Incidents of Travel in Central and South America 2010

Photos: Brazil

kalamina — Sat, 8 Jan 2011 10:09:00 GMT

Only in my memories...

kalamina — Sat, 8 Jan 2011 10:05:00 GMT

I'm writing this last entry on the plane ride back home to Australia and I must say that I am sad to leave this wonderful trip behind; only in my memories. It is hard to re-cap everything that happened in Rio in words, but I'll try my best. Not sure were I last left everyone, but I think it was when we had just arrived in Rio after the long Iguazu bus ride. Amy and I went on a city tour with two Australian girls we met in Iguazu and I must say again that Rio is an amazing city! We first went to see Christ the Redeemer on top of a huge granite slab overlooking the city. It was incredible and there were so many people there taking pictures. The people here are really funny about taking photos...they have to pose in all of them and we were on a tour with about 6 Brazilian girls who thought they were models or something because their poses were hilarious! After we saw Jesus we drove through the historical part of the city with its nice buildings and such, then went to see the slum area called the Fevela. It's basically a mass of houses on the side of the hill...some don't even have electricity and it's so close to the city. We then went to the football stadium where the World Cup will be held in 2014, but we could only go in the museum outside because it was being renovated for the cup. Next we saw the arcs of Lapa, an old aqueduct that runs through the city and the Cathedral that looks like a giant tower and not a church at all. Also in Lapa we saw these stairs that had been constructed by 1 man throughout his life. They are so colouful and he has tiles from all over the world. This is a place in the city where it is legal to smoke weed from 8pm until midnight....weird. The last thing we saw was the street where they have the main Carneval parade competition in the city...it just looked like a deserted street, but I'm sure when Carneval is rocking out it's amazing!

   Every night the hostel puts on some kid of dinner then suggests where everyone should go out and that night we went to a salsa club...that only played the tiniest bit of salsa. It was so much fun, I am definitely going to miss the dancing here...it's just not the same at home. I can't really remember the order of most of the things we did, so I'll just give a rundown on everything merged into one. Apart from laying on the beach, swimming, walking the streets, and going out every night we also went up to Sugar Loaf one evening, which is another huge granite slab that juts up out of the ground near the water. You get up there by cable car and then have this incredible view of the city. We went up when it was still light and stayed up there until it got dark so we could see Rio at night...it was beautiful! Another day we caught the metro train to a shopping center to buy some white clothes for New Years (you had to wear white), so that was an interesting experience. The trains in Brazil are so much nicer and more organized than the trains at home. We also found an amazing frozen yogurt shop where you could have whatever toppings you wanted....absolutely amazing! I don't think that I have had any sleep in the past week and it really catches up with you...especially after the New years party.

   What can I say.....it was the funnest night that I have had in ages and the fireworks were spectacular!! We started the night with a party at the hostel...there were so many people and food and drinks, then about 10:30 everyone went down to the beach and it was sooo crowded! People everywhere, you couldn't take 2 steps. We made our way down to the main stage and found a good spot right in the middle and partied until midnight. Then the fireworks started and I couldn't take my every off for the whole 25 minutes...they were amazing! I got video of it all so I cant wait to watch that over and over again. The worst part of the night was coming back to the hostel. Amy needed to wee, so we left the people we were with to go find a toilet and got jammed in this mass of people exiting the beach. There were so many people and you just got pushed along with the crowd, it was so dangerous if you fell you were gone. At one point I lost my shoe (my new havies that I bought the day before!) and I was not going to let them go so Amy stood there pushing the crowd back while I looked for it in the sand.....phew found it. We finally made it back to the hostel for the toilet but it was closed and we had to go behind a tree....Amy accidentally left her camera on the ledge and we didn't realize until we were eating sushi with this Indian/American gu from our hostel so back we went and luckily it was still there! The hostel was open by this time (about 4am) so we sat for a bit and watched all the drunk people come back....really funny sight. Amy went to bed, but I went back down to the beach with someone from the hostel and didn't get back to bed until daylight, about 7am I think. Crazy fun night though and one that I will never forget.

   It is safe to say that New Years day was a right off...didn't get out of bed until 3pm then then didn't do much for the whole day. The next day was Amy's last and we went to Ipanema beach and sat all day, then it was off to the airport to say goodbye. That night I went to a samba club...it is so hard and fast, but so much fun, and it's good to watch the bands playing and everyone dancing. Then on the 3rd a friend drove me along the coast heading back to Sao Paulo (where my flight was from). This part of the coast is so beautiful; there are so many little beaches tucked away in bays surrounded by beautiful mountains and the road reminded me a little of the Great Ocean Road in Australia. We stayed the night about half way there in a place called Paraty which is an old colonial town on the waterfront. The beach here was beautiful!! It had perfect green water and white sand and there were little boats spread out in the water. The atmosphere was really relaxed and clam; it is a place I would love to come back to and spend a week or so. Then on the 4th we drove to Sao Paulo and it was goodbye to Brazil and to the whole South American journey.

   You are probably all wondering what the highlights were from the whole trip and it is so hard to narrow them down to a select few, but I'll give it a go. El Mirador is definitely up there! Right from the beginning I was loving the trip and exploring so many new things; after that would be the lake, San Pedro, where I did Spanish school because of its sheer beauty; then i'm going to merge all the Maya sites that we saw into one because I loved them all; white water rafting in Ecuador was definitely a highlight and so much fun; Machu Picchu of course; Mountain biking on death road; sand boarding in Chile; Buenos Aires; Iguasu Falls; and finally Rio and Copacabana beach!!! Ok it sounds like I named everything I did, but I did heaps more, but the whole trip was absolutely amazing!

   I think that I will miss writing this blog, updating everyone on what has been going on in my life for the last 7 months. It was been a pleasure and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading about our exploits in Central and South America. Hopefully this will not be the last travel blog that I write and that it can be continued in years to come. Bye everyone and thank you for reading.....
Love Catherine xoxo

When my baby smiles at me....

kalamina — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:33:00 GMT

We are finally in Rio de Janeiro after a crazy long bus ride from Argentina and a small issue regarding time changes...but I get to that in a bit. First of all we had Christmas in Puerto Iguazu which was really fun. The hostal organized a buffet dinner and the food was really good. There were many people there and a huge pool and we celebrated in style! For the next couple of days we totally relaxed and enjoyed the cute little town of Puerto Iguazu...unfortunately nothing was open due to Christmas so there wasn't much to do but try to get out of the heat and enjoy the jungle. Speaking of the heat...it was crazy hot there! The humidity was incredible and when the sun came out it was almost unbearable and our air conditioning only came on at night so we had to endure it during the day. That being said, I was in Argentina and loving every minute of it!

   On Boxing Day we had a ticket to Rio de Janeiro from Foz do Iguassu on the Brazilian side of the falls. The ticket was for 12pm so we thought we had plenty of time to get a taxi across the border and then catch our bus....little did we know that the time goes ahead 1 hour in Brazil so when we arrive at the bus station with 45 minutes to spare, we thought it was all good. Apparently not....Amy looked at the clock in the bus station and it was 12:15pm and she said "did Brazil go forward 1 hour, is that the right time?" It dawned on us at exactly the same moment and we were like "oh no....oops." The guy at the ticket counter was really nice though and he changed our ticket to the bus at 6:45pm...but that meant that we had to spend all day there. We decided to go into the town of Foz do Iguassu and explore a little bit. Most of the shops were closed though, but it was a nice day anyways. We were extra early coming back to the bus station just to be sure and got on the bus at the right time this time. The bus was not what you could consider luxury...it was just a normal bus and we had 23 hours to go. Added to that the air conditioning was going all night and it was freezing because I only had shorts and a t-shirt on...i didn't get any sleep that night. But we arrived safe and sound the next day at 5:30pm in Rio.

