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| We have made it to Ecuador which is a more lush, tropical country than the others we have previously visited. It is also more Western, being shocked back into reality with KFCs and MacDonalds in the Cities. The real highlights here are the beaches and the famous Galapagos Islands................ |
| Blog pages (Click on the country to find out the latest) * Argentina * Chile * Bolivia * Peru * Equador |
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| We`re off to see Nemo, sharks, giant turtles and much more........ One thing we never thought we would be doing when we left the UK was splashing out to visit the Galapagos islands. But almost every traveller we have spoken to on our journey has raved about it, saying we would be fools to not go. So, we have been scrimping and saving along the way, staying in many hostels with COLD water, taking cheap local buses when we can and eating "Menu Del Dia" for 75p at the local restaurants. It has not been a hardship as it has resulted in us booking an 8-day boat tour of the Galapagos, as a real holiday-within-a-holiday to end our fantastic adventure. So, on 13th May we will fly to the airport on the Galapagos mainland and board our boat for the adventure of a lifetime. We will update this blog on our Galapagos adventure at the end of May when we get back......in the meantime, here are a few more blogs on our time in Ecuador.......................... |
| At last, some time on the beach........... For practically the first time in our trip since leaving Buenos Aires back in January, I have been able to pack away my thermal clothes and enjoy some sun!! The beach that we chose to head to was certainly rustic, under-developed and practically deserted. It meant that we had the whole beach to ourselves and it would have been idyllic if the waves were not deathly-high and the current was not both dangerous and hysterical at the same time. Hysterical because you only needed to dip your toe in and you were practically dragged 50 metres out to sea.....OK, I may be exaggerating slightly, but we didnt realise what was in store for us when we went there...I suppose the fact that worl-famous surfing championships take place just along the coast perhaps should have rang alarm bells, but we missed the obvious link there! Anyway, it didnt really matter because we enjoyed a wonderfully leisurely 6 days on the beach (that is ON the beach, not IN the sea (!) ), eating fabulous fish and seafood and taking long walks along the deserted beach...............BLISS......... |
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| Proud to be British........... So, we jumped in a taxi and asked to go to the bus station, and often we´ve been asked if we want the "station entrance" or the "station exit", which might sound strange, until your realise that after the full paying passengers get on the bus at the station, having paid the full fare and bought allotted seats, the bus will leave the station, turn the corner and then stop to let the "other" passengers to fill up the other seats and the aisle (at a fraction of the ticket cost). Typically, this saves half the fare, but you run the risk of not getting a seat. Normally though, it`s the pensioners that adopt this technique. They may be old, ben double, be toothless, and smell worse than a cesspit, but, they are old. You give up your seat to old people. That`s what I was taught. Not that it was beaten into me, but as a kid, the shame you would feel if you didn`t wasn`t worth living with. I think this must be the same for many British people. Maybe it is not as strong in other Western countries - it is definitely not customary with the locals who will move an old person from a seat if it`s their "allotted seat"!! But, as I look at the bus ride we are currently on, it was only the British gusy who gave up their seats. Standing here - funny how I still feel the shame for the other Westerners who have stayed seated with an old lady leaning on their seat back... Here endeth the sermon....And I know there are plenty of oiks in the UK who wouldn`t give up their seats, but compared to other nations, I think we do ok on manners!! |
| Finding Nemo....... It was meant to be a relaxing week on the beach, but with killer mossies and Mel getting ill, it was not the best....maybe in a way it was perfect as it consolidated our minds to splash out for a few days on the Galapagos Islands.... A decision also helped by a tour to visit Isla Del Plata (Island of silver, reported to be hiding Drakes` hidden treasure) and I went Scuba diving. After diving a bit of Okinawa in Japan and in Thailand too, this was just as magical. The amazing shoals of brightly coloured fish, the weird and wonderful ugly fish and neon sea snakes were well worth double the money!! But, seeing turtles swim towards you to stop and look at this strange lump with a tank on its back just melted the senses......Can you imagine it, staring face to face with a giant sea turtle. And I`m not talking a little 5cm terrapin-type thing, I mean 50 to 60cm in length with a smel that can only be matched by Mel (or Stitch, my childhood dog)...another amazing day. How lucky we are to see these things. Thank you to all who have helped to make it possible.. |
| Nearly got caught in a scam but saw straight through it...... To the locals, tourists mean money, so it is no wonder that many scams have developed to catch out the tourists. Often, it is simply stealing from your backpack or pockets, and we have heard many, many instances of less vigilent tourists losing their cameras or wallets this way. One scam we had heard a lot about from fellow travellers is when you get on a bus, you are told by the driver (or someone else) that you are not allowed to take your hand luggage on board - it has to go in the bus "hold" with your other bags. Or, better than this, is the one where you are told you are not allowed your hand luggage pack on your lap...it has to be put on the overhead shelf (where it seems to mysteriously disappear)! Anyway, we had heard the stories and wondered when our time would come. We had also heard that Quito had the reputation for being one of the worst capitals in South America for these scams. So, was it any wonder when we got on a bus in Quito to take us 3 hours North to Otavalo, that a man in his