My adventure began in Beijing and I passed the first test by clearing the swine flu temperature sensors at the airport! On the Sunday evening, the group met for the first time. Our guide is called Michael (not his real name, but the Chinese tour guides all choose English names for themselves when they are at uni) and seems very knowledgeable - he has been a guide for 8 years. He booked us a private dining area at a local restaurant where we had a feast including Peking Duck and beer for around 4 pounds...I am already liking this country!
The first day of the tour was my birthday and we climbed the Great Wall of China, definitely a memorable day. Although it could have been memorable for the wrong reason when the bus almost didn't get there! The journey takes around 3 1/2 hours and half way up a hill, the bus pulled over to one side and we were told there was a problem with the radiator which was overheating! Fortunately after waiting a while, we continued on. My first experience of a squat toilet was at the entrance...and to date is by far the worst, we had to run in and hold our breath the whole time as the smell was so disgusting!
Our guide Jerry clearly climbed the Wall all the time and was racing on ahead of us....I think we were far too slow for his liking as we kept stopping to admire the scenery and take pictures. It was overcast and not too hot which was perfect for climbing although not great for photos. Local farmers follow tourists along the route and then try and sell you something at the top...I drove a very hard bargain for my postcards...putting my work assertiveness training into practise! I really enjoyed the Great Wall though I don't think I could have done the entire thing which takes 3 months!
The next day was a free day so we decided to go and see the Summer Palace in Beijing. The city is massive, noisy and completely mental as far as traffic is concerned! Drivers pay no attention to pedestrian crossings - if you want to cross the road you pretty much have to walk out in front of 7 lanes of traffic, stopping in the middle of the road when you need to! I have no idea how but we managed to get on the right bus to the Palace from the subway station (we didn't tempt fate on the way back and got a taxi!) The funniest part was hiring pedalos and witnessing a near collision under the bridge between a large passenger boat and a man in a pedalo trying to frantically get out of the way!
Some of the group stopped off at the Olympic Stadium on the way back, though we didn't go in as our guide said it wasn't worth the admission price. Some Chinese people wanted to take pictures of us with the stadium in the background...I felt like a celebrity! At least they asked...we were highly amused by a police woman coming to sit by us on the subway and asking her colleague to take a picture of her with us "accidentally" in the background!
That evening we went to a kung fu show in Beijing. It was fantastic, so energetic and amazing to watch. We also got half price tickets, definitely an advantage of doing an organised tour.
The next morning we visited the Forbidden City and Tianenmen Square with a local guide. This is the real hub of the city with loads of Chinese tourists and security guards everywhere. Perhaps naively, I was surprised that no mention was made of the massacre. However, this is not like Cuba where if you ask in a discrete way, guides will tell you things the government doesn't want you to know.
We then visited one of the hu tongs - 800 year old districts just off the main Beijing roads which are like stepping into a completely different world. We went to an Intrepid supported charity for adults with learning disabilities which was a very humbling yet positive experience. All of the trainees there are taught new skills like making jewellery or greetings cards and then they earn a percentage of the profits when the items are sold. They did a performance of dance, drama and singing for us and got us to join in for the street dance section! Their enthusiasm and warmth was incredible and it was good to see a side of China that perhaps isn't widely reported.
That evening we boarded an overnight train to Xi'an and station was as crazy as the rest of the transport system. Some people looked like they had been there for days! People were pushing to get to the gates an hour before the train was due to depart. The concept of queuing is alien in China but my backpack is a good weapon against any queue jumpers! We were in a hard sleeper train which has six bunks to a carriage but no door...I was in the middle bunk. Fortunately the guys went up the top as there's no way my little legs would have reached that far...and there were no ladders!
We arrived in Xi'an early the next morning which is where I'll end for now as it's 36oC and I am rapidly melting!
We arrived in Xi'an on the sleeper train in the early morning. After a much needed shower, we headed out for a local speciality lunch of noodle soup with lamb. It was really nice. Xi'an is Michael's home town so he knows the best places to go. Some of us decided to go to the Wild Goose Pagoda and I got to use my international youth card for the first time. The taxi driver seemed to take pleasure in speeding up at the sight of any pedestrians crossing - I have learnt to keep my head down and not look!
Dinner was a really interesting experience - after walking out of one restaurant because the guy refused to come and take our order, we went for another Xi'an speciality of pork burgers and cold noodles (much nicer than they sound!). It was a definite local experience, sitting outside a tiny restaurant watching the Chinese people going about their day to day business. And 70p for dinner....you can't complain!
In the evening we went to watch a local dance and music performance which was based on the ancient dynasties. It was interesting to watch but I didn't enjoy it as much as the kung fu show. On the way back, we saw local people taking part in a mass open-air exercise class and choir performance. The city has a really nice feel to it, enclosed by the ancient walls, and there is always lots going on.
Our stop the following day was the Terracotta Warriers which was fascinating, as we learnt how in 1974 local farmers had come across the huge army by chance. Many people believe only a fraction has been uncovered so it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years. We saw the last surviving farmer doing a book signing and then a fake - another man who also claims to have discovered the warriers! The only part I would have changed was the order in which we visited the three pits of warriers- we went to the largest one first and it would have been better to save the best until the end. Lunch was an all you can eat (including beer!) buffet and we were feeling pretty smug when we discovered that other tour groups were paying nearly twice as much as us!
We went back to the noodle soup restaurant for dinner and had the local BBQ food which was great though we had to make a hasty exit when the people sitting next to us had their food delivered - it was so spicy that we couldn't stop coughing from the fumes and even the waiters were running for cover! Of course the family looked completely oblivious to chaos they had caused....they must have no taste buds left is all I can say!
By this time there was torrential rain outside so after a ten minute walk looking like drowned rats, we caught a bus to the nightclub. It was very cool and because we ordered a few (!) drinks, we got a VIP booth. Our dancing came to an abrupt end when several people in the group discovered some over-friendly locals! But it was a great evening and nice to go out as a group.
The following morning we were going to hire bikes and ride along the walls but it was still raining so we slept in instead. Which given the amount of vodka and grape juice (amazing by the way!) consumed was probably no bad thing! At midday it was time to take the next sleeper train, destination Chengdu....
After a surprisingly good sleep on the train, we arrived in Chendgu around 6.30am and got to our hotel to find our rooms weren't ready :( We were all really keen to get to the panda breeding centre, so after a super speedy change of clothes and first Western breakfast of the trip so far, we set off to see the pandas. It's better to go around 9am when they are being fed breakfast; after this they disappear for a while. It was a great experience to get close to them and watch them in a semi-natural environment. We also saw some babies that were only born 6 weeks earlier - it's hard to believe anything so small and fragile can grow to be so massive!
In the afternoon we headed to another temple as we had cards allowing us to go in free. It was ok but one temple starts to look like another after a while so didn't stay very long. In the evening we went for the local speciality of Sichuan hotpot, there's a gas powered large bowl in the middle of the table which is split up into two sections - non spicy and spicy. You wait for the liquid to heat up and then tip in whatever veg, fish, meat etc you want and wait for it to cook in front of you. The spicy side was quite tame to start with but one by one we started dropping out when it was getting seriously hot! It was a fun experience but not my favourite meal to date.
We only had one night in Chengdu so after a brief visit to the local cultural street which was really pretty, we headed back to the hotel ready for our next destination...the Giant Buddha at Leshan.
A short bus journey (by Chinese standards!) took us to Leshan, the site of the Giant Buddha. It was built over 1200 years ago on a clifftop to watch over and protect the three rivers that merge below. As it's a major tourist attraction, we were told to expect a big queue to climb down the steps to the bottom, but we almost had the place to ourselves. It's a spectacular site, especially as one of its toenails alone is bigger than a human!
After lunch we headed to the Emei Shen mountains, a sacred Buddhist site which was to be our base for the next three nights. Our rooms in Baguo Monastery were basic but at least had electricity - though the toilets were in a separate block and the shower was in what can only be described as a ramshackle shed! All part of the adventure though! During dinner at a local restaurant, we got a free street firework display courtesy of the neighbours, which was pretty impressive though their regard to health and safety alarmingly lacking! When we got back we discovered a cockroach in our room and I woke up in the night convinced one was crawling across my neck!
The next day we took a 2 hour bus journey along some very windy hills (thank goodness for travel sickness tablets!) before getting a giant cable car to the Golden Summit. It's the site of another temple - we had to wait a while to get some decent pics as it was very misty (and a little chilly). After a nice lunch recommended by our local guide, we set off on our 6km hike to another monastery for that night's accommodation. That meant packing all my overnight stuff into a small daypack which was quite a challenge for me as I'm not known for travelling lightly!
The walk was beautiful with some stunning scenery though we had to cross a section inhabited by monkeys. We were told to pack all our food etc inside our rucksacks as they grab anything visible. I had imagined they would be fairly scared of humans but when our local guide produced a catapult and a rock I began to get slightly alarmed! There was one section of narrow path where they were literally standing right by us watching us pass - including a mother and baby. My tactic was not to look at them and pretend it was an everyday experience! Unfortunately one of our group had a monkey climb up her back and grab a plastic bag from her rucksack - proving that walking sticks double up nicely as monkey weapons! I would love to have taken some pictures but was keen to get out as fast as possible and didn't want a monkey grabbing my camera.
Apart from that section, which fortunately was very short, the walk wasn't as bad as feared - even the last part (1200 steps up to the monastery) didn't seem too horrendous with the promise of a great dinner! The second monastery was more peaceful and remote that the first - though not without its share of monkeys. In our panic to avoid them coming in, we locked ourselves out at night but we managed to open the windows in one of the rooms from the outside and get in! Dinner was great - at a tiny restaurant called the Hard Wok Cafe run by a lovely lady called Betty. It's a favourite spot for Intrepid travellers and we got to leave her a message on the wall. Pancakes for breakfast the next day seemed very appealing...all we had to do was successfully negotiate our way past the monastery monkeys!
The next day started well...some delicious chocolate and banana (or balala as the Chinese would say!) pancakes courtesy of Betty. Just the tonic for a 12km walk (though this time the 1200 steps were going down!) We all opted for the longer walk as the shorter one was a repeat of the previous day's walk. Unfortunately we had to go past the monkeys again - it was much less eventful though of course they appeared as soon as the local guide put his rock down and said that was the end of the monkey section! We walked past local farmland and saw the much more rural side of China, as our trip so far has been dominated by huge cities. After stopping off for a great lunch (good food is a recurring theme!) we headed back to the Bagou monastery.
Luckily we all ate very well at lunchtime as dinner was the monk's food - for a pound you get all the rice and green vegetables you can eat. Though this is hardly an incentive when most of the vegetables were smothered in so much pepper I couldn't eat them! I definitely couldn't live on monk's food - there's some great vegetarian food around but green veg and rice definitely isn't part of it! I cheered myself up with a rum and raisin ice-cream bought from a local store :) Fortunately this night passed free from any cockroach incidents! We saw another Intrepid group who had just arrived there - they all look a lot older so I feel very lucky to be in my group.
We had a great local operator called Patrick who couldn't do enough to help us, arranging walking sticks, breakfast and laundry and even going to the shop especially to get us drinks during the monk's dinner. He also told us about his family and how he had broken the one child rule. He had to pay a fine of around 4000 pounds for having a second child. His wife had to hide in the mountains during her pregnancy because if the authorities found out, they would inject a needle into her which would kill the baby, even if it was literally about to be born. We were all really shocked to hear this but it was fascinating to hear someone speak freely against the government. Up to now no-one we have met has spoken like this.
Patrick waved us off the next morning as we caught the bus to Chongqing, an 8 hour journey. Sit near the back of the bus so you can't see the driving he said. When a local says that, you have to laugh....
A long bus journey (around 7 hours) took us to Chongqing. On the way we encountered the most bizarre experience to date... communal toilets....NOT nice! The bus driver kept us entertained by hooting roughly every 10 seconds even when there was no other vehicle around. We arrived in Chongqing to unbelievable heat and people everywhere - it's unofficially the biggest city in the world with a population of 37 million. The road system puts Spaghetti Junction to shame and there are huge tower blocks everywhere. Apparently waiting for a taxi would take over an hour but fortunately Michael flagged down a mini van to take us to our next destination...our cruise boat! The Intrepid brochure had really talked down the standard of the boat so we were pleasantly surprised (though there was no pool, as it held less than 200 passengers). After dinner, we looked around the central square and shopping area - the city looks much nicer at night lit up.
The first day on the boat began with an early musical wake up call...not my idea of a relaxing few days aboard! Meals were served at very specific times but the toast and coffee (unseen so far in China) made up for the ealy start. I sunbathed on the top deck and then after lunch we went on our first organised excursion to the local ghost town.and temple. It was hilariously bad! Michael had given us lots of information previously on Buddhism and the temples so we knew our guide was making everything up and treating it all as a game. The final straw was seeing beer being sold in the temple....very authentic! We all agreed the best part of the trip was the ski lift to and from the town!
The theme continued in the evening when we were treated to the delights of the boat entertainment show. When the commentator apologised for the standard of the dancing before the show started, I knew we were in for a treat! All the staff, from waitresses to cleaners, had been roped in to perform juding by the lack of enthusiasm and any talent whatsoever! That was the only "entertainment" on the boat which was disappointing, We were hoping for a disco or karaoke but the bar was empty each night - maybe the average age of the people on board had something to do with it.
The following day we had an even earlier start. We had continued sailing throughout the night so had reached the first of the Three Gorges. It was pretty enough, though there was so much mist that we couldn't fully appreciate it. Judging by the colour of the water, the Yangtze is very polluted and you wonder whether the mist ever lifts as much as some of the pictures advertising the area would suggest. We then went on our second organised excursion, which was by far the best. We took a smaller boat down one of the narrower sections of the river and then spent an hour bamboo rafting. We came back to a late lunch and then we entered the Three Gorges Dam. It is absolutely enormous (certainly puts locking on the Thames into insignificance) but very industrial and not at all attractive. We spent another amusing evening in the bar, this time watching the video of the cruise that had been put together by someone lacking basic camcorder skills! We seemed to have been deliberately edited out of the whole thing...perhaps they knew we were hardly going to buy it!
The next day was a half day on the boat before we disembarked at noon. But not before another organised excursion which again was pretty terrible! We saw the Three Gorges Dam from a good viewpoint but it was misty and the main drop off point was a building with a map of the site and then a shop selling overpriced bling to gullible tourists (not to our group I hasten to add!) I'm sure if this had been my first stop in China it wouldn't have seemed so bad, but given the authentically Chinese experiences we had witnessed so far with Michael, being part of the tourist herd didn't sit well at all.
We docked in Yichang where a local guide transferred us to our hotel just in time for another great lunch.....
Yichang was hot! Very hot! And despite a population of 2 million, there didn't seem to be any obvious tourist attractions so I found an internet cafe which would finally allow access to this site to begin the huge backlog of entries.
Dinner was at a family run restaurant just around the corner from the hotel, we tried the local speciality of spicy potato which was AMAZING, definitely one of the best dishes to date. Three beers and a lot of food later, the bill came to 2 pounds fifty! It's great having a guide as we eat in the most authentic places and know we aren't being ripped off for being Westerners.
There was just time the next morning to grab what I call a cheeky McDonalds meal...bad I know but I really fancied something Western. On the way there we witnessed a highly amusing demolition of a building with traffic going past in the midst of part of the building collapsing across the road! Good old Chinese health and safety! I was very excited about buying some pick and mix sweets for the train journey but promptly had them taken off me at the checkout....I guess there must have been a weighing facility somewhere though I never saw it!
We then boarded a train for a very long journey to Yangshuo. We were all excited about the soft sleeper carriages, as you get a door across the sleeping area so it's more private than soft sleepers and the most expensive way of travelling on Chinese trains. When we saw the state of the train it was obvious why we had the soft sleeper option - it was absolutely boiling, filthy, with no running water and disgusting toilets! We arrived at 5am to transfer to a hotel for a few hours sleep. We all piled into two twin rooms but the floor made a surprisingly good bed and to be honest was no harder than the average Chinese bed. A few hours later, we got a three hour bus to Yangshou, our last stop before reaching Hong Kong.....
Yangshou was immediately very likeable; surrounded by spectacular scenery and with a much more laid back vibe than the rest of China. After lunch we sampled some cocktails in a local Aussie bar. This was the first place we'd gone that was remotely Western and we couldn't walk around feeling like celebrities!
After some great cocktails we all went on a boat trip on the Li River in motorised bamboo boatds which was stunning. One of the couples in my group got engaged (congratulations guys!) This of course called for a celebration dinner and more cocktails...though the restaurant's version of some classic cocktails definitely had a Chinese twist. We met another Intrepid group who were travelling in the other direction - without being mean all I can say is I felt very fortunate to be in my group!
The next morning was an early start to begin our cycling tour - to avoid the crazy afternoon heat (though it was plenty hot enough at 8am). I almost ended up with a pink ladies bike but after realising I couldn't ride it at all (!) I opted for the mountain bike. The scenery was beautiful and we had lunch (great of course!) at a local farmer's restaurant. I decided to be lazy and not climb the Half Moon Hill as I was already ridiculously hot from cycling. There were a few hairy moments - out in the countryside was fine as there was a dedicated lane but the town centre was mental. People don't ride behind each other but alongside. We shot straight across the roundabout even though we could see buses coming to which I shouted to the group "just keep pedalling!" It honestly seems that this is the safest way to behave in China, if you are hesistant at all then you are definitely in trouble!
That evening we decided to take advantage of the wood-fired oven pizza restaurant and try flavoured TsingTao beer - the grape flavour was surprisingly nice. My chicken pizza was nice after I had removed the 100 or so red chillis from the top! Some of us then went to a brilliant outdoor show on the lake with the mountains as a backdrop. When I tell you it was directed by the guy who did the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, you might get an idea of what it was like. Thery use 600 actors and it's been showing to a crowd of 3000 for 5 years.
The following day was our last day in Yangshou which was a shame as I could definitely have stayed longer. I decided to try my hand at Chinese cookery (having gone on about it for long enough in this blog!) First of all we went to a local market to buy the ingredients - I was expecting to see some horrible sights and sure enough lying on a table with a huge hole in its middle was a dog. Its skin looked as if it had been roasted, almost like a hog roast. Fortunately we were cooking vegetable dumplings, kung po chicken and fried green beans with pork so our ingredients were much more normal.
The cooking class was really interesting though we cooked so much I couldn't eat it all! I definitely overdid the oil on the green beans though (serves me right for following instructions). We got copies of the recipes to take home so I look forward to trying to recreate them at home.
There was just time for some window shopping and a beer at a rooftop bar with brilliant views of the town before getting on a bus to Guilin and then transferring to our Hong Kong train. It was a sad evening as this was our last stop in mainland China and we also had to say goodbye to one of our group who was flying to Shanghai. But the bright lights of Hong Kong beckoned us.....
Reaching Hong Kong was a bit of an epic journey. After a long sleeper train and disturbed sleep due to Chinese people in our carriage feeling the need to shout at 5am, we arrived at Schenzen border crossing. Which means more filling of paperwork to say you don't have swine flu etc - waste of time as it all goes straight in the bin! A half hour train journey took us to Hong Kong followed by a subway journey then a walk to the hotel. Hong Kong may be busy but no-one is pushing past me with my backpack as my weapon!
Of course any long journey requires a good feed at the end of it so we had lunch near the hotel. Most of Hong Kong speaks English so we must have found one of the few places that didn't speak a word...nor could they understand Michael's Mandarin. Apparently she was speaking a very old fashioned form of Cantonese. We tried the local noodle soup and shock horror I didn't love it!
That afternoon some of us went shopping along Nathan Road before our last group dinner (sob). The pork curry was delicious but I didn't enjoy the pig's ear at all. At least I can say I tried it even though all I could think about was the fact I was eating ear! We spent our last night drinking beers and chatting about what a great time we'd all had - which seemed a good way to end a tour.
The next morning we went for dim sum - the English menu wasn't really much help, especially something described as "mud-crap" - so we opted for pointing at dishes other people were having. We had a small feast though I don't think I'll be eating dumplings and meatballs for breakfast every day!
I decided after so much food that a bit of culture was needed so went to the History Museum. I'd already been to HK in 2007 so didn't need to do the obvious sites like the tram again. The museum was really interesting and made me realised how ignorant my knowledge of world history is (early New Year's Resolution to read up when back in UK!)
The evening was spent watching the light show at the harbour and saying goodbye to the group but not before checking into my amazing 37 pound hotel with rooftop pool, triple shower and free shuttle bus! I was feeling very smug and wished I had stayed for more than one night. I also decided I liked Hong Kong a lot more second time around, even though the state of some of the buildings is shocking and hard to believe you're not in a third world country. But all good things must come to an end and so with that I boarded a flight to Hanoi to begin my South East Asia adventure....
There's no rest for this travelling girl! After finishing my first tour in China it was straight on to the next one, a 48 day tour of South East Asia starting in Hanoi. My first impression of Vietnam was how different it is to China; still busy but not crazily. Huge buildings have been replaced with low rise, French Colonial ones. The Old Quarter is so crammed with parked motorbikes on the pavement that you have no choice but to walk on the narrow streets along with seemingly half the world's fleet of bikes. There are also a lot of Westerners here so my days of feeling like a celebrity are probably over!
At breakfast on my first day in Hanoi, I met some girls from my group so we decided to spend the day together. Unfortunately Monday is a really bad day to be in Hanoi as most of the main attractions are closed. We explored the local market and sampled some Vietnamese food (first impressions not half as good as China!) We went to a nearby pagoda on the lake and bought some tickets for the water puppet show. Then it was time to meet our group; there are 14 of us in total doing a combination of trips and 7 of us will be doing the full length tour. We went our for our first group dinner and then tried the local home brewed beer - bia hoi - sitting on plastic chairs on street corners. It's 10 pence a glass but I didn't really like the taste.
The next day was supposed to be an overnight stay in Halong Bay on a junk boat but sadly a typhoon was forecast so we could only go for a day trip. It's a long way to go for a day - over 7 hour return journey. The weather was misty so we didn't get to appreciate the full beauty of the area which was sad. We returned to Hanoi in the evening and the crazy weather started...I met some friends from my China trip and we got dust blown all over us outside a bar then it promptly flooded when we moved inside!
The second day trip was to a temple and a boat trip along a river. The boating was brilliant - 2 or 3 of us in each boat being rowed by a local person and the scenery was lovely. Of course we couldn't escape before they tried to flog us various items but I am becoming an expert at firmly saying no! The temple was ok but I was getting temple fatigue having seen so many in China too. The water puppet show in the evening was really good.
On our final day in Hanoi we went to the Mausoleum area where you can usually see Ho Chi Minh'e embalmed body although he is out of the country being patched up at the moment. We saw his house, a very modest place in line with his communist thinking. We also went to the prison where Americans were held during the Vietnam War and saw some outfits belonging to John McCain. That evening, we caught a sleeper train to Hue. The mattress was like a rock but there is bar on the train which is good for card games etc. After an epic 2 hour card game, it was time for bed!
After breakfast and a freshen up, it was time to explore the historic city of Hue. The first thing that struck me was how hot it was - Hanoi was hot but without the blazing sunshine of Hue.It was too hot to walk far so we hired cycle taxis which drove us to the Citadel. Hue used to be the capital of Vietnam so there are some important buildings in the city. The thought of another pagoda didn't really appeal so in the afternoon we paid to use a nearby hotel's outdoor swimming pool and sun loungers which was lovely and we virtually had the place to ourselves.
In the evening we went to a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet as it played live music, the highlight of which was a lady playing what can only be described as a set of teacups. We took advantage of the 2 for 1 passion fruit cocktails at a backpacker's bar before going to a club which claims to open until the last person passes out!
A bus journey through some beautiful scenery and the former border between North and South Vietnam (before reunification) took us to the town of Hoi An.It's a very pretty town famous for its tailoring. We also stopped at the Marble Mountain close to Hoi An en route. We arrived around lunchtime and tried the local speciality of cao lau which is bowl of noodles and meat which was delicious (much nicer than I can describe!) Our guide took us to a local tailor where they can make anything to measure from a variety of materials. As I hardly get to wear the dresses I already own and I was totally lacking in imagination for what to get, I didn't get anything. A couple of us headed to Cargo Club which was recommended by some friends as having amazing desserts and I wasn't disappointed...as most of you will know, I have a very sweet tooth so I was like a little kid at Christmas feasting my eyes on all the cakes!
After a siesta, we had dinner at the Mr and Mrs stalls, each table is owned by a different person but they all serve the same food. I tried the white rose which are shrimp filled dumplings and then the deep fried wontons which are like nachos and delicious. We went for drinks at bar where a woman was rounding up people to take to a pool party. So much for an early night then! It was good fun although I was horrified by the number of annoying British guys there acting like football hooligans!
The next day we decided to go to the beach a couple of miles away as the town itself is quite small. It was the perfect way to relax after a late night although most of it was spent in the shade as I didn't want to resemble a lobster. After a group meal out, I managed to sneak in a second visit to Cargo Club for an amazing chocolate dessert! A few cocktails and several football matches later, it was time to head back for relatively early night by this tour's standards!
A 9 hour day train took us the town of Nha Trang accompanied by several mice, various insects and a local crowd fascinated by our card games. We arrived for a late dinner and then bedtime....too many late nights were finally catching up with us!
The next day the whole group took an optional boat trip on a fishing boat. It really didn't look big enough for 50 people but sure enough they crammed us - probably so they could laugh at us elbowing the person next to us with chopsticks at lunchtime! It stopped at a few places, including an aquarium and spot where you could snorkel. Having done it in the Great Barrier Reef, it didn't look anything much and when some of the girls came back with their feet cut and bites from things in the water I was very pleased I stayed on the boat!
After lunch it was time for Happy Hour - jump in the sea, grab a life ring and swim up to the floating bar for as many cocktails as you can drink! It was good fun although I did get kicked a few times by the crowd of people floating around. We met some Israeli people who taught us a card game called Yaniv, though I still maintain they made it up to confuse us foreigners!
After such a tough day (!) it was siesta time before heading out to sample Nha Trang's nightlife and more cocktail buckets! We went to the Sailing Club and were reunited with the Israelis minus the confusing card games.
Another bar later, it ended up being a very late night! The next morning was spent catching up on precious sleep time before having to check out of the hotel. We spent the afternoon on the beach before having dinner at a French bistro and boarding our overnight train to Ho Chi Minh City. It was probably the worst train so far, really dirty, freezing cold and none of the bedding had been changed so I was very glad to have bought a silk sleeping bag in Hue. At times like these I'm glad I've had all my vaccinations....
After surviving the rather grim train, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City tired and dirty at 4.30am with no hotel rooms to check in to :( We crashed out in the hotel reception and I managed to update my blog (getting really behind!) though if the entries don't make sense you know why! After getting some breakfast, we went to the Cu Chi tunnels which were created by the Vietnamese Army and used in the war. We saw some pretty impressive booby traps to injure American soldiers and also got to walk along a section of the tunnel which was very cramped and a little scary!
Afterward, the bus dropped us off at the War Remnants Museum. By this stage, we were being pretty hardcore travellers as we still hadn't showered or had any rest from our very short night's sleep! The Museum was really interesting though pretty gruesome in places, especially the images of dead bodies and disabilities caused by Agent Orange. The only negative point was the biased tone which kept referring to the "murderous Americans and their puppet soldiers". Although there is no doubt of the scale of the atrocities committed, it would have been good to hear both viewpoints. As Vietnam is a Communist country, this is pretty unlikely.
After dinner at a Mexican restaurant and a customary after dinner cocktail, I had an early night. It had been a very satisfying day; up to this point we'd spent a lot of time relaxing or on beaches so it was good to have a cultural day and learn more about Vietnam's past.
The Mekong Delta was our first chance to witness the rural, traditional way of the Vietnamese people. After a bus journey, we were met by our guide Nam and boarded the boat to explore the waterways. We had lunch at local family's house who wanted us to share a toast of rice wine with them...this set the scene for the rest of the Mekong experience where drinking rice wine features prominently! In the afternoon, we had a number of excursions to a brick factory, a bonsai garden and a smaller boat trip (which I was convinced was going to tip up!) We got to feed some crocodiles by dangling meat to them on a bamboo stick....I had a fight with my crocodile and a girl had to come to my rescue to stop the stick flying into the water! We seemed to stop every half hour to eat tropical fruit and drink more rice wine (which is pretty vile stuff!)
In the evening and after a 20 minute walk in the pouring rain, we arrived at our homestay. I was amazed to see an internet terminal with about 20 computers and several pool tables; it wasn't quite what I was expecting from a homestay. Our accommodation was a row of beds that resembled cots, fortunately with mosquito nets as bugs were everywhere. After dinner and more rice wine, our tour guide produced a quiz for us. We won the first two rounds which wasn't necessarily a good thing as it meant yet more rice wine! Our team narrowly lost and we felt cheated as 5 extra points were awarded to the team with the best name (I'm not known for being a good loser!) I came back from the internet to find that our group had got Nam completely drunk on rice wine and he had passed out in a hammock!
The next day Nam seemed surprisingly ok and we set off to see a popcorn and sweet factory. The heavy showers from the day before continued as we passed a floating market. We then headed back to Ho Chi Minh City which gave us a chance to see the Reunification Palace, the Post Office and the Cathedral where a wedding was taking place.
As it was out last night in Vietnam, our guide wanted to take us a restaurant set in a colonial style building which was very popular with the locals. Unfortunately we arrived (again in the rain!) only to discover that it had moved..fortunately not too far away! My dinner was fine but other people weren't so lucky...one guy ordered steak and chips and the steak never arrived despite constant asking. Afterwards we went to a bar before heading back around midnight as we had an early start the next morning, It was time to say Goodnight Vietnam, Hello Cambodia....
We were up early to catch the public bus to Phnom Penh which luckily boarded opposite our hotel. After putting our luggage underneath, we were told the bus was delayed so we all dispersed...when one of our group came running into the hotel telling us to get our luggage off as it had been put on the wrong bus!
Fortunately, with luggage safely on the right bus, we arrived at the Cambodian border without any more incidents. I already had a visa to avoid any confusion/bribery attempts (Cambodia is one of the world's most corrupt countries and the amount they can charge you for a visa depends on what mood they're in) but definitely went to the wrong guy....he must have been hungover as he just sat there staring at my passport and looking confused for ages before finally letting me in. But not before we had a manky temperature gauge stuck in our ear to check for swine flu...if I didn't have an ear infection before, I probably had one now!
With all the group safely in Cambodia, we re-boarded the bus and continued to Phnom Penh, crossing a river on a ferry. It absolute mayhem outside...cows, naked children, beggars, about 1000 chickens on the back of a lorry not to mention about 20 children selling fruit surrounding everyone who got off the bus. I wasn't that desperate for pictures! The roads are dangerous and I was glad to be on a large vehicle. I was shocked when the bus hit a scooter with three people on it (they were riding too close to the side and flew off into the ditch) and didn't stop. I really hope they were ok.
We arrived in Phnom Penh and got tuk tuks to the hotel...these are motorbikes with almost a small covered carriage on the back of them (not that luxurious though). I was slightly alarmed for my rucksack every time we went round a corner but I probably should have been more concerned by trying to cross three lanes of oncoming traffic! We went for pre-dinner drinks at the Foreign Correspondents Club which is a lovely colonial building and has some great views of the city (until it started raining again!) We went for dinner at a restaurant called Friends which helps local street children - I had pumpkin and feta cheese pie which was delicious and the service was brilliant. Afterwards we went to the Heart of Darkness club which is a mix of Westerners and locals...some of better repute than others!
The following morning was pretty harrowing as we visited S21, the school Pol Pot took over to torture and imprison thousands of Cambodians, and the Cheung Ek Killing Fields. Our guide's father was murdered by the Khmer Rouge but he will never know exactly what happened to him. At the killing field, there is a mass shrine to the victims with hundreds of unidentified skulls inside. You can freely take pictures, which I found a little disturbing. I don't think I'd want a relative's skull to be part of a foreigner's holiday snaps. I'm really glad we visited the sites - although it was far from a pleasant experience - as I don't think you can go to Cambodia without appreciating how much the people have suffered and so comparatively recently (late 1970s).
In the afternoon we visited the Royal Palace which was stunning. It was better than I expected, which echoes my feelings about Cambodia in general. All I really knew about Cambodia was that it's a really poor country and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. I would really recommend visiting as the people are very welcoming and it has a lot to offer.
Unfortunately we only had one full day in Phnom Penh so after dinner at Mount Everest Indian restaurant, it was time to pack our bags for another long bus journey to Siem Reap...
Another long journey on a public bus (surrounded by some locals with serious BO issues!) took us to Siem Reap. On the way we stopped at the Cambodian equivalent of a service station where some of the group tried fried tarantulas. I wanted to try it but just looking it them freaked me out!
We had a short orientation walk of Siem Reap which conveniently ended up at a local bar with pool tables! At dinner I tried the local dish of Khmer curry which was sooo nice, definitely one of the best meals in South East Asia so far. We didn't stay out after dinner as we were supposed to be leaving at 4.30am the next morning to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
And then the rain started.
We saw on BBC World News that the coast of Vietnam, where we had been only a week earlier, had been hit by a tornado and that it was heading for Cambodia and Laos. Needless to say, the 4.30am start was off as was the hot air ballooning over Angkor Wat. Luckily our guided tour still went ahead but it was pouring all day and unfortunately my pictures (and the weather) don't do the place justice. I enjoyed it but it's hard to fully appreciate it when even with a raincoat and umbrella, you are still getting wet. I also nearly lost the rest of the group as they took a different exit when I was busy taking photos and they were all waiting in the bus for me...the local guide looked distinctly unimpressed! Oops!
That evening we got tuk tuks from the hotel (as the roads were completely flooded by this stage) and went to Temple Bar to see some traditional apsara dancing. The women dance really slow and bend their hands and fingers almost in a hypnotic fashion. We stayed out late as the bar had a dancefloor and played some great music.
The next morning, four of us took a tuk tuk to the Landmine Museum. It was 20km out of town but after an hour, we were beginning to think the driver had got confused and wanted to take us to the Thai border! Finally we got there and I'm really glad we went because it is another slice of Cambodian history and a huge current issue - Cambodia has the third highest rate of landmine victims in the world. It told the story of a Cambodian man who has single handedly made safe more than 50,000 landmines. As a child, he planted them under the Khmer Rouge regime and now dedicates his time to finding them. The museum complex also houses around 20 children who have been orphaned by landmines.
I spent the afternoon walking in the Siem Reap flood waters along with the local children, who seemed to be having the best time ever, especially when they could splash a car or truck attempting to drive through the river of water! I went back to the restaurant we were at the first night as their Khmer Curry was so good! After a very late night, I was ready for bed as we had an early start the next day to get to Bangkok....
Getting to Bangkok seemed to involve as many different types of transport as possible. We got a minibus to the public bus, then once we arrived at the border got tuk tuks to the next public bus followed by taxis to the centre of Bangkok. Thailand immediately looked more wealthy than Cambodia though the smell of fish as we crossed the border wasn't particularly welcoming!
We were in Bangkok for three nights and return for three more nights later in the trip so it was a real chance to relax and not worry about having to cram in everything. We had an included trip to the Royal Palace which was beautiful although boiling hot as we were told to wear full length trousers and covered shoes..they are very strict about dress code. It seemed a bit over the top as the current king has never lived there. Thai people are completely besotted with their Royal Family and anyone who openly disagrees can be put into prison....so needless to say our guide was very enthusiastic about them!
Our hotel was located really close to Kao San Road which is the main tourist area and comes alive at night, with neon signs, bars, clubs, night markets and people trying to sell you tickets to all sort of unsavoury Bangkok shows!
Some of our group were leaving the trip in Bangkok which was sad so we made sure there was plenty of time to play pool and hang out with them before they left (we'll miss you girls!) We also picked up two new people who I hope will find it ok - it must be hard joining a group who have already been together for 3 weeks.
By our last day in Bangkok, I was feeling a bit guilty for being so lazy so decided to head out with some of the others to the canal for a boat trip to the central area. It's like a public bus but you have to be very quick at jumping off at your stop as they don't hang about! Fortunately we were ok as we were going to the last stop. As it had been raining, it was hardly a leisurely trip and the tarporlin was brought up to cover the sides so we wouldn't all get soaked! We got off near a very modern shopping centre and decided to go and see "The Time Traveller's Wife", partly because we were curious to see the montage to the King where you have to stand up and pay your respects while they play cheesy music over some footage of him! I was struggling not to burst out laughing as it was hilarious...I can't imagine it catching on in the UK!
When we got back, it was time to grab a quick curry from the street stalls around the corner from the hotel before boarding our overnight train to the Lao border. It was different to the others as it had no private compartments but it wasn't too bad apart from being way too hot and the conductor shouting "Good Morning!" really loudly at 6am!