   Rio de Janeiro is a cool city. It is so green and there are big granite slabs that rise up out of the ground everywhere. It doesn't seem like a big city at all because it's all hidden by these rocks and its so peaceful and relaxing with the beach and the mountains. The hostel is nothing special but its ok. Our room is right at the front and the bar is literally out the window...i'm not kidding, we can order drinks through the window into our room. The first night we were stuck with top bunks...and not the 2 level variety, the 3 level kind. It was so high up and such an effort if you forgot something and had to come back down. It's a nice atmosphere though and the hostel organizes heaps of things to do during the day and the night. The second day we went down to the beach and relaxed all day. Copacabana beach is incredible....just like what you would imagine about a Brazilian beach. There are so many beautiful people here and is you've seen the movies, yes the women really do wear those swimsuits! I've never seen so much arse on one beach before and to be honest I really don't like it....especially because not all the women have the best figures. It is quite a sure thing that nobody will ever see me in one of those outfits...even though I keep joking that I want to buy on and wear it at home on the beach!!hahaha

   I just have to say that Rio de Janeiro is home to probably 50% of the beautiful people in the world!!! All the men walk around with no shirts on and the tiniest little swimming trunks and they are ripped as! And the girls are the same....any excuse to take your clothes off and they're off in a second! There's beach volleyball and football in sections of the beach and a little outdoor gym for all those who want to show off their muscles. And a constant stream of people walking, running and bike riding along the sidewalk...most wearing next to nothing. It's such a fun atmosphere though and today we are planning another day of nothing on the beach. I'm going to have to be careful not to get burnt here because the sun is hot and I mean hot like Australian sun...instant burn if you're not careful!

Iguazu, I love you

kalamina — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 03:01:00 GMT

It seems that every place we get to is a place that I fall in love with! Puerto Iguazu is one of those places; I've only been here for 2 days, but I love it already. It is so relaxed and chilled and the people are really friendly. There is always music playing and the people just seem to live the good life here. Ad there's little children selling stuff on the streets; I feel a little sorry for them because they look really poor, but they are some of the cutest children that I have ever seen and I keep saying that I want to take one home. Only kidding! Our hostel is really fun...its an absolute paradise too. There's a pool and big garden and of course an outside bar with chairs and tables and all that jazz. Drinks are cheap and the staff are nice...it's one of the nicest places I've stayed at so far.

    Yesterday we went to Iguazu Falls and oh my god they are amazing. I'd donned my jungle gear so Amy predicted that it was a day full of adventure! There was so much water flowing over the falls and just so many falls in the first place. We caught the local bus to the national park then got on this little train that took us to what is called the Devil's Throat. It's this massive semi-circle shaped waterfall that has torrents of water gushing over it. The river is so wide at the top and it tapers into a smaller river at the bottom so all the water is swept into one place making an incredible waterfall. It was so high, but the power of the water still sent gusts of mist up to the top where we were standing so that we got a little wet. We could also see Brazil from this point, but I think view from the Argentinean side was better...more close up. We then walked back long the boardwalk to the train station that took us to the second section of cascades. We walked along the top of them first and there were hundreds of waterfalls; big and small. It was breathtaking; absolutely beautiful.

    Amy kept saying how funny it was that people are so fascinated at such a simple thing as water falling over the side of a cliff and I have to agree with her. After the walk along the top of the falls we took the lower route and I got so wet because you could right up to the edge of the platform that was below a really big waterfall. It was so powerful, you'd get so crushed if you were in the water!! We heard this crazy story that in the past people used to go in row boats at the top of the falls almost to the edge to see the falls!! I wouldn't even do it in a speed boat now.....there's no way that it could be strong enough to get out of the current! There was also so many beautiful plants and animals in this jungle and these raccoon things called coati's. They were really cute, but kind of look like giant rats to me so I wouldn't get too close. We had such a good day and were so amazed by the waterfalls, definitely a highlight of the trip.

    When we got back to the hostel that evening I was doing a little cooking and reading and who strolls up the garden path but none other than April. We had told here where we were staying here in Iguazu and she came to find us. We had a big catch up then went out for a drink and a bit to eat, then back to our hostel where we had another drink (Happy Hour how I love you!) Then April got a case of the hives, we think it was the pool at her hostel so she went to have a shower and a lie down. Amy and I went out for a late snack and had the most amazing veggie stir-fry, then back to the hostel bar. We then tried to find April's hostel, as she couldn't remember the name of it we just guessed and got it right on the first go. She was not in a good state, all blotchy so I got her some anti-histamines and put her to bed! How good of a doctor am I!lol just kidding. So an interesting night was had by all.

Loving life!!!

kalamina — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:04:00 GMT

I love this city!!!! Buenos Aires is the most amazing place and definitely the best city I have ever been to in my life! It is so cosmopolitan and trendy and the people are very different. I love people watching from a restaurant because the things people wear here are pretty extreme, but they somehow get away with it. I think short shorts are definitely in season (and not just for the girls), along with floral print dresses and tops and wearing sunglasses inside. Some of the outfits are very questionable but interesting for the most part. After the night on the crazy train Amy and I slept until about 3pm then got up and had a little wander up the street. Honestly we are in the best location to do everything here; you walk right out the front door and you are surrounded by shops, restaurants and street venders selling everything from to shirts to toys to underwear to leather goods and so much more. The next day we were much more rested and went on a really long walk to the trendy part of town called Recoleta. Here there are heaps of parks and a street market and sculptures and nice buildings and the most famous is the cemetery. It is massive and makes the one in Carlton seem small in comparison. We saw Evita's grave and hundreds of other huge mausoleums. It was really amazing and looked really expensive! We walked back to the center of town then in the true Argentinean spirit, waited until really late to have dinner. I don't know if I said it before, but they eat at like 10pm here....its so strange. That night we were just going to go to the bar downstairs, but it was closed when we got there. Then one of the guys asked us if we were going to the party, so we were just like.....sure and we got put in a mini-van and taken to this club that was beyond words! It was so big, like 4 stories and had a massive screen that looked like it was brainwashing everyone trying to get them to buy this drink called speed. It just kept flashing speed, speed, speed, speed.... The music was pretty ordinary though and we didn't stay for long. It was about 1 by the time we got home and we slept very well that night.
We decided to stay for one extra night in BA because we loved it so much and we realized that we didn't have to rush at all. So the day before we left we went to do some of the touristy stuff here. We visited the Obelisk and the Casa Rosada (where Evita entertained her crowds), also some other buildings and plazas. I've done so much here in BA already that I can't even remember it all. Met some really cool people at the hostel too, it's all been wonderful. Oh and I just have to mention the breakfast here at the hostel.....it is amazing and free which is even better. They have this stuff in Argentina called dulce de leche and it is incredible. I think you're meant to have it on bread, but I've just been eating spoonfuls of it from the tub. Luckily it is so rich and I can't eat very much otherwise I may never stop!
We took the bus to Iguazu falls today and it was surprisingly not that long. It took 18 hours, but seemed more like 10...maybe I'm getting used to these long bus rides. As soon as we arrived we were confronted with this lovely heat...it is so hot here and humid too; just like being back in the jungle. I love it here, from the moment I stepped off the bus I could smell that familiar smell of the jungle that made me feel at home again. We went out to lunch and had to move tables because there was a sudden rainstorm.....oh how I've missed the rain, especially tropical rain. It just buckets down for a while then completely stops, then there is a nice coolness in the air; its just perfect. Anyways I think we are going to stay here for Christmas because it is so nice and relaxing, then it's straight to Rio de Janeiro for New Years.....party!!!

