Ecuador - The Final Leg

Leaving the jungle we caught a bus from right outside our jungle lodge. The bus conductor promised that he knew where we wanted to get off but unfortunately he woke us too late so we took the bus into the town called Banos and another back out to our home for the next 3 nights. We were greeted by the owner of Pequeno Paraiso, Rich, an ex-overland truck driver from Scotland who created the place with his French wife Bee. We were shown to our rooms and chilled out a little before receiving a briefing on the optional excursions available to us. Having come from the jungle none of us were interested in the excursions and instead chose to do a few hikes to waterfalls over the next couple of days. Bee cooked dinner for everyone and we had a few drinks after and a few of us went out for a bit. A mixture of buses not stopping and not being able to find a bar locally meant it was an earlier night than anticipated but fun none the less.

The following morning we got up for breakfast and afterwards headed on a hike to 5 waterfalls that was advertised to us as good practice for the Inca Trail due to the uphill sections of it. It had been raining so the trail was quite muddy. The first waterfall was non-existant but the second one was much better. I had a bit of a tummy bug so I stayed here and took some photos and headed back while the others went ahead. I spent so long taking photos that I ended up getting back to the hostal after the others as they got sick of walking through the mud and turned around. After a while we headed into the main town of Banos for lunch and to have a look around. We met up with Heidi, our tour leader, to go and get lunch and then we headed around the town on our own to have a look around. We went to the market, saw Guinea pigs being BBQ'd (a specialty here) and also went to the supermarket. I offered to cook a bolognese for the group for lunch and people were happy with that idea so we picked up supplies and headed back to the hostel. Bee again cooked dinner and we had it in front of a roaring log fire and then watched a film before bed.

The following day was the main hiking day for the group. In the morning we all headed off to visit Pailion del Diablo which is one of the top 10 waterfalls in the world. We walked to Rio Verde and headed downhill to the entrance for the waterfall. We paid our $1 entrance fee and went out to the 4 viewing platforms. I looked from one but was more interested in the tunnel through the rock which brought you to steps which led up to the waterfall and allowed you to stand behind the falling water. It was amazing to stand there and see the tons and tons of water falling every second. We then headed back and out onto the bridge downriver to see a wide view of the waterfall where we could appreciate it without getting soaked. When all the photos were taken we headed back to the hostel where we got to work on lunch. We worked as a team and cooked up a bolognese on an industrial cooker that went down really well with everyone which we were delighted with.

After lunch alot of people decided to take it easy and sit around the hostal for the afternoon but myself and Emer headed off to get the cable car across the valley and have a bit of a walk. It was a fair old distance to the cable car so we stood by the side of the road with our thumbs out and soon enough a pickup stopped. We hopped in the back and off we went - when we got to where we wanted to go we knocked on the roof, threw the driver a dollar and hopped out. The cable car was gas - it's gravity fed for the first section so you get into the basket which is open and only has a low gate to stop you falling out. They release the brake and the car heads over the valley quite quickly. In the middle of the sag of the cable you go forwards and backwards a bit before they engatge the motor and bring you over to the other side. We hopped out here and walked along the valley through fish farms, agricultural lands and past a few waterfalls. One of them had a rope which allowed you to climb down beside it to a lower level. Naturally I climbed down but Emer declined. I took some photos, admired the view and climbed back up before continuing along the valley to the other cable car. We found a swing chair which I also had a go of and then we got the cable car back across the valley, got another lift back in the pickup and chatted with the lazy heads before dinner.

After dinner we all headed to the hot baths in Banos which is what the town is named after. They pipe hot volcanic water in from the local volcano into various outdoor pools of differing temperatures. We chose the hottest one and got in - right beside it was a plunge poool which was really cold so we spent the next couple of hours getting in and out of the two which really got the blood flowing and eased aching muscles after the previous active week. We all hopped back into the back of the truck which brought us back via a quick stop the driver made to deliver some goods to a local shop on the way. Our tour leader told us that is how things happen out here as there are so few delivery trucks. We settled our tabs and packed for the early departure the following morning before heading off to bed.

The following morning we had an early breakfast and hopped in the back of the truck to go into Banos for the final time. Our next destination was to be our last in Ecuador - a town by the name of Cuenca which is famous as it is the place they make Panama Hats (more on this in a bit). The first bus was about two hours long and passed by a load of volcanoes so I spent the majority of this hanging out the window taking photos. We arrived in Rio Bamba exactly when our connecting bus was due to leave but they delayed it ten minutes to allow us go to the toilet and getsome snacks which was very much appreciated. This bus took about 6 hours and passed through a good few small towns whcih was nice as we got a good view of rural life in Ecuador along the way. Upon arrival at Cuenca we got taxis to the hotel and relaxed before having a briefing with Heidi. We then sought an internet cafe as the hotels internet was painfullly slow. We met up that evening and went for dinner as a group which was quite nice and then headed back for a good nights sleep.

The following morning brought a visit to the Panama hat factory in Cuenca. Despite the name of the hats, they are actually made in Ecuador - they used to be shipped out of Panama hence the confusion. We were shown around the factory and saw how they were made from receiving the fibres from the local farmers to shaping the hats and finishing off with the ribbon around the outer rim. A couple of the group bought hats and after that we split up and headed our seperate ways - we headed across the road to a local market which was great to see. There were vendors selling all kinds of meat, fruits and vegetables, flowers, juices and all kinds of things in between. We then headed to the internet cafe again to catchup on all our computer chores for the afternoon. We walked around the city a bit in the afternoon and saw some of the cathedrals and squares before heading back for showers and the meeting about Peru as we were crossing the border the following morning. We had mistakingly thrown out our immigration slip so we'll have to see what happens at the border. We headed out for dinner next door before retiring to our room for the night. We packed and I watched Match of the Day before heading off to sleep.

We had another early breakfast ahead of our long travel day and border crossing and caught taxis to the bus station. Our bus was to bring us to the immigration office on the Ecuador side of the international border and was about 4 and a half hours long. The office was about three miles from the actual border and there was a really built up area effectively in no mans land between the office and the physical border which is a river. Immigration turned out to be a piece of cake as the officer just gave us a new form to fill out and then we had our passport stamped with an exit stamp. The bus brought us right into the city in no mans land and we ended up walking the last few blocks to the bridge where we crossed into Peru.

In The Jungle Baby!!!

After loading our bags into the pickup we hopped into the back of another slightly modified pickup. I say slightly modified as it had some wooden benches, a roll cage and a tarp over the top which was really needed as it was bucketing down with rain as we left. We made the short journey along the road to the jungle lodge. We were told that the road we travelled didn't exist a year ago and was only built for the Ecuadorian president, much to the annoyance of the locals who opposed it. We arrived after our bags and lifted them off the truck and onto a metal basket on a rope system. The were lowered down to the actual lodge while we took the steps. The steps that we were going to grow to hate over the next few days. We were shown to our rooms which were very nice - they had locks which were a bit pointless as none of the windows had glass, only mosquito nets. We settled in and relaxed on the hammocks overlooking the river 100 or so metres below before dinner. Afterwards we played some cards and took it easy ahead of our first hike in the morning.

Alarms went off at 8 to get us up for breakfast and we met in the bar as a group before heading out on our hike. Alex was to be our leader and led us up the steps, across the road and down a steep trail for about 10 minutes where we met a river. Thankfully the river wasn't too full as we spent the majority of the trail hiking through it. It was an amazing hike filled with stunning scenery, massive spiders, frogs, bats and learned about the various uses for different plants in the jungle. We even had an opportunity to swing from the trees just like Tarzan which was great craic!!!To get back up to the lodge we had to do a bit of canyoning which was amazing. It involved squeezing through canyons, climbing up waterfalls and even doing a spiderman - imagine a narrow steep canyon with running water and you have to lean on your hands and feet and slowly edge your way up. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the morning hike and we returned to the lodge soaked from the excursion so we grabbed showers before lunch and then chilled out.

The afternoon was our river ubing trip which was just as much fun as our morning excursion. We loaded the tubes and ourselves into two pickup trucks and headed on our merry ways. We were driven upriver a bit where we all unloaded. 4 tubes were tied together to create a "raft" and the other 5 created the other "raft". 4 of us and our captain boarded the smaller raft and we headed on our merry ways. The current took us downriver lazily at times and quicker in other parts. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon after the morning hike and after a while we docked by some rocks. Here we strolled for a small distance to a small jungle village which was an absolute incredible experience.

The first sign of civilization we met was the local school. It was a very primitive building which only received electricity 6 months ago. As we approached the village there were little kids lining up for a race. They waited until we were on the "track" (it was a loose dirt path with rocks everywhere) and then the race kicked off. They ran in their bare feet between and around us and loved all the attention as we entered the village. In the main square there was a soccer game going on - it seemed to be quite a serious one as there was a big crowd of locals watching it in the shade. There were no nets on the posts, no grass on the pitch, the corner flags were branches and the ball wasn't completely round. Some players were even playing in their bare feet but it didn't stop them ploughing into tackles. Seeing how important it was to them and what they were completely satisfied with really showed us how lucky we were. We were invited into the house of the villages president which was another incredible and humbling experience.

We came in and sat down on the wooden benches around the wall. The house was built completely from split tree trunks as was pretty much all the furniture. We were in the main room which had a fire in one corner where the cooking takes place, the benches we were sitting on in another corner and alot of open space. There were kids coming and going the whole time we were there but we never met the president. The president and his wife (who we met briefly) had 16 kids and are now great grandparents. As a result they have tremondous respect in the community and they are pretty much responsible for the villages existince. We met the youngest daughter who offered us various foods and drinks as Alex explained all about the lives of the Quechuan people.

