Madrid

This is day 3 in Madrid and I´m loving this place. Its got a kinda feel to it between London and Amsterdam with a temperature to match. Its only about 8 today...
Christmas in Mexico was great. We had a 5 course dinner at the hotel with the other guests and one American family remarked it was just like their Thanksgiving back home. If thats true I might just have to end up in the US for Thanksgiving next year just for the food...
I left Mexico on Boxing Day for a 10 hour overnight flight to Madrid. I´m starting to think I´ve filled my quota of good flights as I didnt get any sleep on this one thanks to being squished in between a window and a woman half my size taking up half my chair... This wasn´t helped by the gut flipping turbulence...
When I get to the hotel I´d booked in Madrid the nasty BIATCH at reception told me I didnt have a reservation and basically told me to get stuffed... Turns out Trafalgar decided to change hotels (not surprising given the service level from this rude cow) but they had taken the liberty top change my reservation to somewhere else without telling me... Not happy Jan as I´d already forked out 25 Euros to get to the first hotel... GRRRR....
Anyways... I´m now happily settled in to my new 5 star hotel and have been wandering round the city and finding some nice treasures... My tour officially starts tonight so fingers crossed I´m not a third of the age of the rest of the travellers.... Eeek...

Back in Mexico City

Just got back into Mexico City today after three nights in Playa Del Carmen.

Playa Del Carmen is a really pretty little town on the south coast of Mexico where Luis and I had some cool adventures to Tulum and Cozumel and he introduced me to his good friend Captain Morgan. Its probly a little touristy there (Americans EVERYWHERE!!!) but Luis informs me its not as touristy as Cancun and we still had a ball.

Cozumel was great for snorkling and we dove on three different reefs. I took a disposable underwater camera so cant wait to see if the pics worked out. Am gonna try get them on a DVD tomorrow. Only bad side of Cozumel is once again I´ve been attacked with itchy bites as the jellyfish have gone to town on me... I must be pretty tasty...

Have three more days in Mexico City before heading off to Madrid, Spain so will try have some good Christmas adventures before then.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone at home. I´d send a Xmas text but still dont have a phone... :) CHEERS!!! xx

Mexico City

YIPPEE!! I´m in Mexico!!!
I´m lovin this place so far. I got in about 6am yesterday and after a good snooze ventured out to Chapultepec Park in the middle of the city and about 2kms from my dinky little hotel. This park is huge and has a zoo and the Anthropological (is that even a word?...) Museum. Basically I spent all day wandering around there and reading on the grass and playing with squirrels before coming back and finding something to eat.
Today I took a tour out to the Guadalupe Church (the 3rd most visited in the world) and then on to the Sun and Moon Temples or the Pyramids of Teotihuacan. These were much better than the ones at Huanchaco and this time I didn´t lose any ducks... :)
Tomorrow I fly off to Cancun and meet Luis so we can catch a bus down to Playa Del Carmen. Rumour has it the weather is hot and humid and absolutley perfect for sitting on a beach consuming Tequila and Coronas... Sweet.... :)

PICS

I got some spare time at the airport so I`m gonna TRY upload some pics... fingers crossed...

La Paz

This is my third night in La Paz and this little city (pop approx 3mil) is growing on me a little more every day. First impressions were pretty disappointing especially after Puno and Copacabana but we´ve done a little exploring here and its not so bad...

Now, I´ve only got ten minutes before we´re booted out of this internet joint but I have to tell you about my totally awesome day yesterday...

I rode down the infamous Death Road and have lived to tell the tale. This mountain bike ride is 64km´s long and is about half asphalt highway and half gravel and rock and is almost completely downhill with huge drop offs along the mountains of the Cordillera Real.







From approx 4600m asl, you descend about 3600m from snow capped mountains to the lush jungle below. We only had 5 people come off their bikes and I´m happy to say I wasn´t one of them (all boys!!!) and there wasn´t any serious injuries.







Sooooooooo much fun!!!!! I wanna go again!!!





I´m in La Paz now til Monday then I´m off to Mexico City via Lima. I have a 12 hour stopover there so I´m hoping on finding the day spa my tour guide recommended... Hopefully I´ll be allowed to leave the airport...

Copacabana, Bolivia

I'm not quite sure why we're staying here today as once again there isnt much to this town. It has a hippy coastal feel except we're still 4000m above sea level in the middle of South America... At least this place isnt as dry and dusty as Puno and the hippies make for an interesting crowd to watch over a beer.
We leave for La Paz tomorrow via a 2 or 3 hour bus ride and I'll finally be able to collect my new credit card from the hotel there. Thankfully I took two with me and only one got stolen by those feckers in Lima. Speaking of things those feckers stole, they also got my immigration card from Ecuador to Peru so I had to fork out a USD$20 bribe to border control here to let me out of Peru and into Bolivia... So much corruption here but hey - it works...
The sandfly bites on my legs are still pretty chronic and I've gone through two tubes of ointment stuff to help stop the itch but its just insane... Please god dont let them scar coz it wont be pretty...
My only other complaint is the altitude. The last week or so I've been feeling like I've had someone sitting on my chest and tend to wake up at night gasping for air. Really looking forward to getting back close to sea level... And sleeping in....