As we crossed the Thai border, we entered my fifth country on my travels so far - Laos. After a short wait for our visas to be processed, we got minivans for the short journey to the Lao capital, Vientiane. The fact that I hadn't realised we were in a big city when we got to the hotel probably sums it up rather well. I'm sorry to say it's by far the worst place I've been to on this trip so far. Vientiane isn't ugly or dangerous - there's just nothing there. Our tour company describes it as the "most relaxing capital city in the world" which should read as "the most boring". I thought Managua was bad but Vientiane may yet scoop the prize....
After lunch and a short walk around the city, I had an afternoon nap as I was pretty tired from the lack of sleep on the train. In the evening, we went to restaurant serving the local dish of larp which is minced meat or fish served with rice. It was lovely but I had to wait over 20 minutes for the accompanying rice and ask at least four times. After that we went to a swanky hotel where we hired a private karaoke room which was hilarious, especially when some of us decided to sing "Barbie Girl" and "Wannabe" very badly (in our defence we couldn't hear ourselves!)
There is an 11pm curfew in Vientiane so the streets are deserted and if you want to stay out longer, you have to go to the bowling alley! We played some pool and some of the group bowled which I refused to take part in following my world record low of 13 last year!
The next day some of us went to the local temple and checked out the five or so shops we could find....the prices were not to our liking though, Laos is definitely more expensive than anywhere else on this trip so far. After lunch I decided some culture was needed so went to the National History Museum which was shockingly bad. One girl had written in the visitors book "the most disappointing museum in South East Asia" and I would agree so far. It was very run down and there wasn't much information at all; it mainly consisted of lots of black and white photographs with a sentence describing the photo.
After an hour I'd exhausted the delights of the museum so joined some of the girls at a hotel where you could pay to use their pool and sun loungers. Unfortunately it was rather like the museum and looked like it hadn't been touched for 50 years!
I was looking forward to dinner as it was at a NGO place which was linked to the Friends restaurant in Phnom Penh. Unfortunately it was closed so we went to a French run place instead and then for drinks at a rooftop bar. It wasn't a late night as we had already exhausted the post 11pm activity the night before!
A packed and rather squashed public bus took us to our next stop in Laos, Vang Vieng. It's famous for one thing - tubing but more on that later. As soon as we arrived, we hired bikes and cycled a few miles to a lagoon. The bikes were hardly top of the range and the ground was so bumpy that I was riding like a 100 year old woman propping up the rear! The lagoon was freezing but well needed after a seriously sweaty bike ride there. It was good to see the rural, traditional way of the Laotians which is a far cry from the tourist hub of Vang Vieng just a couple of miles away.
In the evening we went to an Indian restaurant where I had the strangest curry and naan bread of my life! Then we went to a few local bars and one called the Sunset Bar which had hammocks and bonfires. The nightlife is solely designed for Westerners and I can't believe how many Brits there are in South East Asia.
After a lie-in, the next day it was time for tubing - basically a pub crawl along the river using inflatable tubes to get between bars. I wasn't that impressed at first as the bars were far too close to each other - there seemed to be a minimal amount of tubing actually taking place! I nearly completely overshot one bar due to my lack of paddling ability - fortunately the guys who throw the ropes are brilliant throwers otherwise I would have lost my group! Some of the bars had ziplines or crazy water slides that needless to say I didn't go anywhere near!
The best bit was at the end as we had a long float down the river from the last bar. Some of the girls and I managed to persuade an American guy who we adopted into the group for the day to latch onto his tube so we could travel in convoy and avoid any mishaps! We got back just before it got dark which was lucky as the last part is shallow with loads of rocks underneath which are pretty painful when you catch yourself on them.
That evening we went to an organic restaurant then for a couple of drinks - it was a reasonably early night as we were all tired from our exertions on the river that day!
Laos isn't the easiest place to get around. Our guide had hired minivans to avoid any more public buses but we all had to pile on a minibus to take us to the minivan! It was another cramped journey though I got to sit in the front with the driver (the benefits of being little!) which was fine until he wanted to change gear! The scenery along the way was beautiful.
When we arrived in Luang Prabang, we had a quick orientation walk around the town. It's a small place and is mainly known for its scenery and the large population of monks who process along the main street accepting offerings from people every sunrise. You probably won't be surprised to hear I didn't fancy getting up that early - and we had such an early start to leave Luang Prabang that we caught a glimpse of them anyway on our last morning.
We had an included trip to a waterfall and bear enclosure the next morning. Unfortunately as seems to be the case with our included trips, we had just seen the bears when the heavens opened. I took shelter under a canopy and didn't fancy the walk to the waterfall in those conditions. When some of the group came back with leeches attached to them, I was very glad I hadn't gone!
This was our last stop in Laos before crossing the border to northern Thailand. I have to say Laos has probably been my least favourite country so far. It's very beautiful but there isn't a massive amount to see and do for someone like me who gets bored quite easily.
Getting from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai was the longest journey ever! First we got tuk tuks from the hotel to the jetty. Five minutes later I had a sudden panic that I had left my passport on the hotel bed - the tuk tuk driver got my bag down from the roof and fortunately it was in there! The steps down to the jetty were steep and the last part was really muddy - I had visions of me and my backpack going headfirst into the river! There were four people to each boat which was basically a motorised canoe. They gave us lifejackets and helmets and then we were off at high speed. For 7 hours! It was quite good fun and the scenery was amazing though I was too scared to get my camera out. It was also very cramped in the boats - I definitely wouldn't have liked to travel like that with strangers!
After a few stops along the way at wooden shacks (including one for lunch), we arrived at the pier. We got a tuk tuk to the nearby town to exit Laos then a boat across the river to enter Thailand. It was pouring and our luggage was getting soaked - fortunately the rain held off when we were on the canoes.
Finally we got a minivan to Chiang Mai which was about another 5 hours. I got lucky again and got a seat in the 4x4 as the driver wanted a little person at the front. Unfortunately he didn't seem to know where he was going and we went about 25 minutes down the wrong road meaning we had completely lost the group in the minivan! They had to wait for ages whilst we caught up with them. We had a stop for dinner which was fairly awful - no-one got anything resembling the description on the menu - and finally around 10pm we arrived in Chiang Mai, completely exhausted and very glad the journey was actually over!
We had almost three full days to explore Chiang Mai and the surrounding area. The first day, some of us explored what is Thailand's second city. There aren't too many obvious attractions apart from a wealth of temples. I was amazed at how quiet the city is - I thought we must have completely bypassed the centre but on the map we had walked right through it! We saw some river cruises which looked interesting but it wasn't clear where they started from or how to get there.
That evening we went to a Muay Thai (Thai boxing) show. I was keen to see how it compared to the few moves I had learnt in my body combat class back home....it looks nothing like it and is a lot more physical with some pretty dirty tactics! There was a British guy competing who recovered from getting kicked to the floor within the first five seconds to win his fight. The ladyboy waitress seemed to take a shine to Russ (our tour leader) which we had a good giggle about! I wouldn't dream of going to a boxing match back home but wanted to see what is a big part of Thai culture.
The next day was time for quad biking and white water rafting. Having done quad biking before in the Aussie outback and been useless, I decided to be a passenger this time. It was great fun though we were stopped from going very fast.....I think the operators had sussed out early on that we were going to be a bunch of maniacs! My driver (you know who you are!) decided it would be hilarious to go through every single puddle at full speed so whilst everyone else got slightly dirty, we were covered in mud! Fortunately I had worn old clothes so it didn't matter..and actually it was very funny!
After lunch it was rafting time! I had been wanting to do it for a few years even though I was a bit scared. The first few minutes was like being on a water ride at a theme park and I was thinking this is a bit tame....when suddenly the rapids appeared and our guide was shouting "get down!" which means jump inside the boat and hold on for dear life! It was absolutely brilliant and I was screaming like a little kid! At one point we got completely stuck between two rocks and our guide had to lever us out. No-one from our boat fell in which was good as other boats were less fortunate!
In the evening we walked around for ages trying to find a restaurant (the centre of Chiang Mai is eerily deserted) and after a wander around the night market and a giggle at the Thai Spice Girls performing, it was time for bed.
Our final day in Chiang Mai was spent at a cooking school on an organic farm. We went to the local market which was a lot less traumatic than the one in China and then began cooking a feast. We cooked so much that there was enough for lunch and dinner...which was great as we could eat it on our overnight train. I had a slight mix up with the salt and sugar and wondered why my pad thai sauce was tasting so disgusting! I made green curry, pad thai, tom yam soup, chicken with cashews nuts and mango with sticky rice. We had a great time there and hopefully I can practise some of the recipes when I eventually get back home.
After our Jamie Oliver moment, it was time to board the overnight train to Bangkok which was a lot nicer than the train to Laos....cleaner with bigger beds. Unfortunately the lights are kept on all night so although you have a curtain, a lot of the light still shines in. I didn't get much sleep so was ready to jump into bed as soon as we arrived in Bangkok early the next day!
We were back in Bangkok for another two and a half days. i had a pretty lazy first day but went out in the evening as it was some of the guys last night - we also met another Tucan trip who were travelling northbound and went for dinner with them. After several buckets on the street corner and one of the girls having to be taken home after being spectacularly sick all over the street (!) we went to a bar for a much needed boogie!
The next day was an early start as some of us had booked a trip to the River Kwai area. Unfortunately the bus ride there was horrendous and I was really sick. The trip took us to a war cemetery, a museum, the Bridge over the River Kwai, a waterfall, an elephant ride, bamboo rafting and finally a railway journey on the Death Railway. We definitely packed a lot in that day! It was really good - I'm glad I got to go elephant riding after deciding against it in Chiang Mai. It wasn't that comfortable and I looked like I was hanging on for dear life so the short ride was definitely the right option! The guys who work there ride them bare back without holding onto anything which is scary to watch. They had taught the elephants to kick a football which was funny. It was a really enjoyable and action packed day. In the evening we found a lovely outdoor bar with chaise lounges that was showing all the different football matches on separate screens - South East Asia is undoubtedly the place to watch Premiership football!
The next we decided to explore another part of the city by taking a high speed river boat then boarding the skytrain, passing many of Bangkok's financial buildings. We got off at a park which had a lake and the guys decided to hire a duck paddle boat...I was content to sit on the bank laughing at how funny they looked! It was time to come back and grab an early (and final) street stall curry and a quick stock up at Boots before boarding our overnight train to Surat Thani. Unfortunately it wasn't like the last Thai train and I ended up with a top bunk again with the light shining right into my bed.
After the train, a quick stop for breakfast, a minivan ride, a ferry and another minivan ride, we finally arrived at Koh Samui around midday. We had lunch at a bar run by a British guy (they get everywhere!) and then headed for the beach. It was too hot to sit in the sun so I relaxed in the shade and was kept entertained by an ice-cream seller trying to serenade me and one of the girls who wanted to bury my feet in the sand!
Afterwards we went for dinner at an italian restaurant. It was a bit of a walk from our hotel because as Russ explained, prices in Koh Samui are a lot higher than we have been used to on the trip. The place seems to come to life a bit more at night - i think we were definitely there during off-peak season as it seemed very quiet during the day with hardly anyone in restaurants/cafes/shops etc. Some of the group went out afterwards but I was really tired from lack of sleep on the train (and also feeling a bit sick from by far the worst pina colada of my life!)
The next morning i hit the beach again. I'm not normally much of a beach person but after such a hectic schedule, it was nice to relax for a bit plus none of the day trips to the rest of the island really appealed that much. It was a good thing i decided to leave early afternoon as despite being in the shade, I had unknowingly ended up getting sunburnt! That evening we went to a more local restaurant which served really good and cheap Thai food. The other Tucan group had recommended the Ice Bar some of us went there...it was good fun though quite expensive and not the sort of place you can stay long when the temperature is -7C! i think it was worth it for the comedy hats, ponchos and gloves they gave us!
For our last day on the island, i had planned on doing a boat trip with snorkelling and kayaking but it didn't work out so i spent a couple of hours updating my blog, more time searching for that elusive bikini (i am not paying 100 pounds that's for sure!) and then went to the beach for the final few hours. After dinner (a very hot red thai curry!) we went to an English pub as the guy on the door always gave us a smile everytime we walked past and then some of us went to a ladyboy show at a bar close to the hotel. It wasn't as sleazy as I thought and was pretty entertaining though I decided to leave when they started mentioning the word "tip". Which was probably just as well as the others didn't come back for another 6 hours!
Reaching our first stop in Malaysia was almost as epic a journey as the one from Laos to Thailand! We had to leave at 6.45am - some of the girls had almost done an all nighter and were still asleep at departure time! We got a minivan to the ferry, had 1.5 hours on the ferry and then got a 5 hour bus to the border with Malaysia. We didn't stop anywhere serving proper food so had to eat snacks all day. As usual with border crossings, we had to get our passports stamped to leave Thailand, get back on the bus for a few minutes before getting off again to enter Malaysia. We had to put our bags through security and then boarded another bus to take us to Penang. The driver was a complete lunatic (even by South East Asian standards) and seemed intent on trying to kill us all by not stopping at roundabouts and swerving in and out of the lanes.
We finally arrived in one piece around 9pm. We were going to go for curry but it was getting late so we went to an open air food market and I took the recommendation of my local expert and tried the laksa which is a shrimp noodle soup. It was ok but I'm not sure I'll be rushing to eat it again.
The next day was a free day to explore the island although most of the group decided to go around together at Russ's suggestion. First we went to the Chocolate Boutique where they were very keen for us to sample as many flavours as possible. As we'd not long had breakfast, it didn't take long for me to start feeing sick! Then we did a walking tour around the ethnic quarter - my first impressions weren't great and it looked scruffier than i had imagined. We were going to go up the Tower but it was closed, I wasn't too concerned though as i knew the one in KL would be much better. We got a public bus to Penang Hill to ride the funicular to the top. Although we had timed tickets, no-one seemed to be checking them so the queue was a free-for-all and complete chaos! We pretty much had to push our way on to make sure we could all stay together. Fortunately it was more chilled out at the top with great views across to the city and sea below.
Afterwards I decided to do another heritage walk as it looked like we had missed out the main colonial areas of Penang earlier in the day. I was really glad to do this because I saw some great landmarks like the fort, the waterfront and the town hall. In the evening we went to an indian restaurant - one of the best things about Malaysia is its cultural diversity and how peacefully all the different religions and cultures co-exist. Some of the group decided to go out afterwards but i was determined to finally beat my connect 4 and mao mao arch-rival!
We left Penang at the very civilised time of 10.30am and arrived in the Cameron Highlands around mid afternoon. Thank goodness for travel sickness tablets as the roads were very bendy as we ascended into the hills. We arrived to pouring rain so us ladies decided to treat ourselves to high tea at a local hotel we had seen advertised. We turned up soaking wet and looking like something the cat had dragged in...hardly the image we wished to portray! Fortunately the hotel staff were lovely and showed us to our table - we were the only diners! We were treated like celebrities and had an absolute feast...some dishes better than others, the real low point was the pink coloured slime on a plate! We stayed for as long as the rain carried out and we even offered a tour of the hotel by the manager - i was tempted to ask if this could be extended to include free accommodation as our hotel in the Highlands was definitely the worst so far. It smelt musty and in trying to work out how to use the shower, we had water pouring in from a hole in the wall!
That evening the guys ate a chinese buffet but because we had just stuffed our faces, we had to watch whilst it was their turn to do the same! Some of the group went to watch the football that evening but I decided to have a quiet night in.
The following day was our included half day trip which we all decided to extend to a full day. First we all piled into a 4x4 and drove for 45 minutes to reach our off roading area. Then came 20 minutes of being thrown around off roading! We joined up with another group and went for a hike in the jungle....and i was being to regret wearing my jeans. It was a nice walk although i nearly went flying in the mud several times , especially when climbing up to see the rafflesia flower. They are only in bloom for 10 days before rotting away so the guides are constantly on the lookout for new flowers to show the tourists. It was impressive...though I'm not sure I would have said that if I'd fallen backwards in the mud! We went to a waterfall where we could go swimming though I'd forgotten my stuff so became the designated photographer instead. Then we went to a local village where they demonstrated a traditional blow pipe and we could walk around and see another side of Malaysian culture.
By this time we were all starving and it was at least another 45 minutes in the 4x4 before lunch. We finally ate at Boh tea factory - naturally i had to have another scone and jam to compare it to the previous day's! We had time to walk around the outside of the factory and see the beautiful tea plantations - it's how I imagine Sri Lanka though I've never been there. it was raining by this stage and was cool - very British weather! Our next stop was a butterfly farm though half the butterflies were dead or dying...the collection of toads and frogs was much more interesting. Our final stop was a stawberry farm where we tried the local fruit mixed with ice cream and chocolate sauce. it was then time to head back to our hotel. We all went out for an Indian - I had a mixture of curries and vegetables on a banana leaf. Some of us then went to watch the football....Liverpool v Man Utd...what a rubbish game! The lads stayed on until 2.30am to watch Arsenal v West Ham but I'd seen enough football for one night!
We left for KL early the next morning and arrived around midday. I immediately liked the city and thought it had a nice feel to it. We couldn't check into our rooms when we arrived so we went to Times Sqaure shopping centre which has an indoor theme park - the more i saw of it the less i wanted to go inside plus i was hungry, so the Jolster and i did a runner in the direction of McDonalds (!) and then went to find the KL Tower. This was a mission. You'd think it would be easy to find the entrance to one of the tallest buildings and most famous landmarks in KL but we walked almost a complete circle with no sign of it. in the end, we entered via a forestry building..possibly the first people ever to do that! We went up to the observation tower - you get mp4 players which tell you what to look out for and a little of the city's history. included in our ticket price was entrance to an animal centre on the ground floor and a Formula One racing car game (right up my street....) The animal centre was a bit strange, the guys who worked there were trying to get a reaction out of a snake by placing it on top of the glass cage and dangling a dead mouse in front of it! i didn't like seeing a chained up monkey at all. It seemed a little bit random to have such a place at the botttom of a tower!
When we got back to the hotel we were able to check in and i finally got my own room for two nights :) We went to Chinatown for dinner and ate from the street stalls....this is the cheapest way of eating in KL as restaurants are expensive. Then we went to see the Petronas Towers - i have to say they are far more impressive (and beautiful) lit up at night than during the day when i found them quite ugly. We decided to have an early night as we had a busy day planned the next day.
i didn't get up as early as planned...but this was because we had seen the night before that the viewing platform of the Towers isn't really that high up and certainly not as good as the KL Tower. We headed off to the Aquarium which apparently is the world's largest - it was really good, especially the long tunnels where the sharks swim right above you. The Aquarium is part of the Petronas Towers complex so after lunch in front of the lake, we decided to see if there were any standby tickets or cancellations for the viewing platform as we had a tip-off this might be possible. And sure enough....after a bit of waiting and an attempt to fob us off into the wrong room, we were handed passes to get in with the next group. What a result...no queue and no early start! They claim to hand out all the tickets at 8am each morning with allocated times but some people obviously decide not to come back - or they don't allocate them all in the first place. After a short video advertising the company, it was time to go up...you only get 5 minutes up there so it was a case of running around and taking as many pictures as possible.
Afterwards we got the underground to the central area which contains the mosque and some historic buildings as well as the huge flagpole with the Malaysian flag proudly blowing in the wind. We walked back to our hotel and short while later headed out for dinner with the rest of the group - we went to an Indian nearby as it was cheap. i loved my meal....listening to the local expert paid off although some of the other meals looked horrible! The overwhelming smell of rubbish and seeing several rats running around the place made us eat up and leave rather quickly. Some of us went back and had some rice wine on the patio before heading to the Beatles Bar in Chinatown. It had cheap beer and karaoke so got a definite thumbs up from us! i picked "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie and luckily the Jolster came to my assistance as i realised i perhaps didn't know the song as well as i thought! It was a really fun night especially when Orla picked "Sweet Dreams" assuming it was the Eurythmics song then spent 3 minutes singing a completely different song! It was time to say goodbye to Limmy again as she was off properly this time...have fun in Africa!
We caught the bus to Melaka from KL at around 3pm - of course the heavens decided to open as soon as we were leaving the hotel so we all dashed into taxis! It's only around two and a half hours from KL which is nothing considering the distances we have been covering up to now. We had a walking tour of the town before dinner and again, it's an instantly likeable place which looks a little bit like Hoi An in Vietnam. There are loads of places to eat and a real fusion of different cultures including Portuguese, English and Chinese. After dinner everyone headed back to the hotel - I think the lack of sleep and constant travelling after 6 weeks is starting to take its toll!
The next day and after a very decadent breakfast of a massive banana pancake and ice-cream, some of us headed out for a boat trip on the river. It was interesting though a lot of the historic buildings are set back from the river. Afterwards, we went to the Maritime Museum complex - one entrance fee gets you into three museums. The first museum was a replica of a Portuguese ship and the second was the Maritime Museum which brought back distant memories of Spanish and Portuguese history classes! The third museum was dedicated to the navy and was really boring.
We then explored more of Melaka on foot, including the Chinese quarter with some beautiful buildings and engravings, and some sites associated with the independence from Britain - an old car used during the procession is still there. We walked up to the top of the hill and got some great views across the city. There is a church at the top which seems to be taken over by buskers!
That evening the rain came back...and through our bathroom ceiling! As it was our last night in Malaysia (sob!) I opted for the Malaysian chicken curry at dinner. The waiter told me they didn't have any - so I had to settle for kung po chicken instead which was horrible! I think the moral of the story is don't order Chinese food outside of China as it will invariably be bad! Some of us went for a drink afterwards though the alcohol consumption has dramatically reduced since leaving Thailand as Malaysia is pretty expensive by South East Asia standards. Also as it's a Muslim country, I have been dressing a lot more conservatively with no short skirts, bare shoulders etc.
The next day we had an early start heading for our last stop - Singapore. I have really enjoyed Malaysia and the contrasts we have seen - KL and the Cameron Highlands are a world apart in almost every respect. It's also been great to see how different cultures and religions have integrated so well with each other.
Before I say anything else - Singapore is amazing! I love this place so much, even more second time around. I know a lot of people who consider it to be boring and sterile but I could easily live here.
A bus took us from Melaka to the border where we had to be stamped out of Malaysia. As usual, I picked the slowest moving queue and was watching the others disappearing into the distance when a lady from the tourist office stopped me to do a questionnaire! Despite my protests that I would lose everyone, she wouldn't take no for an answer...the result was a free pin badge of Malaysia (and I managed to catch the others up). On the escalators approaching the Singapore border entrance, some stupid little kids decided it would be hilarious to press the emergency stop button...and some of us nearly went flying backwards backpacks and all! I don't know where the adults were - definitely not the impression of Singapore you get in the press.
Our final hotel was both a hostel and hotel and was really modern. We went to Little India to get some lunch - it's a really vibrant area and the smell of great food hits you straight away. For some unknown reason, we were taken to an English style pub which had to send our food orders away to a caterer - so we waited an hour for food out of a plastic container!
Afterwards I had a bit of a rest and then it was time to get ready for our final official night together (boo!) which began with mixing lots of alcohol into a bucket on the roof terrace (with the most amazing views of the city). A huge storm was approaching fast so after a while we had to take refuge in the covered area. Then we got taxis to Boon Tat Road which has lots of street food and we tried the satay special - different meats on skewers accompanied with a satay sauce. It was quite nice but I'm not used to eating meal on its own for dinner. We went for drinks on the waterfront which is a pretty trendy area - with prices to match...this is not the place for budget travellers!
The next day I checked into my new hostel which was lovely - more centrally located than the other one with really friendly staff. Some of us decided to do the open top bus tour/flyer and boat trip combined ticket. It lasts 24 hours so we could go back the next morning - in fact we probably could have ridden the bus for a week as they didn't seem remotely interested in seeing our tickets or whether they had expired! We did one loop of the bus (there are two routes) and then stopped for lunch at the Sun Centre which has a great food court - like Malaysia, the food is a real fusion of different cultures and influences.
After the boat trip, we headed for the Singapore Flyer - it's their version of the London Eye and is in fact slightly bigger. It only opened 18 months ago so wasn't here the last time I visited. Half way round, a crazy storm started - meaning that some of my pictures are covered in raindrops from the pod. It was great to see the city from such a height, including the remains of the Grand Prix circuit. We were hoping it was a brief shower, but they actually shut the Flyer shortly after we got off! We walked back in the direction of the hostel and stopped off for dinner - we found a great indoor food market and I had a lovely Indian meal.
The next day, we used the rest of our bus pass to go on the other loop. We stopped off at Orchard Road to admire the Christmas decorations already up on 1st November! It's the shopping heart of Singapore and you could easily spend a fortune there, though the only money leaving my pocket was for Haagen Dazs ice cream in their cafe :) It was then time to head back to the hostel, pick up my bags and make my way to the airport. I was really sad to leave my new friends and Asia behind but we will be able to catch up again in Australia. I've had a brilliant trip so far so now it's time to head Down Under for the second time...
My first experience of Adelaide was nearly getting into the wrong person's car at the airport...my excuse is that I'd only had about one hour's sleep on the plane! It was so hot when I arrived but by mid afternoon the temperature had dropped about 20oc - very bizarre. Of course Ben tried to blame me for bringing the Pommie weather with me!
Once the weather had got slightly warmer, we went to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills which is a historic German town. I got to be a passenger on the back of Ben's motorbike which was pretty exciting as my only other experience was on a Harley in Australia a couple of years ago. We found a great cafe - you can't beat white hot chocolate as a drink :)
Another day we went to Cleland National Park which is also in the hills. It's good to visit tourist places during the week as they're really quiet. We saw loads of native Australian animals including kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian Devils and dingos (which fortunately unlike the other animals were behind a fence!) We also got our picture taken touching a koala. Apparently they only move for four minutes a day and that's only to move from one tree to another looking for food. I think I may have been a koala in a past life....
We stopped at Mount Lofty which is the highest point in Adelaide - quite sensibly deciding to drive it as I'm told the hike up is pretty hardcore and may involve some sightings of snakes!
Fortunately the weather started to seriously heat up so the rest of the time was beach time! South Australia has some great beaches which unlike the Sydney area, can be pretty empty. We went to one called Semaphore - we decided to get some chips and ended up with two free kebabs as well! The next day we went to West Beach - I still refused to get in the water as sharks have been spotted in South Australia recently!
It was time for me to head to my next destination, Sydney, though I was coming back to Adelaide a couple of weeks later.
I spent the first couple of days in Sydney catching up with my friends and their children. As I'd been to Sydney a couple of years before, I wasn't in such a massive rush to make sure I saw all the main sites.
On my first day in the city itself, I did the Bondi-Coogee coastal walk (5km) as recommended in my friend's guide book. It was reallly beautiful and the weather was perfect. Of course I had to stop along the way for a drink and Smarties cookie :) Several British people stopped me asking me for directions which I found amusing! Afterwards I headed back into the city - though I had to walk around a while looking for a shop selling a bus ticket as you have to pre-buy them on certain routes now. I went to the Museum of Sydney which is located on the site of the First Governor's House. It was interesting and quite manageable in a couple of hours.
I was feeling pretty smug about my Blue Mountains day trip I'd booked for the next day - I'd paid 55 dollars whereas most other people had paid over 100! First of all we stopped to see some kangaroos in the wild, though this wasn't a big deal for me having seen them the week before. Then we stopped for morning tea (and cake naturally) and then we headed to Wentworth Falls where we walked for about an hour and saw some spectacular scenery. I stayed very close to the guide as I didn't want to wander off like that British tourist and end up stranded for days! Some of the girls made me laugh as they didn't want to walk for an hour - it wasn't remotely energetic - they should have done the 1200 steps to the Chinese monastery!
We stopped for lunch in Leura and then went to Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains, and close to the famous Three Sisters. This is when it started going downhill....unfortunately as seems to be the case with major attractions on my trip so far, the weather was awful! It was quite cold (which I was fully prepared for) but at the exact time I had parted with 25 dollars to do the skywalk, cable car and funicular a huge mist descended upon us! We literally couldn't see a thing across the skywalk. The funicular was good fun and we did a short walk through the forest below but the cable car on the way up was disappointing as we couldn't see the Three Sisters at all. We stopped later on in the day to try and spot them but still no luck! On the way back to Sydney we stopped off at the main Olympic site which I was really pleased about as I'd wanted to go anyway. As is the case with other Olympic areas, it feels pretty empty now but there is a lot of development still taking place in the surrounding areas.
I spent the rest of the time catching up with my friends and having a crash course lesson in childcare, including how (not to) put a nappy on! Then it was back to Adelaide for a few more days...
I arrived back to hot weather...in fact so hot that my last day there was 44oc, a record for November. That's the kind of weather that makes you want to run inside....I like the hot weather but that is way too much! So we spent quite a bit of time indoors in shopping centres and I finally found another bikini, after weeks of searching!
One afternoon we went out on Ben's bike again to Glenelg which is the main beach in Adelaide. Probably best avoided at the weekend but it was very pleasant during the week. There is a pier where people fish from or even jump into the water off (do I look crazy?!!)
On my last day, we went into the city centre for dinner. It was my first time downtown and it's a really pleasant place. It does feel quite small though and hard to believe that the population is over 1 million..I guess the suburbs must be very big.
So it was time to bid Adelaide farewell as I headed for my next destination...Melbourne.
As only a non Australian would, I decided to get to Melbourne by a 10.5 hour train journey. Mainly because it was 50 dollars but also because I wasn't in a mad rush so thought it would be fun to travel between states and see loads of scenery. I keep forgetting how massive Australia is and how there isn't a lot to see for miles in most of it! It was a perfectly comfortable journey though with big seats, plenty of room and even factual information on each of the places we stopped at.
I stopped at the food court in the station before getting to my friend's house and was befriended by a local drunk who kept staring at me and tell me I was quite cute for a Pom. Fortunately I managed to escape with all my bags in tow...though you can hardly describe it as a hasty exit!
It was great to see Kitty again, meet her husband and reminisce about our South East Asian adventures. The next day I did a Great Ocean Road day trip. It was mainly much older people but I didn't mind too much - though I definitely couldn't have coped with it on a longer trip. Our guide/driver was really good and was constantly telling us lots of facts along the way. The scenery was stunning, especially the Twelve Apostles.
Fortunately the weather was kind to us until it was time to get on the bus for the long journey home. The rain started and didn't stop until about 3pm the next day! I met up with Becky for brunch and then the four of us decided to go up the Eureka Tower. The weather was so bad though that there was a sign up at the ticket booth saying visibility was extremely poor - we asked their advice and they said we wouldn't see anything. So we opted to stay undercover whilst still sightseeing and did a boat trip on the Yarra River which turned out to be pretty eventful when we had to bank several times because something was in the engine!
Afterwards we thought we'd try and recreate our Chiang Mai cooking class dishes, so with the help of a few cocktails I had another go at pad thai - this time remembering the difference between salt and sugar (!) - and it was pretty good if I do say so myself. Kitty and I then headed for a few of Melbourne's trendiest bars though being a Sunday quite a few of them were closed and we accidentally ended up at a"lady fest" evening...don't think I need to explain what crowd that attracted!
The next day was my last in Melbourne which was a shame - I definitely could have stayed longer even though it was my second visit. We went to the Melbourne Museum which was good, especially the section on the Aborigines because I get the impression that they sometimes don't get much coverage. After the museum it was time to head to the airport for my flight to Hobart and my visit to the Tassie Wolf....
And so onto Tasmania, well prepared with my trousers and long sleeved tops as the weather is pretty cold there by Aussie standards. As it was, I arrived during a wam spell of mid 20s which was very nice indeed! The first day Adam took me on a road trip around Hobart and the area called The Midlands - first stop was Richmond which is a historic village with the oldest stone bridge in Australia. The scenery was beautiful and we saw (possibly!) a wild brumby. I stopped off to buy some lunch in a local store - Adam went down the corridor to what I thought was a cafe attached....but in actual fact it was a gun store! I found the whole experience very surreal - although apparently 20% of Tasmanians own a guy so I guess this is where they get them. On the way back to Hobart, we stopped off at New Norfolk which years ago was the site of a lunatic pit where they kept some crazy local people that started eating each other! Unfortunately it's all overgrown now so you can't really get a sense of what went on there.
That evening, maybe in preparation for my possible hike of the Inca Trail, we did an 11km walk up the local hill called Trugannini in honour of an Aborigine killed by settlers. I was slightly alarmed that Adam carried a stick to fend off possible snakes...and that dingoes had been sighted on the hill...but we made it to the top unscathed and the views across Hobart and the surrounding area were fantastic.
The next day I went to look around Hobart, starting with the Museum and Art Gallery. Some of it was a bit boring (am not a fan of stuffed birds!) but the section on the Aborigines was really interesting. After lunch in the main shopping area, I did a boat cruise on the river which scores top marks as I got some coffee and cake :) The city is lovely from the water and we went under the bridge which in the 1970s got hit by a ship causing quite a few deaths (including some unfortunate motorists who were on the bridge at the time it was struck). Hobart has a really nice feel to it and I especially liked the area called Salamanca - former convict buildings which have been converted into shops, bars and restaurants. There are also some amazing hilltop houses around the city though as I discovered, property there is very expensive.
On my last day in Tassie, we went to the Botanical Gardens (and were alarmed to see a large school party, they seem to be following me around on this trip!) and then drove up Mount Wellington. Adam said we could have hiked but 8 hours didn't really appeal to me and it looked very tough. On the way up, we were overtaken by some lunatics in a hired motorbike/quad bike type thing that we thought were going to hit the cliffs they were so close! Once again, the views were beautiful. I've heard New Zealand looks like Tasmania and if it's true then I know I'm in for a treat....
My next stop was Brisbane, also known as Brisvegas though I am yet to discover why as I only saw one casino! It was also my first stay this trip in a hostel. I happened to notice from the booklets I picked up that the Christmas tree lights were being switched on that evening, so me and one of my roomates wandered down to Kings Square. It's the world's largest solar panelled tree which I think is quite impressive!
The next day I met Kim, a friend from a previous USA trip, for lunch at Wagamama - and it tasted as good as back home! That evening the Jolster paid a fleeting visit to see me. I had to break the bad news that the Australia v West Indies Test, which we had planned to go to on days 4 and 5, had finished on day 3 on account of the Windies being utterly useless! So I had two unexpected days to fill. I spent the first of these at a local modern art gallery admiring the piles of sand and sugar on the floor and the models made out of wetsuit material (fact of the day - the material is called neoprene). I wandered along the university area and across to the South Bank where I saw the artifical beach and swimming pool - as it was a Sunday it was full of local families.
On the Monday, Mark and I went to the City Hall and up to the viewing platform which unfortunately is surrounded by a layer of perspex so no chance of any good pictures. That evening we found a nice street of restaurants near the hostel doing 2 for 1 meals (which was just as well as eating out here is expensive!)
The next day we got the bus to Mount Coot-tha which has a lookout across Brisbane. We decided to walk 2km to the J.C. Slaughter Falls which promised much and delivered...a completely dry area where I guess water once fell! In my denim mini skirt, I wasn't really best equipped for the walk and was a little scared we might encounter a snake but we made it back in one piece! Next stop was the planetarium where we saw a show which was interesting (though once again school children dominated the audience!)
On my last day before heading to the Gold Coast, we went for a tour of the Queensland Parliament Building. It was very informative though we couldn't take pictures of the main chamber because....that's right school children were in there! The lady seemed slightly alarmed when Mark asked her some questions about breaches of security...he obviously looks like a shady character! We also looked around the Old Governors House which was built by the same man. We walked to the South Bank and had planned to go to the artificial beach so I put my bikini on that morning....which of course meant that it rained all afternoon! And unlike the rain in South East Asia, this rain was quite cold and I was walking around the city shivering and wrapped in my sarong! To escape the weather, we got on the free city loop bus which was a little brief to say the least - 15 minutes later we had done it all. But not before encountering a local nutter who as he got off the bus, threatened to beat up Mark and kiss me!
So leaving Mark and the local nutter behind in Brisbane, I boarded a train to the Gold Coast where Ben and I had a few days of theme park action lined up....
So on to the Gold Coast, Australia's very own Florida with beaches, high-rise resorts and plenty theme and water parks. Ben and I had a two day pass to Dreamworld and its neighbour White Water World. As we were there during schoolies week (school leavers celebrating end of exams) and numerous end of year school trips, I think were amongst the oldest people there! Dreamworld brought back great memories of childhood trips to Drayton Manor Park though I have not got any braver in my old age and still refuse to go on the really scary rides like the vertical drop from an insane height. And of course, no matter where I sat on the log ride I got soaked whereas Ben managed to stay dry!