The daughter starting preparing Gussanos when we arrived which were grubs/worms that Alex had brought with them and are a main part of the peoples diet as meat is so hard to come by. She added salt to them and wrapped them with leaves and put them into the fire to cook for a while. She then brought us some tea which is put on every morning around 4am and stays over the fire for the day. It had quite a smokey taste but was quite good. Next we were given some Chica which takes on various forms depending how long it is left to ferment. First up wa the stuff that had only been prepared less that a week previously. It has quite a creamy and rootey texture. There was a big bucket of it so we dipped our fingers in and had a taste - it was quite sour to taste but it a very important part of their daily diet. Next we tried the drink which is drunk by everyone, yound and old, in the community. It had a similar sour taste but was not as strong as the first stuff. For big parties we were told that they will ferment it for months and make a strong liquor out of it and it also wards off prostate problems. The village was to celebrate it's anniversary in three days so Alex told us there was loads of it knocking around at the moment. The time came and the bugs were ready - the leaves were opened and they were placed in front of us. It being an adventure holiday I decided to go for it and had a bit. They were quite salty and very chewy but nowhere near as bad as I thought they would be. We had a quick look at the various bits of jewellery made by local children on display and some of us bought some before heading out and having a quick stroll around the village.

As with everything else we did in the village, the walk around was incredible. There was a new game of soccer starting and I walked to the other part of the pitch. There were small wooden houses dotted around the place with dried palm trees as roofs. Every house had a big garden where there were plenty of different fruits and vegetables growing. I got chatting (sort of anyway, the majority don't speak Spanish but Quechuan) to two old fellas sitting in the shade watching the match and shared a drink with them. The second the shot hit the back of my throat I knew it was the fermented drink we had been talking about. By the looks of them they reckoned the big party had started that morning. We walked back to the house where we spotted a parrot and a dog who were the best of buddies. It was gas to watch them interact and after that we had to head back to the tubes unfortunately. We took the tubes the rest of the way down the river to the bottom of our lodge and carried them up the 400 or so steps as the sun set over the mountains behind us. We relaxed for the evening on the hammocks and in the bar and chatted about the amazing day we just had.

The following day was no less exceptional. We arrived at the breakfast table as Alex was blowing the shell/horn over the valley to signify food was ready. We had food and then hopped in the jeeps for about half an hour up river again where be boarded a canoe for another, but altogether different, river journey. Myself and Emer boarded the back of the long thin canoe and once everyone else was on board the engine started up and we headed off. We were incredibly close to the water - you could reach out and touch the water no problem. Despite it being really rocky it was incredibly enjoyable and after a bit downriver we docked and went into a different small local village.

Here our guide, Alex, showed us the various traps the local people use to trap and kill animals to eat. We then had some tea prepared by a really young girl tending to a fire and we headed out into the sunshine to do what I had been looking forward to - fire a blowdart gun. Alex got the gun and the darts and showed us how it was done. We all had a few goes before we had to leave. On the way back to the canoe we found a shell hanging up which a few of us attempted to blow through to get the noise - some were more succesful than others. We hopped into the canoe and continued downriver to an animal rescue centre.

Here we were shown around by a German volunteer with really good English (unsurprisingly, I don't think I have ever met a German who couldn't speak English). She showed us around the various pens where animals have been taken from abusive owners (in the majority of cases) and housed in the sanctuary. Their intention is to release all the animals into the wild but it's just not possible with some as they are too used to humans or have never learned how to hunt. We then went to the gift shop where I was able to purchase a blowdart gun which I was very happy about. The Australians in the group pointed out that I will not be able to get it into the country so it is going to have to be sent home at some stage.

We went back to the canoes and travelled back upriver to where we started the trip. Going against the current was obviously slower but it was great to see how the locals interacted and used the river in theor daily lives. Back at the beginning we had some lunch before hopping into the jeeps and returning to the lodge for a lazy afternoon in the hammocks. Dinner, cards, sunsets and alot of music, chatting and joking brought the evening to an end. We were warned that we would need alot of energy for the following day's hike so we all heeded the warning and headed to bed at a decent hour.

And so it proved to be. We had breakfast a half an hour earlier and headed off in the back of the pickup for about 45 minutes. Upon arrival, we met our new guide for the day and headed into the jungle. The first part of the day was to involve hiking and climbing waterfalls which we were quite excited about. We walked downhill to a stream and paused for a while to have our faces painted with the natural paints the locals use in the jungle. We were all painted up, posed for photos and then started hiking through the stream (which was a river in places) to the first waterfall. We didn't actually climb the first waterfall as it was massive but we all took a quick shower under it and got well and truly soaked before climbing and scrambling up a rock face to the next waterfall, or set of waterfalls, which we certainly did climb.

Our guide climbed ahead and secured a rope for us and we climbed it one by one. It was really good and everyones wellies were full of water but everyone was smiling at the end of it. At the top we continued upstream a I fell a little behind taking photos of the running water but the dog always hung around to make sure I didn't injure myself or what not. We reached another waterfall where we all hopped under for another shower and took some photos. We relaxed a bit, had a small snack and began the hike back for lunch. It was a very strenuous hike through primary rainforest but both of us really enjoyed it. Along the way we stopped at a tree with a really thich trunk which the Quechuans use incase they get seperated. A person hits the trunk with a big branch and the resulting thud can be heard for miles. Depending on the number and frequency of blows, people can tell each other whether they are waiting for someone to come to them or they will go find someone.

Back at the start we were tired and hungry but were given a massive feed which was very welcome. We relaxed for a while before most of the group made the 45 minute walk to the lagoon for a swim. It was an easy walk on the local dirt road and was completely worth it. The river roars down and gets caught in a lagoon surrounded by rock faces. We jumped off and dove in, swam around a bit to ease our aching limbs and just enjoyed the afternoon and stunning location before heading back and getting the pick-up's back to the lodge. We had showers, dinner and chatted about the amazing day we all had before retitring to bed to rest our weary bodies.

The next day we had the option to go white water rafting which all of us but one chose to do (much like the lagoon yesterday). The rafting started along the road we took to the lagoon and after a bit of a safety talk we were kitted out and in the rafts. We practiced a few things in the slow moving river before taking on the first rapids. Myself and Emer got the front of the raft for the first section of the river which we were quite happy about - we were split into two boats as there were so many of us. We had the first faller in our raft - Ruth fell in during the second set of rapids but was rescued easily enough.

I, however, didn;t fare so well. After giving Ruth a bit of stick and laughing at her I promptly fell in not too long after. I got stuck under the boat for a few (it certainly felt alot longer) seconds before moving myself around to one of the sides. I din't open my eyes quick enough and missed them trying to save me so I had to grab onto the safety kayak and was reacquainted with my crew in the slow section. I fell in another couple of times and was taken out by my own crew on one occasion.

The rafting itself was amazing. Some of the rapids pushed on level 4, we did a bit of "surfing" where you row upstream into a section churning over a rock and you can sucked in for a bit as water pours into the boat, we went into a washing machine eddy and even got some air (the other boat attempted the same thing and only succeeded in flipping their raft). Ther was an awfual lot of banter between the two boats as well - people tried to steal oars, opposition boats were deflated, people hopped ships to try and push people out and there was even a time that our own crew were being pushed in as they tried to rescue each other. All in good nature and all hilarious!!! We stopped for lunch at the shore where some of us stood up rocks (if it doesn't make sense, have a look at what I created here) while food was being prepared. We had chicken wraps, cake, biscuits and loads of fresh fruit. There were some local kids looking after the rafts and when we were all full we gave them all the remaining food. It was amazing to see them all share it equally and the bigger kids made sure the smaller kids received their fair share too. A really nice touch. We continued downstream with the same shenanigans and arrived back at the nearest village to our lodge where we all had a beer or coke and then headed back to the lodge for showers and dinner. The girls went out dancing while the lads stayed and played poker - both felt they made the right choice the follwoing morning.

The following morning was our last in Shangra-La and there was a genuine sadness in the air as everyone had such an amazing time in the jungle. We packed our bags after breakfast and left them at the cage to be lifted up - I was a little late and left it beside the cage but it was never loaded. I had to run down and run back up the 200 or so steps with the bag on my back as I didn't want to be the late one who caused hassle with the bus. I was wrecked after it and then when the bus came some fella wouldn't get out of my seat which he had been told were booked when he boarded (we got the bus from right outside the lodge as it started in the local town and passed right by us). There was a bit of a scene but he ended up staying in the seat and got off about half an hour later - the bus was absolutly packed so Emer sat on my lap while he was still on the bus. We continued our bus journey southwards towards Banos.

Finally Leaving Quito - Making New Friends and Heading South

We arrived at the hotel specified bang on 6pm for the pre-departure meeting before our trip south out of Quito. When we arrived we discovered that the meeting had been moved to a hotel a few blocks away. We got directions and hurried off to our new destination and struggled to find the room the meeting was supposed to be in. We sat down, made our apologies and were relieved to find out we weren't last there. 3 more people were missing and only one of them showed up. We went through some paperwork and the plan for the first leg of the trip - our 56 day trip is broken into three legs: Quito to Lima, Lima to La Paz and La Paz to Santiago. There are 8 people on this leg, 16 on the second leg down to 10 for the final leg. We all introduced ourselves and we headed off after back to our hotel to relax for the evening.