Puno

Here I am back in Puno again after our home stay in Lake Titikaka. There's not much to say about Puno... Its pretty much a dry dusty hole...

Our home stay on Lake Titikaka was a great experience. First we visited a floating island and learnt how they keep the island floating and renew the reeds etc. Very interesting and beautiful, colourful people. I bought a great little tapestry there... Hope customs let it unto Oz... Anyways, then we went to another proper island and were allocated our host families. Ours was very shy but looked after as brilliantly altho I've never eaten as much potato in my life... They basically live on potato soup as the carbs keep them warm (Lake Titikaka is about 4km above sea level...) and they can grow the spuds on their own land but thank god they gave us pancakes for brekky!!!

Tonight we are back in Puno and we'll be leaving for Copacabana BOLIVIA tomorrow and then La Paz before the tour is all over... Really looking forward to Mexico!!!

Back in Cuscu

Back in the hustle and bustle of the big smoke again but we´re only here for a day before we head off for a long bus trip on to Puno - about 5 hours away. Tonight however we´re supposed to be having a party at Zac´s house here in Cusco. Zac was our Inca Trail guide and is one of the funniest buggers I ever met. He also helped me get through the tough climb on the second day and we all have alot of respect for his knowledge and help over the last four days.

Today has been a lazy day just recovering and getting ready for the last week or so of our tour. All I´ve done is post off some stuff home, meet the crew for a super yummy lunch in the town centre and have a mega nap this arvo. I´ve just managed to lock myself out of my room now so here I am updating this... Ooops...

My legs and shoulders are still aching from the hike but the worst injury I´ve got is about a million sand fly bites on my shins... It happened at lunch on the last day in Aguas Callientes and I didnt even feel the buggers biting until I looked down and saw a million little drops of blood... At the time it didnt hurt and wasn´t itchy but today... OH MY GOD!!!... so painful... I´ve been taking antihistamines and have some gel from the farmacia but basicallyI think I might have to amputate... OUCH!!!!

One big help during the trek was our crew of porters and guides. For us 8 little aussies and our tour leader we had a total of 15 (yup... 15!!!) porters and a guide and a guides assistant... Not bad hey... The guides were amazing. They carry about 25 kilo´s each, pack and clean up after us, practically run the trail to pass us and then have lunch and dinner ready when we finally catch up to them. And they carry everything!! Tents, mattresses, kitchen gear (including oven, gas and fridge) and our 5 kilo duffel bags. All I had to carry was a day pack with items such as a jumper, raincoat, water, mozzie repellant, suncream, snacks and nibble mix. Our duffel bags held a couple changes of clothes, sleeping bag, liner, travel towel and loads of wipes for our sponge baths each morning and night. Three days without a shower reminds a girl just how much she loves being clean!!!

Inca Trail

YEEHAH!!! I made it!!

Not only did I manage to get passed the authorities with an emergency passport (the girl before me nearly didnt get in so I was packing it...) but I´ve survived the four hardest days of my life!!!

Day 1 was just getting there, getting in and getting to our first camp site. Generally the walking was pretty good and we got in just on sunset for our sponge baths and an awesome dinner.
Day 2 was total punishment. I honestly dont know how I survived except to say I had a very strong will and there was no way I was going back in a helicopter or on a donkey!!! We had to go through two passes and the first one had me in tears. It wasn´t so much the hiking as the lack of oxygen thanks to the altitude. You can train all ya want for something like this but its the altitude thats the maker or breaker...
Day 3 was much the same altho we got to camp early in the afternoon - thank god - for a rest and to be ready for a 4am start the next day... Except a few of us stayed up drinking... Oops...
Day 4 was today and the last day of our hike. Compared to day 2 it was a walk on the beach and I couldnt be happier that I made it. The view as you go through Intipunku (the Sungate) is absolutely worth all the hard work and its gotta be one of the most rewarding things I´ve ever done.

The walk is not just a physical challenge. It pushes your mind and will power to the limits too. I have to catch a bus and train back to Cusco now but will add more later.

WOOHOO!!!!

Cusco Pt2

Still in Cusco tonight but off to Inca Trail tomorrow...

I didnt quite make it to the Sacred Valley today... We were on the bus and had gone thru Pisac on the way to the Valley when tour leader Jhonn called and told me we had to get some passport and police report paperwork to the officials before 3pm or else so I jumped in a taxi back to Cusco and we´ve sorted it out as much as we can... Still wont know until we get there if they´ll let me in so not getting too excited about the trail yet so I´m not too crushed if I can´t go... :(

On a brighter note, I´ve found some new ducky friends to travel with. Jhonn and I were cruising the black market for a camera battery when I came across a big yellow rubber ducky with three little ducklings... So... The big duck will be staying in Cusco until we find something to do with her (Timmy suggested floating her away at Lake Tittikaka...) but the little three have been named as Jesus, Jose and Jorge (pronounced Hesoos, Hosay and Horhay)... Will get a piccy on here as soon as possible... :)

Fingers crossed for the Inca Trail pass tomorrow... xx

Cusco

Another day, another Peruvian town on the way to the Inca Trail...

