Blogs from South America - page 5479

¡Hola! Everyone Hope everyone is still well. Hoping the party for the little man was good and that he got lots of new toys. HAPPY BDAY Ollie! Since my last update i´ve spent the majority of my time in Quito which sounds pretty dull. Though during this time I´ve left the crazy womans house and moved into gringolandia where all the money i´ve spent on spanish lessons hasnt gone to waste with the brits and auzzies in the hostal. Though with another swiss guy at the school, Miguel, we´ve been attempting to talk to the locals more. We get a few funny looks from the barmaids but ended up one night being dragged down to the locals club which opens after everything shuts. It was a bit weird and i think we´ll leave it at that. ... read more

During my trips to Berlin and Krakow I felt rather indifferent about the upcoming South American adventure. I doubt if I can attribute this to some kind of bravery however, as I was evidently too busy to think about it. This sensation lasted until yesterday, when I realised I had to get everything ready, and going to bed late didn't really help, as my enthusiasm deteriorated even further by this morning. I was almost beginning to feel that this trip perhaps wasn't such a good idea, when the thought of going back to work popped into my mind and wasn't overly appealing. The plane from Heathrow to Frankfurt was about an hour late, however this did not stop me from enjoying the brilliant view of the millions if different shades of lights in London (I was ... read more

Yesterday after the monkey excitement, and about 25 minutes before we arrived at the Dracaena lodge, we sailed into the confluence of the Cuyabeno River and a nearby Laguna. Overhead flew two Blue and Gold Macaws, squawking loudly. "Okay," Lisa said, "I've just had my first 'I'm the luckiest girl alive' moment." Today, while paddling down the Cuyabeno River, I thought back to Lisa's comment yesterday and agreed. I am the luckiest person alive. We spent the first half of today paddling downstream in two canoes -- Lisa, Ami, Brenna and I in one, and Diego, Rod and Juliette in the other. Earlier Walter, our motorized canoe driver, while towing the two smaller canoes, had hauled and deposited us upriver so we could have a leisurely trip downstream. For the most part it was a quiet, ... read more

After a hearty lunch of Shepards Pie in the Irish bar (not quite local food , but heh) , we left Cuzco and headed to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca. From here we hooked up with SAS Travel and their tour of the lake. First was the Uros Islands, floating islands made of reeds. When they got a bit soggy, another 5 " of reeds were laid on top. Even the locals boats were made of reeds. Very primitive, although they did have solar panels for their electricity, a gift from the Peruvian government! From here our boat continued to Amantani Island. We were introduced to Olga who was to be our host for the night. Her house was made of bricks held together with mud and straw, although our accommodation seemed better than ... read more

Hi Folks, Final update re the remainder of the weekend!! We stayed overnight in Paracas and got up early on Monday morning to take a trip to the Ballestas Islands, just of the coast of Paracas in the Pacific. We boarded a 25 person speed boat for the trip. The water was pretty choppy to say the least and the ride was a little rough. Caroline and I ended up absolutely soaked from the spray, but it was well worth it for what we saw. Key highlights were the penguins, the pelicans and the sea lions. I´ve never been so close to them in the wild and managed to get some great photos (well, I think they´re great!!). On the way back, a pelican flew in front of the bow of the boat and over the ... read more