The first day with the group was a free day in Quito so we used the free internet in the room as long as we could before leaving to move into the hotel booked for the group where the meeting was last night. Our plan was to go and visit the middle of the world monument in the afternoon but unfortunately washing clothes and other boring chores were required so we didn't have time. We met up as a group in the evening, had a brief meeting about the following day and then headed out for dinner to an Argentinian Steak House where we had a few drinks, really nice steaks and got to know the people we would be living with for the next few weeks. Most of us decided to head home after the meal as we were up early to go to Otavalo the following day but Ruth and Sharon persuaded Heidi, our tour leader, to go out with them.

The following morning we all met in reception bright and early to get breakfast and then get a bus north to Otavalo. Heidi looked quite tired and when the girls never showed up we discovered that they didn't get in until 6am and wouldn't be coming with us. It being a Sunday all the breakfast places were closed so we picked up some snacks and headed to the bus station.

Local buses in Ecuador that travel between cities are every bit as mental as the ones we had been taking in Quito for the past while. You can buy seats for an extra little cost or else take the chance and hope that there are some spare seats and as with the city buses you can board and leave the bus wherever you please. Thankfully, buses are included as part of the trip so we had assigned seats and took them before the bus embarked on it's 3 or so hour journey. We travelled through the mountains, tried not to look when the driver took on quite dangerous overtaking manouveres on blind corners - the method here seems to be to beep your horn a couple of times as you are overtaking and everything will be alright. As said, we still haven't seen any accidents so it's a system that seems to work.

We arrived in the town of Otavalo late in the morning and walked around a bit looking for the market. Heidi asked a couple of people who had conflicting opinions on where the market was but we eventually found it and split up for a couple of hours, agreeing a meeting spot so we could all go for lunch together. Myself and Emer headed off and were quite disappointed with it as we were expecting the best textile market in Ecuador as that is what we had been told it was and read about it. All we could find were meat stalls and counterfit DVD's. We bumped into Heidi who said that the part we were looking for was a few blocks away so we followed her and were delighted by what we found. The market took over a block and was full of amazingly colourful jumpers, trousers, hammocks, rugs, jewellery and all kinds of wooden artefacts. We had great fun buying some things and haggling with the various vendors - having the small bit of Spanish made it better and more interactive as you could have a bit of banter with them. The age old start to walk away trick was used a couple of times to great effect and we were completely satisfied with all the purchases and prices. After a while we had bought enough and headed back to our pre-arranged meeting spot to go for some food.

We got there a little early and as we were waiting a crowd of indigenous people started to form outside a government building on the same corner as we were waiting. I was very curious as to what was going on and suddenly a large fracas kicked off. Police were running around the place and loaded a couple of young people into a police jeep and sped off at distance as loads of people were throwing all manner of things at them like bread, sugar cane and anything they could get their hands on it seemed. We discovered that the two people who were brought away had been done so for their own safety - they shot an indigenous person during a robbery and when things like this happen they take justice into their own hands and often kill people like that. Heidi was quite uncomfortable with us being there as things like that can really kick off and we might get caught up in the middle of it. We headed off and found a really nice local place to have lunch. We both had chicken and rice and one of the little girls running around became very fond of Emer - they had a great little conversation and played with some toys before we had to head off again. Some of the girls were humming and hawing about buying a fleecey jacket and ended up going back and buying one each (including Emer). After this final purchase we all headed back to the bus terminal and took a bus back to Quito. We had dinner and took it easy for the evening before heading to bed.

The following morning we finally left Quito for the final time and headed south towards Tena which was our gateway to the jungle. We took taxis to the main bus station and got our tickets. Again we had booked seats which was completely necessary as it was a 6 hour journey and quite a busy route - there were constantly people standing the whole way along the route. We had the front block of seats and we chose the ones by the door for the extra legroom which didn't turn out to be as great as I expected. It was quite a narrow gap between my seat and the exit so loads of people were bashing into me as they got on and left but if that's the worst thing that happens on this trip I will be very happy. Also, we could see right out the front window which was interesting as this driver was also a bit of a lunatic - they hate braking or slowing down at all and will regularly take corners in the opposite lane to carry more speed through the corners. Also, buses are pretty much the fastest vehicles on the roads so are constantly overtaking but as most of the route was through the mountains it meant lots of dodgy overtaking manouveres. Once again though we arrived in one piece. The scenery along the route was stunning and we saw loads of amazing valleys, waterfalls and drops all around us.

Upon arrival in Tena we got two pickup taxis to take the 9 of us and large rucksacks to the office of the travel operator for the jungle trip. There were only 8 seats in the two of them so I offered to take a seat in the boot of the pickup which was quite a fun journey. We had a room to put all of our bags in and we went for lunch before we had a couple of hours before our meeting. We chose to go to a zoo island which was accessed over a really bouncy suspension bridge. It was a really good "zoo" as there were loads of animals wandering around freely and there were some really exotic animals in cages. We wandered around here a bit until we had to go back for our meeting. In the meeting we went through the itinerary for the following 5 night stay in the Shangra-La jungle lodge, were fitted with wellies and loaded our bags into a waterproof bag in a pickup and then headed to our home for the next 5 nights.

Bellavista Cloudforest

We finished the Spanish School on Monday afternoon and weren't due to be picked up until Wednesday morning so we were in the hotel for two nights. During this time we did some downloading (including Match of the Day!!!) and chilled out while getting errands done. Last time we were in room 705 which had free internet but that room was taken so we were across the hall in 706 - we had to leave the laptop right by the door and it was quite patchy and dropped alot. We watched some films in English, did some shopping and before we knew it it was Wednesday morning. A minibus collected us at 8.30 and picked up one more couple (an American couple from Seattle on their honeymoon) before making the two hour drive north out of Quito and into the rainforest. The final 12kms of the drive was on a dirt road and by the time we arrived we were all happy that the bumping and bouncing was over. We got out of the minibus and the first thing that we noticed was the incredible views of the valleys all around.

Our room wasn't ready when we arrived so we had to leave our bags in the office. We filled in some forms and were recommended an easy trail before lunch. As we were getting ready outside the office we noticed all the hummingbirds bombing around outside feeding from the various nectar pots dotted around the yard. We watched and took pictures of these for a bit before heading off on the short trail which was a bit steep but quite nice. Having never gone bird watching before we weren't exactly looking out for birds but it was a nice walk to get a feel for the cloud forest. About an hour or so later we were back at the reserve but unfortunately the people in our room still hadn't left so we couldn't have a shower before lunch. We went in and sat with our new American friends, James and Rebecca, for lunch.

After lunch we sat outside the office waiting for our room to be ready. Two British sisters were ambling around and settling their bill and doing anything but packing and it turned out later that it was them preventing us having a place to relax. We had our suspicions but it wasn't confirmed until after they left so we couldn't say something to them even though both of us really wanted to. We watched the hummingbirds for a while until they finally got their stuff out and let us unpack a bit and chill out for a while before going on the afternoon hike. This one was guide led and it was only the 3 of us who went on it (the other 1 being Rebecca as James had gone for a siesta). It was good because our gide had great knowledge of the various plants in the forest and was able to tell the various medicinal uses for them. One looked like clover and was a natural aspirin - eating 15-20 was the same as taking a tablet. They were quite citrusey to taste and were actually nice. We also got to do some birdwatching as she had binoculars which she shared with so we got to see some birds whose names I can't remember.

We got back and had showers before dinner. It was getting quite chilly as the clouds had come in so we left the heater on while we went in for dinner. It was a packed dining room in the dome for lunch but nearly everyone had left so there were only two tables set for dinner. Again we sat with James and Rebecca (as we did for the whole time we were there) and had a really nice dinner and chatted a good bit. They play Ultimate Frisbee in Seattle and know quite alot of the Seattle Sockeye players who lost in the final of the World Championships to Canada last year. After dinner and a good long chat we headed off to bed in preperation for the early start in the morning.

Alot of people come to Bellavista to go bird watching so we decided to dive in and go for it. The alarm had us up at 6am and we joined the other lunatics out in the yard. The lights that are left on all night attract loads and loads of moths and the birds of the area know this so they hang around and have their breakfast. We strolled around with the guide and saw a good few birds feeding which was enjoyable. As we were walking around the dome (which is where we eat and has a lot of glass) a hummingbird flew into the glass and knocked itself out. As I was taking a photo of it it woke up and flew away. This happened at hummingbird pace and gave me quite a fright. As I mentioned we saw a good few birds but I don't know the names of them so have a look at them here, here and here.

After the walk we had breakfast with our new friends and got ready for the morning hike. There were an awful lot of daytrippers down from Quito so there were two seperate hikes, both of them to waterfalls. One was an easier walk to a smaller waterfall and the second was a tougher hike to a waterfall further away which involved walking through a river and climbing and scrambling over rocks using ropes and ladders. The older people in the group ran straight for the easier hike but both of us were happy to do the tougher hike to the better waterfall. We set off with the day trippers in tow and almost immediately we were climbing quite a steep hill through a bamboo forest. After a while we finished with the uphill and the trail started downhill slightly. We came out of the bammboo section of forest and joined the local dirt road for a short distance until we reached the trail that would bring us all the way down to the river. This trail descended through dense secondary forest all the way to the river but we stopped a few times - once to look at some parrots in the trees and a few times to learn about the medicinal uses of various plants and trees in the forest.

