We have just spent four wonderful days in the amazing Amazon. After boarding our boat the MV Aqua we settled in for four days of excursions to lakes and tributaries that are all part of the Amazon. Each day we had at least two excursions aboard skiffs with our Naturalist guides (all locals trained in tourism) to seek wildlife. As it is the rainy season we were able to venture into areas that would normally be inaccessible (albeit some of them had to be persuaded with a machete that the guide pulled out and used where necessary). We really were in the jungle. Their enthusiasm was infectious even for those of us that really didn't thinkl bird watching would be all that interesting. We were all given a wildlife checklist to fill out when we saw ... read more

Finally an entry. With lack of wi-fi, jet lag and the altitude the opportunities have been limited. All of our flights were late and then with the added bonus of a 7 hour layover in Buenos Aires we finally made it after 30 hours of travel. Ritz Carlton Hotel is luxurious with the added bonus of the availability of the club room which provides us with breakfast, a snack (1-3), cocktails (5-7) and supper (8-10.30). We made full use of this and didn´t spend a cent for the time we were in Santiago. At this stage our tour group is only 6 with the rest to come and I think we will all meet up in Quito. We went for a tour of Quito by bus and walking made a bit chaotic by university students who ... read more