Amy and her Ojos

kalamina — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 07:45:00 GMT

I know that it has been a long time since I have updated everyone on our travels and I am sorry for this...but it is because we have been so busy and I haven't had time. I last left you with our amazing tour of Sucre and surrounds; after that we caught a bus to nearby Potosi, which is the highest city in the world!!! Yes that is true...I have now been to the highest city in the world. Potosi is famous for their silver mines and you can do tours in the mines, but since we were only there for 1 night we didn't really have time and I wasn't that keen anyways. Actually now that I am thinking about it, I'm pretty sure that we spent the whole time trying to decide what kind of Salt Flat tour we were going to do because it all depended on where we would start from. In the end we decided to start from a place called Uyuni....as was the most popular and we thought we found a nice tour company...but more on that in a little while. So the next morning we got a taxi to take us to the bus terminal, but when I said that we were going to Uyuni he took us to the bus stop on the side of the road...it looked a little dodgy so we asked him to take us to the terminal that we arrived at the previous day. We got there and he tried to overcharge us, we went into the bus terminal and there was only one counter selling tickets to Uyuni, which was weird. When I asked what gate the bus leaves from after buying out]r tickets the lady told me that the bus doesn't leave from that terminal and that we had to take a taxi to where it did leave from. So in we got and I had that fleeting feeling that we were going to end up where the taxi stopped in the first place...low and behold that was exactly where it took us, so we had to pay the taxi again and we got on the dodgiest looking bus ever...all our stuff was on the top of the bus and there was even a bed up there. But it made it to Uyuni; only god knows how, the road was so bumpy!

Uyuni is like a big dirt hole! We had been told that it wasn't anything special, but we quite liked it. We had to walk around for ages to try to find the travel agency and there was a street market and people parading and everything...quite a good atmosphere. We finally found the place and booked our tour for the next 3 days ending in San Pedro de Atacama. Then when we were using the internet at a cafe we ran into Chris and Nadine, Amy's friends again they had just finished their tour and said it ws good. They were heading back up Bolivia and into the jungle, so this is the last time we will bump into them. The salt flat tour started the next day and I'm not really going to talk about it much here becuase in a nutshell, it was a bit of a disaster. But not to worry...we saw some amazing things that just blew our minds and that is what I am going to remember about the trip; not the bad parts.

We arrived in San Pedro de Atacama in the early afternoon and I instantly fell in love with the place. It is so relaxed, just like being on the beach at home...I love it! We found a hostel and then just wandered around the town for a bit. It is only small and full of artesian type people, just my kind of place. We booked a sandboarding tour for the next day that I was so exicted about, had some of the best food that we've had in a long time and met some Aussie girls that were staying in our dorm. The next day was very productive, we did all the things that we had been putting off....Amy changed her flight, we booked Rio for New Years, and we sent some well overdue emails. We also booked the bus to the next destination, Salta in Argentina. The sandboarding was in the afternoon and it was so much fun. I don't really know what I was expecting but it was just like snow boarding only on sand instead of snow...and it didn't hurt as much when you fell on your face. The only hard part was walking up the hill to go down...it was a massive sand dune! But totally worth the fun you had on the way down, it was a real rush. The guides were really cool too, one even looked like Orlando Bloom (lucky us)! We sandboarded until just before the sunset then went to the Valley of the Moon to watch the sun set over the Atacama desert...it was incredible and one of the best days that I have had in 7 months!! That night we went out to dinner with the Aussie girls and then had drinks at a cool place that cooks its food with solar powered panels. The guys were some of the ones that were at sandboarding that day and they told us to come to a party out in the desert...so we did. It was really fun, they were teaching us local dances...one was kind of like salsa but a little different. We got home about 3am and had a bus at 9am so only a little sleep was had that night...but it was all good we slept a little on the bus the next day.

Salta is pretty nice...not really what I was expecting at all. It's back to civilization with big buildings and lot of cars. And the people here don't really look indigenous at all...they look more European. The bus got in a little late and we were meant to get picked up at the bus station by the hostel people, but I guess they got sick of waiting because there was no one there. Because we had just arrived from Chile, we had no Argentenian money and the ATM was empty so we had to ask a taxi to take us to an ATM then the hostel. It all worked out fine and the hostel was nice. The next day we explored Salta a little...the plaza is really nice. There are heaps of big churches here and really nice old colonial buildings. We went to the museum of high altitude archaeology and it had frozen mummies on display. It was a really good exhbit and I was fascinated by it all. They always sacrificed children, but to the Inca they didn't see it as a sacrifice so not really as sad as you think. And all the bodies are usually found at the top of a volcano...they really loved their mountains here and worshipped them with reverence. It's fascinating to someone like me who doesn't really know that much about Andean archaeology....sorry if I am boring all of you.

After the museum we walked to the market....not really the most exciting place on earth. Then we went to the bus station and got tickets to Buenos Aires for the following day. Its a 21 hour bus ride and a little expensive, but what can you do ay. Actually i'm in the bus right now writing this entry so time has not been wasted. Anyways, after buying bus tickets we went for a ride on the Teleferico which is like a gondola up a mountain to overlook the city. It was so nice and the sun was setting and there were beautiful gardens up the top...very enjoyable. Amy and I were having a great time and we were saying how much we were loving life at the moment. The ride back down was nice and we walked back through a huge park with a lake in it. There were ducks and people in paddle boats; it was really sweet. The next day we wasted away the morning reading books in the park under the shade of a nice big tree. It was really relaxing and I enjoyed every second of it. We caught the bus at 3pm that afternoon and are arriving in BA at 1pm the next afternoon.
Buenos Aires is amazing. It is such a big city and there are so many people...something that we are not used to. I don't really feel like a tourist here...kind of blend in more. The hostal we are staying at is really fun...it's more like a hotel for young people. We are staying on the 7th floor but dont really have a view of the city, but its ok because the hostel is on a walkway/bouluvard thing and theres everything we need a few steps away. The night we arrived in BA we went on a Crazy Train that took us all over the city. First we went to a place where the served pizza and sushi...it was amazing, I haven't eaten it in so long and I really miss it! Then we got taken to a club called Asia right on the waterfront and we danced the night away. Now most people that know me know that I can't stay up very late...that plus the fact that the people here do not go out until midnight was cause for concern, but you will be very happy to know that I stayed up until 8:30am before going to bed. I don't know how I did it, but it must have been the BA spirit or something. It was a very fun night had by all! Tomorrow I think we will explore the city a little because we are yet to do so...there are heaps of monuments and buildings and churches to see here in BA so I think we'll have a very good day. Then it's off to Iguazu falls to see the amazing waterfalls that so many tourists flock to see, then onto Brazil. I had a brief encounter with Portugese last night also and I think i'm in trouble....it's nothing like Spanish, sounds more like French and I can't understand a word! Oh well, we'll see how that goes...

Oh and you might be wondering why I decided to call this blog 'Amy and her ojos'...well theres a pretty funny story about that. It seems that people here are fascinated by Amy's eyes (ojos in Spanish). Everywhere we go people are like "wow your eyes are so beautiful!" It is the funniest thing because they just stare so deeply into her eyes that its really confronting and arkward! Most of the people here have brown or green eyes so blue must be quite exotic...I have to admit though, Amy does have beautiful eyes so no wonder people are so mesmerized!