The next day we went to White Water World and I impressed myself by going on some of the scarier rides and screaming like a little girl! I had the great idea that on the double tube rides, Ben would go at the front to obscure the view of the huge drops but it was lightest person at the front! It was really good fun and great to see more of the Gold Coast than just Surfers Paradise where we stayed on my last trip here.
My final day in the Gold Coast meant only one thing...another theme park. This time Wet N Wild to celebrate Kat's birthday and a mini Tucan reunion. It was really nice to catch up again although being in a large group meant we had to split up as we wanted to go on different rides. After a quick shower and re-pack, it was time to head back to Brisbane for a couple more nights....
After a brief stay in Brisbane and a hostel room with slightly more natural light and space, I headed up to see Mick and Clare in the Sunshine Coast. This was after having gone to see Mark's guest appearance at a 20/20 cricket match in Brisbane...unfortunately his team lost and I was the only girl there....I got a shock several times when just casually glancing around and seeing men in their underwear changing into their whites!
I got a bus to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast where Mick and Clare met me. It was really nice to catch up again and exchange stories about South East Asia and how disappointing Laos was.
On my first full day there, Clare and I went to Australia Zoo which was the home of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. and is still owned and run by his family. During one of the shows, they brought out one of the crocodiles and started provoking it to get it to snap at the handlers..they know what they're doing but it was still pretty close to the guy's leg! There is also a memorial section where people from all over the world wrote messages of condolences to the family on replica Crocodile Hunter shirts. I'm really glad we went - last time our trip had wanted to stop off there but were told we didn't have time. There is also a free bus there from the Sunshine Coast which plays a video hosted by Steve along the way so you feel like you know something about the family and their passion for animals before you get there.
The next day we went to Noosa, a short drive north from Coolum. Once again, we had only stopped there briefly on my last trip but I remembered it being really nice. We had a delicious lunch at the RSL (mmmm nachos!) and then walked around the town and along the coastal path. I bought a new pair of sunglasses having wrecked mine going on a ride on the Gold Coast!
Some friends of Mick and Clare came over the next day, so we went to the local RSL and had lunch and some drinks there. I was the source of some amusement as I was freezing cold in the air conditioning whereas the locals think it's a very pleasant temperature!
On my last day, we went to the local shops which had just opened that day.Then it was time to head back to Brisbane to catch up with another friend from previous travels, Jen. Unfortunately the bus was really late (with no explanation) so Jen was waiting for me in Brisbane. That night we got a Chinese takeaway and had quite a bit of wine and a good catch up in front of Bride Wars!
The next day we went to one of Jen's local shopping centres, a Westfield centre, which is one of the biggest I've ever seen. I got some more memory cards for my camera as I've decided to post the originals back home rather than delete them.
On the Sunday we did a day trip to Moreton Island, which is a sand island similar to Fraser Island. We got the ferry across with our group and were met by some local guides in 4WD. Unfortunately there was a bit of a traffic jam on one path as people in front of us didn't have a powerful enough vehicle and got stuck going up a hill! Our first activity was sandboarding which I had a go at - though from the beginners slope as the first one looked way too scary! We spent the rest of the day driving around the island and stopping at various points, including lagoons and a lighthouse. We had a lovely day - it would have been fun to do an overnight trip but sadly I didn't have time as my next stop, Byron Bay, was calling....
It was time to leave Jen packing for her European adventure and head to Byron Bay in North New South Wales. Out of anywhere I've mentioned to people recently, this place has provoked the most enthusiasm so I was expecting good things. People say it's the sort of place you go for a couple of days and end up staying weeks. I'm happy to report that my "flashpacker" hostel was a step up from Brisbane with proper duvets and more than enough room for everyone's bags. I met some nice people there and it's a really sociable little town.
Becky from my Asia tour was in town at the same time - the first night we went out to the infamous Cheeky Monkeys which is basically a lot of foreigners (mainly Brits) dancing on tables...not much different to being at home really!
We spent most of the time on the beach although one morning we went sea kayaking. The brochure made it look like we would see loads...in fact all we saw was one sea turtle from a distance and a lot of blue bottles which are extremely unpleasant stinging creatures that try and attach themselves to your oars! As we didn't see any dolphins, we could have gone back the next day for free but it was quite hard work and I think it's safe to say I wasn't a natural!
Byron is a really cool place to spend a few days but I think three nights was enough. I certainly couldn't spend weeks and weeks there as I need to be kept busy...and I wasn't brave enough to try skydiving! So it was time to hop back on the bus and head for my final destination before Sydney, Coffs Harbour.
Like Byron Bay, it was somewhere we only stopped very briefly on my last visit to Australia so I wanted the chance to see it properly. There was a mix up when I arrived at my hostel (at 10pm!) and they had booked me into a mixed dorm - fortunately one of the girls was willing to swap with me but she was living there so her stuff was everywhere. I felt guilty but I didn't want to share with random guys when it wasn't what I had booked. The hostel wasn't great but I was only there for two nights.
The next day, after another fix of raisin toast (I will miss it loads!), I walked around the harbour area and walked to Muttonbird Island which has some lovely views across Coffs Harbour. As I was only there for a day and had arrived late the night before, there wasn't time to book any other activities such as fishing or boat trips. It was probably just as well as around 3pm it suddenly went very dark and a storm arrived. I was grateful to have a new book as I did a lot of reading that afternoon and got the chance to update this blog. I got some fish and chips for dinner and then tried to get an early night as I had a long train journey to Sydney the next day.
A 9 hour train journey took me to my final destination in Australia...Sydney. I have been really impressed with Australian trains so far - clean, spacious, friendly staff and proper meals cooked on board.
After dinner at my friends' house, it was time to head out to sing some carols and see some fireworks at a local botanic garden. I finally felt Christmasey as I stood on the grass hill singing carols - the weather was even slighly chilly to make me feel more at home! The fireworks were very impressive for a local show.
I wanted to get the rest of my South America plans sorted before I left Australia, so I headed into a travel agent and booked Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and connecting flights. My credit card took a serious hammering (the bad exchange rate made it seem worse) but am sure I will have an amazing time, especially getting the chance to do the Inca Trail (assuming I can drag my unfit body up there in one piece!) I then decided I needed proper walking trainers so my credit card took even more of a hammering!
Although this was my third time in Sydney, there was still quite a lot I wanted to see so I did the walk from Circular Quay along the river past Mrs Macquarie's Chair (which has amazing views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House) and then through the Botanic Gardens stopping off at the NSW Art Gallery. I felt like the only person who wasn't jogging through the park - office workers on their lunch break were on a fitness mission in the 30oC heat...nutters!
The next day the family and I headed into Sydney again, stopping at Wildlife World to see some scary spiders and snakes and an enormous crocodile. After lunch at a delicious pancake restaurant, we took a little train around Darling Harbour which looks stunning in beautiful weather. We then took a public ferry back to Circular Quay which stops off at various points along the way, including the North Shore which I'd not been to. It also meant the opportunity for more great photos of the waterfront and the Harbour Bridge.
I had a lovely Christmas Day - Santa didn't forget me either :) I got another chance at "All Night Long" which I think might be turning into my karaoke song. I seem to be much better at man's song than women's...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not! After that and a few games on the wii, it was time to pack my bags for my Boxing Day flight to New Zealand. It was strange to leave Australia and all my friends there after almost 2 months but there is plenty more of the world I have to see before June....
Two short flights found me in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island, ready to start my fifth (yes you read correct!) Contiki tour. I think at this rate I should be the tour manager, though I'm not sure I have the energy to deal with a coach load of 18-35s!
By the time I arrived in Christchurch, there wasn't much to do except unpack my bags and catch up with Ben. I had missed the welcome meeting but all they did was fill out some paperwork. Our manager is called Saul, he's Canadian/Tongan and seems to be easygoing and a good laugh.
After breakfast, it was time to meet everyone else on the way to our first overnight stop, Lake Ohau. First we had a quick dash around Christchurch (it was our only time to see the place despite coming back for another night after New Year) to take some photos and se the main sites which seem to be rather limited. It's the largest city in the South Island and is considered the most English - when you stand by the river and see the watermill and punting you could easily be in Cambridge.
We saw some stunning lakes, especially Lake Tekapo with the mountains in the background and water so blue it sparkled. Apologies in advance but I'm going to be using the words stunning and spectacular a lot when writing about the South Island. No-one chose to do a helicopter flight over Mount Cook as visibility looked poor though the weather cleared up perfectly for us later - I guess they do say you experience four seasons in one day.
We arrived at our lodge in Lake Ohau late in the afternoon and we welcomed by an over-enthusiastic bar man and the biggest bee I´ve ever seen in our room! Fortunately after a little encouragement it flew out of the window. We enjoyed a home cooked lasagne and chocolate brownie before a few drinks with the new group overlooking the lake. You really couldn't get a more perfect setting.
It was a long drive the next day to reach Milford Sound. The only downside of Contiki tours is that there's a lot of driving most days and it can feel a bit rushed. We stopped at Queenstown Airport to pick up six new people and drove past the Kawarau River where some crazy people would bungy jump off the next day! We stopped for lunch at Te Anau which is in the Fjordlands before continuing to Mirror Lakes, through the Homer Tunnel and on to our boat, the Milford Wanderer. We were welcomed with a bowl of soup and then saw our accommodation - definitely not luxury and more reminsicent of Asian sleeper trains though without the dirty linen. We set sail for a bit before stopping in a cove where we would stay overnight.
We then got the chance to either kayak or go out in a launch boat for a tour of the area. I chose the latter as it was pretty cold and I didn't want to risk getting wet! The guy who took us out was a real character, at one point he came to sit by me and said "Your turn!" I thought he was joking but he showed no sign of moving so I was at the helm for at least 10 minutes. He said I was a natural and he could tell I'd done it before - I think my dad will be proud of his training!
We had a nice meal on the boat and played a few card games. I was going to have a reasonably early night but some of the group had different ideas and as there were no doors to our rooms. only curtains, let's just say it proved to be quite a late night!
After breakfast on board, we had a commentary of the area as we passed some lovely scenery and waterfalls. Unfortunately it was drizzling and visibility was poor - probably not surprising when you learn that the area has over 6m of rainfall in a year!
On the way to Queenstown, we stopped off at Te Anau again and then the Kawarau Bungy where we watched quite a few of the group do a bungy jump into the river below. I felt scared just watching it so I have no idea how they did it, especially the ones that are scared of heights! Afterwards we stopped at Arrowtown which is a former gold mining town and I found some delicious fudge :)
Then it was Queenstown time! Our hotel was a little out of town up a steep hill but it had picture postcard views over Lake Wakatipu from our rooms. That evening we got dressed up to have our official picture taken and then on to our optional dinner at the Skyline Gondola complex which we were promised offers an amazing 6 course meal and great views over Queenstown. I have come to learn, however, that I have a habit of jinxing key activities on this trip (Halong Bay, Angkor Wat, Blue Mountains) and the cable cars had broken down that evening! It was the only evening we could go so we had to settle for pizzas at the Thirsty Ram. By the time they came out we were starving and didn't seem to mind that no two pizzas looked the same!
The next day I had chosen to do the Dart River Wilderness Safari which was a drive around the Mount Aspiring National Park and then a 30km jet boat ride. The weather was terrible - at breakfast I was wearing shorts but I quickly changed to cropped trousers and then 10 minutes later into jeans! The skydivers had their dives cancelled and at 11.30, the temperature was in single figures. In the summer! The trip was really good, once again the scenery was unbelievable and has played host to many films including Lord of the Rings and Wolverine. The boat was great fun and did 360o turns though by the end I wasn't appreciating getting wet so much as with winchill the temperature was 0c...means drying takes ages!
That evening we had an included dinner at the hotel before heading out into town. We went to Frasers where there was a pole dancing competition (no I did not compete!) and before that most of the group went to the Ice Bar - I didn´t go as I'd recently been to one in Thailand.
The next morning was Shotover Jet time! This was one of my must-dos before I got to NZ - 30 minutes on a jet boat through a canyon which deliberately heads straight for the rocks before swerving to avoid them with literally centimetres to spare! I sat on the outside for maximum scariness, it was brilliant fun and a lot warmer than the Dart Safari.
Afterwards some of the girls and I went to a Queenstown institution, Fergburger for lunch. It's like GBK back home but as it´s the only one in NZ, it´s always packed. The burgers are enormous - I had the codfather (fish burger) as I'm not really a fan of beef burgers. To make up for the other night's disappointment, I went up on the gondola (which was back in working order!) to check out the views over Queenstown and watch the luge track. I didn't do the luge here as we've been told the one in Rotorua is much better.
It was time to head back to Queenstown to meet Ben and some of the others to watch their canyon swing. I had to sign a disclaimer which made me laugh - I pointed out that I was most definitely not taking part but they still said they needed my emergency contact details! Just looking at it made my stomach turn - a freefall from a canyon 200m up in the air followed by a swing. I enjoyed watching the crazy people and taking pictures and videos of Ben. Most people did two jumps but he did three and I think he would still be there now if he was allowed! The guys really try and mess with people's heads by pretending to push them over the edge or telling them the rope's not secure!
We quickly dashed back to our hotel, tarted ourselves up for New Year's Eve and then went to the Thirsty Ram, our party location for the night. We had a barbecue there - I wanted to go to a restaurant but might not have got let back in as Queenstown was packed and you have to pick a bar early and stay in it. For the second year in a row, there was no countdown to New Year - I assume it was when the fireworks started but who knows. I have to say New Years Eve is always a bit of a let-down and even being abroad doesn't seem to make much difference!
After a late night, we had a horribly early start so we set off the next day to do our glacier hike on less than 3 hours sleep!
There were quite a few people looking a little worse for wear on the bus on New Year´s Day! The 4 hour glacier hike sounded great when I signed up for it but I think it was a sick joke of Contiki to do it on 1st January hungover and totally sleep deprived! Quite a few people opted out but I really wanted to see the glacier and it had come highly recommended by friends. The hike was pretty easy in the end and it was great to walk on the glacier in ice boots. Some crazy people do it without a guide - they go right into the glacier to take pictures unaware that even the smallest block of ice weights a lot and could crush them. We did the Fox Glacier hike but you can also do Franz Josef which is nearby - it would have been good to do both and compare them...maybe next time....
Our accommodation that evening was probably the worst of the trip as there was no TV and no temperature controls on the shower. It was so cold outside that I had to crank up the heater.. my backpack is not equipped for this weather at all. Our 3 course dinner started off well but rapidly went downhill - the soup was great, the carbonara had one mushroom in it and not much more ham and the size of the dessert would have made a toddler ask for more! There was an outdoor spa we could use but I was less than enamoured with the idea of running across the car park with my bikini on in the freezing weather!
The next day was a long drive to Christchurch and the last day of the trip for quite a few people. It's sad to say goodbye to people after such a short time as you feel like you're only starting to get to know them. We stopped off at a jade factory on the way - it was easy for me to resist the temptation as I didn't like the jade jewellery at all. It's Maori tradition that someone else has to buy you the jewellery as it's considered bad luck to buy it for yourself.
We arrived in Christchurch and had dinner in the hotel so didn't see any more of the city. We had to wait a while for the dinner to come out but it was really good food. We had a few drinks and then said goodbye to those not coming to the North Island as it was time to bid the beautiful South Island a fond farewell.....
The journey from Christchurch to Wellington was the longest and definitely the most boring of the trip. We drove along the Kaikoura coastline and stopped to watch some seals. It's supposed to be a great spot to whale watch as well but as this is Contiki, we only had half an hour there before boarding the ferry from Picton to Wellington. I assumed from the map that the North and South Islands are really close together but it was actually a three and a half hour ferry journey. It was so packed that we grabbed some seats and stayed there all the time. Luckily it wasn't too rough but there wasn't really much to see - fortunately I was well prepared with magazines and books.
We arrived in Wellington and had to wait a while for all our luggage to be stored on the new bus. That night we had an optional dinner at Blend Bar which was a nice way to meet the new people who had joined us for the Northern Island tour. The food was good and there was plenty of it which always gets a thumbs up from hungry Contiki-ites!
The next day was lie-in time..finally! In the late morning I did a minibus tour of the city with a local guide, Nathan, who was funny and very informative. He had been an elf in Lord of the Rings and is auditioning for the same part in The Hobbit! We saw the main sites of Wellington, including Parliament and the coastline. In the afternoon I went to Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. It's very modern inside and the displays are very well done. I was particularly interested in the Maori ones and how unlike in Australia, the Maori traditions are not hidden away or negatively stereotyped.
That evening I met up with Rhiannon from my South East Asia tour and we went to a South East Asian restaurant to reminisce and see how the food compared! It was really nice to see her again and compare our travel plans.
Wellington is a really nice city and I would have liked another day there to do the wine tasting tour. It's quite a small place with a population of 400,000 which for a capital city is tiny. However, there seems to be a lot going on (including the world unicycle championships which I caught a glimpse of!) and it has a great vibe. The worst thing about it is the unpredictable weather, from gales of 120kph to beautiful sunshine in the space of a couple of hours. As with the South Island, it's best to be prepared for four seasons in one day...
The bus rides start merging into one after a while and a result, the only thing I can remember about Wellington-Taupo is stopping at the Huka Falls for precisely seven minutes to take a few photos. Maybe I was too busy wondering why I had signed up for Rock n Ropes, an assault course 10m in the air in Taupo. We arrived there just after lunchtime and as soon as I saw it, I wanted to run away! It was nothing like I had imagined, I thought it would be something like Go Ape where you swing through the forest like Tarzan but it was a series of ropes and bridges suspended in the air in the middle of a field. I was really quite scared but figured if the little kids there could do it then so could I. The scariest part was knowing my safety was in the hands of my fellow climbers as we, not the staff, were taking it in turns to control the other person´s rope. I did three challenges - the swing bridge, the beam and the trapeze and have photos to prove it. I bailed at the swing trapeze and canyon swing but that was enough heart in mouth action for me for one day!
We arrived back at our hotel which was really nice and had a pool - though we didn´t have time to enjoy it as we were getting ready for that evening's entertainment, a dinner and drinks cruise on Lake Taupo. Or as Saul liked to call it "a booze cruise". We all dressed up (the theme was glam) and had a really good time. Afterwards we went to a bar attached to the Base Hostel for some dancing and a repeat of most of the tunes we'd just heard on the boat!
The next day was the highlight of the trip for me as we did loads of cool activities and hardly had to spend any time on the bus. First we drove a short distance to Rotorua (which smells of sulphur due to the thermal pools) and went zorbing which is being inside a plastic ball inside a plastic ball, adding some water and rolling down a hill! For maximum entertainment value Ben and I did it together. I was laughing the whole way down, it was such good fun and I guess is best described as like being in a human washing machine!
Another short drive took us to the Rotorua gondola complex and the luge. Before I arrived in NZ, I imagined the luge as being like the Winter Olympic luge where you go down an ice track on a tea tray. This luge however involves vehicles that are a more basic version of go karts but aren't motorised. This had been highly recommended to me as a must-do but just to be different I didn't really like it, my hands were shaking so much from the vibrations that I gave Ben my second ticket as he enjoyed it a lot more than me. I was also too scared to overtake anyone in case they hit me so I ended up stuck behind an old guy!
We arrived at our hotel in Rotorua and then it was time to have a tour of Whakewarena, a Maori thermal village. It was our first chance, apart from the Wellington Museum, to experience the Maori culture and it was very interesting. Compared to Yellowstone the thermal pools don't look that impressive but it's pretty cool to have something like that on your doorstep and to be able to cook using the heat from them.
That evening we went to an optional Maori hangi (dinner) and show in our hotel. The hangi is food cooked in the ground by using the heat from the thermal pools. The dinner was great and so was the show, especially when the guys from our group were dragged up to learn the Haka! Ben did a very good job and I think a new career beckons...
To wind down after a hectic day, we went to the nearby Polynesian Spa to use their thermal pools. It was very relaxing though at 42c they got a bit too hot after a while. It was the perfect end to a great day.
A short drive from Rotorua took us to the Rotorua Agrodome, home of the farm show. It was an hour's display of different breeds of sheep, sheep shearing and a sheepdog demonstration. It was really funny - some of the varieties of sheep were extremely comical especially the English one who kept lying down when the presenter's back was turned! When we arrived in Waitomo, we got to see a rabbit being shorn - the poor thing looked terrified and couldn't stop shaking but we were told they have to have this done every six months or they would overheat from all the fur.
We arrived at our lodge in Waitomo and had a bit of time to relax as Ben and I were in the last group of three to go black water rafting in the local caves. This involves floating along the underground caves on a tube looking at glowworms sometimes in the pitch black whilst trying not to hit rocks. When we got there, the other groups were just finishing and the looks on some of their faces told me they hadn't enjoyed it at all! I really liked it although it was a bit chilly even with a wetsuit on and I learnt that my ability to manouevre a tube is still as bad as it was in Laos! At one point we had to jump backwards off a waterfall which was a little scary but there was no point making a fuss as we were underground with only one way out! We got hot soup and a bagel at the end to warm us up. As seems to be the case in New Zealand, any chance to make money via photo opportunities is seized upon - I definitely didn't want any photos of me floating along desperately trying not to crash into everything!
We arrived back just in time for the end of the pizza party in our lodge. I had a really early night as Waitomo is a tiny place and there didn't seem to be much going on - although a lot of the group ended up having room parties until around 3!
The next day was another early start for our drive to the Bay of Islands. We stopped off in Auckland in the morning to drop 10 of our group whose tour had come to an end. Then we carried on to Paihia, the main hub for the Bay of Islands. Our hotel didn't have enough room for us all so were put in the hotel across the road - which was definitely an upgrade :) We hadn't eaten properly all day so went to get a quick bite to eat mid afternoon.
In the evening we had an included meal at the hotel and then some of us went out to the backpackers bars in Paihia. I didn't stay out too long as I had a very early start the next day for my dolphin watching and catamaran cruise. Knowing my luck on the trip so far with promised attractions, I was convinced we wouldn't see a single dolphin but after a shaky start we did see quite a few and they came right up to the front of the boat. I have a few photos..and quite a few of the spot they were a split second earlier! Before lunch, we transferred onto our catamaran which was much more relaxing - the dolphin boat had been quite rough in places. We cruised out to a bay, dropped anchor, had a nice lunch and then I spent the afternoon sunbathing before we sailed back to Paihia.
It was our last night together as a group so Saul had booked us into a nice restaurant overlooking the sea. Ben had gone fishing that day and had caught lots of red snapper which the restaurant cooked for us in batter along with some fries for a starter. It tasted amazing and Ben even tried a small piece even though he doesn't normally eat fish! After dinner we went back to the backpacker strip though some of the bars were already full and the group ended up splitting in two. After a bit of a dance in one bar, we rejoined the other group for a bit. It was a nice last night although it was strange to think the tour had almost ended - the two weeks had flown by.
Our final journey on the Contiki bus took us to Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. We arrived around 11am and it was time to say goodbye to everyone before checking into our hotel. Fortunately the rooms were ready as most people were ready to crash out, two weeks of late nights and early starts had definitely caught up with us! I caught up with Mark who had also just arrived in Auckland and went for lunch with him. Then Ben (after his long nap!) and I went up the Sky Tower which is probably Auckland's most famous attraction and is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The views up there were great and we also got to watch a crazy guy doing the jump which hurtles you to the ground from the top of the building on a rope!
That evening about half of the Contiki group went out for dinner as a lot of us were staying in Auckland for at least an extra night. We went to an Irish pub which was nice although the food took nearly 2 hours to arrive - possibly because 25 of us had turned up with no warning!
The next morning it was time to bid farewell to Ben as he was off home back to Adelaide. It was sad to say goodbye after spending so much time together but hopefully I'll get him over to the UK sometime. Luckily Mark was in Auckland at the same time so I didn't have to be a billy-no-mates. We got an all day bus and boat pass and first went on a boat cruise around the harbour to Birkenhead and back, mainly to take pictures of the Auckland sky line and the Harbour Bridge. Then we got a boat to Devonport, an upmarket area on the Northen shore and climbed up Mt Victoria to get some great panoramic views of the city. Despite being called Mt, it was literally a 5 minute climb which was probably just as well as I was totally unfit having spent most of the last two weeks eating, drinking and sitting on the bus! It was quite interesting round there as there was a series of tunnels left from a conflict with the Russians in the laste 1800s. We got the boat back to central Auckland for lunch and went to a food court so the Jolster could satisfy his Burger King addiction!
After food we got a bus to Mt Eden which is another vantage point just south of the city centre. I'm not sure what the route to the top was, but it definitely wasn't the way we took...I scrambled to the top in my sandals wondering how I would get down later! We went back to the hostel for dinner as they offered a free entree meal though the size of it wouldn't have satisfied a toddler, fortunately for only 7 dollars you could upgrade it and get a pint of beer. I was so shattered from my Contiki tour that I was asleep very early that night!
The next day we went to the library to use their internet and then went to the cinema to see "The Lovely Bones". I'd been wanting to see it since it came out and it seemed an appropriate location as it's directed by Peter Jackson who is from New Zealand. We also couldn't think of that much more we wanted to do Auckland; I'd been warned that there wasn't much to do and it's really surprising that this is the case in a city of over a million people. I much preferred Wellington which only has a population of 400,000 but seems a lot more lively.
Another day brought another goodbye, this time to Mark who was flying to Sydney whilst I was flying to Chile later in the day. I was also sad to say goodbye to New Zealand; I had a brilliant time here and definitely plan on returning in the future. I think Latin America is going to be a bit of a shock having spent 10 weeks in Australia and New Zealand but I also can't wait to see more countries on my travels...
After an 11 and a half hour flight, I arrived in Santiago before I left Auckland and felt like the main character in Groundhog Day! The airport was crazy, far too many people for the size of the place with huge queues at immigration and customs. Unfortunately there was a bit of a mix up at my hotel; I had just started unpacking and putting my pyjamas on ready to have a nap when the porter knocked on my door telling me I had been allocated the wrong room and had to move. Then my new room wasn't ready so I had to wait a while in reception whilst they got it ready for me - all I wanted to do was sleep! It was my first taste of Latin American service - lots of staff, none of whom seemed to have a clue what was going on and had little sense of urgency!
I managed to get a bit of sleep and then headed out to find a cash machine and some food. I came across a nice Italian restaurant with a few other solo diners in it so I wouldn't feel like such a loser...I hate eating out on my own!
I had a very very long sleep and eventually emerged from my bed at 2pm! I went to the tourist information centre to ask what the main attractions were and to find out about the hop on hop off bus (yes I have an obsession with these!) which I had seen the day before in my taxi to the hotel. I also spent quite a bit of time in an internet cafe to begin writing my New Zealand blog entries as I was getting seriously behind! I'm ashamed to say I went to McDonalds for dinner but I didn't fancy eating a proper meal on my own again.
The next day I caught the hop on hop off bus from the main square. There was a conductor on board so I assumed that her job was to do the commentary and sell tickets as is normally the case with these things. However she told me that I should have bought my ticket before boarding but not to worry, a guy would board the bus at a certain stop and sell me a ticket. Another example of how different Latin America can be from Europe! The bus gave a good overview of the city and it took us a long way out of the centre (which itself is very compact). I stopped off for lunch at a huge shopping mall which wouldn't have looked at all out of place back home, especially as I found Topshop clothes in one of the stores!
That evening it was time to meet my new group for the Gap Southern Sojourn tour. It's a 12 day tour which will take us from Santiago to Buenos Aires. There are 15 of us in total so it's a much smaller group than the 50 or so we had in New Zealand. We met our tour leader, Geraldine who's from Peru, and then went out to dinner together.
The next day Geraldine had arranged an optional trip to go wine tasting which I decided to do, having missed out in both Australia and New Zealand. We went to two wine producers; Cousinho Macul and Concha y Toro. At the first one we had a rose and cabernet sauvignon, neither of which I liked...I think I am definitely a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc girl and have been spoiled by the wines I had there! Concha y Toro was a more interesting tour because the grounds were beautiful, with a lake and summer house and we also got to see the vineyards. We tried a chardonnay (yuck!) and another cabernet sauvignon which was much better than the previous one. We got given engraved glasses to keep but unfortunately I had to leave them behind as there's no way they'll survive another 5 months of travelling!
We had a bit of time left before we had to board our overnight bus, so I went to the Santa Lucia Park and climbed quite a few stairs to the top to get some great views over Santiago and across to the Andes. I laughed at having to register my name and passport number with the police before being allowed inside the park! That evening some of the group went to a Japanese restaurant before it was time to head to the bus station. The bus was actually really comfortable, the seats reclined quite far and we were given pillows and blankets and some breakfast in the morning. I slept really well and by the time we woke up, we were almost at our next destination, Pucon...
We were met in Pucon by a guy who had come to collect our luggage to take the hostel, which I was impressed with as it was only a short walk from the bus station. Although we were staying in a hostel, we had a chalet style house to ourselves which our tour guide had dubbed "The Big Brother House" though in reality it wasn't at all luxurious! Our local operator talked us through the various optional extras we could do over the next couple of days..Pucon is the adventure capital of Chile so there were loads of things to pick. As soon as he mentioned the volcano climb (5 hours climbing in snow to the top) I thought there's no way I'm doing that...so naturally I ended up being the first person to sign up for it! I figured I needed the practise for the Inca Trail plus it is pretty cool to say you climbed to the top of a volcano..assuming of course I would make it! I also signed up for horse riding as the scenery looked spectacular.
Once we had decided on our options, we went for lunch in the town. Unfortunately with it being Sunday and the general election, hardly anywhere was open until later to give people time to vote...can't imagine how that would go down if introduced in the UK! We waited so long for lunch, they had such a backlog that they refused to even take our order.
Afterwards we chilled in the house and watched some TV. We had a kitchen so most of us decided to cook for ourselves...it was nice not to have to eat out and also save some money as Chile is almost on a par with the UK for eating out.
The next day we had to leave the house at 6.15am to climb Volcan Villarrica. It was pretty chilly to start with so I was glad they provided us with all the proper equipment including boots, jackets and trousers. Unfortunately I forgot to pack spare batteries for my camera and they died after one picture...luckily one of the girls who wasn't climbing leant me her camera to take pictures at the top. The climb was quite hard but we stopped quite often for breaks; the worst part was how deceptively close it looked but as you are zig zagging the whole time it takes ages! When we reached the top, we were hit by a wave of sulphur fumes which are very toxic so we had to quickly shift our position. It was really cold at the top so we didn't stay too long up there.
One of the best parts of the volcano experience was actually the ride down...we hiked for a bit but then we were allowed to slide down for ages...there was a train of about 7 of us and it was hilarious! I enjoyed the volcano experience a lot more than I thought, especially as I hadn't been to the gym for 6 months.
Needless to say that night was a very quiet one as we had another fairly early start to go horse riding. I'd been looking foward to finding somewhere to go horse riding that also offered beautiful scenery...and Pucon didn't disappoint. My horse called Polca was possibly the slowest and laziest horse ever, she didn't respond in the slightest to being kicked! This was possibly because I made it clear I didn't want to gallop so they gave me a horse that couldn't physically go faster than a trot! We got to ride for at least 3 hours which was great.
Afterwards, when some of the others were doing their other optional activities, some of us went for lunch and then walked to the lakes which Pucon is famous for, after all this part of Chile is known as the Lake District. There were quite a few locals on the beach which I admired as it was warm but definitely not bikini weather! In the evening quite a few of us went to a barbecue hosted by the local tour operator. It was a really good evening -quite a few of the group went on to a bar and then a salsa club but I was shattered after the volcano climb and horse riding so went back to the hostel. The next morning we had another early start to board our bus to Puerto Varas, our next destination in the Lake District....
After a 7 hour bus ride we arrived in Puerto Varas absolutely starving! I hadn't packed much food as we were supposed to arrive around lunchtime. When we arrived we had a talk by the local tour operator giving us details of the optional activities we could do the following day. After that, some of us went for a very late lunch...I could barely believe my eyes when I saw vegetable lasagne on the menu, Chileans are not fond of vegetables or any dish that doesn't contain as much meat as possible!
We had a quick walk around the town which was ok, like Pucon it reminded me of Germany or Switzerland with all the wooden chalet style buildings. Also like Pucon, it doesn't take full advantage of its lakeside position.We went out for our first group dinner in ages and as it was a seafood/fish restaurant I tried hake which was enormous and delicious...with some decent vegetables too!
The next day most of us went on the day trip to the island of Chiloe which is the second largest island in South America. The mini bus arrived to pick us up and I got in the back where there was absolutely no leg room....literally nowhere for us to put our legs apart from lying them across the back seat! We told our guide but she said we would just have to put up with it and didn't seem bothered...not a great start. Fortunately the day vastly improved; we drove for about an hour then boarded the ferry to the island. It's quite different from the rest of Chile and has retained more traditional cultures such as the brightly painted buildings and the handicrafts.
We stopped for lunch right opposite the boat we would board to go penguin watching. We seemingly had lots of time but this being South America, there was no sense of urgency and our guide had to tell them to bring at least some of the orders out or we would miss our boat. I had fish again but it was overcooked....at least it arrived so we could go and observe some penguins. It was interesting though there was no English speaking guide provided so I did my best to act as translator (it's very hard to talk and listen at the same time!) We saw a few penguins but we felt maybe the experience had been a bit talked up by the locals! On the way back we stopped at the markets in Ancud which is the biggest town on the island. After catching he ferry back, we also had time to stop at the markets in Puerto Montt which is a larger town close to Puerto Varas. In preparation for our visit to Bariloche (chocolate capital of Argentina) we tried some of the local chocolates which were pretty disappointing...let's hope the best is yet to come!
Another day time bus took us to Bariloche, just over the border into Argentina and to the town most famous for its amazing chocolate shops...what a tough life it is. We had our first border crossing in South America which was very straighforward and the bus conductor looked after us making sure that everyone got through ok. The Chilean official said I had lovely eyes and asked if I wanted to stay in Chile and marry him...which was the funniest thing I'd heard in ages! We drove for quite a while after seeing the "Welcome to Argentina" signs before we got our passports stamped into Argentina...no proposals this time I'm afraid.
We arrived at our hostel mid afternoon and as before, had a talk about the optional activities we could do the following days. They were similar to Pucon - rafting, kayaking, horse riding etc and I wasn't really taken with any of them. I would have gone hiking but I still had a blister on my heel from the volcano climb. Fortunately there is still a lot to do in town most of which revolves around eating! We went out for dinner then had the first of many visits to Jauja, an amazing ice cream shop with soooo many flavours to choose from. I had white chocolate and tiramisu which both had real chunks in them...I was a happy girl that evening :)
The next day we wandered into town to do a bit of shopping and pre-lunch chocolate tasting before having lunch at a vegetarian restaurant recommended in my guide book...which turned out to be a bit of a mission! It wasn't where the map said and having asked for assistance we were pointed in the direction of a completely different restaurant. Fortunately it was still vegetarian and it was still good....a nice treat after so much more meat than I usually eat.
The hostel we stayed in was really nice and had its own garden so I spent the late afternoon sunbathing before the others came back from their activities. We had a group night out planned so we went for dinner, followed by a stop at another chocolate shop (purely for comparison purposes of course) and then pre going out drinks in the hostel. The combination of eating too much and buying one of the most disgusting bottles of wine ever (not even fruit juice made it bearable!) meant that I was completely sober all night...which is more than can be said for most of the group who were a little worse for wear! I enjoyed experiencing an Argentinian night out but it was so ridiculously hot that I was ready to leave at 2.30 which is very very early by their standards!
The next day I had a very relaxing day which started off with a lie-in followed by lunch and then more ice cream and chocolate, including supplies for later on in the trip (ie a big box)! I sunbathed for a bit, watched Love Actually in the hostel (still the best film ever!) and then most of us went to a Mexican restaurant also recommended in my guide book. It was nice though the burrito was different to usual because it was made of puff pastry. Another visit to the ice cream shop (the last time sob!) rounded off a very lazy but very enjoyable Sunday....
l seem to have talked non stop about food for the whole of this entry but that is Bariloche for you and I can't recommend the place enough!
Epic describes the bus journey from Bariloche to Buenos Aires...all 21 hours of it! When you think the flight from the UK to Australia is only an hour longer you realise that Argentina is a pretty big place. They did feed us well and stopped at a restaurant for dinner which was included in the ticket price. We didn't get blankets though and the curtains were kept open so I didn't sleep as well as on the first night bus to Pucon.
We left Bariloche at 10.30am and arrived in BA at 7.45am the next day. As it was early morning, we couldn't check into the hotel so we grabbed something to eat and then went to explore for a bit. Some of us went to the City Museum which sounded like it would have some displays on the history of the city but it was tiny, cost 15p to enter and all it had was a collection of old toys and Argentinian football memorabilia!
