Thanks Travel blog and gemma for your Blogs GEMMA, Thanks on behalf of all of us who have shared your blogs and in part vacariously travelled with you. Thanks for taking the time out to entertain us with your adventures, painting us pictures and opening our eyes to another world.
It sounds like, whatever you left as, you will return as a traveller.
Here's to a safe journey , a bonvoyage ......we are dusting down the welcomehome flags, ......see you soon ....... from pob and freinds xxx
Re: Bolivia! Goodness me Anna, so many questions! I didn't do the Death Road by all the guys from my truck who did it survived and really enjoyed it, only a couple of minor falling off incidents. My reason was a) to have more time in La Paz and b) I'm rubbish on bikes at the best of times and barely survived cyling tipsy in Mendoza! There was a bit of rain around where the piles of salt are on the edge and we have some great photos of the sunset reflected in the water. I wished we had more time on the flats, there were so many more photos I wanted to take! Hmmm, not sure we had the same guys at Salta rafting, remember we didn't get to stay there coz of the rock fall, only took a day trip out. The guy who led the canopying was alright but I can't remember his name. Wished we could have stayed there, despite getting eaten by sand flies! Yeah, we bump into the Bukima truck all the time. They are sooooo tiny! Apparently a load of canadians cancelled at the last min so they only had like 9 from Rio and then 7 got off in Santiago and they gained 2 so there only 4 of them! Plus there is a new tour leader who is arguing with the driver all the time. AND there was a screw up at the office and none of them are booked onto the Inca trail so they can't do it. All in all sounds like a bit of a mess. Also see Kumuka quite a bit although less so from now on as they are splitting off. We spent alot of time with them at the beginning of the trip and befriended a load of irish boys. One of our girls is now going out with an aussie from the Kumuka truck. Not sure if Linda is the guide, don't really know her but will try and introduce myself and say hi from you guys. Talking of which, how is stuff with the boy?? All good??? What are you up to now in Londres? Long term plans? Starting the Inca trail the day after tomorrow, soooooo excited!!!! Must catch up when I'm back xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
BOLIVA!!!! OMG I'm just about ready to pack everything in and come out to join you again. Everything you've described has brought back so many good memories. I loved La Paz - if you do the downhill bike ride you're mental - it was the most terrifying day of my whole entire life.
Some of my favourite photos are from the salt flats, had any rain fallen yet - it's meant to be amazing when it's wet and teh sky reflects in the water - looks like you're walking in the sky! (apparently! I was still blinding white salt when we were there).
How hot were the guys at the salta rafting place? was joquin still there? some of the girls from my group were considering getting off the truck there and living in north argentina forever. all those boys must have the time of their lives with new gringa girls being dropped off everyday.
Oh do you ever bump into my old truck (Bukima?) or the Kumuka truck with Linda as the guide? I f you do can you tell her Anna and Guy say hi!
Have an awesome time with the rest of Boliva, Peru and Ecuador - inca trail still to come!!! It's breath taking, I think the trail is actually better than actual machu picchu. and then the jungle!!! so much to look forward too! Lucky lucky girl!
Keep having an amazing time
anna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
back in contact Heya rents. If you get this the confusion with the blogs was that I somehow managed to unpublish a blog that I had previously published. Don't know how I did that!! Also I've been away from the internet for the last few days of driving. Hope you are still enjoying Barcelona and manage to see as much Gaudi as possible!! Enjoy! All is good with me, hoping to do a blog later today but first I must go do the supermarket shopping, eugh, the joys of the overlander!!
they are asleep in spain ! we can only get your blog of the 7th april here in spain although it is the 19th here and we saw yo later blogs when we left home !!!!!
any probs ring tom and get him to contact on mobile or text .we are assuming no news is good news . we are all good here .
We've arrived in Horncastle OK Just to let you know weve arrived safely and, at present, computer here is working ok so I am sending you a message like this to be sure while I can. Your copy e-mails have arrived here too . Hope this machine has worked ok and youve got the ones I tried to send .
Have A VERY HAPPY EASTER, lots love .
PS Where you are, instead of chicks for easter do they have baby penguins !!!
.
The intrepid explorer returns What is that i see coming over the horizon? isit a well worn goat , is it a Penguin with its feathers moulting , is it a ....No it cant be .. they are always tidy and imaculate , but YES, I dont believe it IT IS,.... a Gemster !!!!!!!