When we reached the river the fun really began and the wellies we were wearing instead of hiking boots made perfect sense. It was more like a stream as the water wasn't very deep but if it was any higher in some sections it definitely would have gotten into our boots. I ended up at the back as I stopped to take photos and as I did I fell further behind as I was waiting for people to get out of shot. Everyone was waiting for me at the first of the rope sections by a waterfall about 4 or 5 metres high. To the right of the waterfall was a ladder and then a rope at the top which we used to climb up the rock and then scramble across before continuing up river. We met some more small fast water flows and had another rope section to climb a rock face before reaching the end of the hike - the waterfall. It really was a hidden waterfall and was quite beautiful. It was about 10 metres high and fell into it's own little pool before flowing off. We hiked in our swimming gear so we got out of our boots and climbed under which nobody else did. The water was really cold and it was quite difficult to breathe when you were under it but it was incredibly refreshing and felt great afterwards - especially after the long hike. We took some photos and then dried off slightly before hiking back for lunch. We continued on our trail which turned steeply uphill right by the waterfall through the secondary forest. By the time we reached the local dirt road it was close to lunchtime so we continued along the road instead of taking a trail back which I think everyone was happy about.

Back at lunch we chatted with our American friends and told them about the waterfall which they got quite interested about. We showed them the route and told them to go for it as it was well worth it - they decided to go for a nap after the really early start this morning and missed out on the hike so did it themselves after lunch. Our early start and long morning hike caught up with us after lunch so we decided to relax for the afternoon - Emer napped and I did some computer and photo stuff until it turned dark and it was time for dinner. All the day trippers had gone back to Quito so we had another peaceful dinner before having a game of cards and heading off to bed after a long day.

We skipped the early morning hike to save energy for our final activity before leaving the cloudforest - ziplining. We were collected about an hour after breakfast so we packed before that and left all our stuff in the office before getting our lift to Mindo, the town where the ziplining takes place. Our lift was in an old Chevy Pickup with over 300,000 on the clock. Our driver had absolutely no English but our class combined with a few hand signals and poor grammer on our part meant we could hold some short conversations which was great. The drive took over 45 minutes, the majority of which was on dirt roads. We even stopped along the way to collect a family and bring them into Mindo on our way - they sat in the back of the pickup the whole way. The last section to Mindo was on tarmacadam but once in Mindo we rejoined a dirt road and continued uphill, over some dodgy looking bridges to the centre.

When we arrived there was a family of 4 and a Korean girl being fitted with harnesses. We got ours and then they gave us helmets - it took a few attempts to get one to fit my massive head but once they went in to get the special massive one we were good to go. We went up the wooden stairs right beside us, went through some safety stuff and then got ready to go. The 2 young kids of the family could not get over how tall myself and Emer are which was quite a novelty - they all had to be lifted or needed to jump to get attached to the wire but I could do it standing and EMer on her tippy toes. The ziplining itself was incredible - the wire spanned across the valley and back and were always above the canopy of the cloudforest so when you were pushed out you had an incredible view all around and below of the valleys and the top of the trees. Some of the lines were a few hundred metres long and were sometimes over 100 metres or more above the top of the canopy. The last one in particular was incredibly high and gave a stunning view of te town below and the surrounding mountains. Pretty much each line required an uphill walk to reach the beginning of the next line as you finished exactly where you started so we were quite warm by the end of it. Our driver was ready for us when we were finished and brought us back for lunch after an incredibly fun morning.

Back at the lodge we had our final meal and chilled out a bit before getting our minibus back to Quito with the American honeymooners. We got back into Quito around 5 in the evening and had showers and a quick bite to eat before heading to the hostel for our pre-departure meeting for the final leg of this wonderful adventure - the 56 day local transport tour south to Santiago in Chile.

Up High In Quito

Upon returning from the Galapagos Islands we checked into the hotel booked by USIT for us at hostel prices - Chalet Suisse. We got a taxi with one of our crew mates so it was nice and cheap and then we checked into our room. We had free Wi-Fi which we were very happy about so we chilled out a bit before our rumbling bellies made us get up and go get some food. We were in the mood for Italian as we wanted a change from rice after 14 of our last 16 main meals (not including breakfast) contained rice. The hotel receptionist pointed us in the right direction and we headed on our hungry ways. Emer got a really good bolognese and I got a pizza and we were both completely satisfied at the end of. We headed back to the room and took it easy before heading to bed after the really long day.

After doing so much for the past week and never actually being able to relax in the RV as it was too hot anytime we were in an RV park or what not so it was so good to have a lazy, lie in front of the tv, catch up online day which is exactly what we did. We got up for our free breakfast after which I went to the supermarket to get some supplies while Emer chatted online and sent e-mails and what not. The altitude didn't seem to be affecting us this time but you still can't drink the tap water so I picked up 5 litres of water which only cost a dollar!!! I also went to the Travel Agency who organised our Galapagos trip as I had left a pair of shorts on the drying line after our room got soaked on the last nights sail. They were going to make a few calls for me to see about getting them back. We spent the afternoon chilling out and headed for dinner in the the centre of the new city, or La Marscala as it is known. We got a combo platter and headed back afterwards where we discovered the English language movie channel so watched a couple of films before bed.

The next morning we were to begin our new adventure - attempting to learn Spanish. While we are attempting this we are staying with a local family so we had to check out of the hotel. Class began at 8 so we hopped into a taxi so we didn't have to carry our pretty heavy bags around blindly. We got to the school with no real problems and started learning Spanish. They are one on one lessons from 8.30 to 10.30, a 30 minute break and then class again until 12.30. At this stage we met the father of the house and we headed out to the house. It was an apartment on Avenida de America which is quite elevated in the city and our bedroom had a great view of the city. We settled in and did some study and chilled out until dinner which was quite an experience. They don't have a word of English and after only one day we basically had no Spanish so there was alot of hand signals and stuff but we got through it.

The following 3 days were similar as we increased our grasp of Spanish. The days followed a similar routine: up and have breakfast and then get the bus to school. The bus is quite an experience - there don't seem to be any bus stops. You stand on a corner and wait until the bus you need comes along. Generally there is a "conductor" hanging out the door shouting the route but I use the word conductor loosely - it's usually a young fella in casual clothes. You get on the bus and when you are ready to get off you give the "conductor" the 25c for the trip and then hop off whenever the bus stops. The bus went from right outside the apartment to within 5 blocks of the school which was ideal. We usually arrived at the school a few minutes before classes started so we could stock up on free water and relax before the bombardment of vocabulary, verbs and grammer.

The first class is from 8.30 to 10.30, a half hour break and then class from 11 until 12.30. Classes were one on one so there is no hiding down the back which I was a fan of. Classes became tiring as the day wore on due to the amount of new information we were receiving. After class we headed down to La Marscala where we would get lunch and do any errands we needed to do. After that we would head back to "La Casa" to study the days lessons and relax to give our heads a break. Dinner in the evening was typical Ecuadorian fare so rice, meat and usually some kind of fried banana. It was good living with a Spanish family as you had to talk, listen and think in Spanish pretty much all day so in those first 4 days our Spanish improved considerably.

The weekend we decided to take a break from studying and go and see the city we have started to call home. It was also the first time since March that we fully experienced a weekend day as we didn't have to get up for class. We had a late breakfast and then caught a bus to our usual stop for school. We headed in the complete opposite direction and walked to the old city. Along the way we passed a series of artists selling their work outside a park very similar to Merrion Square in Dublin. We walked up the hill and back down and reached the park on the edge of the old city. Running through the park is an artifical river where you can rent row and paddle boats. People are relaxing in the shade, juggling and generally just enjoying their day off.

The old city of Quito is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is an attack on the senses walking through the steep cobble stoned streets with dogs barking, buskers playing music, smells coming from everywhere and the colours of the walls all around you. Our first port of call on Saturday was Basilica del Voto National which is a dominating building on the Quito skyline as we got the bus to school every morning. We climbed the hill and the steps up to one of the entrances and went in. It is quite an impressive gothic structure, especially inside when you experience the rows of stain glassed windows up high adding colour to the grey rock walls. We walked around a bit admiring the craftsmanship of the building when Emer noticed a guy walking around with a hat on. It was bothering both but Emer had the balls to go up and ask him to take his hat off as it was disrespectful to the place. He was all apologetic and we ended up chatting to the whole family.

After admiring the inside we walked around the back to go and climb one of the towers. As we walked around we were stunned to see how the bottom level of the church at street level had been converted into shops - cheap tacky furniture and electronic shops at that. We went to the entrance to the towere, got our tickets and started climbing the stairs. The first opening brought us out on the organ level of the church up close to the roof. Here we could view the largest stain glassed window up close and view the main church hall from above. We continued up the stairs to the next level which contained a gift shop. We went through the gift shop to where the fun really began.

To get up to the tower we first had to cross a squeaky, rickety wooden bridge with a rope guard which crosses the roof of the church. At the end of this we climbed a very steep metal staircase which brought us outside onto the external roof of the church. Two more incredibly steep staircases and we were in one of the towers of the cathedral. The view of the surrounding city was incredible - the houses are built up all the steep hills surrounding the city and they are all different colours so it really is an amazing sight looking around from the high vantage point. After enjoying the view, and taking a pile of photos, we started the descent back down to street level which was just as much fun. Our other must do for the day was going to Parque Itchimbia to get another view of the city.

