I arrived at La Paloma yesterday. The hostel is great, across the street from the beach. Yesterday was St. Patrick's day and a couple from Ireland made Sheppard's pie for everyone. A bonfire in front of the deck was the focus point for travelers from Australia, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Sweden and the U.S. The staff here are wonderful, making the fire, running the bar, passing out cake at midnight. It felt as if we were on an all inclusive holiday package at a resort, rather than a group of weary travelers. The chatter around the fire was filled with travel tales, [View Full Entry]

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I have been offline for a few days. I found my beach and as I type I can hear the waves outside...but that will be another blog. Catch up. I will upload some photos from Colonia (two are out of order) and then Montevideo. Uruguay is an amazing country, a real jewel. The capital city is laid back in most areas. My first night here was a bit dodgy. The hotel was near the dock area, yet very close to the main square and city centre. I arrived Saturday afternoon and discovered that laundry facilities and almost all stores were closing [View Full Entry]

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What a concept! In a dune ecosystem do not build roads, but do build a hippie commune/tourist site with limited access. On the side of the road there is a place to hire a jeep to take you into Cabo Palonio ($120 uruguay dollars). The ride is an adventure in itself when you hit the bumps. The village is unique. It seems to be a collection of hippies and rustic shacks and cottages decorated in colourful way. The absolute best spot is the lounge chair on the deck of the last restaurant along the beach. [View Full Entry]

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I woke up today not sure where I was going to be staying. It was up to current hotel, if they had a space for tonight I would stay, if not I would catch a bus to Montevideo. I am happy with either possibility, or anything new. Life is wonderfully slow in Colonia and I am the most relaxed I've been on this trip so far. Uruguay is a fascinating country, or at least the one historical town that I visited. Some restaurants have Swiss food, others have Italian, and more have barbequed beef. The local cheese is quite good. Everyone [View Full Entry]

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I´m at an Internet Cafe with very slow computers. I will start this blog and finish it a few days later when I can upload pictures. [View Full Entry]

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I made it...one more thing off my bucket list. I took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. The weather is humid, with thundershowers; I think there is a tropical storm passing by. Colonia is a wonderful historic town. Uruguay is a mixture of Switzerland and Bermuda, I think, with a dash of Italian culture mixed in. Cars do not honk!! and they stop for pedestrians! I have met more Canadians here than any other part of South America that I visited. I think Uruguay is laid-back like Canada, with more of a European twist, and tropical weather. Many people [View Full Entry]

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It is difficult for a country to make a good impression when you take an overnight flight that lasts 4 and a half hours in a really uncomfortable seat; and you land with no sleep and must wait for hostel shuttle to arrive. I was quite grumpty by the time I saw the driver, but relief that I was going to be taken downtown to hostel won over and I greeted him with enthusiasm. I have to wait until two p.m. before I get a private room, and I decided to seek out an internet cafe with fast computers. I dropped [View Full Entry]

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Who knew air could feel so heavy?! I am back in Lima and for the first few hours I felt like my half-empty water bottle....slightly crushed by the air pressure at sea level. When I was sitting in the cab it felt as if there was pressure on my eyelids, making me want to close my eyes. All of my body was slumping, in a dozy way, as if I had taken strong tranquilizers. The feeling wasn´t bad, perhaps because it was accompanied with that tropical heat sensation when you get off the plane and feel the humid hot air and [View Full Entry]

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Hey, cyber travel buddies, tomorrow we leave Cusco for Lima, and a couple days later I fly to Buenos Aires. If I am offline for a few days don´t worry. I doubt there are new photos to take in Lima. I have a few final pictures to upload from Cusco, and will add some more from trip to Bolivia. The city feels different now that schools are open. My hotel is beside a school and I hear morning songs and children laughing in the playground. I was tempted to visit...but no....don´t want any official part of trip. Yesterday and today I [View Full Entry]

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The Isla del Sol, an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca, on the Bolivian side, is a popular tourist spot. I have met many travelers who recommended going there to see the sunsets. There is a lot more to this island than glorious setting suns. The island is already setting itself up to gain from tourism, so go quick before it becomes another trap! Luck was with me once I landed and got to the hostel. By the way, that is an olympic feat in itself, walking up the Inca stairs on a hell of an incline up a mighty [View Full Entry]

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