- FOOD: More bacon sarnies, a good old BBQ with very good BBQ food, NZ wine - mmmm. Firewater, oyster and vodka shot - not so mmmm. Fry ups and Sunday roasts made better by the fact Stuart cooked them. - AREA: Such a nice house to have some luxuries in - our own room, a BATH with fluffy towel, general relaxing amongst family. A party like one of mine. Some local sites. - PEOPLE: My lovely cousin, his lovely wife and their ADORABLE baby. Jo's welcoming parents. Sat 30th July: We got out of Thames as fast as possible as [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Dodgy service station seafood, Nigel the chef's most amazing pub grub, our own cooked bacon sarnies on the gas stove. - AREA: Waihi beach all night session, first night in the van but shower in a nice parent house, deserted and beautiful Whangamata beach, Hot Spring Beach where we nearly froze, amusing road signs, Port Jackson peninsula and stuck in the sand saga. Petrol shortage saga. - PEOPLE: Lovely locals buying us drinks all night. Such a nice supermarket worker who gave us free food. The word 'eh' in constant use. Nice man who towed us out of the [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Nice early beers, sandwiches in PACKETS (something I've not seen in a long while), nice bread, lack of cheap fry ups. - AREA: Freak out that we lost a day. Is this the UK, with weather to match? - such familiarity. Uni hall style hostels. Expense. Clean, perfect city. Tongarua - our Maori patterned campervan. - PEOPLE: They understand everything I say! Every single person VERY, very friendly - WEATHER: Well it is winter so I wasn't expecting tropical temperatures. Sunday 24th July: VANISHED Monday 25th: We arrived early in New Zealand. 3.30am although the time we we [View Full Entry]

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Just a little summary here of feelings I have now I've left South America. I have mixed feelings really. I'd kinda had enough of it - the hassle, the rip offs, the language but I did absolutely love it and know I'm going to miss it when I'm in countries more like the UK. The hassle is to be expected of course with all the Westerners traipsing over their third world land and bargaining like crazy and it's my stupid fault for not learning Spanish fluently beforehand! It was the place I wanted to visit the most throughout my trip and [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Popcorn at the cinema, pisco sour that tasted of washing up liquid. - PEOPLE: Taxi driver who got all my money, fast moving city workers, more patronising Chileans, reunion with Laura (met in Brazil) - AREA: Full hostels - a first. The smartest South American capital - but maybe also the dullest. Excellent 2nd hand clothes shops though. Qantas flight the best. - WEATHER: The pollution is trapped in this city giving it a surrounding mist. Fri 22nd July: The bus arrived in Santiago early damn it - 5.30 am. After bus daze had settled in, I couldn't work [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Bus food, junk food, no food. - AREA: Inside of a bus, inside of another bus, inside of a bus terminal - PEOPLE: Miserable bus staff, crazy woman with a bag of oranges trying to dodge a police check and becoming the heroine of the bus, nice immigration man - miracles have occurred. Smoky bacon smelling woman next to me but cute kids in front. Rude, patronising Chileans. - WEATHER: No idea as was just inside a bus the whole time! Wed 20th: It was so sad to be leaving Arequipa first thing in the morning - I really [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Dark choc Toblerone - mmmmmmmm. Very good trout dinner. Mexican but just not as good as home. Lovely Chiflay cocktails once more. - PEOPLE: Crazy (or just plain drunk) bus driver, bloody stubborn ridiculous tourists who haven't learnt the South American laid back way of life very well. - AREA: The maddest bus journey yet to small tourist town Copacabana. Ferry across Lake Titicaca to Isla del Sol - another Inca paradise. Beautiful views from the cemetry at Cerro Calvario. Virgen de Copacabana dressed up doll (that is very important!) - WEATHER: Hot at high, high altitude [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Saltena - yeah! Almuerzo of quinoa soup, chicken with pumpkin, banana and rum desert - typical Bolivian nosh at it's best. - AREA: Bolivian shower shock once more! Coca museum. Streets that had definitely seen a big party after Independence Day celebrations. World's (2nd) Most Dangerous Road - from mountain to jungle on a mountain bike. - PEOPLE: Very calm and surprisingly undemonstrative - until the parties for La Paz's Independence Day began! New York prisoner. - WEATHER: Cold in the world's highest capital city (3,500m) but hot in the jungle. Fri 15th July: It felt s [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Generally excellent food on the tour - breakfast of fruit, juice, herbal teas, BROWN toast, crispy bacon, ham, cheese, cornflakes, muesli and yogurt. Lunches and dinners served with soup first, always different. Nice deserts too. - AREA: Heaven. WOOOOOOOW. 1st class yacht, volcanic islands, totally unspoilt and animals, birds and fish galore that are super friendly. Such a nice break from the general hassle of Quito and so nice to be looked after and have the decisions already made for you. - PEOPLE: Nice tour mates although slightly irritating American family with 4 kids and a [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Bargainous almuerzo, good pizza by an open fire, my first gin and tonic (and my last having tasted it). - AREA: A very bad journey to Otavalo which is home to the 'best' market in South America. Ok but a bit tacky (or have I just been to too many markets now?) - PEOPLE: Lovely local lady on the bus to chat to. Back in Quito, a very drunk Dave and a very slimy Ecuadorian man. Luckily, Simon the saviour appeared at the right time. - WEATHER: Enough wind and rain for the trees to fall down, blocking the [View Full Entry]

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