http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ryanandana/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ryanandana en-us Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:08:50 UTC Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:08:50 UTC Can it be real Is the trip actually overYup.It is amazing how something that is so absorbing as a multimonth trip just ends so suddenly. We are back in Simi Valley now. In a few days we head down to San Diego to look for an apartment. For those of you who do not know Ryan is going back to school to get his Masters in Geography at San Diego State University. That is the reason that this http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/West/Guayaquil/blog-15232.html After difficulty waking Ana up the next morning we headed out to South Plaza Island. Ana and Carlos of course napped on the bus and on the boat good thing the boat had eight beds. Jorge was marginally easier to understand this time around as the group somehow convinced him to give explanations in Spanish at least part of the time. His behavior though was perplexing. Especially for a http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15043.html Hello Everybody ready Its George your guide. Its time to go to Bartolom The bus is waiting boomed a man with an Ecuadorian accent. It was only 445 am. It was still dark out. We hadnt even heard any roosters yet they usually start crowing way too early in the morning. Though our alarm had just gone off. No we were not ready yet. We had been told that the bus would would http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15042.html New island new attitude.We had breakfast at our new breakfast place just a couple blocks from our hotel. As usual the last one there was Carlos. The minibus picked us up at the hotel after breakfast. It was about an hour ride to the Ithabaca Channel on the other end of the island. Then a short boat ride to North Seymour Island.On North Seymour we walked the loop trail. Our guide Csar ak http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15041.html Day 4 a new new beginning. We were excited about day 4 this was the day we got to leave San Cristobal Island and go to the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is a slightly bigger town and very different than Puerto B. Moreno. It is the center of tourism on the islands and has a lot more options for day trips than San Cristobal Island. This was also the day that the Canadians http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15040.html Day 3 started out with a whole new outlook. We had got reconciliation from the tour company and we were ready to enjoy the last 6 days of our landbased Galapagos tour. Unfortunately we forgot to get the point across to our tour manager who still was not fond of Ryan.We had a later start with breakfast at a cafe on land. Carlos the Bolivian had been out to the disco the night before and mi http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15037.html We were instructed to meet up at the pier at 530 am with everything we'd need for the day. Our boat was scheduled to leave the dock at 6am to start the 3 hour drive to Espanola. Espanola is considered one of the best visitor sites in the Galapagos and we were looking forward to seeing more wildlife.We arrived at Punta Suarez at around 930 am. Before disembarking we had breakfast on board th http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-15035.html Yay Its finally here. Our cruise in the Galapagos. Or so we thought...We arrived at the airport in Quito at 720 am to pick up our plane tickets from the travel agent. We had arranged to meet her there when we visited the office the week before. We found her smiling at the entrance. She handed us the tickets. Then the surprise. She pulled out an itinerary and said Im sorry to have to http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-14765.html We started this trip in Ushuaia at the end of the world. Now after four months weve finally reached the middle of the world. On the 13th we visited the Mitad del Mundo monument north of Quito. It is a supertouristy minicity. But we went to take pictures on the equator. Yes we took an hour long bus ride to take pictures of an imaginary line. Very cheesy we know. But we figured W http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/North/Quito/blog-13733.html Well we made it to Ecuador. We left Chiclayo on the 6th at 10pm on an overnight bus to Tumbes near the border with Ecuador. We arrived in far northern Per at 530 am before dawn. As soon as we left the bus agency they closed the doors. We were the only gringos on board and the other passengers quickly dispersed. This meant that we were besieged by a dozen taxis mototaxis and minibuses http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Chugchilan/blog-13516.html Yet again we are in waiting in an Internet caf for our overnight bus at 10 p.m. But this time we have some King Kong to keep us company. King Kong is a sweet that is made up of layers of shortbread and filling manjar blanco pia man that is typical of Northern Per. Tonight we leave Chiclayo and head to the border with Ecuador which we will enter tomorrow morning.After leaving Huaraz on http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Lambayeque/Chiclayo/blog-12851.html HelloWell we have been in and around Huaraz for the last 8 days. Huaraz is the center for hiking in Northern Peru. It is next to the Cordillera Blanca which has the highest mountains in Per and the largest concentration of glaciers in the tropics most of which are receding. The town is full of tourists coming to do treks and climb mountains. We werent sure if we would go trekking when we g http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Ancash/Huaraz/blog-12459.html Ok we have not encountered any strangle muggers. However our guidebook talks all about them for those of you unfamiliar with the concept a strangle mugger strangles his victim to unconsciousness and then steals money and valuables. Its kinda been a running morbid joke since weve been in Lima.Lima has a reputation of not being the safest place. We had heard lots of stories before we arriv http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Lima/blog-11763.html Hello again.After Cusco we moved on to the most famous but relatively untouristy town of Nasca or Nazca Those alternate spellings again We took a 14hour overnight bus on a road that did not have one section of straight roadway. It was 14 hours of nonstop twisting and turning. We have our small daybag which on long buses I keep on the ground with the strap around my leg. It just kept http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Ica/Huacachina/blog-11629.html Hello againWe just got back from the requisite trip to Machu Picchu. It's like an Inca Disneyland We expected to see Mickey and Goofy at any time. Ok it wasnt that bad. We actually really enjoyed Machu Picchu. It can just be a little intimidating because you know that every tourist around Cusco is going to be going there and thats a lot of tourists.Figuring out how to get to MP is the h http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-11115.html Hello againWere in Cusco Peru. Otherwise known as the Gringo Capital of South America. This place is overrun with tourists. People from all over congregating here in this one South American city. Why To visit lots of Inca ruins of course. The Sacred Valley Machu Picchu ruins within spitting distance of town. In just over a week it'll be even crazier for Inti Raymi June 24th. As it http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-10901.html Yes us again. Are you getting sick of us We are We went here blah blah blah. We went there blah blah blah. Its all the same. Anyhow...We are actually in a fine mood despite the ranting. It just seems that every few days there is a blog to be written and pictures to upload. And a few days later there is another blog to be written and even more pictures to upload. We are thinking a http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-10727.html Hi everyoneAfter the disconcerting start of our visit to Peru being watched over VERY carefully by the tourist office rep security guard in Tacna we arrived in Arequipa. Arequipa is a large city pop. over 1 million teeming with tourists. It is nicknamed La Ciudad Blanca The White City because of the many colonial buildings constructed out of sillar a white volcanic rock. It was http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Peru/Arequipa/blog-10310.html HelloWell we have made it to Peru. We are currently in Arequipa but well get to that later. We have had a number of very busy and unplanned for days recently.On the 28th we overnighted to Arica. Arica is a beach resort town in far northern Chile about 20 km 12 miles away from the Peruvian border. We were originally planning on traveling to La Paz Bolivia from Arica. However over the la http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Arica-and-Parinacota/Arica/blog-10083.html Hello peoplesAfter Valparaso we headed to Pisqo Elqui a town in the Elqui Valley about 7 hours north of Valparaso. It rained for our entire drive there and that night too. This meant snow on the mountains around Pisquo Elqui and cold cold temperatures that first night. Luckily the guy at the hotel leant us an estufita heater.The town of Pisquo Elqui is probably the smallest town we http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Antofagasta-Region/San-Pedro-de-Atacama/blog-9627.html