Photos: Argentina

kalamina — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:25:00 GMT

Photos: Chile

kalamina — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:25:00 GMT

Beautiful Bolivia

kalamina — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:48:00 GMT

The trip from Copacabana to La Paz was quite eventful. Firstly I think the whole of Australia is here in Bolivia because we were on a bus full of Australian tourists, I've never seen so many in one place outside of Australia. Secondly, we had to cross Lake Titicaca so we all got off the bus and it went on a barge that looked like it was going to sink...it was on quite an angle, and we got on smaller boats. Amy and I were sitting inside the boat and I said it felt as though we were refugees.lol We arrived in La Paz in the afternoon and got a taxi to a hostel....it is a really cool place to stay. There is an Irish pub so of course there are so many Irish people staying here, but the reason it is so good is that it is really well run. You get your bed and a wristband that has your number on it and you just run a tab at the restaurant and bar and pay it all at the end. So thus far I haven't really spent any money, but I'm not looking forward to getting my bill at the end! On Friday Amy and I went mountain biking down the most dangerous road in the world - Death Road. It was one of the funnest things I have done on this trip. Amy said that it was the best thing she has done so far, but I cant really compare it with white water rafting...they are too different and I loved them both. Firstly we got driven up to 4700 meters above sea level and it was so cold! We got kitted up and given our bikes then started off down the hill, but still on a functioning road with cars and trucks and everything. That was a little scary and it wasn't even the death road part. We were going so fast because we were still on the asphalt and we were even overtaking trucks! Then we had to get back into the car for a little uphill bit and that took us to the start of the Death Road. Back before the new road was built, there was something like 100 deaths per year on this road giving it the adequate title, but now most of the cars use the new road and this part is only for a few trucks and of course the mountain bikers. This road was all gravel and you can definitely see why they call it the Death Road...the cliff simply drops away from the edge and for the first hour of the ride it just plummets down hundreds of meters! We kept riding past crosses of people who have come off the edge and died and that wasn't a real good feeling, but you could go as fast or as slow as you wanted so there was no pressure. You can probably guess which of the 2 I chose though....fast. It was the biggest adrenaline rush I have felt in a long time and the view was amazing; I was in my element! We stopped a lot to take photos with the amazing scenery behind us so I cant wait to see what they look like. In all the ride took about 6 hours but it didn't feel like that at all. At the end they took us to a hostel that had a pool and we all had a swim and some lunch then it was back to La Paz by around 8pm. It was a solid 12 hour day and I was so tired by the end and a little sore also. Amy stayed up that night but I went straight to bed after possibly the best shower of my life! (That may be exaggerated a little).

There is so much to do here in La Paz...not all of it my cup of tea though. Amy loves it; with the worlds first illegal cocaine bar, route 36 (this place changes location every so often to avoid detection), wrestling women, and a tour of a functioning prison, she is having a ball. For me though i'm not really into drugs and that scene and ive seen my fair share of prisons and i hate wrestling....but I don't mind hanging out at the hostel catching up on writing and stuff. We met a couple of people from Sydney at the hostel and spent a lot of time with them. We went to the Coca museum and learnt all about the history of coca in the region and how it is still used today. There is only a certain number of farmers that are allowed to grow it and only a certain number of companies that are allowed to buy it. Coca Cola is still one of these companies...no wonder coke is addictive! At night La Paz turns into the party place. I wasn't feeling so good both nights we were there so I had early ones, but amy went out and partied a lot. It's in a place like La Paz where you begin to hate the fact that y are staying in a dorm room....I was in a girls dorm of only 6 beds, but some English girls didn't get in until about 7am some mornings! It's crazy, I might sound like a grandma but I need my sleep to function and I don't know how they can stay out so late.

The day we left La Paz we were both not feeling the best. I had a stomach bug and Amy was hungover like she had never been before and we had a 15 hour bus ride ahead of us to Sucre. It actually wasn't that bad fr me, I slept most of the way next to a lady who smelt like a llama, but that was ok I shoved my head under my sleeping bag to mask the smell. The night buses are great here, its good to arrive at a new place during the day and not have to look around for a hotel in the dark. We found a hotel near the plaza and had a little wonder around. Amy was really hungry, but apparently the food places here don't open until about 11am which is weird. We checked out the tourist agencies to see what we could do here in Sucre and there is so much on offer from mountain biking, to hiking to, paragliding, to motorbiking, and so much more. We decided to have a think about what we wanted to do the next day and went back to the hotel for a kip. I must have been tired because I slept in the afternoon, something that I don't normally do. Then when we went out for dinner at an Italian place, I was on skype and so was April...it turns out that she was in Sucre too and was just down the road in another restaurant, so we went and meet up with her. The next day we went mountain biking, hiking and boating in the secret canyon. It was one of the nicest things that I have done. First of all we got driven into the mountains that you can see from the city, then we started the bike ride down this dirt road. The scenery was amazing and it was so nice and warm...perfect weather. We rode downhill for a while then came to this little town in the middle of nowhere. The guide told us that a dog had given birth to puppies 1 month earlier right on the side of the road and then when we rode a little further we saw the puppies.....it was the cutest thing I have seen in ages. There were 6 tiny little pups and they were all wobbly still, but curious. The mother dog was gorgeous too and really friendly. We got to hold then and pat them it was definitely a highlight of the day. Then we had a little uphill section of riding and my legs are surely going to feel it tomorrow. Its good though, I feel that I am getting nice and fit with all this adventurous stuff that we are doing. I really like mountain biking and I think I'm actually going to buy a bike when I get home. The ride ended with a long flat section along the edge of a canyon with a chocolate brown river beneath it. Then we started the hike. It wasn't hard, just a little rocky. We wound our way down to the river passing abandoned houses along the way. I cant believe people live out here. The guide said that it was about an 8 hour walk into town to get supplies and its so rocky and barren; beautiful though. The people all seem really nice and friendly nd its funny how a simple wave or "hola" to a little boy can put the biggest smile on your face...and theirs. Now I don't want anyone to be mistaken when you look at the photos of this place....we are not in Central Australia....we are in Bolivia. Honestly this place looks exactly like Kings Canyon (if any of you have been there). There are gum trees everywhere and little creeks running by and the smell of eucalyptus really bought me back home. After about an hours hike we came to the start of the canyon and we stopped and had some lunch. At the start of the hike the guide said that the water was running a little too fast for us to row up the canyon, but when we got down there he started pumping up this tiny little dingy, so we guessed that it was ok. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny...thins thing was barely 2 inches above the waterline!! Then we went one by one into the canyon and it was really cool! There had been lots of rain the past few days so the water was really muddy, and you could see how high it reached up the canyon walls; it was about 5 meters high. We both had a go it the boat then walked back to the car that had been following us. There we picked up 2 young girls that had started the long walk into town accompanied by their loyal dog. That's the thing I love about Bolivia; they love their animals and actually take effort to look after them. The drive back to Sucre was really nice, while Amy slept I was watching the wonderful landscape of Bolivia pass by and I even saw some kind of Eagle being hassled by 2 tiny little sparrows. The land out here is so dry and its hard to think how people farm anything, until you turn a corner and there is a lush, green oasis filled with crops stretching out in front of you. It's a beautiful sight!

Photos: Bolivia

kalamina — Thu, 2 Dec 2010 16:15:00 GMT

I fell on my face but Amy want's to call it arse over Titicaca

kalamina — Wed, 1 Dec 2010 19:34:00 GMT

I think I fell in love a little bit with Cusco...well I don´t know f it was love as we were only there for a few days, but I definitely did not want to leave! It was such a fun place to be and there was so much to do and see. Our next stop was Copacabana in Bolivia and the buses left at night so we had another whole day in Cusco to spend. We went to the market and saw whole dead pigs and sheep...not my favourite things; oh and the smell, ughh! Then we tried to find the entrance to a site there in Cusco that had a church build on top of it. We could see it from the outside, but couln't find a way in, but that's ok they all kind of look the same here. After that we decided to visit the giant Jesus on top of the hill. We took a taxi up and got an amazing view of the city...its actually a lot bigger than I thought. We also saw a site up there as well which was an unexpected surprise. Then we walked back down about a million stairs to the town...so glad we decided to take a taxi up!!

We were walking back to the hostel to waste some time when we bumped into the guys we met in Arequipa out the front of an Irish pub, so we went in to have a drink to catch up. Theres actually a funny story that I failed to mention before about these guys. It turned out that one of the guys had the exact same birthday as Amy and when we were in Arequipa we had decided to meet up in the plaza in Cuzo the next day to celebrate. But we didnt really want to meet up the next day because there was a party planned at the hostel for the other guys birthday and we wanted to stay there. So when we saw them at the pub they asked why we stood them up and we told a little white lie and said we went straight to Machu Picchu and we couldn´t call. But like mummy always told me....never tell lies; we were caught out because the day after Amys birthday the 2 guys saw a Norwegian couple and a French guy that were staying at our hostel and they outed us and said that they were partying with us that night. Oopsy!! We apoligzed and they were ok with it, but it was really good to catch up with them and Amy even scored a necklace out of it...its really cool, I want one! Since they were on holidays too they asked us where we were headded next and we told them Copacabana and they wanted meet up in the plaza again. We somehow managed to avoid making that date...they´re nice guys but I don´t know if we want to see them in every place we go to.