I've never seen one this far south before
Welcome back Gemster
A penguin envoy to the UN!! lololol, Dad you do make me giggle. I would love that job, in fact I think I'll put in some effort to research it!! Well, having just spoken to you you'll know that the reason for my lack of communication was the fact that I was stranded in the wilderness hiking for 6 days, but the other story sounds much more fun!! xxx
Are you still in Penguinland ? She said she was goin off to disembark in Penguin land and no more was heard . When they saw her running,dancing and singing off into the middle of the colony did they leave her behind? Did the penguins think she looked and behave so much like them that she has been naturalised . Will she next appear as Penguin envoy at the UN?
OR is the absence of blog cos the only web sites there are feet !!!! groooan
Lots love
Thanks guys Thanks for the comments guys. Jessie - the mozzie bites have subsided to be replaced by ant bites! Anna - sorry that my blog is torturing you. Hope the UK isn't that bad after all. It was lovely bumping into you at Christ the Redeemer. Shame we didn't manage to meet up at the Sambadrome but then it was never going to happen was it?? Must catch up again when I'm back. Dad - in answer to you question, I'm in Montevideo and the next blog is coming shortly. Gemsxxxx
Where are you ? Glad to hear you still able to hit the caipirinhas in the style to which we have become accustomed. From previous journal thought that 'sensible' gemma had totally taken over 'bubbly' gemma. Hope you didnt think rio parana like the cam and vodkas, ie a few more caipirinhas and you could swim it!!!
More journals please , they are great , arent they folks?
SO LETS HAVE SOME COMMENTS FROM THE REST OF YOU GUYS !!! I know its difficult when we are working but lets take a break and make gem smile.
Where are you ? I geuss you might be in camps remote from web en-route to Beunos Aries.
So glad you are having brilliant time . Geuss who .POB
OMG the tucans!!!!! Hey Gemma - am back home now and hating it, reading your travel blog just brings back all the awesome things I've left behind in south America. I LOVED the bird park - i think we spent about 6hrs there - mostly in the massive avary with all the macaws. The argentinian side of the falls is much better in my opinion so enjoy!
You have so many amazing things to visit, I'm so jealous - would quite happily do the whole trip again and never get bored once. Drive days are a pain though! One game we played was to get an ipod with the most songs and most varied collection - then pass it round to everyone on the truck and each of you secretly choose one song to put on a playlist - then play all the selected songs on random play and guess who chose which song - takes about an hour to choose and 2hrs to play so that's three hours of boredom taken up!
Keep up the good blogging - and enjoy every minute of being away, I wish i could still be out there.
Stay safe! Loads of love
anna xxxxxxxxx
hi! HI Gems:)
Keep the blogs coming! It's such exciting reading for when i'm sitting here bored and cold in my office. Can't wait to see more pictures of the animals and i hope the mozzie bites aren't too too horrendous. Enjoy those caipirinha's for me!
love,
jessie
waving from uk Hi Gemma....just to let you know that we are keeping up to date with your adventures and sending you a wave from a very wet uk*s*
Love, Ann, David, Stuart and Melanie xxxx
Lift off 16 th Feb
So today you have lifted off Ok and survived the wrinklies worries!
Hope you had a soft landing and exciting start. And what a way to start, carnival in Rio!
PS . Congratulations on being awarded a PHd post for next year
I am one of the many having a post-uni gap year. So after six months of scrimping and saving I'm off on my dream overlanding trip to South America for four months. Hopefully I'll be returning to start a PhD - although that's all a bit up in the air at the moment! (- Yay, this is no longer a "hopefully" I have an offer from UCL so I'll be commencing 4yrs living in a lab as of October 07) I'm known for sending rather long emails (i.e. essays) so I'm hoping this way people can opt-in or out of having to read my diatribes. Enjoy!
... full info
POB
non-member comment
Thanks Travel blog and gemma for your Blogs
GEMMA, Thanks on behalf of all of us who have shared your blogs and in part vacariously travelled with you. Thanks for taking the time out to entertain us with your adventures, painting us pictures and opening our eyes to another world. It sounds like, whatever you left as, you will return as a traveller. Here's to a safe journey , a bonvoyage ......we are dusting down the welcomehome flags, ......see you soon ....... from pob and freinds xxx