Getting to the park involved walking uphill and then climbing a few hundred steps. We did this and were quite out of breath (due to the altitude of course.......) by the time we reached the park entrance, at which there were people selling all manner of kites. We declined on the kites and headed over to the grass area where everyone was flying their kites. It is obviously a really good place to fly kites as there were loads of people there doing it, from first time kids who didn't have a clue to really enthusiastic flyers. The view from the park was great but it was nothing special after being up the Basilica tower. We relaxed for a bit, walked around and then headed back down into the city. It was late in the afternoon and it was quite a journey back to the house so we decided to head back at this stage. Quito is mental in that there are openings on and in the footpaths everywhere and it is really easy to do yourself some serious damage if you aren't paying attention. We got back to the house and relaxed before dinner, did a small bit of Spanish afterwards and took it easy for the night.

The next morning was Sunday which is the day that bicycles take over Quito. Alot of main streets are closed as well as the centre of the old city so we saved viewing the main part of the old city until today for that reason. The day began as Saturday did and we arrived at the edge of the old city late morning. As we approached the park with the canal we noticed there were alot of people gathered in the middle. As we approached over the bridge we saw that they were TV cameras and a little volleyball net and area setup. We hung on for a while to see what was going on which isn't difficult as the majority of the population of Ecuador fall into the mid 5 foot bracket so even though we were on steps below people we were still well able to see what was going on. Soon the presenter turned up, got miked up and music and sounds were coming out of the PA setup in the small square and before we knew it we were part of a live presentation. The cameras were going around the crowd and we were cheering and waving and then we found out what the show was. People started taking out tickets and getting ready so we figured out it was the lotto but first they had 4 members of the public competing in a game of football volleyball which was quite humerous. We watched this game and then continued walking towards the centre of the old city.

The centre of the old city is called Independence Square and is really nice. As mentioned, there was no traffic and it appeared to be a really popular family day as the place was thronged with families. We took in the sights and sounds of the square for a while where people were relaxing on the benches in the shade, shoe shiners were plying their trade, tourists were taking photos and street performers were entertaining the crowd. We then walked around the streets a bit to see what else the old city had to offer. Many of the cobblestoned streets have overhanging balconies and are full of colour and people just sitting outside. We had a really average lunch compared to the food we have been getting but it filled a gap. We spent another while just strolling around and taking in the atmosphere before heading back for the bus. On the way back we stumbled across this traditional dance at the park with the canal. There were masked drummers, wooden pipe players, running flag bearers and women and girls in traditional dress dancing. It was really good to see something traditional like that and we continued back after I took some photos.

We got back and chilled out before our final dinner in the family homestay. Afterwards we took a photo with the father and son (the mother either wasn't around or didn't want to be in the photo) and then did homework, packed and followed Padraig Harrington's exploits in the US Open for the evening. The following morning we were woken by the sun as usual and had our final meal with Arnaldo. He thought we were coming back after class to get our stuff but since the hotel was so close to the school we just got a taxi to school and walked there after our final class. In the morning session of the class we were brought to a traditional city market which had fruit, vegetables, many meats and fish, crafts and places to buy cooked food by our teachers. We were taught the names of the various foods - there is an unbelievable number of fruits in this country. Afterwards we headed back to the school for our final lessons before heading off to the hotel before our next excursion.

Galapagos Islands - The Most Amazing Place On Earth

Our flight from Miami was delayed an hour but it wasn't that big of a deal as there was internet in the airport so we caught up with people at home while we were waiting. The flight was like any other 4 hour flight and soon we were in a different continent. We landed in Quito and queued up with all the other passengers to go through customs. First up was a temperature check to see if we were carrying swine flu which involved standing in front of a heat sensing camera. Alot of people were wearing surgical masks in the queue for passport checks but most of them seemed to be in one large American group. As soon as they were through to baggage collection nearly all the masks were gone. Baggage collection was a bit of an experience - the carousel was so narrow that when bags got to the end of the line they had to be taken off and left on the floor to prevent them blocking the opening and causing untold baggage chaos. We found our bags and headed through to arrivals which was thronged with drivers and family members. We headed through the crowd and got a taxi to our hotel.

Since we had booked so many tours with USIT they gave us a voucher to use for accommodation in between our various tours so we were able to book a 4 star hotel for the price of a hostel. The first thing we noticed when we got to the hotel is that it is right in the middle of the bars and restaurants which were alive and kicking it being a Saturday night. We checked in and headed up to the room. First things first, I had to check the toilet since we had crossed the Equator (just about) and yes, it did flow backwards. Quito is at an altitude of about 3,000 metres so we were warned about altitude sickness which we kind of experienced as the night wore on. We both had dull headaches and felt kind of queasy so we took it easy and headed to bed as we had an early flight to the Galapagos the next morning.

The alarm went off and we were down at reception by 6.30 to get a taxi back to the airport. The streets were clear and we got a better view of the city than the previous night as the sun was up. First impressions were that the city is quite run down and dirty but we have a good bit of time when we get back to check the place out and get a real feel for it. We got to the taxi with no hiccups and headed into the terminal. As we did our accents were recognised straight away and a girl piped up "Oh, you're Irish". We got chatting to Jen and found out we were on the same flight to the Galapagos so we checked in together and had a great chat along the journey to Baltra Island.

I was happy to see all the restrictions and checks they perform before you actually get to step foot on the Galapagos Islands. First we had to have all our bags x-rayed and tagged before check in. We then had to register our passports to recieve a card to use to get our parks pass in the islands. On the flight all our hand luggage was sprayed with disinfectant and finally all our checked luggage was checked by sniffer dogs before we could collect them. With the luggage collected we met up with our crew mates for the next 8 days. On the flight there were an awful lot of grey haired Americans and both of us were worried that some of them would be on our cruise but we were relieved to find out that all the other 14 passengers were 20-something backpackers visiting South America. There was an Aussie and an Italian couple, 2 Swiss girls, 2 dutch couples, 2 guys and a girl from Isreal and a girl from England. Our rucksacks were taken for us by the crew and we got a bus down to the port where dinghy's brought us to our home for the next 7 nights - Guantanamera yacht. Our bags were already on board and lunch was ready so we sat down and got to know some of our crewmates.

After lunch we were allocated rooms and I was delighted when we had one on the main deck - there were three below deck which didn't have windows and neither of us wanted that. We had a bit of settling in time before we had a short sail to a bay very close to Baltra Airport. During this time we both got snorkelling gear as they were to be daily opportunities to go snorkelling which we were both very happy about. Also, the rocking motion of the boat won the battle with my belly and I had my first bout of sea sickness - I'll be going with the motion sickness tablets for the rest of the trip. In this bay was Bachas Beach which we took the dinghys to and had a wet landing at. A wet landing basically involves reversing up to the beach and hopping over the side when the tide is going out. Timed poorly and you have wet shorts for a while. We left the snorkelling gear by the rocks and went for a short stroll. Marvi, our guide, pointed out the various wildlife along this walk. The first thing that struck us was the shear abundance of it and how placid they were around us and as we took photos of them. All along the shore we had loads of blue footed boobies and pelicans flying overhead. In addition to all the birds overhead there were an incredible number of colourful crabs on the rocks and plenty of marine turtle nests which we saw at the end of the trail along with a couple of pelicans. We walked back and then went snorkelling from the beach during which time we saw a multitude of colourful tropical fish - too numerous to mention here. After snorkelling for a while we chilled out on the beach and continued to get to know people before heading back and grabbing showers. I took a motion sickness tablet straight away, Emer hadn't yet fallen victim to motion sickness (Go ME!!). Before dinner most of us were on the sun deck where we continued to chat and share travel stories. Alot of people had come from where we are due to visit so they gave us advice and increased the excitement of the coming weeks. After dinner we had welcome cocktails, met the crew, introduced ourselves and did some slasa dancing. We had a great time having the craic, dancing (some of us better than others) and getting to know people before heading off to sleep.

We stayed in a bay with relatively calm water for the night so we both got decent nights sleep which was nice. I took a travel tablet with breakfast after yesterday's shenanigans but Emer got through yesterday fine so she said she would see how she got on. After breakfast we had a dry landing on Plazas Island. The dominant male sea lion lying on the path where we landed to make sure that we knew it was his territory. We strolled around this island for the morning seeing the various flora and fauna including sea lions, crabs, marine iguanas, various seabirds and cactii totally unique to this island. We took the dinghy's back to the ship and had a snack before setting sail to Santa Fe. As we left the bay we saw a couple of Humpback whales breaching and splashing, a couple of hammerhead sharks swimming around the boat and some people saw a Manta Ray breaching the water as well. The journey was quite rough but thankfully the tablet I took with breakfast did the job. I don't think Emer could say the same thing (I will be taking motion sickness tablets from now on :-( ). We anchored in a bay and after a while we had lunch. When the food had settled we went snorkelling which was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

We took the dinghy's from the yacht and hopped out in the bay. Straight away we spotted a couple of marine turtles as they were swimming around in large, lazy circles. They swim at quite a speed despite barely moving their arms. After this we headed over to the rocks spotting a stingray along the way. At the rocks there were a few sea lion pups swimming and playing and they came over to us to see what was going on. They swam around us for a bit playing with us - as curious about us as we were about them. They are such agile animals when they are in the water, the complete opposite of when they are on land. After a while we got back into the dinghys and were brought around to the other side of the same rocks. The sea lions followed us to the edge of the bay, jumping out of the water like dolphins which was amazing to watch. On the other side of the rocks we hopped back in and went snorkelling again. A couple of curious sea lions came out to say hello to myself and Emer and we looked at each other underwater as they blew bubbles of air at us. We headed back towards the yacht and saw loads of tropical fish in the rocks along the way. It was so much fun taking a deep breath and swimming in the midlle of schools of sparkling and colourful fish. We headed back to the yacht after a bit and changed before heading back to the island to go for a walk and see some land animals.

