OneWaySupertramp

I taught myself to like coffee by forcing myself to drink espressos. It might sound crazy but it worked. I knew it would be coming criminal to pass through famous coffee producing countries such as Guatemala and Colombia without sampling some local brews. The irony is that the high grade coffee produced in these places is actually all exported, leaving the low quality stuff behind for the people of the nation who produce it. That's the real crime. It amazed and sickened me that it would have been easier to get a cup of good dry roasted Guatemalan in Dublin that it was to get in Coban (in central Guatemala), a town where we even visited a coffee farm. Well I suppose it is a buyers market. So James and my new found liking for coffee ... read more

It might not look all that historic but it is. Jules Rimet called it "a temple of football" - and he should know, the World Cup was named after him! The landmark imposing grey tower is right out of a communist architects textbook. Somehow out of place and yet defining at the same time. The legendary Estadio Centenario. Eighty years ago, Uruguay hosted the first ever FIFA World Cup. Beating off competition from Italy, Sweden, Holland and Spain to host the event, Uruguay's bid included building a new centrepiece stadium, hence the Estadio Centenario was born. It held 10 of the 18 matches and all 13 countries played at least one match there. On 30th July 1930, the stadium hosted the first ever World Cup final when Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 (even though Argentina led 2-1 ... read more

Travelling the way we do is full of uncertainty. When we enter new territory, we are never sure where we will get off the bus or where we will stay the night. It has its advantages and disadvantages, but is always interesting. Arriving into Purmamarca, we didn't need a friendly bus driver or a big "Bienvenidos" sign to let us know we had arrived. A rainbow striped hill gave it away. It is called the 'Cerro de las Siete Colores' (Hill of the Seven Colours), well it couldn't be a more accurate name. To be honest the colours didn't seem real. It was as radiant as technicolour, making everything else look monochrome in comparison. The town itself was highly photogenic too: cobbled streets and terracotta-coloured buildings with mud roofs. A 1,000 year old algarrobo tree gave ... read more

For many Chileans and Argentinians, the Lake District is their main holiday destination. In winter (June to October) ski resorts open for business. The rest of the year (especially January, the annual holiday month) the region's mountains are trekked and climbed, its lakes are swam in and relieved of their fish. It is easy to see why the Lake District is so popular. For me it is some of the most beautiful scenery in South America. There is something about the mix of lakes and mountains that inspire relaxation. Add snow capped volcanoes into the mix and it is picture postcard perfection. The Lake District is huge. It straddles the fiercely guarded border of Argentina and Chile. The two countries are not on friendly terms. In one conversation with an Argentinian man, he stated as a ... read more

Apart from some feet-dragging politicians who attended Copenhagen, there surely can't be anyone who doubts that global warming is having a huge impact on the earth. Personally I think the human race should be having a major panic about it. In every single one of the seventeen countries we have visited over the last sixteen months, we have witnessed and spoken to locals about unusual weather patterns: our 'Tio' Manuel in Havana who was worried that the hurricane season is becoming longer and more extreme every year; bird-man Malcolm in Honduras who reported changes in bird-migration patterns; the lovely Gregorio in Futaleufu, Chile, who lamented on the flowers that now blossom two months too soon; a sudden hail storm during a bus ride through the jungle in Colombia, so freaky that the other passengers were taking ... read more