We got to Cusco early this morning and have had a little wander round getting friendly with the markets and spending up big... I´m now the proud owner of two chullos (like beanies but so much better) and a jumper made of alpaca hair... soooo soft...

Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to the Sacred Valley and then we have an early night before taking off on the Inca Trail. Fingers crossed I dont have to get taken down on a donkey...

By the way while we were staying in the Colca Canyon I made friends with an Andean Eagle and spotted a Condor... Cant wait to get the eagle pic on here... You´re gonna be so jealous Azza... :)

Arequipa

Nine hours on a crowded overnight bus is not a good way to start the day... Its even worse if ya didnt get any sleep the night before that either... I have come to the conclusion South Americans have an extremely unhealthy obsession with their car horns and they're not the usual beep beep variety either. They use them 24hours a day and there's no escaping the craziness!!

Anyways, I am now one sleepy little chicky but we have arrived in Arequipa this morning and have a free day to recover before heading off for a night in the Colca Canyon tomorrow where we get to go to some more hot springs and condor spotting!!

Good news - I got my emergency passport issued to me today. Hopefully this as well as a copy of my old one and the police report will still get me on the Inca Trail... At the very least, if I can't go on the trail, I will still be able to catch the train up to Macchu Picchu from Aguas Calientes.

I'm off for a mega nanna nap (or should I say a little afternoon laydown in my undies...) now and I'll wriet more when I return from the Colca Canyon. The Internet in this hotel is free and about the best I've come accross lately!!

Nasca

Okey dokey.... Have I had some more adventures or what?...

After having Bill leave the tour in Huanchaco we moved on to Lima and met up with the new people on our tour as well as saying farewell to some of the existing members. The only original (Galapagos) members now is me and Micky with Rich, Kerry and Timmy (from Quito onwards) staying on too. Bella and Jodes have gone on to Cusco to start the trail but we should meet up with them again in Cusco after they have finished and before we start...

Lima was a nice city but once again I have some tragic news to pass on...

Ted has now also left the tour however it was not of his own decision... He was nesting happily in my bag with my camera, purse, passport and mobile when some lovely fecker decided my bag would look better on him... We were eating in a restaurant and I had it the strap over my chair and the bag on my lap however the sneaky prik has still managed to take it away...

So... After two hours, lots of swearing and a cop statement later we got to the consulate and ordered me a new passport which is due to arrive in Arequipa or Cusco soon so I'll be legitimate again.... Fingers crossed it arrives or I wont be leaving the country much less doing the Inca Trail...

Is it wrong that I'm more upset about losing Ted than the financial loss of a phone and camera or even losing all the photo's since Quito?...

Anyway, we're now in Nasca and I'm looking forward to the flight over the Nasca Lines tomoro before we go on to Arequipa on an overnight bus... Everything is all good. I still have some cash and cards as well as maintaining my sense of humour and I'm still looking forward to the rest of my trip!!!

Huanchaco

Thats the name of the place we stayed at last night and tonight... Very pretty!!

As mentioned yesterday we visited Chan Chan and the Moon Temple today and an otherwise great day has been marred by a very sad accident...

Its with great sadness I have to tell you all our good feathery plastic friend Bill has decided to leave the tour. He was last sighted splashing around the fresh water pond in Chan Chan with the locals and altho he was collected back into the pocket bus it seems he has climbed out the back window and made a waddle for it... A frantic search was made upon dicovering his absence however not even a feather has been located.

Needless to say his lifelong friend and travel partner Ted is completely inconsolable at his best mates shock departure however he has vowed to keep smiling and continue on the tour and then reconsider his options upon his return to Australia.

Best of luck to you Billy Boy. You´ll be sadly missed by all who have enjoyed your adventures but especially by me and Ted. xx

Trujillo, PERU

Another day, another beautiful town on the coast of Peru. Today we are in Trujillo but actually staying at a place just outside that I have no hope of spelling or even pronouncing...

Last night we stayed at Chiclayo. This is one of the biggest cities in Peru but hasnt had much in the way of tourism yet so isn´t really worth much of a mention. In the morning we bussed out to the Sipan Museum which was very interesting and that was followed by a four hour bus trip here. Tomorrow we are off to visit Chan Chan and the Moon Temple which apparently are very inportant historical sites... Our guide Tito has talked them up so fingers crossed its fun...

After Trujillo we are on to Lima and then our cool little group is split up and Micky, Kerry, Richo, Timmy and I head off further south with some newbies before going on to Macchu Picchu...

Sorry I havent been in touch mobile wise lately... telstra has no agreements with any companies in Ecuador so i havent had reception for the last two weeks and if anythings been sent to me then chances are its been wiped... Fortunately Peru has great reception and I´m looking forward to hearing from ya´s!!!

