County number two and the one I've been most looking forward to visiting....Colombia! Firstly let's dismiss the bad stigma from the past and look forward to an increasingly popular place to visit with incredible scenery and diversity (landscapes and people). A country where the people are full of life and are proud of where Colombia is headed. An early morning rise to cross the border (from Ecuador for us) should be considered at the moment due to the situation with Venezuela. Many Venezuelans are camped out in order to cross and their lines are long meaning crossing the border can take a while. We got there at 6 am and it took us an hour and half. First stop was Popayan after a 6 hour bus ride from Ipiales through some amazing valleys. We didn't know ... read more

From the Amazon to the mountains in mere hours, we managed to survive the extremely packed Quito buses (prime for pick pocketing, have your bag in front of you and nothing in your pockets) at only 25 cents a trip, to get to the south bus terminal (bus C4 to the end). One way to Latacunga then a change for Quilotoa on a local bus, both trips took two hours. We arrived at Quilotoa which is a small village on the top of the crater. A town with half built buildings and average $30 total per night accommodation but priced per person. Our accommodation included dinner and breakfast. At 3900 masl, the temperature was quite cold so having layers is necessary. We spent a very cold night in our room covered in three blankets. The aim ... read more

Almost ten years that I've dreamt of going to South America, and here we are! First stop on our 3 month exploration of this diverse sub-continent was Quito in Ecuador. We based ourselves at the Juana de Arco hostel in the old town. A very nice place to stay however get a room away from the main road as it is noisy almost all of the time. We took a walk around the old town and saw the main plazas under a grey sky which later cleared up. Quito is quite hilly and at 2800 masl you do feel the breathlessness creep in when going up any incline. Taxis are plentiful and a cheap way of getting about quickly and more safely (just make sure you get them to put the taxi meter on). The taxi ... read more

The Portuguese Island of Madeira was a perfect getaway for the wife's special birthday and to escape the English weather in February. It's quite a small island but very mountainous and the only decent way to get around is to hire a car, although navigating Funchals windy and hilly streets was made easier thanks to GPS. We also took up an Airbnb about 10 minutes walk away from the main centre of Funchal which was ideal for the length of time we stayed. Our first stop was Pico deAiero where you get some stunning views of the deep gorges. We were lucky to have gone that day as it was the only day where the peak was only partly covered in cloud. There are a few walks you can do from the top which link to ... read more

The second half of our trip was from Santa Barbara with its patriotic American flag lined main street and purple Jacaranda dotted streets. It has a nice beach with a mountain backdrop and plenty of shops around. We then entered L.A from the north and arrived at the Celebrity Stars to start with. I didn't realise that they extend for hundreds of meters on both sides of the road. If you did want to locate a specific star then i'd say to get a map that way you would find it easier. We then went to go up the hill for some city views but as it was a public holiday, the only options were to park halfway up the hill and walk or drive right through. We got a glimpse of the surprisingly small city ... read more