It was a wet landing by loads and loads of sea lions which was fun, even if they are really stinky animals.We watched them interact for a bit on the beach before heading for a walk. As they get older they turn really lazy and just lie around but the pups are quite active and a few of them still rely on their mothers milk as food. Along our hike we saw loads more iguanas (land and marine), crabs, sea lions, loads of sea birds and another unique type of cactus completely unique to this island. It looked like a tree as it had a trunk and then the cactus plant grows up high out of reach. We walked to te top of a cliff for a view of the island and bay before heading back down and chilling out on the beach. The dinghy's took us back to the yacht and myself and Emer took a tablet straight away as we were due to sail through the night. After a while we had dinner and we just took it easy for the night going through the copious number of photos taken and chatting withpeople. We were due to sail after 11 and the captain recommended being in bed and asleep before we did go so we took his advice.

The choppy waters woke us a good few times during the night sail to Espanyola Island but the dramamine meant we woke with clear heads and settled bellies. After breakfast we were brought to the beach for a wet landing on Punta Suarez beach and we were give a couple of hours to do as we please. We threw a disc for a while, setup and took a photo and strolled down the beach to the rocks for a while. The dinghy's collected us and brought us back to get our snorkel gear before bringing us back to the rocks where we saw loads more tropical fish, another stingray and a black tipped reef shark over 2 metres in length. It was quite deep but the visibility was good so it was quite easy to see it and follow it around. We swam back to the boat and climbed on board before grabbing showers and having lunch while we sailed for about 30 minutes to another part of the island - Gardner Bay. A dry landing and the we walked around the island for 2-3 hours and saw some amazing sights. We saw theblue footed boobies do their famous mating dance which we were both delighted to get to see. We also saw loads of iguanas, albatrosses (adults, babies and eggs - even one taking it's first flight), a Galapagos Hawk and loads of other marine birds. We headed back on board and had a tablet with dinner which was delicious as all the meals had been up until then. We set sail early and I got a bit of a headache so we headed to bed relatively early.

Again we had an interupted sleep but we dropped anchor at 1am so it wasn't too bad. The anchor and chain are right outside our bedroom so we know exactly when it happens. Today we were at Floreana Island and the first of our two trips was a wet landing on the beach. Along our walk we saw a green and a white beach (which still had baby turtle tracks on it from the nests to the water) and a lagoon full of flamingos. Some of them even took flight and circled around the lagoon a couple of times which was cool to see. They look like sticks with wings in the air - they are so thin and long. There were some seal pups playing by the shore as we boarded to head back to the yacht where we quickly changed into our snorkel gear and headed back out to the rocks. The current was quite strong so we had to make sure we didn't get swept into the rocks. We saw another shark during this snorkel - this time a white tipped one. It was swimming a lottle shallower so we were able to dive and swim close to it which was cool. There was also a short underwater tunnel about 8-10 metres down which a couple of us dived to and swam through. I got a leg cramp during this snorkel so I hopped back into the dinghy but a few minutes later everyone was back so it wasn't too bad. Back on the yacht we had quick showers and lunch on the move as we had a short sail to Post Office Bay.

Post Office Bay has the Galapagos Islands post office which is effectively a barrel on a post with a door on it and alot of timber around it. The idea is that you write a letter and leave it there. You then look through all the letters/postcards and choose one. The thing is you have to hand deliver it yourself. You can either choose one from where you are returning to or you can choose one and have that be your next holiday. We took two for Australia - one for Tasmania and one for Western Australia as they were two places James and Carmen (the Australian couple) recommended we go and visit. With our letters posted and otherrs chosen we continued up the island to the cave. The entrance has a wooden stairs going into it and then you take hold of a rope and descend into the darkness. There is no electricity so the only light down there is the light you bring with you. We descended to where there is an underground salt water lake and we all got in and walked down the cavern. We continued through a narrow passage and into a chamber where the (really cold) water got deeper and deeper. In the cavern we turned out all the lights which was a really cool experience. We headed back, dried off and went back to the yacht. We had an early dinner and then sailed to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz which is the main city of the Galapagos Islands.

It was our guide, Marvi's last day as he was on holidays so he planned on bringing us out on the town. During the cruise we played cards with one of the Dutch couples and taught each other some new games. The girls then went off to get ready for the night out on the town. It was really strange to rejoin civilisation after the previous few days and the bay was packed with yachts. The captain navigated us into position and two anchors were dropped so we wouldn't spin around and hit another boat. A while later we were all ready and we took the dinghy's to the island. It was strange and a little sad to see the city all built up on one of the Galapagos Islands. One can only imagine the irreparable damage done to the landscape and the wildlife but that's another discussion. We met up with Marvi and went to a bar for a drink and then to the nightclub where we had some beers and danced to local and cheesy pop music. To get back on the boat we had to get a water taxi which was great craic. Go down the ramp to the water and if a boat doesn't turn up in a minute or so let out a whistle and one will be there soon. $1 each and they will bring you anywhere in the bay. We were both hoping to get a good nights sleep due to the calm water in the bay.

And so it turned out, with a good nights sleep and breakfast in our bellies we headed back to the mainland to go visit the Darwin Institute. The main thing they do here is look after the Galapagos Turtles. First we saw some baby turtles that are born in the centre. They look after the turtles until they are 4 or 5 years old and then release them onto their respective islands. This is done as non-native animals introduced by humans eat the turtles when they are young so some species are becoming extinct. The turtles are only released on their respective islands as each island has unique turtles so they make sure to keep the gene pool pure. We also saw some turtles which have been saved from islands as they are endangered. The most famous of these is probably Lonesome George who is the last in the line of his type of turtles so once he dies that is it for that particular kind of turtle. We were then given some free time to go and look around Puerto Ayora while the 3 sets of 5 day-ers bid farewell. You can do a 5 day cruise or an 8 day cruise and the 2 Dutch couples and the Italian couples were leaving us. During our free time we got some souveniers. We waited back at the port for the rest of the group to head back on the dinghy's. When they arrived some strange people got on as well - an old French couple with grey hair and a German couple. I don't think any of us were too happy with that but there was nothing we could do about it.

We had lunch on board and then chilled out for a bit befoer heading back to the island and taking a bus up to the highlands. When we were on the bus waiting to go one of the Dutch couples walked by. The bus had taken too long to get to the Airport and they missed their flight. Thankfully their travel agency booked them into a hotel, sorted out food and got them new flights the next day. Marvi was doing nothing for the day so he came with us up to the highlands where we went to a farm with wild land turtles walking around freely. They are massive!!! We walked around a bit and had a look at some of the turtles. We then went back to where the bus was parked and got into some turtle shells before heading back down to the water and the boat. Dinner was especially amazing this evening. It's amazing what the cook can do - all his dishes are cooked from scratch in a tiny kitchen and sometimes while the ship is sailing. After dinner we chilled out and took it easy - some people went back to the island for the night but we chose against it and took it easy. I did however get someone to buy me another underwater disposable camera as I had used up my first one in 2 snorkels.

Again we sailed through the night but we had tablets taken and the water was relatively calm so we slept quite well. After breakfast we took a dinghy ride around our new island for the day - Rabida Island. The reaction between the volcanic rock of the island and the salt water has created a deep red rock and soil that makes up the island. After the sightseeing dinghy ride we landed on the red beach and went walking. The route took us by a lagoon that is a mixture of salt and fresh water so the flamingos are long gone. There was a lack of wildlife on this island - this couple with the deep red colour of the land made it feel like another planet. Again, the cactus were unique to this island - due to the fact that nothing eats it here the thistles on it's skin and really soft and you can rub your hand on them. We headed back doen to the beach and went snorkelling from the beach which again was just amazing.

We swam out along the rocks with loads and loads of tropical fish, alot of them in schools feeding off the underwater rocks. As we continued out we encountered more sea lion pups - these ones were even more playful than the first group we met. We spent a good half hour swimming and diving and messing around with them underwater. We also saw a tiger eel but it played second fiddle to the amazing time we had with the seals. I filled up the new underwater camera all in this one swim it was that good. We swam back to the beach and headed back to the boats where we chilled out on the sun loungers during the sail to Bartolome Island as the sun had finally made an appearance. After about an hour we arrived and had lunch and let that settle before we went snorkelling again. In this session we saw a white tipped shark which I swam behind for a bit but it was nothing on the morning swim. We headed back for quick showers and then went for a stroll on Bartolome Island. Little or no wildlife lives on this wind eroded landscape which is full of volcanic craters. We climbed to the top of the island which afforded a spectacular view of the alien like landscape. On the way back to the boat we took a dinghy ride around where we saw some Galapagos penguins which was cool. The light was fading so it was hard to get a good photo but it was cool to see them. We had dinner back on board and then had some cocktails and dancing to welcome the new crewmates. We were sailing again that night so we both went to bed after 10.