Mancora, PERU

I think its Wednesday today and last night we arrived into Mancora on the coast of Peru. Its a gorgeous little coastal town full of surfy types and bars... We´re only here until this afternoon and then we´ll be on the road again to another beach lodging i cant remember the name of right now but am pretty sure the night after that will be Trujillo...

After we left Baños we travelled on to Riobamba which was a fairly unremarkable except it was where we were to board the Devils Nose Railway train the next morning. Unfortunately due to last weeks earthquake in Lima (apparently 7.6 on richter scale but we never felt a thing...) part of the track was broken so we didnt get to go as far as the Devils Nose. Instead we unloaded at another place I cant recall the name of and had a further five hours via bus to Cuenca. The four hours we spent on the train was fun and as usual Micky found a harem of local women to chat to...

Cuenca was a lovely city and the first place we´ve been so far where you can drink the water... During the day we went out to the Ingapirca Ruins (Incan and Cañar) and then our guide Rodrigo took us to a local bar as it was our last night with him and I think I´ve developed a taste for the South American specialty, Pisco Sours... Noice!!!

Yesterday we bussed it for about 5 hours before crossing the border into Peru then a further two hours to get here so we arrived after sunset and its been a pleasant morning exploring the town and meeting the people. This is definitely somewhere you could set up a little surf shop and just chill for the rest of your days...

Still in Baños

Finally... A sleep in and a slow relaxing day... Our only commitments today were optional activities and I chose horse riding halfway up a volcano in the morning and canopying in the afternoon. The horse riding was pretty tame as my horse Pinto didnt seem to like going uphill... He didnt have such a problem going downhill but still didnt do more than a trot... The flying fox was also fairly PG rated coz we weren´t allowed to go down in the Superman position... :)

We get to sleep in again tomorrow and we´re looking at finding some more thermal spas or having a massage as there´s place everywhere for them. Even the hotel maid does a one hour reflexology massage for only $10!! Sometime tomorrow we´re also looking at hiring a quad bike ($10 an hour) and cruising around town. Baños is alot nicer and slower paced than Quito with quiet streets and friendly locals. There is also plenty of adventure and relaxation stuff to do here, one could easily stay for weeks and not get bored!!

In the afternoon we are off to Riobamba before getting up nice and early on Sunday to ride the Devils Nose Railway on to Cuenca.

Baños

HOLA!!

OH.... MY... GOD....!!!! To say I saw some nature yesterday was an understatement!!! I was right there in the thick of things... Let me explain...

On Wednesday we caught the LOCAL bus from Quito to Tena (four hours) and then another one about one hour away into Amazon jungle territory... The lodge we stayed at (Cottococha) was really nice and right on the river so after so long on the bus we thought we´d have a swim only to be warned not to piss in the river coz there´s those wonderful little critters called Penis Fish swimming round... Noice... We also got a ¨safety briefling¨of sorts at the lodge as there´s TARANTULAS and snakes and stuff getting round as theres no electricity and you´re walking around by candle light, you need to be VERY careful...

Anyways.... More about yesterday...

It all began with a humungous grasshopper on our doorstep which had mysteriously lost half his legs... Micky and I debated over whether it was more humane to leave it to nature or kill it and put it out of its misery.... Five minutes and one squashed hopper later we mosied down to the river to go tubing... The tubing was pretty cool but the rapids were pretty tame. The freakiest thing about it was having someone crank up Men At Works ¨Downunder¨as we floated past... After disembarking our tubes it proceeded to piss down for about an hour while we motorcanoed further down river to an animal rehab centre. While on the boat no less than three spiders thought it would be fun to crawl up my leg and have me scream my poor little heart out... The last one got squished on the side of the canoe as a reminder to all others not to venture near me... Then, as soon as I got back on land another one scooted up my legs...

At the rehab centre we met toucans, macaws, ducks, capiburras (?), wild boars and a few different types of monkeys before heading on down to the ocelot (like little cheetahs) cage... Well, this was where it got interesting... Have you even seen a tiger mark its territory by spraying some wonderful piss??? Well, the Ocelot decided I was gonna be his.... Soooooooo fowl!!!! I was covered from head to toe in cat piss!!! The guide said she´s never seen it before so I guess I was lucky... somehow...

BUT, that wasn´t the last of it... On the way out of the rehab centre all the other animals could smell me... The birds avoided me, the monkeys went a little crazy and an anteater thought my toes would taste nice... Icky... Then, at lunch I got attacked by a ginormous wasp before heading on to a local tribe and having their dog think I was his next meal... All this time all I could smell was cat piss and even now my bag has a nasty odor I dont think I´ll be rid of for some time... I pity my fellow travellers for having to put up with the stench too but they´ve been very nice about it seeing as it was such an entertaining time...

Even after all that my adventure in the Amazon was pretty cool. We saw a little snake when we got in last night and I think we saw a tarantula in hiding but wasn´t too keen to investigate - just in case...

