So here I am, back home, almost four months since my last blog. I was worried about coming home after so long away. I already knew how it felt, having been away for 19 months on a previous trip. Losing the freedom and excitement of travel and replacing it with the mundane, the routine and lots of pitying ‘welcome back to the real world’ comments is not an easy experience. Add to this the fact that the ‘real world’ is in recession and doesn’t tend to allow for much hammock-time, and the picture is looking rather grim. I was worried about job-hunting during a recession and the way it might cause my re-entry to the world to be rather less than gentle. Although these first few months back home have been pretty mixed - at times ... read more

We thought we'd take a few days out of Buenos Aires to go and see neighbouring Uruguay just across the river. We booked the slow boat to cross from B.A. to Colonia del Sacramento. Normally taking a slow boat means cheaper, older and generally a bit shoddy. This slow boat, however, was what appeared to be a brand new ferry complete with shops, a cafe, an outside cocktail bar and plenty of space to sunbathe. I dozed in the comfortable reclining chairs and was awoken by the sound of a deep voice engaging in some fairly fancy singing. I went to investigate and found a man dressed in shiny clothes with shiny, gelled black hair belting out classical songs in the centre of the boat. To say he was popular would be an understatement; the passengers ... read more

We arrived in Brazil on 'el tren de la muerte' (the death train). The guidebook had warned us to expect a journey from hell, with long delays in mosquito-ridden swampy areas, uncomfortable seats and an aisle crammed with contraband. There are many theories about how the train got its name. A common one is that it was named due to the sheer number of passengers falling from the train’s roof to their death. Passengers were on the roof because the carriage was overflowing with contraband. The long, arduous journey meant that they eventually fell asleep and slipped off, or (more likely) were flung from their precarious perch when the train derailed (which happened quite frequently). After all the negative hype we were tempted by a flight, especially after a month of travel Bolivian-style but we came ... read more

We clacked and clanged our way across the Peruvian border on an ancient one-carriage train. We set off from Arica (Chile) clearing immigration at the tiny station and arrived into Tacna (Peru) where the train proceeded through the centre of town, behaving more like a bus than a train, navigating a roundabout and braking for a truck that wasn't planning on stopping. The train seemed ill-equipped to have 'international' status and that's because it was. It only became international by chance, when Chile claimed Arica and all of a sudden that little train was a big deal. The new responsibility didn't go to its head though and a ticket costs just 1200 Pesos (around US$3). With one tiny carriage and ticket price cheaper than a completo it might just be the smallest, cheapest international train in ... read more

It is a well known fact that backpackers in New Zealand are expected to do some truly terrifying things during their stay. So with a very short time in New Zealand we got straight in there and found an activity that is possible on even the shortest of timeframes. Our decision to go skydiving over the Bay of Islands was made even easier because of a promotional rate making it the cheapest place in the country (NZ$199). When in NZ, the combination of an adrenalin sport and a discounted price means you have no option if you have any kind of self-respect. I've wanted to skydive for years, so I was surprised by how nervous I was shortly after booking it. I blame it on my confused adrenalin history. As a small child I went on ... read more