After check in, some of us went on a city tour arranged by the hotel. We probably should have been sick of buses at that point but we thought it would be a good overview of the city and could let us decide which places we wanted to go back to the following days. The lady running it seemed extremely disinterested and reminded me of the "computer says no" character in Little Britain...she even looked like her! It was a good tour however as we went to areas like La Boca that were far away from the hotel. La Boca is the home of the Boca Juniors stadium and also streets famous for their tango performances and colourful buildings...I loved the place but could see why it's not safe to go at night as it's one of the poorer areas of the city though definitely one of the most vibrant.
That evening was the last of this tour so we went out to a tango show for a lesson, dinner and a show. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Argentina as having learnt some Argentine tango at uni I couldn't wait to see it in its birthplace. The lesson was far too easy but it made me want to learn again when I get back home. The show was amazing, the speed of their footwork was awesome and I literally could have watched them all night. I got to dance briefly with one of the performers who said I was good...though sadly they didn't offer to hire me! Afterwards some of us went to the bar of a hostel and then onto a bar/club in BA's flashy nightclub district. The music was great but once again it was way too hot and we looked like we'd had a serious gym workout session by the time we left. I had to run a cold shower when I got back at 3.30am just to cool down...I don't know how the locals can bear it!
The next day some of the girls met for lunch at La Cabrera which had been recommended to us. It's famous for its steaks which I thought I should try even though I'm not a huge steak eater. I ordered the menu del dia thinking it would mean a small salad as a starter and a small steak as a main course...seeing as the price was under 10 pounds. But this is Argentina and they don't do anything, especially steaks, small! The salad was a meal in itself and the steak came with condiments such as russian salad and a tomato salad. I'm not a steak expert but it tasted great to me and the girls (who managed to eat half a cow plus dessert!) said it was the best steak they'd ever had. Afterwards I went on a bit of a mission to walk off as much steak as possible instead of getting the 10 minute cab ride back....which is a bit silly in 35oc heat and after once again looking like I'd been at the gym all day, I got a cab the rest of the way back.
I didn't do much the rest of the day, just hung out with the girls and attempted to gatecrash the GAP meeting to meet the new people who were travelling on to Rio (but most of them hadn't yet arrived).
My last day in Buenos Aires was as hot as the others...even the locals were complaining about the heat! We took a taxi to Recoleta Cemetery which is where Eva Peron (Evita) as well as many other famous Argentines are buried. It's a very impressive place - thought it would be a few headstones but there are proper vaults everywhere, some of them the size of small houses. While we were there we saw someone chased and caught by the police - he'd just stolen someone's camera and it makes you realise how careful you have to be with your possessions in Latin America.
To continue the food theme which seems to have dominated my time in Argentina so far, some of the girls went for lunch at an all you can eat restaurant, Siga La Vaca, recommended by the new GAP guide. It says one drink included in the price...so I ordered one beer and got a whole jug. One wine means one bottle...nothing is done by halves in this country! It was nice though the meal couldn't beat yesterday's at La Cabrera. Afterwards we wandered around San Telmo and found some really nice boutique shops.
It was then time to head to my new hotel, check in and meet my new tour group. It was sad to leave the old group behind but I already know a couple of people on this trip and Rachel is joining me in Iguazu Falls.
My new group is much bigger: 35 people with two tour managers, Fran and Steve. We went out for a group dinner at a San Telmo restaurant before heading back to the hotel ready to hit Uruguay tomorrow....
A three hour ferry took us from Buenos Aires to Colonia, in Uruguay. You are stamped out of Argentina and into Uruguay before you board the boat...definitely an unusual border crossing! We caught up with some of my old GAP group on the ferry as they are doing the same route for the first few days.
We had to walk about 15 minutes to our guest house which was lovely, with rooms overlooking a little courtyard. Unfortunately I looked like I´d just run a marathon after the walk with heavy bags and the insane heat! After freshening up, we went to explore the town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site with colourful old buldings and cobbled streets. We saw a guy we knew riding around on a golf buggy so hitched a lift with him to see the sights. There was one hairy moment when he forgot which side of the road to drive on! We thoght we may get stopped by the police for carrying too many passengers but they seemed to find it amusing!
We went for a group dinner at an outdoor restaurant with some live music. I love being able to sit outside in the evening without feeling remotely cold. The food took ages to arrive but that´s one of the downsides of travelling with such a big group.
The next day we walked back to the bus terminal to board our bus to Montevideo. ...fortunately the weather was a lot cooler than the previous day so I didn´t look quite such a sweaty lobster when we got there! We had an orientation walk when we arrived which ended at a famous market with loads of restaurants inside, mainly serving steak and other meats as Uruguay seems as obsessed with steak as Argentina. My meal was horrible, definitely a bad choice as everyone else´s looked nice!
In the afternoon we wandered around the city which is Uruguay´s capital. It´s an odd place, most of the shops were closed on a Saturday afternoon (and not just for a siesta) and parts of it look like Cuba with its delapidated old buildings. There was a large tourist police presence around which made me feel a little nervous...Montevideo was not at all what I expected considering Uruguay´s comparative wealth compared to much of South America.
That night we went out to sample the nightlife. At Fran´s suggestion, we treated ourselves to cocktails at the rooftop bar of the Radisson Hotel to watch sunset and then went to a bar which turned into a club. The nightlife was by far the best thing about Montevideo. After a couple of quiet nights it was good to get to know the group better and let our hair down a bit.
We had a welcome lie-in after the late night in Montevideo before heading to Salto, on a 7 hour bus ride. The scenery was extremely boring! Salto is Uruguay´s second city but has a population of only 100,000 and doesn´t even get a mention in my guide book. We arrived in time for dinner which was suprisingly good as our guides didn´t know of many nice places to eat.
The next day most of the group headed to the thermal spas about half an hour outside the city. I also had a half hour massage to make up for the one I never had in Asia after seeing some of the bruises inflicted. The spa was a little different to the ones in the UK, they ran out of towels after the first 10 people went it and gave me a dirty dressing gown to wear full of holes! Hardly the height of luxury! I stupidly left my bikini there and had to get the bus back, luckily one of the girls had picked it up for me...what was a 30 minute bus ride ended up being an hour and a half. It was a good job I had the time to spare!
We went for dinner to the same restaurant again though they had a limited menu before 8 so I couldn´t enjoy the same dish again. Afterwards I spent a couple of hours updating my blog which was very behind before we got into taxis to cross the border into Argentina again. Strange border crossings number 2: the taxi drivers took our passports for us and got them stamped out of Uruguay and into Argentina, the authorities weren´t remotely interested in checking that the passports matched their passengers! We took pictures of the Argentina/Uruguay border whilst waiting.
We were dropped off by the taxi drivers in Concordia to board our night bus. I didn´t sleep that well because the bus was absolutely freezing, even with socks and a jumper on. In the middle of the night some idiot woke me up by spilling boiling hot coffee down my new zip up top! When we arrived at Pousadas, we had to transfer to a local bus which was a lot less comfortable than the posh night buses. They sell the same seat more than once but we refused to move when a local guy told he had also been sold some of our seats! Some of the guys had to stand for the 2 hour journey.
We finally arrived at San Ignacio, a sleepy town in North East Argentina. The group was split up into three hotels, luckily I was put in the one we arrived at as the others were far away with no taxis or buses. The main reason for our stay there was to see the Jesuit ruins at San Ignacio Mini. It was a very hot day again but we decided to go mid afternoon (after a couple of hours sleep) so we had the rest of the day to relax. They were very interesting and we had a guide who told us about the different buildings and how the local guarani population was controlled and converted to their new way of life by only 2 Jesuits.
That evening we had an authentic rural Argentinian experience...power cuts around the time we were trying to order dinner, leaving the outdoor seating area in complete darkness. It was caused by the sound and light show at the ruins, I decided not to go again but a lot of the group were going for the first time so missed out as they had to cancel it (but not before causing several more power cuts!) Given that and the lack of anything to do in the town, I took it as a sign to have an early night!
I had been looking forward to our day on a typical Argentinian ranch for weeks. The owner´s brother came to pick us up from our local bus in a clapped out old school bus; 15 minutes down a dirt track and we were there. It was another scorching day so the beautifully clean pool was a welcome sight. We were fed empanadas, a typical Argentinian meat pasty, and relaxed by the pool before having lunch which was an asado, an Argentinian barbecue. After lunch, I went off in the first group of horse riders...fortunately my horse this time, Little Fox, was a lot more respondent to my kicks than the lazy one I had in Pucon! It was only the beginners group so we weren´t allowed to go very fast (I hadn´t wanted to gallop which is why I opted for the first group).
About 5 minutes into the ride, through a field of long grass, a cow appeared and startled some of the horses. Luckily mine was fine but I heard a large thud behind me and turned round to see one of the guys from my group on the floor. He had an obvious dislocated elbow and we had to wait a while while the lady went back for help. It shook me up a little bit as you realise how dangerous horse riding can be. Luckily after a trip to the hospital to fix it, he was fine and was back with us within a few hours. The horse riding lasted just over an hour which was long enough as we were so hot afterwards that we jumped straight into the pool.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool, eating cake and drinking mate, the famous Argentinian drink. I quite liked it as it´s similar to green tea. Sadly it was time to leave, get back on the bus down the dirt track and board a local bus to Puerto Iguazu, near the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls. As it was a local bus, some of the guys had to stand again but we created our own entertainment by singing and dancing in the aisles, much to the bemusement of the locals! By the time we arrived in Puerto Iguazu it was around 10.30am so we went straight to bed.
It was barely worth unpacking our bags as we left Puerto Iguazu early the next morning for our first visit to Iguazu Falls, starting with the Argentinian side of the falls. To avoid the crowds, we chose to do the boat ride first which takes you up very close and absolutely drenches you! It was a scorching day so we were glad of the chance to cool down. After that we followed several of the various trails around to get some spectacular views. The falls are incredible; just as you think you´ve seen the best view, you walk around the corner and there´s an even better one waiting for you. We got the train to Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat) station before walking about 1km along the boardwalk. Again, the views and the sheer quantity of gushing water was incredible; trying to describe it here is impossible and no pictures can do it true justice either. All I can say is if you ever get the chance to go, please do.
After walking back along the boardwalk nicely cooled down after getting wet again, we queued up to board a little dinghy to float back down the river rather than getting the train back. There is a point at which you think you may be about to go over the waterfall but the current and the oarsman steer you away from it. We didn´t stop to see any wildlife but it was a very relaxing way of getting back, though at this point we were once again ridiculously hot and sweaty! The humidity there was unbelievable and it must have been around 40oC that day.
We got the train back to the meeting point to catch up with the rest of our group. We had arrived in good time as we weren´t quite sure how long it would take to get back and the park covers a huge area. Unfortunately some members of our group had to wait so long for the dinghy (which is at the opposite side of the park) that they missed the meeting time and we had to leave them, bags and Steve behind and head for the Brazilian border without them. I was so glad that wasn´t me as I would have been seriously freaking out!
We arrived at the Brazilian border and the missing people had caught up with us by hitching a lift with another Tucan group. We also saw the GAP guys again! The authorities decided they were going to be awkward that day and had issues with all of the tour leaders (not only Tucan) visas. I think it was because they´re American and apparently America is very tough on Brazilians entering their country. Finally Fran and Steve were allowed to rejoin us and we made our way to Foz do Iguacu though the delays meant that we had missed the Brazilian meal and concert we had planned for that night. I finally caught up with Rachel too; there had been a mix-up by Tucan who had put us in different groups even though we booked together so it meant we wouldn´t be able to travel together all the time.
We had a very quick shower before going to dinner at an all you can eat pizza restaurant. It wasn´t great but we were hungry, it was late and all the other options were very expensive. We tried their dessert pizzas, the white chocolate tasted mainly of cheese and was disgusting!
It was a shame we couldn´t spend longer at the hotel as it was by far the nicest we´d had so far, but in true tour style we were off again first thing the next morning to visit the Brazilian side of the falls. First we went to drop off some laundry and go to a money exchange before some of the group went on helicopter rides over the falls. I was thinking about doing it but couldn´t imagine how you could better the views I´d seen already. Then we went to a bird park and saw some toucans and snakes amongst other things; you could have a picture taken with both but as usual I was way too scared!
After lunch at the bird park, it was finally time to see the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. You can´t get as close to the Falls but the panoramic views are much better and give you a greater idea of their sheer scale. Unlike the Argentinian side, the Brazilian side can be done in a couple of hours maximum and doesn´t involve as much walking (or opportunities to lose the rest of the group!)
When we arrived back at the hotel, there was time for some quick errands like internet, laundry and shopping before boarding our last night bus of this trip to Curitiba. I slept much better this time (and had no hot drinks poured down me) though the driver was clearly auditioning for Formula 1 and we arrived way ahead of schedule!
We arrived at our very centrally located hotel by 6.45am, luckily the rooms were ready so the first thing I did was crash out for a few hours. Fran then did an orientation walk of the city to show us the main sites. It´s one of the most prosperous cities in Brazil and is the third greenest in the world. It´s a very pleasant place to spend a day or so though there isn´t a massive amount to do. Some of the girls decided to go shopping but I wanted to get out and see things so I did the hop on hop off bus which some of you will know is a slight obsession of mine! I stopped at the Botanical Gardens for lunch and to take some pictures before completing the loop in about 3 hours. I was really glad I did it and I saw lots of parts of the city that I wouldn´t have otherwise. I also topped up the tan nicely by sitting on the top deck...Fran said that every time he´s been to Curitiba it´s rained but we must have brought the good weather with us.
Afterwards we had a few drinks in Lyndi´s room (Rachel´s tour leader) to celebrate her birthday before going out to The Farm, a restaurant and bar where all four Tucan groups had planned to go that evening. It was my first experience of the Brazilian tab system; you get a piece of paper on arrival, they write down what you have during the night and if you lose it you have to pay a ridiculous sum of money to be allowed to leave! There was a bit of a dispute when one of the guys was trying to buy the girls some cocktails and we got the distinct impression they weren´t going to make us the drinks even though he had already paid for them!
Later we went to a club round the corner and experienced more paperwork....this time we were given a piece of paper on arrival, told not to lose it and then it was promptly snatched off us by a lady inside and we were marched into a holding area! I was not in the mood by this stage and felt that they were trying to stitch us up, suddenly my Portuguese came back to me and I told her that the paper was perfectly safe in my handbag and to give them back to us. After this it was all fine, the problem was that a couple of girls in our group had gone ahead and thrown the paper away and they were trying to tell us not to do the same. The lady was all smiles afterwards but I couldn´t help feeling a little uncomfortable about their system and that it wasn´t as friendly a country as the rest of South America has been so far. We didn´t end up staying very long as it was so hot in the club, Latin American nightspots really need to invest in some air con!
Following the night out in the Curitiba, there some rather fragile looking people on the bus to Sao Paolo (I was not one of them, I hasten to add, for the benefit of my relatives reading this!) We stopped at a large restaurant for lunch where I had my first experience of the Brazilian por kilo concept; you fill your plate with whatever food you want, it´s weighed and the price you pay relates to how much it ways. Of course I managed to get even this wrong when I put some salad on a small plate which seemed logical as I only wanted a small amount. The cashier looked rather displeased and began scraping it off onto a larger plate! I can´t see what the problem was but Brazil seems to like its rules on these matters!
We arrived at the main Sao Paolo bus station which was chaotic with hundreds of people standing behind a perspex screen trying to catch a glimpse of their relatives coming off the bus. Definitely a place you want to keep a firm hold of your luggage. This is the closest I´ve come on my travels to re-experiencing the craziness of China though with still only a fraction of the people.
Fran had told us that our hotel was in the gay area of the city but we hadn´t anticipated the street being shut for a huge parade! The hotel had definitely seen better days with a lovely pink bathroom suite but at least our room was away from the noise on the street. We went out for a rodizio: again another Brazilian institution, an all you can eat affair where various types of meat are brought to the table and sliced off in front of you. There was some interesting meat on offer, including chicken hearts which I pulled a suitably disgusted face, but the more normal chicken, steak etc was really good. I don´t think I´ve ever eaten so much meat as I have done in South America but there really is little else to choose from! At least I had salad and vegetables with it whereas some of the guys were on a mission to eat nothing but meat! After dinner we went to a bar where a well-known song about Sao Paolo was written before we headed back in a large group to the hotel; this place felt quite intimidating especially with the large numbers of people out of the street.
The next morning I went on an orientation walk with Rachel´s group and tour leader before stopping to get some acai, a Brazilian speciality which is a berry mixture served with granola and chopped bananas. It´s delicious and full of anti-oxidants too. In the afternoon we went on a city tour offered by Fran as he knows Sao Paolo and its history really well. First of all we went to the Edificio Banespa which was modelled on the Empire State Building and which has amazing views from the top. You hear about how massive Sao Paolo is, with a population of 27 million, but it isn´t until you see the endless tall buildings as far as the horizon in every direction you look that you get a sense of its size. It´s a pretty mind blowing place.
We then walked around the historic centre on our way to the Cathedral and past a demonstration outside a government building. We weren´t exactly sure what was going on but the signs demanded that an official come out and talk to the protestors. Fran stopped a little way up the street to talk about some of the city´s history. Suddenly we saw a crowd of people heading up the street in our direction and Fran shouted ¨Run!´ We stopped a short while up the street and I was wondering why we were all coughing as I didn´t feel out of breath... then we were told that we had been running away from tear gas which the police must have used to disperse the protestors! Definitely the most scary moment of my travels so far which unfortunately does little to change Sao Paolo´s previous reputation as being a dangerous place.
The rest of the tour proceeded without further incident though I was so panaroid about getting my camera stolen that I hardly took any pictures out on the streets. We visited the Cathedral and then saw a completely different side of the city at Avenida Paulista which is often compared to Manhattan with its fashionable boutique shops. Rachel and I found an amazing chocolate fondue stall serving melted chocolate over fruit...and discovered that a marshmallow counts as a fruit in Brazil! We ended the tour at the Havaianas Concept store. For those of you who don´t know what Havaianas are, they´re world famous flip flops which come from Brazil and are a fraction of the price in their home country. You can also have your own pair customised; I got some baby pink ones with a flower diamonte on each.
That evening we went to a Japanese restaurant as Sao Paolo is famous for its ethnic diversity and has the largest concentration of Japanese people outside Japan. Unfortunately the waiter forgot about my order despite being asked several times where it was...so much so that everyone else had finished eating and was starting to leave before it arrived! I didn´t like having to pay the full cost and the service charge but didn´t fancy another argument in Portuguese! I went out without a bag with my money stuffed down my top and felt much less concerned about having my things stolen. Sao Paolo is a fascinating city and I may have been over-cautious to the point of paranoia but I am very glad I was there as part of a group as I wouldn´t have felt at all comfortable on my own.
I was quite relieved to be leaving the craziness of Sao Paolo behind for the relative tranquility of Paraty, a former pirate town. The journey there was interesting for several reasons; first of all the scenery was beautiful especially the coastal views as we descended the hills. Our lunch stop was supposed to be only 20 minutes, optimistic at best with a group of 35 people! For the second time in as many days, my order was completely forgotten about even though I was near the front of the queue! Fortunately the weird Brazilian system of ordering, eating then paying when you leave meant that there was a queue of 33 other people in front of me to pay one cashier and I managed to grab my food and run to the bus. Our second stop was at some cash machines as Fran reckoned it would be hard to get cash in Paraty or Rio so we should stock up.
In the hour or so before, there had been a torrential storm and the bus started leaking! We ran to the shelter of the cash machine booths (only one of them would accept our cards) and watched the crazy storm develop, it was almost like a mini hurricane and we were worried for the people out in the open as it looked like something would fall on them. Suddenly there was a flash of bright blue light near the bus and a banging sound and the transformers near the power lines had exploded. We all started screaming..it happened again and then the power went out, meaning that about 95% of us ended up with no cash. We ran back to the bus absolutely drenched and laughed at our perhaps slight over reaction to the events - if someone had filmed it, it would have made priceless viewing!
We arrived at our lovely posada with rooms overlooking the pool and the first job (apart from dipping our toes in the pool!) was to venture into town in search of cash. We decided to walk, unfortunately our directions were a little hazy towards the end and we walked around for ages with no sign of a cash machine. On the plus side we got some good pictures of the town with its colourful buildings and cobbled streets. Eventually we found the cash machine and supermarket to stock up but then it was a mission trying to find a taxi to get back. We arrived back at our place not a minute too soon...as soon as we got out of the taxi, the torrential rain started. We were marooned in our rooms with intermittent power until it had eased off enough to go down to the beach restaurants for dinner. Somehow my dinner arrived in 10 minutes when others had been waiting an hour and seemed to jump to the front of the queue...but I like to think that was karma for the last few days service!
The next day most of the group went on a boat trip around the islands with lunch and bar. We were promised free caipirinhas for the first hour..and they lasted nearly all day! It was a really nice day, we anchored every so often to go swimming or swim to the beach. It looked like a storm was brewing but fortunately it held off as 75 people sheltering under the covers would not have been much fun. The only downside was that lunch was a little on the light side and there was no sign of the seafood previously mentioned!
That evening we went to try some more acai as we were told it is hard to find in Rio. Then we walked back to the posada as another storm was on its way..luckily it held off until we got back. The power had gone out in the posada so we headed for dinner at a local hostel which still had power. Thank goodness I had a quick shower (in the dark) before dinner because when we woke up the next morning, not only was the power still off but there was no water either! And to top it off, the mozzies were out in force and lots of us were covered in bites. Fran complained and got the second night refunded as there were a few grumpy faces at the lack of room fan or shower facilities!
A fairly uneventful journey (in comparison to recent days anyway!) took us along the coast from Paraty to Rio, our final destination on the Tucan tour. It was to be my base for the following two weeks so this entry will probably take several attempts to write up fully.
As soon as we arrived, there wasn´t even any time for lunch as we had booked to do a city tour in the afternoon. I originally wasn´t going to do this as I thought I would have plenty of time during Carnival but Fran warned us that everything shuts down at Carnival time. I´m glad I went as it was a really good way of seeing the main attractions in half a day. First we went to Christ the Redeemer which was predictably busy but offered great views over the city (as well as the obligatory photo in front of Christ himself). Next we went to an area called Santa Teresa and the Parque das Ruinas which is as it sounds; the remains of a beatiful mansion which also has great views across the city. The favelas and the most desirable areas are so close to each other yet a world apart at the same time and typifies Brazil; the rich are very rich and the poor are very poor. Next we went to the Spanish Steps in Lapa which have been made famous by their appearances in several music videos including U2 and Snoop Dogg. In the 1970s a guy decided to make a piece of art out of the steps and there are beautifully decorated tiles up the steps with representations of many countries. I had my picture taken by the English one. Next stop was the New Cathedral which looks like it was modelled on the Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool and inside is the chariot used by Pope John Paul when he visited Rio. Our final stop was Sugar Loaf Mountain, which along with Christ the Redeemer is a Rio icon. It was another hot but beautifully clear day so we could see a long way.
When we got back to the hotel (which was by far the nicest we´d stayed in during the whole trip), it was time for our last official group meal together though most of us were staying on for Tucan´s Carnival Package at the same hotel so would get to spend a few more days together. We went to a really nice por kilo (price per weight of plate) restaurant a few minutes away. Some of the girls went out but I was feeling a bit run down and didn´t want to burn out before Carnival had even started so I had an early night.
The next morning we went on another of our optional activities; a tour of the Rocinha favela. We got a minibus there and were met at the entrance to the favela by guys on motorbikes waiting to drive us to the top (favelas are characterised by being built up the side of steep hills). Aside from the Sao Paolo tear gas incident, this was probably the scariest experience of my travels so far. Needless to say we didn´t have any safety gear and my driver was adamant he was getting to the top first, overtaking all the others who had set off before me and squeezing through spaces between buses and cars barely wider than the bike itself. Luckily the experience only lasted a couple of minutes and my driver proudly arrived before anyone else - the others commented on the fact I had ended up with the maniac!
Having arrived at the top of the favela safely, we began our tour. The first thing that struck me was the sometimes overwhelming smell of sewage. There are areas of the favela in which you cannot take any pictures as there are drug dealers around. I felt surprisingly safe there though as our guide worked for a charity there and so knows most of the community and is trusted by them. Despite the run down houses, smelly streets and poor sanitation conditions, a lot of the people there looked happy and the children smiled and waved at us. We were also able to support the local businesses by stopping at a bakery, a craft stall and an art shop. I took a photo of the website as I loved the artwork but think I need to get my own place before buying any more things to put in it! Some local boys performed some samba music for us on drums made out of old tins. We made our way down to the bottom of the favela on foot and then got on the minibus back to the hotel, dropping off some hangliders on the way. Needless to say I didn´t partake!
That evening was the first official night of Carnival so we went to Lapa, an area with lots of bars and cafes, and went to a bar where a live samba band were performing on an outdoor stage. I had a great time and it ended up being a pretty late night as we didn´t get back until around 5am. Lapa is a really vibrant area but quite run down and you have to be careful to stick to the main streets.
The next day we went to a football match at the Maracana stadium to see the semi final of a Rio Cup competition between Vasco de Gama and Fluminense. The atmosphere was amazing with drums, chanting, singing, banners etc. I thought the noise would die down once the match started but you have to admire the stamina of the Brazilians who kept going for the whole match! After 90 minutes it was 0:0 so it went to penalties (no extra time) which unfortunately for us as we were in the Fluminense end, Vasco de Gama won 6:5. The stadium really didn´t feel that big but apparently its capacity is over 110,000! The standard of football wasn´t great which was surprising but maybe all the best Brazilian players are playing in Europe.
That evening it was one of the girl´s birthdays so we went to the centre of Rio as there was supposed to be live music and entertainment on a stage in the main square until 3am. By the time we got there at around 11, the party had clearly ended as all that was left was piles of rubbish, a disgusting smell, rivers of goodness knows what flowing down the street and drunk locals! We made a hasty exit in search of a street party in Copacabana or Ipanema. We didn´t end up finding one but had a few drinks on the beach before a relatively early night by Brazilian standards.
On Carnival Sunday, a group of us went to Ipanema and spent a bit of time on the beach which was absolutely packed, so much so that there weren`t any seats left to rent. It was also another unbelievably hot day when even doing nothing leaves you pouring with sweat! We joined in a street parade with live music though they had a limited repetoire of one song which they repeated for about 2 hours! Afterwards I went out for dinner with some of my group to celebrate another birthday and at Steve and Fran´s suggestion we went to a rodizio nearby which was very expensive but apparently the best in Rio. I was so tired from being on my feet for hours during the street parade and so full from all the food that I didn´t go out that night...plus I had to pace myself for the big night the next day at the Sambadrome.
I didn´t do a lot the next day..it seemed to be even hotter than the previous day and I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to last the whole night. We went to the por kilo restaurant for a late lunch and then all the Tucan groups set off at 7 to walk to the Sambadrome. It was quite a distance and at times we got split up from each other so I made sure I stuck close to the tour guides as I didn´t fancy losing the group before we even arrived!
I should probably explain what the Sambadrome is, it´s the purpose built stadium where the samba schools parade on floats, dancing and wearing amazing costumes. It´s the image of Rio Carnival that is broadcast worldwide and is the main event. Once we got to the Sambadrome, we were in Sector 13 which is right at the finishing line. It started at 9 but it took at least 45 minutes for us to see anything as the runway is so long. There were six samba schools competing for at least an hour each with quite a lengthy break between each one. Without a doubt it was the highlight of the Carnival and it was the perfect way to end the tour. I was determined to see the whole thing as it´s a once in a lifetime experience. So by the time we got out of the Sambadrome, managed to hail a taxi and survived the crazy driving, it was 6.30am and we were in time for breakfast at the hotel! We ate and went to bed for a few hours though we had to check out by midday.
The next day we were absolutely shattered so Rachel and I arrived at our new hotel at Copacabana where we could fortunately check in and then spent most of the afternoon sleeping! We attempted to go to a Mexican cafe we had seen in Ipanema but there was a crazy party going on outside it so we had to settle for a nearby restaurant instead.
On the Wednesday we met up with a couple of the girls who were still around and spent the morning on Copacabana beach. As Carnival had ended, it was much quieter in Rio and we managed to get some seats and several umbrellas on the beach. At lunchtime we once again tried to go to the Mexican cafe but it was closed, probably to clear up the mess from the night before! We said goodbye to the other girls and spent a few hours at the hotel´s rooftop pool which was very pleasant indeed! It was Rachel´s last night (boo!) and we went to a por kilo restaurant nearby for dinner.
The next day the rain arrived and barely stopped the whole day. We decided to brave the rain and do a walking tour of the old city from one of our guides books and the temperature was a lot more comfortable for sightseeing. We saw a completely different side of Rio again, buildings from the 18th and 19th century and narrow cobbled lanes. Then we got a taxi to Rio Sul shopping centre which we found to be a bit out of our price range though I found a jacket potato for lunch...I´d been craving one for months! I checked into my hostel and then it was time to say goodbye to Rachel.
The next day the weather was still very overcast so I went back to the cente which was totally different from the rubbish bin it had been during Carnival. Rio is actually much more pleasant when Carnival isn´t on. I went to the Museum of Fine Arts which was quite good though large sections seemed to be empty..bit of a waste of a beautiful building modelled on the Louvre.
Saturday was my last day in Rio before heading to the Pantanal and luckily the sun was back so I went to the beach for a few hours. I decided to try a new por kilo restaurant closer to the hotel which was horrible! Cold cooked vegetables are never good...I should have known from the price that it was going to be bad!
That concludes part 1 of my Rio adventure as the next morning I had to leave the hostel at 5 for my flight to the Pantanal....
I was so glad to be boarding two short flights to Campo Grande rather than the 23 hour bus I had been seriously considering! I decided to go to the Pantanal after reading about it in my guide book and I wanted a few days out of Rio to see another side of Brazil. It´s the world´s largest wetland close to the borders with Bolivia and Paraguay and is home to an amazing variety of wildlife. I had been in touch with a company recommended in the Rough Guide who had offered to come and pick me up from the airport. I arrived bang on time and there was no sign of Al, I must have looked like a lost foreigner as the man from the tourist info centre came to enquire whether I was alright! After about 10 minutes a man turned up with a card holding my name explaining that his car had broken down so he had hailed a taxi. He turned out not to be Al but the receptionist from the hostel. I was pretty pleased to get a free taxi and a free night at the hostel for booking the tour.
The room itself was pretty basic with some holey sheets but it did have an ensuite and was a private room which I wasn´t expecting as a freebie. They had free internet so I spent quite a lot of time sending long overdue emails to friends and family as well as updating my blog which is constantly 2 weeks behind! It was a Sunday and the town seemed very sleepy so I went in search of a main meal at lunchtime, not fancying my chances of getting anything at all later on. It also didn´t feel like the nicest area, it was safe during the day but I certainly wouldn´t wander around at night. It´s very different to Rio but this is probably a more typical of Brazil, certainly away from the more glamorous areas.I found a cafe claiming to have snacks, fast food etc so enquired as to what they had and the answer was a few things plus a salad. I said that would be fine, thinking I´d get a salad and then to my surprise, everything she mentioned arrived on a plate! It was an odd mixture of beans and rice (the staple diet in rural Brazil), some lumps of meat, spaghetti bolognaise with a side serving of coleslaw. It wasn´t bad and just sitting there was an experience in itself. It was like a converted garage with a few food items for sale on a shelf, a pool table at the back, a long counter with nothing on it, some empty fridges and an old juxebox! Add to that the children running around in their nappies and I felt like I was almost sitting in someone´s home! It reminded me slightly of living in Porto and is definitely unlike anything you could experience back home which is one of the joys of travelling.
That evening I finally got to speak to someone about my Pantanal tour as Al had told me to meet him when I arrived and then promptly disappeared! I signed up for the 3 night 4 day tour as I wanted to see as much as possible whilst I was there. We started at 10 the next morning when a minibus took the 5 or so hour journey to Buraco das Piranhas which was to be our base. I opted to stay in the dormitory rooms in the lodge as I didn´t fancy camping in 35 degree heat. When we arrived, we were assigned our rooms and I ended up in a room with three guys, two middle aged Tasmanian guys who were riding their motorbikes across South America and a British guy of a similar age to me...all the other girls were on the shorter tour!
Then it was time to start our included activities, the first of which was going a short distance up the river on a boat and then floating back on a large tyre. This would be the third time I´d gone tubing this trip and I was a little worried as the other times I have proved to be a liability with zero control over the direction of where I´m going! It was all going fine until I saw the others getting out on the opposite side of the river to where I was...I tried to paddle across but knew I was in for a repeat of the Vang Vieng experience as the current was strong. Luckily a few other people were merrily being carried downstream past the lodge and our guide was picking us up in the boat. I have little upper body strength at the best of times and was tired from swimming so couldn´t haul myself up into the boat. I said I´d hang on to the side with one of the others whilst he motored us back. After about 30 seconds my arms were hurting like mad and we realised there was no way we could hold on especially as we had floating quite far downstream and the boat was barely moving at all (and we were in severe danger of losing our swimwear!) With the help of the guys we all managed to get into the boat....drop is probably a better description, I had some nice bruises to show for it and a very sore hip! We did have a good giggle about it and said it was a good bonding experience for day 1.
The food at the lodge was really nice but the bar area closed around 10 so were in bed early every night. Probably a good thing as were woken up at 6am the next morning by our guide so we could get ready, have breakfast and be ready to leave at 7.30. 7.30 came and went and we were hanging around waiting...which set the scene for the next few days. Organisation or time management was definitely not the company´s strong point despite what the Lonely Planet may say otherwise! We were told that the truck had broken down so the group would be split into two and we would be doing fishing and a boat trip that day. We started off fishing at the bank but that didn´t produce much luck (I caught a fish but it jumped off the hook as soon as I lifted it out of the water) so we were taken out on a boat. I didn´t catch anything but most of the others did! After lunch and another very long wait for anything to happen, we went out on a boat trip. We saw a few birds and other animals but it was largely a repeat of the morning´s activities when we got the fishing rods out again and spent several hours there. Once again I caught nothing apart from an impressive collection of mosquito bites!
The next day we went on a jeep ride for about an hour and a half, stopping at various points to take pictures of animals which predictably were all at the opposite side to where I was sitting! Then we arrived at a ramshackle collection of huts which was where we would start our horse riding. This would be the third time I had ridden a horse in five weeks and the state of the horses was by far the worst I´d seen so far...some of them were so thin you could see all their ribs. I was given what can only be described as a child´s pony, the poor thing was far too small for me but it did a good job especially when it waded through some deep water. I really enjoyed it and fortunately there were no dislocated body parts this time! After lunch and another very long wait for any sign of activity, we went on a walk through the forest and saw macaws, wild pigs, alligators and a few animals whose name I can´t remember but I have pictures of, including a racoon type animal. Then we did our night safari which turned out to be just the journey back to the lodge but in the dark with a flashlight! We stopped a few times and saw some night birds and alligators but it could hardly be described as a safari!
The next day was our departure day (after lunch) so in the morning we went fishing again...I was determined to catch something before I left. Naturally the girl who had just joined our group caught an enormous fish and I caught nothing...and she wasn`t doing anything different to me! After lunch it was time to leave in the truck though not before another long wait; some people in my group had a public bus to catch and we didn´t leave until after that bus was leaving but we were told not to worry it would all be fine. About 1km from the drop off point (where I was catching the transfer bus back to Campo Grande),the truck broke down! Reliable transport is definitely not this company´s strong point! Luckily they managed to restart the truck and we got back to Campo Grande around 8pm. One of the guys and I went out for dinner and then it was time to repack my bag.I left the next morning on a flight back to Rio.
It was good to see another side of Brazil and see some wildlife but I did think we were slightly mislead as to what we would be doing...patience and a good sense of humour were definitely required in strong doses!
I arrived back in Rio in the early evening and checked into my hostel. Last time I was there I asked about a day trip to Petropolis advertised on their board for the following day but they didn`t know anything about it nor express much urgency to find out for me! I literally stood over the guy and waited for an hour and a half to make sure he booked me something...Petropolis wasn`t possible so I booked a day trip to Ilha Grande which I´d heard very good things about. I asked him what we would do and he said see some beaches so I assumed it was a tour of the main island.
When I was picked up the next morning, I was asked for the money for the trip (which I had already paid the hostel) and the amount was 30 reais less than I had paid! So obviously the hostel`s agent took a large cut which I wasn´t that happy about as you assume youth hostels would offer the best deals on trips. I also found out that we would be going on a boat trip about the island and stopping at three points, similar to what we had done in Paraty but with a lot less Westerners and a lot less alcohol! I hadn´t packed my bikini as there was no mention of a boat or swimming opportunities so I had to sit on board while most people jumped in. I didn´t mind too much as the weather was very overcast so not great for swimming and it gave me a chance to think about the next parts of my trip and I had a sudden brainwave that I could squeeze a little Canada road trip on the way to New York in June.