Today we got into Baños after a five hour local bus ride and my backpack has been soaked thanks to the Amazonian weather and our bags being on top of the bus... hopefully I´ll have dry clothes tomorrow as we´re off horseriding and canopying (like a flying fox). Should be fun!

My spanish is getting better everyday altho the locals generally speak too fast to understand what they are saying. Fingers crossed I´ll be pretty fluent by the time I get to Mexico and I´ll left to my own devices for a while... eeek....

Last day in Quito

We had a huge day today!! Jodes, Bella Micky and I left the hotel early for the girls to climp up the hill and see the statue before we all jumped on a bus out to some thermal pools at Pattalacta. Micky and I wondered around the Old Town section of Quito and found a shop to download my pics taken so far onto a dvd and also had a drink at the juicebar next door.

The above pic was taken at the thermal pools we found today. The temperature of the pool we claimed was scorching but there were others of different temps and a freezing cold river ran right behind them all so you could dunk in there for an invigorating change. We spent a couple hours here before heading back down the hill for some lunch and then played hackysack while waiting for the bus to take us all the way back to Quito again...

I still cant get over how cheap it is here... This is my spendings for today...

Bus to town $0.25

Pics to DVD $5

Fresh juice $0.50

Bus to Thermal pools $2 (1.5hour drive)

Entry to pool $7 (technically expensive entry for SA but very worth it)

1 can Heineken $1.30

Lunch $4.50 (chicken soup entree and trout main with a juice)

Bus back to Quito $2

Internet $0.60

Hot choc $1

Two loads of washing $6 (washed and folded by hotel)
Dinner $3

BARGAIN!!!

This pic is from when we returned from the Galapagos. This sea lion had just plonked himself on the seat at the bus stop and was dozing away... And the one below is from our very amusing night at Karaoke... This is me and Louise (aka Grande & Poco) singing god knows what... I havent laughed so hard in ages!!!

More pics added for Sugarloaf & Corcovado below...

2nd last day in Quito...

Another lazy in Sunday in Quito and its raining again... We´ve been amusing ourselves for the last couple days walking and taking crazy local transport around this pretty place. The main centre of Quito is pretty easy to navigate but you really do get four seasons in one day here so unless you´re prepared to suffer being either drenched or sunburnt you need to have your raincoat, umbrella and suncream on hand at all times... :)

Yesterday Micky, Bella, Jodes and I caught the bus out to the Equator. There´s actually two places that claim to be on the equator and unfortunately the most touristy one is the wrong place. Micky got caught with that the first time he went out so this time we made sure we got to the right one.

Once we found it (its kinda hidden down a dirt track and not obviousy sign posted) we were guided around by a local Ecuadorian who gave us the history of their indigenous people and also showed us a few tricks of things that occur only on the Equator Line. We managed to get an egg to balance on the head of a nail and the water goes straight down the drain (not swirling clockwise or anticlockwise) and for some reason your strength is somewhat drained... Some books and people claim these are really just tricks but if they are its a very effective show and we were all very impressed.

The night before we found a local karaoke bar that served Cerveca Grande´s (one litre) for $3... The eight of us completely overtook the place and left around 3am after drinking about 35 litres between us... Needless to say there was some very, very dodgy karaoke songs being sung but a great time was had by all.

Tomorrow we are off to some Thermal Springs which is another 2 hour bus ride to god knows where. Micky says he knows the way so figners crossed we make it home alive... :)

Buenos Aires, Quito and Galapagos

Hi All... Yes, I´m still alive... We just got back to Quito today and I´ve just found out one of the hotel maids has stolen my good goretex wind proof rain coat... NOT HAPPY!!! Anyway, the hotel is claiming no responsibility (???) so somehow I have to go find a new one... Thank god Quito it´s a big city and I saw some outdoor clothing shops earlier...

Anyways... On a more positive note the last week has been great fun. Sadly I was only in BA for one night but its a huge place. The main shopping street reminded me of Amsterdams but without all the pot smoke... It would be nice to see more of it during the day as we got in at 7pm and I left at 6am... D'oh...

As expected, my plane was delayed in Lima so I didn´t get into Quito til late afternoon. I met another person from my tour in Lima so I scammed a lift with her transfer driver to the hotel and munched out on empanada´s for dinner... Yummy!!


In the morning we explored the old town section of Quito and climbed up a zillion stairs to get to the statue on the hill overlooking the city. This place is some 2000m obove sea level and I was really surprised how big it is. In the afternoon we met the rest of our Galapagos group and left early in the morning to fly out to Quayaquill (??) and then on to the Island of Baltra in the Galapagos.

The Galapagos is sooo cool!! When you first get off the plane and see whats basically a desert landscape you start to wander if perhaps this place is severly over rated but as the bus takes you on to the ferry and then the next bus you start to see how much contrast there is here. Over the last few days we´ve seen sea lions, penguins, turtles, tortoises, land and marine iguana´s, sea snakes, starfish, blue footed boobies, lava lizards, dolphins and loads of different fish species... And thats just the animals...