mid-twenties appeared in the bus. He cleverly showed an elderly man to his seat, demonstrating that he was the bus "conductor". He then came over to us and asked to check our tickets (and it this point we did assume that he was indeed the bus "conductor"). Having checked our tickets he asked us to put our small rucksacks in the overhead shelf. We said (in Spanish), "no thank you , they are fine here". He then asked us again and we laughed and said "no". He even went as far as to bend down, wipe the floor with his finger and show us the dirt on the floor, saying "but the bus floor is really dirty, your bags will get dirty"! Obvioulsy by this point, we knew we were trying to be persuaded into a scam and waved him away. He took a seat in the front seat, probably again to look like he belonged on the bus. However, at the first available stop he was off, walking off the bus in a confident manner without a care in the world. And we spend the rest of the journey thinking how lucky we were not to have been dragged into the scam. |
| The Devil`s Nose Train Ride One of the World`t most famous train rides is the "Devil`s Nose train ride" in Ecuador. It is so named because it traverses an area of the Andean highlands which, at the time it was built, was considered totally impassable, the "Devil`s Nose" being a huge mountain. However, it was built by a series of zig-zigs down the mountainside, and is still to this day considered an extraordinary feat of engineering. The Devil`s Nose section with its zig-zigs takes you down the mountainside at a 45 degree angle and the whole journey takes around 4 hours. We had heard that the only way to truly get the "thrill" of the ride was to ride on the roof of the train. "Dress warm and rent the $1 cushion....you will need it", was the advice that fellow travellers had passed on to us. So, we bought our tickets the day before, and I started laying out my warm clothes (all of them) the night before, ready for the 5am start. We got to the station. I looked like Michelin-Man with about 15 layers of clothing and sporting my hideous disastrous haircut which makes me look like a man on the best of days. We were concerned when we couldn´t see the "cushion rental" person, but thought maybe he would be on the train. However, when the train pulled in, we realised something was up....the ladder to climb onto the roof had been taken off. We could not ride on the roof. We heard later that this was due to a very sad incident of an accident with a tourist just a couple of weeks before, so we decided that inside was better than injured and we settled ourselves in our seats. The countryside was nice, but to be honest, was not really any nicer than we have got used to seeing daily in our normal bus journeys. The feat of engineering would be, we were sure, very interesting for train engineers or train fanatics, but we were quite happy not to fall into either of these categories. It was a pleasant ride, but not quite what we had anticipated. And, you can imagine, Michelin-Man dressed for the freezing cold on the roof, now sitting in the snuggly warm inside the carriage.........12 of the 15 layers came off one-by-one. We think my peeling off yet another layer provided more entertainment for our fellow passengers than the actual train ride.....oops! |
| Banos - home to wickedly hot thermal baths...... Banos is a town located in a valley of waterfalls and hot springs in the shadow of the huge (and very active) volcano Tungurahua, which stands at over 5000 metres. The town suffered as a result of a huge eruption of Tungurahua in 1999, and the surrounding countryside still has ask and lava covering its flanks. We thought we would risk it though, as it is also party town with loads to do like white water rafting, trekking, climbing volcanoes, bridge swinging (bit like bungee jumping) and eating really nice food in healthfood restaurants! It seemed like the perfect place to enjoy some rest as well as some adventure. John went off white water rafting while I was treated to a massage which was bought us as a wedding gift. The massage was SO good that I went back the next day and insisted that John did too. It was wonderful. We went twice to the thermal baths, which were wickedly hot (almost too hot) and allowed our muscles to truly relax. On our last day we hired a quad bike and rode an hour out of town to see some of the countryside, which was breathtaking. We got covered in mud as we enjoyed zooming through puddles trying to get the other one wet. It was great fun, extremely childish and hilarious. Did someone say we have to grow up?? |
| Our Final Blog - and what an end to our trip......The Galapagos Islands. A trip to the Galapagos Islands was never on our agenda. But, after hearing consistent comments from other travellers, we decided that we would stretch ourselves to go. The Galapagos Islands, for those of you who don't know, are a group of volcanically-formed islands off the coast of Ecuador where nature and animals can be observed in exceptional circumstances. Charles Darwin wrote his theories on the Origin of Species after visiting this unique place. We have not written any books, but we have come back with memories that will surely last us a lifetime. It was, quite simply, breathtaking. And here are some of the reasons why......... Where in the world can you get to swim with sea turtles, play with curious sealions under the water, spot manta rays, sting rays, sharks, fur seals, penguins, puffer fish and so many more we can't mention here.. Where in the world can you be walking along a path and have to stop to step over a baby sealion who is suckling from its mother...yes, literally step over them (or around them), but they show no intention of getting out of your way! Where in the world can you watch the remarkable Blue Footed Boobie birds demonstrating their mating dance with wings flapping and plodding feet and screeching noises that would wake the dead. Where in the world are you so surrounded by extraordinary nature that you really do not know where to look first (or middle, or last) Where in the world could I watch John being primed for an attack by a protective Male sealion after he got a bit too close to "the lady sealions". And, on top of all of this, pristine white sandy beaches, sunshine, good food from our on-boat chef and an experience that will never escape us. |