The boat was mainly full of Brazilians...you can spot them a mile off as the men wear dodgy white speedos with flowery patterns on them and the women wear skimpy bikinis (even the really old ones!) I hung around with some Americans who were in Brazil on a uni exchange. The trip was good and I was able to get off at the third stop as it was onto dry land. The weather was looking dodgy but this point and the sea was pretty rough. By the time we were safely back in the bus, the downpour started. I got back to Rio around 8.30pm.
The next day a couple of girls from my dorm and I went to the Ipanema Hippie Market which is held every Sunday. Then we finally made it to the Mexican cafe which we had been trying to go to during Carnival! I spent a few hours on the internet catching up with people and finally working out how to use skype. That evening one of the girls and I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant in Copacabana she had found a few days earlier which made a nice change from the por kilo restaurants. By this stage I had spent more than planned so needed more cash out for the airport taxi the next morning...and then had a mild panic when literally every cash machine on the main road was either broken, wouldn´t give me cash or had run out of cash! I had to ask the hostel to book me a taxi where I could pay with a credit card which after about a half hour wait for any taxi company to pick up the phone finally happened much to my relief.
And so at 4am the next morning I set off for the airport. After almost a month, it was time to leave Brazil and head to Peru. After a shaky start, I had really enjoyed my Brazilian experience and its amazing diversity. I felt I had spent long enough there though and was itching to see Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, countries which people have told me are the real South America...
I left the pouring rain of Rio at 4am bound for my next destination, Peru. When I arrived, I made sure I booked a taxi from inside the airport as I had read about people having their luggage stolen from unlicensed taxis. The price seemed very expensive...what I didn´t realise was I had used an executive taxi firm and a flashy Mercedes complete with suited driver came to pick me up! Once he found out I spoke Spanish he wouldn´t shut up! I should be grateful for the practise but I was shattered from the 4 hours of sleep I´d had the night before and not really in the mood for small talk especially when trying to argue why it wasn´t a good idea to travel with my flute!
Luckily my hotel room was available early as I had technically been up since 1.40am Peruvian time so I had a rest before heading out to find some lunch in Miraflores, the area of Lima in which I was staying. It´s a nice, safe area and I tried the Peruvian dish of aji de gallina for lunch. Afterwards I found an internet cafe to update my blog. I had a pretty lazy day really as I stil had the whole of the next day to see Lima.
The next day I bought a ticket for the tourist bus around Miraflores and the centre of Lima. It took around 3 hours and showed us the main sites of Lima as well as stopping for a guided tour of the San Francisco Church and Catacombs. It was probably the best way to see Lima in a few hours and meant I could take as many pictures as possible without worrying about getting my camera stolen. Lima is actually a lot nicer than I was expecting as I had heard some very mixed comments about it. Admittedly I only saw the main tourist areas and there is a huge amount of poverty away from there but the city has some beautiful buildings.
That evening I met my new group..there were only 6 of us in total and I was only one travelling alone. This did have its advantages in that I got my own room for most of the trip! Everyone seemed very friendly although it was a bit of a shock going from a group of 35 in Rio to only 6! We went out for our first group dinner together and talked about the rest of the trip which sounds very exciting.
We left Lima at midday and boarded a bus to Pisco. The journey took around 4 hours and it was our first experience of travelling on a public bus in Peru..we were warned to keep our small bags on us at all times as if they´re on the floor or an overhead shelf, people can slash them open.
Our main reason for stopping at Pisco was to explore the surrounding area the next day. I´m glad we only had a few hours there as the place looks like a war zone as a result of the earthquake in 2007. There are so many damaged buildings that you would think the earthquake had only happened a few weeks earlier. We were advised not to wander too far away from our hotel or on our own...after about 2 minutes, the girls and I came back as there was nothing at all to see and we were getting constant wolf whistles and shouts from all the local men! We had dinner in the hotel and our first taste of the Peruvian Pisco Sours. I´d already had some in Chile but the Peruvian version uses egg whites on top which I wasn´t keen on.
The next day we had an early start as most of us did an optional boat trip to the Ballestas Islands. We took a speedboat out there (you can´t land there but you get really close up views) and saw loads of birds, sea lions and penguins. It was definitely worth doing and much better than a similar trip we did in Chile where we hardly saw anything! After we headed to the oasis of Huacachina where we tried dune buggying and sand boarding. It was such good fun though I´m very pleased we did it before lunch as we got thrown around a lot. I did all three sanboarding courses, unlike in Australia where I´d only done the beginners one.
Afterwards we had lunch at a local hotel and used their pool for an hour...it´s a surreal location as you can see massive sand dunes literally right behind the hotel. Then it was time to head to Nazca as we wanted to climb up the viewing tower and see a couple of the Nazca Lines before it got dark. The Lines are a series of animal figures and geometric shapes drawn into the ground. The best way of seeing them is from the air so I put aside my fear of small planes the next morning and took an 8 seater flight over the Nazca Lines. I would love to say I enjoyed the experience but I felt ill for most of the flight (thank goodness for travel sickness tablets or I definitely would have been sick) and the plane was so hot that I was fanning myself with the map of the Lines for most of it! I got a few ok pictures but will been stealing someone else´s who was feeling a bit more with it!
Once everyone had recovered from the flight, we set off to the Chauchilla Cemetery, a short drive south of Nazca. It´s an open site in the middle of the desert containing thousands of graves, complete with mummies, skulls, bits of pottery and even guinea pigs and parrots. It was really interesting if slightly gruesome seeing the mummies looking at you but amazing to think how well preserved they are. Afterwards we went to a local pottery studio where the really funny owner showed us how he makes the various pieces he sells.
We had lunch at the hotel and then had the afternoon to relax - I briefly tested the swimming pool but was put off by the murky water and seeing birds using the water slide as a bird bath! We went for dinner in Nazca before boarding our first overnight bus in Peru to the city of Arequipa, around 9 hours south...
We arrived in Arequipa early the next morning - the night bus was nice enough but the ride was very bumpy in places so I´d not got that much sleep. I crashed out for a few hours before going to the black market with some of the girls. I´d discovered that morning that I´d managed to lose somewhere (one of life´s mysteries) a pair of shorts and trousers so was anxious to replace them as soon as possible. The black market clearly only sells to girls or underweight women as there were no normal sizes in anything...and I got laughed at when I asked if they had any bigger sizes!
I had lunch at a nice vegetarian restaurant recommended in my guide book and them some of us went on the open top bus tour (yes I do have an addiction!) of Arequipa for a couple of hours. Like the one in Lima, they allocate you a seat which is amusing as they squash everyone together at the front...as soon as it set off I moved further back. It was a good way of getting an overview of the city and taking some nice photos, especially of El Misti volcano, but the compulsory stop at an alpaca factory was a bit random as none of us wanted to buy anything from there!
Arequipa is a lovely city with some beautiful colonial buildings. We were to return after the Colca Canyon for another half a day which would give me a chance to visit its number one site, the Santa Catalina Monastery. That afternoon I found a pair of shorts...practically the largest size in the Peruvian equivalent of H&M. Peruvian woman don´t seem unusually thin so I´m not sure where normal sized people are supposed to get clothes from! Later on we went for a group meal where I tried the local dish of peppers stuffed with mince and raisins accompanied by a potato with cheese on top which was delicious.
The next day we set off on our private tour of the Colca Canyon with our local guide Ramon. It was a long drive there but we stopped off several times to take pictures of the beautiful scenery or the numerous alpacas and llamas. We also stopped at a point which is 4900m high where just getting off the bus leaves you breathless! We had a buffet lunch in the town of Chivay where we all ate far too much and then arrived at our hotel which was very quaint (but also very cold!) An hour or so later we set off on a walk to prepare us for the altitude of the Lares Trek. It was quite a steep climb uphill to the top to see some unearthed skulls (and the man who is employed by the town to keep watch of them as theft is a big problem in Peru). The alttitude was pretty tough....even though I haven´t been to the gym for months I can climb steps back home without being as out of breath as I was at the altitude! It did worry me slightly for the Lares but Martin, our GAP guide, told us the Lares doesn´t have steps and isn´t as steep in many places.
After the walk we went to a local hot springs to rest our tired muscles and then onto a restaurant in Chivay which had local music and dancing. Fortunately I was on the side of the table against the wall where I couldn´t easily be reached, as those opposite me were forced to participate in the local dancing or tea leaf ceremony which was absolutely hilarious!
The next day we had a very early start in order to get to the Colca Canyon for early morning which is the best time to see the condors. We were told there was only a 50% chance of seeing them (which given my luck usually means 0%!) but we were lucky that day and saw quite a few. The Canyon is really impressive and is supposed to be the deepest in the world. We began the drive back to Arequipa, again stopping off at various points along the way. I bought a hat and thick socks in preparation for the Lares Trek as it gets pretty cold at night.
We arrived back in Arequipa for a late lunch at a sandwich shop recommended to me. I went to the Santa Catalina Monastery which was absolutely beatiful and a mixture of Spanish and Moorish styles. That evening some of us went to a pizza restaurant which was fine until Martin discovered a cockroach in his drink! I was amazed by the reaction of the waitress who far from apologising or giving him any free food, attempted to fish it out and give the drink back to him! One of the many differences between South American and UK culture..if that had been back home the restaurant would probably be fearing a visit from the Health and Safety Inspectorate!
Another very early start took us to Arequipa airport for our flight to Cuzco via Juliaca. I had been very impressed with LAN when I flew from Auckland to Santiago but this time we didn´t get so much as a drink! When we arrived in Cuzco we went for brunch at Jack's Cafe which had been recommended to me by loads of people and raved about in every guide book. I had the veggie breakfast which was amazing and probably big enough to feed two!
I didn´t do much that afternoon as I was really tired and we had three full days in Cuzco to look forward to once we had finished the Lares Trek. That evening we had a briefing by our Lares Trek guide and also by the guy who would rent equipment to us. I requested an extra thick sleeping bag as I was convinced the -10C wouldn´t be warm enough for me (especially as it looked like I would have a tent to myself). That evening was one of the girl´s birthdays so we went to a really nice restaurant with roof terrace views over Cuzco. It was probably the nicest meal I´d had so far in Peru.
The next day we set off early to the Sacred Valley with only our gear for the Lares Trek and our big bags left behind in Cuzco. We were allowed to takem just 7kg of stuff which included the mattress and sleeping bag (donkeys carry the bags for you) and then whatever we were prepared to carry ourselves in a day pack, so we had to be very ruthless....no facial washes or moisturisers etc!
Our first stop in the Sacred Valley was Chincero which has the Sacred Valley as a spectacular backdrop...just the sort of pictures you would see in a Peru tourist brochure. I bought some gloves in case the Lares Trek got really cold at night. Next we went to Moray, a part ceremonial part agricultural Inca terrace. We walked down most of the way via uneven steps (not designed for people with short legs!) ....this unfortunately means having to walk back up them and at altitude this is a lot harder than it ought to be. Our final stop was the salt flats of Maras which were interesting enough though hardly comparable to the ones I would be seeing in Bolivia in a couple of weeks time.
We arrived at our basic hotel in Urubamba in the mid afternoon and relaxed before heading out to dinner in the town. We were literally at the side of the road so had to get taxis there and back. Urubamba has been seriously affected by the loss of tourism from the closure of the Inca Trail and we were the only customers in the restaurant. My room was so cold that I slept with clothes on, my -20C sleeping bag and a duvet! I hoped this wasn´t an indication of what was to come on the Lares Trek.
The next morning we set off early in a minibus to start the trek. As there were only 7 of us, we joined another GAP group. We were really lucky because Martin decided to come with us (because we were such a nice group!) whereas the other tour leader stayed behind in Cuzco. It was a very bumpy ride and I think we lost part of the minibus bumper on the way! We stopped off at a market on the way to buy coca leaves for people along the Trek and also small gifts such as pencils and hairbands for any children we would see.
We loaded up the donkeys and then armed with our daypacks and walking poles, it was time to set off. The first day was a pleasant and fairly easy walk and our guide Wilber stopped a lot along the way to tell us about the local area or vegetation. After a couple of hours, we stopped for lunch - the camp sites are always set up ahead of your arrival by the porters who you see literally running past you on the way up. It was also my first experience of the camp site toilet - a freshly dug hole in the ground. Even more primitive than my memories of Guide Camp but it was only for three days and all part of the adventure. During the afternoon walk, we met some children and their mothers along the way. It was a fairly uneventful day apart from me going sliding down a hill on my backside (serves me right for walking down it far too confidently!) The seconds beforehand were captured on camera and will no doubt be making an appearance on Facebook!
The guides and porters look after groups really well and we had a three course meal every night. Afterwards we played some card games and then had an early night. There´s not exactly much to do once it gets dark and there is only one light (in the dining tent) so torches are essential. I got a tent to myself which was just as well as the porters had pitched in on a slope and I woke up in the middle of the night to find I had slid right down to the bottom! Fortunately I didn´t have to resort to wearing every item of clothing I had bought...in fact I was much warmer than the previous night in Urubamba!
The next day started off well and I was raring to reach the top (4600m) before lunch. Unfortunately a couple of the girls were really ill and I don´t know how they had the motivation to keep going. I just commented on how lucky I was that I wasn´t suffering from altitude sickness when I started to feel a bit nauseous and light headed. This continued to the top and I had to keep stopping after a few steps and stick my head closer to the ground! I knew I would be ok and that I would make it to the top but it was a rather surreal sensation and I must have looked very odd to everyone who overtook me (which was a lot of people!) One of the girls got a horse to the top as she was struggling to even stay awake as a result of altitude sickness. I treated myself to my bag of Haribo cola bottles at the top...maybe if I´d opened them earlier on I might not have felt so bad! We looked across a large lake, took some pictures and then made the allegedly short walk to our lunch camp. It was a sense of achievement having reached the top but I couldn´t help but feel disappointed as it was hardly on the same scale as reaching Machu Picchu.
Lunch was supposedly just over the hill...over an hour later the camp site appeared in the distance. I was feeling better because we were descending but by the time we reached our lunch stop I felt shattered, had no appetite and just wanted to lie down. I did eat because we had another walk after lunch which I got through pretty speedily as I was keen to reach the night camp and lie down. I was exhausted by the time I got there and spent the whole time until dinner lying down...I don´t think I´ve ever had such little energy! After dinner I went straight to bed and slept really well.
The next day I felt much better and was raring to go again..as was Wilber who seemed to be in a mad rush and we had to almost run to keep up with him! The walk was downhill along some pretty muddy paths which turned into mini rivers at various points. We nearly got mowed down by some out of control horses who were racing each other while their owner tried to keep up! We met some more children again (we hadn´t seen any on the second day) and dispersed our presents. All of a sudden, after walking through some villages, the minibus appeared to take us for lunch and that was the end of the Trek. I really enjoyed it though again it was a bit of an anti climax not reaching something spectacular on the final day...it felt more of a race to finish as fast as possible. We did a little presentation ceremony to the staff who had helped us and then we were transported to Ollantaytambo, our overnight stop.
Just as the glorious sight of our first shower in days came into view, we were told to dump our bags and be ready in 5 minutes to visit the Inca terraces at Ollantaytambo. So with weary bodies and in filthy clothes, we visited this impressive site though after 3 days of walking, the numerous steps up seemed like a sick joke (I guess this was a taster of what the Inca Trail would be like)! Afterwards we got our well deserved shower and hair wash, though we still only had our small bags so couldn´t exactly change into completely fresh clothes. We went to a really nice restaurant that night where I treated myself to a glass of sauvignon blanc (good wine is hard to come by in Peru!) and some quesadillas. All the tour groups had seemingly arrived at the same time so Martin ended up in the kitchen helping to get our orders out!
The next day we had to be ready for 8am for our trip back to Cuzco via some more Inca sites. I´d had quite a disturbed night´s sleep due to someone ringing the bell at 3.30am then a rooster that if I´d had a gun handy would not have lived to see the next day! First we stopped at a village that had been badly affected by the torrential rains and landslides. The night before, we had clubbed together and bought them supplies such as rice, pasta and flour as they´ve set up a communal kitchen for the many people who have lost their homes and are in temporary acccommodation. Then we went to the Inca sites of Pikillacta and Tipon which I tried to be enthusiastic about but the lack of clean clothes, the numerous steps up and my aching body made this quite hard! Eventually we arrived back in Cuzco mid afternoon. That evening we went to a restaurant that supports local children´s charities and all the decor, menus etc are like being at nursery school. The food was really nice and it was good to support such a good cause.
I was looking forward to a few free days in Cuzco to recover from the Trek and also to see what is widely considered one of the best cities in Peru. My first job was to back up two months worth of photos onto CD. I went for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant recommended in my guide book and opted for the very local experience of the 10 soles set menu (just over 2 pounds!) For this price you get soup, a main course and some coca tea. Afterwards I went to the Contemporary Art Museum as it was included on our Cuzco ticket which GAP had paid for. It took all of 10 minutes to look around...I had been expecting something a little more substantial! Afterwards I went to get my hair cut at a place recommended by another GAP guide. I asked the lady in Spanish to just trim the ends (as I wanted it properly styled back home) and a short time later emerged with significantly less hair than I had planned! If that was her idea of trimming the ends, I did well not to end up a skinhead! That evening we got a takeaway from the same restaurant we had been to the previous week and watched "It´s Complicated" (which one of the girls had bought from the black market) in the TV room at our hotel.
The next day I caught up with emails and then met a couple who had been on my Pantanal trip for lunch at Jack´s. It was really nice to catch up with them and get some tips on Bolivia, where they had just come from. I went to the Inka Museum which was ok but as I had been warned, lacking in detail or English explanations. I got the impression they could have done a lot more with it, especially given how rich Cuzco´s Inca heritage is. Afterwards I met up with one of the girls from my Argentina/Brazil trip who is teaching in Cuzco for a few weeks. We went for coffee and then in search of warmer clothing as the temperature was a little colder than the scorching heat we´d experienced in Rio! We went for dinner at The Real McCoy which is a British pub that had been recommended to me but I was so full from lunch that I could only manage vegetable soup. This was particularly annoying as they had jacket potato and baked beans on the menu which I had been craving for months!
The next day I went for breakfast with some of the girls (who were finally feeling better after Lares, poor things) to Jacks and had their French Toast with maple syrup, stawberries and banana which was as good as it sounds! Then I met up with Lucy again..I was planning on going to the Koricancha which is the number 1 thing to do in Cuzco according to my guide book but I figured I will be coming back to Cuzco in the future to do the Inca Trail so can see it then. Fortunately I saw a couple of the girls in our group who had just returned from their jungle excursion out in town because instead of leaving the next morning, we suddenly found out we had to leave that night and my room looked like an explosion had hit it! There were road blockades on the Cuzco - Puno road planned for the next day and Martin was worried we wouldn´t make it to Puno and would have to turn back or worse still, be stoned by the protestors! So after dinner at a really nice restaurant called Fallen Angel and all packed, we got onto a private minibus instead of a public bus and made the 7 hour journey to Puno along some unbelievably bumpy roads. We were told to close the curtains in case anything was thrown at the bus but fortunately the journey passed without incident and we arrived at our hotel at 5am ready to jump into our beds.
I had a very lazy day in Puno and did absolutely nothing until the evening. This was partly because I wasn´t feeling great, there wasn´t really anything to do in Puno and my over active imagination from the previous night´s journey had convinced me that there was a riot going on outside (in fact my room just overlooked a very noisy school!) That evening we had a dinner at a nice restaurant and I had my first dessert in ages which didn´t disappoint!
The next morning we got Peruvian tuk tuks to the port where we bought some gifts (fruit, pasta, flour etc that they usually have to get from the mainland) for our host families before boarding our private boat around Lake Titicaca, the world´s highest lake. We stopped off at Amantani Island and walked (uphill!) for our lunch stop. Then we got back onto the boat and sailed to Taquile Island which was to be our stop for the night. We were greeted by the ladies from our host families (or "mums"). On the way we had practised some of the local language to say to them. Two of the girls and I were sharing a room which was very basic and had just three beds and a chair in. The doorframe was so low that even I had to duck! Our mum was very shy and even though I spoke Spanish to her, it felt a bit awkward..a bit like the first day on a foreign exchange. We borrowed the traditional Bolivian beanie hats with ear flaps and went to watch some of the local guys and some of our guys play football. Afterwards we offered to helpprepare dinner which was peeling some potatoes....so hard without a peeler and also the potatoes had huge dents in them. She must have laughed at the gringos!
Dinner was quinoa soap (a wheat-like product which is a staple part of the Peruvian diet) and then a strange mixture of rice, chips and a little bit of scrambled egg! We were quite amused to see the family get meat with their main course! The boat captain joined us for dinner which was good as he talked a lot...including asking me how much I earned and whether I wanted to fall in love with a Peruvian (I think they were trying to set me up with the lady´s 16 year old son!!!) Then we dressed up in traditional costume which was fastened extremely tightly around our waists and went to the equivalent of their village hall to dance. The whole place was powered by one light bulb so needless to say it was quite dark. It was good fun and nice to see the locals and the visitors interacting. I slept really well that night despite the room smelling of animals!
The next day after breakfast (which we had to eat in about 2 minutes before catching the boat, I don´t think punctuality was our mum´s strong point!) we set off back in the direction of Puno. The lake was pretty rough to start with and the boat was lurching from side to side which I didn´t like at all. We stopped at the Uros Floating Islands which are man made reed islands that are home to over 1000 people. We had a demonstration of how they are constructed by a local man and then went out on a small boat trip around the islands which was very peaceful. The islands reminded me a bit of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. We had lunch on the boat before arriving back in Puno. All the girls went to a cake shop recommended in the Lonely Planet but most of them (mine excluded luckily!) weren´t very nice.
That evening we went to a Chinese (Chifa) restaurant which was a real experience! First of all the English menu did not relate in any way to the Spanish menu so poor Martin was having to make sure were getting what we wanted. We ordered one dish each but when they arrived, each dish was big enough for 2-3 people! It was nice enough but we couldn´t manage half of what we had ordered so we put it all in boxes and gave the rest to the local homeless people. That was our last night in Peru as the next day we would be crossing the border into Bolivia. I´m so glad I changed my original plans and came to Peru and I loved it and will definitely be back in the future to do the Inca Trail.
It was time to bid farewell to Peru as we boarded a bus in Puno that would take us across the border and to Copacabana (the other one in Bolivia, not Rio!) The group had to split up into smaller groups and pretend we didn´t know the others nor Martin (tour leaders have a hard time crossing the border so he had to pretend to be travelling alone to see friends). We had lunch in Copacabana which is a pretty little place overlooking Lake Titicaca and then boarded another bus which would take us to La Paz (and one again had to disown Martin!) We stopped in El Alto to take pictures of La Paz which has a stunning location at the bottom of the valley. It´s also the world´s highest capital city.
We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon and headed out for our last night with Martin (and also with two of the girls) as our trip around Bolivia was being lead by a different guide. We went to a Thai/Asian restaurant run by a former GAP leader which was ok but very expensive for Bolivia. We had a few too many cocktails there and then went to a local club which is supposed to be packed at weekends but on a Sunday night we had the place to ourselves. We succeeded in our aim of getting the two boys, who were such lightweights, rather drunk! It was a really fun way to end the first part of the tour.
The next day we wandered around the Mercado Buenos Aires which was close to our hotel. La Paz was a bit of a shock after Peru, it´s not nearly as pretty as places such as Cuzco or Arequipa. In fact on first impressions it´s a complete dump and looks like it´s straight out of the 1900s. What we would consider normal shops are replaced by small stalls selling very specialised items such as parts for taps or receipt books. It´s quite endearing though to see that not every place in the world looks the same yet.
It was time to say goodbye to two of the girls :( and then the rest of us headed to Oliver´s Travels, an English pub. I would normally run a mile from these but after 7 months on the road, bangers and mash was quite an appealing prospect. I was also intrigued to find out why my guide book described the owner as "rather unprofessional" (I have come to the conclusion it´s because he looked like he was on drugs!) The food was really nice and the mash was enough for about 3 people!
In the evening we met Soledad, our new leader, who was Bolivian and also a guy who joined the group for the Bolivia part. I was really pleased that we got the only GAP Bolivian guide as you learn so much more by having someone from the same country you´re visiting. We went for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant which was recommended in my guide book and Martin came along, when we had to also say goodbye to him.
The next day was an epic day of travel! We got a bus from La Paz bus station to Oruro which was supposed to take 4 hours. Shortly into the journey, the bus came to an abrupt stop and as far as we could see into the distance was a line of other buses also an a standstill. Some locals got off to see what was happening but I had visions of the bus driving off without me. Soledad found out that the road was closed by a blockade (people protesting about something and forcing a road closure which apparently is an almost everyday event in Bolivia) and the alternative road was blocked by a broken down bus! We managed to find an alternative route and carried on our way. It meant the journey was almost 5 hours and we arrived after the train to Uyuni should have left but in these situations the trains wait so we were fine. We had dinner on the train which sounded like a bad idea from the start given what I had heard about people being ill in Bolivia but we hadn´t eaten properly since breakfast. I ordered spaghetti bolognese as it sounded the safest option. I took one mouthful of the meat and pushed the rest to the side...it was guaranteed food poisoning on a plate! Of course everyone else´s meals looked ok, all I can say is I was very grateful I wasn´t ill afterwards.
The scenery on the journey was beautiful (until it got dark and then it was quite boring!) and I got a sense of how vast and isolated much of Bolivia is. We arrived around 10.30pm and had a transfer to our hotel in preparation for the start of the 3 day adventure to the Salt Flats.
Before we set off on our 3 day 4WD adventure that would take us to the extreme southwest of Bolivia, we bought some props for that afternoon´s photo session on the Salt Flats (don´t want to spoil the pics that will make it onto Facebook at some point but think police cars, Push Pops and Rubix Cubes)
Then it was time to head off though not without the compulsory South American delay due to broken down transport!Our first stop was a small village 5km away from the Salt Flats where we had a short demonstration of how the salt is processed and packaged by local families. Despite the vast quantities of salt Bolivia has, none of it is exported. The salt sells for less than 10p a kilogram which makes you appreciate how hard the families work for such little money. After this we reached the Salt Flats, the largest salt lake in the world, which was truly incredible. Driving across the lake and seeing nothing but salt and sky was a very surreal experience. We stopped for lunch at the Pescador Island (so called because it is the shape of a fish) and had a small walk past some impressive cacti and rocks to the top of the island. The views across the salt flats were amazing. As well as two drivers, we also had a cook with us on the journey and she prepared lunch of llama while we were walking. As with most meats, it tasted of chicken (but not as nice!)
We spent most of the time between lunch and arriving at our lodge taking pictures on the salt flats. Soledad did an excellent job with the pictures and we were lucky that there was no water on the surface which made taking pictures much easier. I even lay down for some of them though had the scratches to prove it. There is no concept of proportion on the salt flats so small toys etc look massive when you stand a distance behind them. We got some brilliant individual and group shots, including one of us being chased by a dinosaur and me being pulled out of a Pringles container!A short while afterwards we arrived at our accommodation which was a basic lodge where the whole building, beds, tables etc are made of salt. The six of us were in one room that night. It got pretty cold at night but I had hired a sleeping bag to make sure I was warm enough. We played card games in the evening before the lights were turned off at 10.
The next morning we set off in the jeeps and spent the whole day travelling across the Salar de Uyuni (which is over 9000 square kilometres), stopping at various points to take pictures, including at a stone tree, a Red Lagoon, a lake with flamingoes and a volcano. Once the group´s ipods had run down, we had to listen to hours and hours of Bolivian music which was ok at first but gets a little tedious when you hear the same song four times in a day! Our accommodation that night was more basic than the salt lodge. Unfortunately I hardly got any sleep because of stomach cramps and the next morning a couple of the group were feeling really ill...we think it was food poisoning from the chicken at lunchtime. I was not at all surprised as I was warned if I was going to get ill anywhere it would be Bolivia!
Fortunately I was fine the next day and the only issue was trying to stay awake to watch the scenery. We left very early and had a stop at the geysers and then the hot springs but it was far too cold outside to contemplate stripping down to my bikini! The ill people in our group went back in one jeep and we continued in the other onto the green and white lagoons which are on the border with Chile. The area is so dry that every day there is less water in the lagoons and soon they will have dried up completely. We stopped for lunch at a small village which looked completely deserted and set up our lunch table inside a local shop! We were very cautious with the food and all avoided the meat. Then it was time to begin the long drive back to Uyuni, stopping off at a train cemetery on the way back which was pretty eerie, especially as we had "Thriller" blasting from the ipod at the time! One of the guys noticed the driver nodding off so we turned up Michael Jackson very loud. It´s a hard job for them as they spent 3 days with us driving almost non stop.
We arrived back in Uyuni late afternoon and went to a really nice pizza restaurant for dinner where we reflected on a great 3 day adventure (as well as how to prevent other groups being poisoned by the cook!)
A long bus journey took us from Uyuni to Potosi, the world´s highest city at an altitude of over 4100 metres. The state of some of the roads in Bolivia is shocking and we were crawling along and being bounced around for hours! The buses are also a much more local experience than the more developed neighbouring countries of Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
We had a walk around the city when we arrived and I can´t say I relished the return to altitude, where you feel out of breath just walking up a couple of steps! We had a pre dinner snack of churros and chocolate (Soledad has as much of a sweet tooth as me which I approve of!). The next morning we went to the Casa Real de la Moneda or the Royal Mint which was built by the Spaniards and used to produce coins from the silver found in the local mines. The amazing wealth of silver in the area made Potosi one of the most important and wealthy cities in the Spanish Empire during the late 1700s.
Afterwards we had a tour of the mines which is probably one of the most bizarre things I have done on my travels so far. As it was a Sunday, there were few miners working that day but we stopped at a local shop to buy some gifts for them. Dynamite and coca leaves would not be high on most people´s Christmas list but that´s what the miners appreciate the most; coca leaves to keep them awake because they don´t eat often and dynamite to blow up sections of the mine. The guys we met that day work 7 days a week because they´re all self employed and have families to support. If they don´t find enough silver during a day´s work then they don´t earn anything. It´s a very depressing way of life but some of them have worked for 40+ years and know nothing else. Taylor Wimpey Health and Safety Department would have had a field day...huge holes are left completely uncovered (if you fell down you would easily break a leg) and you can hear the sound of dynamite exploding as you´re inside! It was fascinating though I was relieved to see fresh air and open spaces again.
After lunch at a nice restaurant where we got a 3 course set menu for 2 pounds fifty (Bolivia is kind on the wallet!), we set off from Potosi bus station (which looks like it´s had more money spent on it than the rest of the city put together) to Sucre, where we arrived early evening.
Sucre was easily the most attractive place in Bolivia, for a start because most of the buildings didn´t look like they were falling down! It was easy to see why it´s a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the white colonial buildings are beautiful. The next morning Sole gave us a walking tour of the city including Bolivar Park and the Plaza de Recoleta which had great views of Sucre after a hard climb uphill (the altitude is a mere 2700 metres but you can still feel it!) The theme for that day was definitely eating, we started off mid morning by trying saltenas which are the Bolivian version of empanadas, basically meat pasties. When we arrived at the viewpoint, we had lunch there but only something light as we were saving ourselves for the mid afternoon Dessert Happy Hour at Joy Ride Cafe, where you buy one dessert and get another free (this is my idea of heaven!) Having gorged ourselves to the point of feeling sick (two tiramisus is perhaps not a good idea), we then had a late dinner before heading out to karaoke.
I was looking forward to unleashing "All Night Long" on the Bolivian public but the karaoke bar was one of the strangest places I´ve ever been to. It was brand new but there were hardly any songs to choose from. Once we had found a few, the staff announced that they didn´t actually have any of those and we would have to choose from an even smaller selection on their computer. They eventually figured out how to work the equipment but not before some very long gaps between songs and the bar staff deciding they would have a go instead of putting on our songs! It was a hilarious night though perhaps not in the way we had imagined!
The next day we went to the Indigenous Art Museum which was really interesting, especially when you think about how long it takes to complete each weaving (around 6 months). Then we went to some of the local silver stalls and I was really pleased with my purchase of a necklace for a family member. I showed people at lunchtime when one of them commented that loads of the stones were missing..I hadn´t noticed at the time but it looked awful close up! Luckily Sole knew the seller so we took it back which was a mission in itself. First she denied there was anything wrong with it and said it was meant to look like that! Then she tried to make me exchange it for something else when all I wanted was my money back. After offering to repair it (even though there was apparently nothing wrong with it!) she eventually gave me my money back but said I would have to wait as she´d already cashed it! I was less than impressed that it was so hard to get a refund for something that was clearly broken. Bolivian Consumer Rights are obviously not the same as in the UK!
In the afternoon I went to the Casa de la Libertad, which is where the Bolivian Act of Independence was signed in 1825. We joined a guided tour (after managing to hunt down the guide mid tour, no thanks to the ticket man who was completely disinterested in helping us!) which showed us the assembly room and a room with portraits of all of Bolivias presidents amongst other things. It was very good to learn some Bolivian history as the lack of history museums has been one of the most disappointing things about South America so far.
That evening we had dinner at a French restaurant and then went to a cultural show in a posh village hall type building. We saw lots of traditional dances from various regions of Bolivia, including the differences in costumes and hats. The show was really good and at the end they invited us all to dance with them on stage.
That brought our very pleasant stay in Sucre to a close, as next morning it was time to board a plane back to La Paz...
A short flight (much preferable to a 12 hour bus journey) took us from Sucre to La Paz, the final stop on our short Bolivian adventure. We had to laugh at the high-tech airport security system which consisted of putting our bag on a table, walking through the metal detector and picking up our bag from the other side without anyone even glancing at it!
Back in La Paz, we went for lunch at a diner that has been open since the 1940s but decided to close the day before for renovation works....my bad luck strikes again! The cafe owned by the same people a couple of doors along was open but I don´t think we had the authentic 1940s experience. Afterwards I went to explore the city centre as I didn´t manage to see any of it the first time round. Sole warned us about being approached by fake police officers but luckily we escaped any tourist con tricks. It´s easier to see why people would want to imitate police officers when there are huge signs advertising police and military gear for sale...you can get a full outfit with no questions asked!
During my walking tour, I went to the Plaza Murillo which is La Paz´s main square. It has a couple of beautiful buildings, the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral on one side and then on another side a ramshackle building which looked like it had been plucked straight from Havana. Unfortunately the Presidential Palace is closed to visitors so I had to make do with a couple of photos of the guards. It was also a good place to take sneaky shots of the Bolivian women in their traditional costume and bowler hats. Then I went to Calle Jaen which is a beautiful colonial street with a narrow cobled lane and colourful buildings. My final stop was the Plaza San Francisco and the church of the same name. Outside there was a peaceful demonstration being held in aid of better rights for child workers and my first taste of a Bolivian guy trying to rap!
Sadly it was time for my 31 day trip of Peru and Bolivia to come to an end. As it was the last night we went for dinner at the rooftop restaurant of the Radisson which had spectacular views across the city. Bolivia is so cheap that even dinner at a posh hotel is cheaper than a pub meal in the UK. It was a really nice way to spend our final evening together. At 9am the next morning, I left La Paz bound for my final destination in South America, Ecuador...
Two flights later (La Paz-Lima and then Lima-Quito) and I was in the Ecuadorian capital. I´d had lots of good reports about it from people I´ve met travelling so was looking forward to seeing it for myself. My new tour actually started the same evening so most of my time to explore Quito is after my Ecuador and Galapagos trips.
I met the new group and our new tour leader (Giovanny who despite the Italian name is Ecuadorian which was a good start!) at our welcome meeting. I was quite surprised to find out that I was the youngest and that the oldest person (and my roommate for that night) is 40 years older than me! This was a bit of a shock having come from our Peru group where everyone was between 26 and 28. I was also the only Brit; with the exception of one American, everyone is from various European countries. It must have been unique for having no Aussies on it!
We found out that instead of heading to the jungle the following morning, the tour was actually being reversed so we would first head to the beach resort of Puerto Lopez on a night bus. This meant we had an extra free day in Quito and as it was Good Friday, we decided to go to the parade in the Old Town. Hundreds of people were dressed up in purple robes with purple cone shaped hoods covering their entire face, only slits for the eyes had been cut out. They looked very sinister, like members of the Ku Klux Klan. Some of them dragged woooden crosses, some had their feet shackled and others played musical instruments. We continued the authentic experience by having the traditional Ecuadorian Easter soup called fanesca which consists of fish and twelve different grains, supposedly representing each of the 12 disciples.