We went snorkling four times and I got to swim with sea lions, penguins, turtles, sharks and stingrays. Because its all national park and the government is very strict on preserving the environment (you cant even flush your toilet paper...) this place is teeming with wildlife and plants and is completely litter free. I took photo´s with an underwater disposable camera and can´t wait to get the film back and start putting some of those and my other pics on too. Even the ducks have had an awesome time. They´ve even made a friend...

So... We´re back in Quito for the next few days. Jane and I will be going to the Equator tomorrow and a couple days later my Conquistador tour with Gecko´s begins but I´m sure I´ll be able to add more before we leave!!

Still in Iguazu

Today is our last day in Iguazu and soon we´ll be off to the airport to fly to Buenos Aires. Chances are we´ll have a huge delay before we get on the plane coz there is currently a shortage of pilots. Apparently they all got sent on holidays at the same time and no one had the brains enough to think they should keep some pilots to fly the planes...

Iguazu has been really cool. On Wednesday we went back to the Brazillian side and had our helicopter flight over the Iguazu Falls and then spent a few hours wandering around them and getting wet in the mist. Thursday we did much the same, but on the Argentinian side and got drenched on a boat ride that went under one of the falls. The falls and the national park are awesome.

Tomorrow (if the flight isnt cancelled) I leave BA to go to Quito and start my Gecko´s tour on Sunday. First stop on that trip will be the Galapagos Islands so I probly wont be able to update here until next week...

Iguazu

Not much to write up today except to let ya all know we made it in one piece to Iguazu. We were up at 5am this morning and had a five hour bus ride to Sao Paolo and then a one and a half hour flight to Iguazu. We were staying on the Argentinean side for the next three nights before finishing up in Buenos Aires.

Tomorrow we have a helicopter flight over the falls and also a speed boat ride down near them. Think I need to find a poncho...

The last few days I have been talking to others who have done the Inca trail recently and from what I´ve heard it IS hard work but its not too bad... I´m still going for my jogs in the morning when I can coz its still a month before we get there so fingers crossed I dont have to have a porter carry me back down the hill... :)

Paraty

Today is Monday and we´re in Paraty or Parati depending on which map/sign etc you´re looking at... Its on the coast towards the Argentina border but its a tiny little town and is soooo completely different from Rio! All the buildings here are white with different coloured doors and windows and just like Venice the roads (which are more like cobbled streets) get flooded with water. We got in at sunset last night after a 4 hour drive from Rio. The drivers here in Brazil are just as crazy as the ones in Egypt and Turkey and swerve between the lanes and fang it round the corners like a rally driver even when hauling a trailer full of tourists luggage...

Our activity today was a boatride around the islands here and we had a chance to snorkle at one of the stops. Its not as great as say the Whitsundays but we still got to see a starfish and a sea urchin in amongst the all the fish - even if there was only two or three different types... We also stopped at Monkey Island but we only saw a pretty big blue butterfly, a big brown dog and something that looked like a ferret/beaver/otter thing...

Tomorrow we are off to Sao Paolo via bus so we can fly on to Iguaçu Falls... Can´t wait for that one - I FINALLY get to go in a helicopter!!! YAY!!!

My tandem hang glide flight on Friday was great but a little short coz there was not enough wind to keep us up... Turns out the guy who drove us up the hill knows the guys at Airborne and Moyes so we had a good chat!! It can really be a small world sometimes...

Christ the Redeemer

No... I haven´t gone all churchy on ya´s... Corcovado - also known as Christ the Redeemer - is where i went today with local gal and fellow Ireland tripper, Renate.

Luckily the weather had cleared up heaps overnight and instead of being hot, cloudy, humid and wet it was just hot and humid but it was still a great day and thanks to yesterdays heavy fog lifting, the ducks and I got some great pics of the statue and the city.

With the sun poking his head out, Copacabana Beach has really livened up today and as its Friday night now its starting to get busy on the main drag and the markets have also set up in the middle of the road...

Tomorrow I have booked in for a tandem hang glide and fingers crossed the wind picks up enough to give us more than the usual 15 minutes...

UPDATE 12/11 finally got some pics on... Below is Corxovado..

I go to Rio... De Janiero...

Oh boy... After 36 hours, one bus, four flights, three stopovers and a taxi, I finally made it to Rio in one piece and crawled into my hotel bed at 4am with earplugs in for some well needed, undisturbed sleep... Six hours later I was downstairs tackling breakfast with no knife or english translations so I stuck to the things I could easily identify like white bread and watermelon and resolved to be more adventurous tomorrow when was brain was functioning properly again... Well, as properly as it can anyways... :)

After brekky I took a walk along the famous Copacabana Beach and found some Cows on Parade amongst the stalls and palm trees. One side of the road is packed with all types of hotels with restaurants and pizzarias at their doors while the other side is km´s of sand and palm trees and beach soccer fields... If I´d ever been to California I guess I´d say it loooks a bit like that... Round the corner to one side is Inpanema where all the rich folks live and around the other side is Sugarloaf Mountain and Red Beach. Somewhere behind all these goodies is Corcovado (aka Christ the Redeemer hill and statue) and at around 700metres high, it has the pleasure of overlooking this picturesque city. Today unfortunately has been overcast, foggy, humid and rainy all day but you can just tell it was would be awesome on a sunny day!!

