The scorching heat of yesterday had only grown in intensity for today - probably not the best day to visit the beach but I'm not one to change plans if at all possible so we were off to Los Frailes today. The beach of Los Frailes makes up part of the Parque Nacional Machalillas, the most beautiful part if I'm going to be biased. The options of getting to the beach were as follows: a 'long but rewarding' trek through dry scrubland to reach the entrance followed by a thirty minute walk to the actual beach. a fifteen minute, 2 dollar motortaxi ride. No points for guessing which option we took! I'm sorry to sound unbelievably lazy but I just don't see the point of going to the beach and then exhausting yourself in the hot ... read more

We finally arrived in Puerto Lopez today after travelling pretty much the whole width of the country overnight. Puerto Lopez has to be one of my favourite places in Ecuador due to it's perfect balance of being lively enough for an extended stay yet not overrun with tourists. Apparently tourist season hadn't started officially yet (despite all hostels charging high season prices) as the touts which line the malecon advertising trips to Isla de la Plata and whale-watching tours practically threw themselves at us whenever we ventured out of the hostel. Cynical as always I refused to buy off one of the touts on their bicycles who ride up and down the malecon promising anything you want, 'yes, we'll be the first boat there', 'yes, you'll get your money back if you don't see whales', 'yes, ... read more

Arrived in Puyo expecting jungle. Was surprised to find out that the Lonely Planet description of a large town obsessed with the internet and American jeans was actually closer to the truth that monkeys and mosquitos. In fact, miracle of miracles, I managed to escape from the jungle without a single mosquito bite (this truly is a miracle as I´m normally the buffet for any kind of insect.) Have an amazing hostel in Flor de Canela which is full of little bridges and walkways with cabins hidden everywhere - figured it´s better to pay more for a decent hostel than end up sharing a bargain one with lots of creepy-crawlies. Our first foray was into town to find food and a tour. The first was very easy, the second not so easy. I was expecting finding ... read more

For once on my travels my bank account is not the main victim - instead it's currently my feet which, after two days being stomped all around Vienna in little ballet pumps, (stupid I know) are protesting enough that a change of shoes is desperately needed. So what do I change into? Trainers? Sensible walking shoes? No, I choose brand new flip flops that have not yet been worn in to traipse the length and breadth of the Austrian capital for a third day. A highly unintelligent choice that I was unfortunately regretting as soon as we had got off the metro and marched to the Hofburg. Fortunately I managed not to bleed all over the inside of the Hofburg (an insult that would surely end in me being ignobly removed from the imperial apartments) and ... read more

We started the day bright and early determined to cram in everything possible, had breakfast in the hostel before braving the Austrian metrosystem which proved to be ridiculously easy to navigate in comparison to the London tubes. The Gothic cathedral, Stephansdom, is the tallest building in the Innere Stadt of Vienna. The first church was built here in the 12th century, the current structure dates from 1304 when a Gothic building was erected around the earlier Romanesque structure which was subsequently dismantled and removed from the interior of the larger church. I can't say it struck me as anything other than impressively dark and forboding - Gothic has never been the most appealing architectural style although Vienna became a lot prettier once we arrived at the Hofburg. One of the most impressive things about Stephansdom is ... read more