We went back to the hostel to waste about an hour before we went to the bus station and I watched transformers in Spanish....they absolutely love that movie here! I do have to say that everyone at the hostel was amazingly nice and friendly. It was the funnest place to stay and I hope that other places are like that! We didn´t book any bus tickets because the stupid bus company didn´t pick up the phone. So we randomy turned up at the bus station and bought a ticket to Puno then onto Copacabana. We were tossing up between going to the floating Islands in Puno, but every single person we have spoken to said it was crap so we skipped it....good decision! The boarder crossing was really simple, but some people managed to screw it up. There were 2 offices on the Peru side then you had to walk about 300m to the Bolivian border and get stamped in there. But some people only went to one office on the Peru side and then had to walk all the way back again.

We arrived in Copacabana about 1pm and found a really cute hostel right on the water front. And I cant believe how cheap it is here...our room is only $6 a night and its literally right on the water...the view is amazing! We had a little wander around the town and booked a tour for the Isla del Sol the next day. The island of the sun is supposed to be the birthplace of the Inca and there are a few temples and sacred rocks there. The next morning when we first arrived on the island I thought it was going to be a long day...but that all soon changed. We couldn´t find an english speaking guide so we set off ourselves on the walk that took us to the north side....it was a little hard because it was up a hill and we could really feel the altitude, but the site of Gum trees everywhere was really nice. Aparently the French bought them over when they arrived inthis area and they help stabilize the hills from landslides and stuff. The site was cute...tiny little doorways curved around in a maze of structures built on the side of a cliff. Then there was the option of walking down to the south part (3 hours) or walking back to the port and taking the boat. We decided to follow the map and walk part of the trail that lead to the south then brach off and go back to the port to get the boat.....but it seems that as we were walking there was no path that lead back to the port. There was some random guy in a little hut selling stuff along the way so I asked him which way back to the port and he just said straight down the hill...off road. So off we went, bush basking our way down the side of a cliff until we got to a massive drop off. By that stage we could see the town so at least we knew which way we were meant to go, but the rock face looked very steep! It was at this point that I began to love the Isla del Sol...it was so much fun scaling the cliff....bue I could have used some safety equipment. Amy suggested that they set up some kind of abseiling activities to make some good money!! Anyways we got back on the boat and visited the southern part of the island then on the way back we also got to see a floating island (definitely glad we didnt waste a day in Puno!). We had an early night that night in Copacabana and slept really well....really comfy beds! The next morning was not so good for me....as we were leaving the hostel with our bags I stacked it down the stairs and hit my head and my knee on the stone ground. Amy said it looked like I hit my head really hard....actually I think I did, it´s still sore now! So to show for it I have a nice egg on my head and a sore knee making it hard to walk anywhere...luckily we´ve already done Machu Picchu! I tried to take a photo of my head, but it didnt really turn out so I cant show you all how stupid I look.

Machu Picchu

kalamina — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 10:23:00 GMT

Cusco is a really really fun place to be and I wish that we had more time to spend here and enjoy it. It is set in the mountains and the climate is really nice...not too cold. The buildings are all made from mud brick which sets a really rural feel to the place, but at the same time there are so many tourists and people cashing in on the tourist industry that you feel like you are in a big city. There are churches and Colonial buildings everywhere and the plaza is really pretty with gardens and fountains and at night it all lights up. It is a little more expensive than the other places we have been to lately, but Amy and I are both on the same page about how much we want to spend, so it works out really well and we are not worried about money at all. We are staying at a place called Ecopackers hostal and i think it is the best one we have been at so far. The staff are really nice and laid back and the rooms are pretty new and clean. We´re staying in a dorm room, which is not that bad surprisingly. Our other hostals all had room for just the 2 of us but this one is an 10 bed dorm, but its not annoying or anything.
It turned out that it was also the birthday of a Cuban guy who was staying at the hostal on the same day as Amy's and he had a big party planned. We had drinks at the bar at the hostal then that night we all went out to a club/bar down the street. I think Amy was the drunkest that I have ever seen her in my life and that is many times! She was so funny to watch dancing...the music was really good too. Luckily I wasn't drinking much that night and knew when it was time to leave because Amy doesn't remember getting home or even going out to the club at all! It is safe to say that the next day she felt a bit under the weather, especially because we got picked up at 10am and spent the day traveling in a taxi then train to Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu. We arrived there in the early afternoon and Amy slept and I went for a wander in the town. It is such a cute little place with a small river running through the middle and massive mountains surrounding it on all sides. There are locals trying to sell you crafts in every second shop and all the other ones are restaurants.

The next morning we had to be up at 3am to queue at the bus station for tickets to Wayna Picchu, (the mountain that overlooks Machu PIcchu) because only 400 people per day are allowed to climb it and we wanted to be one of those people. The bus left at 5:30am and we were the first ones on it and we were counting all the people who had started to walk the hill (that is the other option, a 2 hour walk up a massive hill), and there were only about 50 so we were garunteed tickets...that was a good feeling! We also had a tour in the morning and it was really good. I don´t really know much about the Inca so it was good to ave someone tell the whole history of the Incas and a good description of the site and the surrounding area. The tour went for about 2.5 hours then we went to climb Wayna Picchu. It was hard from the start and looking up at it from the site just astounded you because it looks impossible. In actual fact it was not the hardest climb that I have done in my life, you just had to take it slow and have some rest stops along the way. The view fromt he top was awesome!!! We were so high up and you see a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and the river; it was absolutely beautiful! The climb down only took about 25 minutes, then we were going to walk all the way back to Aguas Calientes but it started raining just as we started so we decided to take the bus back. It was a very good decision as the rain started to pour down and we were nice and dry in a restaurant. The rest of the afternoon was wasted away looking and buying many local crafts at the markets...seriously i have to stop buying stuff, i dont have anywhere to put it anymore. Although i did buy a bag so now i can just put it all in there. We got an upgrade on the train ride back and it was honestly the best train ride I have ever been on. I started falling asleep and just as i was nodding off they nounced a local dance presentation and this guy dressed in the most colourful costume i have ever seen came dancing down the aisle. It was so funny, he was wearing this little mask thing and kept getting people to clap along with the music. Then i thought that was it for the entertainment, they anounced a fashion show of all the local llama and alpaca woolens. The 3 train hosts catwalked it down the asile wearing different clothes with people whistling and cheering! I was in hestarics, it was the funniest thing that i had seen on a train; very good to pass the time.

We arrived back at the hostal about 9 that night and slept really well that night. The next morning we met up with Amys friends Nadine and Chris and went out for a coffee with them. They're doing Machu Picchu tomorrow by motorbike which is a really cool way of doing it! We spent the rest of the day relaxing and exploring the town...we even saw the famous 12 sided rock, but it was nothing better than a 12 sided rock. We met Chris and Nadine again for dinner then had a rink at the hostal bar afterwards, but they couldn't stay up last because they were leaving the next morning. We were sharing a room with 2 girls called Susan and Louisa and it turned out that some money was missing from both the girls and Amy too....I didn't have any missing. So we went and spoke to the owner and he said that he'd reimburse us which is really nice of him, we wern't expecting that. We dont think it was anyone in the room, maybe a worker or cleaner or something. Oh well, these things happen.

