http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Natalie-Grace/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Natalie Grace en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:52:19 +0000 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:52:19 +0000 My South America tour has finished and while I didnt enjoy the tour conditions I have some wonderful memories of some beautiful countries cities people and geography.Highlights the countryside of Ecuador the coast of Peru waking up to views of mountain glaciers during the Inca Trail celebrating my 31st birthday on the Inca Trail the city of La Paz Bolivia the steak in Salta Argentina http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/Centro/blog-242055.html We are finally in Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval WoohooOur hotel is right in the centre of town and the shopping is wonderful I bought a few dresses I wouldnt normally wear but I couldnt come to Rio and not buy some colourful dresses. This morning we went to see the Christ The Redeemer statue. It was a clear day so my photos turned out pretty good. Then we went to a neighbouring mountain and too http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/Centro/blog-242054.html We finally got to Paraty a beautiful colonial town by the ocean after catching two coaches. First stop was Curitiba then Sao Paulo and then finally Paraty. There was no way I was getting back on the cattle truck the tour uses so two of us booked a coach. We were told by various bus lines that there was a direct bus every hour from Curitiba to Sao Paulo but that was not the case. We had to wait a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Paraty/blog-242052.html Im in Brazil Yesterday we visited Foz do Iguazu on the Argentinian side walking around the top of the falls and then a speedboat through the falls at the bottom. It was amazing It was 30C and the drenching we got in the speedboat was a perfect way to cool off.This morning we took a helicopter ride over the top of the falls on the Brazilian side and it was just as awesomeSo far I like Brazil. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Paran-/Foz-do-Igua-u/blog-239404.html A few of us took a bus from Argentina to Paraguay before the rest of the group in order to sort out my Brazil visa issues. The Brazilian Embassy in Bolivia refused me a visa because my bank statements didnt have my name on them just my account number. No amount of explaining that my bank does that for security reasons was going to make them issue me a visa. So I created some statements with my n http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Paraguay/Asunci%F2n/blog-238490.html What can I say about Salta other than it is paradise. I have eaten enough steak to make up a cow drunk enough cocktails to milk a lime tree dry and found a use for my Cuban salsa lessons. I went out dancing last night with the girls I upgraded with. It was a last minute decision after a late dinner at the hotel restaurant no dress ups no make up just beach dresses and flip flops. The club we http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/Salta/blog-238488.html No more altitude Salta is like being in Sydney dry heat cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes and more dry heat. Our campsite is listed as the best in South America. God help the rest of South America. It is a shit hole with one giant swamppool in the middle. Some of us upgraded to a nearby hotel and Im loving it. Cheap and cheerful with a pool. The last seven weeks have been difficult with t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/blog-236423.html Happy New Year. My new year was spent in bed recovering from a parasite infection and watching a chick flick while the others battled illegal fireworks pickpockets and crowds on the streets of Cusco. I think I had a better new years eve than most. I came down with symptoms of the parasite on the second last day of the Inca Trail but the doctor said I probably caught it in Cusco before the Inca T http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-236422.html Bolivia is amazing We spent three days in La Paz where the remaining ten people joined our tour. We now have a full truck. La Paz is a beautiful city and Id definitely go back there. We spent a day driving down the most dangerous road in the world by 4WD. Some others did it on bicycle but my bike skills are hopeless with handle brakes. The road has a reputation for being dangerous because its http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-236420.html We spent three days in Puno which sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca. The others did an overnight trip to Amantani Island but I stayed in Puno to recover from my parasite infection. Six days of bed medication and cramps did not make me lose weight how can that happen The hotel in Puno was so new they were still sticking mirrors on the walls as we checked in. I didnt mind Puno nice restaurant http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-236415.html We arrived in Cusco on Christmas Eve. The main square was chockers full of stalls selling junk people wouldnt buy having said that I did buy myself a scarf. The air was filled with burning frankensence and shit. Christmas Eve dinner was at Paddys Irish pub and was one of the best meals Ive had so far crunchy green vegetables at last I spoke to my family for the first time in five months an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-231796.html Our two days in Lima were spent touring the museums and shopping and a few of us had to chase down our Paraguayan visas. Jodie and I were denied entry to the Spanish Inquisition Museum twice and we have no idea why. The museum is supposed to be lame with only a few torture devices and bad dummies but still I wanted to see it We visited the San Francisco Monestery and saw the catacombs with hundr http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/Arequipa/blog-229553.html The border crossing from Ecuador into Peru was easy and the change in landscape was breaktaking. Our first stop in Peru was Punta Sal a beach town where we camped. When I say we I mean everyone else but me and two other women. We chose to upgrade for an extra 10 a night so we didnt have to camp on the beach. I like the beach but I dont want sand in my sleeping bag for the rest of the trip. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Lima/blog-227863.html What a week After six months enjoying warm weather my arrival into Quito was a shock. It was so bloody cold The altitude wasnt too bad I had more trouble trying to get warm. I met my tour group the day after I arrived in Quito. The tour group is made up of Aussies Kiwis Canadians and some Latinos from California. One of the Aussies is another dyke from Sydney I dont know her but we share http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-227861.html I'm finally a Certified Advanced Diver Back in March I completed four Speciality courses Navigation which was difficult considering I can't read a compass on land let alone under water Waves Tides Currents this has proved most helpful in all my dives since Low VisibilityNight Diving this was a very late night dive in Sydney Harbour lots of fun Nitrox which was great to dive w http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Bay-Islands/Roatan/blog-221815.html I finally got off my arse and did some diving today. I did three dives and all were different. The first dive was a reef dive beautiful fish and coral everywhere. The second dive was at a site called Canyon Reef. We dived singlefile through canyons and tunnels made of coral. It's strange because in Sydney I have anxiety attacks when I drive through tunnels but I love diving through coral tunnel http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Bay-Islands/Roatan/blog-221079.html Fantastic is the best word to desribe how I feel. It's amazing what a wax and head shave can do to rejuvenate youMy flight from Puerto Lempira to La Ceiba was diverted to Roatan because La Ceiba airport was flooded. I couldn't believe my luck because I was going to have to book a flight to Roatan later that day so the diversion saved me time and money. After convincing the flight crew that this w http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Bay-Islands/Roatan/blog-217732.html The locationPuerto Lempira Honduras Central AmericaSet on the southeastern edge of the biggest of the coastal lagoons Laguna de Caratasca. Puerto Lempira is the largest town in Moskitia. The name comes from the Miskito natives not the mosquitos although there are lots of those too. The hotelI spent one night at the orphanage but just couldn't do it long term. No toilet or shower doors made http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/La-Mosquitia/blog-217726.html Ruins visited Teotihuacan Monte Alban Palenque Uxmal Chichen Itza Tulum Tikal and CopanFavourite ruins Teotihuacan Palenque Uxmal Tulum and CopanFavourite towns Oaxaca San Cristobal Merida http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Guatemala-City/blog-210976.html I arrived in Tegucigalpa or 'Teguz' as it's known in Central America at 7am. After a mix up with the hostel it has two locations my confirmation had the wrong address I was impressed to be shown a huge room mini bar flatscreen TV and a DVD player so I can finally watch the pile of cheap DVDs I bought in Mexico City. The hostel is located outside of town so I'm kicking back today in prepara http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Tegucigalpa/blog-210975.html