Another interupted sleep but it wasn't too bad. After breakfast we had a dry landing on our new island for the day - Genovesa. This was a volcanic island like all the Galapagos Islands but it was completely different to the others. It's a flat island completely surrounded by cliffs over 80 metres tall. The island is completely inhabited by sea birds and for that reason the birds act completely naturally in your presence. Parents are completely placid even though they are with new born birds or looking after eggs. We had a great time walking around and seeing all the various birds and chicks - or big balls of fluff as they are more like. We took the dinghy's back to the yacht and got ready to go snorkelling. We did this close to where we entered and left the island along the cliffs. THe water was quite deep and visibility was quite poor but we still saw a massive marine turtle, a white tip shark and a scorpion fish which blends in perfectly with the rocks - it was spotted by our new guide for the last few days. We went back to the yacht for showers and lunch. Our motion sickness tablets had us a bit drowsy so we had a nap before heading back to the island for another stroll to see some more sea birds. Again it was an absolute pleasure to see these unique animals up close and personal acting as they would if you weren't there. On the way back we saw some sea lion pups playing in a shallow pool jumping over each other and play fighting which was great to see. We went snorkelling from the beach but the visibility was terrible and there were rocks everywhere so we all headed back and took the dinghy's back to the yacht for dinner and a farewell cake and cocktail with the crew and a little dance before setting sail at 8.30pm.

It was our final sail but it was definitely the worst. We barely slept a wink as the sea was so rough. The yacht was rising and crashing back down with great force - so much so that the waves were splashing in our closed window. There were a couple of waves that were like riding a rollercoaster we left our bellies behind so much. To make matters worse we had a 5.45am start with a dry landing on North Seymour Island, the final island on our trip. We saw some more sea birds but nothing we hadn't seen in the last 7 days in this wonderful place. We headed back to the yacht, had our final meal and then sailed the short distance to Baltra Island where the airport is. Some people were flying at 10.30am and there were 5 of us on the 12.30pm flight so we hung around for a good bit, got our passports stamped with a Galapagos Islands stamp and checked-in when it was time. We were both knackered so slept the whole way to Guayaquil where we said goodbye to the Swiss girls. Soon enough we were flying again to Quito where we landed, collected our bags and got a taxi to the hotel to relax before going to try and learn Spanish.

The trip was absolutely incredible. We both had quite high expectations for the islands and both of us were blown away by how amazing it was. It certainly was the most expensive thing we will do or place we will visit but we both agree that it was worth every penny. If you are only considering going or someday dream of going just go for it. That's my advice, I know for sure that you won't regret it.

Florida - The Sunshine State

We entered the Sunshine State under the cover of darkness and stopped in the welcome centre/rest area for the night. We went into the centre the following morning, took advantage of the free wi-fi and got loads of leaflets for Florida activities. Nearly all of them had one thing in common - everything was really expensive. With funds running low we would have to choose wisely as we wanted to keep as much money for South America as possible. Orlando was a fair distance away so we decided to take it easy for the afternoon and head to the beach. We looked at the map and the name of Daytona Beach jumped out at us so we headed there. We put it into the Sat Nav and rejoined the interstate and drove through the heat to the beach. We had to do a bit of circling when we arrived to find some parking (which was free) but we managed after a while and after some lunch we headed down to the beach.

The weather was inconsistent as we drove down the coast but the clouds cleared as we headed down to the beach which was nice. We lay down on the white sand and relaxed for a while, the tide was miles out so we went for a throw on the hard, flat, wet section of sand but it was just too windy to enjoy it so we lay down again. A thunderstorm started moving in over the ocean so we packed up after a couple of hours so we could get moving before the storm reached us. As we were leaving Daytona (past the famous speedway track) the national weather service was issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for where we were heading that was going south. As it was quite windy where we were we decided to get out of the RV so went into Burger King and took advantage of their soda fountain and waited the storm out. We passed some isolated downpours on the way to and from Burger King - one so isolated that when we were sitting at the traffic lights the 3rd car in front of us was getting soaked but we were bone dry. We continued towards Orlando again after a while and stopped at another rest area for the evening.

After another free nights sleep (rest area's are amazing - nobody bothers you and there are facilities right beside where you park.....and of course they are free) we were woken by the stifiling heat in the RV nice and early so we headed into Orlando. We had amassed quite a collection of momentos and stuff that we want to keep but certainly do not want to carry around South America for the next 3 months or so so we went to Staples to get a box to send them home. We found one big enough to take the Pearl Jam LP set I got in San Francisco and all the other stuff we got which I was happy about. We couldn't stand the heat in the RV so we parked by some camera shops as we hoped to get an underwater case for Emer's camera to take pictures when snorkelling in the Galapagos. The main one we wanted to check didn't open until 6 so we headed across the road to the worlds largest McDonalds where we had some ice-cream and relaxed in the A/C for a while. We then went to play some crazy golf at Crazy Congo. It was good craic but it was soooooooooooo hot that we were wrecked after it. We fed the gators which is the main attraction for the golf place and then headed back to McDonalds for another ice-crream and some more A/C. People always told me about the heat and humidity in Florida but I didn't expect it to be so bad.

By the time we left McDonalds it had cooled down considerably which was very welcome. We checked the last camera shop but were unsuccessful there as well so we drove to a Walgreen's to get a disposable underwater camera. We chose Walgreen's as Mike Debnar (Emer's cousin in Chicago) gave us one of his employee discount cards which entitles us to 15% off so we stocked up on drugs for South America as well. They had a big car park out back so we stayed here for the evening. Emer cooked dinner while I packed up the big box to send home. It was nice to be able to relax in the RV for the evening and not be completely uncomfortable with the heat. The plan for the next day was to go to Wet N' Wild so when it got dark we drove close to it to try and find a place to park for free the following day. We found a place with potential but it had a night club so we needed to find a different place for the night. We ended up behind TGI Friday's which worked out pretty well.

Unfortunately the clouds rolled in with the humidity during the night so we both had terrible sleeps but it was fine as we were going to Wet N' Wild which I was extremely excited about. Wet N' Wild is a big water park with loads and loads of slides - the last time I was in one would have been on a family holiday in Majorca in my very early teens so this was going to be great!! We got there as the gates were opening along with a load of other people too. They let you bring your own food in unlike nearly every other theme park in the States so there were loads of families bringing in coolers with them. We got a locker for our bag and then headed on the slides. First up was Brain Wash which you need a floating ring for. We queued up for this for a few minutes and got one fairly easily. They hold up to 4 but we went on it with just the two of us. It's a really good slide - you go down and around in pitch black and then there's a steep drop into a big open section but still enclosed where you go up and down like on a half pipe and then splash out. Great craic.

Next I went on Bomb Bay which is a really high steep slide much like the Free Fall in the Fun Factory when that was around. The only difference here is that you get into a small capsule and when you are locked in the floor opens from below and you fall into the slide and plummet the 8 or so stories before it turns out flat where you slow down skimming along the water. Soooooo good - Emer was afraid and didn't go on it. We then went on Mach 5 which was grand - you go headfirst on a mat but nowhere near as good as some of the others. After that we went on another floating ring slide - Black Hole. This one is for two people and it's pitch black again with the odd light that plays tricks on you so you never know which was you are going. Another really fun one as was Disco H20 which was another floating ring ride for up to 4 people. Loads of disco music plays as you go down on the ring but you can see this time. There is a really steep descent into a big enclosed circular chamber where you go around a couple of times before sliding out the middle and out into the exit area. We headed over to "Storm" which was a really good ride. Your standard fly down on your back ride which starts out really steeply so you build up speed before entering the flusher. Here you are constantly sprayed with loads of mist so you can't see and as you go around and around you lose elevation so you plummet through the middle into the exit which is about 3 metres deep. You come out of the water totally disorientated and don't know which way to go but it is great fun. We then went on the last slide before lunch which was called Surge- a mutli-person floating ring ride that was nothing too hectic. Storm clouds were moving in so we got our bag from the locker and caught shelter to have lunch before everyone else. It was a shrewd move as the clouds contained thunder and lightning as well as a downpour so all the rides closed down and people were told to seek shelter. We got a table and chairs just in time which was nice.

It was one of the infamous Florida thunderstorms I had heard so much about. The day had been glorious up to that with bright blue skies from the moment we woke up. The thunder passed after about an hour but the clouds never really shifted. We went on Brain Wash again, I persuaded Emer to go on Bomb Bay and as we were queueing to go on Black Hole again more thunder started erupting so all the slides closed down again. We took this as our cue to leave so we grabbed showers and got dry and waited for a break in the rain to walk back to the RV. We got one but it didn't last long as it started up again as we were walking back so we got a bit wet during the walk. When we got back to the RV we saw that we had left the windows and vents open that morning as it was so hot so there were some wet patches on the ground and under the windows. We dried it up as best we could and then hit the road east out of Florida. The plan was to go to the Kennedy Space Centre on Cape Canavrel the following day so we found a 24-hour Wal-Mart and stayed there for the night with another RV and a big truck.

The previous days thunderstorms really cleared the air and the humidity so we both got a decent nights sleep which was nice. We continued east to the Space Centre after breakfast - Emer saw some dolphins in the water along the way so she was delighted. I really enjoyed the Space Centre and I think Emer secretely did too. I had my photo taken with an astronaut, went to the launch pad viewing area and then onto the mission control for Apollo 8 which is the first mission they launched the Saturn V rocket which ultimately brought man to the moon. When we arrived here we were brought into the actual mission control area and we experinced the last three minutes of a rocket launch which was done really well. As each person did their checks and announced good to go their seat would light up and then at lift off the windows behind us where the rocket would have taken off from started rattling and lit up as the rocket made it's way up out of the atmosphere. After this we went into the hanger where they had an actual Saturn V rocket seperated into it's various phases to show each stage for take off. It's unbelievably big - over 120 metres and still to this day is the most powerful rocket ever built. After this we headed back to the main area where we went to the IMAX cinema.