Flight of the Condor

kalamina — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:18:00 GMT

It seems to me that so much time has passed since I last wrote a blog. In all Lima was ok, but it was good to finally leave after I got my Brazil visa. I was actually really excited when I got it...I've never had a visa before and it looks really cool in my passport; it´s just like getting stamps...every one is really cool! We ended up leaving Lima on Thursday night and took another night bed bus to Arequipa, which took about 14 hours. It is safe to say that it was the worst bus rides of my life and I hope that I never have to endure that again. You see the day we left Lima I decided to try some local Peruvian food...as a result of my cultural inquisity I got food poisoning. So you can probably imagine food poisoning and bus is not a good mix...I was throwing up all night; not fun. As always the bus terminal is not in the best part of town so the first impressions were that it looked like a hole...but that soon changed. Amy thinks the plaza is one of the nicest she has ever seen and that's including all of Europe!!! That's a big call if you ask me. And the setting is absolutely beautiful; there are so many colonial churches and behind the main one in the plaza is a mountain called Chichani (sorry the spelling is probably wrong). It has snow on the top and is so pretty. Perfect for photographs! That first day we arrived we ckecked into our hostal...its the same chain as the one we stayed at in Lima because the guy there gave us a cheaper deal. It turned out even better than we expected because we booked a room with a shared bathroom, but when we got there the guy told us that they didnt have any shared bathrooms only private ones. So he said that we could have that one for the same price...so not only did we get a bathroom to ourselves we also got the room for heaps cheaper than normal!!!Sweet.

We had a little wonder around the town after that and went to the local craft market...bad idea. I ended up buying so much stuff that I don't really have space to carry, but I had to; I cant get this stuff anywhere else in the world. Then as we were walking back up the street who do run into but April. She was sitting in a cafe and saw us walk by and called us over. We didn't even know that she was in Arequipa because we haven't been in contact much since she left, so it was a real surprise. We had a little catch up and she told us all about Machu Picchu and we told her about the beach and everything we'd been doing. Then as Amy and I had booked a tour of Colca Canyon for the next day, April decided that she would come along too.

The tour was a 2 day 1 night thing and left at 7am the following morning, so we just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and got an early night for the big tour the next day. The bus picked us up at our hostal and we left for the tour in the morning. We had a really good group of people...a few from Holland, a guy from Germany, some Spanish, a couple from the Czech Republic, and the rest were Peruvians. The first place we stopped was a national park where we could see Vicuñas, which are like small deer animals. They are wild animals and are now endangered because in the past people used to catch them for their wool and they would die because of the shock to their system about being caught and all. Today they are protected but once a year the local people collect the wool and they are only allowed to hold the vicuñas for 3 minutes max otherwise they could die. Honestly all this effort for money, I don't understand why they don't just leave them alone and in peace!! The guide said that 1kg of wool fetches around $1000 and that's before any processing, so you could imagine how much it would cost when its actually made into something. Still, considering they are endangered I'd rather leave them be, but that's me for you. Anyways getting back on track, the next place we stopped at was just a little halfway point, but there was this little boy who had a baby llama or alpaca it was so cute, I think I want a llama!! We left again and drove up and up and up...it was so high and the terrain was so strange; like nothing I've ever seen before. It kind of reminded me of what space would look like, with rocks everywhere and no trees. But occasionally you would find these lush, green patches of ground where the locals take the alpacas and llamas to graze; it was like an oasis in the middle of a desert. I don't know whether it was the food poisoning or the altitude but I started to feel really sick when we reached the highest point...well I think its a given when you are at 4900m above sea level! I was out of breath just walking to the plaque, I don't know how people live here! We could only stay at the peak for 5 minutes otherwise the sickness just gets worse so we left and went to a town called Chivay just down the mountain. Not much of a town to say the most, but what can one expect in such a remote place. Some of the people who didn't want to do a small hike got dropped off at their hotels and then the guide took us to see some colcas...at the time I had no idea what they were, but I soon found out that they are ancient storage places that the Incas used to store everything from grain to clothes. They are located right at the bottom of the canyon, just above the waterline and it was an ancient system of refrigeration, because the wind would constantly rush down the canyon cooling everything and keeping it preserved. Unfortunately the colcas we saw were looted before archaeologists could get in there and find anything. Next we all checked into our hotels then went off to some hot springs; they were so much nicer than the hot springs we went to in baños, looked like some kind of resort and the water was so hot. We got to spend about 2 hours relaxing in the water and it was not fun coming out because the temperature was freezing, especially when you are wet! That night we saw some traditional dancers; they wore such elaborate costumes and the dancers all had meanings. There was also a band playing traditional music, it sounded really good and they are so talented; there was one guy who was playing the pan pipe and the guitar at the same time! The next morning we had to get up at 5am and leave to see the condors flying across the canyon. It took about 2 hours to reach the place where they were at and there were so many people there already and more kept coming. We were lucky to see the condors...the guide said the weather conditions weren't really suitable, but I ended up seeing 3 by the time we left; I don't know if my photos worked though, it was pretty hard to get a good shot. On the way back to Chivay we visited a small town and there was a guy there who had a falcon that was tamed. People had photos with it standing on their arm and on their head...and if you want to know why it didn't fly away its because it was tied to a post with a leg strap. The poor thing! It was such a beautiful, majestic bird and it was tied down like a slave. Its safe to say that I did not get my photo with it; I cannot support that in any possible way....I'd have loved to let it go though!Hehe. So after that we went back to Chivay for lunch then headed back to Arequipa in the afternoon. I was so tired and could have slept until the morning, but we agreed to have dinner with the people from Holland that we met on the trip.

We stayed at the same hostal again that night and then the next day we went and booked bus tickets to Cusco that left that night. The guide told us the day before about a museum that has a frozen mummy of a young girl who was sacrificed by the Incas 500 years ago, so we went to see that. It was honestly the best exhibit I have seen on this trip. First of all it was only 15 soles, which is about $5, we got to see a video about the discovery of the mummy, then got a guided tour around the museum. And we actually got to see the real mummy, we were lucky because she is only on display for 3 months of the year to help preservation. It was really really good! After that we were looking at a map for something else to do that afternoon and 2 guys asked us if we wanted a drink, so we went with them. It was only meant to be one drink but we ended up sharing 5 jugs of pisco and time got away from us and we almost missed our bus. Again, drinking before getting on a bus for 9 hours is not a good idea....another bad bus ride! When we arrived in Cusco it was 6 in the morning and freezing. It was lucky we knew what hostal we were staying at and they were able to book us in right there and then. First impressions of Cusco is that it is a really touristy town...I've seen more white people than Peruvians here and I've only been here a few hours. Well this has turned into quite a long entry, including a few rants about animal cruelty, but on the whole the last few days have been amazing! We are really starting to get on the tourist route now so there will be so much to do and much to write about. It's Amy's birthday today and we'll probably spend it doing a tour of the Sacred Valley here in Cuzco and tomorrow Chris and Nadine (2 of Amy's friends from Scotland) are coming to Cuzco to meet up with us so that should be lots of fun; we'll probably do Machu Picchu together! Can't wait!!!

Photos: Peru

kalamina — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:33:00 GMT

Surfing Peru

kalamina — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:16:00 GMT

Mancora was so cool!!! It reminded me of Phillip Island but with more surfers and hippies and such a relaxed atmosphere...I just loved it! We ended up spending 3 nights there because we knew that we couldn't get to the embassy in Lima on the weekend and it was much better relaxing on the beach than living it up in the city. And that's pretty much all we did do...relax and eat. The food was incredible; there's nothing like fresh fish and chips and the days were wasted away by walking around for a while, looking at all the local crafts, then laying on the sand watching horses go by or watching kite boarders fly through the air, or watching surfers ride the waves, or simply sleeping or reading, all the while getting a lovely tan (in my case...Amy kept all her clothes on as she is prone to a little burn). It was pure pleasure and good to not have to travel for a few days. We organized a bus from Mancora to Lima on the Sunday night and because it was such a long way we got a cama bus, which means that the chairs recline so you can get some sleep. It was only meant to be a 16 hour journey, but took more like 20 hours and we were pretty wreaked after that, but it was good arriving during the day and not having to worry about hotels and stuff (we had one booked).

