we didnt fall in!!!

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Morning all,

i tried to get a new entry on last night, but the net was down here in the hostel. we had another great day yesterday, spending the day up and down and around mount etna, which was an amazing experience. however, from the previous night, i was worried that kerrys feet would have put the trip on hold, and the night before, i was a bit worried that we would have to go to a docs, coz her feet looked really bad and she wasnt feeling well generally. luckily she was back in good spirits in the morning. however, she woke me up in the morning saying, look at my feet. what i saw was incredibly funny and disgusting. where the swollen mozzi bites had been the previous evening, were huge balloon like blisters, the size of cherry tomatoes! lovely. however, she was determined to go on this trip, so to add the list of beard trimming, bottle opening, and fish gutting, blister cutting was added to the list of reasons why the huntsman swiss army knife has been a help this trip. (i did sterilise it after the fish gutting, my feet are on the mend but i still have 8 plasters on and cankles!! KA) anyway, after slapping some savlon on her feet, were off in the jeep to etna. however, we didnt get very far, as within 2 minutes, we crashed. the driver was reversing, at speed, down a back lane, and crushed this old guys 3 wheeler van into a wall. however, instead of the usual insurance swapping and arguing, the old guy just helped us reverse successfully, and waved us off. when i asked our guide, a very chirpy sicilian fella who reminded me of roberto di matio, if the old guy wasnt pissed that we had just crushed his van, he just laughed and said," no, this is sicily". we had a great time going up etna. in the morning, even thought we couldnt go right to the top, as posionous gases were being let off at the mo. still we did a fair bit of trecking, and the group was good, about 10 of us. the banter was good all day, as the boys spoke in the international language of football, and there was a belgian guy who was as stupidly knowledgeable and excited about the game as arth.
for lunch we had an amazing cold spread of local cheese and meats, wild mushrooms in herbs and oil, and homemade pastrys, all put together by our guides mother! u couldnt have wished for a better lunch on the side of etna! after lunch we slapped on some helmets and went down some lava caves, which was fun, but it was tight squeeze at times, and my head took a bashing. we got back to the hostel at around 7, and my feet were killing, as id been wearing walking boots 2 sizes too small all day, so we had a beer in the piazza duomo, which also has a statue of an elephant, the cities symbol, in. it has the interesting feature of huge balls, which the locals say that if u lick, you are accepted as a true catanian. in fact it is a hotspot for thieves, pick-pocketing idiot americans who attempt to do this. in the evening we went down to the fish market, which in the evening turns into a street full of bbqs cooking the days catch and other local treats, and had tea there. kerry was feeling generous, and after tea let me find a bar which was showing the Man u vs barca game, which was fun for me. il let her have a cocktail or 2 as a thankyou, which sweetened the deal.
and thats it for yesterday, just thought id add this entry as we are getting the night train (and one ferry) to puglia tonight, to a place at the very tip of the heel of italy. the place is actually on a cliff front, and looks amazing, so looking forward to it. however, not sure when we will next get to a comp, so if u dont here from me, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT THE DECISION IS AT 5PM ON THURS WITH THE 15 POINTS!!! cheers. hope all is well at home,

love A and K xxxxxxx

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