SSA
Joe Shevlin Joined: August 27th 2007
Logged in: March 3rd 2011
Logged in: March 3rd 2011
Though I had an outline plan of where I wanted to go, nothing was set in stone; I did some research on the countries before I embarked on the trips but I also talked to many fellow travellers en route and listened to their tales and advice about the places they had visited before making a final decision of where to go next. I therefore visited many places which were not in my original itinerary and skipped others which were. In addition I had a simple philosophy which determined the length of time I stayed in a place - if I liked it I would stay, if not I'd move on. Travel arrangements were made on the hoof and the means of travel varied - bus, coach, plane, taxi, boat, bicycle and, of course, trekking. Rather than keeping a diary I compiled this blog as I travelled, using mainly internet cafes to type up my adventures and upload selected photos to accompany the script.
Apart from travelling my interests cover a wide range but include: tennis, golf, reading, gardening, chess, listening to music and improving my Spanish. My interest in travel lies not just in the fantastic variety of landscape, wildlife and fauna throughout the world but the wealth of cultures, lifestyles and traditions the different countries have to offer. Countries are shaped and influenced by the people who inhabit them and it is through mixing with and talking to these that I get a feel for their culture and background. My visits to S. America have enabled me to develop a greater respect for the customs and traditions of the people there, enjoy the variety of music, food and drink throughout, and generally broaden my perspectives on life.
If you have an interest in travel or just in Latin America read the blog and .....enjoy!
Travel Blog Posts
Display in the Central Bank Museum
Thursday 16.04.09 Cuenca is a lovely city: though it has nearly half a million of a population it has a quiet hstoric feel about it; with its cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture, people are polite, friendly and are not rushed - I felt a lot safer there than in many of the other cosmopolitan cities. The only drawback was the weather; it was cold and rainy! An early start for my last day in Ecuador and packing took a little longer than usual. The bus to Guayaquil was leaving at 11:30 so I had time to visit the Museo de Banco Central Pumapungo not far from the river. There I saw one of the best exhibitions of indigenous cultural history of Equador: the displays were particularly interesting with a wide variety of artefacts well documented in ... read more
Dead Snake
Tuesday 14.04.09 After an early at one of the local cafes I hired a bike and went to the thermal baths and the waterfall beside it. I then crossed town to go across the emergency evacuation bridge (recently built) and travel a little way up the mountain; it soon became too steep to cycle so only walked a little way before turning back. I came across a snake in the middle of the road - couldn't identify it but it had recently being killed, probably run over by a vehicle (see photo). 'Left the bike back and checked out of the hotel. 'Caught a bus to Riobamba where I changed for one to Cuenca. The journey seemed interminably long, more so because the bus made so many stops letting off and picking up passengers. The journey ... read more
Gored with a Spear
Sunday 12.04.09 Easter Sunday and it{s like a ghost town in Mariscal (new part of Quito) - all shops and businesses are closed. 'Got a taxi to the Plaza de Torres to buy a ticket for the bull fight later, and went on to Plaza Independence - lots of people here. Just off the square there was a cultural event starting - an Andean music group were playing some traditional music, using a variety of pan pipes; there were lots of girls dressed in elaborate traditional costumes, waiting in the wings to do some dance display. I only had time to listen to the music group - they were very good. I made my way back to the Plaza de Torres for the start of the bullfight; I needn't have hurried as the stadium was only ... read more
Picnic while waiting
Friday 10.04.09 (continued) One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that I came across a line of people along the pavement near the Echovia stop who were busy repairing clothes with old Singer Sewing Machines. I thought they would not be able to repair my shirt torn when I came off the bicycle. It´s pure silk and the way it tore made it difficult. However I gave it to one of them and she made a good job of it; she also repaired my shorts (all for$1). I made my way with the crowds towards Independence Square. Here in Ecuador they take Holy Week very seriously and the Good Friday Procession through the city is one of its highlights. As I had plenty of time before the Procession I tried to get a bite to ... read more
