To get out of Costa Rica we had to go via Liberia to get the Nicaragua bound bus. From Liberia we needed the bus that travelled onto Rivas and from here we planned on getting a boat to Isla De Ometepe a volcanic island on the Lago Nicaragua. We were organised and although it was only to be a 2 night stop we were keen to get to the island. The bus to Liberia was on time and we arrived at the point where the long distance Tica bus would collect us. We had 3 hours before then so we dropped [View Full Entry]

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So as I said in the last blog we left Tortuguero at 7am for the boat+bus+bus combination back to San Jose. If everything arrived on time we would hit the city around lunchtime and then the plan was to see what buses were leaving to get us to the pacific coast. Inparticular we wanted to get to a small place called Playa Samara which seemed to get good reviews in the LP for being quiet and unspoilt. The boat journey went well and we both really enjoyed it as it was sunny in comparison to the pouring rain we arrived in. [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in San Jose tired and with alot to organise. We had enjoyed ourselves in Miami so much that we had forgotten to book a room for our first night here. We cleared the airport no problems and chose a hostel from LP. A taxi took us straight there but they were full so we wondered down the street but could not see anymore places to stay. After a few minutes and a lady gesturing across the road from her shop we found a small comfortable hotel. The room was lovely and the guy that ran it was so helpful [View Full Entry]

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We slept most of the flight to Miami touching down in a bad storm. The captain announced we had been lucky to allowed to land as all other flights ahd been redirected and the airport was closed to further take off and landing. The skies were very grey when we got off the plane but by the time we had cleared the sirport and sorted out a taxi the weather was showing signs of improvement and it was exceptionally muggy. We had booked a suite in a hotel with self catering facilites 2 blocks from miami beach. The room was great [View Full Entry]

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Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la....... at the copa copacabana..... The song goes round and round in your head. It drives you crazy at times but the realisation that we were in Rio was great as much as it was a little unnerving. Having checked into our hostel there was about another hour of light left so we headed straight for the Copacabana beach. We are only staying 2 blocks away so the walk is short and quick. We head out over the busy [View Full Entry]

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Okay so after a few hours sleep we are up and about again at 4.30am. Javier our guide was waiting in the lobby of our hotel and we set off the short walk to the bus station to get the first bus up to Machu Picchu. We are both shattered but really excited about finally seeing the inca ruins in all their glory. After a 30 minute wait (it was worth getting there early because it got very busy at around 5am) the first bus pulled along the road. After some jostling and a few arse head queue jumpers we managed [View Full Entry]

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We wake at 9am and discover that we have slept for 14 hours solid but it was definately needed. We have one more full day left in Cusco before we leave to fly to Lima and then onto Brazil. We have a pile of washing to sort and I want to buy some footwear that is appealing to my toes so we get ourselves organised. We are meeting up with the rest of the group this evening in the main plaza so we spend the day completing our chores and stopping for lunch. My feet are not as bad as they [View Full Entry]

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The flight from Lima took around 5.5 hours but with a good film the time passed quickly. We were flying into Sau Paulo and had already decided that we would move on straight away as we did not fancy a stint in the city. Our time in Brazil was short only 8 days as we had cut down on our allowance because of the expense and spent more time in Argentina. With that in mind and in general need of rest and relaxation we wanted to get to a small place called Paraty in between Sau Paulo and Rio. The problem [View Full Entry]

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Day four started rather early for me at around 4.30 with a rather dodgy stomach. Not what I needed but to be dealt with all the same the only way how plenty of imodium and no breakfast. That was not going to help with the energy supplies but we stocked up with a couple of bottles of gatorade. My now common trip to the nurse was not as easy as normal as I had no plasters left I had used approximately 40 in the last 3 days so we had to revert to the bandage and tape I had in case [View Full Entry]

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Day 3 was another early start but we had enjoyed a good nights sleep. We were up for breakfast and had 5 hours walking today. No where near as much as the two previous days and we were told by our guides that it was the easier of all the days on the trek. My feet were not looking too good and the nurse once again subjected me to the needle and put on the now named ´majic powder´before using nearly every plaster we had left. We were warned that the days trek could be wet in places and therefore much [View Full Entry]

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