This afternoon I took a tour up to Sugarloaf Mountain after deciding tomorrow might be better weather for corcovado. Luckily the sky cleared up a little while we were there so the ducks and I got some choice photos.

On the way home we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral and then I had dinner and a beer at a pizzaria on Copacabana beach at sunset while i wrote in my diary.
I must say when i first got off the plane and was overwhelmed with the smell of pee, I was a little worried but as the day wore on and I warmed up to the people and the beauty surrounding me, I embraced the welcoming atmosphere and learnt to breathe through my mouth instead... :)

On my way to Rio...

Well, here I am at the airport in Santiago trying to amuse myself for a few hours before flying on to Rio. I think I´m going a little loco as I´ve been up for over 24 hours now and really need a nap. My flight to Rio takes five hours and I get in at 2am so I´m looking forward to a bit of piece and quiet (and the ability to sprawl out) when I get there...
Guess what? I went to Auckland, NZ today... apparently its the stopover on the way to Santiago but wasn´t listed on my flight itinery... How cool is that??? I got a pic of Bill and Ted meeting some of the locals so will upload when I´m able. And I tell ya what - if all the kiwi boys are are cute and friendly as the one i met at the airport, I´m moving back there!!! Noice!!!
Not much else to add yet. I pray I sit next to a nice person on the plane... The last one was a pompous pig who thought it was fun to squeeze my in as close to the window as possible... i think i had maybe an area of two foot square (maybe) to live in for about 10 hours... I understand claustrophobia now...

A tandem and a trip to Canungra

well... where to start... things have been pretty hectic the last couple weeks with trying to get fit, getting ready for Canungra and my next adventure overseas and soaking up the glorious sunshine but seeing as I fly off to Rio tomorrow morning, I'm staying up late tonight to write up some recent happenings...







Last fortnight Scott took me for a tandem flight at Merewether. I haven't been in the air since about February so it was great to get back up there again. I think I would like to start flying again when I get back from South America in January. By then it will be almost a year since I last flew and I'll be taking baby steps to get back up there... Thanks heaps for the flight Scott!!

From the 12th to the 21st Oct we have been living it up in sunny Canungra for a hang gliding comp. I drove up with Monica and Scott on the Thursday night and we arrived about 10 hours later on Friday morning. After setting up camp we drove up to the Mount Tamborine launch and found many pilots already setting up ready to fly. One of the Victorians had a camel on his glider so we couldnt resist getting a pic of it with the ducks...

As usual Tigger also made an appearance...

During a wander through Canungra on the weekend, Monica found a lovely pink sparkly riding crop and it was purchased with many a cheeky grin... Each day during the comp "the whip" could be found somewhere at the briefing or on launch... Stuie's love of it could only be described as disturbing...

Monica wasn't driving for anyone this year so we had some time to explore Canungra and surrounding areas... A Mt Tamborine hotel St Benards came highly recommended by Kylie so we checked it out and had lunch there. The food was awesome (I had scrumptious calamari) and the ducks got to meet the big dog who "guards" the door...

Another day Mon & I visited the Vodka distillery. This place was conveniently right next door to the cheese factory so the drive there was well worth it. The distillery makes about 40 different flavours of vodka and altho I was very impressed with the Jaffa flavour, I ended up getting a Bells of St Clements bottle (oranges, lemons, grapefruit). On our way back to the car we were confronted by this huge peacock.

On the second Saturday, Monica and I drove up the long, steep, windy road to O'Riellys to have a look at the treetop walk. I resisted the temptation to jump around on the bridge for Mon's sake but was tempted to go back for a second round by myself so I could but hunger won me over so we stopped for lunch before taking the long drive back down again...

All up it was a great week. The guys got in lots of flying and the red faces and presentation nights were a lot of laughs. I dont think I'll ever forget Speedys rendition of Ring of Fire... I hope someone got it on video coz it'd be a surefire youtube winner!!! The last couple of pics are just randoms I couldnt resist...

Tomorrow morning the ducks and I begin our next overseas adventure. first stop will be Brazil followed by Argentina, Equador, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico and Spain. I'll do my best to blog as often as I can however photo's may not be added until after I get back in January.

Cheerio!!!

the last few weeks...

Well, I've been lazy again and haven't written anything here for a while so here's an update of recent activities...

On 21st Sept Monica, Keiro, Stewie and I attended the Westpac Helicopter Ball in Newcastle... Keiro's better half Kylie was the organiser and did a fantastic job with decorations of an egyptian theme.






It was a great opportunity to get all dressed up and it was a fun filled night and even the ducks got into the action...







Since then the ducks and I have had some random adventures here and there...





