This is the tale of my worst journey so far on my trip. I was in the town of Coca, deep in the jungle, about to embark on a six-hour bus ride to Tena, another remote town. Being the first person to book a ticket four days previously, I had been given my pick of the seats from a nice diagram on the wall. I picked seat number 1, thinking of more legroom and a great view of the road over the drivers shoulder. How wrong was I? The driver was seated in his own sealed off compartment with blacked-out windows, [View Full Entry]

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My third week has been spent studying Spanish at a remote jungle lodge. It was a ten-hour bus ride from Quito, plus an hour by motorised canoe. I was accompanied by another student called Sarah (from Southampton) and a teacher called Carlos, who is the husband of Edith, my teacher back in Quito. Our accomodation was rustic but comfortable, and we had three hot meals a day, cooked by a master chef whom all the other lodges were trying to poach (I mean poach as in acquiring the services of, not poach as in gently simmering in lightly salted water. The [View Full Entry]

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I have never seen such an abundance of banks as in Quito. Once you get outside of the areas of tourist interest, there is a bank every four or five buildings. And not some tiny branch, but whopping great buildings with enormous signs outside. So, with such a surplus of financial instritutions, it would be easy to obtain cash with your credit card, would it not? Not. I needed to withdraw a large quantity of cash, more than the cash machine would allow. So I nipped into the immense Banco De Guayquil to use their counter service. The nice lady informed [View Full Entry]

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Can eating be counted as a hobby? I don´t know, but if so, it´s my favourite one. I´m very good at it. In fact, you could say I´m a natural. So I was delighted to have a new range of foods to explore and ravage in Ecuador. The Six Basic Facts About Ecuadorian Food 1. Carbohydrates. If you´re on a non-carb diet, you´re in the wrong country and will be very very hungry. Rice and potatoes accompany almost every main course. In fact, it´s not unusual to be served both rice and potatoes on the same plate! 2. Corn. The amount [View Full Entry]

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After a week of learning Spanish, I decided to take the plunge and live with an Ecuadorian Family. So after my Monday morning class, I was picked up after school by my "new sister", as my teacher called her. So, introducing my family: 1. Gisella, 28 years old and the head of the household. She is married, and her husband is a lawyer currently working in Cuba. Drives a bright green VW Beetle, which I have christened "El Diablo Verde" (the green devil) 2. Stefania, 21 years old, her younger sister. Great salsa dancer! 3. Samantha and little Gisella, aged 4 [View Full Entry]

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A couple of days ago, an English student called Neil came up to me and said "Do you like curry?" "Do I like curry?" I said. "Do I like curry? I LOVE IT" He then invited me to an outing of the Quito Curry Club on Friday. (Apparently a splinter group of the Santiago Curry Club and the Brisbane Curry Club). As most of you know, I organise a Curry Club in Tooting, since there are 28 curry houses within a ten minute walk of my house. So I was eager to see what an Ecuadorian-Indian curry had to offer. At [View Full Entry]

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After three days, my Spanish is progressing very well. However, there are certain pitfalls to avoid, and many potential disasters are out there 1. Do not mix up the words año and ano. The first means "year". I am returning to the UK next "year", not next "arsehole" 2. Don't be embarrassed if you get your Spanish wrong. Just don't use the word "embarazada". It means "Pregnant" 3. If you are feeling hot (temperature wise) and you use the wrong word for hot, it means you are feeling horny! 4. Yesterday at lunch, I ordered a dish from the menu. I [View Full Entry]

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I have arrived in Quito, Ecuador. The first stop in my worldwide adventure. This is my second day, and I am already sunburnt. I believe the exact shade is called "painful pink". Lobster Cheeks is back in town!! Quito is a lovely little city and is surrounded on all sides by majestic mountain peaks. Apparently it is the second highest capital city in the world. The combination of jet lag and altitude sickness wasn't as bad as I thought, although I was feeling breathless after climbing three flights of stairs to my room. Needless to say, I won't be entering any [View Full Entry]

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It's now two days until I leave the shores of sunny England. Of course, I use the word "sunny" in the loosest possible term. And what are the things I am going to miss on my travels? 1. My friends and family 2. A Full English Breakfast. This is worthy of Capital Letters. The finest morning cuisine, and the ultimate hangover cure 3. A nice comfy bed. No-one can possibly claim to love a sleeping bag... Things I am not going to miss 1. London Underground. Sweaty, crowded and always late. 2. The weather. Need I say more? 3. Football. Although [View Full Entry]

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