Sea Lion ..just out of the water
Sunday 5.04.09 ´Rough night on choppy seas, the boat rolled a lot but Iwas so tired I had no trouble sleeping. The engine was cut about 2:00 am and anchor dropped but there was quite a swell so the boat continued to roll. We had breakfast at 7:00 after which we went across to Español Island where we trekked for an hour and a half - saw different species of iguanas, sea lions, lizzards and a wide variety of birds( the Galapagos Albatros-with a wing-span of 1.5 mtrs, nasco and blue footed boobies, Galapagos doves and hawks ..to name but a few). ´Back to the boat for a snack, then sailed round to Gardner´s Bay and Rock where we did some snorkling. Besides some of the previousfish seen ´saw a giant turtle and two manta rays. ... read more
The Flamingo
Friday 03.04.09 Last night I went out with the group in the hostel in Quito as it their last night there as well - many were going into the jungle for 5-10 weeks environmental project. They were a lively group. We went to a restaurtant where you could eat and drink as much as you like for $12 - this included cocktails. I wasn´t very hungry as I ate at lunchtime. I tried out a few cocktails (margaritas, mojitas and caipirinis) and had a bite to eat later.We left the restaurant just after 11 and continued back at the hostel until after midnight when I made my excuses and went to bed. Someone gave me a knock at 6:00 in the morning when I quickly packed and shared a taxi with Kirsten & Dieter (the Dutch ... read more
Mitad del Mundo
Thursday 2.03.09 I´m still in Quito; the best laid plans.... To get a tour to fit into my schedule I had to delay my flight to the Galapagos until tomorrow, otherwise I would have a wasted day travelling. As it is with the reschedule, I will be picked up from the airport and taken to the boat which I will be on for the next five days visiting the various islands. This means I will be out of cantact probably until Tuesday when the tour finishes and I stay on one of the islands for a further two days before flying back to Quito. I spent much of yesterday afternoon reorganising things; it took quite a while and was frequently interrupted by the World Cup qualifying match between Ecuador and Paraguay. They are fervent football supporters ... read more
Courtyard of St Augustin Convent
Monday 30.03.09 ´Awoke at 4:20, afraid that I´d oversleep and miss my flight. After a brief breakfast ´got a taxi to the airport. ´Was prepared to pay a heavy exit tax at the airport but found that, not only was it included in my ticket costs, but I wasn´t eligible for it, so ´got a refund of $25. Security was very tight at the airport; after going through the normal civilian security, it was followed by the military checkpoints where they manually checked your hand luggage and person. While in the waiting lounge for the flight another section of security went round with sniffer dogs againg checking everyone´s hand luggage. The flight itself was smooth - ´got a good view of Bogota as we ascended and likewise of Quito as we came into land. Quito seems ... read more
View from the top of Cerro Monserrate
Saturday 28.03.09 Today I planned to go up the fenicular to Cerro Monserrate - one of the steep hills surrounding Bogata. At over 3,000 metres above sea level it offers great panoramic views of the city. On top of the hill there is a beautiful little historic church with a statue of Señor Caido (the fallen Christ) to which is attributed many miracles. The path from the top of the fenicular to the church had 14 bronze sculptures of the stations of the cross. When I came back down I strolled around the east side of the city, but nothing of any great interest there. Bogota is so large and widespread - a city of over 7 million people. The weather is distinctly colder than the other places I´ve been in, because of its height above ... read more
Protests, Protests, Protests
Thursday 26.03.09 (continued) After saying my goodbyes to Elsie, Milena and Dan at the Calipso Hotel I caught the night bus from Medellin to Bogota. As it wasn´t leaving until 8:45 I had some time to kill at the bus terminal so went and listened to a free live concert of typical Colombian music which was on in the main areas of the station. Friday 27.03.09 On the bus and dawn breaking, I pulled the curtain and wiped the window to read my watch - 5:30 and the driver was doing a stop start, heavy on the break in tailgate traffic on the outskirts of Bogota. One guy was sent sent flying healong down the aisle with his luggage as he prepared to get off at a stop en route. We pulled into the city at ... read more
