http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/daRuss/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from daRuss en-us Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:06:49 BST Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:06:49 BST Santa Marta and such So off we go to Santa Marta or better yet...according to my guidebook El Rodadero which is the touristy district close to Santa Marta. As the main bus drops us off at the bus terminal. We tell the cab driver to take us to Hotel Becoma...and he had no clue where that was. So I checked my book again and sure enough it says what I thought. So he told us it was Betoma SO http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Colombia/Santa-Marta/blog-247066.html BarranquillaTis time to write my blog so here I go. First comes the interrigation session as always when going through the lovely US of A. This time he wasnt trying to convince me that I am a criminal. This time the moron was testing my patience. He was asking my why I went to Houston a year ago....to which I replied that I didnt. Then I thought about it for a bit and realized that I was goi http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Colombia/Barranquilla/blog-233517.html Good Times to be Had by ALLTo finish off my 4 month trip blog I have committed to writing this Galapagos Islands trip. The reason I can still give details is because I actually kept a diary of my galapagos trip like a prudent scout girl. It might sound like a documentary a bit but I will try to spice it up. Just for the record the trip took place May 1522 2006. So according to my journal. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos-Islands/blog-220827.html Now some of you may be thinking what the heck and why the heck is this guy writing a diary when he is at home for a couple of months now Well the answer is because he wants to finish his trip log and the stories.It's a Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood So I arrived into Quito from Lima and it was raining hardcore. I didn't want to get ripped off by bying a cab voucher so I went to the cash m http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Quito/Quito/blog-86602.html Just When You Think You're GoneSo here I am fresh from Cuzco and ready to fly to Lima. As I come to the airport I see the two french girls yet again excpet they are flying more north then me. We sit down have some coffee and realize that our flight has been delayed due to bad weather in Lima. Apparently this is quite common as it is almost always foggy in Lima. I was not pleased with this new http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Lima/blog-73257.html Let the Journey BeginWhile in Cuzco I just simply had to at least see the famous ruins since I opted out on the longer hikes. I thought I would be brave and take the local bus to Ollayntaytambo and then catch the train to Aguas Calientes and it is also the cheaper option.Of coures no can begin a journey on an empty stomach so I grabbed some ceviche the raw fish marinated in lime juice at the l http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-69940.html The Night BusSo I got into Cuzco at around 5am on the overnight bus from Puno. I was almost frozen because the bus was so cold despite me wearing a shirt a sweater on top and then a raincoat. That is how freezing it was. I watched a movie called Full Metal Jacket in spanish with spanish subtitles. It was awesome. Just in case I did not understand what they said I always had the subtitles to http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-61167.html So after I left La Paz I headed on a 4 hour bus ride to get to Copacabana which is on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. They told me that the local buses were brutal in Bolivia but I did not find that to be the truth at all.As soon as I got on I met like 5 people from England. So much for being the only tourist on the bus. The bus was not bad except for the leg room. Since I am not a midge http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Copacabana/blog-59436.html I forgot to write about my day trip from Santiago to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar. The bus takes about 2 hours to get there. Valparaiso is more picturesque while Vina Del Mar is more of a mix between the old and the new. As soon as I got out of the bus I got convinced into getting a daily tour and later got somehow tricked into getting the tour agents son to translate the tour for me from spani http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Valparaiso-Region/Vina-del-Mar/blog-58783.html Oxygen Anyone Being able to breathe is amazing. I love to breathe. However in La Paz it is definitely a luxury. I flew from Santiago which is around sea level to the altitude of 3600m. Think about it...over 3.5 kilometers in the air. I noticed it right away as I got off the plane. After being severely ripped off with currency exchange at the airport I checked into my hostel. I think the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-55882.html Hello AllSo I have arrived from Buenos Aires in Santiago Chile. As soon as I exited the main doors the taxi drivers were all over me. So I thought I would do the smart thing and go to the tourist office like a good tourist that I am. I went there and she did not know anything about how to get to town and told me to take the taxi with the taxi guy stalking me and standing right next to me. I http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-55800.html DA FALLS It was time to see the real deal. See what all the buzz is about. So I booked myself a trip to the falls for 4 days. As I arrived I met a couple of american girls and one argentine woman so I decided to join them for the trip. They were going all out for the falls so I decided to do the extras as well such as the optional tours that were not included in the normal package. They were http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Misiones/Iguazu-National-Park/blog-54639.html So I have arrived in Buenos Aires. Stayed in the VS Hostel according to some recommendations from travellers. It is quite a chilling place. I am sitting here in BA for the second time trying to recall everything that I in a half pissed state. Oh well I will do the best that I can.The city itself is quite spread out. I have heard all kinds of rave reviews on BA so I had high expectations. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Argentina/Buenos-Aires/Buenos-Aires/blog-52665.html Well folks I have yet to tell you about the tours that I took from Salvador. So without further delay let us get down to it.The National Park Day 1Chapada Diamantina is a national park and Lencois is one of the former diamond mining towns that is located within that park. The bus ride from Salvador to Lencois was not exactly my definition of a good night. the bus left late at 11pm and got the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Len--is/blog-51797.html Salvador and All That Jazz Ok peeps. It is that time again. I have finally sort of managed to catch up on my blogging. So after the 11 hour bus ride which was not that bad actually we finally got to Salvador. Was not sure where exactly to stay. There are two main districts for accomodation. Pelorinho and Barra. I stayed in the historical center which is basically Pelorinho. My first impres http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Bahia/Salvador/blog-51609.html So we flew into Recife from Manaus even though it was quite a detour considering we had about 4 stopovers before we finally came to our destination.Recife seemed to be very modern with a lot of condos built around the beach area called Boa Viagem. The beach was not bad but one thing that seemed to be missing in there was the action. There was no bars or restaurants like one would usually picture http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Pernambuco/Recife/blog-50737.html Hello FolksWell it has been a long time and I know you all want to see pictures but the computer here is really slow and I dont want to spend the whole day uploading.Stay Alert Stay Safe The first day we got the airport and the vulchers were waiting for us trying to sell us all kinds of tours to the jungle and all that bla bla. The Ozzy traveller is rather hasty so he was all gung ho abou http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/blog-48368.html Greetings MortalsSo here I am in famous Floripa. Well that is the nickname anyway. From what I have been told I should have been here in January. The place is really beautiful. Just went swimming in a lagoon yesterday. It is always sunny here. Today we might rent a car and go check out other beaches. The ladies are absolutely stunning and my neck muscles are getting really strong from al http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Santa-Catarina/Florian-polis/blog-45110.html Like the title says...words cannot possibly describe what Rio is like during Carnaval. At first I didnt think much of Rio...just as another city with a beach. The city is overwhelming with its contrasts and the people.The first thing that I did was meet up with Hassan at his place since. Next day we got our keys and the whole gang met up. Oggie John and Hassan are the partners in crime here http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Brazil/Rio-de-Janeiro/Rio-de-Janeiro/blog-43863.html Antarctic Peninsula EhThis might be a longer email but hey....one cant possibly skip the details. Our ship was quite a collection of oddballs but I guess thats what makes it fun. The first day we were crossing the Beagle Channel so everything was cool.The next day we start crossing the Drake Passage. I thought I was going to be a hero and find out if I get sea sick or not. Mind you that http://www.travelblog.org///blog-42043.html