Here we watched a 3-D film produced and narrated by Tom Hanks about the moon - from the past missions to what is planned in the future and to what is possible. It was quite enjoyable and cool to see an IMAX film in 3-D. After this we strolled around the rocket garden, walked the gantry that the astronauts walked to board Apollo 11 and land on the moon. After a little more looking around and messing about on the various exhibits we headed down the road to the Astronauts Hall of Fame. I didn't really look at anything here, we just joined the queue for the G-Force Simulator. We got our chance after about 30 minutes and we got into the closed capsules, buckled ourselves in and when the doors closed it started spinning. In front of us was a screen mimicking the cockpit of a fighter jet and as the capsules spun it mimicked the G-forces experienced as the jet performed manouveres on the screen. It was really good and really well done - we were told it gets up to 3 and a half G in places which is a good bit. We both came out and were quite dizzy as we walked out of the room, a really funny feeling. We went over to the simulator which had space for us straight away. We got on which probably wasn't the best idea - it was a fun ride where you are on a flying transporter and the machine moves as the screen shows you going around corners and stuff. Not as extreme as the G-Force Simulator but done straight after had us feeling a little queasy. We both went straight for the outdoors when that was done to relieve our headaches and when we felt a bit better we continued south towards Miami and our last RV park before trying to sell Ita.

As per previous trips south on I-95 we found a rest area close to our destination and stayed there for the night. It was right by trees which were full of tree frogs and bull frogs which are extremely loud. When we arrived it was really annoying and we thought we would get no sleep but thankfully they all shut up after an hour or so. The following morning we picked up some supplies and sent the box of stuff home before heading to the final RV park of our road trip. It turned out to be right beside a safari and we weren't even parked there half an hour and we were hearing lions roar sending flocks of birds in the trees flying. We spent most of our time at the park getting the RV tidy, packing our rucksacks and getting onto dealers and salvage yards in the Florida and Miami area to see if anyone would take it off our hands for some cash. Also, we had been saving our cardboard and bottles and stuff to recycle but the lady at reception informed us that there is no recycling in Florida which we were quite disappointed about. Talk about lazy.....

The following morning we made a few more calls and packed and tidied before hitting the road around lunchtime. We had some more errands to run (another small box of stuff was filled with things neither of us wanted to throw out so we had to post that home too) and then went to Wal-Mart in the late afternoon. Here we brought back safety baseball bat which we bought in Seattle to use as a self defence last resort incase we were broken into but thankfully it was only needed to smash open the pinada at Bonnaroo. We got store credit so we bought a couple of things. We got back to the RV and cooked dinner and after that we ended up staying there as we wanted to have a few miles to drive before trying to sell the RV the following day so that the house batteries would have some juice in them to show that most of the things were working.

The next morning we woke and rejoined I-95 south towards Miami. From making the calls and checking online we had a couple of places to go but one seemed to be the best chance of getting some cash. I had been talking to someone in Campout Inc. the previous day who told us they buy RV's for cash but we would have to bring it in so they could see it. We had the address and were heading there when one of the back tyres blew out on the interstate. Thankfully we were in the inside lane and could safely pull over straight away so we weren't in any danger. Also thankfully, our insurance policy provided free roadside assistance so all we had to do was make a call and someone would come and replace the tyre for us. Or so that is how it is supposed to work in theory. I walked about a mile to find a payphone and they said a crew would be out in about half an hour. An hour and a half later nobody had turned up so I went back and made another call. I was told that they couldn't find me so they just left. The next crew they sent out was someone in a car who could only change light duty tyres - our vehicle was too heavy and he didn't have the tools needed. He called the insurance company who sent out a heavy duty crew who were supposed to arrive within half an hour. Over an hour later with nobody showing up I went to walk back to the payphone to find out what the craic was. I was nearly there and Emer phoned me to tell me they had shown up. They had the heavy duty jack necessary to lift the RV and did so for us. Something that was supposed to take half an hour ended up taking over 4 hours but we were back on the road again.

We made it to the dealer on the south side of Miami after 4. We went into the office and asked for Greg Scott who were told to ask for by a couple of people. We were brought outside and were introduced to a chap with long grey wavey hair in a pair of long jean shorts and no shirt. Not who I expected to meet at all but he was really genuine and talked honestly with us. He came into the RV, saw how clean it was and after a quick chat offered us $800 for it in cash and a free lift to te airport on Saturday (it being Thursday at this stage). That was twice what the insurance company valued it at and he knew about the roof so I was delighted with the offer but didn't let him know that. It was gas - he didn't want to take it for a test drive, didn't want to check anything (he asked us if the generator worked - we told him no) and just had a quick look on the roof to see the holes and that was enough for him. We "chatted" about it for a few minutes when he headed back into the office and accepted his offer. With that we continued south over the many bridges linking the islands off the south coast of Florida called the Florida Keys.

The Florida Keys, as I mentioned, are a series of islands off the southernmost tip of Florida and are connected by a series of long bridges or sea highways as they are known. If you drive for 100 miles you reach Key West which is quite famous for the ecclectic mix of people that call it home. During our chat with Greg he recommended that we only go a bit of the way out to see what they are like as it's not really worth going the whole way and theat we would struggle with the RV. We took his advice and stopped about 40 miles along the highway. They are a strange place dominated by places selling boats. Alot of the small islands are very thin so there are houses on either side of the road with water and road frontage which I am sure are worth quite a bit of money. We pulled into an area used to launch and collect small motor boats and jet skis and the like where we relaxed for the evening and had some dinner. We decided to stay here for the night and then head back up to see Miami Beach the following day. Unfortunately, during the night the local sergeant woke us up to inform us we couldn't park there for the night so we headed a bit further south and found a small parking lot with a tree overhanging it so we stayed there and weren't bothered any further.

Woke up on our last full day in the States and hit the road north again after breakfast. The plan was to have a brief stop at the Evergalades National Park before heading to the city of Miami Beach and the world famous South Beach. As usual, we stuck our destination into the Sat Nav and headed on our merry ways. Along the way we saw loads of alligators right by the roadside, some not even seperated from the road by a fence. We continued on towards the Everglades and along the way were astonished by the change in scenery once you leave the main highway. Built up areas lead into farmland and palm tree nurseries almost instantly and it is really nice and refreshing to see farmland and open areas so close to built up downtown areas. We made it to the entrance and unfortunately it was closed as it was out of season (the season being December to April). I am sure there were other entrances that were open but we decided against it as we wanted to see the beach. We rejoined the highway, and the developement that goes with it, and headed through downtown Miami and over the bridge to Miami Beach.

Miami Beach is considered a seperate city to Miami and is similar ro Manhattan in taht it is an island joined to the mainland by roadway. It's east of Miami and has some incredibly large houses on the water and massive yachts and boats to go with them. We drove aorund a bit and got lucky with a parking spot big enough for us and still close-ish to the beach. We strolled down to the beach and we were both amazed at how nice it actually was. Most of the big name beaches we have been to have been slightly disappointing - the sand was soft, clean and white and the sea was immaculate. Crystal clear blue and actually warm when you got in which was amazing. We lay down for a while, I had a bit of a swim and before we were getting ready to leave this group of Irish lads sat down beside us. We got chatting to them and found out that they were over on J1 visas doing promotions for a local nightclub. Tonight Brooke Hogan (Hulk's daughter) was having her album launch so the lads gave us wristbands to get in cheaper ($20 each!!!) and we left them our beach rug thing that we were going to throw out anyway. We said we would go if we could find a place to park the RV for the night for free but they didn't know of any places around. We strolled around the art deco area on our way back to the RV where we passed the Versace mansion right on South Beach which was quite impressive. We headed back towards Campout Inc. to a place I had spotted on the way in which had loads of space to park right by the freewat so it would be realtively safe.

All along our route people were telling us how dangerous Miami is and to be really careful. Granted we didn't go downtown but neither of us felt unconfortable or threatened in any way. I reckon it is like any city that has it's bad areas but because of the heavy influx of foreigners (especially Cubans) it is getting a bad rep. Or I could be totally wrong. Either way the place I spotted was perfect, we spent our last night in the States there and had an uninterupted sleep which is always nice. The following morning we did our final pack and tidy before hitting the road to Campout Inc. We arrived there befoer noon and stayed in the office with the A/C a bit to cool down. Greg was out sick with the "man-flu" according to his wife but the sale happened nonetheless. Our driver to the airport arrived a bit later and we loaded our things into the Ford F-350, a real proper hillbilly truck. While we were waiting we had a look at the massive class A motorcoaches and we were both blown away by how amazing they are. They are effectively coaches with a house inside of them. They have leather coaches, flat screen TV's with surround sound and a full kitchen complete with dish washer. Unbelievable!!!

Will, our driver to the airport, was a true redneck. From Alabama he had a dislike of anything liberal including Lincoln. He was a really nice guy but it was funny to talk to someone as deeply conservative as he was. The journey to the airport was relatively short and I had no intention of getting into a debate with him so we entertained him and had a good olde chat along the way. It made such a difference getting a free lift with the big bags and all and when we got out of the car we were able to check in straight away out on the footpath where they took our heavy bags and gave us our boarding cards. We found a place with Wi-Fi in the airport and waited for our flight to to take us on the next part of our adventure.