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Hey guys and gals
Finally I have chance to write a bit about what I´ve been up to since I left good old Blighty.
After 15 hours or so of flying I landed in Quito and promptly went off to the Secret Garden - my first hostel. Was really nice there met loads of nice people and the next day headed off with a girl I met called Hannah to Las Palmas - 3 hours from Quito on the bus. Before this I committed a mare and decided it would be a good idea to leave my card in the cash machine!! I know doom! Combination of rushing for a bus and 15 hours of flying the day before so I had to leg it back to the bank see if my card was there (luckily the security guard rescued it for me - I shook his hand many times!) and then leg it back to the hostel - all at 2800m altitude - that was hard work!!
We stayed at Hannah´s cousin´s place called the Magic Roundabout and it was truly beautiful there. It is in the Cloud Forest and I have some amazing pictures of sunset
which I have yet to work out how to put up - boo I´m rubbish. They have a website at http://www.magicroundabout.info/
There was a group of Rainforest volunteers staying there on holiday and we all went off the next day into the cloud forest and did some pretty hardcore climbing of vertical mud slopes - much fun and getting dirty and also at one point I said to Katrina a girl there jokingly that we would probably end up going down this vertical slope of around 20m - well guess what we did!! Ropes required and once again some action shots which are probably not suitable for parental viewing!! Will post them when I work it out! Also, got to go across the river in this homemade Ecuadorian zip wire basket which was ace fun. 6 hours later got back from the forest to much earned dinner.
The next day we went and explored the Paramo - the area in Ecuador located at around 3800m so it was a bit cold up there. Again, climbing but this time slippery rocks up a river and waterfalls - we were rewarded for our hard work trekking in a swimming costume
and sarong and hiking boots - yes even Kate Moss could not have pulled that fashion disaster off! - with a swim in a warm waterfall heated with a hot spring from the volcano. Awesome! Went back to the place that we were based at for the day and had a dip in the volcanic spa pools = absolute heaven and then had my first taste of South American culinary disaster - a plate of giant beans and that was it - no sauce no nothing - lets say vegetarianism may wear a bit thin as apparently that was the Cordon Bleu cuisine of Ecuador!! Went to the most beautiful place I have perhaps ever been too - this awesome lake which was just so peaceful and absolutely beautiful - again pics to come. On the way home we were really lucky and got a view of Antisana - a volcano which is usually covered in cloud but for us it decided to show itself - very beuatiful.
The next day we spent chilling out and soothing the non existent muscles from the previous 2 days of adventures - ventured to Baeza the local town and had a wander
round and chatted to some locals who thought it was funny that we were scared of all the menacing dogs that people seem to have here for fun. Apparently throwing stones at them scares them off - not surprising really!
Next day we got the bus to a town on the edge of the Jungle and the Rio Napo river - called Misualluahi (can´t spell it) - great town, insane monkeys who pickpocket tourists and throw rats around for fun - I kid you not I have never seen anything quite like it! Funny to watch unsuspecting people get lynched! Left there his morning and headed to where I am sitting now - Baños - outdoor pursuits capital of Ecuador! Had a mooch around looking at all the insane stuff to do here and settled on horseriding tomorrow - perhaps followed by a massage!! Also on the cards - rafting, mountain biking, canyoning, climbing you name it you can do it here - i think severe bank balance damage could be done.
The best dodgy chat up line so far on the trip was on the bus here today - very strange man sat on the seat opposite
pokes me and asks me for the time - I gladly oblige and then see he has a watch on his arm!! Talk about idiot!! So then I spend the rest of the journey being poked in the arm and pretending I can´t speak Spanish - the worst thing is that his wife was sat at the front of the bus!!! Nightmare!!
So in a nutshell this is my life in Latino America up to date. Hopefully will write again soon and finally get some pics up.
Cheers for all the emails and comments from back home - nice to know everyone is getting on ok back there and there is still life on the other side of the Atlantic!
k xXx
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Nicole
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miss you
Hiya matey, you look as if you are having a great time, although not that warm on some of the pics. Miss u here though. Nothing much doing here everyone a bit down at the mo. My doggy been poorly had to have an xray and tests, but she is better this week, living on loads more tablets and costing us loads. Bored out of my head at the mo, need something revitalising. Not sure what tho. Looking forward to your next entry, take care of yourself. xx