I've also been doing lots of training for my trip to South America. I leave in a fortnight and will be trekking along the Inca Trail sometime in December... Fingers crossed I survive and come back in one piece!! I'll also be visiting Rio, Buenos Aires, the Galapagos Islands, Mexico and Spain to name a few. The ducks have also had their immunisations and visas cleared so they'll be coming along too for moral support!!




I'll be catching up with Renate in Rio and Luis in Mexico -both wonderful people I met on my Ireland tour and have stayed in touch with since. Luis and I plan to be drinking coronas and tequilas at Playa Del Carmen just before Christmas... Noice!!!






I'll put more infoamtion about my travel plans on here closer to my departure date of Oct 24... below is the view from Christians (above) apartment over newcastle... Choice!!!

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure @ The Whitsundays

This last week I have been kicking back with the beautiful people on the northern Queensland coast. My good mate Wazza invited me up to join him on his boat and to sail in the fun race on the weekend. As usual, Tigger was keen to join me but had to decline due to a previous engagement (good one Kiero... ) so the cammo ducks Bill and Ted stepped in to save the day.

My journey started around 4am on Wednesday morning trapped in a packed minibus on route to Sydney airport surrounded by whining kids, a couple of drunks snoring off a big night and an abnoxious american who smelled like old KFC... Not a good start but Bill and Ted cheered me up at the airport as they were excited to check out the wings on the big virgin birds...

I met Wazza and Amnon at the sailing club in Airlie and promptly settled down to a few beers as the rain which was about to plague us all week came in... After getting my gear on the boat, we joined the usual suspects at the BBQ for dinner. This is done most nights and is a nice social place to meet other boat people and have a chat. Also the place we found some of our crew for the fun race including the awesome Abi and Andy from Newcastle in UK.

Thursday was just casual wandering round Airlie and stocking up on food and drinks to survive the next few days. Airlie is a very pretty little town but I was surprised as to how little it really is as the area is such a well known place world wide. Its population is only about 6000 however there is almost double that with tourists and backpackers and people on boats... Maybe the crocodiles are keeping people away... Just kidding - this one's a fakey...

A big truck had parked on the lawn in front of the sailing club at Airlie and Waz, Amnon and I were invited in to have a peek at the Cartlon Draught Brewery Academy. The walls on the trailer open out to make a mobile pub and the owner was more than happy to give us a quick tour. Waz was so impressed he needed a drink...

And the ducks were keen to find out about golden showers...

On Friday Waz and I sailed over to Daydream Island (below) and tied on to the public mooring to go and explore the island. We left the crocodile floating out the back and found out later someone had seen it and panicked and the resort staff had to go out and put him back on deck... Ooops... :)

On the island we found a mini golf course. Since Tigger had had so much fun on the last one, I couldn resist taking the boys for a round and checking out the shark pool...

We'd developed quite a thirst wandering round the island and soon found ourselves stealing some resort towels and sitting by the resorts pool with a few beers until Waz discovered conditions were right for a bit of kite surfing...

He's picured here getting some air and showing off to the mermaids...

Saturday was fun race day and we had recruited a great crew. Aside from me, Waz, Ben and Ralph we also had Abi and Andy from Newcastle UK, Alex and Victoria from Liverpool and the good old random Space Cadet. After a slow start and a big lull half way through, it turns out Waz got third in his division and scored a bottle of Bundy rum (full strength...) at the party. The Liverpool girls also scored second place in the Miss Figurehead comp and didnt even have to take their tops off. Grand effort to all!!!

On Sunday Abi and Andy joined us for a sail out to Border Island and anchored in the bay there overnight. Abs entertained us that night with her fantastic cooking, guitar playing and gorgeous voice and Monday morning we scouted the island Wazza thought could be good for flying. Waz and Andy went off to do some exploring so Abs and I did a little bush bashing of our own... We started off on a promising path down the hill but soon had to back track but the track we'd just been on had dissappeared... Half an hour later and covered with scratches we emerged back up the top, found the boys and went back down for a swim and a snorkel. I wish I had of had an underwater camera!! The snorkling here was just awesome with sooo many different colours and types of fish and when you dived down to about 10-15 feet you could hear the whales talking to each other. Sooo cool!!






On the sail back to Airlie we got the boxing kangaroo spinnaker up, saw a mother whale and her calf breeching about 75metres away from us and Andy caught a shark!! You couldnt have asked for a better day!!

Tuesday was supposed to be my Adrenalin rush, acrobatic tiger moth flight but there was a storm blowing in and sadly I missed out. We'd been watching his guy do loops and spirals over Airlie all week and I was sooo keen to get up there but since I was leaving Tuesday night, I couldn't even re-book... It will just have to go on my wish list for now...

So that was about it for my Whitsundays adventure. There's always plenty more stories and Bill and Ted are amped about going on another soon. Maybe New Zealand? Canungra?... I had an absolute ball in Airlie and big thanks go to Wazza for making it all pssible. You're a legend buddy!!!

I got back into Newcastle at 2am this morning. We were lucky to get in to Sydney as thanks to the APEC meeting and Mr Bush making an apearance, the airport was closing at 11.30pm and we had to land before 11.