We flew into Buenos Aires the capital of Argentina from Bogota and had high expectations of this city as we had heard so many good reports about the nightlife and the sites. The reports didn't disappoint, the city had so much to see and for the three nights we were there we had a great time in the bars at Palermo and San Telmo areas. Unfortunately we only had a relatively short time to explore as we had already been in Argentina at the beginning of South America so we only wanted to visit Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls before crossing [View Full Entry]

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Despite all the bad press about Colombia, we thought the country was fantastic. There's not a lot of tourism in the country yet so there isn't loads of tour companies offering trips everywhere, but that was a good thing, we just had time to wonder around enjoying the local atmosphere. The people were so friendly, which always makes you a bit wary at first in a new country, but you soon learn that they are genuinely being nice and genuinely wanted you to see their country. We only had two and half weeks there and started it by flying from Ecuador [View Full Entry]

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We landed in Guayquil in Ecuador, which is the largest city of the country and had the biggest population, it still felt quite small though in comparison to other major cities we've been too. It was situated on the river Guayas where there is a great Malecon (waterfront walkway) with parks, cinemas, restaurant and cafes. At one end of it there was an area called Las Penas a colonial area that had been renovated and painted in bright colours and was a tourist trap with cafes, restaurants and viewpoints. We picked a really sunny afternoon to visit and spent it sitting [View Full Entry]

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We found it.....................our paradise on earth........The Galapagos Islands. We could of stayed forever!! Just one and half hours flight from mainland Ecuador these islands are a world apart. They lie in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and are absolutely brimming with unique wildlife and gorgeous beaches. Within minutes of leaving the airport we were in the company of Sea Lions, Pelicans, huge Crabs and Marine Iguanas. It was amazing. We decided not to take a cruise around the islands, which is the most common way to see them and just tour them ourselves. We took a speedboat over [View Full Entry]

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Our first stop in Peru was Puno on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Puno is only 2.5 hours from Copacabana, but the difference from Bolivia was immediately obvious. The town was more built up and westernised, the people appeared to be more money orientated and it was noticeably more expensive (which wasn't hard as Bolivia was so Cheap!!!). Our first stop was a rushed tour to the floating islands on Lake titicaca. The islands and everything on it are totally made out of the reeds that grow in Lake Titicaca from the floor, huts, beds, seats and even there boats [View Full Entry]

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Bolivia has got to be one of the most under rated places in the world...........that we have seen anyway. It has endless, interesting places to visit and activities to do in almost every town. It is extremely cheap for westerners to visit but the country is very poor with the majority of families incomes coming from farming and mining. You are hindered a little by the constant protesting and road blocks of the locals (but they are for very good reasons may I add), The first we experienced was on our first day in the country. We were on a bus [View Full Entry]

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Argentina was a bit of a disappointment for us at first, partly because we had not got our heads around South America yet and partly because we chose to stay in major cities rather than venture off the beaten track to the more tranquil villages, which we prefer. What we did see however were very nice, safe (in some cases) and clean cities. The Argentineans definitely know how to have a good feed, the food here was great and the portions massive. They are best known for there grass fed steaks and they are amazing and the biggest we have ever [View Full Entry]

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On leaving New Zealand at 5pm on a Sunday afternoon, and having done an 11hr flight, we landed in Chile 3 hours earlier than when we had left???? It left us feeling very disorientated!!! We flew into Santiago the capital of Chile and started to get a little worried as within the first day we saw a dead body, a shoplifter in action and a thief in the street, however there was no need as it turned out to be a very safe and nice place. Jet lag soon hit us for a good week after we had arrived but luckily [View Full Entry]

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New Zealand is just an absolutely amazing place and the North island is as equally as good as the south. The scenery is not as dramatic in the north but still beautiful and there is just as much to see and do. You instantly see the increase in the amount of people and sheep and it was noticeably warmer.. We started off the north Island in the capital Wellington after crossing the cook strait by ferry from Picton. We were kindly taken in and shown around by Dan's mums cousin Alan and Rachel who lived there, although we are not to [View Full Entry]

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When landing at Christchurch we thought the plane had made a wrong turn and dropped us off in England, the similarities were unbelievable, even down to the houses, cars and road markings. It was nice to have traditional food again......like spuds and pies to the spicy asian grog we had become accustomed too!!!! Having to go food shopping after so long was shock deciding what to decide what to buy and an even bigger shock when it came to paying with the prices being comparible to England. It was at that point we knew that our budget was going to be [View Full Entry]

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