At first I thought Lima was a hole, but that was only because we first drove through the older part. When we got to the part we were staying in, I felt a little better. It´s funy how all cities seem to be the same, it looks just like Melbourne here, except there is more car horn beeping and traffic. The first hostal we stayed at was right near the embassy which was good, but there were a bunch of American and Canadian people there that were really loud! We went to the embassy and they told us that it would be 4 days until I could get my visa for Brasil, which sucks a bit because we didn´t really want to waste so much time in Lima. There´s not much to do here and I really want to get to Cusco...it sounds really fun. So anyways we have to wait until Thursday then we´ll be outa here! We moved hostals on Tuesday because the one we were staying in was booked out, but it was a good choice because the new one is really cool. It overlooks the park and there is so much to watch and there are restaurants everywhere. It is a little annoying that you cant walk down the street without people trying to get you into their restaurant to eat; I think I am starting to get a complex about peoeple haseling me...its really annoying. The foor here is good though, but they struggle to make a good coffee...something I really miss.
We tried the local Peruvian drink last night, its called a Pisco Sour and is made with Pisco, lime and egg whites...I know it sounds really weird but it was actually really nice. It seems Lima is slowly redeeming itself little by little....although as soon as we leave here i´ll be happy. Many adventures await...

Ahhh the beach, how i´ve missed thee...

kalamina — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:30:00 GMT

Amy and I met up with April in Baños Monday night after a fun bus ride through the mountains and along the river. April had been hanging out with a French chick and 2 American guys whilst staying at Baños and I think she had a really good time there too because........she has decided to go it alone for a few weeks, saying that she just wants some time alone. We weren't real happy with that, but if she wants to go solo then that's what she´ll do. So I'm sorry to all of April's friends and family that read this blog, but she wont be featured in it until we meet up again. She'll have to update you all by email on her adventures.

So the next morning Amy and I hired a dune buggy and went cruising around the mountains to the waterfalls that dot the landscape of Baños. It was so much fun and those things actually go really fast. It was a little scary when you get overtaken by big trucks and speedy cars, but fun at the same time. We even got to go through tunnels and down special tourist roadways that wind themselves around the side of cliffs. The time flew by and before we knew it we were back in town ready for the next activity of the day...hot baths. The area of Baños is surrounded by volcanoes so there are thermal waters running under the ground. They pump this water into concrete baths and the waters are meant to have some healing properties. We went in the afternoon and the baths were packed with locals. There were 3 to choose from; the cold pool, the medium bath and a really hot one. Going from one to the other is extreme, especially from the really hot one to the freezing one! It was really relaxing sitting in the hot baths and looking out over the town of Baños and the waterfall only meters away. After lazing around for a little while we went bak into town and did some bus research for the next day. We were planning on going to Cuenca, which is a little colonial town in the mountains..but more on that later.

That night was quite the (unplanned) adventure. We bought tickets to go up the mountain to a church to get a night view of the city from up high and when we got on the bus we were the only ones. We were then taken on what felt like laps of the town until they told us to get on another bus that was full of teenagers, so we did and then headded up the hill. When we got up there this guy said something to everyone in Spanish (i didn´t really understand) and then we looked at the view. I was pissed that photos didn´t work because it was too dark, but I have the beautiful vision in my mind so thats ok. After a while, and some weird tasting tea, we went back down and they dropped everyone at this night club. It was so weird, we felt like we had gatecrashed some school excursion with all these little kiddies (i don´t know why they went to the club though??) We decided to go back to the hostal because we had an early morning the next day.

In all Baños was really fun! We got to do everything we wanted to do in just 1.5 days so we were both stoked with that. The next morning we went to the bus terminal to catch the 7:10am bus to Cuenca, which was 8 hours away. We wated and waited and the lady kept saying that the bus was only 10 minutes away. When 10 minutes came and passed this other guy came over and said that we should get on another bus that would take us to Cuenca. We were skeptical when he was telling the driver of the other bus that he had to take us to Cuenca because that bus wasn´t actually going there it was going to Guayaquil. But we hopped on and enjoyed the ride anyways. When it actually came time to make the turn off to Cuenca the guy didn´t come and get us or anything even though he knew we were going there so we headded for Guayaquil. We re-assessed our plans and decided that if we ended up in Guayaquil then that was ok as we were on our way down to Peru anyways. And as it turned out we did end up in Guayaquil....and the bus station is huge. We decided to go straight to the international bus terminal and buy tickets to Peru. We heard from many people that the boarder crossing from Ecuador to Peru is the worst in South America so we went with the best company that wouldn´t entail us changing busses at the border. But it turns out that if that was the worst border crossing in South America then the others must be a breeze, because this one was EASY! The bus simply dropped us off at the Ecuadorian immigration then we got stamped out then drove to the Peru immigration and we did the same thing. God only knows why the 2 immigration offices are so far away from each other, but it was no worries for us.

We got off the bus in this little beachy town called Mancora at 3am and were so lucky that there was a taxi there to take us to a hostal that was open. We were so tired that we just slumped into bed and were awoken pretty early the next morning by the guy who said we had to change rooms because they were doing construction work on the one we were in. We were pretty much awake by that stage so we went for a walk around town to check it out...it is so cool! The perfect beach, the perfect wave and surfers galore. It is easy to see how people could come here and stay for the rest of their lives. Another great thing about this place is the food; fresh fish and seafood is pretty much at every restaurant and the quality is garunteed as we are right on the water. The shops are cool too, fake ray bans everywhere and i´m finally going to buy some of those hippy pants that ive wanted for ages! We loved it so much here we stayed for 3 nights, next stop is Lima to get visas for Brasil...I really hope we don´t have to spend much time in Lima because i heard that its nothing special.

Amazon Jungle

kalamina — Mon, 8 Nov 2010 17:06:00 GMT

All I have to say is that Ecuador is AMAZING!! So far its the best country I have been to...sorry to all the others its just that there are so many adventurous activities to do here and its so easy to do them! It seems like so long since I last wrote, but really its only been a few days and I can´t believe how much we have done in that time. We went to the equator, just to say that we have had one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one foot in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time. It was like a ghost town in the middle of nowhere because it is the low season for tourism there was no one there. To be honest the best thing about it was the view, but that was about it....but we had to do it, couldn´t go all the way to Ecuador and not got to the equator!!

April parted ways in Quito last Friday and went straight to a place called Baños (baths) and Amy and I went to a place called Tena, which is where our rafting guide was from. He hooked us up with another rafting session for really cheap and also a jungle tour in the Amazon. We took the bus to Tena, it was about 5 hours, and stayed the night in a hostal there and randomly bumped into Tarquino (the rafting guide) down the street who organised the rafting trip for the next morning. Tena is a really cute little rafting town and there are kayaks and rafts everywhere. We went to a little bar that had swings and had a drink but were so tired after doing nothing all day that we went to bed pretty early...all ready for the big day of rafting tomorrow.

