored our bags and went exploring :) we were meeting our tour in a couple of days so didn't stress about seeing everything too much..got out of the subway and were met straight up with the huge colosseum! Pretty amazing..walked around it, tried book an underground tour (ie a tour including the lowest level of the colosseum) but unfortunately they were booked out :( so we walked around some forum ruins (a place of old palaces, arches and basilicas...I had no idea there were ruins everywhere in the middle of rome, it was awesome!) and had lunch sheltered from the rain (found some random staircase and had our usual rice cakes/crackers with deli ham and cheese)..walked around a massive white marble monument (a tribute to the first king a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II) then headed back to the colosseum and decided to pay for a guided tour..not the best tour we'd been on but we did learn some really interesting things..like they used to put wild animals in with condemned people and watch them too them to pieces..the place could hold 75,000 people..most gladiators were slaves..emperor Constantine liberated the Christians and stopped the slaughtering of them in the colosseum..then they took pillars and materials to build the Vatican City (which I find ironic, considering the christian blood that was shed at the colosseum)..etc! A very challenging but incredible place..we then walked around the more ruins of the ancient forum and palace which was pretty amazing..even Julius Caesars forum where governmental pursuits occurred..strange to think of the people that had walked where we were walking! We went to find a church that had ancient ruins in it (had three different layers from different ages) but the underground bit was closed unfortunately..so no underground ruins for us today! Caught the subway back to the hostel, picked our bags up and cooked tea..made our way to the campgrounds where we'd be meeting our topdeck crew in a couple of days..went to get my wallet out of my bag and it wasn't there :( had 250€ in it too..must've been taken in the 2seconds we left our backpacks to get our bigger bags at the hostel or in the subway :( pretty devastated..got to the campsite, I organised cancellation of my cards etc and Elle organised a doc appointment the next day as her bedbug bites (we're not sure where she got them) were so sore and itchy..not the greatest day..

Once again, today was a bit challenging..I got up and went in to check the hostel and the supermarket for my wallet..no luck so I eventually located the police station and waited around to report it stolen...meanwhile Elle was back at the campsite and having seen a doctor, washing absolutely everything in her bag in case she'd brought the bugs with her from somewhere..needless to say we ended up having a well deserved cocktail by the pool and pizza in the restaurant that evening!! Our last dinner traveling just the two of us :)

We got up and organised our bags to store until we met for our tour that afternoon and went in to the Vatican City super briefly..another country! it was really hot and we didn't have time to wait in the lines so we didn't get to see inside the cathedral or Sistine chapel :( nevermind, twas still an incredible sight from the outside..made our way back for induction and were very suprised to find that we were actually joining a bigger group that'd already been traveling for a couple of weeks..not ideal! Tricky to integrate ourselves..anyways the 'newbies' went into town to sightsee but we stayed back as we were buggered and decided I should do a thorough clean in case of bedbugs (wouldn't want the whole bus to get them!)..took ages to wash and clean every little thing..showered and met for dinner, didn't get a proper intro to the group or anything..bit intimidating meeting people but they were all really nice..we borrowed a tshirt as the theme that night was cross dressers..and we partied away with our topdeck group!

Had to get up super early as we had a big day of driving to get the ferry from Ancona to Greece..was expecting to have to introduce ourselves on the bus (as that's what everyone else had done)..but nope..we were feeling a little like afterthoughts! We also found out that they'd already personally designed, ordered and received the trip hoodies :( feeling a bit bummed, we boarded the ferry and found our rooms..settled in and just chatted to people..found everyone to be super friendly..payed for an overpriced dinner, played some poker and went to bed in our little four berth cabins! And so the topdeck adventure beings...

