We have run into a lot of bad luck with computers and especially with internet that will upload photos. We have lots and lots to share, but as of yet cannot get anything online. Computer problems aside we are having a great time and have come through Peru into Chile and are now in Salta, Argentina for Christmas! Hopefully we will have a few days in one place to catch our breath and catch up on the blog. More to come... Love, Danielle and Oliver [View Full Entry]

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Well you may remember us mentioning the poor mans Galapagos, here we are in Northern Peru, searching out the poor mans Machu Picchu. Apparently there are some ruins here that are shadowed only by the great and wondrous Machu Picchu itself, but with out the tourists and and at a fraction of the cost. Since our daily budget for ice cream has risen to embarrassing amounts, we are looking to cut corners where ever we can. So here is a quick back log of the last couple of days. We left Vilcabamba so start the journey across the border to Peru. [View Full Entry]

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Buses and taxis and little buses and cars. We have been travelling in all of the above to get from Vilcabamba to the border at La Balsa, then to Grand Buoya or something or other, and NOT to Pedro Ruiz, to arrive late and hot and tired in San Ignacio. But, we met an nice Australian bloke named Joel and it was good to have someone to compare notes with. Onwards to Chachapoyas... if we can get on the right bus or combi or taxi or mule or...something. [View Full Entry]

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A strange little town, that got stranger the longer we stayed. On the surface it is a nice little town, charming, set in the hills, a good place to stay and relax a few days. We got a room out of town in this little mini tourist resort of sorts with a pool and hot tubs and sauna.. way too posh for us normally but we got a deal because the dorms were all full. We wandered back into the main square and started noticing something... there were mostly gringos in all the shops and restuarants. And not just a few [View Full Entry]

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Cuenca, city of ice cream. Or, at least for us. The first night we found a hoppin ice cream and dessert shop right on the corner of the main plaza, and I decided then and there to eat only cake and ice cream for the rest of our stay in Cuenca. Although I did end up eating some things more substantial than chocolate, we still managed an impressive three visits in one day. Note tiramisu for breakfast is not a viable choice, no matter how badly you want it. Besides sweets, Cuenca had some beautfiul churches and a really nice museum. [View Full Entry]

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After only five hours on a bus from Quito, I threw in the towel and said forget Cuenca! I felt awful and it just didn't seem worth it to continue another 4 hours. We stopped in Riobamba and got a little hotel room right down the street from the bus station. And you know what? It was AWESOME! The room was the cleanest yet, and we laid around watching tv and eating chocolate icecream cake for dinner Oliver went out and got me for dinner. It felt like a mini vacation from our vacation, haha. Sometimes it is so nice to [View Full Entry]

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After our Thanksgiving bus ride from the jungle to Quito, we stayed with our new friends Angie and Polly at Angie's daughter's house just outside Quito. It was so nice to stay in a house, eat meals at home, do our laundry and just stay in one place for a day. We ate lots of good vegan food (supplemented with some dairy!) and got a pet fix in with their 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 3 geese. We took a morning hike down the canyon and saw some neat tunnels carved into the mountain, then rode the bus into town to [View Full Entry]

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Hello hello hello! We are getting back on track with the updates after spending four glorious days in the jungle. We were both excited about the trip, but a little nervous. We expected it to be a hot couple of days, with lots of biting insects and the like, and overall we thought it wouldn't be the most relaxing part of the trip, but important to round out our view of Ecuador. Boy were we wrong! The weather was excellent, very hot in parts (the three hour jungle trek comes to mind) but never unbearable. and the bugs... there were more [View Full Entry]

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Lago Agrio, the jumping off point for our jungle adventure. Also the site of the worst hostel yet. At only $5 a night, it was NOT a bargain. Can't wait to leave in the morning for our four days of roughing it. [View Full Entry]

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We got a wonderful hostel with a courtyard full of hammocks and flowers. There is even an outdoor fireplace to celebrate Oliver's birthday! Then the Saturday market full of animals and crafts to look forward to on Saturday! [View Full Entry]

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