Ecuador was not at all what I expected, which isn't hard seeing as I didn't really know what to expect. It's a beautiful country - probably the one that surprised me the most. We drove into Ecuador across a bridge that was crowded with market carts loaded high with all kinds of fruit, electrical goods and who knows what else. In many ways that was exactly what you would expect from a South American border crossing! Not long after the crossing I fell asleep (I would like to explain that sleeping on Gus was a real achievement. Imagine sitting on a 27 year old Mercedes truck that has had some extremely uncomfortable bus seats stuck inside, then driving over some of the world's worst roads. Then add 15 other people and loud music into the mix ... read more

Time really has flown by the last few weeks. Cuzco seems like a lifetime ago now, as I´m sitting in my hostel in Medellin in Colombia. So now I have to try and fit 6 weeks of activity into an entry that's not so long and boring that even I´m not interested! We left Cuzco for Raqchi, a small local community where we stayed with families. Hayley and I were with a lovely lady called Maria, who had a teenage daughter called Alisha and two younger sons. Unfortunately none of them spoke any English and our Lonely Planet Phrasebook didn´t really cut it! But we managed to communicate on some level and realised we were about to get lunch. We were joined by one of the sons for soup and pasta which was pretty tasty. After ... read more

Okay - I started writing this back in La Paz which seems like a lifetime ago. I'm just going to publish it now and start a new one!! ----- Well it may only be a few days since my last entry but I´ve had a few adventures! I spent my last afternoon in Potosi sat in the hotel lobby writing my travel journal. In 3 hours I managed to write 1 and a half pages which is very impressive! It was a lovely afternoon as everyone kept coming in and out and stopping for a chat. That evening a few of us went to watch sunset from a tower restaurant. It wasn´t quite what we expected as there was no one else there and we only arrived about 5 minutes before sunset, then had to walk ... read more

Well the last week has certainly been an adventure! We left BA early in the morning, sadly by public bus as our truck, Gus was poorly sick and had to stay at the doctors a bit longer. Our poor leader Rene had the unenviable job of getting 18 gringos to the bus station and onto the right bus, with all our stuff, by 7.30 am. Thankfully we all made it (although 2 people literally by the skin of their teeth!). The bus was really comfortable - just as well for the 11 hour trip to Cordoba. We arrived in Cordoba and headed off the hostel - another first for me, sharing a dorm with 7 others although thankfully just people from the group. After a nice all you can eat buffet dinner (great for veggies as ... read more

4 more sleeps! 4 more sleeps! It finally feels like things are coming together and this trip is actually going to happen. Yesterday's Lariam issues are resolved and I no longer feel like a paranoid idiot on speed. Quite scary the effect it had and I'm very glad I was sensible and did a two week trial before I left the country! I'm still not convinced all my stuff is going to fit into my bag - I think there is going to be some very careful packing to be done. And then maybe the good old wear all your clothes for the flight tactic. Anyway, I shall save your blog enthusiasm for when I actually have something interesting to talk about! This time next week for example, when I will be in Argentina. Ex PS ... read more