Siena

emily_witenden — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:47:00 GMT

We got to siena late afternoon and found our hotel, just outside the amazing city wall..and it was so nice! Comfy beds, nice shower etc..with a beautiful view of Tuscany vineyards and siena town through the kitchen window..we had tea at a nice little restaurant in the old town (gabs shout) including pizza and tiramisu..walked around and saw the square where there's a crazy horse race every year..checked out the cathedral..which was really intricate and stunning and there was no one around so for once we could have a good look! Then back to our comfy beds..
Today we really wanted to get to a winery, being in Tuscany and all..but luck really wasn't on our side! We tried to see if we could cycle to one but the winery didn't speak English to book a tasting..then we decided we'd get a bus to another one, bought return tickets, waited for ages then had to give up as we were running out of time..so eventually we walked through markets surrounding an old fortress, finally found the entrance to the fortress and went to a restaurant we'd been recommended for wine tasting...it wasn't free and wasn't at a vineyard but we finally did a wine tasting in Tuscany!
We picked up our bags from the station where we'd payed to store them and caught the bus to rome..

Florence

emily_witenden — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:56:00 GMT

We arrived in Florence about 3 hours later and caught the bus all the way up to the top of the hill to our campsite..amazing views of the city! Found our tent (a little difficult in the dark), which was pretty cool, and settled in for a chilly night with the mosquitos..

The next morning we walked from the Michelangelo square near our camp down into the city if Florence..strolled across the beautiful river, spotted with little bridges along its length..we had a coffee at a cute little cafe, got some bargains at the fresh fruit and veg market and headed to the other end of town to the meeting place of our free tour..the tour was really interesting, focussing mainly on the famous meirachi family which controlled Florence for so long...we saw a church which Michelangelo began to build but couldn't finish and hence saw the 'skeleton of a masterpiece'..learnt about the family fueds of the city and how the meirachi family had an above ground tunnel all the way from their place of residence, across a bridge to a palace on the outskirts of the city (so they'd never be seen/assassinated)..saw some pretty weird sculptures..learnt how the original gelato was made in Florence with ice, salt and fruit juice..once again appreciating a city much more by learning a little history! We went in to the beautiful duomo cathedral before trekking back up to the hill towards our camp..and there just so happened to be a gelato festival at the top for some motivation :P we had a little bit but decided to head back to camp, have pizza and Venetian wine before heading back to the festival and stuffing ourselves silly!! Some pretty bizarre flavours..fish and candied celery, egg custard, turmeric....weird! Nutella was the best :P ducked into a bar quick but soon bailed, feeling a little ill from our wine, pizza and gelato feast..

With sore tummies we up and left the campsite for a different hostel in town (the camp was closing for the season)..bit of a trek later we made it, dumped our bags, booked a tour for cinque terre the next day (a bit pricey but I knew it'd be worth it) and headed to the station to grab a train to the medieval town of lucca..which was super cool, a beautiful town with stunning old buildings, still fully enclosed by an intact wall..the old amphitheatre apparently Julius Caesar met with Naples for a forum..'twas an important place! We'd planned to go to Pisa but we were a bit pooped (and after all, it's just a building on a light lean and that's about it), so we went to catch the train, only to miss it by less than a minute!! Aaaaand it was an hours wait til the next one :S eventually we made it back to Florence and decided we should try the local food so I treated myself to a delicious cannelloni :) I then made myself a big pasta with beans to keep me going for the next few days and we attempted an early night (a tad noisy with a bunch of people playing twister and our room being a thoroughfare to the bathroom) for our early rise...

Today we went to the magical area of Cinque Terre! A cluster of five villages on the west coast of Italy..beautiful coloured buildings clumped together on the hills right on the ocean...the towns were originally places for sea merchants and trading and thus were targets for frequent pirate attacks! We climbed the castle tower which was traditionally made as a watch tower for pirates..pretty cool! As we were on an organised tour from Florence (it'd be a tricky place on visit on our own), we visited four out of the five villages and had time to wander at each..we even caught a ferry between two of them which was pretty sweet...went for a swim in the Mediterranean, tried some delicious wine from the area, taste tested some local lemon liquor which was a little strong, had some gelato in the magical afternoon sun by the harbour and headed back..I decided mum would love the place as I kept thinking of things/seeing things which reminded me of her..an awesome day, felt very blessed to have had the experience..we had some tea back t the hostel, chatted to some people and booked a hostel for siena the next day...