That evening we boarded our 10 hour night bus to Puerto Lopez. For the first time on a South American bus, ourselves and our small bags were searched before we were allowed to board. The driver insisted on playing Ecuadorian music extremely loudly even when people were trying to sleep; luckily after enough complaints he turned it off! At around 11pm the bus came to a sudden stop due to a traffic jam in front. There had been a landslide because of the torrential rain, the road was blocked and traffic had to wait for machines to clear the road. I fell asleep after a while but everytime I woke up I got the distinct impression that we hadn´t moved at all! At 6.15am we finally got going, meaning that instead of arriving in Puerto Lopez at 6am, we got there at 2pm. Fortunately I had carried extra snacks and water which I think is a good philosophy when using Latin American public transport!
Because of the 17 hour bus journey, we had lost most of the Saturday so we went to explore the beach for a short while which was full of litter and dead fish! There was an optional trip the next day to Isla de la Plata but we were told it was not worth going if you were also going to the Galapagos. The fact it is named "Poor Man´s Galapagos" was hardly a selling point, nor the 50 dollar price tag. Some of us decided to spend Easter Sunday in Montanita, a beach resort an hour and a half south of Puerto Lopez with a much nicer beach and more geared up for tourists. We found a lovely cafe serving pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast as Ecadorian breakfasts are along the same lines as in Peru and Bolivia...bread and not much else! We bought our bus tickets with allocated seat numbers but it was so crowded we could barely get on. I squeezed onto a seat right by the door, some others were practically sitting on the driver´s lap with random small children on top of them! Others were literally hanging onto the outside of the door and jumping off when the bus was still moving. Luckily the bus emptied considerably after a short while and we had seats for most of the journey. I was amused to see that the man sitting behind me was on a drip which was attached to the handle of the roof hatch! We had a nice day sitting on the beach and attempting to get back some of my tan which had almost completely disappeared thanks to Peru and Bolivia.
That concluded our brief stay on the Ecuadorian coast as the next day we set off for Ecuador´s largest city, Guayaquil....
An uneventful and punctual bus journey took us from Puerto Lopez on the Atlantic Coast to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city with a population of over 4 million. Until fairly recently, it was a place tourists steered clear of as it was considered dangerous and without any obvious attractions. However, in the last 10 years, the city (in particular the area by the river Guayas) has been regenerated to produce a very pleasant 3km walkway (malecon in Spanish) along the river. We arrived at around 3pm so only had a few hours to explore the city. We got some lunch at the malecon and then went for a walk. It's possible to do a boat trip but it's hardly the Thames and the colour of the water looked less than inviting! We were going to climb up a hill to get a good view but the torrential rain but a stop to that.
In the evening we went to a very local restaurant (also read into this cheap!) to try the Ecuadorian dish of menestra which is either beans or lentils served with rice and whatever else you fancy. I opted for the 1/4 chicken which made Nandos 1/4 chicken look severely anorexic!
The next day it was time to hop on another bus, this time to Riobamba. One of the worst parts of trips is never staying somewhere for very long. I wouldn't have minded another day in Guayaquil to see some more of the sites and the museums but the itinerary dictated that we had to leave the next morning. Originally the main reason for us going to Riobamba was to do the Devils Nose train ride but unfortunately the most exciting part is closed until August. Giovanny decided that it wasn't worth doing the rest of it so we would only spent one night there and have the extra night and activities in Tena later on in the trip. So again we only had a few hours in the late afternoon to see Riobamba. We saw the main plaza and church and then climbed to a park to get good views of the city and Chimborazo Volcano which we would be climbing the following day.
So the next day we set off for Chimborazo. I was a bit worried for a few reasons; first we were going from sea level at Guayaquil to an altitude of 5000m in less than two days which is not recommended and secondly because I had not coped well with the altitude at the top of the Lares Trek which was only 4600m. Armed with copious amounts of chocolate, coke and cake, we started the trek from 4800m to 5000m. It was quite unnerving to start the climb only to come across graves with names and dates of people who had died there! It's perfectly safe if you have a guide though. It is only 200 metres but feels like a lot more when you're at that height. The sugar rush definitely worked as I felt absolutely fine which I was really pleased about. Unfortunately the weather conditions weren't great, it was very misty and also started hailing on us at one point. We only went as far as the refuge at 5000m and had a coca tea and our passports stamped. It's possible to climb to the top which is over 6000m but this is for hardcore climbers and takes a few days. Chimborazo is the furthest point away from the Equator and beats Mt Everest by 200m even though Everest is much higher...something to do with the curve in the earth around the Equator (perhaps my scientist friends could enlighten me further?!)
After our successful climb it was time to head back down and get back on our minibus, destination our community stay...
Our next stop after conquering the 5000m refuge at Chimborazo was the community stay in a small place called Santa Anita, between Riobamba and Banos. We arrived mid afternoon, once again having had no lunch, and were greeted by pouring rain and freezing rooms! We made a fire to huddle around and discussed who was going to try the local speciality of cuy, or guinea pig, for dinner that night. Some of you will know that I had pet guinea pigs as a child so the thought of eating one is absolutely horrific. I thought this would all be done behind the scenes but our host suddenly produced a live guinea pig out of a bag for us to look at. I had to look away as I knew that this cute little thing would be having its neck broken and put in boiling water five minutes later. A couple of the guys went into the kitchen to watch its fate being sealed. Just to make it clear, I did not try guinea pig nor will I ever try it...I was ok taking pictures of it on the table as it didn't really look like a guinea pig anymore but more like a furless, stretched rat.
Later on the weather cleared up and we went for a walk to see how the local people live; we all commented that we only saw women working and wondered where all the men were. I taught the group how to play Uno that night which nearly resulted in a fight when we changed the rules half way through! The accommodation was fairly basic with cold showers but it was only triple share rather than the multi share we had been expecting. I went to bed with several layers of clothes on that night!
The next morning we had a delayed start as the minibus that was coming to pick us up broke down. This is very typical of South American transport, along with windscreens with cracks the whole way across! We arrived in Banos for lunch and went to a nice cafe which served a great tuna salad; despite an abundance of fruit and vegetables in Ecuadorian markets they are sadly absent on many menus. That afternoon some people went to have a massage but after my Uruguay experience I think I am over South American health spas!
The next day we climbed up the local hill to get great views over Banos. Unfortunately the visibility was quite poor so we couldn't see the nearby volcano. Banos is known as the adventure sports capital of Ecuador but I certainly didn't fancy canyoning or ziplining so I decided to relax and find some nice places to eat that didn't involve any Ecuadorian food!
On our last morning in Banos I had a walk around the main square and the church which are both very pretty and we treated ourselves to a brunch of pancakes (as we would be travelling on the bus to Tena over lunchtime). I enjoyed my time in Banos but I think maybe if I hadn't been similar to places earlier in my trip, like Pucon in Chile, I would have done more.
The bus to Tena passed through some spectacular scenery (and some quite hair-raising cliff drops!) and the town marks the start of the Ecuadorian jungle. Only a few days before, Tena had been flooded with several deaths and an animal park that we were planning to visit swept away. Our hotel room had views over the river that was running past at an incredible speed. We went for dinner at a nice restaurant overlooking the river and tried the local speciality of tilapia, a type of fish, which was really nice.
As we couldn't do the Devils Nose Train in Riobamba, we had an extra night in Tena and so the next day we did our new included activities. We went to a small animal rescue place and saw quite a few species of animals endemic to Ecuador including a pig type creature (I can't remember its name) that eats humans! Unfortunately the tapir, which I had been really looking forward to seeing, had been let out of its cage to wander around the river bank...the staff seemed very relaxed that it would come back!
Afterwards it was time to go caving. We got kitted up in our wellies and torches and headed into the caves. Bikini and wellies is a great look! At one point our guide switched off all the lights and told us stories of how the cave had been used by the local people in their battles against the Spanish conquest. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would though I politely declined the part where you could submerge yourself into a 5 metre deep plunge pool!
Late Sunday afternoon in Tena is not a happening place to be so I spend a bit of time on the internet. We wanted to try a new place for dinner but had to go back to the previous night's restaurant as it was one of the few places open. The next day we set off for the jungle...
A short ride took us from Tena to our jungle family homestay. Giovanny had loved telling us stories about weird things that happened to his groups in the jungle so I wasn't sure whether a single room was necessarily a blessing!
Five families live in the community and they take it in turns to host GAP groups. Our host was Nelson and his family. I couldn't work out how many children he had but there were a lot...apparently it was a day off when I asked if they went to school. Our accommodation was a series of huts made from reeds with a communal bathroom (even a shower though the water was cold!) We had lunch when we arrived and then went to the local pools which were freezing so I stayed on dry land. After we went on a walk to see the local plants and fruits and visit another family. At that house we could meet a shamen if we wanted to be adminstered with some local medicine. All of us declined as we didn't fancy being given hallucinogenics and then freaking out thinking we were being chased by tigers like Giovanny had described! We were heading back when the torrential rain started which is a feature of jungle life..and you thought it rained a lot in the UK!
We were served three course meals every night; we had been warned that the diet is very simple (rice compulsory of course!) so the food was a pleasant surprise. There was no electricity in the jungle so we played cards by candlelight. It's not the place to go if you get easily bored.
The next day was supposed to be our main jungle trek which should have been the highlight of the visit. Unfortunately it started pouring with rain at breakfast time and showed little sign of stopping. That morning we learned how to make traditional bracelets from seeds and string but I have never had much patience with arts and crafts and nearly threw a major strop when I couldn't understand how to do it!
Mid afternoon when it had eased off somewhat, some of us went out with Nelson to go hiking and fishing. This was a big disappointment as he was practically running through the jungle (if I'd walked any faster in my wellies I'd have ended up head first in the mud!) and didn't stop to explain anything. When we got to the river, we just watched him cast a net a few times and then walked/ran back the same way we'd come back to base. I'd heard good things about the Ecuador jungle so I can't help thinking we got a raw deal. That evening we were treated (not sure if this is the right word!) to a musical performance by a couple of family members. The daughters that normally dance had been injured in a motorbike accident so two guys sang and played guitar for us instead. I couldn't work out which was more out of tune, the guitar or the singer!
The next day it was time to leave after breakfast and head on our bus back to Quito for the night. When we got there, a couple of us booked a trip to Cotopaxi Volcano for our return to Quito the following weekend. Giovanny went home that night so I took charge and decided where we would eat, naturally the chosen restaurant had closed down. Well not so much closed down, more completely gutted with only the shell of the building remaining!
We all decided to pay extra for a private minibus to Otavalo so that we could visit the Equator site on the way. First we stopped at a volcano crater on the way..it's better to go in the mornings as there is often afternoon cloud and rain in Ecuador. Then we continued to the real Equator site where we were shown a number of experiments demonstrating the Coriolis effect. These included how difficult it is to walk in a straight line blindfolded on the Equator and how water drains in an anti-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere but in a clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. It was really interesting and I got my picture taken lying on the Equator line which everyone laughed at!
After an amazingly cheap (and nice!) $2.50 three course lunch, we continued to Otavalo, home of the famous markets. There is a market in Plaza de Ponchos every day but the main market is on a Saturday morning. We arrived on a Thursday and went for dinner at a nice cafe where I finally found a jacket potato, something I'd been craving for months! The next day we hired a school minibus to take us to Cuicocha Lake, so named because the island in the middle looks the shape of a guinea pig (cuy). We did a boat trip around the lake and observed the bubbles on the surface which are a result of it being a volcanic crater. Quite honestly they were over-hyped and could have easily come from fish below. We stopped off Cotacachi, a town famous for its leather; they had some nice leather handbags at cheap prices but none of us really had space for anything.
In the afternoon we visited the market and I bought a few very small presents for people back home. We had pizza that night and then tried some lemon pie from a famous pie shop, it wasn't a patch on my mum's lemon meringue pie but wasn't bad at all.
We had the next morning to explore the main markets before getting the midday bus to Quito. First we went to see the animal market which was a very amusing experience, particularly seeing badly behaved pigs being dragged down the street and then picked up by their new owners! There were all sorts of animals for sale, from rabbits and guinea pigs to pigs, sheep and even cows. This is a part of the market I'm sure most tourists don't go to as it's a few streets away but is a memory that will stay with me for a long time. Afterwards we went to the more mainstream markets which sell lovely handicrats, artwork, jewellery etc. It would be very easy to furnish a house there...if I had a house that is! Otavalo was definitely of my Ecuador highlights.
After our quick dash around the markets and a brunch of banana pancakes overlooking the main square, we set off for the final journey to Quito where this tour would end....
We arrived back in Quito mid afternoon and said goodbye to Giovanny who was going straight home. At the recommendation of one of the girls, we went for an amazing hot chocolate and chocolate brownie - it was like having two desserts but was very very good! We had to say goodbye to some of the group who were flying home or going to join their new Galapagos tour and then went for dinner at the same cafe we'd began this journey at two weeks earlier.
The next day was a very early start as a couple of us had booked a trip to Cotopaxi Volcano. We learnt on the way that it erupts every 100 years and the last time it erupted was 114 years ago...very reassuring! It was surprising to learn that they have no disaster or emergency plan for the next time it does erupt. It was a beautifully clear morning and we were able to get some great pictures of Cotopaxi as we approached. We drove up to 4600m and then began the ascent to the refuge at 4800m. I was sugared up again with cake, chocolate and full fat coke so felt fine. After a short break, we continued to 5000m which is where the glaciers begin. You can hike to the top which is around 5700m but you need a few days to do this and proper glacier hiking equipment. We only had a day as my Galapagos tour began the following day.
Once we had descended to the refuge, we had lunch which was much more substantial than the "box lunch" described in the brochure. Then we drove back to the car park and began the descent down on bikes. I haven't been properly biking for years and was a bit worried about slowing the group down so opted to be in the second group which began at the lake and is less steep with less volcanic matter on the road. Unfortunately less than 5 minutes in, I managed to rip a huge hole in my trousers which were quite baggy and had got caught in the chain! Once I had recovered from this minor mishap, I got on with it and enjoyed myself. Although the saddle was extremely uncomfortable, the bikes were a lot more roadworthy than the ones we had ridden in China and Laos!
On the way back, we stopped off at a hostel owned by the travel company for banana cake and coffee which was a nice treat after our biking and hiking efforts. It was a really nice day trip and thoroughly worth doing. That evening we had planned to go to an Indian restaurant as I had been having serious curry cravings for months but it was a Sunday and it was closed so we had to settle for Italian instead.
The next day a few of us went to the Teleferico which is a cable car that takes you up to 4100m and has great views across the city. It was another beautifully clear morning - this is often the case in Quito and then the afternoons bring torrential rain. It was really good though I wasn't expecting to feel the altitude so much and didn't have any chocolate supplies with me.
After lunch at a lovely cafe that would prove to be a favourite by the end of my time in Ecuador, it was time to head back to the hotel for our Galapagos trip meeting. Two of the previous group would be on this trip too so it was nice to already know some people. We got free t-shirts which we were asked to wear the next day so that the guy picking us up at the airport would recognise us. We also got given smaller bags to take with us as there wasn't much space in the cabins for our massive backpacks. After dinner it was time to pack and get some cash in the torrential rain in preparation for an early start and the trip of a lifetime....
Our GAP airport transfer arrived at 6.30. We already knew the driver, Eduardo, as he was on part of my Ecuador tour learning how to be a tour leader. The other van broke down outside the hotel (totally normal for South American transport!) so two taxis had to be called. We took a short 30 minute flight to Guayaquil and then around an hour and a half's flight to Baltra Island. We were told we could stay on the plane in Guayaquil but then they promptly told us all to get off...no idea why as shortly afterwards we got back on the same plane! Tony met us at the airport to take us to Puerto Ayora, where our boat was anchored. This involved a 15 minute bus ride, a 5 minute boat ride and another bus ride of 45 minutes. The dinghy belonging to our boat met us and took us to our boat, the G3.
We had lunch on board (all meals are included on this trip) and then it was time for our first activity - a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station back in Puerto Ayora. It was a great introduction to the amazing wildlife in the Galapagos, especially the huge tortoises and Lonesome George who is the only kind of his species left in the world and is over 100! You can go almost within touching distance of some of them who seem completely unphased by all the lenses in their faces.
That night we enjoyed a welcome drink and dinner on board (they look after you very well, even on the Budget trip!). We set sail for Floriana Island in the middle of the night, at which point I woke up quite alarmed as I'm not used to being asleep whilst a boat is moving so much. We had a lower cabin which made things seem much worse but a quick glance out of the porthole assured me we were not in fact sinking! We had a boat trip on the dinghy where we saw loads of blue footed boobies and sealions and then landed on Floriana to see flamingos, sandpipers and friggets amongst others. Back on the boat, it was time for our first snorkelling outing around an area called Champion. I don't think this was named after my amazing snorkelling ability! I am not a massive fan of swimming or the sea so even though I had been snorkelling once before in the Great Barrier Reef, I was worried about getting lost from the group and sure enough I managed to end up with a different group as there was too much looking and not enough flipper action! We saw some cool fish but the sea got quite rough towards the end and I was relieved to make it back onto the boat unscathed.
Life on the boat consists of early mornings, a couple of activities, lunch, a siesta/sunbathe, then a couple more activities before dinner. Every time we went snorkelling, the staff were ready to greet us with drinks and snacks back on board. After lunch that day we walked up to a viewpoint on Floriana. Then we did a couple of very short snorkelling sessions...I did the first one but was distracted trying to adjust to the water temperature and not lose the group so missed most of the things people saw including sea turtles! I decided to stay on the boat for the last session as it was so brief and it takes me a while to get used to the water and the equipment.
That night we set sail for Espanola after dinner (and some amazing home made chocolate cake for dessert). Unfortunately I nearly became reacquainted with the cake later on as it was very rough in the evening and lots of us started feeling sick. Being thrown around the bathroom of our lower deck cabin was horrendous but the captain was on hand to give us lemons to suck on which combined with fresh air surprisingly did the trick. I had to get changed in my bed horizontally as I knew any moving around in my cabin would be disastrous!
We arrived in Espanola early the next morning and our first activity was a beach landing where we could walk really close to sea lions and marine iguanas. It was a very cool experience, especially being able to lie down by a sea lion only 2 metres away. The beach was covered with them and we got some great pictures, especially when they are cuddled up together or have babies in the group. When we got back on board, one of the crew dropped my daypack into the sea...I looked on horrified but luckily he grabbed it back and nothing had been damaged. I had visions of my camera with all the pictures of the Galapagos so far sinking to the bottom of the sea!
After that dramatic incident, we went snorkelling again around an island and got the chance to go inside a couple of caves. I wore a t shirt which definitely helped and we saw a shark which was very cool! We also saw some sea lions and loads of great fish. I was really getting into the snorkelling by the end...it took me a while and Í'll never be the most confident but it's something I'd like to do again in Central America. After lunch we had a walk on Espanola Island and saw amongst others wave albatross, hummingbirds, crabs, sea lions and a blow hole which throws water out every 30 seconds or so.
At 5pm we set off for the long journey back to Baltra Island and fortunately the conditions were a lot more pleasant than the night before. Sadly the next day there was only time for one more activity before our flight back to Quito. We went to Turtle Cove on a dinghy which was a very beautiful spot surrounded by mangrove trees and the main highlights were rays and sea turtles. After breakfast on board, it was time to say farewell to the group, most of whom were staying on for a few more days and head back to Quito via Guayaquil. I was very sad to leave such an amazing place. It is an incredibly expensive place to visit but I would thoroughly recommend it and I wouldn't rule out going back in the future to explore a few more of the islands....
Having arrived back in Quito mid afternoon, my main priority was finally having a curry that night! Predictably it was mediocre at best and I really shouldn't have got my hopes up so much.
The next day one of the girls and I explored the Old Town of Quito which has some beautiful old buildings and squares. We visited the Government Palace which has only recently been opened to the public. We unknowlingly ended up on the Spanish tour which wouldn't have been a problem had our guide not been trying to break the world record for quickest tour ever! Our next stop was the Cathedral which was nice if unremarkable and so quiet it didn't feel like it was in the heart of a capital city. Then we took at look around the San Francisco Church which is very ornately decorated. After lunch we walked to the Basilica where we climbed the stairs and ladders to the top...well not quite the very top as the ladders looked pretty unsafe and I did not have a death wish that day! The views across Quito were really good.
The next day I did another day trip with the same company I used for Cotopaxi. I decided to go to Lake Quilotoa as it was mentioned in my guide book as one of the highlights of Ecuador. Admittedly it's a long way to go for the day but I don't plan on coming back to Ecuador in the near future so it was well worth the travel. It's a beautiful crater lake with turqoise blue water, like lots of sites in South America impossible to fully describe in words. We stopped at a local market first which had some brilliant photo opportunities, especially the roasted pig´s heads for sale! Having arrived at Quilotoa, we walked down to the lake and then because I was feeling quie lazy and thought I had hiked enough recently (also I'd heard it was a really tough walk back up), I decided to get a mule ride back to the top. I thought this would be far less stressful than walking..until I saw that my mule had no saddle! I think this was my punishment for being lazy. I arrived back at the top unscathed but with very sore inside legs from gripping so tight! After lunch we headed back to Quito, stopping off at a lodge for coffee and cake, very civilised indeed.
My fnal full day in Quito was spent catching up on emails and my blog and sorting out the next part of my travels in USA and Canada. I met one of the guys from my Ecuador trip for dinner in the New Town. The next day I indulged in my final chocolate brownie (probably the best ever!) before heading to the airport, next stop Costa Rica....
I may have discovered the world's worst city or definitely a close contender. San Jose, capital of Costa Rica, was even worse than I was expecting. There are hardly any nice buildings, nothing obvious to do in the way of tourist attractions, nowhere nice to eat and when I took shelter in a McDonalds due to torrential rain, they had run out of ice cream!
After wandering around for a bit and finding nothing remotely interesting or scenic (in fact the place is quite run down and depressing) and having lunch in a canteen full of doctors, I went back to the hotel and read my book and caught up on the news until our new group meeting that evening. I was glad I had chosen to spend an extra few days in Quito rather than coming to Costa Rica any earlier. This was to be my final group tour of my round the world trip and is a 32 day journey from San Jose to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. There were 13 of us in total and our guide Rebecca.
The next day we set off early in a private van to the small town of La Fortuna, right by the Arenal volcano. We arrived late morning and went to a tour operator to pick our activities for the following days. Some of the girls and I chose a walk around the base of the volcano followed by a buffet dinner and entrance to the hot springs. You will not be surprised to hear I did not sign up for anything scary like canyoneering! The trip to the volcano claimed we would have the chance to see liquid lava flowing from it (which is why it´s too dangerous to climb) but few people actually see anything. Luck was on our side that night, along with free beers and cocktails, and we saw lava running down the side of the volcano which was a pretty impressive site. I´d been to a few hot springs in South America but this complex was by far the nicest so far. We blagged our way into dinner in our towels and bikinis after being told we needed to be properly dressed!
I also signed up for a trip to Cano Negro which is close to the Nicaraguan border. We had a trip in a boat along the river to spot wildlife such as cayman, howler monkeys, turtles and loads of cool birds including snake birds and eegrits. Of course being in Latin America there was the inevitable transport breakdown but nothing the captain and a screwdriver couldn´t fix! It was a really nice day trip (and the lunch deserves a mention too) and good to see some wildlife in Costa Rica which is after all one of the main reasons people travel there.
The next morning we set off to our final stop in Costa Rica, Monteverde. We had to take a bus, a boat across the Arenal lake and then another bus. I found out along the way that my camera had broken which was really annoying as I wouldn´t be able to get another one until at least Granada.
We arrived in time to sample the delicious burritos and quesadillas from a local stand which make us a hit with the local stray dogs. In the afternoon some of the girls and I did a coffee and plantation tour close to the town of Santa Elena. It´s run by a local family mainly for their own use but they sell some products to neighbours and tourists. We learnt how they grow plantains and coffee. They employ temporary workers during the coffee season who only earn less than 40 dollars a day. And Costa Rica is considered rich by Central American standards. A lot of Nicaraguans work in Costa Rica because the wages are much higher than in their own country. We had been really looking forward to making our own fudge but it was just pure sugar and horrible once it had cooled down. For some strange reason the barman that night loved it so we gave him the lot!
The next day whilst some of the others were ziplining (this did not appeal to me in the slightest!) , the rest of us went to the same park and did a walk across the bridges through the forest canopy...you can´t really go to Costa Rica and not do something canopy related. After a few hours chilling out on our balcony, we bought some local cheese which was delicious and had some wine, cheese and snacks instead of going out for dinner. Monteverde gets a bit chilly at night and as we´d come to Costa Rica in the rainy season, we had hours of rain almost every afternoon. I really enjoyed my brief stay there and will definitely be back in the future (and in the dry season!) to see more of the country.
So the next day, the owner of the hotel, Don Taco, drove us to the Nicaraguan border where we had to queue with all our luggage whilst simultaneously trying to change money (and not get ripped off) and stop the people behind us pushing in...clearly the word queue is not part of their vocabulary. It took a while because this is a popular border crossing and a bit stricter as so many Nicaraguans try to cross the border for a better quality of life in Costa Rica.
This was actually my second time in Nicaragua.. some of you will know that I went in summer 2008 but I never expected to be back again so soon. We picked up another private van to take us to San Jorge to then catch the ferry to Ometepe Island. I came to Ometepe last time but we stayed in the main town whereas this time we stayed on a diferent part of the island which was much more isolated. I chuckled to myself when we caught the same dodgy looking boat across the water. The guys literally threw our backpacks over open water and onto the boat despite my protests that I could walk on with it! Then for the rest of the journey some of the group looked anxiously on as the backpacks were so close to the edge and looked like they were going to fall in at any moment!
We finally arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon. A whole host of creepy crawlies were there to welcome us, including huge joke size spiders on the shower curtains and scorpions in the sinks. Fortunately I managed to avoid seeing any of this including the scorpion in our bathroom which the staff quickly removed!
The next morning we set off early to climb the first part of Madero volcano up to the viewpoint which took around an hour and a half. It´s so hot in Nicaragua at this time of year that it´s best to do the climb early. One of the guys did the 7 hour climb to the top but it´s only for very fit people of which I definitely am not! I spent the rest of the day lying in a hammock reading my book which was very pleasant. I´m glad I´d seen most of the island on my last visit though as our location was quite isolated and the others didn´t get to see as much as I had. That evening we had dinner with a local family...it was a typical meal of chicken, rice and beans and was delicious. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti so it was nice to help out a family in a small way.
We left Ometepe in the early morning on the proper ferry so didn´t have to spend the whole journey worrying about anyone´s bag! Then we got another private van to Granada and arrived around midday. It´s an instantly likeable colonial town with beautiful buildings and a lovely, laid back atmosphere. Our hotel there was rather basic and only had a fan which wasn´t ideal as Granada was very hot, around 35oC. We found an Irish bar on our street and joined in with the pub quiz that evening. I had a delicious jacket potato with bacon which was something I´d been craving for ages. We had to split into two teams and I´m pleased to say that although we didn´t win, we came in the top half and beat the res of the group. My rather sketchy uni memories of Latin American history and literature came in handy!
The next morning I went to an electronics shop and bought a new camera. They didn´t have a good choice and I probably paid way more for it than back home but at least I could take pictures now. We had a wander around the town and a couple of its churches before having lunch at an amazing cafe with proper wraps and sanwiches...and vegetables shock horror! We went into the San Francisco museum which had some really cool stone carvings of heads with animals on top of them that were discovered on a local island. They looked like a smaller version of the ones on Easter Island.
We booked a boat trip to Las Isletas with a local tour operator. We boarded a small boat on Lake Nicaragua which is home to 365 islands with a population of 5000. Some of the islands are privately owned by millionares and have some amazing houses on them. Our guide told us we could buy one for less than 100,000 dollars though I think the ones we saw would be considerably more! It was such a beautiful spot and I can definitely see the appeal. It was also good to see a different side to Nicaragua away from the poverty. Despite this, it´s apparently the third safest country in the Americas after Canada and Chile.
That evening Rebecca arranged for us to have a salsa lesson with a local instructor. I´d done a bit of salsa at uni and really enjoyed it. Our lesson was in a stunning setting...on the upstairs terrace of an old colonial building overlooking the main square. We had more girls than guys so some locals got roped in and I got to dance with the instructor which is always good because it makes you look way better! Maybe I´ll move to Granada and spend my time learning salsa and eating good food...this is definitely one of Central America´s best places.
The next day we took a clapped out bus to the local lake, Laguna de Apoyo. I had already been here on my last visit but to a different spot...there hadn´t been much to do and it was rainy season. This time the weather was amazing and we went to a really cool hostel right by the lake with hammocks, kayaks and tubes. I decided against tubing after my Brazilian incident! It was a lovely spot to relax, sunbathe and read. After lunch we got a taxi back to Granada. Just before sunset, we climbed the tower at a church which gave us great views across the city. That evening we went to a steak restaurant recommended to me.. I very rarely eat steak but thought I´d better try it and it was amazing. If all steaks were like that, I would have one every night. I was looking rather smugly at the people who hadn´t ordered steaks and hadn´t had great meals!
That sadly brought an end to our time in Granada and Nicaragua. I´ve loved this country and think it could well be one of the gems of Central America, probably because it´s still relatively undiscovered by tourists.
And so two very long days of travelling began, our ultimate destination being the island of Roatan off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. For only an extra 6 dollars each, we could have a private van the entire way from Granada to Tegucigalpa (including the border crossing) instead of one van and three chicken buses. Easiest decision ever! The border crossing from Nicaragua into Honduras was much less stressful than the one from Costa Rica...Rebecca took care of everything and we didn't even need to leave the van. I was sad not to get a Honduras entry stamp in my passport because of some agreement between the two countries.
We stopped at a roadside cafe for a surprisingly good buffet lunch and in the late afternoon finally reached the Honduran capital. This is not really on the backpacker's trail and the only reason we were stopping there was to break up the journey to Roatan. Like most Central American capital cities, it isn't the nicest or safest of places to be. We headed for the shopping mall when we got there and you could have been in any Western country with its food court and smart shops. I treated myself to a new top...8 months of travelling with the same clothes gets a bit dull! We had dinner in the food court and stocked up on snacks for the even longer journey the following day. We headed back to the hotel and watched some trashy TV...the staff warned us not to go into the centre at night particularly because there was a football match on that night and judging from the noise and fireworks this was good advice.
The next day we caught our first public bus of the trip so far. It was a proper coach with allocated seats so was hardly slumming it. We had to leave the hotel just after 5 and arrived in La Ceiba, the port town at lunchtime. Then we had to wait a few hours for our ferry crossing to Roatan (thank goodness for a good supply of books!) A half hour van ride later and we were eventually at our hotel around 6.30pm. We looked like zombies as we met a couple of the girls who had decided to fly there a few days earlier.
We were staying in West End but the best beach is considered to be West Beach so we got a water taxi there the following morning. We hired snorkelling gear to snorkel from the beach. I saw some amazingly colourful fish though got my back a bit sunburnt, definitely learnt my lesson for next time! Prices on the island are higher than the mainland and eating out isn´t that cheap at all. I got persuaded to go with Rebecca and my roommate to a yoga class that evening. I had never done yoga before and I wasn't convinced that "power yoga" would be the best introduction! I survived the class (and enjoyed it!) though a lot of my muscles were aching from not being exercised since the gym last August. You can't really come to an island and not have fresh fish or seafood so wasn't disappointed when we found a great restaurant serving prawns in garlic sauce. We all agreed it was definitely one of the best meals of the trip so far.
Some of us booked our water taxi boat to take us on a two hour fishing trip the next afternoon. I was absolutely determined to catch something after my Brazil piranha disaster. We stocked the boat up with cold beers and set off. After about five minutes we were in the rough open sea, a far cry from the idyllic image we had of sitting around with a few beers on the calm waters whilst fishing! Suddenly the guy shouted for one of us to reel in the rod as we had caught a reasonable sized fish whist trawling. The next few minutes gave Casualty a run for its money in the gore stakes. Blood was spurting everywhere and the poor fish certainly didn't have a peaceful death. As soon as it was over, we asked the captain to go back to the shore and get some fishing lines as we didn't want to trawl in rough waters for two hours. We got the lines and anchored in calmer waters which was much nicer. None of us caught anything although I got a lot of bites on my line (which I have since found out was the guys from my group!)
We ended up spending nearly four hours on the water but the guy only charged us for two. One of the guys found a man with a barbecue on the side of the road and he cooked the fish for us. It tasted really good although it was hardly a feast between six of us! We had dinner at a rotiserrie chicken place and then had an early night as lots of sun that afternoon had left me feeling very tired.
The next day we set off very early for the 7.30am ferry, next destination Copan...
A ferry crossing and a long private bus journey took us to the town of Copan las Ruinas, less than half an hour from the Guatemalan border. We had a walk around the town which seemed a lovely little place although we had arrived in the late afternoon so didn't have a chance to see much.
The next day we had an early breakfast and then walked the one kilometre to the Copan Mayan ruins site. We got there as it opened because we had to leave at midday so wanted to make the most of our time there and our local guide. It's a good idea to go early anyway as it gets so hot. The ruins were really beautiful although maybe not considered to be amongst the best in Central America.
After an early lunch we got another private van heading for our final destination on this section of the trip; Antigua. Again the border crossing was very straightfoward and though I was disappointed not to get a Honduran stamp in my passport, at least I got one for Guatemala. We arrived in Antigua around 7pm as we had to negotiate the horrendous Guatemala City and its traffic. It didn't look a nice place at all and we saw the aftermath of a bus accident which wasn't at all surprising given the way they drive. We had our final group dinner with Rebecca and then went to a bar which was holding Ladies Night which meant free rum and coke until 11pm! They also had a rooftop bar and a live band. It was sad to say goodbye to Rebecca and some of the girls who won't be carrying on to Playa del Carmen.
The next day a couple of the girls and I arranged to visit Pacaya Volcano which is around an hour and a half from Antigua (when there are no accidents). This is probably one of the craziest things I have done on my travels! Loads of tourists go up Pacaya every year which is a live volcano with lava flowing down it...they let you walk right up to the lava and even toast marshmallows in it. Rebecca told us it was the most dangerous thing to do in Central America but I thought she was exaggerating until I saw how fast the lava moves. You walk very close to it and over hot ground to get higher up but by the time we had come back down again, that section of lava had moved and was almost blocking our path. We had to be helped down by guides and it was a bit hairy thinking at any time the lava could block us in. I have since heard that the week before several people and their guide died. I was very pleased to hear that after I'd safely negotiating the route down!
As soon as we had finished our volcano trip, it was time to meet our new group and new tour leader, Sid. Half of the group was new and half of us were carrying on. We had another full day in Antigua so Christine (my roommate) and I did our own city tour which mainly consisted of sticking our cameras through railings to take pictures of ruins that you otherwise have to pay to see! Antigua is a really nice place, similar to Granada in Nicaragua but not quite as good in my opinion. Its main attractions are the colourful buildings, markets and boutique shops as well as nice restaurants. We found a great place for dinner that night called The Rainbow Cafe (top tip if you ever happen to be in Antigua).
The next day we set off early for our day of fun on the chicken buses...
Our journey to Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan was memorable as it was our first experience of chicken buses. These are old American school buses (normally yellow or red) that get their name because anyone and everyone including chickens can be found on them! I expected the journey to be horrendous and it was. We had to stand for a while and when I got a seat it would be better described as one third of a seat. On one row of four seats they had managed to cram 10 people. The roads were quite windy and I had to cling on to avoid ending up in the lap of the person next to me! After two chicken buses and a more comfortable public minibus, we arrived at Chicicastenango where we had a couple of hours to explore the famous markets there. Prize for best purchase has to go to Christine who bought a plastic sword, the guy was so desperate for a sale that he ran down the street bartering with her!
Two private vans (absolute heaven compared to the morning's transport) took us to our hotel in Panajachel. We had a quick walk around the town but there isn't that much there and its main attraction is the lake. The following day all of us went on a boat trip which first stopped at a nice hotel for breakfast. We initially planned to explore more of the lake but we loved the hammocks and sun terraces of the hotel so much that we stayed most of the day. Some people got rather sunburnt, luckily I wasn't one of them! That night I had without a doubt the worst meal of my whole travels so far. It's hard to go wrong with vegetable soup but the lumps of stock cube floating around and soggy bread suggested otherwise. Other people's meals were similarly disgusting and the waiter didn't appear to speak Spanish! We didn't have Sid with us to recommend a good restaurant and definitely paid the price.
The next day we paid around a dollar each to get private transport rather than face the trauma of chicken buses all over again. We arrived back in Antigua around midday. I wasn't especially excited about coming back for another night as I felt I'd pretty much seen it all on our previous stay. So I spent most of the day on the internet sorting out Canada/USA accommodation or in the Rainbow Cafe eating amazing quesadillas and banoffee pie! That night we went out as a group and found another Ladies Night which means cheap drinks (and grumpy guys cos they have to pay full price). Clubs in Antigua are only open until 1am to minimise drunken behaviour in such a historic place!
