2002-2005 (c) GetJealous.com, All rights reserved. http://www.getjealous.com/andyjo/rss.xml We are off on an epic adventure from Siberia to Ecuador and the Galopagos islands. One sunny, spring day on the mean streets of Fishponds, we suddenly decided to stride out of our centrally-heated comfort zone to follow the winter (and autumn) round the globe (or at least as far as the aptly named 'chilly' Chile). Foolhardy or gutsy? You decide. Easter saw us getting to know the nice lady in STA, tracing our excited fingers across a glossy world map from permafrozen Russian tundra to some big mountains (Himalayas) and then some more big mountains (Andes) and a bit of beach to defrost at the end. (We are heading eastwards, rather than the opposite direction, as you gain a day facing where the sun rises. Apparently. How this would come into effect? We'll sure find out). We watched as STA Stef tapped our wild cartographic-jabbings onto her screen and worked her magic. We giddily stumbled out of the traveller's sweet shop clutching a bunch of cardboard flight tickets, with New Zealand and Easter Island thrown in for good measure, and a slightly unreal feeling. Making dreams a reality couldn't be that easy, could it? At last it is midwinter and we are finally off, with bags laden with Bridget Jones thermal underwear, Michelin man duvet jackets (let us know if they come anywhere near 'his' and 'hers' versions) and a mini hot water bottle (Thanks Santa!). First stop Moscow and vodka before the gulags (well, almost)... http://www.getjealous.com/andyjo http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=202116&go=andyjo Rolling green hills and low clouds along with our moist-eyed folks hugged us our big welcome back. We saved a special embrace for the washing machine and power shower. Mars Bars and English tea on English soil, added expressions of relief to our homecoming grins. To answer the most frequent question from friends, 'Which was our favourite country?'. None stands out alone, each was amazing ... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=202116&go=andyjo Fri, 6 Oct 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=192103&go=andyjo What does the world's highest active volcano look like? We don´t know, Volcan Cotopaxi, the formidable peak that looms two hours south of Quito, refused to show her face, keeping it masked behind a veil of clouds. We drove up to a sleet covered and forsaken basecamp carpark at 4600m and then mountain-biked down ash tracks and across a plateau on her flanks. She coyly peaked out from behind the clo... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=192103&go=andyjo Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=191747&go=andyjo At the equator line our shadows virtually disappeared as we cycled down a bumpy disused railway track. It felt really strange for that familiar, everpresent 'other' to vanish beneath our feet. We rode down on forest trails to the famous Saturday market at Otavalo. One spree later we hopped back on our freaky shadowless steeds and cycled a steep 14 kms to the crater lake at Cotacachi. A troupe of A... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=191747&go=andyjo Sat, 9 Sep 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=191000&go=andyjo The Galapagos. Awesome. Stunning. Paradise. Including snorkelling directly above and alongside (after getting a good lungful of air first) white-tipped reef sharks. The amount of fauna readily obvious to us ecotourists were at a quantity which induced disbelief. Especially at all the times when we were in the water watching turtles, penguins, rays, sealions, and thousands of fish u... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=191000&go=andyjo Wed, 6 Sep 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=187687&go=andyjo Volcan Tungurahua has been restless lately, and the town of Banos is smack at the bottom of the rumbling crater-topped mountain. Last week people had to be herded away from this town after Tungurahua gurgled a minor eruption, putting this Volcan on orange alert. People have been living there for several hundred years, as moths to the flame of natural hot springs (no need to guess what is heati... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=187687&go=andyjo Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=187686&go=andyjo We clambered onto the roof of a single carriage locomotive that heaved with gringos determined to chug down the famous 'El Nariz de Diablo' (Devil's Nose) switchbacks from Riobamba to Sibambe. The limited roof-space seethed with goose-pimpled limbs and chattering teeth as we set off in the morning chill. We had been promised steam and scary precipices galore. Far from being the hair-raising ride b... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=187686&go=andyjo Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=185584&go=andyjo We slumped in hammocks by the chlorinated watering pools of the tiny oasis of Huacachina (near Ica) surrounded on all sides by towering sand dunes. When we signed up for a dune buggy sandboarding trip, little did we know that the buggies fancy themselves as the big dippers of the desert. We plunged up and down near vertical dunes, which would give the likes of Alton Towers a run for its money. The... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=185584&go=andyjo Sun, 20 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183924&go=andyjo Aliens used to visit us, with thanks to the navigational lines at Nazca. That's one of the theories for their existence - the lines rather than the ilk of E.T. We semi-chartered a plane via another sweet-talking agency, and happily sat at the back with MHGS issue headphones, our delight coming from their nostalgic value than anything else. There seems to be three types; perfectly straight... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183924&go=andyjo Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183915&go=andyjo We spent two nights sleeping in bamboo and wattle huts in the impressive depths of Colca Canyon. Our twinkle-flip-flopped local guide Pedro, who looked just like the Pedros of childhood tales of South America, brought his hoss along for the trot, until he realised that we were too sturdy on our feet to wimp out onto hossback as soon as we met the first uphill stretch. He could not hide his disappo... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183915&go=andyjo Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183914&go=andyjo Kitted out with ice axes and crampons, we set out to climb the 6077m peak of Mount Chachani which along with the stunning cone of Volcan El Misti dominate the skyline near Arequipa. Our guide Jose was a true professional leading us at a snail´s pace up gruelling switchbacks to reach our basecamp at 5345m, where the air is even thinner than at Everest basecamp. We took tiny steps to conserve energy... http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=showdiaryentry&diary_id=183914&go=andyjo Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:00:00 GMT