We had a cool group of rafters on the trip; it was really multi-cultural. There was another girl from Germany who was so funny. The rafting guide always finds one person to pick on in a fun way and this time it was Leah and he kept pushing her out of the raft when she least expected it. It was so hilarious! There was another guy from Argentina who now lives in Miami also and our great rafting guide Tarquino. Anyways this river was different from the one we went on the first time; it was calmer in parts so we could do more tricks with the raft like we all sat at the back and the raft did a mono for ages, then we flipped it over and made a human pyramid until Leah fell on everyone...We also sat on the front of the raft, like rodeo riding and went down the rapids, that was really funny. Everyone fell off before the rapids even started, but I stayed on right up until the end...Tarquino said it was because I was a horse rider. And we also did this thing where we paddled straight for a big rock and kind of launched up it like a ramp so high we almost flipped over backwards...that was fun! It was a really long river and we were rafting all day, didn´t finish until about 4:30pm and we started at 9am. Straight after that Tarquino took us to a friends jungle lodge about 30 minutes from Tena and then another 30 minute hike into the jungle. It was such a cool place and it felt like you were in the middle of nowhere. The lodge had hammocks everywhere, but there was no time for lazing around that night as we had dinner then went on a night hike in the jungle. The safety talk at the beginning of the hike was a little scary as the guide, Angel (pronounced Anhil) told us about a snake that only comes out at night and usually stays on the trails and is attracted to light....and we all had flashlights to guide our way, so in reality the snake would be attracted to us. Angel was a teacher in natural jungle medicine and showed us all the plants that aid in almost every ailment you can think of. It was fun walking through the jungle and even funner when everyone turned all the lights off and you were plunged into darkness. It felt as though you were the only person in the world and all you could hear was the sounds of the jungle birds and the rushing of water in the river below. It is plain to say that we were incredibly tired and pretty much zonked out that night. The next morning we had the most amazing breakfast of fresh fruit and plantains and then went on another hike with Tarquino and Angel. We did so many things on this hike i´m struggling to remember it all. Firstly, along the way he pointed out all the plants and trees and their function. Some had to do with medicine, some had spiritual meanings, some were just really dangerous to humans and others worked in symbiosis with the animals of the jungle. It was incredible to see and hear all this amazing stuff about the jungle and we even got to try first hand some of the magic of it. We ate this root that amde your whole mouth numb and tingly...that was weird, then we licked ants that tasted like lemons...that was weirder. The best part was when we went down to the canyon and walked through the water down the canyon. There is even gold in the river and people pan for it everyday. We even saw a bit, but couldnt pick it up because of the current. We didn´t get back to the lodge until about 2pm then had some lunch then we were meant to go watch the native people pan for gold in the river but we all fell asleep in the hammocks until it was time to leave the jungle. As we were walking out the storm came in...it was an amazing sight seeing the black clouds rolling in and the thunder was so loud! We had quite the experience coming back into Tena...we were trying to catch the bus from the side of the road and we saw one coming to we waved it down...turns out that it wasn´t a real bus, just the front part was and the back was a truck with god knows what in it. Anyways they said they could take us back to town so we got in...it was actually really fun to ride in a truck with locals. We got back to Tena and had dinner with Tarquino then stayed in a hostal that night.

The next day we went to Baños to meet up with April. It´s a really nice town too, but looks really touristy. We went for a walk around and there are so many hostals and restaurants and travel places...thats pretty much it right now. They also have hot baths though and we are looking forward to relaxing in them soon.

Extreme Ecuador

kalamina — Fri, 5 Nov 2010 21:45:00 GMT

Wow sorry I've been really lazy the past few days and haven't written anything, but in actually fact I've been really busy doing stuff and having the time of my life doing it. First of all the flight from Mexico City to Ecuador was great, only one stop over in San Jose, Costa Rica but we didn't even leave the airport and it was only 30 minutes. When we arrived in Ecuador it was really cold; like 10 degrees or something, we got a tax and headed to a hostel in the center of the new part of the city. Turned out that the hostel we wanted didn't have and rooms available so we went to one that was pretty much next door. It was nothing special but we didn't know what to expect from Ecuador so we said we'd stay there. Then we went to get some food because we were starving, and on the way back we saw a better hostel that we wanted to stay at. We went back to the first one and told them that we wanted to leave and had to argue about how much we should pay them for leaving our bags there for only a couple of hours...it wasn't pleasant, but we just wanted to leave that place. We didn't have very good first impressions of Quito because as soon as we walked out of the hostel looking for a bank we saw this young guy getting chased down the street. We had been told that Quito was a dangerous city, but we didn't expect to see that. Also the city seemed like a ghost town; there were hardly any people anywhere and we had no idea why. But since then I have really grown to love this place and its not that dangerous at all. And we realized that we arrived on the first day of a 3 day public holiday in Ecuador which explains the lack of people.

The restaurants in New Town are really great and the food is amazing!! A little more expensive than Mexico though, but still cheap (considering how well the Aussie dollar is at the moment). And one of the best things is at almost every restaurant they offer 2 for 1 cocktails!!!YAY The second day in Ecuador we visited the Old Town which is a World Heritage listed city. It's full of old churches and government buildings and the plaza is really beautiful. There were also heaps of people around which was nice to see. We walked around the town for a bit and took everything in, then went to one of Quito's attractions...the sky tram. In the valley that Quito lies in it is about 2800m above sea level, when you take the sky tram up to the top of the surrounding mountain you are at an altitude of 4100m above sea level!!! Surprisingly it didn't take long to reach the top and the views up were absolutely amazing. We were lucky that when we got up there were clear skies, because about 20 minutes later the clouds set in and it was like you were at the snow; total white-out. And it was freezing up the top; i definitely miss that jungle heat!
The next day we had booked a white water rafting trip and we were all so excited. We almost missed the 6:30am bus because Amy's alarm didn't go off, but somehow April woke up just in time and we made it. It took about 3 hours to get there by bus but that was ok because the view on the way was incredible! We saw the countryside of Ecuador and I just fell in love with it...snow capped mountains, huge waterfalls coming out of the side of the mountains, and lush green hills all made for an awesome sight. There was also a group of 5 Venezuelan guys and an American couple on their honeymoon with us plus the rafting guides so we took two rafts. The guides were great, really funny and nice. The whole rafting trip took about 3 hours and it was so much fun! The river was about a class 4 (there are 5 classes), so it was pretty intense, but no one was scared at all. There were a few incidents in the guys raft with them falling out going down the rapids, but in we all stayed in ours except when the guide pushed you out when you were unaware. It was fun though, but the funniest thing was how you got back in the raft. The person in the water had a rope to pull on, and the person in the raft had to grab the straps of your life vest and pull you up, but the result was the person pulling you in just gets squashed under the person being rescued. It was the funniest sight to see and everyone got very close and personal!lol We had really nice sunny day to begin with but in the last hour the dark gray clouds set in and the rain started. And this wasn't just like little rain....it was like jungle rain. It poured down and was freezing, but we were already wet and it was such a surreal experience that I didn't even care. Oh and I almost forgot...there was this point in the trip that we got to jump off this ledge that was 8 meters high into the river. First of all we had to scale the cliff side, I was first and I didn't even know if I was going the right way, but eventually I saw the ledge. It was so high, but surprisingly I wasn't scared at all; I was so pumped full of adrenaline that I don't think anything could have sacred me. It was the weirdest feeling...when I jumped it felt like i was in slow motion, but at the same time it all went really quickly. Definitely the biggest rush that I have ever experienced and would gladly do it a thousand times more.

So that was yesterday and today we are headed for the equator which is about an hour out of the city by bus. Not sure if we will make it as we haven't used the buses before, but we'll see. I'll keep you all updated on our adventures.xoxo

Photos: Ecuador

kalamina — Fri, 5 Nov 2010 02:01:00 GMT

I guess I lied...

kalamina — Mon, 1 Nov 2010 04:47:00 GMT

Ok I know I titled the last blog as the last entry from Mexico, but something happened that I must tell. We had our first bribe experience; something that I thought would have happened long before now. Ok so we were moving hotels in Mexico City, Rob was driving and he did an illegal left hand turn right into the street where the transit police were. So he told us to pull over and we did...the funny thing was he didn't speak any English and we pretended not to speak any Spanish at all hoping he would let us off. But he didn't and said it would be 2000 pesos which is like $200. But he just wanted us to give him the money so we said no then he called his commander and we spoke to him, but his English wasnt much better. We´d read that you should always ask for a ticket and not just give money out so we did that and he had to ask some other cop about it, but then rob opened his wallet because he knew he only had 70 pesos in it and said this is all ive got...take it or leave it. He said it wasn´t enough so Amy said she had 200. I couldn´t believe we were bargaining for a bribe it was quite amusing. In the end he said he´d take the 270 pesos as a bribe and not give us a ticket....so that was that. All in all, a new experience to mark off the list, I just cant believe it happened 1 day before we had to return the car...Ironic much!