We were supposed to leave Antigua early the next morning but there was a road protest so we delayed our departure to avoid getting caught up in traffic. As nice as Antigua is, it was definitely time to leave and to find hotter weather in the rest of Guatemala.
On first appearances, a dark and spider infested swamp was not the most inviting of places to spend a couple of days. It was already dark by the time we arrived because of the long and delayed bus journey from Antigua (at least we had a private van again). We had to get a boat across to our hacienda where dinner was waiting for us. Meals were quite expensive but we could pick from a cheaper menu which was about as nice as it sounds :(
The next morning some of the girls and I decided to do a couple of hours horse riding. A boat trip along the river to the town of Livingston was on offer but Sid said that it wouldn't be as good as the one I had done in Costa Rica. This part of the trip definitely had a more relaxed feel to it and there weren't as many activities to do as in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. As usual I ended up with the smallest horse and the poor thing looked extremely miserable and spent the entire time with its head almost on the floor. They didn't look too badly looked though after which is the reason I hadn't done horse riding up to that point...the horses are extremely thin and malnourished and I don't want to appear to be supporting that. We stopped several times to walk across a canopy bridge which was pretty pathetic compared to the ones in Costa Rica and then again to climb up a tower to get views across the area. It's actually a very pretty area and looks a lot less threatening in the daytime. It was a really hot day so we decided to do the horse riding in the morning before it got too unbearable.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and reading by the swimming pool (which I didn't go in because it had bugs floating in it!) I am pleased to report I didn't see a single spider or unpleasant creature..nothing can ever be as bad as the scorpion and cockroach infested lodge in Ometepe, Nicaragua!
The next day we set off after breakfast to our final stop in Guatemala, the riverside town of Flores. Again we had private vans and we drove through some beautiful scenery and jungles. Sid said it's one of the prettiest drives in Central America. I ended up on the party bus with reggaton and other Latin American music on full blast most of the way! I had a late lunch of fried egg and refried bean sandwich (you definitely can't get that back home) and then most of us headed to a waterfront bar for some sunset cocktails by the lake. The bar's speciality was blended mojitos which look like swamp water and contain about the same amount of alcohol. Still they were cheap so I'm not complaining!
We had an early start the following day for the hour drive to Tikal. We went early for two reasons; to avoid the crowds and to avoid the midday heat. We all split the cost of a guide so it worked out pretty cheap and it's so much better knowing what you're seeing otherwise they could be any pile of rocks. Tikal is considered one of the most impressive ruins in Central America because of its jungle setting. On the walk there, our guide pointed out a termite nest and how the termites supposedly taste of carrots...so I tried one. I felt like almost worthy of a place on I'm a Celebrity! I can offer my expert opinion that they do indeed taste like carrots and nice ones at that. We had some free time to explore the ruins and climb up the long staircase to the top of one..good job it had some flat walkways to break up the steep climb or I would have freaked out!
We were back in Flores for lunchtime so a group of us found a restaurant showing the Champions League final. The football was ok, the lunch wasn't. Later we had more watered down cocktails and went back to the previous night's restaurant which also overlooked the lake.
That concluded our stay in Guatemala. I really liked the country but am not sure yet whether I share other people's opinion that it's the best country in Central America. I think Nicaragua may still have the edge...but of course there was still Belize to come.
A minibus took us to the Belizian border...it was a novelty to arrive at an English speaking country again and my first since New Zealand back in December. It immediately had a different feel to the rest of Central American, very laid back, Caribbean vibe with reggae music rather than reggaton and cheesy Spanish stuff! We only had another 10 minute journey in minibuses before we arrived at our ecolodge near the town of San Ignacio. Ecolodge seems to be code on this trip for watch out for spiders! We had tiny wooden cabins to sleep in (a glorified garden shed essentially) and compost toilets which weren't half as bad as they sounded and actually a luxury when I think back to the smelly Chinese squat toilets all those months ago! We had lunch there and then chilled out in the afternoon...there wasn't much to do on site and we were waiting for a presentation about caving in the evening.
The man from the caving company came and spoke to us about the various options for the following day. This part of Belize is famous for its caves and the main reason GAP stops in San Ignacio. I however had already decided I didn't want to do it. So of course just like the volcano climb in Pucon, Chile, I was one of the first to sign up! We decided to do the Crystal Cave which was an all day expedition and the best trip running according to Sid.
So bright and early the next morning, wondering what I had let myself in for again, we set off on a drive across Belize and past the capital Belmopan which only has a population of 12,000. The capital used to be Belize City but they moved it in the 1960s because it kept flooding. We had a walk of around 45 minutes through a forest to get to the cave and it was pretty slippery as there was torrential rain the night before. Then we lowered ourselves into the cave holding onto a rope (which wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds, I have envisaged some abseiling type horror!). We had lunch as our guide Rudy told us about the history of the cave and then it was time to set off.
I quickly discovered that my limited length limbs are not ideally suited to caving and had to haul myself up a few times by standing on the guides! There were a couple of extremely tight sections so it's a good job I don't suffer from claustrophobia. We all opted to carry on to the Crystal Cave which meant extending the trip by 3 hours but it was supposed to be spectacular. Trainers left behind, we climbed up some steep sections and clambered across slippery surfaces where our guide helpfully told us if we fell we would be stuck for 40 hours. Not the sort of thing you want to hear when you are challenged in the leg length department! We arrived at the Crystal Cave and although it was good, some of us disputed whether it had been worth the scary climb to get there.
Drenched, exhausted and stinking of clay, we finally emerged from the cave around 5.30. After nearly 6 hours it was nice to see daylight again. The climb down through the forest over sodden leaves and branches was more dangerous than the cave and quite a few of us went flying. The lodge had our dinner waiting for us when we got back and the shower couldn't come soon enough. My socks and top went straight in the bin, a good job I had old clothes for that sort of activity. I'm sure I still smelt of the cave the next day! It was a really good experience and I'm glad I challenged myself to do it.
Journeys in South and Central America are nothing if not eventful. It would be a lie to say we were eagerly anticipating another chicken bus but the ones in Belize are a marked contrast to the ones in Guatemala. There are spare seats! And people realise that two seats are meant for two people, not ten!
So far so good. Taxis took us to Belize City port where we waited for our boat to Caye Caulker. It didn't look like much but it wasn't the Ometepe dodgy boat and it did have three engines. Yet somehow a boat with not one, not two but three 225HP engines broke down in the middle of the sea. Fortunately the conditions were very calm so I wasn't worried; in fact my first thought was this is one for the blog. The crew seemed to think that the engines had run out of petrol so started putting some more in when a very loudmouthed local woman piped up along the lines of 'you think they would have checked that before we left' and 'when you wake up each morning in Belize you have to make sure your head is attached to your body'! We got going then promptly stopped again. Another boat had to come and rescue us...I thought we were going to get towed (people looked at me like I was stupid but I told them about my dad towing boats much bigger than his!) but we had to switch boats, luggage and all.
After that mishap, we arrived in the beautiful Caribbean island of Caye Caulker with its stunning blue water and amazing coral reef. We wandered down to the beach which is about the size of a postage stamp and then went to a meeting about snorkelling trips the following day. Most of us signed up for the full day as you were guaranteed to see much more and also got lunch and free rum! That evening we were celebrating one of the girl's birthdays so we had an amazing feast of shrimp, fish and rice and two slices of chocolate cake which I was very pleased about. We went out for a few drinks and most of the others headed to a club. Call me an old woman but late night drinking and early morning snorkelling and boat trip sounds like trouble to me!
After a breakfast of banana pancakes (I had resolved not to eat any more until Canada but they sounded too tempting), we set off on the snorkelling trip. As there were 13 of us, we almost got the boat to ourselves. We got to snorkel in three separate areas and literally within two minutes of getting in the water, a manatee came floating past us. It was such am amazing site and I couldn't believe our luck as Sid said that in 15 previous trips, he'd only seen a manatee once. As soon as we got back onto the boat, the heavens opened and the sea got pretty rough. Two of the girls, including the poor birthday girl, were sick (as we were singing Happy Birthday to her!) Fortunately the storm passed over but it remained cloudy for the day which was not ideal for topping up my pretty good tan! The second snorkel was in Shark and Ray Alley where we were surrounded by fish, sharks and stingrays...again a brilliant experience and I was surprised at how calm I felt. During our last session we saw a sea turtle feeding off the sea bed (it was very shallow water) which was great as I missed the sea turtles in the Galapagos. On our journey back we got free rum cocktails as we chilled out on top of the boat (minus the sun). It was a lovely day and definitely in my top 10 of my whole travels so far.
That evening we went to a nice restaurant for the birthday celebration and I had Caribbean shrimp curry which was delicious. Food and other things are noticeably more expensive in Belize than in the rest of Central America. That brought to a close to our brief stay in Belize. I really enjoyed the laid back, friendly vibe and the brilliant activities on offer.
And so on to Playa del Carmen, our final stop on this trip. We managed to cut down our journey time by a few hours as instead of getting a chicken bus to the border, we got a new high speed boat from Caye Caulker to Chetzumel in Mexico. It was quite fancy and included a drink, biscuit, film...and reliable engines! We stopped at San Pedro to get our passports stamped out of Belize. Once we arrived in Chetzumel, we got taxis to the bus station for our five hour bus to Playa del Carmen. It was a nice modern coach and we each had email confirmations of our reservations with booking reference. However this didn't prevent the coach company from re-selling some our seats! So we all had to wait two hours for the next bus whilst Sid demanded to speak to the manager. It was a comfortable bus terminal and I had a good supply of books so it was fine.
We arrived in Playa del Carmen in the early evening and went out to a local taco restaurant which had good food (and as it was away from the main tourist area cheap prices). I was very pleased to be able to drink $2 Coronas, my favourite beer which I hadn't had for months. We raided Wal Mart for more beers and had a few drinks around the pool in our hotel. You know you're in quite an Americanised area when you see Wal Mart!
The following day some of us hit the beach for a serious tanning session, only interrupted by quesadillas and 2 for 1 pina coladas at lunchtime (and 2 for 1 means you get 2 each!) We left mid afternoon as the sun in Mexico is very strong and also we needed time to get ready for our night on the town, our official last night together :( We had some beers and tequila shots courtesy of Sid in the hotel and went back to the same restaurant. After a few more drinks at the hotel, we went to The Blue Parrot which is a bar and outdoor club by the beach. They opened the entertainment with a live fire show which was pretty spectacular and then the dancing started. It was a great evening and a great setting.
The next morning I got up early to say goodbye to a couple of the girls. It's always sad to say goodbye to new friends but hopefully we will see each other in the future. Some of the other girls and I went for lunch and then a few more hours on the beach...I was determined to be at least as brown as I was in Brazil! Quite a few of the group were still aorund and we went out for dinner at what must be one of the cheapest places in Mexico; two tacos and a drink for 2 dollars.
My last day had soon arrived. One of the girls and I took a van to Tulum which is a Mayan ruin site overlooking the sea. Whilst the ruins are not on a scale comparable to many others in Mexico and Central America, their spectacular setting makes up for it. As soon as we bought our tickets it started raining which was not what we had ordered! After 5 minutes it cleared up and we walked around the site and then spent another few hours on the beach. That evening the ten or so of us left went to the same taco place we went the first nights and we eyed up Sid's new group, who he had taken there, across the table! We found a bar doing 2 for 1 pina coladas and had a few drinks there before heading back to the hotel. It was a nice end to both the time with the group and in Mexico. Playa del Carmen and the surrounding area has beautiful beaches, far nicer than any of the ones in Rio, and I can definitely see its appeal.
A group of us went to breakfast the next morning and then it was time to get the bus to Cancun Airport, next destination Canada...
After four and a half months, it was time to say goodbye to the Spanish (and Portuguese) speaking world. My next stop was Toronto - I was meant to be there in September 2001 but it was cancelled due to 9/11 so it was good to have finally made it after a 9 year delay. I chose to pay slighly more and fly direct with Air Canada rather than face the hassle of US immigration. I wasn't that impressed with them; the staff looked distinctly miserable and there was no food on a nearly four hour flight. The bus to downtown Toronto with its leather seats was positive luxury compared to the minibuses and chicken buses of Central America!
It was back to hostels after months of twin sharing on tours. My hostel had a brilliant rating so I was looking forward to staying there - and experiencing the free pancake breakfast! I was in a six bed female dorm but there were only three of us the first night. The staff were so friendly and pointed me in the direction of a briliant Indian restaurant to satisfy my cravings for a decent curry. It didn't disappoint! I liked it so much that I went back the next night.
My first full day in Toronto was beautifully sunny and hot. It was almost as hot as it had been in Mexico! I decided to do the combined open top bus tour (yes I am a bit obsessed with them) and boat trip around Toronto Islands. Whilst waiting at the bus stop, there was a World Cup promotion going on and loads of people taking pictures of someone I couldn't see. I later heard that Eusebio had been there! The bus tour was really good as instead of some awful barely audible commentary through headphones, it was done by a proper guide using a microphone. Toronto is a lovely, safe city and everyone I met was so friendly. I decided to do the entire loop and then got off at the harbour stop to board the boat to the islands. It was a great place to walk around and get great pictures of the Toronto skyline in the background.
I went to the Indian restaurant again and then went out for a few drinks with some of the girls from my room. It was a relief to meet some lovely people after having the protection of travelling in a group for so long.
On my second day I did a day trip to Niagara Falls which I booked through the hostel. I got chatting to a few people while we were waiting so I didn't have to go round on my own (or try and take pictures of myself which is an inevitable disaster with my short arms!) We had a guide for the day but we were all free to spend our time as we pleased when we got to Niagara Falls. I did the Maid of the Mist boat trip which goes quite close to the Falls. If I hadn't already been to Iguassu Falls, I'm sure I would have been writing about how amazing it was. However it all seem very second rate compared to Iguassu which is one of the highlights of my entire trip. I'm glad I went though as I couldn't really visit Toronto and not go to Niagara. The town itself (the Canadian side) is really tacky with bright lights, junk food restaurants and a big wheel. Our guide told us it's the number one honeymoon destination in Canada - I would not be impressed with a honyemoon there and I think once you've seen the Falls you've seen everything. On the way back to Toronto we stopped at Niagara on the Lake which is a very pretty little place, even if its sole purpose is tourism. We also stopped at a wine tasting shop; Ontario is a large wine producer and I was keen to try my first glass of Canadian wine. Some of it was quite nice but impossible to carry around in a backpack.
On my final day in Toronto I bought a discounted CN Tower ticket from my hostel and set off to the city's most famous landmark. I was surprised at how quickly I got up there..and how long I had to queue to get the lift back down. It was good but again I have done a lot of towers in this trip including two in Malaysia so it didn't have the wow factor. The glass floor was very cool - a thin layer of glass is all that separates you from the ground but it can hold the weight of 14 hippos. The pictures taken by bemused middle aged men of me lying down on it were less than successful (it was a choice of them or loads of schoolkids!) Afterwards I went to Chinatown and had a very authentic meal of spicy aubergine which was almost as good as in China and had me reminiscing about my wonderful time there all those months ago at the very start of my travels. Then I had a wander around Kensington Market which is a very international, eclectic area and reminded me of parts of London. Unfortunately the weather was a bit rubbish that day and the heavy rain from the previous evening came back.
There was a 3 dollar burger barbecue in the hostel that night so we went to buy a few beers to accompany them, played some Uno and then headed out to a club around the corner. As much as I like latino music, it was nice to hear Western music again even though I was very out of touch with the latest chart music! I met a really nice group of people in that hostel and we had a good dance that night.
There was just time the next morning to enjoy my final pancakes with maple syrup before making the 20 minute walk laden with luggage to the bus station and my 6 hour journey to Montreal...
A packed Megabus took me from Toronto to Montreal and I managed to navigate the metro despite the signs being in French. It was a bit strange hearing French in what I always think of as an English speaking country. I wasn't sure what to expect from the hostel, situated above a Chinese restaurant, but I was I was greeted by a very friendly owner and a lovely spacious room with duvets (this is posh for hostelling standards!) I found a nice Thai restaurant which cooked a lovely yellow chicken curry in front of me in two minutes.
On my first full day in Montreal, armed with my maps and tourist information, I set out to explore the centre and some of the musuems. I'd gone about 10 minutes down the road when I bumped into two of the girls from my hostel in Toronto. I spent the day with them and some of their tour group. We climbed up the Mont Royal hill to get some great views over the city (in between the rain showers) and then wandered around the Latin Quarter area which proved to be a bit disappointing - either the guide book hyped it up or we were in the wrong area! There was torrential rain at this point and I'd left my umbrella on my bed. We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch which was really nice...and at the risk of sounding controversial, better than Mexican food in Mexico. We then hit the Canadian shops and found a couple of nice tops (actually I could have bought the whole of the shop called Garage, shame it doesn't have outlets in the UK) I discovered that my hostel was directly off the main shopping street which I hadn't realised as I had always approached it from the other end. I said goodbye to the group - we had talked about going out with their hostel but we were pretty tired from all our walking.
I had a very disturbed night's sleep due to inconsiderate people in my room being noisy and rummaging around in their bags for ages. I awoke to pouring rain which showed no sign of shifting quickly. It was an effort to even leave the hostel as it was cold too (the thermometer showed 12oc in the middle of the day!) But I only had three days in Montreal so wanted to make the most of my time there. I headed to the Contemporary Art Museum - not everyone's cup of tea but I quite enjoyed the weird videos of nothing happening and at least it was out of the rain. I went to the shops again - well they were on my way home - and bought a cute dress. As I only had a couple of weeks left on my travels, I could think about buying a few things to take back. I went to the Thai restaurant again and enjoyed a night in with my book.
The next day was my last day in Montreal so I went to explore one of its main attractions, the Old Town. It's a stunningly beautiful area with lots of old stone buildings and looks more like France than a North American city. I tried the local speciality of poutine which is chips, cheese and gravy...it will never win any health food prizes but wasn't as bad as it sounded (or looked!) Amongst the shops selling the usual tourist junk, I found some nice boutique shops and I treated myself to a new wallet. At the recommendation of some fellow travellers, I went to the Notre Dame Basilica. It's a 5 dollar entrance fee but that includes a guided tour. Like most historic buildings it is had a troubled past and been burned down at least three times. It is definitely one of the most beautiful churches I've seen and well worth the entrance fee.
I went for dinner with a few people from my hostel that night. The next morning I hit the main shopping street again but didn't find anything else to squeeze into my rucksack. I set off for the bus station around lunchtime for my three hour journey to the province's capital, Quebec City..
Travelling from Montreal to Quebec City is easy and very quick compared to the vast distances between most major cities in Canada. The man sitting next to me on the bus made the mistake of trying to converse with me in French and looked suitably disgusted when I replied that I didn't speak French and wasn't going to learn it either! Maybe saying suggesting Spanish was a more useful global language didn't go down too well....
On arrival, Quebec City looked beautiful but small and felt more like a large town than the big cities of Montreal and Toronto. It was a short walk from the bus station to my hostel which was in downtown Quebec rather than the Old Town. The hostel was hard to find and (surprise surprise) didn't look anything like the advertisement. Check in was only from 4-9 and the hostel didn't take credit cards - pretty strict compared to the other laid back, friendly places I've stayed in. The room was by far the worst I'd seen for ages - a tiny 8 dorm room with no lockers or anywhere to put bags. I assumed the other door was a storage cupboard but it turned out to be an adjoining dorm room...as if we had room for extra people to be coming and going! I went to find some dinner but unlike Toronto and Montreal there weren't many places to eat nearby. I eventually found a British style pub which was ok but not cheap and not much fun alone.
I awoke to lovely sunshine which made a change from the miserable weather in Montreal. Armed with maps and suggested routes, I did my own walking tour of the city starting at the park and the fort. There were lots of tourists everywhere, especially groups of school children presumably on end of term/school year trips. I had a look round the Notre Dame Basilica and went to a few shops though couldn't find anything to match Montreal. I think most of the mainstream shops are out of town and the city centre caters for tourists and upmarket craft souvenirs. There are some lovely French style cafes and restaurants which are somewhat formal and beyond the backpacker budget so I settled for a Subway lunch! There aren't a huge amount of attractions as such but one of Quebec's charms is being able to wander around its narrow streets and through the archways which separate the Old and New parts. I went back to the hostel and chilled out on the small roof terrace where I met some fellow Brits. Some of them were staying for a week which I thought was excessive as I would have got bored after more than two full days. I got a ready meal from the supermarket that night and was shocked at how expensive Canadian supermarkets are.
Given I was in Canada, I wasn't expecting two days without rain but my final day in the city was sunny again. I went to the Parliament building to arrange a guided tour then read my book whilst waiting. The tour was really interesting and we got to see a couple of minutes of a live debate. I have no idea what it was about but the man was making some suitably French gestures and the woman opposite was shaking her head in disapproval. After another Subway lunch (yes I do have an addiction but only when travelling!) I went to see the Quebec Experience, a 3D show summarising the history of the city. It looked like I had the place to myself when to my utter horror, a hord of school children descended upon me. They made lots of noise throughout it and started screaming at the slighest thing happening! It was ok but I didn't feel it was long enough to learn much and it was also pretty expensive.
In terms of beauty, Quebec City did not let me down. I won't be recommending my hostel to other people (though ironically it's where I got the most sleep!) but it is a lovely place to spend a few days and feels very different to the other parts of Canada I've seen on this trip.
I had to be up very early the next day for the 12 hour journey to Boston via Montreal...
It was a long day of travelling to reach Boston, something I was not used to doing on my own. I made the short walk to the bus station early in Quebec City for the three hour journey to Montreal. It seemed strange to have to backtrack on myself but most routes to the USA are via Montreal. As soon as I arrived, even though there was an hour before my bus to Boston, I sat in the queue. The weird thing about bus tickets in Canada is that even when you buy them in advance, you cannot reserve a seat so you must get there early and stand (or sit on your backpack which makes a good seat) in the long queue. This causes some confusion over which queue is for which bus and some Spanish ladies behind me looked most indignant when they thought some people were pushing in (they were in fact in the queue for the New York bus).
Contrary to popular belief, not only murderers and weirdos travel on Greyhound buses. It was just over an hour to the USA border in Vermont. After the expected grilling by the officials including making me feel like a right loser by asking why on earth I would be travelling alone to Boston (!), we boarded the bus again. The journey wasn't that interesting apart from a couple of pretty towns in Vermont. I arrived in Boston around 6pm having successfully navigated the subway to my hostel and averted any serious injuries to other people by travelling during rush hour on a packed tram with my backpack. The HI was in a nice part of the city with lots of places to eat nearby. I found a nice Thai cafe for dinner, very similar to the one in Montreal. The accommodation was much nicer than Quebec City but I did have a crazy old American lady in the bunk below who was rustling papers and flapping around for hours - on the plus side she couldn't understand my accent so I didn't have to speak to her!
It was the England v USA World Cup match in the afternoon so I spent the morning in the Museum of Fine Arts which was close to the hostel. It was 20 dollars which I thought was a bit steep but I can honestly say it's one of the best museums I've been to. It's massive and so interesting that after 3 hours I hadn't even covered half of it. There was a brilliant section on musical instruments and ancient Egyptian artefacts. The ticket allows you to have a second visit so I went back on my final morning in Boston. I went back to the hostel as they were organising to take a group to the local pub to watch the football (and skip the queue, no doubt getting a few dirty looks in the process!) We were totally outnumbered by USA fans in the pub though I'm not convinced they all knew the rules of football. I met a group of fellow Brits and following the disastrous match we stayed on and had dinner. Then we went to a bar down the road which was pretty hideous - I've been to some great American bars but this was definitely not one of them!
Sadly I only had two full days in Boston - I would have liked to do the Harvard University tour but I didn't know how long it would take and the Freedom Trail was my number one priority. It was as overcast and grey a day as you could get without it actually raining. I started at the Park Street Church and finished at Bunker Hill, taking in the sites of historic events such as The Boston Tea Party and the declaration of independence. Afterwards I walked around the Harbour and Chinatown, the park and the "Cheers" Pub. It was good to get a picture of it though I never watched the programme so it didn't mean a great deal. All the walking in the past few days was taking its toll so I headed back to the hostel and watched an awful film with some of my fellow Brits.
The NBA finals were on that night and Boston were involved so a group of us from the hostel went to a local bar. Despite my acting background, I cannot feign even a remote interest in basketball so just went along for the beer and the company. At closing time, some of the guys wanted to go back to the bar we went the previous night at which point I decided it was home time.
The next day I went back to see the rest of the Museum of Fine Arts which was as good as the first time. Backpack on, I negotiated the subway back to the bus station and boarded my Megabus for my final stop on my world tour, New York...
My 9 dollar Megabus from Boston to New York was very comfortable and very empty. Carol, my friend who I was staying with, was there to meet me at the bus stop which conveniently was just around the corner from her flat. We went out for dinner to the numerous eateries near her in the Flatiron/Chelsea District - you really are spoilt for choice there.
I had four full days in New York and had booked a film and TV sets tour for the first morning. When I got to the meeting place, I hadn't realised that the huge queue in front of me was my group waiting to board the bus. So I was about to be the very last person when the guide stopped me and told me they have somehow overbooked the tour and there weren't enough seats. Was there any chance I would do the tour another day and get a free tour as well? Hmmm...I have been travelling for 10 months, do I want something free? Yes please! I rebooked the tour for the following day and a Central Park walking day for the Friday, my last day.
After this change of itinerary, I got the subway to Battery Point to enquire about boat tours to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I had tried to do this online in advance but it looked fully booked. There was an hour and a half wait to board that day, so I purchased an advance ticket for the Thursday. I was very close to Wall Street and the financial district, so I walked around there and got some pictures of the New York Stock Exchange. Ground Zero was a short walk away - I had been there on my last visit in 2005 but wanted to see how it had changed. It is surrounding by fencing as the site is being re-developed. Across the road there is a very touching memorial to the firefighters who lost their lives on that day. I walked up to Chinatown and the Italian District and had a hot chocolate in a very quaint cafe run by some Italians. Carol and I went out for some very nice tapas that evening.
Next day film tour take 2. It was a lot more civilised that the previous day's chaos with some spare seats on the bus. All the guides are out of work or part time actor and I read aftewards that my guide was a commercial hand model! I don't watch a massive amount of American TV or films so a lot of the sites didn't mean anything to me but it was still very cool, especially seeing the Friends apartment buillding which I was a little bit excited about! We also saw the homes or apartment blocks of a few celebrities including Julia Roberts, David Schwimmer, Usher and Beyonce. The tour ended on Fifth Avenue which is a shopping mecca so I spent some time wandering around there though didn't find anything too exciting.
The next day was Thursday and time for my boat trip from Battery Point. It's definitely recommendable to book in advance so you can get in the reserved queue. I didn't know what my ticket included - I wanted to go part of the way up the Statue of Liberty (to get to the crown you have to book months in advance) but this seemed to be sold out when I looked on the internet. So I was delighted when the man told me it included a drop off at Ellis Island, a drop off at Liberty Island and going up to the viewing platform at the top of the pedestal. Groups of noisy school children seemed to have followed me from Canada and I got stuck in the middle of a large group! I went to the Statue of Liberty first to avoid the afternoon crowds. It was a beatifully sunny day though quite windy at the top of the pedestal. I felt very lucky to be there as it was closed for years following the 9/11 attacks.
I re-boarded the boat and went to the Ellis Island Immigration musuem. This was also included in the 12 dollar boat ticket price which I thought was a bit of a bargain. I'm ashamed to admit my knowledge of American history is extremely limited. It was fascinating to learn what a huge part of the current US population descends from those immigrants who stood in that waiting hall all those years ago. I had planned to walk across Brooklyn Bridge or visit the UN building that afternoon but I found the museum so interesting that I stayed longer than planned. Gives me a good reason to go back to New York again soon!
I woke up the next morning to the realisation that this was the last day of my world tour. I went to the Abercrombie flagship store to see what all the fuss was about; they had some nice summer clothes but ones which are probably good for one day a year in the UK. Someone needs to tell them not to spray an entire can of aftershave around the store, I could smell it for about an hour afterwards! Then I did my freebie Central Park walking tour - again a lot of the TV and film references were a bit lost on me but I was excited about seeing the site of the Home Alone 2 pigeon scene! We also saw the memorial to John Lennon and the outside of the Dakota building, which overlooks the park and was the site of his murder. The tour finished at 2 and I dashed off to Carol's local sports bar to watch the England v Algeria World Cup match. I was extremely annoyed to have wasted two hours of my time in New York (and in fact two hours of my life) on that utter rubbish!
I went back to Carol's to pack and then made my way to JFK airport. My flight wasn't until 10.40pm so I had plenty of time to get there by subway and airport train. I had very mixed feelings about going home as I felt there was still much more to see, not only in New York. I have had the trip of a lifetime, seeing so many amazing places and meeting some lovely people along the way. It is by far the best thing I have ever done and I would encourage anyone who has the same opportunity to go for it.
Thanks to everyone who has read my blog or posted a message during the last 10 months. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as I much as I have enjoyed writing it. I may well do another trip like this in the future but for now it's over and out.....
Thanks for reading the second installment of my blog. This trip takes me to Malaysia, Burma and Indonesia before arriving in Australia in early November. I've been to Malaysia before and although most of the tour visits new places, my first two de
stinations of KL and Melaka were not new. I arrived in KL mid afternoon via Dubai and got a taxi to the hotel..at £15 you can't argue with that. I managed to stay up until 9pm courtesy of the free wifi so caught up with missed Bake Off episodes!
The next morning, after a late start, I headed off to the nearest hop on hop off bus stop.I hadn't done it on my last visit and it seemed a good way of seeing the city without exerting too much energy on day 1! An hour and a half later, with no bus in sight, I had a wander down the road, fully expecting for it to make an appearance as soon as I'd left (which it didn't). I didn't have that long until the tour started so I got some food at the bus food court and checked into my new room.
I'm always a little nervous starting a new tour in case everyone is old or weird but fortunately the group seems nice with a good variety of nationalities.
As I'm typing this on my new tablet and I'm taking forever to write a sentence, I'll call this the introduction and write about Melaka separately.
A vey posh bus took us from KL to Melaka..we were in business class with individual seats! The roads in Malaysia so far certainly put the British ones to shame.We were too early to check in to Hash House Hotel (yes really!) so had a walk around Chinatown or Jonker Street. The city was packed, probably getting ready to celebrate Malaysia Day the following day. Service so far in restaurants is laid back to the extreme and no-one gets their meal, or even all the component parts at the same time. Later on we had a trishaw ride in blinged up vehicles, though sadly without the disco music heard blasting from others! The guys look really thin but must have calves of steel to pedal around the trishaws with two people inside. We went to the Buddhist and Taoist temples and it's great to see so many religions co-existing peacefully. Our guide was very interesting and served in the British navy for 20 years. I think I should move to Malaysia as they get 62 bank holidays a year for all the different religious festivals!
I'm glad I had a whole day here on my previous tour as I don't feel we had enough time to see everything. We had a couple of beers by the river and dinner in a popular restaurant with way better service! We wandered back through the night markets which weren't up to much..including the popular pineapple tarts which just tasted of butter Melaka is a great mix of Malaysian, Portuguese and Dutch history though and well worth a visit.
A private mini bus took us to the town of Teranjut, on the way we stopped off for rotis, bread stuffed with egg and accompanied with curry sauce (delicious) and coffee with condensed milk lurking in it (disgusting). We arrived at the travel agent's office and had lunch there..made the mistake of ordering vegetable soup which was literally a bowl of hot water with a few veg floating in it. Maybe it was a Malaysian detox soup as it must have had all of about 20 calories in it. Definitely not worth the hour wait.
We got another bus into the jungle and then a 3 hour boat..it was basically a covered wooden canoe which looked far too narrow to transport us at speed but was surprisingly smooth. There are three girls travelling on our own so it was my turn ro have my own room..our stay here was three nights so well timed.
All the restaurants are floating ones by the shore, about six to choose from. I ordered a noodle dish which unfortunately turned out to be another bowl of soup. Maybe poor selections by me, but so far Malaysian food is disappointing.
The next morning we had a walk through the jungle followed by the canopy walk, rope bridges suspended about 35m in the air. Got told off for walking too fast on them..clearly the dancer's balance was an advantage! We then decided to hike up a lot of steps to a viewpoint. Two minutes in was berating my total lack of fitness as some of the group sailed past me. I like to think of the saying "It's a marathon not a sprint"! Anyway the view at the top was lovely and on the way back we saw wild pigs crossing the path in front of us.
That afternoon we went on a boat trip..you might get a bit wet we were told as the guys like to do tricks. I've had drier showers. It was brilliant fun as the guy turned the boat from side to side in the rapids. I managed to inadvertently sit at the wettest place in the boat.
At the risk of sounding like an alcoholic, the worst part of being in a Muslim country is the lack of alcohol served at restaurants and hotels so we had to go to the Chinese run hotel for beers. I did a night safari, fully expecting to drive around for 2 hours and see nothing. It was excellent however and we saw snakes, a jumping squirrel, a leopard, a rat and some black panthers though sadly I couldn't see them from my bad position at back of the truck.
The next day we did another jungle walk. We were warned about leeches so I frantically sprayed shoes, socks and my full length trousers..no leech is coming near Neddy. Luckily it hadn't rained so it was Neddy 1 Leeches 0. The walk was a bit disappointing as we didn't see anything and if I'm going to get disgustingly sweaty then I want something to show for it!
Really enjoyed my jungle experience though would have felt a bit short changed if I hadn't seen so much
Those of you who have followed my travels for a while know that there's usually a public transport breakdown story every so often. This was one of those days. We left at 6.30am and had an awful two hour drive around bends and on poor roads. We then connected on to a 6.5 hour public bus, but a fairly comfortable coach at that. Something was clearly wrong and we ended up limping into a bus station around 3 hours later. It was a great place to get stuck as there was hot food (versus snacking on the bus) and air conditioning.
Apparently a local mechanic was coming to look at the bus, I don't know much about cars but suspect the problem was beyond one man with a toolkit. Our guide bought us tickets for another bus leaving at 2 in case. We ended up getting that bus which was very swanky. Unfortunately this meant we didn't arrive at Kuala Terengganu until nearly 7, too late to go and visit the famous Crystal Mosque and couldn't face idea of being in a vehicle for any longer that day.
We had a nice meal at the Golden Dragon and an early night in preparation for the boat trip to the Islands the following day.
A short bus and taxi ride took us to the jetty, stopping off first for more roti and curry sauce, One minute into the speed boat journey and I was beginning to regret having just stuffed my face, it was way faster than I had imagined. The island's' beauty strikes you as soon as you arrive. Our resort was lovely, right by the beach with a huge pool that our room overlooked. I lay on a sun lounger for the rest of the afternoon (you may spot a pattern later). Had easily my nicest meal to date that evening, chicken and mango curry.
The following morning was our included snorkelling trip, stopping off at four points around the islands. Even though I've snorkelled before, I couldn't be described as a natural so was glad when the guide directed me to the best spots and gave me some bread to feed the fish. Even though they are centimetres away, it doesn't feel at all scary. We saw a sea turtle and loads if amazingly coloured fish. After returning to shore, we had lunch at another beach cafe along the strio by us. It wasn't nearly as good as the previous night's meal so we stuck to that place for the rest of the time. More chilling out, another curry and a few more Tiger beers sums up the rest of the day.
Quite a few of the group decided to do another snorkelling trip the next day to some different places. This time we had sole use of the boat and so could stay longer in each spot. We saw small sharks, loads more fish and stunning views. The day's entertainment was provided by one of the guys who split open the back of his shorts jumping off the boat and had to borrow my sarong to avoid being arrested for indecent exposure! We had a barbecue that night at our favourite restaurant which included fish and squid. I learnt that it's not advisable to attempt eating unfilleted fish in the dark.
The Islands are unbelievably beautiful and easily the highlight of the trip so far.
Sadly it was time to leave the Islands and our next stop, Kota Bharu, was a short mini bus ride away, Once there, we found a really local place to eat where you can get ginger chicken and rice for about £1! We did an optional tour of a kite making workshop, a batik factory and a silver shop, Unlike a lot of countries, Malaysians do not hassle you or try the hard sale which is refreshing. Kota Bharu is situated in the north of Malaysia, close to the Thai border and is known as the Islamic city. There didn't seem to be a huge amount to do near the hotel. That evening we went to an indoor food market. Fed up of accidentally ordering noodle soup all the time, I opted for Thai chicken noodles which I assumed would be pad thai. Cue arrival of noodle soup complete with chicken's foot floating in it! Really am making some very poor food choices on this trip! At least it provided a good photo opportunity. To cheer myself up, I went to the bakery and got a slice of tiramisu cake. What a let down! All style and no substance, We had a quick look at the night market but as there had been a big storm earlier, most of the traders hadn't set up.
It was a long journey by public bus (this time without breakdowns) to our next stop, a homestay around 3 hours from KL near the town of Kuala Kangsar. We stopped at a very basic place for lunch but our guide recommended that we didn't eat there asthe food could have been lying around for a while. We got off at the side of a main road and were met by Aziz, our host. It was a short walk across a rickety bridge to their home which comprised a few traditional Malaysian wooden houses overlooking the lake. Very beautiful and tranquil setting, apart from the chickens! Our other hosts were Aziz's wife Asiah and their son Assam. She cooked a delicious meal with various salads, meats, fish etc..definitely some of the best food so far and more how I had imagined Malaysian cuisine. We learnt how to play congkak, a traditional game using marbles which kept us entertained for the rest of the evening. This was also a probably much needed break from alcohol as our hosts were Muslim.
After a lovely breakfast of roti and several savoury and sweet pastries, Aziz lead us on a walking tour around the village, stopping to explain all the various plants and how they are used for culinary and medicinal purposes, eg
We arrived back in KL mid afternoon. That evening was our final of the tour, which had absolutely flown by. We went to Jalan Alor for dinner, a buzzing street full of neon signs, outdoor tables, hawkers etc. We had a lovely Thai dinner and then went to Skybar, on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel, definitely one of the most exclusive locations in KL with fabulous cocktails and views of the Petronas Towers.They look so much more impressive at nigharen't many ba
The next morning we could see people parachuting off the other main tower in KL, completely mental as it's in the heart of the city. It's comparable to allowing people to jump off the Shard! Some of us who were still around went to the Bird Park which was excellent, especially the live show where they had trained macaws to do tricks like picking up rubbish and opening the bin. We went to Chinatown for lunch and back to Jalan Alor for dinner. There aren't many bars as such but we found a Reggae bar, with a few shady non Malays for company!
KL is a great city with a mixture of modern buildings, shopping malls etc, more traditional areas like Chinatown and Little India and leafy areas like the Bird and Butterfly Parks all within easy reach. Sadly my time there was up and it was time to head somewhere new..Burma.
A short and amazingly cheap Malaysia Airlines flight took me to Yangon, which I was surprised to learn has not only had its name changed from Rangoon, but isn't the capital of Burma anymore. As expected, it was a world away from the modernity and ease of KL, with an overcrowded and old fashioned airport, though I sailed through the foreigners immigration queue, being one of only a handful of Westerners. I didn't have high hopes for the hotel given its awful reviews but it was absolutely fine..it is a third world country after all.
I met my new group who seem very different to my Malaysia group, it's always hard adjusting to life without people you've gelled with so well. On our first morning we had a walking tour of the city. It reminds me a bit of Havana, the buildings clearly used to be beautiful but gave been left to decay. There are so many historic buildings now empty since the capital was moved and I have no doubt that if I come back in 20 years, they will have been converted to luxury hotels and museums.
Later a few of us took the 3 hour circular train ride which cost all of 1 dollar. We sat opposite the conductor who seems to have a very cushy job, taking bribes and free newspapers/cigarettes etc, he even had time for a nap which I caught on camera! It was fascinating as we dawdled out of the city, watching the locals pile on with their various goods, including sone de-stalking all their vegetables from the market. There is much more visible poverty than in other South East Asian countries, more comparable to India which I had expected given how isolated and repressed the Burmese people have been for so long.
We had a walk around the lake which was rather brief as it was raining heavily and then went to Shwedagon Temple, the main pagoda in Yangon. It was enormous and a very impressive sight which has staged some of Aung San Suu Kyi's speeches. There are different corners for each day of the week and it's lucky to go to your respective day of birth. We went to a very local cafe to sample Burmese food which was basically a canten, am always suspicious of places where food is already lying out but our guide said it was ok.
It was time to move oonto our next destination but we were returning to Yangon at the end of the tour.
I was a bit apprehensive about the thought of a Burmese internal flight to Bagan but the plane was very modern with more food and drink than you'd get on most other airlines. We had to leave our hotel at 4.30am but fortunately our rooms in Bagan were ready for us. You didn't have to show any ID to board and the carousel in Bagan airport was local guys carrying our backpacks across the tarmac.
We had a walk to the local market which was fairly crazy; as well as having to dodge the mud everywhere (apparently it's still monsoon season), we had to avoid the onslaught of women hassling us to buy thanaka, the soap type substance used as sunblock by the Burmese. This was my first experience of being pestered in Burma and didn't entice me to stay in the market any longer.
Some of us went to a tea house and sampled sweet bean paste cakes covered in pastry. We found a beach bar which was completely deserted despite its position overlooking the Irawaddy river. Burma definitely doesn't exploit its rivers..the Thames this ain't! After lunch we went back for a rest as it was beginning to feel like the longest day ever.
We headed out to one of the literally hundreds of temples for which Bagan is famous. On the way we saw what has to rate as one of the strangest sights so far this trip..a monk up a tree watching a game of volleyball being played in the shadows of a temple,
That night we went to a puppet show which was great fun.
We had an early start for our cycling tour of some of the major temples, a wise idea given how hot it gets here. The view from climbing a temple and seeing temple after temple in every direction surrounded by lush green landscape is incredible, What's more incredible is that hardly any other tourists have seen this. I feel very lucky as I'm sure that in a few years it will be the new Angkor Wat.
A llittle bored of noodles and rice, we had lunch at an Indian restaurant where we encountered the first open criticism of the military regime by the owner. I want to ask locals their opinion but don't feel it's right unless they volunteer.
We visited the Sunset temple that evening, it was quite a steep and precarious climb so I decided the first level was good enough for me! Again the views of the temples at sunset was a spectacular sight. We also went to a lacquer ware shop to see the lengthy process involved, probably explains the high prices! Afterwards we watched another show, this time dancing and puppetry. The restaurant was also a spa so I had a massage there the next day, Like most places in Bagan, it was empty. They clearly have the infrastructure in place here, just not the vast numbers of tourists yet.
On our last day, we hired a mini bus to Mount Popa, a temple on top of an extinct volcano. Having to take your shoes off and climb 700 plus steps surrounded by monkeys for company makes you thankful you had all your vaccinations. Again there was hardly anyone there.
Bagan was a great place but it was time to move on to Mandalay via our two day boat trip...
A horse and cart took us to the jetty for our boat trip to Mandalay. Actually muddy bank is a more accurate description. We were to spend the next two days on board the simple boat, which comprised of an upper deck with chairs where we would also sleep and a lower deck where we would eat. It was very relaxing though I think some of the group found it boring as there wasn't anything to do apart from read or listen to music. The food was incredible - I am in awe of the chef and how he conjured up five different dishes plus rice and soup in such a tiny space. We stopped twice along the river, once at a village where the main industry was pottery and another time to go via trucks up a hill to a temple containing 45 identical images of Buddha. One of the most surprising things about Burma is the number of stunning temples in the most ordinary looking places.
We slept on mattresses under the stars and I appeared to draw the short straw by ending up closest to the stairs so would hear everyone go past. I also had no cover whereas the others had a partial canopy over them. It was quite comfortable until 2am when the heavens opened. Not being under the canopy, I felt the rain immediately and was up like a shot! My mattress was the first to be rescued as we moved downstairs. Some of the others got drenched and couldn't use their bedding. We made makeshift beds using the salvageable bedding and slept for a few hours. We were rudely awoken before 6am by the noisy engine starting up. At least we didn't have to wait long for breakfast. Most people looked shattered but I slept really well.
We aarrived in Mandalay at 4pm, sadly not at a beautiful bay but another muddy bank..
My first impressions of Mandalay weren't favourable. It seemed to have all the negatives aspects of a city without many of the positives. If it did have hidden charm, it was very well hidden. First stop was the shower after being without on the boat. We were staying in the downtown area and there didn't seem to be many places to eat. When dinner cost £1 though, you can't really complain. We had a quick look at the night market but fake watches and headphones weren't on my shopping list. The city's sites are quite spread out so our guide offered to get a truck to take us around. We went to a gold leaf factory, as with all craft workshops it's incredibly labour intensive and I doubt most Brits would last more than 5 minutes. We then went to Mahamuni Pagoda, complete with its 13ft high Buddha image. Men apply gold leaf to it, so much so that the layer of gold is now 7 inches thick. Women are not allowed near it which surprised me as Buddhism doesn't usually give the impression of being discriminatory. Our final stop was the Shwe In Bin monastery, a beautiful teak construction. The worst part of visiting Buddhist sites is that you constantly have filthy feet from having to remove shoes all the time. We were all craving food that wasn't rice or noodles so went to a place serving Western food. This goes against my usual principles so I only have myself to blame for ordering carbonara. Asia doesn't do dairy so the very strange tasting sauce was probably made from evaporated milk. A well known local ice cream cafe was on our way home and it would have been rude not to pay a visit. Sundae ice cream turned out to be vanilla with a scoop of jam over it, unexpectedly delicious!I ddefinitely found some of Mandalay's charm at the top of the Hill. As well as the compulsory temple, it had great views across the city and I was surprised to see how many green open spaces there are as you don't get that sense when staying downtown. That evening we went to another Mandalay institution, the Moustache Brothers show. Technically an inaccurate title as one brother died recently. They are famous for their show which criticises the military regime and has landed them in prison several times. They have also performed to Aung San Suu Kyi. Undeterred by government attempts to shut them up, they continue with their performances which are aimed at tourists. It was really funny yet desperately sad to hear what life is like for ordinary Burmese people and how it should be a comparatively rich country given its resources. They encouraged us to take photos and publicise their story. Very humbling indeed and a great end to a stay in Burma's second city.
A private bus took us the long distance to Kalaw. On the way we stopped at the U Bein Bridge, the world's longest teak footbridge. We had time to cross it and watch people fishing standing up in the shallow lake. If was really beautiful though made your eyes go funny looking down at so many wooden panels in a row. The rest of the day was spent travelling as Burmese roads aren't the best and Kalaw is up in the hills. The cooler temperature made a refreshing change from the humidity in our previous destinations.
We went to a Nepalese restaurant and it was so good to have something different to rice and noodles. The dhal bhat, chapatis and chai went down a treat.
We set off the next morning on our 16km hike through the hills and surrounding countryside. It had been raining quite heavily
and we were walking down some very slippery paths. I didn't really enjoy the first part of the walk as I was convinced I was about to go flying down some hill with every step I took. I was clinging to the walking stick a little too tightly! The second part was much more enjoyable as it was along proper paths. The scenery was lovely and we passed tea pickers and water buffalo but I think I have been spoilt by Sri Lanka and the hillside trek we did there which was far more impressive. We arrived back to the truck just as the thunder could be heard in the distance. If the trek was actually 16km then it didn't feel like it as I'm not exactly a walker but could have kept going much further.
Burma doesn't have what you or I would know as a bar, rather little huts serving food and drink. Sometimes you feel like you're sitting in someone's front room. We went to the Smile Bar that evening. When we left, they closed the shutters. It was seriously late after all..9.30pm!
Another long journey took us to Inle Lake. It really wasn't that far at all from Kalaw but the roads were so narrow that we kept having to stop to allow oncoming vehicles to pass. We stopped for an hour at Pindaya Cave Museum. Having seen a lot of Buddha images over the past two weeks, I just thought it was going to be another temple in a cave. It was in fact a series of caves containing over 8000 Buddha images of various sizes. Some of the walkways were only just wide enough to squeeze through. Again I couldn't help but think if this was in any other country, it would be heaving with tourists. It was awe inspiring, Burma really does pull out the stops when it comes to impressive sites. We had lunch at a very posh restaurant overlooking a lake. Ordered a sandwich -another schoolgirl error - no matter how nice the restaurant, the bread in Asia is still disgusting! On the way we stopped at a factory where they make beautiful paper lampshades and umbrellas from mulberry tree paper. One of the rare occasions when I wished I wasn't on an extended trip..but then again I don't have a house to put them in.
We finally arrived at Nyaung Shwe, the major town on the Lake. We had a Shan banquet for dinner as the town is in the Shan state. Burmese meals are definitely not a light affair and totally overloaded with carbs..rice mixed with potatoes and a separate portion of fried potatoes. They also love frying everything and I have no idea how they're all so slim! It wad delicious though but some days it feels like all we do is eat, especially with heavy breakfasts of eggs, noodles and rice.
The next morning was our included trip on the lake, stopping off at various local handicraft workshops like copper, silver and lotus plant from which they make clothing and scarves. We also saw the fishermen out on the water with their traditional methods including wrapping one leg around the oar and padding, very skillful. It is more touristy than most of the other places we've been to but it was still very quiet. The boats were very comfortable, with chairs and cushions and the scenery beautiful, a series f canals, backwaters and a large lake surrounded by mountains. I loved it so much that a group of us decided to hire a boat the next day and went to some ruins, over 1000 stupas in various states of disrepair and a jumping cat monastery (beautiful though sadly lacking in jumping cats, just sleeping ones!
We found a bar offering 1 dollar cocktails of dubious quality but it was packed with westerners as the bar scene in Burma is pretty non existent. We went to a woodfired pizza restaurant for dinner, again a nice change.
All of the group decided to partake in that most Burmese of activities..wine tasting! They have only been around 10 years so it wasn't too surprising that, with the exception of the sauvignon blanc, the wine wasn't good, they didn't know what glasses to serve it in or how to pour it and the cheese plate was a laughable plastic cheese and white bread concoction. But you never know, in a few years maybe Burmese wine will be the next big thing.
I loved Lake Inle, one of the highlights so far, but sadly our time was up and we had to board the plane back to Yangon..
A short internal flight took us from Heho airport back to Yangon. Security in Burmese aiairports is relaxed to say the least..no ID needed, no allocated seats and the xray machine was switched off!
We arrived back around midday and went for lunch in the Indian part of town where you can get a huge plate of food for under a dollar! A couple of us decided to visit Aung San's colonial house which was also where his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, spent some of her childhood before her father's assassination. It was a very beautiful and tranquil place. The government only opened it fully last year, before that it was only open one day a year.
Later in the afternoon I met up with a family friend at a Chinese restaurant. It was really good to meet a local and hear how much Burma has changed over the past couple of years, as well as some of its issues..in particular rising rental prices and poor infrastructure especially in relation to the power supply. There are hardly any street lights so carrying a torch is essential.
I met up with the group at the same restaurant we went to on the first evening. I was disappointed our guide had chosen to go there again as there are loads of dining options in the city, especially 19th Street which had been recommended to me. We had a farewell cocktail at a sky bar, its views of the city being much better than its drinks.
Sadly my time in Burma was over. It's an incredible place which has undoubtedly lived up to my high expectations. If you fancy a new and relatively undiscovered destination, go soon as the secret's out..
Another Malaysia Airlines flight took me to Jakarta via KL. I had really low expectations of the city so booked myself a swanky apartment for the night before the tour, still very affordable in this part of the world. Jakarta is well known for its traffic jams and it took ages to even get out of the airport, especially as I had arrived during a thunderstorm. I was immediately struck by how much richer and more Westernised Indonesia is compared to Burma.
I went to the Grand Indonesia Mall in search of trainers and cropped trousers, I'd forgotten how quickly things get worn out or break when you're on the road. The mall could have been in the UK with its Top shop, Dorothy Perkins, Next etc. I bought some trousers, once I found a pair not designed for the typical Indonesian stick insect figure!
After that expedition it was time to meet my new tour group. We went for dinner at a very posh restaurant where we ordered rice platters with six different dishes..looks like this tour won't be short of food either!
We took a very comfortable executive train to Bandung, Indonesia's fifth largest city with a population of 5 million. The scenery on the journey was beautiful; mountains and rice terraces, easily some of the nicest seen so far on my journey. We had a city tour where our first stop was the self service canteen..choose what you want and pay per dish. An authentic Indonesian experience. Bandung is a former Dutch colonial city and this is evident in some of its architecture though it isn't as attractive as some others I've been to, eg Melaka. We had a walk around one of the universities which was built in 1918. Indonesia may be relatively poor but it is almost a reverse culture shock having come from Burma.
Later we went to a cultural performance by local children which included dancing and puppetry. The latter seems to mainly consist of the puppets repeatedly beating each other up much to the delight of the locals and makes Punch and Judy look tame! The highlight was learning to play the Angklung, an instrument made of bamboo. You shake the Angklung and it produces a single note, so you need at least 8 people with bamboo pipes of different lengths to cover all the notes. It was great fun and we played some well known songs. Afterwards the children's orchestra performed and they were brilliant. Some of the dance performance reminded me of my past end of year dance school shows where a couple of the little children steal the show by doing something different to everyone else or looking on the verge of tears. We were literally dragged up to the stage by the children at the end to dance with them. I wwould love to have stayed but don't think even I can pass for 12 anymore which is the maximum age of the students.
Much of the next day was spent travelling from Badung to Pangandaran, a coastal fishing village and victim of a tsunami in 2006. The journey was meant to take 8 hours but was much shorter due to it being a public holiday. Obviously the opposite of UK bank holidays when everyone takes to the road. There was an optional jungle walk that afternoon but I decided not to go as I'd spent two days in the Malaysian jungle.
Breakfast wasn't included so we found a nice restaurant serving pancakes, a nice change from rice and noodles breakfasts! Having a lighter meal doesn't seem to be part of the Asian culture! We then set off on a tour of the area, starting with the local industries of palm sugar and visiting the market. A local puppeteer showed us how the puppets are made and then gave us a short performance, again involving masss violence. The roads throughout the day were shocking and I didn't enjoy the trip as we were virtually being thrown out of our seats. We stopped at a beach for lunch but it wasn't a typical beach as we would know it..nosun loungers, deck chairs and our guide told us we would have to wear shorts and t shirt to swim. I couldn't really be bothered with the hassle of finding somewhere to change when we were only spending an hour there. Another hideous journey took us to the Green Canyon which we visited by boat. It was pretty but quite crowded with other groups. Unfortunately this is one of my least favourite days so far as being thrown about on the back seat of a mini bus for hours just wasn't worth it.
At least dinner was nice..an included prawn, fish and squid buffet with everything freshly caught that day. Afterwards we shared a sweet martabak, basically a heart attack on a plate, a pancake with tons of oil, chocolate, peanuts, condensed milk and cheese which sounds revolting but was quite nice though one mouthful was definitely enough!
I was really looking forward to the city of Jogja, as it's known by the locals. We spent most of the day travelling as our train was delayed but they're comfortable enough and bring round a lunch menu. We went to a fantastic one stop travel agent/restaurant/bakery for dinner which became a firm favourite. An early night was called for as we had to leave at 5am for the Buddhist temple of Borubudor, aiming to get there for opening time as it's so popular and so hot. We had a local guide and climbed the terraces, each of which represent a step closer to Nirvana. Even though we had covered knees, we all had to wear sarongs which makes for some interesting photos!
I was going to visit the Sultans Palace after but that would have meant being out the whole day and evening, not an enticing prospect when you've been up since 4.30am. Those who did go said it wasn't that good.
Our second World Heritage site of the day was the Hindu temple of Prambanan. Our guide was a real character, extremely energetic and hysterically funny. We were virtually mobbed by groups of children, first time since India that I've felt like a celebrity! The site was hit by an earthquake in 2006..we were in Java after all and we had to don hard hats under a sign that deemed the temple to be relatively safe!
That evening we saw a performance of the traditional Javanese dance, Ramayana, at an outdoor theatre overlooking Prambanan. The heavens opened as we arrived but after the staff admirably sweeping the water off the stage and seats, it started 30 minutes late. It was interesting to watch but very slow, we were all waiting for it to get going which it never did and I have absolutely no idea what the storyline was. Having said that, the surroundings were stunning and I'm glad I saw it.
Three of the group booked the traditional medicine and massage tour. I knew it was going to be entertaining when at our first stop, the local market, we got to try a traditional drink made of spices. Surrounded by the delightful smell of various animal internal organs, chicken heads and watching the lady mash the spice liquid through a sieve with her bare hands, with no hand sanitiser in sight, my only aim was to avoid being sick all over the market floor. Thankfully the drink made of galandra, a root vegetable, wasn't as bad as feared and no one was ill afterwards. We then had a blind massage, as in a massage by a blind person. I'd heard they were meant to be good but all I can say is it's a good job he couldn't see my expressions which veered between confusion and pain. To make matters worse, one of the guys had his sandals stolen from outside the front door, with the thief thoughtfully leaving a broken pair in their place. We went back to the cafe for a traditional facial mask whilst our guide told us about the interesting use of some of the medicines and we tried to keep a straight face.
In the afternoon we went on a sunset walk tour booked with the same company. I think their food and cakes are definitely better than the tours. It was good but they were clearly paced for snails as we arrived at the sunset viewpoint an hour too early. The sunset cocktail was from a plastic container and the seafood dinner whole prawns in a sauce, very messy to disect. The driver was late picking us up then proceeded to drive like a complete lunatic. Jogja was a great place full of things to do but some of my choices were definitely memorable for the wrong reasons!
Taking the train instead of the bus cut hours off our journey time to Seloliman, an environmental education centre in East Java, with beautiful views of the volcano and rice terraces. We stayed in bungalows with attached outside bathrooms. Ours lived up to its "Frog" name, even with the lid down there was one waiting to greet us inside the toilet! When I decided to use the one by the restaurant, a huge spider ran up the wall. I decided that sharing a bathroom with a frog is more appealing than sharing it with a spider! All our meals were included and after dinner we had a battle of the nationalities quiz, which North America won.
After a relatively comfortable night's sleep, once the spider had been removed from the room, we were shown some of the plants and vegetables grown there. We also walked around the rice terraces, a photographer's paradise, and visited a 92 year old villager for a cup of coffee. She had a giant sized pestle and mortar to crush the beans, something she does all day which would probably kill me after five minutes!!
The fast pace of the tour meant that it was already time to head to our next destination, Mount Bromo..
A long minibus journey took us to our accommodation near Mount Bromo. It looked nice from the outside but the walls were paper thin and there was no hot water, not ideal when the previous night I'd had a sit down cold wash with a frog for company. The service was rubbish, 2 hour wait for dinner, must remember to write that TripAdvisor review!
We went to bed ridiculously early because we had to get up ridiculously early, 3am to be precise. We got jeeps to a view point of sunset across the crater then we walked up Mount Bromo and saw the stream coming out. The scenery was beautiful and completely different to anything else seen on my travels so far. We had been warned that there might be strong sulphur fumes but there was more of an issue with dust from all the ponies taking people up..even I wasn't too lazy to walk it though the volcanic sand is quite tough on the legs, Just as well I didn't buy any new trainers as half the path was deposited by me outside the hotel.
Even tthough it felt like the afternoon, we arrived back at 8am, time to get a fly infested breakfast before another long travelling day.
We arrived at Kalibaru, a major producer of coffee and tea, in the late afternoon. We stopped for a delicious and well deserved (given the 3am start!) buffet lunch..apparently if we tried to order off the menu it could be another 2 hour wait so it was a good excuse to eat loads of yummy chicken satay!
The next morning we had a guided plantation tour and saw how the women filter the beans for quality by eye..it would definitely make my eyes hurt. They also had a rubber factory and we learnt how valuable a commodity rubber trees are. We enjoyed coffee and fruit in a heritage building on the plantation afterwards though I have to drink coffee black here as they use condensed milk!
We stopped for lunch at a point and pick restaurant then it was time to say goodbye to Java as we boarded the ferry to Bali. Entertainment was provided by some local boys who were literally rolling around laughing every time I smiled or waved at them, it became a fun way of passing the time. It was Galungan that day, the Balinese equivalent of Christmas Day so the roads were packed with lunatics on motorbikes overtaking on bends. After a long day's travel, we eventually arrived at Tanah Lot at 7.30pm, just in time for last orders at the restaurant.
Finally a full day in one place! Though that place turned out not to be Tanah Lot, where our hotel was located, but the resorts of Kuta and Seminyak, where most people head to when holidaying in Bali (Kuta was also the location of the 2002 bombings). We hired the mini bus for the day and split up into groups, some going to a water park, some for surfing lessons and others to Kuta beach. I opted for the latter as I wanted to see the stereotypical view of Bali and why it's so popular. I have to say I was surprised at how nice it was, much classier with only low rise development and far less hassle than on the beaches of Thailand.
After a morning on the beach and lunch nearby, we headed to a beach club in Seminyak called Potato Head. It had an infinity pool which looked out across the sea and we reserved huge cushioned loungers for sunset cocktails when the rest of the group would join us. It was expensive by Indonesian standards, around 15 dollars a cocktail but the whole place, complete with lounge bar music, was pretty special.
We were staying at Tanah Lot because it is home to a Hindu temple overlooking the sea which is supposed to be spectacular. We decided we ought to have a quick look the next morning before leaving. What a massive let down! Having put on our sarongs and sashes especially to go into the temple, it turned out you could only climb about five steps before reaching the no entry signs. Apparently tourists are no longer allowed to climb the temple. We left wondering why we had stayed there at all and not in one of the resort towns, as those are where all the attractions are. I could have quite happily gone back to Potato Head the next day but sadly it was time to head to Ubud, our final destination on this leg of the trip.
We spent a few days in Ubud, central Bali, as although I had booked a 21 day trip, the tour was actually two separate tours; 7 people were leaving here and we picked up 8 new passengers. On the way to Ubud we visited Pura Taman Ayu, a UNESCO World Heritage Hindu water temple which was very pretty. It's a bit annoying to see most tourists not even covering their knees and shoulders when we did plus a sarong and sash which is traditional Balinese temple attire.
I wasn't too concerned about doing loads in Ubud as I was spending 3 days here at the end of the tour. Just as well as unfortunately I was ill here; I usually have an iron stomach but Bali belly well and truly got me.
We met the new passengers and went to the night market, mainly a food market where you can pick up two courses for under a dollar. It was busy until the rain started and we had to take cover under the seller's awning.
The next morning we had a walking tour of a nearby village, visiting a Hindu facjimily temple and some local artists. We stopped at a cafe with stunning views across the rice fields, a real picture postcard moment. In the evening we saw a traditional Balinese kecak and fire dance. There was no music, instead the men provided the sound through chanting. The fire dance involved a man kicking a bonfire of coconut husks with his bare feet, definitely a don't try this at home moment though one stupid tourist thought he'd give it a go at the end! I wasn't well at dinner so had to go back to the hotel.
We had a cycling tour the next morning around the villages of Ubud. Stubborn Naomi thought she'd give it a go even though I'd had three disturbed nights and hardly eaten anything for two days. 5 minutes in to the ride, uphill, I realised it was stupid to make myself feel worse and rode the rest of the way in the bus. We visited an Intrepid supported community project, a birthing clinic for local women. We heard some awful stories about the hospitals keeping the babies until the women can afford to pay the fees. Sadly as it was holiday season, the clinic was quiet and there weren't any babies to see. After this enjoyable and uplifting visit, we left Ubud for Sideman.
Our journey times in Bali were short compared to the crazy distances we were covering in Java so we soon arrived in Sideman, a village with stunning scenery and a lovely hotel. I was starting to feel much better and hungry for the first time in days. I tried gado gado, an Indonesian classic dish of vegetables with peanut sauce, for dinner.
We had a walk the next morning through the rice terraces and the village. Our guide was a very sweet man and we met his wife, who does weaving to earn extra money and his little girl who was adorable. We went to the village temple which didn't seem to be well maintained and litter is a real problem in Indonesia. We finished the walk with lunch by the river; paper wrapped in to a triangular container with a delicious mixture of chicken, rice, noodles, tofu, tempe (fermented soya beans, a bit like peanut brittle) and pickles.
We relaxed by the gorgeous pool in the afternoon; our guide warned us our accommodation that evening was quite basic so we didn't want to arrive too early!
Our accommodation near Mount Batur was fairly basic but when you have another 3am start, its proximity to the volcano is more important than its facilities. We had an early dinner and were in bed by 9pm.
The climb wasn't as bad as I'd feared as I'm hardly the world's most energetic person. It took about 90 minutes to climb, accompanied by a 13 year old guide, a child lugging bottles of soft drinks to sell at the top and a packed breakfast of horrible sugary bread, a boiled egg and a banana. Sadly the views were often obscured by the mist so the sunset wasn't as spectacular as it usually is. Groups of people at the top were looking quite bemused by their breakfast of banana sandwiches and boiled eggs!
I didn't enjoy the climb down as the path was full of loose rocks and I constantly felt like I was going to fall over. It's probably a miracle I only fell once. I don't think I stopped to appreciate the views and couldn't wait to get to the bottom! Despite that, I'm glad I did it and felt a sense of achievement at having climbed a volcano half asleep.
We went to some very nice hot springs afterwards and it was a great way to relax and soak our weary limbs. Their nasi goreng (fried rice) was pretty good too! Like everywhere on this part of the trip so far, the scenery overlooking a lake was beautiful. Guess that's why this part of the tour is called "Beautiful Bali"!
We arrived at the village of L
ovina, on Bali's northern coast, in time for pre dinner beers whilst watching a spectacular sunset over the sea. I had fish for dinner which was a nice change; I'd been avoiding it up to now as it isn't usually filleted and trying to eat it with typical Indonesian cutlery (ie no knife) didn't really appeal. It was another early night as we'd been up since 3.
Snorkelling was the next day's main activity. It was a reasonable drive to our starting point from where we got the boat across to Deer Island, on the northwest tip of Bali. Most of my snorkelling trips have been jumping off the boat but this time we started from the beach which is quite painful on the feet. The coral was beautiful, so close to the shore and then it suddenly dropped away to reveal the deep sea next to it. As usual, I kept sticking my head up to check I hadn't joined another group by mistake.
On the way back to Lovina we stopped at Banjar hot springs. As it's a Balinese holy site, we wore shorts and t shirts though attracted some attention for being the only Westerners wearing as much clothing as the locals! One creepy guy tried to tell us that the local people didn't understand and we should strip to our bikinis! I definitely preferred the previous day's hot springs as they were much more relaxing without the smelly and murky water. We returned to Lovina and had a huge buffet on the beach cooked by a local lady.
Another early start the next morning, this time to go dolphin watching a short distance from the beach. It was a bit of a bun fight as the small boats jostled each other for the best position but we saw loads and they didn't seem to be distressed by the slightly unethical behaviour going on above water level. Hundreds of photographs and one pineapple pancake later, it was time to move on to our next destination.
Our first port of call after leaving Lovina was the local market at Seririt. We were greeted by the delightful sight of cows' legs, complete with hooves, with bits hacked out of them and rather a lot of blood. Always top of my market shopping list. Sometimes the areas aren't very defined so you can see a clothing stall next to a chickens' feet stall. We then went to a very basic cafe with a few items displayed in a perspex shelf. You point at what you want, the lady adds some sauces, puts it all in brown paper stapled into a triangular envelope and you hand over the measly sum of 70 cents.
We ate our lunch (plus a few cakes from the bakery) at Munduk waterfall. We must have been lucky with the weather as our guide said it usually rains. The temperature was a lot more pleasant than the rest of Bali. We visited an 85 year old man (a spring chicken compared to the 92 year old lady in Java!) who still works roasting and grinding coffee. It was sad as he recently lost his wife and was telling us in Indonesian how much he misses her.
The sarongs and sashes were back out for our visit to Pura Ulan Danau Bratan, a Hindu temple on Lake Bratan and one of the 9 Balinese directional temples, protecting the island from attack by their position at the points of the compass. It's also the image featured on the 50,000 rupiah note so we all did the compulsory cheesy photo holding the note with the temple in the background.
Our final stop of the day was our lovely accommodation at Strawberry Hill. Apparently this was a bit of an upgrade as there isn't anywhere else to stay in the area. It was very quiet as it was another Balinese festival, Kuningan, and we had to eat early as the staff wanted to go home. We had another charity quiz and I was in the winning team. I'd like to say it's down to my amazing intelligence but actually it's because one of my team mates must be a real life genius and knew virtually every answer. We shared our beer winnings with everyone.
A first for me the next morning..breakfast in bed! Home grown strawberries, strawberry jam, toast and poached eggs..delicious! I wish we could have stayed longer (the shower was great too!) but sadly it was the final day of the tour and we had to return to Ubud.
The Botanical Gardens, a five minute drive from Strawberry Hill, were our final stop on the tour. As it was a public holiday, loads of families were there picnicking and enjoying the good weather. I don't know if it's because we went at the wrong time of year but I was quite underwhelmed by the displays, especially the orchids, none of which were in bloom. I actually think the giant Hindu statues were more impressive.
It was a quick drive back to Ubud as the bank holiday traffic was non existent. Unfortunately this meant that some of Ubud's many lovely cafes were also closed. We bumped into one of the girls from the first leg of the tour which was a nice surprise. I spent the afternoon sussing out the shops and the hit my credit card would be taking before I got to Australia!
That night was our final group dinner. The tour, especially the final week in Bali, absolutely flew by. To add a romantic feel to our goodbye, there was a big storm that evening and a power cut meant we ate dinner with our head torches on!
The next day I bought some trainers, a bikini and some flip flops, all much cheaper than Down Under. I said goodbye to my roommate and checked into my new budget accommodation. For £10 a night including breakfast I wasn't expecting much but it was surprisingly fine apart from the lack of hot water (even in the heat, a freezing cold shower doesn't appeal!)
I ttreated myself the next day to four hours of spa treatments, all for less than £20. I had a facial, traditional Balinese cream hair bath, manicure and pedicure. It was great though I was starving by the end of it, luckily I found another great cafe for late lunch, there are too many places to eat in Ubud and not enough days!
On my final day in Indonesia (sob!) I booked a downhill cycling tour after a recommendation. I also wanted to make up for missing out on the cycling when I was ill. It was an excellent day cycling through traditional villages and rice fields, stopping at some temples and finishing with lunch at the family home. They definitely weren't lying with the downhill description; my hands were aching from gripping the brakes so tightly!
And this brings to an end my time in Indonesia and in fact in Asia. The last 8 weeks have not disappointed me. As much as I enjoyed Burma and Malaysia, Indonesia is top of my list to come back to. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to be more fluid with my plans and then I could have visited Lombok in this trip. At least it's easy to get to from Australia.
Did you know you can get a £43 flight from Bali to Perth including food and baggage? Unfortunately this meant a 2.30am wake up in Ubud..at least there's no time difference. Denpasar Airport is brand new but the staff were so inefficient that I ended up being in a huge rush despite arriving in plenty of time. You also have to pay to leave the country which I always think is a bit cheeky!
I arrived in Perth at 10am to find the shuttle bus to the city the domestic terminal at 10am and the next one isn't until 2pm. Luckily there's also a regular bus to the centre which turned out to be much cheaper. The bus driver didn't seem sure that there would be anywhere to leave my luggage for the day which sounded crazy in such a large city. Sure enough there were lockers at the main rail station which I found after persuading several ticket inspectors I wasn't trying to board a train, just dump my very heavy bags.
I spent the rest of the day wandering around in a bit of a daze and being generally horrified at the prices in Australia (which coming from Indonesia were even more of a shock). I was staying with my friend Kellie until the Sunday and she picked me up after work.
The next day I met up with a family friend, Mick, who has lived in Perth for years. We took the public ferry across the water to South Perth (good for photos of the Perth skyline) and then got a train to Fremantle, or Freo as it's known locally. I don't know if it was just because it was a weekday, but the town felt eerily quiet. We had delicious fish and chips by the water. After a quick look around, we returned to Perth. In the evening Kellie and I went to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner; Perth is a very international city, especially the area called Northbridge though it still has a reputation for being a bit dangerous after dark.
When you travel for a while, you realise the world is a pretty small place. Two friends from my Indonesia trip were also in Perth at the same time and we met up on the Friday. We went to the Art Gallery of Western Australia which was showing a special exhibition of Dali, Picasso and others on loan from the MOMA in New York. The basement of the Gallery is a former court which still retains its original features, definitely one of the more interesting settings I've seen. We had a nice lunch at a reasonably priced place by Perth standards - the city is expensive even for Australia due to the mining boom. If you don't earn mining wages then life could be fairly tough. Later we walked to Kings Park which is a lovely place close to the centre with fantastic views of the city. In the evening I met up with Kellie and went for a few drinks. The centre used to be deserted at evenings and weekends; now some trendy places have opened up though you could easily walk past if you didn't know they were there.
It was time to move on to another friend's house for my last night in Perth (travelling a lot means having friends in lots of places!) The weather was beautiful, around 36c and we took a trip out on their boat. There are some amazingly expensive areas overlooking the water. We had a barbecue and beers in the evening, it wouldn't be Australia without a barbie cooked steak!
The next morning one of the girls took me to Cottisloe and Scarborough beaches. I braved going in the sea though the sight of helicopters patrolling the area for sharks is a bit disconcerting! I only went a few metres in and the sea was refreshingly cool on what was another 30c + day.
Sadly that brought my time in Perth to an end though I want to come back in the future and explore more of Australia's largest state.